Today, I did some laundry, straightened up around the house, even put in a few minutes on the elliptical machine. Eleven years ago, I got up a 8 a.m., though I forced myself to sleep even that late, since I was dreaming about the Packers all night. Immediately, I started making chili and preparing for the big party.
Then my roommates and I played about 10 games of Madden football, "working out" various scenarios between the Packers and the Patriots.
On this day in 1997, I was a bundle of nerves. Today, I'm chillin' on the couch. I may or may not watch the entire Super Bowl. And I really don't care who wins, though I'm tepidly rooting against the Patriots and their perfect season.
Maybe I'll tune in for the commercials. Maybe I'll throw in another load of laundry.
Hey, my season came crashing down two weeks ago, and in some weird away, I've enjoyed having reclaimed my life from the Packers.
Had the Packers won the NFC Championship, these last two weeks would've been intense, insane and ridiculously green and gold. I would've gladly taken that over a loss, don't get me wrong, and I'm not just rationalizing a devastating playoff defeat.
I'm just saying: I had a nice, albeit slightly boring, day today. Whatever happens in the Super Bowl won't affect me one way or the other. I can't imagine I'm the only football fan feeling this way today. Frankly, I'm much more exciting for pitchers and catchers to report in two weeks.
A final football note for the season: When the Packers lost the Super Bowl against the Broncos, I declared then and there I'd never let any football game or season dominate my emotions for more than one day. So far, I've stuck to that mantra. I let the sun rise and set by the Packers' performance in 1996. Now, it's just a game - albeit one that I take pretty seriously. But not seriously enough to ruin my week.
So if you'll excuse me, I have some clothes to throw in the dryer. And I think someone is kicking off in a few minutes, too.
Update -- 9:12 p.m. -- OK, I partially retract the above blog. I did wind up watching most of the game, and that fourth quarter was actually really exciting. I didn't think the Giants had it in them, and I expected Tom Brady to pull off a last-second touchdown drive to win the game. But it wasn't meant to be. I stand by my statement that my interest level was low for this game. However, for a few minutes, the gravity of this super close Super Bowl was pretty super, indeed.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
