Watching Football With
My Son
Sunday they
played the Bears in the first of this year’s playoffs.
We watched
the game together. He gets a little bit
extra involved. He does remind me a little
of my younger self, only even crazier.
It was a
close game through three plus quarters.
In the last quarter the Eagles led 10-9.
Spencer was in a pace-back-and-forth mode most of the game. The Bears hit a couple of big plays and
scored a touchdown with 4 plus minutes in the game taking a 15-10 lead.
“Friggin Eagles, they always
lose! I hate them!”
“They won the Super Bowl last year;
besides they still have time to score.”
“They’re killing me!”
The Eagles
did score. They had some nice plays and
got the ball to the Bear two-yard line.
It took them four plays to get a touchdown. Four excruciating plays where my son could
not contain himself. He threw stuff, he
cursed, he cheered, he cursed. He kicked
stuff, and when they scored it was fist pumps, chest beating and dancing.
“I love this team”, He was singing “Fly Eagles Fly.”
The Eagles,
leading 16-15, then go for two points which would guarantee a tie if the Bears make
a field goal in the remaining 50 seconds.
The Eagles back leaped over the pile and the ball crossed the line for
the two points…or did it. It was ruled
it did not. The replay looked like it
did to Eagle fans, it did not to Bear fans.
The ruling was no point; score 16-15 eagles.
“Bull shit, he crossed the line! Crap, now just watch, the Bears will kick a
field goal and we lose, CRAP, CRAP, CRAP!!”
“There are only 45 seconds left and
they only have one time out.”
“There going to lose, I know it!!”
The bears
ran back the kickoff to the forty-yard line as the Eagles missed a few easy
tackles.
Spencer was
apoplectic.
They
completed a long pass putting them in field goal range with 30 seconds
left.
Spencer was
inconsolable.
After they
moved the ball ten more yards there were only seconds left and the Bears brought
in their kicker for a relatively easy (for the NFL) 43-yard kick.
“I knew it! Missed tackles, missed coverage, they always
do this!!”
“They still have to make the kick.”
“They always lose!!”
“They won it all last year!”
“Arrrgggghhhh”
The kick was
up and good.
“Shit!!”
“Wait, the Eagles called time out
before the kick.”
“Arrrggghhhh! They are just delaying
the torture!”
The second
try was up.
“It’s good…wait, he pulled it…(DOINK the ball hit the left goal
post) Shit it’s good…wait (DOINK the ball hit the cross bar) Shit, it went over…no wait, it bounced back, it missed!”
The Eagles
win.
Spencer was
now fist pumping the air,
“YES!! GO EAGLES!” Spencer was singing,
“FLY EAGLES FLY!”
Spencer was
happy.
“I LOVE THIS TEAM! Yea EAGLES!!!”
I think he
is back at school for next week’s game.
I’ll be texting him back and forth for that game. I think it may be easier to watch with him at
a distance.
