Dreams Come True

12-0!  For over 3 months, every Saturday I sat on couches, bars, and even floors to watch my beloved Fighting Irish compete.  And for the first time since I've ever been a fan and can remember (1988 doesn't count, as I was only 2), Notre Dame emerged victorious Every Single Game.  Week after week, after 3 hours of what was often torturous suspense, I was able to breathe a little easier after my team emerged the winner.  After 12 weeks, Notre Dame is perfect.  Who thought that was possible entering the season?  No one.  I mean, I know I didn't!

Saturday night, my whole family huddled around the TV.  We had our ND-watching required accompaniments (Guinness, Guacamole), and were decked out in our ND gear.  All of us were nervous as we knew that USC would love to play spoiler to this beauty of a season.  But this is why you follow a team...for the opportunity to play your biggest rival with a trip to the national championship game on the line.

Basically for as long as I have been a ND fan, USC has OWNED us.  And having grown up in Southern California, you can imagine how annoying this was.  Every other year, I would return to school/work after Thanksgiving break to the sound of very self-satisfied Trojan fans.  Only one time in the last 11 years did I get to wear my ND hat proudly the following Monday.  So you can imagine, going into the season finale, even though I knew ND was the better team, I couldn't help but think that I was being set up for a big disappointment.  We were soooooo close!  So as soon as ND dominated Wake, instead of breaking down the next weeks opponent for hours as we usually did, my family clammed up.  We all knew that USC was next and for some reason we thought that if we didn't talk about it, we wouldn't jinx it.      

We needn't have worried.  This ND team wasn't like any other in recent memory.  I mean did you see that goal line stand?  Watching the Notre Dame defense stuff the qb twice and the running back, then USC fail to convert the 4th down (every other year the Trojans broke my heart with some crazy catch...but not this year, not this team) was one of the cooler moments for me as a sports fan.  It was just will against will, and Notre dame, like its done all season, just showed that it had the stronger will.  My family knew that those 4 plays represented the game and after USC turned it over on downs, it was like we could finally breathe and acknowledge that we were going to win.  Looking around, we all had these rediculous smiles on our faces as we knew that THIS year, there would be no let down.

And finally, after 26 years of dedication, I can say that ND has earned the right to play in the national championship.  After all those years of having my heart broken (Bush Push anyone?), I know what its like to have your favorite team reach the pinnacle of its sport.  Sure, I've watch the Giants and Yankees win.  That was super fun...but every sports fan has one team that they care about more than all others.  And Notre Dame is mine.

12 weeks...12 glorious weeks of a season.  A season I'll never forget.  But...I know this is selfish of me, I really want that 13th week of happy feelings.  Now Santa Honey, I just want one thing.  Don't get me anything Christmas...instead deliver my gift to me on January 7th in the form of a National Championship!     

Working...Sort of

When are you an addict? Well, to quote dictionary.com, an addict is one who is "physiologically or psychologically dependent on a substance, as alcohol or a narcotic."  Well...I might not be a classical addict, but I am for sure addicted to sports.

I should have come to this conclusion beforehand?  Well, perhaps you're right.  But what, do you ask, finally convinced of my status as an addict?  When I found myself during work pulling up Champion League soccer games on the sly.  That's right...in order to get my fix in, I have the game streaming on the background of my computer while working.  The idea? Just have it on in the background, and even though I can't have it pulled up, at least I'll be able to listen to the action of Juventus vs. Chelsea.  Is it working?  Well...it is...but maybe too well.  

Instead of being able to just whet my appetite by listening to the announcers, I find myself pulling up the game to actually watch whenever the announcers voice suddenly gets loud and excited.  Well those English must be an excitable people, because every 30 seconds the announcer is yelling!

Lesson: An addict can't just do a little bit...they always needs more 

Regional Quirks

Every region has its quirks and I was recently introduced to one of the Northeasts.  Ever heard of candlepin bowling?  Well, I hadn't either.  But I was introduced to it this weekend...and well, it was interesting.

See that tiny little ball that fits in the palm of my sisters hand?  Well that's what you use in candlepin.  And let me tell you, you can whip it wicked hard.  Not only is the ball different, but the pins themselves are smaller.  They are skinnier and are easier to knock down.  The best part of the whole experience?  The fact that the lane shows the MPH after each throw.  Not only can you compete on the score at the end, but really the main prize went to the person who was able to throw the ball the fastest.  A little side pot always makes life more interesting.

Look I had a good time.  But to be honest, I don't really understand why they felt the need to change bowling...I mean what's wrong with bowling? I've decided it just must be a Northeastern thing.  They love when people show up and they can make them feel all stupid by asking, "Really, you've never heard of candelpin."  Boston and the surrounding area is like a secret club...and it becomes quite clear when you are on the outside looking in.  Luckily for me, I've learned one more of their secrets...candelpin bowling, you are no longer a mystery to me!!

What's the best part of a tailgate? Getting there!

Have you ever ridden on a party bus?  Well if not, I suggest you do it pronto!  If you don't have an occasion coming up, just invent one, invite all your closest friend and prepare to have one of the better nights of your life.  What occasion did we come up with?  Harvard-Yale.  Get together 20 of your closest friends, have them meet at the Harvard club, then take a drive down to New Haven.  Let me tell you, everyone was staring as we rolled up in our huge bus to the tailgate.  And why wouldn't they?  Clearly, in a campus rolling in fun, we were somehow managing to out do the undergrads.  Tailgating in style, that's us. 

Here's how the morning started.  7 am wake-up call and we pull on our matching H-Y t-shirts (in case you aren't aware, All We Do Is Win is Harvard's unofficial theme song).  Coffee and food (don't go on a party bus without being completely fueled up!) are next on the agenda.  After the business is taken care of, it's finally time to get to the fun...Party Bus Time! 


Rules for a successful Party Bus:
1) Stripper Poles add to the entertainment: There is nothing better then watching your drunk friends attempt to show you their moves on the pole.  There will be some falls, but luckily alcohol dulls the pain.

2) Playlists should be strategically created to get people in the mood:  It's sometimes hard to convince people to get the drinks flowing, especially when starting at 7 am like we were.  Solution?  Start your iPod list with the "Shots" song.  Make sure to bring something nice, such as my personal favorite Patron, and haze everyone on the bus to take a Shot as the song commands.  From there, you'll have no problem getting the party going.

3) Alcohol, and more alcohol: You know how much alcohol you think you'll want?  Well, my advice...bring more!  You'll go through much more than you originally planned, and the worst feeling in the world is when the juice runs out.  It's easy to save extra alcohol, but it's annoying to have

4) Time: Trust me, time runs away from you when you are having fun.  So make sure to have a travel plan that makes it so you don't go over the agreed upon hours.  Once you use up the time limit, they will start charging you more per hour and you'll be way to drunk to argue about it.  So leave in plenty of time to get back inside the limit.  At the worst you'll get back home with some time to spare and you can just party in the bus until they kick you out! I mean because let's be real...who wants to leave the bus anyways?  I know I never did!

 

What is this Feeling?

Nerves.  That's what I'm feeling, nerves.  I'm not going to say that I've never been nervous before, as any one who knows me, I am someone who is extremely uptight when rooting on my teams.  My poor Sony Plasma TV (first thing I brought with my signing bonus money and my most prized procession) has been on the receiving end of some tantrum remote control throwing on my end.  Sorry buddy.  But this is a whole different type of nervous for me, as for the first time since...well...forever, ND football matters again.

Sure I've seen them go to a couple BCS bowl games.  But no one really thought they were that good, and the blowouts just proved the experts right that ND wasn't back.  This year though?  I've watched them beat OK at OK, stuff Stanford on a goal line stand, and storm there way to an 8-0 record.  You would think I would be happy right?

I am! I mean, this is the most fun I've had in a college football season ever.  But at the same time, there is for sure a double-edged sword for fans of a good team.  And the counter to being happy watching your team succeed, is being so stressed out that your joy ride is going to come crashing to a halt at any second. You don't want to be blindsided, so instead of enjoying your teams success, you keep waiting for the other shoe to drop and for the fairy tale of the season to be over.

Still, what if the fairy tale doesn't end?  What if this one time, your team just keeps winning?  Well, that's the question and that's what keeps fans coming back for more.    At least it does for me.

Time for ND vs Pitt.  Let's just hope I don't wake up from this dream of a season...because Notre Dame has given me one hell of a great fall, and I really don't want this ride to end.  Go Irish!

best way to deal with nerves? drink