Summers are long in the desert as it is...but, when you are a football fan, it is like a child waiting for Christmas. It feels like it will NEVER end! From the time the QB throws the last pass at Super Bowl until the coin toss of pre-season, it is a VERY long, VERY hot, VERY slow summer.
Don't get me wrong. I think baseball is cool. But only if I am there in person. I don't really follow it much on TV. Baseball = stadium nachos, tall, cool, expensive drafts and the archaic organ playing Take Me Back to the Ballgame. It is all very fun...in person and under a cool summer night.
I'm not opposed to any sport. I really enjoy the sound of the crowd, the excitement of the competition and the undying determination of the team. I can get into just about anything if I really give it a shot. Except for golf which just bores the hell out of me.
But football is where my heart lives. The sounds of the helmets as they collide during a play. The unexpected pass that solidly falls within the arms of the receiver. It is the unexpected interception, the hail mary touchdown, the game winning field goal...that's what makes my heart skip a beat. Especially when it gives my team the advantage!
And my team...is...the...STEELERS!!!! Don't hate haters!!
Today marked the first Sunday football of the season. Unfortunately, my team was scrubbed from any stations out here in the Old Pueblo so I wasn't able to show them love (although I DID wear my colors today!) But a big WOOT WOOT for their win over the Falcons in OT. This with Dixon as our QB while our hussy lovin QB "Big Ben" is sitting on the sidelines with his...never mind. I personally like Dixon better. Always have. I really like watching him play. Ben drives me nuts with his "let me wait until the last dying minute to throw the ball...oh damn I got sacked" strategy. Dixon, on the other hand, has real QB goodies!! He will run that ball if he needs to, he will pass it where he needs to and QUICK and he has a place in my heart. I wouldn't shed one small tear if Ben had to go to some sort of sex therapy home with Tiger and Dixon had to take over.
Oh sorry. I got off on a tangent. I am just so thrilled that football season is here. I love fall...just the time of year in general. I loved it most in Louisville (where I am from) because of the colors, the smells, the crisp cool air that cuts through the humidity of summer. Out here in the desert, fall marks temps more in the 90s along with cool mornings that certainly don't require a sweater but does give your desert adapted skin goosebumps.
When I hear the roar of the crowds and the idiocracy of the commentators from a distant room of the house, I expect to smell my chili simmering on the stove - spicy and hot. I expect to see a quality amber beer slightly spilling over a cold, frosty mug. I expect to be wearing one of my many Steelers shirts, ear rings (well, not with a baby), my new Steelers bracelet and possibly even my jersey (saved for special games). I expect to have my terrible towel either in my hand or close to the TV. I expect that my beautiful daughter and step-daughter to be wearing their Steeler outfits with pride. They each have their own terrible towel that they have each had lessons on how to twirl them (my 8 month old has crazy arms anyway so it works out well). I expect to have my blood pressure escalate and my foul mouth hindered (when the kids are around at least). I expect to be entertained, let down, fired up, proud and exhausted. Ahhh, I love this time of year...more than any other.
Happy Fall and Happy Football Season!!!
