A House Divided

I had to post this morning, real quick.
I'm still torn about last nights game. While I am so thrilled that the Pats are in the history books - perfect season- great job! I am also sad because of my dear NY Giants. To be honest I wasn't even sure who I was going to cheer for last night, until kickoff!
Here's the background: I grew up a NY Giants fan. My dad was a Giants fan and my great-grandfather was a Yankees fan, so my love for NY teams started before I even knew what was going on. In middle and high school my dad and I didn't miss a Giants game, we always tracked the Pats because my oldest brother was a crazy, go to Foxboro paint letters on his chest in freezing cold weather Patriots fan!

But the Giants were my team.

I had the shorts and the shirts and the jacket and the posters, then in 1993 something happened. While at a high school cheering competition the NE Patriettes, the Pats cheerleaders, came and performed and spoke about trying out for the team. In May of that year a friend of mine and I traveled down to the practice fields where we tried out for the squad.
It went something like this:
We got there early, I mean early; so early I was contestant #1 and she #2. We checked in along with 350 other girls from all around New England. We were taught a dance routine by going over it 3 times then practicing it 3 times as a group. The it was contestants #1-3 on the stage to perform it.
Then the first cut was made. They cut us down from 350 to 175 girls. Both my girlfriend and I made the cut!
Then we were taught another dance and this time went over it even less than before; again I took the stage and performed. The next cut came from 175 girls to 75 - I made the cut, my friend did not. I then made and interview appointment with the coach and traveled back down a week later for that interview. It was at that time while walking down the hall to the bathrooms that I saw Bill Parcells and I realized how torn my heart was. Bill Parcells had been the Giants coach for oh so many years and I learned to view this guy as the greatest coach of the greatest team- now both he and I had to make a change to become Patriots fans, a feat I'm sure was easier for him as he had a healthy paycheck. Anyway, after the interview my mom and I travelled back down 2 weeks later to try out again, this time along with the returning Patrietts. I was contestant #12 and this time in groups of 2 we hit the stage, it was me and a 6 year veteran. The judges consisted of dance experts and players. Hey I thought thee was no fraternizing?

Anyway that day the team was formed and I did not make the cut. In a follow-up interview I was told that being 18 years old I would have made it difficult for scheduling purposes because I couldn't do beer promotions- and those girls did a lot of beer promoting.
So as you can see when I sat down to watch the game last night my heart was torn.

Then, it happened.

To be quite honest I saw the NY uniform and my heart went pitter-patter - Go Giants I yelled! And then I had never seen my own flesh and blood turn so quick on me.

The sofa we were all sitting on vacated quickly and was named the Giants loser sofa, I got booed and when I got up to get a drink I returned to a sofa that had been vandalized. That is the cushions were all on the floor. Nice family I have, huh? They even made all the animals sit on their sofa with them.

I pulled out my old NY jacket and settled in for a late night of yelling and until the 4th quarter happy because a victory I thought we'd have.

Then, and if you watched the game, my beloved men in their ever so nice to look at tight pants, began to unravel. Two plays back to back in the 4th quarter brought out my ever so popular Cuda yelling voice, shouting out tips and plays to the coach and players until we eventually lost 38-35. Good game boys and when I leave the house, call me a traitor or whatever you want to call me, but I'll be happy to be a Yankee and a Pats fan.

Hey I'm in enemy Dolphin territory, a girls gotta do, what a girls gotta do.