I guess I am going to buy a few new shirts over the next week. I've been hanging on to the sweatshirt my dad gave me the last time Denver won the Super Bowl 18 years ago, wearing it often, and treating it gently so it lasted all this time. It's time for a new one, with a giant "50" on it. I think I also want to buy an official licensed jersey with a big number 58 on it. We have been quoting the conventional wisdom for days, saying, "Defense wins championships," and repeating it often enough so we believed it. We just watched a group of very talented men who proved us right. Say what you want about money or frivolity of sports or whatever. I have been a football fan my whole life, and I embrace that side of myself without reservation or shame. And not for nothing, watching tonight's ads and doing the math makes me wonder whether I'm one of those Super Bowl babies they talked about. What team were my parents rooting for way back when?
We tried going out to watch the game in public again, to the same bar where we saw the semi-final playoffs. We chose the only table with a padded bench complete with a seat back, and it meant we were too far away from the rest of the crowd to do much mingling. By halftime, we were tired, had spent over 50 bucks on drinks, appetizers, and dessert, and we decided it would be much more fun to go home and watch the rest of the game in jammies. It turned out we were right. It was quite pleasant to watch the game in pajama pants, with my feet up, leaning back on an ice pack, watching my favorite team win the game. Not that I'm complaining one bit, but you know you live in a small town when you can get from your favorite downtown bar to your house in less time than it takes to listen to a 1970s hit single on the radio (Baker Street, run time 4:10). We only missed the opening drive of the second half in transit. And we are going to stay home, miles and miles away from the celebration in downtown Denver. My brother was at or near the last celebration there 18 years ago, and he told me that the tear gas smoke for crowd control was no fun to breathe or taste.
I am on ice now, but I have to say I felt pretty good when I woke this morning. I felt brave enough to test my newly-aligned spine. The first thing I did, even before I'd had my coffee, was take a brief walk up to the park up the street a little ways. I intended to be gone maybe twenty minutes, but once I stepped out from the shelter of the houses, an incredibly cruel wind swooped in and bit me. I went ahead and made a little loop around the park, but my ears were freezing so hard I thought they would fall off. Twenty minutes quickly became thirteen, and I went back into the relative warmth of the house. I've been pretty sore ever since, but it still feels like progress. I go back to the chiropractor tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to getting just a little bit better from it.
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