200 Mile Victory Lap

A car radio does NOT do a Superbowl game justice, especially when it's on the AM dial. I went bouncing from one Westwood One station to another for 200 miles, last night, trying to capture the spirit of what my friends were enjoying in front of their 60-inch HD television. It didn't work.

Jen, a Bostonian friend and one of the biggest Patriot fans I know, invited me last minute, to her folk's place in Marshfield, Mass. Since I had an assignment in Boston this morning I decided to take her up on her offer.

Her parents live only 6 miles from a slice of island on the Atlantic called Humarock, a historic vacation spot with fabulously old beach houses that survived the 1991 Big Storm. Jen gave me exact directions from Albany, but, of course, I bypassed her expertise and found a shortcut to...well, no-where. I nearly missed the entire game including the last nail-biting moments.

Emotion erupted as I hurried in to see the last 3 minutes. Screeches, shrieks and shouts choked the room. And even with only 8 devoted fans, one with an autographed sports jersey by Tom Brady, the ear-piercing noise they made should have alerted me to this house long before I got lost. I grabbed a seat just in time to watch as Manning's magic exasperated my new friends. Giants Plaxico Burress scored a TD with just 35 seconds left on the clock. The room went cold stone quiet shocked by the underdog victory. It was over. 18-1. What a inconvenient and awkward time for a fan from New York to walk in. I waited until this morning to do my victory laps, all 200 miles, back to Albany; seasonal training grounds for the Giants.