I know. Poor spoiled New England fan. Your teams win too many championships. Boo hoo.
And, that's probably the proper reaction.
But, that doesn't mean that there really is something to think about. After all, if you're a collector, your team winning a championship means you'll be spending money. Even if you're like me and tend to shy away from big ticket items. I tend to go for mass quantities of cheaper items. Newspapers. Magazines. Soda cans and bottles. Which is why for this most recent Super Bowl win, I think I'm about done. I finally tracked down a commemorative Pepsi can. I could add that to the two Sports Illustrated magazines, program, and three newspapers. I love the newspapers and magazines especially since they really capture the moment. I like being able to put the championships into context like that. More than a t-shirt or autographed football can.
Plus, I've learned from all the practice New England fans have had. I tend to stay away from t-shirts now. For one thing, there's expensive. Plus, I amassed quite a few of them before I pulled myself back in. So, adding more is just excessive at this point. Besides, shirts calling out AFC champs, or even FOUR TIME CHAMPS just seem outdated now. So I make a real effort to avoid that sort of stuff. Unless, you know, it's cheap.
I've also learned how to find the things I do collect. I know which stores are open first thing in the morning that have a newspaper. And, which ones might have an early edition with a different headline. (Really mad I missed any "Falcons win" editions this year.) I know which stores get the magazines, and which have the cheapest prices. Its a skill. I don't want to miss anything just because I didn't know where to find it?
From, here I'll eventually add a picture to hang on the wall at some point. But, that's all that's left of my "regular" purchases. (Still love that I have "regular" purchases after my team wins a championship.) And, you never know what cool new thing will be out there that I've never thought of. But, hopefully I'll be able to keep the budget where it needs to be. Because, as I said, this can get expensive.
Which items are on your "must buy" championship collectible list?
After the last Patriots Super Bowl title, I realized that there were then nine champions for Boston professional sports in this century. If you had images of those nine titles, you could lay them out in a nice 3x3 grid. That would make for a pretty cool wall display.
But, they shouldn't be just any images. Sure, images of the first pitch and kickoff and tip off and puck drop of the championships would be neat, but pretty boring. And, not exactly important.
I felt that the grid should be made up of the seminal moment from each of the title runs. Either the most satisfying, or memorable moment of each title. Which images did I think should go into a grid?
2002 Patriots: Game winning field goal.
2004 Patriots: Game winning field goal.
2004 Red Sox: Foulke underhanding to Mientkiewicz.
2005 Patriots: Deion Branch catch.
2007 Red Sox: Papelbon jumping on Varitek
2008 Celtics: The new big three in action
2011 Bruins: Tim Thomas making a save
2013 Red Sox: The three players making the "safe" sign at home plate.
2014 Patriots: Malcolm Butler pick.
Those were the nine I would pick. Obviously, nothing is set in stone. Still wonder if a Victorino grand slam pic is better for 2013 Sox...but that wasn't in the World Series. Should that matter?
Anyway, we now have another one to add. I guess that means it can't be a 3x3 grid anymore. Have to go 5x2 or something. But, which image would you pick from Super Bowl LI? Some candidates jump to mind. Obviously the Edelman catch jumps to mind. What about James White driving to the end zone with the winning score? How about just about any picture of Tom Brady? (Well, ok, not the one of him diving to try and stop the interception return.) For me? As much as the Elelman pic would be a great one, and one that I definately want an autographed version of, I think the White score does it for me. Nothing means as much as the first ever overtime game-winning score. Never been a moment like that before.
Which one would you chose?
Which ten?
I'm still not sure I've come down yet. Sunday night was so over the top of anything I was expecting, I've been all over the place since then. What was supposed to be a cake walk became a thriller. It hasn't really had a chance to sit it. I've just been going through the motions. Watch the post game ceremony. Get out early to buy a newspaper. Two newspapers. A program. Watch video clips online all night.
But it's still not real.
Even though you always knew there was a chance, coming back from down 28-3 just requires such a perfect execution it's hard to really be comfortable with it.
Because, of course the Patriots were always potentially able to come back. I mean, really crazy territory, didn't they score three touchdowns in like three plays in the buttfumble game? It went something like pick-6, fumbled kick off returned, buttfumble return. Right? And, they came back against SF or Denver, or maybe both, where they just dominated the game for a chunk of time. Like the had a second gear in reserve. Scored three or four touchdowns by simply outplaying the other team.
Add to that the fact that when you really looked at it, Atlanta hadn't dominated the way the score would suggest. The pick-6 was skewing things. It wasn't completely far-fetched to think they could shut them down for a bit.
So, it was always a possibility. The clock just started to be more of an enemy than we might have liked. You started to do the math in your head. How many possessions are there time for? That's where the strip sack was huge. It made the math work again. All they had to do was do it.
So, that's why New England fans are cocky. It's not some sort of "In Bill We Trust" brainwashing. It's not some ego thrusting itself on everyone. We assume that the Patriots are going to pull it out, because they so often pull it out. It's like assuming that David Ortiz will come through in the clutch. Of course he will...he always does. Of course Brady will bring them back. He brought them back from 25 points down in the third quarter of the Super Bowl. The last time, he brought them back from down ten points in the fourth quarter to win the Super Bowl. That was after he brought them back from down 14 points...twice...in the AFC Divisional game.
So, the next time the Patriots are trailing, why would we worry? There is apparently, nothing Brady can't do.
It's not cockiness when you're right.
More to Read in Other Sections
