Instead I’m quietly preparing for battle. First (and I know he’ll ask me this, because he always does), Matt will say, “Jen, why do you like the Giants?” And calmly, I will reply, as I always do, I grew up in New Jersey. My father took me to the Meadowlands in the ‘80s when players like Phil Simms, Lawrence Taylor, Carl Banks, Phil McConkey and Mark Bavaro wowed fans. So to me, the Giants are not just a team — they represent some of my best childhood memories.
Of course, I’m not an idiot. I know this team does not compare to the 1986 Giants. Instead they remind me of another New England favorite — the 2004 Red Sox — a scrappy but determined Wild Card team that won a championship when no one thought they could pull off. And this from a Yankees fan!
I know the Giants are underdogs. If they lose, I’ll be disappointed, and if they win, pleasantly surprised. OK, ecstatic. But the point is that the Patriots have a perfect season on the line. Most everyone expects them to deliver a 19th win — and that puts a lot of stress on a team, and their fans.
My game plan is to play it cool while the boys sweat it out. This strategy won’t be easy if the game is close. It will help that the kids will be present for the first half of the game (I have a strict no swearing rule when they’re around).
And maybe, just to level the playing field, my husband will let Lauren and Will be New York fans for the night. I gave birth to them, so this request seems reasonable to me. Plus I have two Giants’ hats stashed away in my closet that are begging to be worn. They haven’t seen the light of day since I left New Jersey.
With a strategy in place, all there is left to do is wait and see. I’m confident I can maintain composure in a room full of Patriots fans, but if the Giants win the Super Bowl, all bets are off.
By the time you read this, the game will already have been played, the championship T-shirts handed out and another happy quarterback will be on his way to Disney. Here’s hoping it’s Eli.
Jennifer Hazard lives and writes in Yarmouth, where she continues her celebration of one of the most surprising upsets in Super Bowl history.