Can’t Lose for Winning

CITY OF CHAMPIONS – GO PATS!

In a perfect world, I’d be able to recount all the events from last weekend. All week I’ve tried to write what went down but I’m just missing too many hours. So I can’t do it any justice. Instead I’m going to try to write what happened from when the Pats hit the game winning field goal on.

The Super Bowl party was at my place. We ended up getting about double the people we were expecting but we managed to fit everyone. It was snug but we were all friends. Plus we had multiple TV’s.

So I’m in the living room sitting on the floor with Dip, Cons, Bonacci, Antash and some guy I didn’t really know.

Adam Vinatieri lines up for a 41 yard field goal. Usually I wouldn’t give it a 2nd thought but he had already missed a kick and had another one blocked. And both were under 40 yards. So here we are, 4 seconds left and I’m not feeling OT. The boys and I are huddled together, arm in arm.

Clean snap, Good hold, Laces out, ball is up and it’s good!

For a split second I black out. I don’t remember what happened. But then I realize that I’m on the bottom of a pig pile. Beers are flying everywhere. Everyone is rolling around laughing, hugging, high fives. It was a great, great moment.

Bottles of champagne are being passed around and poured over peoples heads.

We light fireworks off the back porch into the night.

We clear out the chairs and begin an impromptu dance party.

We have hardwood floors and by now they’re deep in beer and champagne so everyone is slipping and falling. But nobody cares. It’s just fun. Alright it’s time to hit the streets! I organize a group and we head on out.

It’s me, Cons, Adam, Kara, Bonacci, Camby and Antash. We’re going to Fenway and tearing the Green Monster down! I run out into the middle of the street and just start giving high 5’s to passing cars. I almost dislocate my shoulder a few times and my thumb still isn’t right but it’s not every day the Pats win the Superbowl!

We get onto Mass Ave and it’s the same story. Everyone beeping horns. I’m running through traffic having the time of my life.

Then Connolly and I get ahead of the rest of everyone else. We find ourselves at Northeastern University.

Here’s part of a story from the Boston Globe

“Thousands of people swarmed city streets after watching Sunday night’s game, with some setting bonfires, overturning cars, and clogging major streets. One man was killed and three others were injured when an SUV driver, allegedly intoxicated, drove into a crowd near Northeastern University. Despite assurances by Boston police late last week that they would move in quickly at the first sign of trouble, witnesses said that in some cases police stood by, observing out-of-control fans or asking them to go home. Instead of dispersing, the crowds grew larger and more rowdy.”

The person who drove into the crowd did minutes after after Cons and I left that area. We were hanging with the Northeastern kids but then a Mosh Pit began. And I’m too old to be messing around with that nonsense. I want to have fun and celebrate with people. I’m not down with the violence. So we got out of that area.

We continued onto Fenway Park. But when we reached Lansdowne, it was deserted. Nobody was around. How could I take down the Green Monster without help? So Cons and I decided we would try to head to Faneuil. We’d grab a cab in Kenmore and make our way over. But when we reached Kenmore, our plans quickly changed. Once again from the Globe…

“As many as 5,000 people poured into the Kenmore Square area, overwhelming police there. When a phalanx of motorcycle police approached Kenmore Square from Brookline Avenue, he said, 300 to 500 fans stormed the police. When they wouldn’t disperse, Hussey said, police used pepper spray to send them home.”

So there’s this huge bonfire going on in the middle of the street. People are all around it. Adam and Kara meet up with us and we head towards the fire. Some cops come and put it out. Yeah right, the thing is back up again within minutes. So by now, the 4 of us are right in front of the fire. If we were any closer we’d be in it (which almost happened multiple times) It was so hot but worth it. People were having fun. Especially the kid wearing no shirt who loved running through the fire. I mean he was just asking to get burned. Not the smartest kid I’ve ever met. I tried to get him to stop but way too many people were enjoying his show. So this goes on for a good 45 minutes.

All of a sudden I hear a huge pop! Shrapnel hits my face. I figure burning embers.

I can’t breathe. I can’t see. I put my head down and just run. I’m very confused to what’s going on.

The cops pepper bombed us! I couldn’t believe it! At least give us some warning! The fans weren’t storming the police. That’s bullcrap! Perhaps the bonfire wasn’t the best of ideas but c’mon now…pepper bombs. So if you’ve never been pepper sprayed, never do. It’s horrible. You can’t open your eyes. I was blind. And then your lungs just close up. I feel for anyone with asthma. So now I’m alone. I want to find the rest of my friends but I can’t open my eyes up enough to even dial my phone correctly.

I had gone from such a high to such a low.

Finally we all reunite. We decide to walk to another part of town but the life has just been sucked out of us. After walking to a few bars, we decide to call it quits for the night.

Late night party at home but those details are just not worth writing about. Let’s just say puke was involved. My man was so drunk he woke up the next day and said

“Hey, who puked?”

“Look at your jeans! It looks like you’re wearing camouflage!”

GO PATS!