The Ghost of Super Bowls Past: Part V (The Young 'uns Get Invited)

The penultimate installment of my Super Bowl-related blog series:

In 1998, we moved to our current home, and our first Super Bowl party here was in January of 1999, when the Denver Broncos played the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXIII. My brother came in from medical school in Pennsylvania to join us for the game. Unfortunately, my brother and I were still bummed out over the Minnesota Vikings' upset loss to the Falcons in the NFC Championship Game a couple of weeks earlier. That year, the Vikings had finished the regular season with a 15-1 record, and had set a record for most points scored in a season (that record was broken by the 2007 Patriots). In over 30 years rooting for the Vikings, I can't recall a better team. More than a decade later, I still can't believe that they fell short of the Super Bowl. Predictably, the Falcons, who had played the game of their lives against the Vikings, offered little resistance to the Broncos, who won easily, by a score of 34-19.

While the Broncos were winning their second consecutive title, my brother and I glumly ate the chili I had prepared, and watched the game mostly in silence, except to mutter "we would've put up a better fight." That's probably the first time I've ever used the words "chili" and "glumly" in the same sentence, but it really applies. The interesting thing is that looking back, the Super Bowl XXIII chili is probably the best chili I've ever made. Everything just came together properly. In fact, perhaps the bitter disappointment I felt over the Vikings' recent loss was the missing ingredient in the chili. Much like a great artist during his "blue period," or Eddie Poe while he was stuck living in Baltimore, perhaps I just needed some negative motivation to break out of my creative shell.

The next year ushered in the brief-but-exhilarating "mini hot dog" era. Our oldest child was then nearly 6 years old, her younger sister was 4, and they were deemed old enough to participate in the festivities. FBB bought a large pack of cocktail franks, and we boiled them up, and put them in a large bowl in front of our delighted offspring. They looked at each other in wide-eyed wonder as if to say, "Okay, let me get this straight. They're letting us watch TV, giving us these delicious little hot dogs, and we're staying up way past our bedtimes in the process." They just could not believe their good fortune.

The game itself was reasonably exciting, as the St. Louis Rams beat the Tennessee Titans 23-16, in a game that wasn't decided until the final play, as the Titans' last-gasp drive ended when Kevin Dyson was tackled about one-yard short of a potential game-tying touchdown.

Super Bowl XXXV, in January 2001, was another blowout, as the Baltimore Ravens routed the New York Giants 34-7. Once again, the mini hot dogs were the star of the show.

Super Bowl XXXVI marked the first time the game was played in February. The Super Bowl took place on February 3, 2002, and we were treated to an exciting game, as the New England Patriots defeated the St. Louis Rams 20-17. This was considered an upset, as the Rams were favored, and it marked the beginning of the Patriots' dynasty, as they would end up winning 3 Super Bowls in 4 years, and play in 4 Super Bowls over a 7 year period. We watched the game at home, with the family, who enjoyed the customary sandwiches and side dishes, and, of course, the ubiquitous cocktail franks. I still couldn't convince anyone to even try my chili, which seemed to somehow get spicier by the year, and was practically mocking my acid medication by this point.

The Super Bowl moved back to January in 2003, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII. The kids were really starting to look forward to the party now, even recommending certain menu items. My chili had become more brazen than ever. At one point earlier in the day, I stepped out of the kitchen, only to return a few minutes later to catch the chili making harassing phone calls to my gastroenterologist. On a weekend, no less.

Super Bowl XXXVIII, played in February of 2004, was an entertaining, back-and-forth game, with a total of 37 points scored in the fourth quarter. The New England Patriots defeated the Carolina Panthers, by a score of 32-29. I decided to de-jalapeno the chili that year, which helped to tame it somewhat.

The next year, it was time to take the Super Bowl party on the road.