The Ghost of Super Bowls Past: Part VI (Road Trips)

The final installment of our Super Bowl Party blog series:

I've really got to wrap this thing up. The Super Bowl kicks off in about 21 hours, and Ken Burns just called, and told me that this thing was really starting to drag on for too long.

In February 2005, we were faced with a logistical challenge. Our kids had mid-winter vacation, and we'd be taking a trip to Baltimore, MD and Hershey, PA. Once again, FBB rose to the occasion, planning the trip so that we'd be in our hotel to watch the game on Sunday evening. On Sunday morning, we bought provisions, to supplement the ribs which FBB had prepared the prior week, and we had a nice time watching the game. The Patriots beat the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21, in a decent game. More importantly, we proved capable of having a really good Super Bowl party even away from home.

The next year, the Super Bowl also took place during mid-winter vacation. This time, we were in the Washington, D.C. area (northern Virginia, to be exact). We watched the game in our two-bedroom hotel suite, as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 in Super Bowl XL. What the game lacked in excitement was outweighed by the good food, and the generally festive atmosphere. By this point, I started to believe that FBB could arrange a good party in Mongolia, if needed. (I've seen pictures of Mongolia; they could use a good party).

In February 2007, we were back in town, but had long-since relegated our TV to a dark corner of the garage. Undaunted, FBB and I decided to watch the game in my office, where I had a TV. We picked up some food on the way there (I brought some chili, of course), and had a nice, quiet viewing experience. The Indianapolis Colts beat the Chicago Bears 29-17.

Super Bowl XLII, played in February 2008, marked the first time in about 25 years that I watched the Super Bowl alone. FBB and the kids were in Detroit (at FBB's sister's house) for mid-winter vacation, and I pulled the old TV out of the mothballs, made some chili and watched the game. The New York Giants beat the New England Patriots 17-14, in a stunning upset. The Patriots had not lost a game until that point that season, and had set the record for the most points scored in a season. FBB watched the game in Detroit, and called me several times to offer her observations on the game. At that point, I confirmed what I had previously suspected. FBB was not just a great party-thrower. She had become a full-fledged football fan. By now, two years after Super Bowl XLII, I can honestly say that she probably knows more about football than 50% of the men that I know. By next year, it'll be 75% - 80%.

In February 2009, FBB and I watched the game alone together again, this time in Queens, at my parents' empty house (they were in Miami Beach). We bought hamburgers at this new "burger bar" place, one of those joints where you could customize your burger to your specifications. The burgers were excellent, and we've really got to go back to that place one of these days. Shortly after arriving at the house, I discovered the hard way that my parents had changed the alarm code without telling me, and I had to call my father to get the new code in order to turn the darn thing off. The really pathetic thing is that they had changed the code about 10 years earlier. Talk about being out-of-the-loop! Of course, because I hadn't turned the alarm off in time, we were visited by the cops. I began to wonder whether or not they had the game on down at the station house (I'm sure they did). Fortunately, they bought my story about being the homeowners' son, and we settled down to watch the game, without missing a play.

The game was very exciting, with several big plays and lead changes, and the Pittsburgh Steelers eventually prevailed over the Arizona Cardinals, by a final score of 27-23.

It's now a year later, and it's time for the Super Bowl once again (funny how that works). This year feels a lot like 1998-99 to me, as the Vikings, who had a wonderful 12-4 season, then routed the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs, lost in heartbreaking fashion to the New Orleans Saints (in overtime) two weeks ago in the NFC Championship Game. Still, it's the Super Bowl, and I look forward to watching/listening to it.

I won't make a prediction for Super Bowl XLIV. Both the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints were great all season, and the Super Bowl shapes up as an exciting, high-scoring affair. I don't know who is going to win, but I'm sure the food will be good.