It certainly is the time of great celebration in these parts over the successes of our major sports teams. Have we ever had a better collection of best-of-the-bunch teams to enjoy?
No doubt the happy faces seen in The Town Common (November 7, 2007) at the Red Sox Rolling Rally reflect the sentiments of most of us around here.
The reason I write this article is to alert the area sports faithful that truly tasty times are just ahead. I’m talking about Thanksgiving. No, I’m not talking about the food. I’m talking about the conversational opportunities.
Reflect on your own Thanksgiving-to-be gathering. I’m suspecting that among the collection of folks on hand will be some with non-area sports affiliations. Many of these people are just a word or two away from being riled up by the mere mention of the exploits of the Red Sox/Patriots/Celtics.
During Thanksgiving week, I will be visiting family members recently moved to Yankees/Mets/Giants/Jets territory in southwestern Connecticut. Later I’ll eat my Thanksgiving dinner in Phillies/Eagles/Flyers territory. I believe that Philadelphia/New York fans are the best of dry tinder. It doesn’t take much to light them up.
I got into a conversation at a sportscard show in Wilmington the first weekend of this month that proves my point. Simply by noting a card dealer’s Buffalo Bills loyalty and suggesting that there was still room for him to board the Patriots bandwagon I fired him up. Before long, he was red-faced and informing me that the Patriots were cheaters and Vince Wilfork was the dirtiest player in the NFL for injuring the Bills’ QB. Fortunately (for me), there was a table between us and I could move on before the fire spread.
At the same sportscard show, attended by hundreds, I saw just one Yankee hat. The wearer of that hat got the same looks and reactions that Hillary Clinton got the other night after giving her answer(s?) to permitting illegals in New York to get driver’s licenses.
In your gathering you may have people who aren’t serious fans. They’re the ones who are just as likely to be wearing Boston clothing next time around to make a fashion statement. Do not waste any incendiary material on them. They are usually the types who believe that the problem with sports is that the score is kept and participants get overly aggressive as a result.
You need to be aware that normally the sports hostilities between areas of the country do not stay red-hot. That’s because in this day of parity few teams can dominate a sport for very long. That puts a quick kibosh on the aggravation possibilities a fan from a successful team will have and results in lost opportunities at having fun with family from other parts of the country.
However, and I say this happily, I don’t see the Red Sox/Patriots/Celtics dropping back into also-rans any time soon. If so, then savoring the moments is in order and what better time to get the process started then among family at upcoming Thanksgiving. However, do be wary of family members from away with clinched hands holding sharp eating utensils.
McClelland Miscellanea 