Who Dat? I Think You Know!

Oh my God! I've been trying all day to get my thoughts in order so that I could eloquently tell you about what turned out to be one of the most exciting days of my life. Unfortunately, I am running around the house like a sugar addicted, ADD suffering kid who just got his dream present on Christmas morning. I'll take a deep breath and try to compose myself. Yesterday I had the privilege of attending the NFC Championship Game at Soldier Field and watching the Bears completely dominate then defeat the New Orleans Saints. If I never go to another sporting event the rest of my life, I may be OK with it.

I told you Friday that I was taking off my proverbial skirt and going to the game despite the bitter cold and sleep deprivation I would have to endure. Of the many decisions I have made in my life, this was one of the better ones. My buddy "Load" and I arrived at the parking lot about an hour after my brothers had begun tailgating. The party was in full swing with "Number 3" cooking up a storm as usual. "What did you guys eat while standing in a frozen parking lot?" I'm glad you asked. We enjoyed grilled beef tenderloin, lamb chops, sausage, and sauteed Cajun shrimp. Throw a couple Bloody Marys on top of that, maybe a beer or two and you've got yourself a perfect beginning to what would become a perfect day.

The atmosphere was electric, and I don't mean that there were downed power lines. Everyone was in a great mood, full of hope and anticipation. All around us, radios and TV's broadcast the opinions of the so-called "experts" who, almost to the one, predicted doom and gloom for the Bears. Every one of these blustering, talking heads said that the Saints were the team of destiny and that the Bears were an over-rated bunch of junior college rejects whose superior record must have been created by a P.R. guru rather than hard work and dedication. None of the nay-sayers could dampen the spirits of the hopefull as we streamed into Soldier Field. Before the game, former American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry sang the National Anthem. He was "Wife's" favorite last season, so I know she was jealous. Then it was game time.

I won't give you a play by play, but it was a great game. There were a few minutes that had me worried, but the Bears were ready. One of the big moments came when Saints rookie Reggie Bush caught a pass and ran for a touchdown. He decided it was a good idea to turn and point at the pursuing Bears defenders to mock them, then he did a Mary Lou Retton into the endzone, got up and proceeded to do his best Axl Rose snake dance. It's never a good idea to taunt giant men, especially ones who can seal your fate. The Bears went on to do just that. The defense smothered the "league's best offense". The running game was fantastic, and our quarterback even had a good game.

In the stands, my brothers and I were very cognizant of the fact that we were watching something big. We were all able to be together to share the moment, and what a moment it was. The place was going wild. Everyone was hugging and high fiveing, and I even saw some moisture in some people's eyes. I won't say tears, because to paraphrase Tom Hanks, "there's no crying in football." We were able to watch as the George Halas Trophy was presented to Halas's daughter, and witnessed all the fanfare of a huge win. I have never seen anything like it. You would have sworn people were floating as they left the stadium, joyful and exhausted from the experience.

Lot's of people were talking about going to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, that's not a place for the average fan. I don't know a lot of people who have three grand for a ticket to a ballgame and another couple thousand for airfare and hotel rooms. The Super Bowl is going to be great, but for me at least, it'll be watched on TV. I say this without any "sour grapes", but I think watching the Bears win the Championship in Chicago, with my brothers, while the snow fell is as close to perfect as a sporting event can get. Now fans have two weeks to wait and hope. I'm really glad we're the fans who get to do it. Go Bears! Later...Brian