Miami trip: day 4

Today was the second highlight of our trip: New England Patriots at the Miami Dolphins. Two friends from Boston flew down to Tampa yesterday to stay with another friend and his wife (he's formerly of Boston), then drove down to meet the six of us to go to the game. We joined up with the two boat captains (also Patriots fans) with their friends (all Dolphins fans) for a great tailgate. Hubie struggled without his usual stash of every-supply-under-the-sun, and there were lots of jokes about how next time we'll be shipping down a box.

Patriots fans travel well -- perhaps not quite to the same level as Red Sox fans who seem to travel in droves across the country -- but definitely to Miami. When we came down for the game two years ago, it seemed like 75% Patriots fans. This time, we were probably just over 50%, as Miami has improved dramatically this season, but suffice to say we were in good company. Likely because there are so many transplants (see our Tampa friend and our two boat captains as case in point).

Unlike some cities, Miami fans are also good sports and very friendly. No harassment out in the lots or in the stadium. Some good-natured ribbing when the Patriots fell behind during the first half -- it didn't last long when Miami fell apart in the second half.

The girls sitting behind us (more former Boston folks!) took a fantastic picture of me and Tom. Yes, I'm wearing a pink jersey -- the kind I make fun of at every game. But I can defend my apparel -- we were all the way to Logan when I realized I forgot to pack a Patriots jersey. When we connected with our friends that evening, Hubie's wife Meghan immediately offered one of her two jerseys, Moss or Welker. I picked Welker, only to see seconds later the shirt was pink. Needless to say, our friends at the game who have heard me make fun of the women-wearing-pink-or-blue-sports-apparel-phenomenon gave me a lot of grief!

Is this really only my 2nd Pats game this season?

It's nearly November and it's only the second game we've gone to. It's been a busy, busy fall, especially now that Tom's gone back to school. We run out of steam by the weekends and have been more than happy to share our BC and Pats tickets with the long line of friends patiently waiting for them!

This was Tom's week to provide the beer and food, and, as usual, it was a fantastic spread. The boys have finally straightened out the issues with the satellite dish, so we had the TV up and running by mid-morning. And the weather? Seriously, Tom and several of the guys wore shorts, and I quickly ditched my sweatshirt in favor of a t-shirt. Global warming is frightening, but sometimes in late October, you just roll with it!

Luckily our boys in blue and silver won!

Long sports weekend....

This year, in addition to Patriots season tickets, we decided to throw BC football tickets into the weekend mix. Those of you keeping score heard over the past year how Tom's nephew, Nick, was recruited by some great schools and ultimately accepted a terrific offer from BC. We knew it was highly likely he would red-shirt this year, but decided to go ahead and get season tickets regardless. Oddly enough, I haven't been to a BC game since easily 10-12 years ago, well before I ever went on to become an Eagle myself. We figured we were due!

We're looking at 4-5 long weekends this fall with back-to-back BC/Patriots home games. Oooph -- deep breath! Home opener looked good until the last quarter when they just started getting completely outplayed. BC is definitely missing their now-pro QB Matt Ryan. Nick (#71 in the center of the picture to the right) dressed, but stayed at the sidelines. Our seats are less than stellar, and we quickly found space sitting on a wall of the stadium where we could get a little more air on a humid day.

A brief overnight break, then we were on to the Patriots home opener. Stadium has changed quite a bit over the summer -- Patriot Place is trying to appeal to the masses. I think the boys are too hard core to try "game and a movie." ;)

At any rate, as you can guess, there we were in the end zone, busy watching Randy Moss fumble a pass from Brady, when...oh wait....why are all the trainers on the field around Brady? Oh no....you mean, Cassel? I have to give this kid credit: from where we were sitting, he received equal boos and equal cheers (although the cheers were almost pleading, "come on kid, you can do it").

Cassel or Brady, BC or Patriots, the real story was the start of the tailgating season. Just a few photos of the boys' very serious tailgate.... Hmmm..upload is slow - coming shortly!

Sweet 17!

I'll fully admit to being a bandwagon fan (I prefer hockey, baseball and football), but congrats to the Celtics for their 17th championship!