Nine Months

I'm not sure if I've ever had a more bittersweet experience than last weekend. Amanda and I went up to Boston for a few days and had an absolutely wonderful time. We toured this historic city a bit (but not too much, due to the freezing cold), ate some great food, partied, danced, and even went to go see the once-infallible Patriots take on the hated Jets in the second-round of the NFL playoffs. Heck, I was even FEET away from my #1 hero/idol/crush: Tom Brady. It was an absolutely amazing few days, except for one thing...

The Patriots lost.

Look, I'm used to UVA breaking my heart on an annual basis. But Tom Brady and the Patriots? Not so much. In fact, it's only happened 1.5 times. Of course, 18-1 was the ultimate heartbreak. Expectations were limitless, as it seemed that it was a foregone conclusion that the Patriots would go 19-0 and cement themselves as the best football team ever. Alas, after a furious pass-rush, a few missed opportunities, and a late miraculous play that will forever haunt me, the Pats walked off the field as losers.

Not as extreme since expectations were pretty low in 2006 (our best receiver was Reche Caldwell?), but blowing a 21-0 half-time lead to the Colts in the AFC Championship game breaks one's heart a little bit.

And then this past weekend? Sigh. Similar to 2006, expectations were low going into this season. We got demolished in the playoffs last year, had a brand new defense, and the Jets seemed to be the new frontrunners in the AFC East. Alas, after a dismal loss to the Browns, the Pats caught fire and beat everybody in their way, including all four teams in this weekend's conference championship games (probably by a combined score of 150-50.) Sadness. Thus, expectations were again out of control and it was a foregone conclusion that we'd be winning the Super Bowl. And with the Jets coming to town, after beating them by seven touchdowns a month before, we were gold.

And then Tom Brady threw his first interception in 8 years and we never recovered. It was a close game and a handful of plays (a dropped bomb to Tate, a dropped fake punt that would have gotten us six points, etc.) could have swung it the other way. Although I'm not moping around sad, I've purposefully avoided ESPN and the sports page of the Post to avoid any extra reminders of my disappointment. And although that disappointment will slowly fade, it will undoubtedly linger until we get the chance to erase it in another nine months. Hopefully the 2011 season will finally be the year 2007's epic failure, and now 2010's, will finally be put to rest. With one of the youngest teams in the NFL, the future looks bright, but I'll keep expectations low.

For now.

Train to Foxborough.

3-D Imax Ballin'.

New England Aquarium.

Sam Adams burger at the oldest tavern in the United States.

Giddy.