Big Blue

I consider myself a sports fan. Win or lose, I was always a loyal Burley High Bobcat fan. I have also been a loyal to the BYU Cougars, Boston Red Sox and the Celtics. I climb on the bandwagon when the Bruins are winning and I have even been known to cheer for UT and UVa. It is rare that I don't have some team preference for any sporting even that I am watching. This year's Super Bowl was no exception. While I really like both teams, my heart was with the Giants. What's not to like about Eli Manning? But that wasn't why I was cheering for the Giants. I wanted them to win so I could stand in the Canyon of Heroes for their ticker tape celebration parade. And that is where I was on Tuesday morning. I jumped on the subway which was already packed with Giants fans and we headed down to Park Place. Right away I noticed that I was a little bit different from the other parade goers. First of all, I wasn't wearing a Jersey nor was I speaking 'Jersey.' Honestly, I am pretty sure I didn't hear one sentence that didn't contain the "F" word at least once. And second, I didn't have beer with my breakfast which seems to have been a common breakfast "juice" for most of the guys I met along the way. We waited pressed together for an hour before the first of the players floats came by. During that hour I saw two people chased, brought down, and cuffed by the police and one fight which resulted in a guy being taken away for stitches. Honestly, the crowd was fascinating. The parade lasted about 15 minutes, confetti streamed down from the windows of the office buildings, the players waved as they rode past us on big trucks and for a brief moment I was a true Giants' fan. They won the Super Bowl in an incredible game, I live in their town, Eli's such a good ol' boy, and they made it possible for me to stand in the Canyon of Heroes. A wonderful New York moment.