Big Day Today

It is extremely difficult to keep up with American sports over here in Europe. Most of the games, whether they be Hockey, Football, Baseball, etc. tend to happen when I'm already asleep (4pm EST is 10pm Berlin time), so the most I can do is often wake up the next morning, hop on ESPN.com and check scores. I hadn't watched an NFL game or anything else for ages and living in a place where Soccer rules supreme, I tend to just do as the Romans do. Give up any efforts and just show up on a saturday and watch some Footie.

Naturally, the time I'm gone and away from the States is the time that my favorite NFL team, the New York Jets, decides to make a run and is now one game away from the Super Bowl. Tonight, they'll play the Indianapolis Colts in Indy in the AFC Championship Game.

For the few of you who don't follow Football, and probably for my European friends who especially don't. The Jets are most often the lovable losers of the NFL. The Chicago Cubs of the NFL. They haven't won the Championship since 1968. There is no real reason to hate them. (Unless you're a Miami or New England fan) The Jets are often mediocre more often than not. And when they are good, they tend to blow it. Leaving their fans heartbroken for getting their hopes up for what in is essentially nothing.

I grew up learning this firsthand, watching the Jets go from periods of utter shit (in 96', they won 1 game) to periods of greatness, only to blow it (1998 AFC Championship, Doug Brien's missed FGs against Pittsburgh) I've become so used to it, and used to get so angry at it, that I literally almost don't care anymore.

That said, I'm pretty stoked they're in. Literally no one expected them to be there, and still no one expects them to win. Yet they keep winning. They have the cockiest SOB of a coach I've ever seen. And the players play with supreme confidence. For entertainment's sake, I hope they kick the bejesus out of the Colts, but if they don't it'll be a good season nonetheless.

J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS!