So later on today the Chiefs take on the Iggles, as Philly accents call them, in the Super Bowl. Wifey and I have no plans other than to bring in some food and watch -- especially the funny commercials, which are the best part of the show.
I know no one in KC, especially since Jonathan's brother Dan and his wife Melanie moved back from there to Miami, and by some twist of fate, my life is CRAWLING with Philly good friends. I joke that I can hear a Philly accent from across a room now -- usually "Aig" for egg or "wooder" for water gives it away. So as for my rooting interest, I saw Go Birds.
My man Stuart is there. His Dad Bill, nearing 90, is a huge fan, and each Sunday Stu and his way cool son Val gather to watch the Birds. Bill wasn't up to the trip to Phoenix, but Stu scored scome 5K tickets and flew to the game Thursday -- meeting old friends with some of their sons as well. I like the think the past days were filled with steak dinners, great booze, and cigars -- though I would avoid the cigars.
As I look back down Super Bowl memory lane, a few games stick out. The earlies is also one played by the Eagles -- in January of '81. Barry, Mike, along with honorary roommate Eric hosted a watch party. Several people brought TVs, mostly small black and white jobs, and we placed them around the apartment. Everyone made chili, and we toasted some garlic bread, and filled the bathtub with ice and bottles of Moosehead beer. The game was pretty boring, and Barry left for the library, returning later to find some drunk coeds still sleeping around various parts of the apartment. We still chuckle about that -- he curled up with his Chemistry text and kept studying.
I recall watching the last Dolphins SB games with friends -- they lost to the Niners and Redskins. The teams have now changed their names -- the Redskins are the Commanders, and the Niners are the Ninex team. Ah, woke times.
I recall one SB watch party at Eric's parents' house -- we brought in subs from, I think, Hungry Bear, and watched the Niners and Bengals. Eric's Dad Marvin LOVED having us over, and poking fun at Barry for his misplaced love of the Jets. Those were simple, fun times.
Our friend Rob was married to Becky and they hosted a game famous for the wardrobe malfunction involving Janet Jackson't breast. Rob was the first to have Tivo, so we got to see it over and over again, much to our wives' eye rolling. He and Becky long ago divorced -- she lives in Texas, and Rob up in Stuart caring for his declining mother.
Another game I recall was Elway's first win in a SB -- in January of '98. D2 was friends with Amelia, and her parents Sheryl and David hosted a grand party. I think theirs was the first 7 figure house I had ever attended a party in -- it was grand -- located just up 107th Avenue from us. The kids ran around and played, and we ate and drank. Sheryl and David would divorce a few years later, and it would turn out that David's money was really his parents' -- forcing Sheryl to move back to her childhood home outside of Boston.
Her parents are still alive -- and I remember admiring how they took in their daughter and THREE kids in a one bathroom split level house, long after they assumed freedom as empty nesters.
Poor Sheryl is going through a rough patch -- her longtime boyfriend is in a nursing home following a devastating stroke. Sheryl is visiting her parents in Aventura -- she invited us to meet for dinner in Lauderdale last night, but we had prior plans. We asked her to come here for the game, but she's hanging with her parents instead.
I've never attended a Super Bowl, which kind of surprises Wifey. In the early 2000s, our bank gave Paul and me tickets for a game here at Joe Robbie Stadium. We agreed, as it was two teams we didn't care about -- to sell the tickets and give the proceeds to charity, which we did. I think we got about $2k apiece from a broker -- so Rabbi Yossi was VERY happy with the Super Bowl that year -- back then a $4k gift was significant, before he began swimming in much deeper macher seas, where the gifts are 6 and 7 figure deals.
So the big game awaits. I think I'll go classic pizza and salads. Maybe the Dolphins will make it back in my lifetime. More importantly to me, hopefully the Canes get to play for a 6th ring. For now, the past is nicer to consider.
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