In my nearly 46 years in the 305, I've been around a lot of sports champion teams. The still pretty new Marlins -- 2 Series titles. The Heat -- 3 titles. The Fins have made the Super Bowl a few times since I've been here, but haven't won since before I arrived. The Panthers have 2 Cups -- trying for that Pat Reilly patented phrase Three-peat this year. Canes baseball -- 4 titles. Pretty, pretty, pretty impressive.
And here the thing -- the whole town gets happier with wins. My main team, the U, won a playoff game Saturday -- hopefully on our way to Ring #6. And yesterday, just walking around with my Canes shirt -- folks started up conversations -- it's very cool.
At the nail salon, where I got my pre-cruise pedicure, 2 older ladies, both U grads, chatted me up. One was a retired WHO nutrition expert, and the other a widow of a long time UM Med School Radiology professor, who died in 2024. We shared tales of our Canes experiences -- I told both I would be on a NYE cruise the night of the Ohio State game, and somehow a luxe NYE dinner was now going to be a game watching event. We all understood.
I never got backing losers -- like Cubs fans, or Red Sox fans, or NY Jets fans. I was lucky as a kid -- the Jets won the Super Bowl when I was 8, and the Knicks a few championships. Most important, my Mets miraculously won in '69, too -- that was the golden age of NY sports. But when teams lose and lose and you care -- it's depressing.
The counter argument is that sometimes fandom is a birthright. Yeah -- so might be alcoholism and pedophilia -- but when something is toxic -- change it!
Of course -- I'm Mr. Big Talk -- I continued to cheer on my Canes through a lot of mediocre times. Now that we can see the mountain top again -- well -- that's just grand.
I spoke today with Karen, one of Wifey's BFF's sister, who is a MAJOR Canes fan -- despite being a UF alum. Her late father was OG Canes -- in his later years, his cardiologist asked he not watch the games as it hyper-excited him. I can see that happening to me someday. Luckily Lou got to see a bunch of championships before he went that great Orange Bowl in the Sky. I expect that if there's a heavenly Orange Bowl, the urinals won't leak onto the fans in the lower deck...
Meanwhile Wifey solved a pre- trip issue -- what to do with the senior, aging Spaniel. Bo has become emotionally needy in his senescence -- barks and cries while left alone. During our last trips, D2 kept him, and had to bring him to her room at night, but he also snores, and that kept awake Jonathan.
We thought we figured it out -- Bo would spend days at D2 daycare, and spend nights sleeping with Little Man -- but we realized he STILL barks and whines, and D1 is afraid of him keeping up her boys -- and her!
So Wifey started calling around to sitters and referred sitters -- turns out that Xmas week, everyone was all booked up.
Wifey mentioned this to Miriam today, our 3 decade housekeeper, and Miriam and her husband Marvin will stay at our house for the week. Their 30 year trailer evicted them last Summer, and they've been staying with their son and his family in West Dade -- I think they'll welcome the change -- and the money won't hurt, either.
As I told Wifey, this is PRECISELY why I wish Bo to be our final dog - granddogs will be plenty for me. As Wifey's bad back has reared its ugly head, she can't even lift up the 11 pound guy. Wifey thinks the answer is a tiny dog next time around -- my masculinity isn't secure enough to allow that -- so we maybe headed to couples therapy when Bo crosses the Rainbow Bridge. I guess we'll cross that bridge when Bo gets to it.
Meanwhile, the year grows short. I've been busy with Todd, my Muni guy, harvesting losses to offset the gains this year f rom Eli Lilly (yay fat people)!.
We mercifully have no Noche Buena plans, and then on Thursday while a lot of the world celebrates the birth of the Jewish guy from Bethelem, we will celebrate Wifey's birthday.
And then, Big Man willing, pack some warm weather clothes and call an Uber Sunday am -- to MIA and a flight to San Juan.
And man -- a Canes championship to start off 2026? That would be just grand...
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