Game Girl

OK, so the Redskins won yesterday. Hooray! I am thrilled about the win, and excited about their surprising record at 4-3. At this point, they have as many wins under their belt as they did ALL of last season, which is pretty amazing (and a testament to how truly awful they were last year!)

But I can't break down the game today, or discuss the 4 interceptions by DeAngelo Hall, or laugh about what a terrible quarterback Jay Cutler is. Nope, I've got nothing today. Why?

Because I faced a serious mommy/fan dilemma yesterday, and I know many of you can relate. Here goes: as I have stated repeatedly, I am a ridiculous fan of this team. So ridiculous that I never, EVER leave the house on game-day, or if I have to leave, I make sure there is a TV wherever I'm going so I can watch the game (or listen to it on the radio, at the very least). In any event, you get the point. Game day is MY day. I'm off-duty as a mom for the 4 hours or so the game is being played. I don't make lunches, do laundry, open the mail, or even answer the phone. My kids, who are 4 and 8, know about my obsession with the Skins and frankly, they tend to steer clear of me on game days, which is unfortunate as I wish my little guy, at least, would watch with me and catch some of my Skins fanaticism. But I digress.

Let's just say I schedule my Sundays around the Redskins, and I don't feel the least bit guilty about it. As I have also repeatedly said, some women talk on the phone, some women shop or work out...I watch the Redskins. It's my thing. It's what I do. As my husband often says, there are worse hobbies I could take up.

So, how, you ask, did I find myself at a 5-year-old's birthday party in the middle of the second quarter of the Bear's game yesterday? It's a sad tale of woe, and one I'm not eager to repeat. My husband had to go to a funeral yesterday unexpectedly (so that gets HIM off the hook), which left me to shuttle my four-year-old to his little pal's birthday party. "No sweat," I'm thinking, "I'll just drop him off and listen to the game in the car, then pick him up and get home in time to see the fourth quarter."

Good plan, until...OH, the horror! It was NOT a drop-and-go kind of party. Imagine my surprise when I walked into the backyard, saw the moonbounce and the party favors, and ALL the other moms standing around chatting about pre-school, potty training, and all sorts of other unimportant mommy-based issues. Catch me on a Monday and I'll chat with you all you want about potty training. Talk to me during the Redskins game about potty training and I might try to hit you in the mouth.

So, there I was, trapped...standing in a strangers' backyard, nodding my head amidst all the mommy chatter and frantically thinking, "What's the score? Why, oh why, didn't I set the DVR before I left the house? I only set it for the Comcast postgame show. Didn't think I'd NEED to set it for the game..." And on and on and on.

So, for the first time in I don't know how long, I missed the game. Simply MISSED it. Yes, I was able to excuse myself every now and then to fire up the radio in my car and check the score, and I watched the box score on my iphone, but it wasn't the same. I missed the game. I missed the nuances that make up those 3 1/2 hours on game day. I have to be content with highlights, post-game analysis, and the re-telling of stories from others.

But it won't be the same. And why? Because I faced a serious mommy-dilemma. Did I mention there wasn't a man in sight at that birthday party yesterday? Nope, they were all home watching the game.

UGH!

Well, we lost. To the Colts. At home. During primetime. But you know what? I don't feel so badly about the whole thing. I mean, yes, would I prefer to have beaten Peyton Manning on that last drive with 2 minutes to go in the fourth quarter last night? Would that have been a statement that all of the changes this team has endured since last January are finally starting to pay off? (And would it have spurred on those contract extension talks for Donovan McNabb a little bit?) Yes, of course. But there is no shame in losing the way we did last night. As Joe Gibbs was so fond of saying, we fought "our guts out". I'll say it again, and I'm starting to sound like a broken record, I know, so bear with me here: this team has HEART! They competed until the bitter end last night. They were in that game all the way through the fourth quarter. And you know why they lost? They beat THEMSELVES!

That's right. It wasn't Manning's arm or Dwight Freeney's spin moves that killed us last night, although both were a factor. What really hurt us was, well, US! We dropped 3 more interceptions which could have stopped the Colts from scoring. If we catch even ONE of these, we win. We missed a long but still make-able field goal, and if we make it, we at least tie and force an overtime. We had ample opportunities to put that game away last night, and we squandered every single one.

So yes, a loss is a bummer. But this loss, in particular, gives me pause, and dare I say, hope...because we didn't get blown out by a superior team. No, we kept ourselves from winning through our own inability to put the Colts in the rearview. We lost to a team with whom we were evenly matched. Our team needs to learn how to win those close games. We need to learn how to put our foot on the jugular of our opponent, even a team like the Colts, and keep the pressure on.

And we've GOT to learn to catch those interceptions!!!

When the Redskins win a game on Sunday, doesn't it just totally and completely make your week? I mean, come on...isn't it just more fun to go to work and face that obnoxious Cowboy (or Raven, or Steeler, or insert-team-name here) fan when our team has beaten our opponent, no matter how ugly the win?

It's sad to say, but I personally just feel BETTER in general when the Redskins win. I'm nicer to my kids, kinder to my husband, more inclined to watch my tongue with the annoying volunteer lady at my daughter's school or that neighbor borrowing yet another cup of something at 7 o'clock in the morning. I'm less frantic to get into my car to listen ad nauseum to the sports talk radio dudes dissect the game, less worried about what the national sports analysts are saying about our team.

It's weird, isn't it? You would think I'd feel the opposite -- that I'd be more interested in what the media has to say about the Skins when they win, but while I love to hear the joyous mayhem on the phone lines on sports talk radio after the game and the following day(s), I'm less likely to sit in my car and listen endlessly to "one more thing" when they win than when they lose. It's almost as though when they win, I can just relax and move on with the rest of my life. But when they lose, well, the angst just goes on and on.

And so, this week has been a week free of anxiety. Full of fun, happiness and contentment. I'm free of the agony, at least for a little while. I'm not worried just yet about the Colts, Peyton Manning's arm, or Dwight Freeney's crazy spin move. Those worries are for Saturday and Sunday.

Today, I smile. I soak it in. I embrace...victory Monday!

Well, perhaps Mike Shanahan knows what he's doing. Maybe getting rid of some of last years' players -- the over-paid and the under-achieving -- was a good idea after all. I've been a bit of a naysayer as far as some of our illustrious coach's roster moves are concerned, going all the way back to OTA's and the release of fan-favorites like Ladell Betts, Rock Cartright, et al. Up to and including Saturday's surprising release of Devin Thomas.

But I have to admit, this team is playing with conviction and with heart, two things sorely lacking under the Jim Zorn regime and even somewhat MIA during Joe Gibbs' tenure, so heck, what do I know? Maybe some of the old players from the teams of old just weren't going to be able to get it done in this new era. I'm just a fan watching from the stands and from my couch, week in and week out. And what I see is improvement. Belief. Hope. A team that last year, probably would have folded their tent along about the third quarter of yesterday's game and gone home...but this year, they fought back. STORMED back, actually. And utilized the new regime's new players to do it!

From Anthony Armstrong to Brandon Banks -- newbies playing with fire and intensity, to wily old vets like London Fletcher and Laron Landry (what a BEAST that guy is!), this team is comprised of new players with a fresh attitude, plus old hold-overs from last year with a new lease on life.

I'm liking what I see. How about Clinton Portis cheering on his team from the sideline while leaning on his crutches? Or Brian Orakpo dancing on the sidelines after Gano's kick sailed into the end zone? I can remember many a game in the recent past where players sat on the sidelines during a losing effort and laughed...joked and LAUGHED with their teammates! Not this group. They are working together, cheering each other on, pulling for one another. It's really something special.

We fans have always said this team needed a major attitude adjustment, kinda like I say to my 8-year-old from time to time. And we're definitely seeing a sea change happening at every level of this once-dysfunctional organization. Bruce Allen has picked some good players (and gotten rid of some dead-weight), and Mike Shanahan is getting them to play like a team. Win or lose, this team is on to something...and I'm glad I'm along for the ride.

A brief jump away from the world of football...today I walked in the Race For the Cure event to end breast cancer, and while those who know me best know I usually shy away from these kinds of events, I must say today was a very special day.

I am officially four years cancer-free after a second round of breast cancer following the birth of my adorable son Tilghman (see photos above!), and today, walking with the more than 35,000 other supporters and survivors of this terrible disease, I discovered a wonderful sense of comfort and pride that truly brought tears to my eyes. And I'm not really much of a crier.

Wearing my pink survivor's shirt and marching arm-in-arm with some of my dear friends this morning, I realized I have been extremely fortunate to have been able to put the fear and anguish of my cancer diagnosis firmly in the rearview mirror and move forward into the future with joy and peace. I rarely, if ever, think about the days when I had no hair, when I was sick from the chemo, when I despaired of ever seeing my children graduate from high school.

Today, I am strong, healthy, and positive in my belief that I am a survivor who WILL be around to see my kids graduate, to grow old with my dear husband, and yes, to cheer on my beloved Redskins to victory year after year after year. I am so grateful to be alive. I am grateful for the overflowing wealth of family and friends I am blessed to have in my life. I am so lucky to be able to share moments like the one this morning...to watch the sun rise while thousands of like-minded people march in unity, to feel the cool air on my face, to sing and laugh and love and skip and run and jump.

As I said, I don't usually spend too much time thinking about my "breast cancer survivor" status, but I do know this: cancer has definitely changed my outlook -- for the BETTER! I really do appreciate my life in ways I never could have imagined. I am a survivor determined to embrace everything that comes my way. The big things, and the little things, too. Because I know how precious life can be, I have been given the gift of perspective. I now know what is a "big thing" and what, frankly, doesn't matter all that much.

And so, while everyone knows what an absolute zealot I am about my Redskins, always remember I really do keep it all in check. I know what is important and what I can just laugh about and say, "Oh, well, better luck next time!" Life and love and family and friends -- big things. Redskins -- small thing.

But it WAS great to see that win today!

Despite the fact that this Redskin team seems intent on making my game-day experience so tense I'm nearly lightheaded at the end of every game, this one was well worth the pain. WHAT an inspired win, by a totally fired-up team. And against the hated Eagles, too. As my old Magic-8 ball used to say, "all signs point to yes"!

YES, this team is on the right track. YES, we made a good decision trading two draft picks for Donovan McNabb, even though he didn't exactly light it up today. YES, this is a team that wants to win. That is starting to play hard. That cares. YES, YES, and YES!

After that egg they laid last week, I confess to being a bit of a doubting Thomas about their chances against the Eagles today, but they defintely put my fears to rest. Those players rallied around Donovan McNabb and fought hard to be sure he left Philly with a win, and for that, I commend them.

Apparently, Shanahan got the players humming this week by asking them, "Anyone ever been fired?" To which most, if not all, of the players in that locker room dredged up their own past anguish and agonies over being cut from who-knows-what team, and made it their personal quest to ensure Donovan could walk out of the Vet tonight with his head held high and the Philly fans longing for his return. Who doesn't relish the idea of sticking it to their old boss (or ex-husband or old girlfriend or whomever has wronged us in the past) by showing them what they are missing? I'll take it, especially since it culminated in a much-needed road victory against a hated division rival!

So, the Skins are 2-2 after the first four games of the season, and are in first place (!!) in the NFC East. Not bad. We're making strides.

As always, there is room for improvement. I won't pick apart the play of the team, especially after such a sweet victory, except to say that Carlos Rogers has GOT to catch one of those interceptions someday or I'm going to have a nervous breakdown. JUST CATCH THE DAMN BALL! Can you imagine how much pain and suffering he might have prevented so many of us fans over the past five years if he would just do that one simple thing? And he wanted a pay-raise this year? Seriously, man. Get a grip.

But I digress. Let's leave all of the nit-picking for another day. Today is for celebrating. For savoring. For sticking it to some poor, grumbling Eagles fan.

FLY, EAGLES, FLY...away!