The "Let The Battle Begin" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just finished framing a Philadelphia Eagles jersey for a customer as well as matting and framing two 8"x10" Eagles collages.  If you are not a resident of the United States you may not be aware that today is Super Bowl Sunday when the two best professional football teams in the USA pair off to see who is the best.  

The matted Eagles jersey waiting the frame.

This year is the 52nd Super Bowl and matches the New England Patriots against the Philadelphia Eagles.  Since Lancaster, Pennsylvania, my hometown, is only about 75 miles from Philadelphia, I naturally am a supporter of the Eagles.  Both teams sport the same record of 15 wins and 3 losses during the season, but the Patriots have been picked as the favorite since the Eagles lost their starting quarterback and perhaps the MVP of the league a few weeks ago.  The Eagles were constantly picked as the underdog during their playoff run which saw them win all their games to qualify for the Super Bowl.  They cherish their underdog status with many players as well as fans donning dog masks and costumes.  The local TV station as well as stations from the greater Philadelphia area are filled with Eagles stories.  Our local newspaper has been publishing many human interest stories which features interest in the Eagles such as:  (1) "Quietly Influential" story telling about the team owner and his influence on the players, (2) "Fans Gear Up" story telling about the huge amount of Philadelphia Eagles shirts, hats, mugs, etc. that are flying off the shelves in stores around Lancaster County, (3) "Eagles fans in Florida flock to 'Philly bar'" story telling about a former Lancaster resident who moved to Boynton Beach, Florida where he opened a bar with his son and his son's college classmate and has the walls covered with Philadelphia  sports teams paraphernalia.  

Stories as they appear in my newspaper.

They expect a full house for the Super Bowl game, all supporting the Eagles, (4) "Love of the Eagles" story about a 12-year-old boy and his family who bonded with the football team during the young boys recovery from emergency brain surgery, (5) "Game raises stakes for compulsive bettors" story telling that the lure of the Super Bowl heightens pressures for people with gambling addictions, and (6) "Roommates discover football bond" story sharing Millersville University roommates story of discovering they had more in common then they first realized.  Girls names were Libby McCaskey and Madi Stoutland.  Madi's dad is the present offensive line coach for the Eagles while Libby's great-aunt is Virginia Halas McCaskey, principal owner of the Chicago Bears.  Their love of football had been a factor in their friendship and they are both pulling for the Eagles to win the game.  As for me, well I posted a story a few days ago about the game that Carol and I got to watch on the island of St. Martin where the Eagles lost.  Today I will watch it once again with my wife, but the temperature is about 60 degrees colder that the last Super Bowl we watched which also featured the Eagles and Patriots.  Can the underdog win just one more time?  You can bet that I'll be watching it.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.