Football's Part of the Glue

I remember the last two Vikings NFC Championship games, both losses. Regardless, they’re good memories. The first of them, my son Ashley and I were at the All American Sports Bar at the Mall of America – gone now.

That was January 17, 1999, at the end of that amazing 1998 season – an end that came too soon. Denny Green had Randall Cunningham take a knee. Gary Anderson missed the winning field goal from 38 yards – a foot wide left – with 2:07 to play, his first miss of the season, after a perfect 44 straight. At the end it was a 30-27 loss in overtime.

It was a great time, few hours in which sports, entertainment, friends, and family, all come together, sharing the ecstasy of winning and the agony of defeat one play at a time, suspending time and thoughts of everything outside of the game before your eyes.

Two years later, January 14, 2001, Kelly Wechsler, Jim Schwartz and I were at the latter’s for another NFC Championship game, the Vikings at the Giants. Ashley was away at Drake University.

This one was over early, and the sports only lasted for a while before we turned to other topics, taking refuge in friendship – including our Packer-fan host – in the early absence of entertainment that could hold our attention.

Giants 41, Vikings 0, launching a dark era in Vikings history that’s only recently ended – ironically with the arrival of the old man from Kiln, Mississippi – the Packers quarterback we loved to hate – but recognized for his skills – all those years.

Jeannie and I watched the Vikings and her Broncos; we were at the Metrodome for a Broncos' win. She laughed that I pouted for hours after. We enjoyed the Rodents for two seasons in the dome and traveled to Nashville to watch them beat Alabama in a bowl game. Shared experiences.

We’re scattered now; Jeannie is gone. Ashley and I talked last night, and I talked to Kelly. We’ll likely text during today’s game. Hopefully, the messages will be ones of satisfaction rather than of frustration.

Yes, I remember the “Hail Mary” of 1975, and the Superbowls lost before that. But those spirits are long since exorcized. It’s those two recently past NFC Championship game that are the emotional background for this game. It will either be 1 for 3 or 0 for 3 at the end of the day.

It's not so much football or the Vikings, or any other team. It's the shared experience, win or lose. A bit of the glue in the friendships and relationships in our lives.