I went down to the Patriots sendoff this morning, which was a good time though a bit of an extended wait for the good stuff. The area and stairs around the Hall were absolutely mobbed with reports of the first fans arriving at 3am!! I wasn’t quite that passionate but got there around 8:30, well ahead of when the actual Patriots appeared.
One thing is for sure, Patriots fans are as rabid and hungry for another Super Bowl as ever and the creativity in their signs and costumes was outstanding. You’d never have known it was a Monday morning with so many apparently skipping work and school to see their favorite team head off.
The cheerleaders got the crowd fired up until Zolak and Socci took the stage amazed that this was their third sendoff in four years. From there it was a bit of a wait, and with a crisp, cold wind blowing through, I started to regret not packing a nip or two to warm me up. But soon enough the Patriots emerged from their locker room door. Jonathan Kraft spoke first, then Belichick and it was all short and sweet. “Thanks for coming, see you there maybe, if not, then next Monday” kind of thing. Oh well, what did we expect?
Amendola and McCourty gave way to Harmon who then started the MVP chant and the man we were all waiting for Tom Brady. Brady’s short speech was special and connected with fans, seemingly even more poignant after his Tom vs. Time documentary had released its second episode and the WEEI controversy that had boiled over just earlier this morning. Once again it was nice to feel so connected to Brady after a season where it seemed like the media was trying to paint him as the picture of a sellout who was more interested in holistic health gurus that being the regular guy that he’s always been.
And just like that the Pats were off, but not before there was a giant cake that was cut up and handed out. That was a highlight for a former fat kid like me, who graciously took a huge piece of Boston Creme Pie/Cake and horked it down.
The busses rolled out and the fans cheered as musket fired and towers of flames shot into the air. It was a special moment for those of us not lucky enough to get to go to the Super Bowl. Watch for a nice little video of the event coming tomorrow on Patshow!