It’s time to switch attention to football

We have an unwritten rule in our house.

As simple as it might be, we follow professional baseball and the Boston Red Sox, and then we follow football, most notably the New England Patriots.

I used to be a huge college football fan, but as I got older, I turned more to the pros.

So, with the Red Sox defeating the upstart Colorado Rockies, it’s time to turn attention to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and his prolific offensive passing skills and hang on for the rest of the ride.

Back in the late 1950s, early 1960s, we had the luxury of two television stations bringing us AFL and NFL football every Sunday. Truth be known, the Patriots always fell a distant second to the New York Football Giants. Fourth- and fifth-grade boys could choose between the two teams on any given Sunday.

I chose the Giants.

This pre-Thanksgiving time of the year always brings me back to those days on Washington Street in Brewer and all the excited preparation for the big dinner at my father’s house.

For years, we had made the trip – yes, over the river and through the woods – to either my maternal grandmother’s house in Houlton or my paternal grandmother’s house in Scarborough.

As the years passed and my grandmothers grew older, Thanksgiving dinners were held at my parents’ house. And what a time we had.

The standout year during this stretch was 1961, the year I ended up at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston for tests which were ordered by physicians in Bangor to see if I had kidney cancer.

I didn’t, but a biopsy did reveal that the disease I am now being treated for – End Stage Renal Disease – was detected, and my athletic fortunes took a different path.

When I came home from the hospital, I received a lot of presents, none better than the local Ford dealership grand prize for winning the punt, pass, and kick contest, a complete New York Giants uniform. I had been so excited about participating in the affair, but two trips to the hospital and a bevy of tests sidelined me and nearly broke my heart.

I remember it like it was yesterday, the night Mr. Craig rang our doorbell and presented me with a duplicate of the original Ford contest’s prize. I raced to my upstairs room and tried it on. The Giants uniform fit me to a “T.” It was Y.A. Tittle’s uniform, No. 14, helmet and all.

It was about that time that I began doodling in my notebook at the nearby Washington Street Elementary School. I had the Giants numbers down pat, and I was so proud to wear that blue and red equipment. I even rode my bike around the neighborhood, wearing the thing. Oh, my.

Today, the other team of choice back in those days, the Boston Patriots – now the New England Patriots – are the best NFL team money can buy. With another successful Red Sox season in the books, my family has turned its attention to the goings-on in Foxborough, Mass.

The high-powered New England offense was subdued somewhat in Indianapolis, but Brady’s Bunch will be operating on all cylinders again soon, and even though I don’t consider myself a football expert, I’m doubting that the winner of the AFC championship game will have any trouble vs. the NFC in the upcoming Super Bowl.

Yes, it’s time for football, and although I’ve missed some exciting high school and college football games to date, that’s the way of the world in the Brown household.

30-Second Time Out

And speaking of high school football, seems like we’ve already had two state finals with Lawrence High’s exciting victory over Bangor High and Foxcroft Academy’s thrilling win over John Bapst in PTC and LTC Eastern Maine title action, respectively.

The real state finals are Saturday in Portland.

BDN columnist Ron Brown, a retired high school basketball coach, can be reached at bdnsports@bangordailynews.net