Having spent much of last Sunday afternoon in San Jose, my sons and I were separated from the emotion that accompanied the San Francisco 49ers’ NFC championship game against the New York Giants.
We received updates by text and online, but they were just words and numbers – no visuals, and therefore little emotion.
The score remained close and we remained confident that our beloved Niners would return to their past glory and avenge a stinging defeat to the Giants from a similar game more than a decade ago.
By the time we got in the truck to head back to Hollister, the game was tied and we could now hear and react to the action through the radio.
As we made our way through Morgan Hill and Gilroy and hit Highway 25, we remained confident. It seemed like the Niners were a team of destiny, and they were at home. When we got to the bypass, kick returner Kyle Williams had the ball bounce off his knee and the Giants recovered it. He might as well have kneed us in the stomach.
We couldn’t see the replay, but by the sound of the announcers’ voices, it didn’t look good. Indeed, the Giants recovered the ball and momentum changed.
We made it home with less than half of the fourth quarter remaining, finally getting a chance to see the game on television. Still, we felt the team had a chance.
The last time the Niners even sniffed the playoffs was when our sons were just beyond toddlerhood. Now, we could enjoy their return to prominence together. Or so it seemed.
A fumble by Williams in overtime turned our family optimism into dread. I actually screamed “Noooo!” and put my hands on my head when the play happened. My wife gasped. Our sons yelled. I’m not sure what our cat did, but I’m sure it expressed its disappointment somehow.
After such a wonderful year and getting so close to a return to the Super Bowl, the dream was dying right in front of us. My youngest son said the game gave him a stomach ache. I tried to change the channel as soon as I could so I wouldn’t have to watch the post-game trophy presentation.
I checked Facebook on my phone and read the comments from the Niner-haters – mostly Raiders fans – who gloated about the misfortune, even though their teams were also watching the game at home. The Raiders have been so bad for so long that many Niner fans have stopped making fun of them, but that might have to change. Never mind, I’ll let it go.
The loss was painful, both physically and mentally. But much like the pain of the Giants losing to the Angels in the World Series a few years ago, the benefit of age and perspective reminds me that success doesn’t always come when fans want it.
There’s always next year. At least they made it this far. They are the champions of the NFC West. All of those sayings are meant to make fans feel better. They don’t really help; at least not in January.
The only thing to focus on is that the season turned out better than anyone had hoped and the future looks bright. Some of my students sarcastically asked me on Monday how the Niners did. I gave them detention (just kidding).
I’m over it now. I choose to look back with satisfaction and look forward with optimism. Baseball season is almost here and I will get to root for the Giants team that I do like.
Adam Breen teaches newspaper and yearbook classes at San Benito High School and is a reporter for The Pinnacle. He is former editor of the Free Lance. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @AdamPBreen.
