If Sgt. Pepper Was A Seattle Seahawks Fan
(photo generated by ChatGPT)
It was 20 years ago today, the Seahawks had a game to play.
The team play with flashes bold, Alexander’s runs were gold.
Hasselback did the best he could, his receiver’s hands were made of wood.
The Hawks used all their might, the Steelers did prevail, Seahawks NFC champs we stand.
No Super Bowl trophy that year. But does it count if I did not get to see the game?
You see, it was also twenty years ago, this very date, that I was in an airplane, flying over the North Pole, on my way to Nanchang, China, to welcome my second daughter into my arms. In previous weeks, I had joked with my co-workers, to bet their houses on the Seahawks winning the NFC championship. But perennial losers, the Seahawks did not carry a lot of respect, more known for choking. My co-workers did not understand how strongly I felt about this bet. I had Murphy’s Law on my side. News of potential travel advised us that we could fly as soon as February 4th or around that date. It was then, I knew that I would not get to see the Super Bowl, and my team, the Seattle Seahawks would definitely be playing in their first ever Super Bowl.
And that is exactly how it played out. The Seahawks won their NFC championship to advance to the 2006 Super Bowl to play the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers had many Super Bowl championships, this was the Seahawks first trip. Knowing that I could not see the game, as the plane was not going to carry the satelitte link to do so, I simply had to rely on my television DVR to record the game. On the plane, I was wearing a Seahawks jersey, and my older daughter who was travelling with me, was wearing a cute little Seahawks cheerleader outfit. We were the only ones wearing blue colors of Seattle, and were surrounded by many wearing black and yellow, Steeler colors. This was a typical scenario for me, living on the east coast, furthest away from the Emerald city of Seattle.
Somehow, as we landed, some of those same passengers were now approaching me, offering consolation. I was wondering, “how could they know?” And it was a lot of them. As I got to the hotel, I turned the television on, to see a very grainy picture of the last minute of the Super Bowl. The Seahawks had lost, 21-10. At that point, I thought it was just a good game. And then came the phone call to my Dad, to let him know I had landed in China. To prefact this, I need to explain, I am not even sure my Dad knew what shape a football was, but he wasted no time ridiculing dropped passes (even naming the receiver) and what appeared to be blown calls in favor of the Steelers. I would have to wait two weeks until I returned to the US and watch what I recorded.
Unfortunately, like the game itself, a technical issue resulted in me not being able to watch the game. So the first and only time up to that point, I never got to see the Seahawks in their first Super Bowl.
But as I said, I had much bigger plans that date in 2006. I was becoming a Dad for the second time. Having gone through the adoption previously, I was more comfortable with the process, enough so, that I was able to help other new parents on their first journey.
Time would pass, and each time this date comes around, I call her my Super Baby, and yes, I wasted no time in raising her to be a Seahawks fan (whether that holds today or not remains to be seen, but I tried).
So here we are, on the 20th anniversary of that Super Bowl I did not get to see my team, the Seahawks play, I also celebrate the 20th anniversary of the adoption of my youngest daughter. And 20 years later, the Seahawks are in the Super Bowl again, playing a familiar Super Bowl foe, and will hopefully reverse the tragic results of 2015, on a blown coaching call, not calling for the guaranteed touchdown run by Marshawn Lynch, opting for a pass play on the one yard line, intercepted by the Patriots to seal their win. Sunday, I am hoping the Seahawks correct that history, and leave no doubt.
Go Seahawks! And Happy Anniversary to my Super Bowl Baby!
Paul's Heart 