Jets Side Story

When you're a Jet,
You're the top cat in town,
You're the gold medal kid
With the heavyweight crown!


When You're a Jet You're a Jet all the way....It's something like that with the people I know who wear Green and White and yell a lot and hope a lot and pray sometimes. Fanatic is the perfect word to describe the nuttiness of my relatives and a few of my friends who are Jet's supporters.

Tomorrow the team gets to be the heroes or the goats again. The top bananas or the peels. I will be following along with the passion of someone who cares deeply. Deeply for the fanatics with their antics and the fun loving pokes and jabs that come with competition here in Steeler Country! DEEP in Steeler country. It is not easy to support the Jets here but, boy, is it fun.

Last year at our school we had a day long visit from a Pittsburgh Steeler who spoke to the kids of dedication and hard work. Over the years our halls have been dripping with either the PSU blue and white or the black and gold of that Pittsburgh team. Occasionally someone will don a different jersey and get to hear the jeers. We do have one or two Eagles fans, a smattering of Browns fans (poor souls) and one or two other teams represented by people brave enough to wander around in some other colors and be noticed by kids and staff alike. We have friendly competitions, silly contests and spirit days. We have a head custodian who will show up in fleece Pittsburgh Steelers pajama pants!! All that and just a few loyal Jets fans. very few. You have to be strong to be a Jets fan here.

Now that I think about it you have to be strong willed to be a Jets fan just about anywhere outside of the NYC general area. They have broken many hearts over the years but provided lots of entertainment. I know now that you can watch them live in Colorado with Nick, or at a pub in Ireland with Alyssa and just about anywhere else one of my family should be residing. Here in State College you have to scout out ahead of time what establishment might have enough screens to put their game onto. If you hang around my son after a game they win you will see him completely decked out from the hat, jersey, fingerless gloves and jets beads...yes, he will wear this outfit to school! He doesn't say much; just looks proud. He is the one who might quietly hang a Jets poster on the door of the teacher who is a Steeler's fan. And hang it kinda high since she is short and will have trouble getting it down. It is fun to watch.

My dad is a dedicated fan. My mother thinks football is "the stupidest game ever". She says that about golf, too. But when the Jets win my dad gets phone calls from his sons-in-law and grandchildren to celebrate with him long distance and it makes his day!! For years and years he shared his season tickets with his family. They had so much fun at the NY Jets games (held in New Jersey, which always cracks me up). It is a family tradition to like the Jets, with the exception of one or two who have the audacity to like the Dolphins or the Giants. So, by default, I like them, too. Or more precisely, I like the people who so passionately like the Jets.

Tomorrow evening I will be cuddled up in my Snuggi watching the game of the season and really really really hoping the Jets can trounce the Stillers!(not mis-spelled, that is how some people out this way pronounce it) cause if they don't it will be a long time till I hear the end of it. J.E.T.S. Jets Jets Jets!

Here come the Jets,
Yeah! And we're gonna beat
Ev'ry last buggin' gang
On the whole buggin' street!
On the whole!
Ever!
Mother!
Lovin'!
Street! ................please.

p.s. (pretty proud of myself for the musical theater usage here)