A long, circuitous route.

I grew up in NJ in the 60's and 70's. Most of my friends were NY Giants fans, with a few Jets fans thrown in. I'd watch the games but secretly I was an LA Rams fan. Why? I liked the team colors and the helmets. (I was a little kid; don't judge me.)

And besides: the Rams won games once in a while, which is more than you could say for the fucking Giants.

In 1984 I moved to Los Angeles. I went to several games - they lost each one. Nonetheless, it was fun to watch Eric Dickerson. I called him "The Pro" because he'd do a monster run, then just casually toss the football to the ref and jog back to the huddle. No showboating, no ball spiking. He was simply the best. No need to show off.

In 1993 I moved to the Seattle area and switched my allegiance to the Seahawks. They were a mediocre team back then. The Rick Mirer years! This was followed by the mediocre Mike Holmgren years. I was OK with it. I like lovable losers and that's what the Seahawks were. I went to 3 games in those years. They lost each one. I think I'm cursed.

Then came Pete Carroll and Russ. I was working IT for a native tribe back then and it's hard to find bigger 12's than the tribe. We were all delirious when the Hawks became monsters. I watched Super Bowl XLVIII in the tribe's casino. I was pandemonium! We watched the Hawks DESTROY Denver. It's hard to describe the electric scene in the casino that night. Thousands of people went nuts: white, black, Hispanic, native, men, women, all drunk and fired up.

After 30 years, I think I'll remain a 12 no matter where I end up.