Happy Super Bowl Sunday!
I don't have much skin in this game. First of all, I am a Bears fan, first and foremost; so, I haven't truly cared about the outcome of a Super Bowl tilt since I was in high school and, the way things are trending for that franchise, I probably still have quite a while before I'll be invested again. Furthermore, I am only a casual fan of the gridiron games. I don't typically sit down and watch contests featuring teams for which I am not actively rooting during the regular season or playoff run up. Football for football's sake just doesn't hold my attention the way it seems to for so much of the rest of the country. All told, I'm a baseball fanatic who doesn't mind watching the Bears play when the Cubs are hibernating.
With all that being stated, I'll still be watching the big game. My wife and I will continue our long-running tradition of ordering massive amounts of Chinese food, snuggling up on the couch, and taking in the spectacle, which is something we've enjoyed for the better part of a decade now. After all, even without my Bears or her Eagles, there's still the halftime show and a bevy of big budget commercials to hold our interests if the game does not. Although, to try in keep myself engaged in the main event as I shove egg rolls down my gullet, I do attempt to pick a team to cheer for.
Some years are easier than others. Just a couple years ago, my Philly-native wife's Eagles made the Super Bowl a pretty big deal in our household. Meanwhile, in other Big Games of the past, there's been local heroes catching touchdowns or teams with high concentrations of former Bears favorites that have made choosing a side a no-brainer. However, this year I am going a different route in choosing my rooting interest and this time I am going a route that involves a direct connection with my absolute favorite sports franchise:
Behold! My custom card of Patrick Mahomes and his father Pat by way of the Father & Son subset found in 1985 Topps baseball packs. Many people might remember that the young firebrand starting at quarterback for the Chiefs comes from a family with powerful right arms; but, I doubt a lot of people remember that the elder Mahomes pitched for the Cubs!
Pat Mahomes was a top prospect who came up the Minnesota Twins chain in the early-90's but never quite put it all together. Despite having an 11-year career, the results on the mound weren't the greatest, with a career ERA over five coming mostly out of the bullpen. In addition to his five-year stint with the Twins, Mahomes Sr. also took the bump for the Red Sox, Mets, Rangers, Pirates, and - most importantly (to me, anyway) - the Cubs. Nearing the end of his rope, Pat appeared in 16 games for the 2002 edition of the Lovable Losers, posting a 3.86 ERA in 32.2 innings which was, honestly, not bad for that team. After becoming a free agent, he'd wrap up his career by sunsetting with the Buccos.
The only card which documents the patriarch of the Mahomes clan brief stay in the Windy City is his 2002 Topps Total single, which I used in the creation of this custom. If you don't mind me tooting my own horn here, I'm pretty proud of this one! What do you think?
Sidenote, if anyone has an extra one of those Totals lying around, I would love to talk trade. Currently, I have the above 1992 Upper Deck pasteboard sitting in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection as his representation and I pulled the Rated Rookie of junior out of a pack of Donruss a few years back, but I do not have the one Mahomes card that I crave. Can anyone help me out?
In the end, I think it's pretty neat to draw such a direct line between this years Super Bowl and my favorite baseball team. Not since the Cubs 43rd round draft pick in 2009, Colin Kaepernick, brought the 49'ers to sports biggest stage have I been able to do that. I'd much rather root for the progeny of a former Cub than for Tom Brady to win yet ANOTHER Super Bowl. Let's change things up, eh?
With that, I feel compelled to ask. who are you rooting for tonight and how did you arrive at that decision? Are you a dyed in the wool fan of either team who made it all the way to Florida? Or, perhaps you're like me and had to get creative to find choose a team - I'd love to hear about your method of selection!
In the meantime, as their now most diehard fanatic in the world, I say go Chiefs!!!
 |
Pat and Patrick playing catch during 2001 Spring training. Image courtesy of Paul Moseley of the Star-Telegram |
Excellent job on that father-son custom! And it's neat to see a picture of young Patrick tossing a ball with his dad. I have the 1992 Upper Deck Mahomes Sr. card; it was the only one of his cards that I had ever seen until a couple years ago. And the only two cards of Junior that I own are inserts I pulled from Score packs.
ReplyDeleteI'm still aggravated that the Packers lost another NFC title game so I might not watch this game at all. But I'm definitely hoping the Chiefs can repeat.
The custom looks great! It's a shame that cross-sport cards like that can't be done for real with the logos for licensing reasons. It's amazing to think that the first time Tom Brady played in a Super Bowl, Pat Mahomes was a newly signed Cub with a child in kindergarten, and now that child is playing Brady in another Super Bowl!
ReplyDeleteI'm rooting for KC, mostly because I like both members of the Mahomes family, and there's that Mets connection. I'm a New Yorker so the Giants are my team and I root for the Jets as well. I did have a phase of being somewhat of a secondary Bucs fan back in the orange-uni days, but those days are gone, and of course us Giants fans generally don't root for Tom Brady. Football doesn't mean as much to me as my Mets and Rangers, though.
And I did make Chinese food for my main meal today, so we're in sync there. (Stir-fried pork with imitation lobster, waterchestnuts, bok choy, and onions, if you're wondering.)