I’M COUNTING ON YOU, TOM

By Ginger Kuenzel, DLE ’12, Speaker, Author, Editor, Translator, Corporate Consultant, Adirondacks Enthusiast, Hague, NY and Englewood, FL
Writer’s Note: I’ve been following Tom Brady since he got his start with the New England Patriots, and now he’s followed me to Florida. In this piece, written a few hours before the start of the Super Bowl on February 7, I ponder the chances of him giving me one of his Super Bowl rings.

Okay, here’s the thing. Tom Brady followed me from New England to Florida. Admittedly, he stayed in Boston when I moved away several years ago. But I understood. After all, if I had a job that paid me that much, and if I had as many fans as he did, I probably would have stayed there as well.

But I didn’t have either of those advantages. So, I moved. The Boston winters were just too much for me. Southwest Florida seemed like a great place to settle. After all, it’s got beaches that I can use year-round, and the salt here is used for margaritas rather than on the roads. One more thing: The ice here goes into those margaritas, too, rather than lying in wait outside my front door—hoping to whip my feet out from under me and bring me down.

But I digress. Let’s get back to Tom Brady. Today’s the big day. Game day! And Tom is just a hop, skip and a jump up the highway from me—as a pirate now instead of a Patriot. He’s getting ready for the game. And so am I. Of course, the ways we are psyching ourselves up for it are somewhat different. For me, it means preparing snacks and making sure I know which channel to tune into. For Tom, it means 237 sit-ups, followed by 124 push-ups before he even brushed his teeth this morning. Then he’s got to make sure that Giselle has washed and ironed his uniform. After all, he doesn’t want to discover at 5 pm today as he’s running out the door that his #12 jersey is still in the dryer, right?

So, here’s the thing. Tom is going to have enough Super Bowl rings by the end of the day today that he can give one to his mom, one to Gisele, keep one for every finger of his right hand and still have one left over for me. I’ve sent him my mailing address. Don’t let me down, Tom! I’m assuming you’ll send it overnight delivery.

On the other hand, you’ll probably be busy being in parades and doing interviews all day tomorrow. So, if you can’t make it to the post office tomorrow morning, I could come pick the ring up.

By the way, as I was testing out my channels this morning (as part of psyching myself up on game day, remember?), I heard a guy on CBS Sunday Morning ask two questions:

1. Can the Super Bowl be something that unites the country?
   Was he serious? He expects Bucs fans to unite with Chiefs fans? Not likely. I doubt that I’ll have much affinity for Chiefs fans and their team if they deprive Tom of his seventh ring. After all, what will that mean for me?
2. If the Bucs win, can we consider that a win for older people?
   Again I ask: Was he serious? Brady’s 43 years old for Christ’s sake. I’m old — and believe me, that means several years beyond 43. So, no, a win for Brady cannot be considered a win for old people.