Field Goal

The New England Patriots went for three last night and came up good. In the space of four years, they have gone from being a perennial non-achiever to an exclusive dynasty. I made the trip to Boston to be there for the game, and certainly enjoyed the visit. The celebrations that followed the game were radically subdued compared to the last three Boston championships.

So what's it like to live in a dynasty? Right now, in the wake the Red Sox World Series win, it's victory overload. It's like winning a million dollars when you've got a billion in the bank. On the other hand, this win is by no means minor - it makes us a dynasty. A few more Super Bowl wins would redefine the idea of a football dynasty. This win is not for our time - it's for history. For the future. For some cold year in the 2030's when the Patriots lose 14 games and the Red Sox lose 100.

This win is also for the past - it adds validity to the last two Super Bowl wins. It lends weight and longevity to the frenzied celebrations that rocked Boston's sports universe in early 2002. This win is for January, 2005, as well - capping the wins over Indianapolis and Pittsburgh, lest there be any doubt.

Reflecting on Sunday's game, we Boston fans can see the importance of another Red Sox title, even if it takes a few years to achieve. One World Series win is incredible, but if we return to our erstwhile diet of mediocrity tinged with spectacular failure, won't we begin to wonder if the Bambino was not actually dead, but just on a coffee break from his routine of curse-enforcement? At risk of sounding like Dan Shaughnessy, there's still something to play for. The Red Sox championship expires next October; they need to renew it.

Victory is not only won - it is maintained. In that spirit we can celebrate the Patriots third Super Bowl win not as a new championship but as a renewal of the old. We do not need to find new joy at scaling a new peak; instead we can tap into that sweet and lasting satisfaction that belongs to those who have never left the mountaintop.