Revenge In Five Quarters: Patriots Pluck Roosting Ravens

The last time the New England Patriots played (if you want to call it that) the Baltimore Ravens was back in January of this year and what happened on the gridiron was indeed ugly. The Patriots utterly lost to the Ravens in their final game of that football season and there was no happiness in Sonny McLean’s that winter Sunday. On this autumn Sunday there are smiles on every face in Sonny’s, as New England, who trailed at halftime, comes back to beat Baltimore in sudden death overtime by a score of twenty-three to twenty. It was a back-and-forth game, with the most excitement happing in the fourth and overtime quarters. Much high-fiving and cheering in Sonny’s after the winning field goal! With five games completed, the Pats have four wins and one loss which places them second in the AFC East. Next week the Patriots head to my part of the world to play the San Diego Chargers. Although I won’t be traveling south to see them play, I’m sure a number of Sonny’s patrons will be making the trip, like Lexie (from Sudbury) who is one of the three people at my table today. The other two people joining me this morning are Lexie’s cousin David (who is from Newton and has a television production company) and Mike (also from Newton, who has one-year old twins – a girl and a boy). In September, both David and Mike had previously sat with me, but during two different Patriots games. Most of the people in the bar I don’t recognize – fewer and fewer of the usual people are coming to Sonny’s. Today’s familiar faces (in addition to the wait staff) are Rich, Lisa, Joe, I think I saw Nick, and at the end of the game, another Mike. Wonder where Tom and his girlfriend are these days – the high table across from me has been occupied by others. Anyway, the bar is full of New England people supporting the Patriots and that is surely something about which to give a Rah! Rah! Rah!

New England Patriots logo is from the website wikipedia.com