Patriots Versus Lions: Happy Thanksgiving Again (And More) New England!

It’s not the traditional Thanksgiving of my childhood, but being at the New England bar, Sonny McLean’s, is the closest I can come to the celebration in Southern California. Since the Pats rarely play on Thanksgiving, it’s a special treat to watching them play the Detroit Lions this early morning. The last time the New England Patriots played on Thanksgiving was Thursday 28 November 2002 also against the Lions at Detroit and the Pats were victorious by a score of 20 to 12. Looking for a repeat. A number of people go away for Thanksgiving, so Sonny’s is not really crowded for the 9:30 a.m. kickoff and over the course of the game no one asks to sit at my table and there is no one in the darts area - it’s that empty. Jenny and Lauren are working, along with some other people I don’t know. Well anyway, Rich, a fellow regular is here and I talk to him for a while. He already has Christmas in mind and is planning on buying a new television for himself. There’s certainly a temperature feel to the holiday season as we both remark on how cold it is in the bar – brrr! Later today Rich will be spending Thanksgiving with John’s (another Sonny’s regular) family. My plans are to stay for Sonny’s Thanksgiving meal (of course subject to change). However, I am enjoying the Sonny’s Breakfast (scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, tomato, wheat toast, and fruit) as game time arrives and play begins. Happily, the Patriots score first, but the Lions come back and take the lead. This matchup will prove to be a back-and-forth affair with the lead changing several times and the score tied twice. At the end of the third quarter the score is 24 to 24, but in the fourth quarter New England completely shuts down Detroit and vaults ahead with three unanswered touchdowns! The final score is Patriots 45 and the Lions 24. It is indeed another Happy New England Thanksgiving! As a time for Sonny’s Thanksgiving meal was not yet set and it was still very cold in the bar, I decided I would return home for the rest of the day and let the victory sustain me and keep me warm (as will my apartment!). No, it’s not the Thanksgiving of my youth, but one that is never-the-less happy with great touches of New England in it.


New England Patriots logo is from wikipedia.org