Game Day

Max

Koda

“What are you asking (Tony) for? He never had what it took to be a varsity athlete.”

- Uncle Junior

The Sopranos

Vito and I have waited for this day all year. The big game!

         All diets are off today. For us, it’s all about the tailgate -- beer and pig ears.

We also like to gamble, so we carefully picked our squares for the betting pool. Vito made his mark with his snout.  

We’ve pulled our favorite jerseys out of the back of the closet. Vito likes wearing Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s jersey because they’re both dogs.

Come game time, we wrestle for our favorite spot on the couch. Vito always wins. We warm up the big screen. Our stomachs are in knots as we await the 3 p.m. kickoff.

Puppy Bowl VII!

The best football game of the year!

Animal Planet puts on a heck of a show. Terriers tackling setters, chickens leading cheers, and kittens grinding during the half-time show, it’s the greatest sporting production ever.

And the commercials are awesome, like the one where a driving dog does doughnuts in a Subaru.

         This year, Vito’s favorite player is Koda, a 16-week-old Siberian Husky. During his player interview, Koda indicated that his favorite holiday is Columbus Day. Vito thought that was quirky, but I told him that finely tuned athletes are somewhat high strung.        

This year, my guy is Max, a 10-week-old lab-spaniel mix that likes show tunes.

At the end of the game, when the score is cast in the record books and the trophy awarded, Vito and I immediately begin to look forward to next year’s game.

I always hope to win a major credit card contest and get to the Puppy Bowl one day. Maybe next year will be the year.

If I were lucky enough to go, I’d try to get a big, fat, wet kiss on the cheek from one of the quarterbacks. Maybe some fox like a poodle named Tom Brady.