ON SPORTS ~ The Thrill of Victory...

Have you ever felt your heart racing in excited anticipation, just waiting for the object of your desire to be yours, truly all yours, once and for all? Perhaps while shopping at a favorite store, waiting for that lady to stop fingering the fabric of a perfect dress just your size and walking away for you to snatch it up victoriously off the rack. Or watching the timer decline ever so slowly on EBAY while you wait with bated breath praying that your fellow bidders have run out of money so that you win the Wii console for below market value. Or with fingers and toes crossed as you peek through one open eye to see if your child's kick, shot or pass was good with time expiring on the clock for the victory. Well that is how I was feeling late Monday night as the game clock ran out on the Patriots/Saints game.

You see, I had a slim lead on my competition in the Ladies League. All of my fantasy team's players were done. I had no one playing in the late game. And here came Julie - that scrappy, smart, Momspective League founder nipping at my heels. She had two big spots left to play for her - the Patriots' Running Back and the Patriots' Defense. Well that put me in quite a pickle. Because of course I am a Patriots fan . It probably put Julie in a pickle too because she is not shy about sharing the fact that she hates Tom Brady and the Pats in general. She's a Carolina Panthers fan, so I cut her some slack because they are just awful this year, and the Pats have defeated them in the Super Bowl before - she's allowed to be bitter. So each of us was put in the odd position of rooting against our hearts. Because our pride and bragging rights were at stake.

And so I watched as Tom Terrific looked like Jake Delhomme. For you non-NFL fans, that is like watching Cloris Leachman on DWTS. Yet Running Back Maroney continued to shine. Except for that pesky fumble - which was offset by a few Touchdowns. He racked up some great points for Team Julie. Grrrr. My lead over her had dwindled to single digits. And the Pats were in a complete funk. It was evident in the second half that the undefeated Saints were no fluke and had complete control of the game. So I rooted for a complete Patriots defensive meltdown. If they were going to lose, I wanted them to lose big time. Because you see, the more points the Patriots Defense allowed, the more points Team Julie would lose. Her score would tick backwards a few points each time the Saints scored. Then it would tick back up a few points whenever Maroney rushed for positive yardage. I was about to have a heart attack.

And so I found myself as the time ran down excitedly anxious, waiting for that score to go final and my victory by 4 points to be confirmed. When it happened, it was like getting the last beer from the vendor at a stadium before the taps are shut off.

I'm tied for 1st and this is our last week for eligiblity before the playoff matchups are set. I won't be seeing Team Julie again as she has had a bad run of luck all season. I didn't help her cause any, and the Patriots gave her another reason to despise them. And although I'm sorry that my Happy Dance came at her personal expense, I'm not taking it back. Because victory is sweet.

In the boys' league this week Andy and I have what I believe is our final head-to-head matchup. Wish me luck since he has turned into my gridiron nemesis. I'm tied for 2nd and this league's playoffs are still a few weeks away. Tune in next week to find out how the Bumble Beatdown fared.

ROUND-UP:
Boston Babe (Molly's Team) = Last Week, Won - Overall, 7-5
(modifying this lineup for injuries only, ladies league)

GiselleWearsThePants (Molly's team) = Last Week, Won - Overall, 7-5
Brady Goes To Miami (Andy's team) = Last Week, Lost - Overall, 4-8
~head to head (Molly vs. Andy) = I don't want to talk about it (0-2)
(actively modifying this lineup, up against the boys)