An Especially Inspirational Super Bowl Story

February 3rd, 2008 by Tuffy Posted in football, nfl, nonsense |

“And that’s a first down for Higgins, the fourth tight end. A rare reception for Higgins, who is mostly used in blocking assignments.”

“Of course, he’s just happy to be here, right?”

“You bet. Higgins there has had a rough time of it and it’s truly inspirational that he’s here today in the Super Bowl. He’s suffered quite a bit of loss and really could have given up at any time. Still, he’s managed to stay focused on football and reached the biggest stage in football.”

“You can see he’s got a tattoo there in the replay; the tattoo says, ‘Margie 4eva’. That’s for his grandmother, Marjorie, who passed away on a stayover visit when he was five. Poor woman passed away in her sleep, thankfully, but he was the first one to find her in the morning.”

“So sad. And that’s a first down incompletion to Solstein. A little high on that throw. Which brings us back to Higgins. One of his other tattoos is for his father, who fell off the family roof when Higgins was 11. He was holding the ladder for his father when the elder Higgins fell while cleaning gutters. It must be horrifying to see that happen as a young kid.”

“Oh, so true, but he says that he’s really inspired by the courage his father showed that day and it drives him every day. You have to be made of stone not to be moved by that. He keeps a tattoo of a Chinese character that roughly means ‘honorable Father’ on his neck to always spur him to keep his head up high.”

“Speaking of stone, that’s another incompletion to Solstein as the ball bounces off his hands. Definitely feeling the Super Bowl pressure; he’s dropped three passes already in this big game.”

“Which brings us back to Higgins again, whose sister died in an unfortunate choking incident when she was left alone for just a moment by her harried single mother and suffocated on six crayons. That had to be heart wrenching for that kid to lose his sister like that. He wears a tattoo for her on his left bicep and flexes it for her after each block. It reminds him to be strong for her.”

“Oh… it’s almost as heart wrenching as it is for his coach to watch Solstein earn a false start on that play, setting his team back five yards. You hate to see that from a wide receiver.”

“While we’re waiting for the next play, can you get a closeup on Higgins’ tattoo for his mother? It’s just peeking out of the top of his jersey and covers most of his chest. Yes… there it is. You can see a little of it there.”

“Didn’t she have terminal cancer?”

“Indeed she did, but she passed away from an accidental overdose on her cancer medication. Apparently, she had become so ill that Higgins down there had been helping her prepare her medicines and he made a simple mistake on the dosage. That’s so much responsibility for one boy; it’s still unfortunate he had to be part of that when it wasn’t his fault.”

“The judge agreed as well, thankfully, clearing him to return to classes and the football field. Say, Higgins really does have a lot of tattoos, doesn’t he?”

“Indeed, he has suffered quite a bit of loss. Two aunts, a grandfather, his high school head coach and high school sweetheart, two assistant coaches at college, his first agent, and one of the ballboys for this team have all passed away and had a deep emotional impact on Higgins. He’s added their names to his wailing wall of skin and honors their collective memories in this Super Bowl game.”

“Nice allusion.”

“Thanks, I worked on that one for awhile… and oh! Solstein will be working that one off for awhile! He almost held onto that crossing pass but was leveled, dropping it and any chance at the first down! It’s fourth and long and it’ll be time to punt.”

“Higgins is really fired up! Look at him channel his passion for the game! He’s really letting Solstein have it while Solstein tries to shake off that hit.  You can really see the fire in his eyes.”

“What’s he doing now?”

“John Paul Higgins has pulled down his left sock… he seems to be pointing at one of his tattoos so Solstein can see. Oh, you have to love that kind of passion on this stage! He’s probably pumping up Solstein when he’s down by telling him about one of his lost loved ones and how he finds the will to try again after he hits a rough patch.”

“Are you sure he’s not pointing at that tiny bare spot on his lower leg before he points at Solstein again?”

“No, I’m sure he’s pointing at one of those tattoos. Hey, here’s a reminder that each punt is sponsored by TD Waterhouse, who ask, ‘What’s your current field position?’ Call TD Waterhouse now for a review of your finances…”