not too sweet, not too sour

The Patriots opted for a one-and-done postseason for the second straight year. To make matters worse, they got destroyed by their arch-rivals! The Pats haven't won the Super Bowl since the 2004 season. They may have been the team of last decade, but things haven't looked pretty in the playoffs for them for some time. Let's not forget the perfect season slipping through their fingers when they lost the Super Bowl during the 2007 season.

Here's a quick glimpse from the Boston sports scene in recent years:

• The Red Sox failing to make the playoffs last season
• The Bruins blowing a 3-0 series lead and lost game 7 after leading the game 3-0
• The Celtics losing in game 7 of the finals (blowing a 3-2 series lead) to their arch-rival, the L.A. Lakers

When you add all that together, it paints a not so pretty picture of sports around here in recent years. That after we were spoiled with 6 championships in the decade.

When I was younger (even through college) I was devastated when my teams lost. I was also elated when my teams won. It literally affected my mood. Results of sports teams mattered so much to me. I went crazy after the Pats won each of their three Super Bowls. I was stoked when the Red Sox reversed the curse and won the World Series. These things seemed so important to me.

Then after college, something happened that changed my outlook...I grew up. I'm no longer a Toys R Us kid. I realized it when the Red Sox won the 2007 World Series. I felt like I was supposed to be stoked. I was happy, but I wasn't the same emotional person I had been in years past. I knew for sure that it happened when the Giants beat the Pats in the Super Bowl. I wasn't happy, but I wasn't devastated. My mood wasn't ruined.

As I've grown up, I enjoy watching sports, but it has become clear to me that the victory is no longer so sweet and defeat no longer so sour.

So, I'm not happy that the Jets beat the Pats, but I'm also not going to lose any sleep over it. Not to mention I have more important things going on in my life...like my wife having a baby soon.

How about you? Have you grown up yet?