Go Seahawks!

I've followed the Seattle Seahawks religiously since the team's inception in 1976.  I watched the  football games on TV on Sunday mornings/afternoons and the occasional Monday Night appearances.  I have followed them as they changed their home field to the Kingdome, a short foray to the Husky Stadium, and then to their current home at Qwest Field.  I have lived through the painful early years of coaches Patera and McCormack, the team's first successes with coach Chuck Knox, and the team's ups and downs with coaches Flores, Erickson, and Holmgren.   I followed the team during their inaugural year in the NFC West in 1976, which after that season they were moved to the AFC West.  After building up rivalries against Oakland, Denver, KC, and San Diego in the AFC West, I was disappointed when the NFL moved the Seahawks back to NFC West in 2002 because of league realignment.  However, the Seahawks enjoyed divisional successes after the most recent realignment.

I have been overseas for the past six years.  I was able to follow the team in 2005, while I was working in Iraq, thanks to Armed Forces Network (AFN) providing live televised games.  I continued to follow the team during the same season that led to their only Super Bowl appearance, again thanks to AFN, when I was in Bosnia.  The last four years while in Germany, I have not been able to follow the team as much because of the lack of coverage.  I have only followed them thru internet updates and the occasional televised games.  So I have missed most of the later years of coach Holmgren and the forgettable year of coach Mora.

This season, with coach Carroll, I was able to watch a few games during the early morning hours while in Abu Dhabi.  I watched the last few games of the season on TV while in was back in Seattle, in which they stumbled to a 2-3 record in their last five games.  It has not been a great season, but the Seahawks managed to win the weak NFC West with a sub .500 record.  Not only did this qualify them for the post-season, but with a division title they hosted a wild card playoff game.  They accomplished the almost improbable by beating the defending Super Bowl champs, the New Orleans Saints.  They are in Chicago today playing the Bears for the right to host the Green Bay Packers for the NFC title next week.

In the morning of 5 Dec 2010, still four to five hours before the Seahawks were about to host the Carolina Panthers, a few of my nieces, nephews, a family friend and I were headed north of Seattle to do Christmas shopping at an outlet center.  We stopped at a Starbucks coffee shop near Qwest Field to get java drinks for the road.  After picking up my order, I noticed this little girl dressed and painted up in Seahawks regalia.  I asked her and her father, if I could take her picture.  She happily complied.  The Seahawks ended up winning that game, later that day.  So in wishing success to the Seahawks for today's game, I post this picture of the little girl.  Go Seahawks!