Why, yes, thanks, we ARE that superstitious...

My son left for Florida this morning (OK, technically yesterday, since it's after midnight). He packed a bathing suit, some shorts, his sandals...

... And a dark green shirt of mine to sit on during the game tonight (by sitting on the color of the opposing team while wearing UNC gear, he is symbolically dominating them).

I got home from work today (yeah, yeah, yesterday), and was going to grill my dinner, but first needed to change into the T-shirt I'd worn on the second game of each tournament weekend (i.e. not first round, but second. Not Sweet Sixteen, but regional Championships. Not semifinals, but, you BET tonight). It was cold, though, so I nearly grabbed a long-sleeved white shirt to wear underneath...

...But then I remembered the last time I wore that combination was a certain football Game-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named (but it was played December 27th of 2008).

I started to grab my sneakers, because I still needed to walk the dog, and I wanted to take him on a long-ish walk...but I've worn my Keens with this T-shirt, so on they went!

Now, some people who are reading this will probably think I'm exagerating, or kidding. But the sports fans who are reading it, and certainly the Carolina fans, are nodding their heads knowingly. We are a community of superstitious fanatics. To paraphrase Woody, we go where we go and we do what we do; our rational minds are kinda sure that if we didn't, our team, our boys, would still win.

But the visceral, emotional core that makes us bleed Carolina Blue, that part will have none of it.

We eat the same foods, sit in the same positions, wear the same clothes.

And tonight, Oh! did it work!

Luckily, I apparently do not need to carry my traditions over from one championship game to another -- I can start with a clean slate each season and even from the regular season to the ACC tourney and the NCAAs (though, I'd been saving a pair of Carolina Blue underwear to wear for the ACC champs; I've not worn it since, and CERTAINLY not during a game). I've watche the 4 champinship games in my lifetime in 4 very different places, with very different people around me.

But you can bet, when they make it back again, no matter where I'm watching or who I'm with, I will be wearing and doing whatever got us (er, them) to that point.

(And, yes, I am superstitious enough that I waited to write and post this AFTER the game!)

GO HEELS!!!!