I couldn’t resist. I just couldn’t.

The Thursday before the Chargers game, I booked my ticket. After hitting Houston and then Jacksonville for the Pats’ past two triumphs, I couldn’t help myself. I had to find a way to get to Arizona. Rather than waiting for the boys to seal the deal after the final bell of the AFC Championship sounded- I followed protocol just like I did for the last two Patriot Bowls and I booked my flight early. For three hundred and forty bucks I’m leaving at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning and coming home Monday night around midnight. You can’t beat the price and to top it off, I’ll be back in the bay state in time for the victory parade on Tuesday.

How was I to pass on this opportunity? Let’s be honest, the Pats have one game left to do the impossible and go 19-0. They have one game left to prove that they are the best team to EVER step foot on a football field. Seasons like this come along once in a lifetime.

After all, I’ve invested waaay too much time in this team already. I caught every home game in Foxboro this season, and I saw them win in Dallas. I made a last minute trip to Jersey to catch the Giants game, and then I saw the playoff sweep at home from Section 236. How could I bail now after going 12-0 in person? That would be like leading the Boston Marathon and checking out at the 25^th mile!

If you’ve ever been to a Super Bowl you know why I have to go, especially with the game taking place in the sunny desert this year. There’s no better party than schmoozing with thousands of fellow Patriots in a giant beer garden that literally stretches across the city from border to border. Imagine Harpoonfest on steroids with everyone decked in Pats gear and supplanted into an area from Faneuil Hall to the Pru. Toss in every musician and celebrity the country has to offer and its one giant bender. And lastly, leaving temps in the mid-20’s for 70 degree weather doesn’t hurt either.

Sure, I wish I was arriving on Wednesday morning and staying thru the weekend. But with my checking account stuck on “insufficient funds,” I had to be practical. Four days of heavy raging like its senior week in college doesn’t come cheap especially when you’re paying a hundred a night to crash for a few hours. Not to mention the fact that I don’t even have tickets to the big game yet. Yep, you read it right- I’m off to Zona without tix. I was actually dumb enough to think that having season tickets since 1994, in the 200s no less, and missing the last 4 Super Bowl lotteries actually gave me a pretty good shot at securing the elusive tix thru the team. WRONG!

Honestly, what the hell was I thinking? Or smoking for that matter???

I think the undefeated season had somehow marinated my brain in moron kool-aid, probably the same kind of crap Patrick Crayton, Anthony Smith and Igor Olshansky were swilling this year. It’s like I completely disregarded all common sense and started to believe that fairy tales do come true.

Call me crazy but not having tickets is just a small concession… I didn’t have tickets for Houston game or for the Jacksonville game, for that matter, but sometimes creative endeavors and sly actions prevail against any odds no matter how steep they might be. As I said to my Dad, multiple co-workers, my mailman, the dude behind the counter at the corner store, the gym guy, my boss, Nanna, the gas station attendant, and… well… you get the picture- if you’re not down there in Zona, then you’re definitely not getting into the game. So the way I see it, my odds will become a hell of a lot better when my bird touches down in the desert sun.

There are a few rules that everyone in your party needs to adhere to, if you are indeed traveling to the ‘big game’ without tickets in-hand. After two Super-adventures that proved fruitful for both my traveling parties by gametime- here’s what I have learned:

1.) If you don’t have tickets- have a set limit in mind and make sure to always carry a HUGE wad of cash with you wherever you go. You don’t want to be that guy who gets offered the steal of a lifetime, and you don’t have the cash on you. “Do you take credit cards?” or “Let me just run back to my hotel room and grab you the cash”… Don’t be an idiot and miss out because you’re afraid you’ll get robbed!

2.) If you don’t have tickets- talk to everyone. I mean everyone, pretend like your Hillary Clinton and… wait, that’s a bad analogy… pretend like your Mitt Romney- straighten your hair and smile at everyone you encounter.

3.) If you don’t have tickets- remember that it’s every man for himself! Everyone in your crew has to be in accordance with this mantra before you land, otherwise they’ll end up being hurt feelings and damaged relationships. Hey, if I’m in the bar, making small talk and stumble across a cheap single- there’s no time to use your brain or hit the numbers on your cell phone. It’s time to execute- reach into your pocket and hand over the benjamins. Then look to the sky and thank the football gods…

4.) If you don’t have tickets- don’t discount anyone! It’s imperative to be nice to everyone you meet because you never know who might have that extra ticket. It could be the homeless-looking dude from Chelsea who looks like he hasn’t showered in weeks. You know the guy you got stuck talking to in the hotel lobby wearing the leather Super Bowl jacket from New Orleans. He may only have three teeth, but he also could be your ticket to the biggest game of your young life.

5.) If you don’t have tickets- think the impossible and stay positive! Get a good buzz on and forget ‘the real you’… Take it from me, I managed to sneak into the Houston Super Bowl and if I had been sober, I never would have taken a shot at wearing fake credentials. You’re bound to get depressed or down on your luck as game-time approaches and you’re still on the outside looking in, but stay upbeat. You never know where and when your knight in shining armor will appear. It could be a shady black guy in a sky blue leather suit (that’s a story for another day). However, a bad attitude will only ruin your experience and could take you ‘out of the zone’ for finding tickets. Hang by the stadium’s main entry gates and listen to anyone who has a game-day offer no matter how insane it sounds.

6.) If you don’t have tickets and game-time is approaching, don’t answer your phone from anyone back home. There is nothing more annoying than fielding calls from buddies back East who are asking, ‘Did you find tickets yet?’ or ‘What are you gonna’ do if you can’t get into the game?’ Remember you have a job to do and that’s to find tickets. Anyone who can’t help you do that near game-time is only wasting your time.

By now most of you probably think I have a screw loose, but I tell everyone the same thing. If you’re passionate about your football team, there is no better sporting event in the world than going to a Super Bowl. I haven’t been to The Masters or the Daytona 500, but there’s no comparing golf and tires to football. Even the NBA Finals and the World Series don’t even compare to the one game event that the NFL host’s every year to crown its champion.

The parties, the celebs, and the scene are unrivaled. (Well, unless you’re stuck in Detroit) Everyone you meet is in vacation mode, and everyone is trash-talking like there is no tomorrow. Think about it, two weeks of hype for just sixty minutes of action with the entire globe watching! The camaraderie is infectious, and it all comes to a climax at kickoff. What else could you possibly ask for?

Let’s just hope next week, I’m talking about how I pulled off the impossible yet again! Go Pats!

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