season finalé

What exactly is a sea hawk? Wikipedia tells me that the osprey, or fish eagle is sometimes so called.

The Seahawks brand resulted from a popular contest in which over 20,000 fans participated and over 5,000 suggestions were offered. The name "Seattle Fisheagles" was duly rejected, and since 1976 the hawks have been our beloved NFL gladitorial franchise.

Yes, Seattle DOES have professional sports teams, although I pay them little attention. I don't like the ritualized warfare of foop-ball, am bored speechless by baseball's narcoleptic "action," and while basketball has its moments, our pro team decamped a few years back for (of all places) Oklahoma City. Plus, Seattle's teams are generally hapless.

I suppose I could generate or fake an interest in the Seahawks, however. Until 2000 they played in the Kingdome, a dreadful, cold, leaky concrete shell that was equally unsuitable for watching athletic contests or listening to concerts. It was mercifully imploded, and since 2001 the hawks have been at Qwest field, where the game is played outdoors, as God intended.

And they did have what has to be counted as a successful season this year. After compiling their usually mediocre 6-9 record going into the final "must-win" game of the season, they pulled out a victory against St. Louis, then won a first-round playoff game against New Orleans.

You have to know a little about Seahawks history to realize that any year in which they win even a single playoff game is lavishly successful by local standards. So the fact that they're losing badly in Chicago even as I type this is of little consequence. It simply means the world has returned to its regular axial rotation.

And considering that kind of success, maybe next year I'll buy me a blue jersey, ante up, and join the salivating and beslobbered fanatics at Qwest Field, cheering on our dear old Fisheagles.