Superbowl aMUSEment

I love underdogs.

Almost as much as I love football. Being a Canadian and all, I'm partial to the CFL (Go Ti-Cats!) but the Superbowl has always been a big part of my growing up. My Mom - a Redskins AND a Bears fan - used to say she could tell which team was going to win based on how fired up they came out of the shoot.

I always placed my bet on the underdog - except if the Dolphins were playing. Marino and I had an "understanding."

Admittedly, I didn't think the New Orleans Saints were going to win the Superbowl last night. They were clearly the underdogs, and after the first quarter, the Colts appeared to have a firm grasp on the trophy.

But in the end, it comes down to who wants it more. The Saints were hungrier. They weren't afraid to take risks (what a way to start off the second half of the game), and as the clock wound down, Drew Brees stepped up to the plate and led his team to victory.

Fiction is often all about the underdog. We're taught to create sympathetic characters and to allow, in most cases, good to triumph over evil, and to create a "happily ever after." After beating the obstacles, the protagonist will almost always get the girl, the trophy, the promotion...the "end."

With Brees' performance last night (woot for the underdog), I'm excited to sign him up for this week's muse duty. When it mattered, he led his team to a climactic, entertaining and perfect conclusion. I have little doubt he'll lead some of my works in progress to their own happily ever after.

The Book In My Bag Today: Deeper than the Dead, Tami Hoag