I live in North Texas. It would be reasonable to assume that I, like most of the population here, am a Cowboys fan. This would be an incorrect assumption. Growing up in New Jersey and watching Roger Staubach win game after game after being down in the third quarter against the Giants… well, it’s rough on a kid.
That said, I don’t hold a particular animus against the Cowboys (don’t ask about the Eagles). They’ve had their issues with drugs, abuse and violence, but after Lawrence Taylor’s troubles, Tiki Barber cheating on his wife and Plaxico Burress shooting himself in the leg I just don’t feel I have any room to be judgmental.
And one thing I have to say about the Cowboys fans: they’re devoted.
This was put on display recently by Jose Hernandez, who doesn’t even live in North Texas. He lives in El Paso, which is as close to the Cowboys’ Arlington stadium as Charlotte, North Carolina is to the New York.
What do you do when you’re a fan and you live that far away from the field? You build another one, of course.
Jose has wanted to do this for years, but he’d promised his wife that he’d fix up the house first. With the major repairs completed last year, he set his sights on his backyard project.
Those crossbars? Steel, mounted with the aid of his son. The star? Painstakingly replicated. And despite a dismal start to the season, the effort continued.
The work was completed on November sixth, the day after a 28-14 loss by the Cowboys to the Tennessee Titans. The general consensus around the league was that the loss had sealed the fate of the Cowboys for the year, and that the Wild Card slot was out of reach. Instead, since the field was finished, the Cowboys have lost only one game and walked into the playoffs with home field advantage. Lucky or not, Jose Hernandez is feeling pretty special right now, and he’s very proud of his backyard.
Question of the night: What’s your favorite sports team?
