HONORARY CREWMEMBER USCGC ESCANABA WMEC 907
2004 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS FAN OF THE YEAR

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My plan was to have an interactive Patriot fan website with post Patriot game analysis for every game, pre-game previews, Patriots trivia, Support the Troops information, information on the Pat Tillman foundation, and other fun things to do on this site up and running by pre-season 2005; however, a phone call on 27 DEC 04 from the New England Patriots changed all that. So while I have done my best getting some site of this up and running much quicker than I anticipated, most of it is still very much under construction. Please be patient as I am learning as I go and getting everything together!

 
So, what was the phone call you ask? It was the New England Patriots informing me I was selected as the 2004 Patriots Fan of the Year.
 
I was at work that Monday, when my phone rang. When I picked up, the Staff member informed me she was calling from the Patriots and that I was the 2004 Patriots Fan of the Year, and would be presented with the Joseph R. Mastrangelo Memorial Fan of the Year Trophy. At first I thought someone was pulling a joke on me, and then when I realized it was no hoax, I blasted into orbit circling Cloud 9. Burn marks from lift-off can still be seen in my office to this day.
 
After getting all the information of what was going to happen throughout the week, I immediately called my friends and family, and then poster blasted the world with an e-mail. Oh, yeah, I was jumping out of my skin, and just as I crawled back into it, the phone rang again. Mr. Mastrangelo called to congratulate me as well. He was an amazing person to talk to and gave me the history of the Joseph R. Mastrangelo Fan of the Year trophy. Naturally I was honored to be the recipient of this prestigious award. I realize that thousands of fans certainly deserve this honor, and to say I was selected was quite flattering and a humbling experience.
 
Two days later, I was passing the Mir on my way back to the 13th colony (aka Planet Earth), I got a call stating that CBS WBZ 4 wanted to interview me at 1:00 pm. Naturally, I agreed. I looked at my watch, and realized it was 11:30 am. YIKES!!!! Time for some major action. After leaving half the tires and parts of my engine on the highways, I raced all the way home to get ready. A few minutes later, I was greeted by Mr. Mastrangelo who had the trophy with him. And then Peg Rusconi from Channel 4 arrived. My stomach was tied in so many knots, one would have mistaken it for a fishing net.
 
Both Peg ,the Channel 4 crew, and Mr. Mastrangelo were incredibly nice and a pleasure to deal with. I had never had cameras set up in my house, or interviewed by a media station in this forum, so to say I was a tad bit nervous was an understatement. However, to their credit, they were very skilled at interviewing and at no time at all, I was relaxed and having a great time. They were phenomenal to work with, and I really enjoyed doing the interview. Later that night, on the 6:00 news, there I was! And then the phone started ringing and the e-mails started coming….
 
Evidently, there was also a press release with my picture and story that other news stations picked up, and soon everyone knew me. And then on the next day, Fox25 did a live interview with me. When they called to schedule it, I was nervous. A taped interview is ok. If you sneezed, cough, scratch your head, say something that demonstrates you have a keen sense of the obvious, they can easily edit it out. Go live, and there is no turning back. Truth be told, they were also a pleasure to deal with, and the live interview was not as bad as I envisioned. I must admit, both stations were very nice to deal with, and I really enjoyed doing the interviews.
 
And then came Football Sunday: Pats vs 49ers and presentation of the trophy. My family and I, along with Mr. & Mrs. Mastrangelo were greeted by the Patriot’s staff and escorted onto the field. That whizzing and buzzing that was heard was my camera snapping pictures faster than the speed of light. Here we were on the same field that has fielded two Super Bowl Banners being unveiled, and I was embracing the once in a lifetime opportunity by taking more pictures than the CIA satellites. Oh yeah, my veins were pumping full of adrenaline. After I went through a memory stick and a set of batteries, the presentation began.
 

Mr. Mastrangelo handed me the Joseph R. Mastrangelo Memorial Trophy and congratulated me on being the 2004 Patriots Fan of the Year. Then, Tedy Bruschi did the same, as did the Corporate Sponsor Bank representatives. Then I noticed chopper blades streaming close by, and then noticed no chopper was close by at all. It was the whirl of the media’s cameras taking photographs of the entire event. Afterwards Tedy shook my hand, congratulated me and said, “I’ll make you proud this year.” Like Grogan, he is truly a class act.
 
Afterwards, my family and I headed back to the tailgate with the Trophy, hung out, and then went up to our seats. During half-time, the Patriots made a very nice presentation about the Fan of the Year award and then showed all the pictures taken pre-game on the jumbo-tron. What made it even that much more special, is when people in our section recognized me on the big screen, they began cheering.
 
The next day, I was in the Boston and Providence area papers. I was also invited to be a guest on Patriots All Access and went to the taping on Wednesday in the Stadium. I had a great time doing that show and thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I hope to be invited back some day.
 
Since the phone call informing me I was the 2004 Patriots Fan of the Year, I have received scores of e-mails, phone calls, and people stopping me in public to congratulate me. I deeply appreciate every each and every one, and really enjoy meeting other Patriot fans. In fact, feel free to drop an e-mail, or next time you see me, stop by and say GO PATS!!!
 
I realize this honor is not about me. It is about my family and girlfriend who have always gone to the game with me. They certainly deserve just as much credit in this award as I have been given. And so do the Patriots fans. They are the among the most elite fans in the NFL and for the Patriots and Mastrangelo family to select one winner was a very difficult choice. And certainly every one who was nominated could have been selected. I realize that I represent those fans now, and I will do my best to represent the Fans and the Patriots in the manner for which this honor was bestowed upon me.

Members of my family, the Mastrangelo family, Tedy Bruschi, and representatives from Bank of America. Picture was taken on the field prior to the game.

Tedy Bruschi shaking my hand and congratulating me on the award after the ceremony. He was also very kind enough by taking the time talking to my family and all that were present. Picture was taken on 2 JAN 05 the field prior to the game.