World class

Whenever a city describes itself as a "world class city," you can generally assume safely that it isn't.  Therefore, I cringe every time I hear local boosters make that claim for Seattle.

But let's face it.  Whatever our jokes about longing for a "lesser Seattle," whatever our irritation at too many furriners movin' in -- especially furriners from California -- we here in the Northwest Corner do crave recognition and respect from the rest of the nation.  Natives (such as I) grew up feeling isolated from the "real" America.  People "back east" considered us a bunch of loggers and fishermen (which we largely were!), a bit of wilderness still being civilized, still being "liberated" from the "Indians."

And major league sports?  The closest major league baseball team when many of us were kids was in Kansas City!  In the absence of much coverage of major league sports on television, the talk in our barber shops tended to center around the exploits of the local high school basketball team.

So, forgive us if we've seemed childishly excited about our Seahawks these past weeks.  This season's NFL success has been the biggest major league event in Seattle since the SuperSonics (since decamped to Oklahoma City) (Oklahoma City!!!)  won the NBA championship in 1979.

Yesterday we only dreamed of being a conference champion.  And now we are one!  Last night, as (we hope) most the world recognizes, we won the National Football Conference championship from arch-rival San Francisco, landing ourselves in the 2014 Super Bowl against Denver.  (Especially sweet has been the fact that the final players in this drama have all been from the western states.)

It wasn't an easy win.  For most of the game, I doubted that it would be a win at all.  But a stout defense, a reasonably good quarterback performance, and a bit of luck gave us the title.

I've read a lot about the hatred between the Seahawks and the 49ers, and between their respective fans. I don't buy it.  I don't feel that way at all.  I've been proud to back the 49ers when they represented the conference, and will be proud to so again when San Francisco's time inevitably comes again.  I like to consider it a terrific rivalry between similar cities and teams -- a love-hate relationship, if you will.

So, anyway, allow us loggers and fishermen up here in the Northwest Corner a couple of weeks to bask in our unaccustomed glory and fame.  Indulge our illusions of being "world class."

And then bring on Mr. Manning and the Broncos -- in Super Bowl XLVIII!