Cheers To Tears

Eitan and Madeleine watch ManU vs. Sunderland in the final game of the Premiere League season.  Arch rival Manchester City plays Queens Park Rangers.  Since ManU and ManC in a dead-tie for first place but ManC has a favourable goal difference, QPR must beat, or tie, ManC while ManU must defeat Sunderland for ManU to win the trophy.  When I took this photo, ManU up 1-nil and, improbably, QPR winning 2-1.  Then calamity : with five minutes left in their game ManC draw (ManU still in place to be champions).  ManU wins their game - cheers! - and we switch channels the instant ManC .. scores.. the Premiere winning goal .. .with . no . . time left in the game.  Tears.  I tell you, it is like watching the Bears.

Unlike the Bears, Man City has Sheikh Mansour , who bought the club in 2008 and has spent nearly £1B in the transfer market to get some of the game's biggest stars (Rooney almost crossed lines but, in an emotional moment, committed the rest of his career to the Red Devils).  And all that money counts : Man City's last Premiere Cup 44 years ago.

Me: "Is this the hardest defeat Manchester United has ever suffered."
Eitan: "Yeah, probably."
Me: "Even worse than the UEFA Cup final vs. Barcelona ?  [We watched the game at a bar in Greenwich Village, Manhattan]  All those people looked at me funny because you were crying so much."
Eitan: "That one was pretty bad."

Madeleine: "You don't have to get angry with me Eitan."
Me: "Leave your sister alone."
Eitan:
Madeleine: "See Eitan.  Only Mom and Dad can get angry with me."