It’s no secret that at this time of year, my (un)healthy addiction to NFL football rears its ugly head. I’m a lifelong Giants fan, which means that by law, I have to root against all other NFC East teams, and later in the season, against any other NFC teams that might prevent said G-Men from landing a playoff spot.

My daughter Alana is 5, and is just starting to discover professional sports and the differences between them. So last week, I thought she might have an interest in a 4pm game between the Eagles and the Ravens. The dialogue went something like this:

Me: Alana, who do you want to win – the Eagles or the Ravens?
Alana: The Eagles or who? The Raisins …?
Me: No, the Ravens
Alana: (thinking) … I want the Raisins to win
Me: No, no, it’s the Ravens, not the Raisins
Alana: (spots closeup of Haloti Ngota) Wow! Look at that giant Raisin!

I’m now hoping that the Ravens continue to be the Raisins for a few years to come, as it is now standard practice to find out who the Raisins are playing this week. Turns out it was the Patriots in a hard-fought contest last night, and now the Browns this coming Thurs.