A good night for the team in red and gold -- and its fans

The SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS were terrible when I was a little kid, but I supported them because my DAD loved them so much.
As I grew older, the Niners grew better, under the masterful, guiding hand of Bill Walsh and with a roster filled by future hall of famers.
Before I knew it, my favorite NFL team started winning. They won five Super Bowls and made winning look so easy that it became easy for the fans to take victories for granted.
I know this for a fact, because as my adulthood has continued, the Niners became terrible again. A succession of coaches and quarterbacks came and went. The losses piled up and the fear and admiration opposing teams had for those red and gold uniforms faded.
The victories of the previous decades began to seem like another team's wins.
That's why last night's game was so much fun to watch on TV.
Unable to compensate for San Francisco's relentless defensive pressure and their own shockingly inept play, the ARIZONA CARDINALS turned the ball over seven times -- including five times in the first half -- and the Niners won, 24-9, on MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL.
San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith still looked a little lost, but he managed to throw a pair of touchdown passes -- one to the exciting rookie receiver, Michael Crabtree.
Frank Gore seemed like his usual, bullish self for the Niners, rushing for 167 yards and another score.
The team in red and gold earned the right to swagger a bit by game's end -- for the first in ages.