Football teams usually score 21 points on three touchdowns and their subsequent conversions. Last night’s Super Bowl saw the New York Giants score a two touchdowns, one point after touchdown, two fields goals, and a safety; they missed a two-point conversion after the second touchdown. It was still enough to beat New England 21-17.
I have come to realize nothing is better than watching the Steelers beat Baltimore; the second best thing in football is seeing New England lose. I wondered why last night, and I think I’ve figured it out. The Ravens are mere felons; the Pats are cheaters.
The New York safety came when Tom Brady was called for intentional grounding in the end zone. Grounding calls when the ball is thrown deep down the field are unusual, but this was the right call. Announcer Chris Collinsworth noted how rare such mistakes are for Brady, but a look at Brady after the call shows he was convinced the error was the officials’; not his. He’s Tom Brady. How could officials advance through what is allegedly a merit system and make a borderline call against him?
Doubly sweet was watching Pats coach Bill Belichick after the game. The players looked disappointed; 99% of coaches would, too. Belichick wore an expression you’d expect to see from Tony Soprano after he’d fixed a horse race and the wrong horse won. Somebody fucked up somewhere, and it wasn’t him.
The ending was satisfying, but not because I rooted for the Giants; I was cheering against the Patriots. I dislike New York teams on principle, flowing downward from the Yankees. The Giants and Rangers have worn me down a little. Eli Manning is hard to dislike, and even Tom Coughlin has been supplanted as the Official Rat-Faced Fuck of the Home Office by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. Still, I would have rooted for the forces of darkness against the Patriots, except the Pats vs. the FOD would be an intra-squad game.
The first pitchers and catchers report in five days.
4 comments:
You make some good points. How can a New York team ever be considered an underdog, and yet the Rangers and the recent Giants seem to be.
I would also say that there are a lot of guys like me out there who grew up in our older brothers' shadows and we cheer for Eli. It's a different kind of brotherhood.
You know where I was on this game. Anybody but the Cheatriots (my son, Dustin, coined that phrase). I used to call them the cheaterfaces.
If the NFL had the balls, they would've stripped the titles the Cheatriots have pre Spy Gate. The guy was caught, had to pay a fine, and aside from those little details, it was ignored in the commissioner's office. What a joke.
And isn't it great when the old Lombardi line comes back to haunt the record setters ... that statistics are for losers.
Today Cheatriot fans are quick on the bandwagon of "Welker makes that catch 100% of the time." Forget the fact their math is off, it's the statistic I smile at; catches during clutch time: zero.
And, yes, Welker is a great player. So what?
My highlight of the game was when that arrogant jerkoff covered in tattoos (Hernandez) dropped a crucial clutch pass right before the end of the game. I remembered his little "show" after catching a TD earlier. I hope he enjoyed himself.
Fuck the Cheatriots.
Go Bills!
What I forgot to mention was the ending, which made a mockery of everything sports is supposed to stand for. The team with the lead allowing the trailing team to score, with the trailing team considering refusing to score to take the lead. I understand why they both did it, but it's bullshit.
Yes, that was pretty fugazy ... so was Chris Collinsworth for calling it a mistake to score. WTF? Why try a field goal where so many things can go wrong? Why even consider stopping on the one? They didn't even consider the possibility of stripping the ball, a fumbled snap, etc., as if that's never happened before. Good call, Dana.
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