Super Bowl Odds and Ends

The feeling of New England losing is quite possibly the best feeling I have ever had as a sports fan. Seriously. None of my teams have ever won anything big. Sure there are countless division titles and even a few conference championships (1993 Phillies, 1997 Flyers, 2001 Sixers) but ZERO championships in my 23 and 1/12 years. The best bet for a championship was probably the 1994-1995 Penn State football squad but the voters screwed them. Screw you Cornhuskers! Anyway, this really is a wonderful feeling. Not only did the Patriots lose, they lost the Super Bowl! Amazing. 18-1. Honestly, who cares? 18-1 means nothing. Sure there was the undefeated regular season but if you don't win the Super Bowl the 18 straight wins are moot. This was one of the greatest and most exciting Super Bowls ever. I can remember back to Super Bowl XXVI (Redskins/Bills). I had considered Super Bowl XXXIV the best I had witnessed (Rams/Titans) followed by Super Bowl XXXVI (Patriots/Rams). XLII may become the new number one. The underdog won and it was a tightly contested game. Brilliant. I had contemplated not watching but glad I did. So here are just a few things that XLII has brought to my mind:

• Feel free to read Bill Simmons' recap. It isn't too bad. Here is a nice quote:

Finally, can you guess the last thing we heard as we were walking (OK, hustling) out of the stadium right after the final play? That's right, it was the sound of euphoric Giants fans chanting, "Eighteen and one! Eighteen and one! Eighteen and one!" Yes, it's safe to say the Boston-New York rivalry has been taken to new heights. As a tennis umpire would say, "Advantage, New York."

Eighteen and one! Eighteen and one! Eighteen and one!

I can still hear them. I will always hear them.

• What will happen to the Patriots if it is determined they cheated before Super Bowl XXXVI? Does the Lombardi trophy get yanked and handed to the Rams? Does this call in to question the Patriots wins in XXXVIII and XXXIX as well? If evidence shows they cheated then are the Panthers and, gasp, Eagles the rightful champs? These questions must be answered. In my opinion, if there is evidence that the Patriots cheated by taping the walkthroughs then New England must forfeit their titles.
• Why did the media continue to place New England on a high pedestal? Did they not see that a majority of the country wanted them to lose? Cheating, especially at a game beloved by so man Americans, is not tolerated in our culture. So why did the media ignore that fact an pump up the Patriots? Why did they shove them down our throats? I will guarantee that most people outside of New England wanted the Giants to win. Hell, I know Cowboys, Redskins, and Eagles fans that wanted the Giants to win. A conglomerate of assholes is not well received by anyone...except the media, apparently.
• Speaking of assholes, Belichick actually left the field before the game was over. That sure is going to hep your image. I'm really tired of people backing him. He is an asshole. A rogue coach that no one seems to respect, even past coaches of his (see Mangini, Eric). The way he runs his team is pathetic. He may be a football genius. Maybe. But when you are an egotistical bastard that won't matter much.
• Karma won. 18-1. Super Bowl LOSERS. You got what you deserve.
• Another thing, to all those retards ripping on the 1972 Dolphins, stop already. I have seen Patriot fans call these old 'ballers classless, arrogant, assholes, etc. Oh really? I find nothing wrong with them celebrating that they are the only undefeated team ever. And for those of you that say they gloat, check how many times they decided to go public with their champagne toasts. Zero. They do it in private together with their families. The only reason you hear of it is because of the media. If you hate hearing about them tell the writers and broadcasters to stop interviewing them. The '72 Dolphins are the only undefeated team. Of course that should be celebrated! They have done something no one else has ever done! Wouldn't you be happy if you were the only person EVER to accomplish something? So stop with the excuses and stop with the putdowns. And the last people on Earth to rip on those Dolphins should be the Patriots organization and their fans. Classless? Arrogant? Assholes? Check the mirror.
• This is the demise of the Patriots dynasty. Sure they'll be good for a few more years but they won't win another Super Bowl with the current cast. Every team has an end. Bye bye New England. Who will step up from 2010-2019? (Please let it be Miami, please!)
• Can the Tom Brady talk stop now?

A great end to the 2007-2008 season.

18-1 forever. HA!