February 4, 2008

What We Learned -- Super Bowl Edition

Karma. Is. A. Bitch.

Really, after watching the best Super Bowl of our lifetimes (note: it gets the nod over Rams/Titans because a) the underdog won, b) 19-0 was on the line, c) one of us went to high school with Eli), that's what it all comes down to. The Patriots deserved this one. Their fans know it, their players know it, and the fact that Bill Belichick probably doesn't know it is proof that he deserved it.

There are probably a thousand links out there that we could find for you to read and enjoy wallowing in the misery of Pats fans. Unfortunately for America, the "19-0" t-shirt and book are no longer available online for purchase. Fortunately for you, however, is this post on a Pats message board entitled "Giants Don't Know How to Win With Class".

This is what you get for disrespecting the game. Spygate, Brady throwing TDs up 52-0 in October, making a 5'9" guy from Texas Tech the most dangerous player in the NFL, those are the types of things that make the football gods mad. Throw in obnoxious fans, players and coaches, plus a (largely rightful but premature) discussion of the '07 Pats as potentially the greatest team in NFL history, and we aren't all that surprised that the Giants were the winners last night.

What made last night so great was not that the Pats lost, but that they lost in such spectacular fashion. As Bill Simmons said today "It's one thing to win a championship ... it's another to win a championship like that. You can't possibly understand unless it happens to you." That was what makes events like Super Bowl XLII and the 2006 Rose Bowl so great. As an American -- unless you were a Patriots (or USC) fan -- you felt good that the Giants won. We imagine that this is what the majority of football fans felt after Texas dethroned USC. We're happy the Pats lost, happy we got to see a great Super Bowl, happy the game ended before midnight EST.

During the gold medal game in the 1980 Olympics the U.S. was trailing Finland after the first period. During the intermission, Herb Brooks stormed into the U.S. locker room and told the team that "if you lose this game, you'll take it to your (expletive) grave." That's the Pats right now, and nothing could make us happier (unless it was the Saints getting the win).

So, here we are. Baseball tickets went on sale today, but seven long months still stand until football starts up again. Until then be sure to offer your sacrifice to the football gods, because we're due for some good karma.

2 comments:

David N. said...

Yeah, but the other one of you also went to middle school (granted, for a year) with Steven "Beaver" Gostkowski.

Abram said...

Not only that, but I actually knew him