Editor's note: I didn't really like the blog so I came crawling back to the original format. I am going to post a link to every new entry on the other site so you can still comment on it. If that's too much work, you shoot me an e-mail (derek@XL950.com). Welcome back, kids.
If you want the perfect example of how our human nature affects the way we view sports, look no further than Super Bowl XLIII. In this knee-jerk reaction world of ours, Santonio Holmes game-winning catch and Pittsburgh’s come-from-ahead win garnered ridiculous over-the-top praise. Super Bowl XLIII was a very good game between two pretty evenly matched teams with a spectacular final five minutes. Is it one of the best Super Bowls ever? Probably, but is that really saying much?
From 1980-2000 the Super Bowl became more about the commercials than the game itself. In that 20-year period we saw three different Denver Broncos’ blowouts (39-20 to the Giants in XXI, 42-10 to the Redskins in XXII, 55-10 to the 49ers in XXIV), and several of the most lopsided Super Bowls ever: XXVIII (Raiders over Redskins 38-9), XIX (49ers over Dolphins 38-16), XX (Bears over Patriots 46-10), XXVII and XXVIII (Cowboys over Bills 52-17 and 30-13), XXIX (49ers over Chargers 49-26), and XXXV (Ravens over Giants 34-7). In that span, only five of the twenty Super Bowls were decided by less than ten points. Since the dawn of the 21st century, five of the eight Super Bowls have been decided by four points or less. Now that they’ve become closer each year, we’ve crowned several different “Best Super Bowls Ever” from the Patriots thrilling win over 14-point favorite St. Louis, to the Giants monumental upset of those same Patriots a season ago.
Super Bowl XLIII had the memorable moments that stacked up with some of the other all-time best, including James Harrisons’ 100-yard interception return, Larry Fitzgerald’s 64-yard rocket shot to paydirt, and Santonio Holmes mystifying footwork on his game-winning grab. But, where was the drama?
Pittsburgh’s game winning drive with two and half minutes left didn’t hold a candle to the Giants’ final drive in Super Bowl XLII, which needed a fourth-down conversion and a ridiculous escape/catch by Eli Manning/David Tyree. Although Big Ben was poised, he didn’t pick apart the Cards quite like Joe Montana did the Bengals on the 49ers’ final drive in XXIII.
The fourth quarter between Arizona and Pittsburgh, though wildly entertaining, was nothing like the combined 37-point explosion between the Patriots and Panthers in XXXVIII.
Larry Fitzgerald’s 64-yard go-ahead touchdown catch was a huge momentum swing for Arizona, but it was nothing like the 73-yard dash that Isaac Bruce had on the first play of the ensuing Rams’ drive following a Titans’ tying field goal in Super Bowl XXXIV.
Comparing Santonio Holmes’ catch to Tyree’s helmet grab is laughable. You see receivers make catches like Santonio all the time, but when have you ever seen a receiver pin the ball to his helmet?
Outside of the Immaculate Reception or The Catch, there is nothing comprable to this
The final strip of Kurt Warner was the kind of anti-climatic ending that you didn’t see with Adam Vinatieri’s field goals in XXXVI or XXXVIII or Scott Norwood’s wide right in XXV.
Being truthful and admitting that Super Bowl XLIII wasn’t the greatest ever doesn’t take away from the Steelers win, Holmes’ catch, or the performance by Kurt Warner. Be happy that we’ve been fortunate to have back-to-back great Super Bowls. At the same time, don’t kid yourself by thinking that Sunday’s game was the greatest Super Bowl ever.
SHOOTING THE REST OF THE SPORTS WORLD:
Swish: UConn
You know a team is nasty when everyone hates them. That’s exactly the case with UConn right now. They’re cocky, they’re loud, they’re physical…and damn, they’re good. The Huskies flexed their muscle, going on the road to crush red-hot Louisville 68-51 and buck the recent trend of new #1s going belly-up. Since a Big East season-opening home loss to Georgetown, the Huskies have rattled off ten straight wins including road triumphs at L’Ville, West Virginia, and Notre Dame. UConn doesn’t wow you offensively, but they are very balanced and rely on their defense to create easy opportunities. The smartest words to ever come out of Dick Vitale’s mouth may have been uttered last night on Big Monday when Vitale said that Hasheem Thabeet might as well average 24 points per game, because his defensive presence equals double his scoring average. The Huskies don’t have a go-to-guy, and that’s always a concern for me when judging title contenders. However unlike Duke, North Carolina, and Wake Forest, they’ve been consistently dominant in what is without question the top Conference in America.
You're allowed to be loud, cocky, and annoying if you're as good as UConn is
Brick: Michigan State basketball
After Purdue’s 0-2 start, Michigan State had a chance to put the Big Ten race away early. However, the Spartans have fumbled that golden opportunity after back-to-back home losses to Northwestern and Penn State. It was the first time that Michigan State has dropped consecutive games at the Breslin Center since 1997. The Spartans are now even in the loss column with Purdue (entering Tuesday), and still have road games in West Lafayette and Champaign. I know Penn State is vastly improved, as is Northwestern, but you just can’t drop home games to those teams and expect to win the Big Ten.
Air Ball: Michael Phelps
Look, we were all 23 once. Far be it for me to pass judgement on the kid. When you’re that age, you do things or you try things that you know shouldn’t be done or tried. We’re all human. At the same time, we're not all world-class athletes. Not all of us have won 14 Gold medals. Not all of us make $100 million in endorsements. Not all of us were inspirations to millions of people, including children. Coupled with his DUI in 2004 after the Athens Games, Phelps is officially out of chances. When you make millions of dollars and get to live the life of a superstar athlete, you have to make compromises. One of those compromises is you can’t blend in and just be a young, dumb kid who makes really stupid decisions (sometimes without consequences) like the rest of us did. By smoking marijuana on his trip to South Carolina this fall, Phelps let his guard down, and with it he disappointed millions of Americans. Just like living a life of fame equals money, women, and notoriety, it also equals having to live above the standards that we judge normal people by. . Phelps achieved one of the greatest feats in sports history, but we’ll probably always remember Michael Phelps as a young, dumb kid who made a couple of really stupid decisions. After all, isn’t that the way he wanted it?
When you are an inspiration to millions, you don't get third chances
Swish: Rafael Nadal
Do you think there will ever be a point down the road where Tiger Woods loses a major championship in a playoff to a young, up-and-comer and completely breaks down? That's what happened to the formerly invincible Roger Federer. After a gripping five-set Aussie Open final went to Nadal, Federer was left sobbing. Federer's emotional heartache during the award ceremony proved to me that perhaps he's accepted the fact that he just might not be able to beat Nadal. The 22-year old captured his sixth Grand Slam title and finally got the hard-court monkey off of his back. The Spainard is no longer a one-trick pony (clay) and has proven to be lethal on any and every surface. Federer wasn't crying because he fell short of tying Pete Sampras' Grand Slam record. Federer was crying because he realizes that he might not have another opportunity to capture #14 with Nadal standing in his way.
Air Ball: Pepsi and Anheuser-Busch Marketing Departments By far the two biggest losers (besides maybe GoDaddy.com) in the Super Cowl commercial sweepstakes were Pepsi and Bud. Pepsi really struck out with an especially lame MacGruber ad - a take on the SNL skit of the same name - that a) was not funny and b) didn't make any sense. Their other flop compared rock legend Bob Dylan to Will.I.Am who is the 2nd most famous member in his own crappy band. Were they trying to compare Dylan and Will.I.Am or say that Will.I.Am is the new Dylan? Because if so... GIVE ME A <EXPLETIVE> BREAK. If Will.I.Am is the face of my generation, then please direct me to the nearest really tall building and hand me a cyanide pill so I can kill myself twice. As for Anheuser-Busch, can we retire the Cyldesdale horses for good? I like watching them trudge through the snow every Christmas, but they've been 0-fer the last couple of Super Bowls. The love story between the two horses, though family-oriented, was really lame. And a horse playing fetch? Not funny.
Is that Wyclef? No, it's Will.I.Am aka the new Bob Dylan!
The Shots Fantasy Update:
Jamal You Can Handle def. Yes Sir! 6-3
Slick Leonards def. D’AntoniM*R*, 6-3
Oddly enough my two teams have both won 60 games and both are extremely mediocre. What really hurts me is that I selected Elton Brand in the first round of both of my Fantasy Drafts. I’ve also owned fantasy duds like Carlos Boozer. For whatever reason, I’m just not any good at Fantasy NBA.
Wii Golf Superstar, 548 points (4th place)
We’re in a ten-team league but thanks to the usual stragglers, only six have set their lineup each and every week. A slow start last year cost me in what could’ve been a podium finish. Even though I forgot to set my actual B and C group before Wednesday’s deadline, I was still able to squeeze out a respectable week.
(Hey, shut up. Fantasy Golf is sweet.)
The Shots What to Watch this week:
Duke at Clemson, Wednesday
It’s been the usual song and dance for Clemson this year: boatload of wins against crappy teams (sans Illinois), losses to the cream of the crop (NC and Wake). The Tigers need this win to prove that their 18-2 record isn’t hollow by beating one of the ACC’s top three.
Clemson needs to prove it can beat the best
LA Lakers at Boston, Thursday
I’m convinced that the Lakers (even without Bynum) are by far the best team in the West. On the other hand, I’m not as sold on Boston. To me, the East is almost a Rock-Paper-Scissors. I think Cleveland is better than Boston, but worse than Orlando, who Boston is better than. Got it? After several mid-season hiccups, the Celtics are in the midst of an 11-game winning streak and are back to their dominant ways.
Purdue at Illinois, Sunday
This game isn’t necessarily a must-win for Purdue in the Big Ten race, but they could put themselves in a very enviable position. Should the Boilers win in Columbus on Tuesday, a win over Illinois would probably guarantee a Big Ten mark of no worse than 14-4. The Illini have to protect their homecourt to stay in contention.
