Why Super Bowl XLVI Has to Be Patriots/Giants II

Now that the Football Church of Tim Tebow is closed until later this fall and the Packers found the perfect time to forget how to run routes, the Final Four has been revealed for the NFL Playoffs. What we have left is the feisty Baltimore Ravens, the no-longer-cursed New England Patriots, the unexplainable San Francisco 49ers, and lastly the suddenly-decent-after-looking-like-crap-for-several-months New York Giants. It has been an interesting playoff season, as we have had upsets and surprises left and right. If there’s one thing that is certain though is what Super Bowl matchup we have to see by the end of this month: the New York Giants vs. the New England Patriots.

Seriously, Giants/Patriots II must occur. It is the only way. This will be the Super Bowl for the ages. The ratings, the hype, and the anticipation will be at its all-time high. It will be the Patriots trying to avenge the Perfect Season that Never Was, while we have the G-Men trying to prove that their Super Bowl win all those years ago wasn’t a stupid fluke that to this day I still claim it is. Both sides have plenty to avenge, plenty to lose, and plenty to prove. Both quarterbacks are trying to eliminate the past, and both teams are trying to re-prove themselves to the league. This Super Bowl has to happen. Seriously.

Let’s talk about the Patriots first. After Spygate in early 2007, a little curse marked the team as they became the greatest team in the history of football to not win the championship. Some will argue the 1998 Minnesota Vikings, but let’s save that for another topic. The Patriots did not play their usual game, and the Giants took advantage. All of the strengths of the Patriots practically disappeared on that infamous night—although they still had their shot at winning the game if it had not been for some poor decisions, and a lucky catch. The Helmet Catch. We all know what I am talking about.

After said Super Bowl, the Patriots actually couldn’t win a single game in the playoffs until this past Sunday when they beat the Broncos. The shadow of that Super Bowl to this day hangs over the Patriots because not only was it the last time they were at the big dance, but it was the last time we really really feared Brady and company. Even to this day they are not taken seriously, as we had the audacity to point out that the hapless Broncos had a chance to win in Foxboro. The Pats should have finished the season perfect; it was supposed to be their year. And not only did they lose that Super Bowl, it was against the worst team ever to win it all.

The New York Giants were a terrible team (who loses to the Redskins at home?!?!?!?!) that through strokes of luck went in the playoffs that year. Here’s a fun tidbit about the 2007 Giants: “The New York Giants lost to the Dallas Cowboys (twice), Green Bay Packers, and New England Patriots in the regular season but defeated them all in the post-season.” Does this mean the Giants got better as the year rolled on? No, it meant that the Giants faced teams that dropped the ball in every single playoff game. While we expect the Cowboys to always falter, the Giants went past the Bucs that slipped at the wrong moment, and even were able to enter Lambeau Field at 0 degrees and upset the Brett Farve Packers.

As you can tell, I remain unconvinced that the Giants deserved that Super Bowl ring, even if they were the last team standing. But I am not alone on that sentiment, as when we mention champs of the recent past we seem to overpass that Giants squad. It’s always mentioned that the Patriots lost that game as opposed to the Giants winning it. I don’t believe in Eli Manning, as he is a mediocre quarterback that has incredible receivers that make him look good. I don’t believe in that team, which have the luck of an old leprechaun and are always in an easier league of competition. Honestly, do you prefer playing the Packers, Cowboys and Falcons in the regular season? Or would you prefer facing the Patriots, Ravens, and Steelers? Yea, the Giants got it made, just like the Texas Rangers and the ridiculously easy division they get to play in when compared to the evil, cynical AL East. Bitter, party of one. Moving on.

And now we’ve come to the Final Four of this season. Can you imagine if the Patriots and Giants run into each other again? Can you imagine all the hatred, all the angst, all the chaos that is going to follow? This is the Patriots’ chance to totally obliterate the bitter taste of that infamous season. This would be their chance to have their payback against the team that has had their unjustified number ever since 2007. As for the Giants, this would be their “Tebow Time,” their opportunity to defy the odds, and once again prove the haters wrong. The G-Men can prove that their win back then was not a fluke, but just a consistent technique of winning it all—sucking at first, building momentum towards the end, and blind siding the competitors in the playoffs.

Brady/Evil Manning II would answer all the questions that have remained buzzing since that absolutely crazy night that actually threw Las Vegas in the negative (true story). Did the Patriots just choke at the absolute worst time? Or do the Giants have the secret magic needed to beat Tom Brady and company? Are the Giants of 2007 the team that got very lucky? Or are the Giants a franchise that every few years defy the odds and go the distance? Is Eli Manning a fluke quarterback? Or will this second win enable him to be uttered amongst the greats like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Drew Brees? This game will finally put the final, true nail on the coffin of that night.

Yes, of course the Ravens and 49ers actually have to lose first, so all of this is premature speculation. That being said, wouldn’t you love a chance to see these two teams turn back the clock and reawaken old demons? I personally would love to see them square off once again. It could become the hottest rivalry in football, and they are in different conferences. And this is coming from a guy that was absolutely dreading a rematch between Alabama and LSU. That was boring, but Giants/Patriots II? Excitement to the max.

Super Bowl XLV: The Rematch.

I can see it now.

The Broken Championship

Really? That was the championship game? A couple worthless field goals, a lifeless team, an uninspired touchdown? That was the great big rematch that we were anticipating? It wasn’t just that one team dominated the score, with Alabama scoring everything---it was the fact that this so-called #1 team, LSU, was utterly lifeless from the first minute to the last. This is your #1 squad? This is your #1 team? And Alabama, despite having their way with the other pitiful dead-heartbeat team, only pulled in 21 points....consisting of a multitude of field goals. The kicker had more success than the quarterback. Wait, that sounds familiar.

That was what happened the previous time they met earlier this season!! A field goalapalooza! And what makes it worse was that we had so many amazing games from truly dominating teams (and hungry teams) in previous Bowl Games, ranging from the pissed-off West Virginia to the much-more-pissed Boise State. And let's not forget the record-breaking numbers of West Virginia, Baylor, Washington. Those teams truly wanted to win, they played their hearts despite each knowing that they are in a broken, flawed, and miserable system. LSU played like total crap and pretty much wasted their pampered ticket to the big dance.

I want to believe that Alabama is truly the best team in the nation, and deserves that national title. At first I wanted LSU to win to avoid the controversy, that was until the end of the first quarter when it looked like they were lazily lollygagging through the biggest state in college football. But here's the truth: Alabama's loss in the season came against a team that really isn't that good-----and it took until this ugly championship game as proof. Oklahoma State lost one game, and that loss was after a horrible tragedy struck the school. Boise State in the past four years have lost three games by a total of just 5 points---and are even farther away from having a remote shot at a title. Stanford's only loss came against a nasty Oregon team--who scores about 40+ a game.

I want to believe that Alabama becoming #2 was justified, and eliminating LSU entitles them to becoming the top college football team in the land. But my mind can't accept that, not now, and probably not until we get that darn playoff system that only makes too much sense. If there is any evidence that states that we need a playoff badly, desperately, truly, madly, deeply, it was last night’s awful fiasco. It was a bad game. An ugly game. A boring game. And there was nothing the ESPN analysts and commentators could provide that would tell me otherwise.

The ranking system is probably still necessary to create the seeds (although the way we rank the teams should also be fixed) but the top teams all deserve a final shot at the final game. Top 8, Top 16, something, anything, for goodness sakes. We need momentum in this sport, we need a scheduling drive of some sort. Bowl games should whether be extremely limited or fully eliminated. If it were up to me, the top couple teams from each division (or top 16 ranked teams) should compete in a one-game-winner-takes-all playoff. Last team standing wins, and it will finally be fair and justified because they all had their chance, instead of us embezzled in the Woulda' Coulda' Shoulda' thoughts.

Bottom Line: This is most likely me overreacting to this game since the misery is still fresh in my mind. But one thing is certain, the uneasy feeling circling around the college football champs in recent years has been increasing dramatically. Its no longer just the SEC and Big 10 crafting a plethora of decent teams. We have Stanford, we have TCU, we have Boise State, we have West Virginia (among others) suddenly creating ripples in the competition. And until we craft a playoff that blends all these teams together, we will be stuck with an unfair system that we do not trust, and champs that we do not believe in.

I believed that the Packers, Mavericks, Bruins, and Cardinals are the champs of their leagues.

Alabama...not so much.

Let's fix this. Now.

Tale of an Underrated Baseball Player

So we have this baseball player who used to play from 1979 to 2002. Played in 4 different decades for 7 different teams. He had his tough career of unfair salaries, drugs, illnesses, and underrated numbers.....and of course, playing for the Montreal Expos. Now, despite this he was a 7-time all-star, played for two World Series teams, was in the MVP race multiple years, runner-up in Rookie of the Year, won a Batting Title, and led the National League in stolen bases for four years in a row. Good stats, right?

It gets better. He holds the Expos/Nationals record for career singles, triples, walks, stolen bases, runs created and times on base. He has a .988 fielding percentage while also leading the league in double plays-----as an outfielder. He batted over .300 ball in five different seasons, while being amongst the top switch-hitters in hits, runs, walks, times on base, singles, doubles, triples, times on base, and several other categories. Good stats, right?

How about we throw in the fact that only four players in the history of baseball have stolen more bases than him, and not one of them have had a better success rate than this man. 808 stolen bases in total, which is 200 more than any current player in baseball. He stole over 70 bases six times, while at one point stealing 40 straight bases without getting caught. This man is the best lead-off hitter not named Rickey Henderson in the history of baseball.




So tell me, why is this man, Tim Raines, still NOT in the Hall of Fame?!???!?!?