Joy In Mudville - Giants Win SB Xtra Large II

This has been a wonderful sports weekend for me. I'll start with what is probably the greatest Super Bowl in history. I say that not because of the recency effect, but because it really has to rank up there at least in the top three. Not only was this a huge, HUGE upset, but it also went down to the wire. I seriously wished that I were a gambler with the Patriots being 11 1/2 point favorites. Anybody who was watching that game could not have felt like that one was over until the Giants got the ball back with two seconds remaining, especially considering that the Pats were able to win Super Bowl XXXVI when they got the ball with only 1:30 remaining. And I'm so loving seeing Junior Seau lose in another Super Bowl.

I was just hoping that it would be a competitive game, but it ended up being much more than that. I was probably rooting this season for the Patriots to lose as much as I did for the Raiders to win. That's how much I hate this team. They're just huge jerks. Belichik has no emotions and as awesome as Brady is, the guy has a crazy temper. What's cool about Favre is that the guy always looks like he's enjoying himself. I love seeing that guy high-five the refs and or giving good games to them even. You'll never see that with Brady. In fact, it looks like it would suck to be his teammate at times, unless you like winning three super bowls, then I guess it's okay.

I know that there were a lot of people out there who were really hoping for the perfect season to unfold, but honestly...supporting the Patriots these days is like hoping the Yankees will win the World Series. Frankly, I just hate the entire Boston sports scene. My dislike for Boston teams peaks with the Red Sox, then the Patriots, on down to the Celtics. It might even just be confined strictly to the Pats and Sox. I'm tired now of seeing them win, especially when they prevent my teams from getting over the top. And even more so when more and more allegations about them cheating and taping walk throughs and stealing signals come to light. Some people argue that all teams do it anyway, so why should it be such a big deal? How about the fact that those guys don't get caught! If part of the game is winning at all costs, then there should be just as a big an incentive to not get caught because the repercussions are obvious. That's the whole point to cheating - to not let anyone know that you're doing it. If you're getting caught in the act, then you're not doing a good enough job. And remember that I'm a Raiders fan, so I fully support the mantra, "if you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'."

I think in the future I might have to insulate myself at games where I am strongly rooting for, or against, a particular team because I really wanted to strangle the lone Patriots supporter I was watching the game with. I get really into these things. So much so that my heart will race for most of the game, and the more silent I am, the more invested I am in (and probably worried about) the outcome. Here is an article from probably the most ardent supporter of Boston sports teams from ESPN. I love the last story about him and his dad at the end.

Not only did the weekend close spectacularly, but it started off with a bang as well with the Lakers striking gold in getting Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies. Imagine a scenario where you get an All-star caliber forward/center without having to give up even one of your top 10 guys and that's exactly what happened over the weekend. Having a frontline of Bynum, Gasol, and Odom is formidable to say the least. Combine that with having the sport's biggest game player on your side in Kobe, and a seasoned veteran with championship experience in Derek Fisher, along with one of the deepest benches in the league, and that team has a real chance at running the table come June. All of this bodes well for at least the next several years because how could Kobe want to leave LA with this kind of potent lineup. It is so crazy to think that our "rebuilding" consisted of a couple of first-round exits, and not ever having to endure a lottery-type of season.

I love the irony that in the same breath that I knock on the Patriots for being front-runners, I praise the Lakers for being essentially the same thing. But that's the luxury of having your team be the one with the awesome owners who will do anything it takes to win. The difference is that you can do that if you're team is the one with those kinds of owners, but when it's the other guy's team, you have to hate them with all of your heart. That way you're not limited to the joy of your team winning, but the almost same satisfaction of seeing those guys get their hearts broken. Afterall, this season was a very historical season. You'll probably never witness another team make that kind of run throughout the entire year to blow it that hard in the very end. I'm loving this from Busted Tees: