Giant upset!

Recreation and The Good Life
1

Prior to the super bowl I had no favorite. This actually allows me to enjoy the game more, because I don’t agonize over every bad or unsuccessful play my favorite makes. Yet when I caught up with the game in the second querter, I found myself rooting for the Patriots.

Fortunately i have no intrinsic liking for the pats, so their loss didn’t hit me hard at all. Instead I can dispassionately be glad for Eli Manning for finally stepping out of his brother’s shadow, and happy for their father, Archie Manning, who has to be the only man with two sons who’ve lead their teams to an NFL Championship.

But I do feel bad for New England. They played an amazing season. Not only did they go undefeated, until yesterday, but they had some dramatic come-from-behind victories; the quintessential pulling of victory from the jaws of defeat. they only lost one game, the one that really mattered.

I’s been 35 years since an NFL team reached the Super Bowl undefeated. I don’t think it will happen again any time soon. But this also illustrates how magnificent Miami’s 1972 season really was. Sure, they had a relatively easy schedule, unlike the Pats, but they also won two conference playoff games and defeated the NFC champion, the Washington Redskins.

2

Hooray for the Giants. New York now owns all your sports.

3

Hooray for the Giants. New York now owns all your sports.

Are there any other sports?

I mean, I know there are the Olympics, Summer and Winter, but they’re not league sports.

I’ve heard stories of wide-shouldered men wielding wooden sticks, chasing after balls of some sort; and of tall men throwing balls into raised rings. But I really can’t take them seriously (nor the legend of 22 men chasing one ball and some sort of ellusive objective). And as far as I know they don’t play Rugby in New York.

4

You are missing the greatest sport of them all: 12 big men on skates fight on ice to put a small rubber disk into a net!

Go Red Wings!!

5

Go Red Wings!!

As a Coloradoan, I cannot let that pass without disagreeing with it, even if I am not a hokey fan.

6

Hooray for the Giants. New York now owns all your sports.

Explain this.

It was a good game, especially considering how so many Superbowls are blow outs.

7

You are missing the greatest sport of them all: 12 big men on skates fight on ice to put a small rubber disk into a net!

Go Red Wings!!

I’m not sure the existence of the puck has been definitely proven.

Oh, I’ve seen them. I recall they had several for sale at a sports shop in NYC some 25 years ago, with various team logos etched on them. But I’ve never seen it used during a game. I suppose it is there, but for all I know your 12 big men are pretending to drive a rubber disk around the ice for some reason.

Besides, I’ve been assured by various experts that this hokey cannot possibly exist outside of Russia, Canada or maybe even Finland. Therefore it might really be some sort of government welfare program designed to keep violent men on ice, so to speak. That woudl explain the non-existent puck, too.

It was a good game, especially considering how so many Superbowls are blow outs.

It was very good, but it also felt very weird. There was something unnatural about seeing Brady sacked many times, not to mention a Patriots offense getting stopped often.

It is to the Giants’ credit that they effectively neutralized the highest scoring offense in the League, holding the Pats to less than 20 points.

Which begs the question: did Eli Manning deserve the MVP award?

8

I’m not sure the existence of the puck has been definitely proven.

Oh, I’ve seen them. I recall they had several for sale at a sports shop in NYC some 25 years ago, with various team logos etched on them. But I’ve never seen it used during a game. I suppose it is there, but for all I know your 12 big men are pretending to drive a rubber disk around the ice for some reason.

Besides, I’ve been assured by various experts that this hokey cannot possibly exist outside of Russia, Canada or maybe even Finland. Therefore it might really be some sort of government welfare program designed to keep violent men on ice, so to speak. That woudl explain the non-existent puck, too.

I’ll put a plug in for ice hockey. When it comes to playoff sports, ice hockey, sudden death OT games are the best edge of your seat spectacle. One thing, though, it can be a gruesome game to watch. I’ve seen more blood and broken bones in ice hockey than any other sport team sport, and it’s not even close.

It was very good, but it also felt very weird. There was something unnatural about seeing Brady sacked many times, not to mention a Patriots offense getting stopped often.

Right, the offensive line was being beaten. Although, I think one of the starting guards was injured, which may be been a big reason for that. Brady played extremely well given the situation.

It is to the Giants’ credit that they effectively neutralized the highest scoring offense in the League, holding the Pats to less than 20 points.

Which begs the question: did Eli Manning deserve the MVP award?

Did he get it? If so, yes, he deserved it. He played brilliantly against a tough defense. The interception he gave up wasn’t from an errant pass, but from a tipped ball, which was thrown right into the receiver’s hands, albeit a bit too fast. And he made a great play to get out of a sack and then threw a long throw for a first down. The receiver made great catch on the play as well. Without that play, they probably don’t win the game, because it was the drive that lead to their second TD.

9

Right, the offensive line was being beaten. Although, I think one of the starting guards was injured, which may be been a big reason for that. Brady played extremely well given the situation.

The line pretty much collapsed. It’s a wonder brady wasn’t intercepted at all.

Did he get it? If so, yes, he deserved it.

Yes, he did.

He played brilliantly against a tough defense. The interception he gave up wasn’t from an errant pass, but from a tipped ball, which was thrown right into the receiver’s hands, albeit a bit too fast. And he made a great play to get out of a sack and then threw a long throw for a first down. The receiver made great catch on the play as well. Without that play, they probably don’t win the game, because it was the drive that lead to their second TD.

I don’t disagree with any of that. But the rest of the game his main actions were not being intercepted, not being sacked too many times, not loosing the ball, and not giving away good field position. In the meantime, the deffense was keeping New England from scoring at all. that is, the deffense was doing everything it was supposed to do. Had the Pats won, I’d ahve questioned giving Brady the MVP, too.

On the other hand, QBs usually win the award. As far as I know only a few deffensive players ahve ever won it. And if I recall correctly it was only once awarded to someone on the loosing team.

10

I’m not sure the existence of the puck has been definitely proven.

You must have missed the season where one TV station had “glow puck”. It was awful for real hockey fans, but to people who can’t find the puck, it was highlighted on TV in Blue “glow” and when it got shot hard, the trail was red “glow”. I don’t know how many years ago it was, but I was glad to see it go… :stuck_out_tongue:

11

You must have missed the season where one TV station had “glow puck”. It was awful for real hockey fans, but to people who can’t find the puck, it was highlighted on TV in Blue “glow” and when it got shot hard, the trail was red “glow”. I don’t know how many years ago it was, but I was glad to see it go… :stuck_out_tongue:

I heard about it. But, really, I don’t believe in Klingons because they apepar on TV :stuck_out_tongue:

Seriously, I love Football and some winter sports (speed skating, alpine skiing and figure skating mostly). I dislike baseball and basketball for various reasons. And I positively loath soccer and any sport remotely ressembling it, such as, for instance, hockey (and becasue hockey takes an ungodly time in the Olympics away from more interesting sports).

12

But I do feel bad for New England. They played an amazing season. Not only did they go undefeated, until yesterday, but they had some dramatic come-from-behind victories; the quintessential pulling of victory from the jaws of defeat. they only lost one game, the one that really mattered.

I don’t feel sorry for them in the least. They are clearly the most talented team in the NFL, yet they were busted for cheating on two separate occasions earlier this season. What’s up with that? They didn’t even need to cheat. :stuck_out_tongue:

In addition, I thought they were sore losers yesterday. Belichick was pouting and running down the tunnel before the game was even officially over. He was rude to not congratulate Tom Coughlin and looked like a spoiled brat. Of course, I’m a former Houston Oiler fan, so I have plenty of reason to dislike Belichick prior to yesterday. :stuck_out_tongue:

13

I don’t feel sorry for them in the least.

Neither do I. I feel bad for them. A kind of sympathetic dissapointment. Not sorry. They escell at what they do, they’ve won three super bowls, and they earn a lot of money. No one should feel sorry for them.

They are clearly the most talented team in the NFL, yet they were busted for cheating on two separate occasions earlier this season. What’s up with that? They didn’t even need to cheat. :stuck_out_tongue:

Maybe they win because they cheat more often than the league catches them. I hope not.

In addition, I thought they were sore losers yesterday. Belichick was pouting and running down the tunnel before the game was even officially over.

That was rude, yes. But that was Bellichick, not the shoel team. I dind’t see what the assistants and players did.

Of course, I’m a former Houston Oiler fan, so I have plenty of reason to dislike Belichick prior to yesterday. :stuck_out_tongue:

Indeed? I’m a current Steelers’ fan and I have no reason to dislike the Oilers at all. Not when they banged hard against the Steel Curtain twice in the AFC Championship (had there been instant replay review then, they might have won the last AFC title the Steelers took; you dind’t hear this from me).

14

I’m a Packer fan, so I’m happy to say they were beaten by the best. Plus, I like to see the quiet kid (Eli) win big.

I don’t think it is appropriate that a coach who was caught cheating wins the coach of the year award. Part of the reason (presumably) that the Patriots have such a great team is because they were cheating for years, keeping their players healthy and - because they were winning - signing free agents at bargain basement prices. They will benefit from past cheating for years to come, and there is no way to rectify such a situation. The players aren’t at fault, and for the most part they aren’t cheaters; simply talented and hard working.

As for hockey, I am not a fan, but I love the mix of grace and power. I think it’s a cool game.