I KNEW IT!

Further proof that the Cowboys are synonymous with evil.

Song lyric of the day:
"You gotta slow down sometimes
Or fly away..."
- Monster Movie, Sweet Lemonade

Fear of the underdog?

Well, last night, the New York Giants, arguably not even the SECOND best team in the NFC EAST, pulled off one of the more improbable playoff runs in recent NFL history to earn the right to lose to the New England Patriots en route to their perfect 19-0 season. I have to admit (and most football fans would no doubt agree) that the Packers-Patriots game would be the more compelling matchup, but here we are.

Early lines out of Vegas have the Patriots as 14.5 point favorites. Based on that, it would still only be the second-greatest upset in Super Bowl history were the Giants to somehow pull this one off (the Baltimore Colts were 18-point favorites over the New York Jets in Super Bowl III). But in my own opinion, I think it would surpass it, due largely to the spoiling of the Patriots rendezvous with history.

But perhaps the Patriots will take the Giants for granted, opening the hole through which they can send the halfback of unlikely victory. Or something.

Anyway, if you don't the song lyric coming, I weep for you...

Song lyric of the day:
"You got no time for the messenger
Got no regard for the thing that you don't understand
You got no fear of the underdog
That's why you will not survive"
- Spoon, The Underdog

Random football thoughts

A few notes on football, both college and professional:

• Memo to college football enthusiasts: As the conferences now stand, AN SEC TEAM WILL DEFEAT A BIG TEN TEAM 9 OUT OF 10 TIMES. Seriously, you can't pit a team from the best conference in the NCAA against a team in a conference that may crack the top 5 on a good day and expect that game to determine the best in the nation. That having been said, congrats to LSU and they're probably as good a guess as any in this topsy-turvy season.
  
  
• Addendum to the previous statement: some schools that have had, say, a 26-year bowl drought, could have easily made bowl games playing in lesser conferences, but chose to stick it out for the sake of competition (and, admittedly, money). Either way, I've said it before and I'll say it again: any wimp can root for a team that wins all the time, but it takes a real man to root for a team that specializes in snatching the predicted defeat from the jaws of unexpected victory, time and again, and still never give up hope.
  
  
• And finally, Joe Gibbs just retired. After checking my calendar to ensure that it was not, in fact, 1993, I reflected that this was unfortunate timing. The Redskins are just beginning to show signs of the life almost sucked out of them by Daniel Snyder and Steve Spurrier, with a legitimate chance of going places provided Jason Campbell continues maturing and the defense holds together. Oh well, I'm sure Gibbs didn't reach this decision lightly, and I wish him all the best. Hopefully likely successor Gregg Williams will be able to continue the job.
  

That's all for now. Coming soon will be the usual "Year in Review" lists (as a pure indulgence, since probably no one actually reads them).

Song lyric of the day:
"Green green youth, what about the sweetness we knew?
What about what's good, what's true from those days?
Sorry that I could never love you back
I could never care enough in these last days"
- Sun Kil Moon, Carry Me Ohio