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Sunday, February 03, 2008 12:46:16 PM
Nothing like underdogs for the ages
by Steve Politi/Star-Ledger Columnist
Sunday February 03, 2008, 3:01 AM
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- They were willing to puff out their chests and predict the final score, insisting that nothing less than the Lombardi Trophy would make this trip a success. But when you asked the NY Giants Giants to view this opportunity tonight in Super Bowl XLII in a broader context, they came up empty.
"I'm not thinking about that at all," receiver Amani Toomer said.
"We're not worried about history," running back Brandon Jacobs said.
"Man, I just want the ring," defensive end Michael Strahan said.
No, the Patriots were the team constantly talking about history, how a victory would secure their place in the sports pantheon and establish them as the greatest team we've ever seen.
They're right, of course. A victory in Super Bowl XLII would cap the 19-0 season and put the Patriots in their own stratosphere. Linebacker Junior Seau put it this way last week: "There's good, there's great, and there's ever. We have a chance to be part of that category -- ever."
But the Giants have a chance to become an "ever team," too -- and, in many ways, what they would accomplish with a victory would be just as lasting. They can become one of the most beloved underdogs in sports history, joining a short list of teams whose accomplishments only grow with time.
You know the list. USA Hockey in 1980, the team of college kids that upset the Russians and then won gold in Lake Placid. Villanova basketball in 1985, the undersized squad that shocked big, bad Georgetown for the national championship. The Jets in 1969, with Joe Namath running toward that stadium tunnel at Super Bowl III, waving his finger for eternity.
Most teams win championships and are quickly forgotten in history. Not these teams. We love them, make books and movies about them, because of the improbability of their victories. We are a nation infatuated with the Cinderella story in sports, and while it's hard to imagine a team from New York with the nickname the Giants fitting into that mold, they do.
A victory over the Patriots will cap the most improbable Super Bowl run in history, turning the players who pull it off into legends. No sports fan will ever forget what they accomplished, just like nobody will forget the boxer who put Mike Tyson on the canvas in 1990.
"I remember they did the fight overseas, and usually you wake up in the morning and Mike Tyson knocked somebody out in the first round," Strahan said. "When you saw that Buster Douglas knocked him out, you're just in amazement. If we win, it's a big, big upset."
New England can achieve a much different kind of history. Perfection is something people will respect and admire, but it's nothing they'll embrace. The Patriots won, then they won again, then they won some more. Their story is impressive, but it lacks drama or charm. Think about it: Would anyone want to watch a movie about this Patriots team?
The Giants' season, meanwhile, unfolded as if it were entitled "Friday Night Lights: The Pros."
They have the embattled head coach, the struggling franchise quarterback and the aging defensive end who passed on retirement for another go around. They have the 0-2 start and the midseason hiccups, the injuries and the setbacks and new characters stepping up.
They won three straight road playoff games, including one in the second-coldest game in NFL history, and can cap their run against an undefeated team that has already beaten them once. If the Giants win the Super Bowl tonight, their last three victories will have come against teams with a combined record of 45-6. No team has ever had a more daunting road to the Lombardi Trophy.
"If the Giants win, no question, it would have to be one of the biggest upsets ever," said Jim Kiick, the running back for the '72 Dolphins. "People will always go back and look at that victory. It will stand in history."
It will also stand as one of this market's most revered teams. The '94 Rangers ended the 54-year Stanley Cup drought with that thrilling spring. The Miracle Mets captured the city during that magical fall in 1969.
Now, the Giants have a chance tonight to steal bragging rights back from Boston and script the most unlikely championship of them all. "I can't even imagine how big it would be in the city of New York for us to win this game," Strahan said. "I can't imagine."
If they pull off the upset tonight, Strahan and his teammates will spend the rest of their lives finding out just how big. One more victory, and they will earn a spot with Villanova and the '69 Jets, with USA Hockey and Buster Douglas. One more victory, and they will become one of the most celebrated underdogs in history.
by Steve Politi/Star-Ledger Columnist
Sunday February 03, 2008, 3:01 AM
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- They were willing to puff out their chests and predict the final score, insisting that nothing less than the Lombardi Trophy would make this trip a success. But when you asked the NY Giants Giants to view this opportunity tonight in Super Bowl XLII in a broader context, they came up empty.
"I'm not thinking about that at all," receiver Amani Toomer said.
"We're not worried about history," running back Brandon Jacobs said.
"Man, I just want the ring," defensive end Michael Strahan said.
No, the Patriots were the team constantly talking about history, how a victory would secure their place in the sports pantheon and establish them as the greatest team we've ever seen.
They're right, of course. A victory in Super Bowl XLII would cap the 19-0 season and put the Patriots in their own stratosphere. Linebacker Junior Seau put it this way last week: "There's good, there's great, and there's ever. We have a chance to be part of that category -- ever."
But the Giants have a chance to become an "ever team," too -- and, in many ways, what they would accomplish with a victory would be just as lasting. They can become one of the most beloved underdogs in sports history, joining a short list of teams whose accomplishments only grow with time.
You know the list. USA Hockey in 1980, the team of college kids that upset the Russians and then won gold in Lake Placid. Villanova basketball in 1985, the undersized squad that shocked big, bad Georgetown for the national championship. The Jets in 1969, with Joe Namath running toward that stadium tunnel at Super Bowl III, waving his finger for eternity.
Most teams win championships and are quickly forgotten in history. Not these teams. We love them, make books and movies about them, because of the improbability of their victories. We are a nation infatuated with the Cinderella story in sports, and while it's hard to imagine a team from New York with the nickname the Giants fitting into that mold, they do.
A victory over the Patriots will cap the most improbable Super Bowl run in history, turning the players who pull it off into legends. No sports fan will ever forget what they accomplished, just like nobody will forget the boxer who put Mike Tyson on the canvas in 1990.
"I remember they did the fight overseas, and usually you wake up in the morning and Mike Tyson knocked somebody out in the first round," Strahan said. "When you saw that Buster Douglas knocked him out, you're just in amazement. If we win, it's a big, big upset."
New England can achieve a much different kind of history. Perfection is something people will respect and admire, but it's nothing they'll embrace. The Patriots won, then they won again, then they won some more. Their story is impressive, but it lacks drama or charm. Think about it: Would anyone want to watch a movie about this Patriots team?
The Giants' season, meanwhile, unfolded as if it were entitled "Friday Night Lights: The Pros."
They have the embattled head coach, the struggling franchise quarterback and the aging defensive end who passed on retirement for another go around. They have the 0-2 start and the midseason hiccups, the injuries and the setbacks and new characters stepping up.
They won three straight road playoff games, including one in the second-coldest game in NFL history, and can cap their run against an undefeated team that has already beaten them once. If the Giants win the Super Bowl tonight, their last three victories will have come against teams with a combined record of 45-6. No team has ever had a more daunting road to the Lombardi Trophy.
"If the Giants win, no question, it would have to be one of the biggest upsets ever," said Jim Kiick, the running back for the '72 Dolphins. "People will always go back and look at that victory. It will stand in history."
It will also stand as one of this market's most revered teams. The '94 Rangers ended the 54-year Stanley Cup drought with that thrilling spring. The Miracle Mets captured the city during that magical fall in 1969.
Now, the Giants have a chance tonight to steal bragging rights back from Boston and script the most unlikely championship of them all. "I can't even imagine how big it would be in the city of New York for us to win this game," Strahan said. "I can't imagine."
If they pull off the upset tonight, Strahan and his teammates will spend the rest of their lives finding out just how big. One more victory, and they will earn a spot with Villanova and the '69 Jets, with USA Hockey and Buster Douglas. One more victory, and they will become one of the most celebrated underdogs in history.
And so we are told this is the golden age
And gold is the reason for the wars we wage(U2) http://www.mikros.us/ M http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/board.aspx?board_id=1308
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