This week in sports... let's see, what happened in the sports world this week? It would be nice, I was thinking, for my inaugural article, to be able to write about an event that was seen by a lot of people, maybe even broadcast in many different countries. It would be good if that event was surrounded by an absurd amount of media coverage, and if that event seemed to transcend the sport itself. But, as I was unable to wait for the next Street Luge Championship, I decided to write about last Sunday's Superbowl.
After last year, it was difficult to imagine a Superbowl in the near future that wouldn't include the Rams. But this year we saw that "it is defense that wins championships" - and that is true, unless it is a year in which an offense wins one. But few people could have predicted the matchup we saw on Sunday - the New York "worst team to ever win the NFC" Giants versus the Baltimore "Trent Dilfer is in the Superbowl?" Ravens. And with all the "experts" predicting a low scoring, down-to-the-wire affair, it is appropriate that, in third quarter, there were three touchdowns scored in 36 seconds and that, by the final gun, the Ravens alone had scored more than the combined score betting line.
As usual, the game itself didn't live up to the hype (how could it?). There was some talk that the Giants offense was in high gear after Kerry Collins threw for 381 yards and five touchdowns two weeks earlier. But that was against a poor Vikings' defense. It's a little different to go up against a brutally hard-hitting, extremely quick, always in your face, never miss a tackle, Baltimore team - probably the best defense ever, as players have never been stronger or faster. And it was this defense that kept the Giants' offense off-balance and caused five turnovers - the statistic that matters most come playoff time.
It was clear before the game that it would be extremely difficult for either team to play from behind. Either defense, with a lead, could use its aggressiveness to cut down the opposing team's options. Then come the turnovers and then comes the blowout. In my mind, the MVP of the game was the Baltimore defense. But as the "P" indicates, the award must go to a single player. So I fully support the selection of defensive captain Ray Lewis, (though I wonder if he would have won the award if he were without the infamy of a double-murder accusation).
Watching Art Model speak after the game about how proud he was of his team and about how the championship wasn't just for his franchise but rather for the entire city of Baltimore, I couldn't help but feel for longtime aficionados of the Cleveland Browns. These were the fans whose team was not only ripped away from them a few years ago by the very same Mr. Model, but that also, this year, had to watch their "New" Cleveland Browns go 3-13. Such is life in the world of sports. For all things must change, and in our world of free agency and popular culture, things must change fast - just ask N'Sync and the Backstreet Boys if they think they'll be singing at Superbowl XXXX.
So another year and another Superbowl is behind us. I don't mean to sound blas?© about the second biggest sporting event of the year ("here we go, Street Luge, here we go!"), but it seems like baseball's off-season gets longer every year.
