A Super boycott

Entering Super Bowl XLII, I had words of E-Ticket's Chuck Klosterman etched in my mind. Klosterman wrote “If the Patriots win, they will just become this thing that scorched the earth for five months before capturing a trophy that was never in doubt… But if they lose -- especially if they lose late -- the New England Patriots will be the most memorable collection of individuals in the history of pro football.”

Well, like it or not, Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and Randy Moss achieved immortalization. Not for the perfect season, rather for the perfect ending.

Some say this Super Bowl was the “greatest ever.” MSNBC contributor Mike Celizic is one of those people. Although, Celizic qualifies this greatness to be the greatness of the game, who was playing, what was at stake and how the game ended.

However, I completely disagree with Mike. Truth be told, I held a mini-boycott of this Northeastern rematch.

I caught all the highlights and hours of analysis from ESPN’s talking-heads the day after. Maybe I gave up on a game I didn’t care about too soon, but after watching uninspired football for a quarter-and-half paying closer attention to pathetic advertisements, I called it night.

I awoke the next morning surprised to hear the Giants won, but I was not at all shocked by the outcome. My sentiments before kickoff, with the reemergence of “Spygate,” were the Patriots play angry and dominate. But being an observer of the game, I knew New York had a chance if they could pressure Brady. Unlike Dr. Z, who sought to settle an old score, I didn’t put myself out on a limb mostly because I didn’t care.

New England flashed their Achilles heel of facing consistent pressure starting with a trip to Baltimore in week 13. That weakness lingered and the Pats were probably fortunate in the AFC title bout to play a San Diego team with a M.A.S.H. unit on offense. The Giants front four dominated the game and with a little luck in the final minute, New York pulled off the historic upset.

The most agitating thing stemming from Super Bowl XLII is the media Manning love-fest continues. ESPN commentator Sean Salisbury called Eli the “heart and soul” of the Giants. Ridiculous! Eli was a deserving pick, but not the most deserving. Sure he scrambled away from three D-lineman, but he followed it up with a Favre-ian chuck and got lucky. No, the Super Bowl MVP should have gone to the real “heart and soul” of the Giants, Michael Strahan. Strahan’s three tackles and one sack don’t appear to be much on paper, but the attention he garnered allowed teammates like Justin Tuck to go wild.

One thing is certain; New York won their third Super Bowl without any wrapping paper.

Blogger’s Note: Many pseudo-financial analysts look to the Super Bowl as a market indicator. And to date, it’s been accurate more often than not boasting an 85 percent success rate. "The theory holds that when a team from the original National Football League wins the championship, stocks rise," explains Forbes writer John Dubosz. "When a team from the now-defunct American Football League wins, that's bearish." The Giants won, so there’s finally a positive sign for the economy.