This edition of Weekend Rumbings is a bit belated, I realize. I had to, just had to, let this weekend’s happenings settle–like a good piece of cheesecake–because any sort of premature analysis would quickly turn into sentimentality in lieu of one of the biggest shockers in sports history.

You’ll note that I not only predicted a Patriots triumph, but hoped for one. In actuality, I didn’t just hope for a triumph, I hoped for an embarrassment on the part of the Giants. This was the next best thing. My reason for hoping for a Patriots ‘W’ was that I desperately wanted Spygate allegations to hide in the midst of history; well, this type of victory — one that included gameplan execution to perfection and a quarterback who defied every bit of negative press — did just that.

No one gave this group a chance, and you could tell that it didn’t bother Eli Manning or the rest of the Giants team. But we also learned that a recordbook can sometimes get in the way of reality, demonstrated by the media leading up to Sunday’s game. Hindsight is 20/20, and I’ll be the first to admit that I fell in this trap too, but why were the Giants such an underdog in the first place? New England had barely escaped in games since Thanksgiving, they barely beat the Giants in December, and only squeaked by a San Diego team that was missing their franchise player in the AFC Championship. Or how about the pass to Jacksonville’s Ernest Wilford in the Divisional Playoffs that was dropped? If one more guy gets to Manning on that last drive and wraps him up, or if Manning’s pass, god forbid, didn’t stick to David Tyree’s helmet, we’d sit here and praise the Patriots — at least I would have.

This leads to a few conclusions:

a) Wins and wins only matter in a “dominance” discussion. Find me a media outlet reporting skepticism about the Patriots’ dominance (before Sunday, of course) and untouchable-ness, and I’ll find you a drug-free Macauley Culkin. Deal?
b) Reality hides in the shadows of a recordbook.
c) Breaking up perfection is as fulfilling, from a fan’s perspective, as achieving it.

I just have to mention Tom Coughlin. Have you ever seen him grin from ear to ear? This spectacle was a sign that he changed his ways. He instilled confidence in his quarterback and prepared one of the greatest gameplans in recent memory. Brady was on the ground after 23 plays, from every which direction. You have to wonder why the Pats’ previous opponents didn’t show up with such precision and determination with that very goal in mind.

In any case, my prediction as well as the predication of the other 12352356346 media outlets across America was dead wrong.

And that’s why Sunday was so enjoyable.

I had one of those “This Is Why The Games Are Played” moments on an airplane destined for Charlotte. (I apologize for the recent references to airport-living, but apparently, much can be learned when you travel.)

Me: Did you see the game last night? (It probably wasn’t necessary to say ‘the’ versus ‘that’ — If he broke out singing the World Figure Skating Championships theme song I was prepared to put on my headphones like Kevin McCalister did in Home Alone (the second one; who likes the first anyways?). The point is, he know it was the game I was talking about. For you figure skating junkies, that’s Super Bowl XLII I was referring to.

67-year-old (and 15 times retired) man:: You know what? You’re not going to believe it. I was on a plane last night, much to the dismay of myself and every other man on that plane. (Okay, the guy missed not only the greatest Super Bowl of all-time, but also one of the greatest game plans and execution.)

Me: You must have seen the play.

67-year-old (and 15 times retired) man:: Fortunately, I got home to see the last two minutes. Wow, talk about a great catch.

Me: Actually, 67-year-old man, the catch was great, but the most overlooked play of the game would have to be on that very same play. Don’t get me wrong–fantastic catch — and one that probably ranks in the top-10 Super Bowl catches of all-time (velcro to helmet?) — but the way Manning escaped the pocket was incredible. Talk about poised.

67-year-old (and 15 times retired) man: And his laser of a pass…

And so on.

Did I have to detail a) what this game was; b) what this game meant; c) why society mandates that the entire male population be off a plane on this particular night; d) the play?; or e) the implications of such a game? No, no, no, no, and no.

A man I never met, never will see again, and all it took was a Eli Manning and David Tyree connection to have a connection ourselves. Where else does this happen? Politics maybe, but two Barack supporters have a connection only in a “we both want out of this mess” sorta way. Sports, in this particular instance, were a connection because we both knew exactly what happened, where it happened, why it happened and why that particular moment mattered. No need to waste time re-hashing these seemingly minute details — well, because if we didn’t already know them, a scowl would be etched across society’s gleaming (because of last night’s contest) face.

One last thing, airport-related: Try this sometime. Just start a conversation, but make sure to bring sports into the conversation, somehow, in someway, on the airplane to the person you are sitting beside. If you’re lucky, you’ll be besides a “of course I watched” guy (or girl — if you get one of these, and all seems right in the world). If you’re by a a) “I used to be a sports fan, but salaries … ticket prices … steroids…”; or b) “I don’t so much care for sports” guy, find it in you to get a reply like this: “You know what, I’m turning on ESPN before I unpack.” It’s a fun game. Talk about the fun. Talk about the memories. Talk about the journey. Talk about passion. That’s what it’s all about.

I choose to do this because it makes me feel like a sports radio talk-show host. You must establish yourself as someone that knows what you are talking about — or at least make it seem as such — and all of a sudden, you get a lot of “I never thought of it like that” or “Wow, you’re right.” It’s rewarding. Then the questions come, and it’s like I’m taking questions from callers. Try it.

The day is here. Super Bowl XLII. A day where people across America are reminded that the sky is the limit in terms of their consumption habits. A day where people across America forget about the matchup, history and well, the game of football in the midst of excess. This year, it seemed, would be different. The matchup mattered (Could the Giants pass rush apply enough pressure on Tom Brady?), history was a focus (Celtics or Patriots?) and Eli Manning was portrayed, justifiably so, as nothing short of God (What other quarterback has ever won three playoff games on the road, one of which in sub-zero weather?).

We were so close to caring about this game. Four days of the weeklong coverage focused on the Giants pass rush and secondary as well as Brady’s “probable” status. Three days, however, focused on Spygate, the ever-so-timely tale of Bill Belichick’s possible involvement in a videotaping scandal. Again, we were so close … Again, our media attempts to prove the unprovable in lieu of one of the greatest Super Bowl games of all-time.

If you think about it from a grassroots perspective, it is odd that football is the chosen sport — or religion — in houses across America on this very day. Baseball is America’s game (Please don’t tell me it’s too boring), but the World Series doesn’t get nearly the attention. Soccer’s World Cup is thrilling, many would say (Excuse me, this is America.) Basketball can be slow (Who wants to watch the playoffs for four-straight months, anyway?). Hockey? I don’t even know — it just doesn’t fit.

So we are left with football, a game that should seem barbaric but is entertaining and captivating. A game that is played by 300-pound men. A game that more resembles war than sport. Maybe that’s why American’s tune in in excessive numbers.

Barbaric or not, here’s my prediction for Glendale’s Super Bowl XVII.
New England 27
New York Giants 17

Well, here we are, (almost). Super XVII. For the first time in recent memory, however, this particular Super Bowl seems to be more about the game of football, the matchup between the Patriots and Giants, preparation, and what every Super Bowl is really supposed to be about.

I have the utmost respect for the Patriots and what they represent, and envy the way they carry themselves. They have ran over the worst and the best (Giants, Washington, Dallas, Jacksonville, San Diego 2x), and done so in the midst of a scandal that provided little distraction.

Tomorrow, I hope that New England trounces New York. I hope it’s one of those games where you are tempted to turn off the television eight minutes in due to a 21-0 score. Keep in mind that this type of yearning goes beyond my typical intuition, but here’s why: I want their to be conversations about how the Patriots did smething that no other NFL team has ever done (i.e. perfect). I want their to be praise for Brady, and how he’s possibly the greatest quarterback to ever take the field. Or how about the cohesion, focus and unselfishness that Patriots football represents.

If the Patriots blow out the Giants, then the latest Spygate mess will hopefully hide in the shadows of a perfect, as in undefeated, as in 19-0, season. I was enjoying this week of coverage of the big game, until today, when a republican senator had to (Giants fan?) inquire about the possible dstruction of tapes by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and his staff. Right now? Really? 48 hours before a game in which the general public cares more about the game than Tom Petty’s halftime performance.

I’d be remiss to mention the cultural impact of this game (which was supposed to be the focus of this post, but I got sidetracked). No other sporting event draws such an attention than the Super Bowl, and no other event draws people that don’t know the spectacle that is on display (Was that a kickoff or a field goal?). Nowhere else in mainstream American culture is there a combination of such an intense, real event (football) with fake, conspicuous images driven to excess (advertising). Every social class participates in some way, and the advertising provides a sense that goods and services, no matter the price, are available to anyone watching.

…To be continued.

During the first half of Sunday’s NFC Championship game, the FOX television cameras displayed downtown Green Bay … empty. Not a single vehicle, person or bird were in view, indicating that Green Bay natives were a) at the game; b) watching the game in the comfort of their own home; or c) incredibly nervous about experiencing ridicule for being somewhere other than a) or b).

Listening to the FAN yesterday, one caller called in and threatened Joe Anderson, simply because of this argument: Packers fans have an edge over Vikings supporters. Those freaks that didn’t have a ticket, but would have been at Lambeau if it had been twenty degrees cooler, deserve our praise.

But it’s not the mere fact that these fans are exceedingly loyal or the fact that you and I will have to remain content in front of a television instead of pursuing the craziness in person … for life.

What we need to commend is how these fans go about their business. When you go to a Packers game, you don’t see a Reggie White jersey. At a Vikings game, the chances of seeing a Daunte Culpepper jersey are about 1:1. Packers fans move on, roll with the punches, stick around. Packers fans enjoy football, offer constructive criticism and are stuck in the present, which happens to be a hard-to-swallow loss. Come training camp, however, that loss will be done. Erased. Vikings fans, conversely, are still stuck in a bitter trance over their NFC Championship loss, ironically to the Giants, eight years ago.

Vikings fans hate. Packers fans respect. Vikings fans show up to argue and ridicule. Packers fans are football fans, show up to have a good time, watch the game, demand improvement and set reasonable expectations. And sure, cheer against their rivals.

Vikings fans envy the Green Bay football experience. It’s not to say that the Vikings have bad fans, but they trance around the circle of hate because they will never match what Packers fans bring to the table each and every Sunday.

Disclaimer: I’d be remiss to omit those that are delusional.

Carl Gerbschmidt: Gerby, the frequent Packers voice and contributor to KFAN. From his blog:

Oh, hello.

I almost forgot about you here. After all, I was thinking about the NFL, and I really haven’t spent much time thinking about teams that aren’t good enough to keep playing when the big boys play.

I almost forgot that you were well on your way to overtaking the New York Giants, making the playoffs as the 5 seed, crushing Tampa Bay and coming to Lambeau to get your revenge on the Packers.

I almost forgot that Tavares “It Only Takes A Minute To Blow A Game” Jackson was going to claim his place as the greatest QB in the NFC North and not be the worst starting quarterback since the Bears trotted out Kyle Orton (and he even might be better that TJoke.)

I almost forgot that Adrienne “All Day Except When The Wind Blows In My Face” Peterson was going to break Eric Dickerson’s rookie record and think that he could even CARRY Ryan Grant’s lunch.

I almost forgot the legendary defense of Kevin and Fat Williams who can stop any running back, not to mention one of those Toyota Trucks that can stop an airplane. (Unless the game really matters, of course.)

I almost forgot that Brad Childlike was going to prove to everyone how smart he was, how we were all wrong in thinking he was nothing more than a blowhard who couldn’t coach ink out of a panicked octopus. Brad was going to be right there with Ziggy “I Love L.A” Wilf, holding up the Lombardi trophy, which would have been renamed the “Brad” trophy because he’s so much smarter than anyone else.

But I saw some old footage of the Hindenburg and it reminded me of the only disaster that lasts season after season, the Vi-Queens.

I keep hearing how the Vikings would have beaten the Packers because it’s tough to beat a team 3 times in the same year. Especially when one of them doesn’t even qualify for the 3rd matchup.

I’ll check in next week after the real football teams play and we spank that naughty little boy Matt Hasslehoff, and we play our last two games. You can either jump on the Packer bandwagon now, before your team moves to LA (and then you will have to), or you can go and check on the draft. That’s what the losers do.

Hey, Darren Sharper, I’m looking at you now, looking at you now. And I’m laughing at you.

He’s a Viking hater, and delusional in suggesting the untouchable nature of his one and only love. Packers fans (should) take issue with Gerby’s delusions. He paints Green Bay fans in an inaccurate and negative light, while fans of green and yellow as well as their media are reasonable … and unlike this ridiculous sports nut, wouldn’t have bet the house on a trip to Glendale.

Mathew Kowald: Oh isn’t it funny when adults act like children. This Packer fan taped and tied, taped and tied, his child after he refused to wear a Packers jersey during the Packers’ divisional playoff win. The man seriously restrained the boy and taped the jersey onto him and then tied him to a furnishing. He is now faced with a restraining order and a Prozac prescription expense after Sunday’s defeat.

By default, I cheer for and enjoy watching the Vikings. I hope like hell that one day, football in this state could somehow compare to the experience likened to a few hundred miles east.

We should respect and appreciate Brett Favre and the effort he brings each and every time he sets foot on a football field. Do I hope that Favre tears the Vikings’ defense to shreds when the teams collide? No. But how can you, as a sports fan, bash and ridicule someone that discreetly goes about his business, plays hard, and has never been in a courtroom?

But just that I respect and envy Favre and the Packers organization doesn’t make me not a Vikings fan or a lower-level fan than another fan that is bitter and hateful. The two - respect and excessive fandom - are not mutually exclusive.

Respect - rather than hate - can go a long way in a sports world caught up in negativity and bitterness.

Super Bowl XLII is set.

Patriots 18-0

The sign of a spectacular team is one that can find ways to win despite playing sub-spectacular. Quarterback Tom Brady threw three interceptions. Randy Moss caught one pass for 14 yards. San Diego had two first-and-goals and a first-and-10 from the New England 13-yard line. And the Patriots won.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you respect them. You respect the way Brady’s emotions are kept in check. You respect how they find ways to win, grind, hang around, and then stick it to the opposition before Chargers QB Phillip Rivers could say “What happened?”

Have you heard Randy Moss pout about his performance or the frequency Brady threw to him? You’d darned near expect to, but the restraining-order-conflicted receiver refrained. This perfectly illustrates the Patriot mindset: play as a team, win as a team, and as the cliche goes, where is the “I” in this team? Nowhere, and that’s why I’ll be cheering for New England in two weeks.

Packers Go Down

Let the debate begin: Will Brett Favre’s last pass be an interception?

No one gave the Giants a chance, and most cited sub-zero temperatures as the opponent, not the Packers. But Plaxico Burress somehow maintained feeling in his hands, and won the epic game-long battle with Packers cornerback Al Harris. Eli Manning didn’t turn the ball over.

Sure, Favre struggled. You expected a feel-good game-ending drive, led by Favre, but it didn’t come. He’s human. Instead of placing the heat on Favre, someone that should be in a broadcast booth somewhere instead of leading the NFL’s second-ranked offense, the Green Bay media kept things in perspective. Instead of a plea for retirement, or cheap shots directed at the single individual that single-handedly has put Green Bay on a map, the message was simple: the Packers lost as a team. Imagine, for a moment, that Green Bay was located a few hundred miles west. If Favre and the Packers win, the Minnesota media praise his “gutsy” performance. If Favre and the Packers lose, it’s on Favre. Favre, I’m sure, takes more responsibility than the reasonable Green Bay media suggest.

And that’s why he’ll be back.