Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

Matt Kane Column – 1/28/2008



Thank, God, there is only one more week of listening to a bunch of think-they-know-it-all sports reporters and anchors talk about what they think will happen in Super Bowl XLII.

Does anybody really care if Tom Brady walks around New York City two weeks before the big game? In one photo, he apparently had a walking boot, and later he was in cowboy boots. I guess if the boot fits, wear it. I was more interested in the fact that he was in super model Gisele Bundchen’s apartment. Let’s hear more about that.

Just kidding, then the NFL would become more of a soap opera than it already is.

As for the game, I wasn’t too happy to see the Giants get in. As a Vikings’ fan who enjoys watching the Packers lose, I wanted them to beat the Giants in the NFC championship game. I think it has something to do with being sick of New York teams, more than liking Green Bay. I always love to see the small-town midwestern teams beat up on the big city slickers.

I also didn’t want to see the Patriots get in the Super Bowl, but I gave up on that wish two months ago.

So, now, we have the New York Giants and the New England Patriots playing Sunday for the Lombardi Trophy. Once again, it is New York against Boston.

Every summer, baseball fans are forced to watch games and listen to baseball reporters talk about how big the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry is.

The Yankees and Red Sox have played each other in almost 2,000 games (New York leads the series 1,086-890). And, of course, Bostonians have been bitter towards New Yorkers since a pretty good player named Babe Ruth traded in his red sox for pinstripes Jan. 6, 1920.

The Giants and Patriots don’t quite have the same history. They’ve played each other eight times, with the Patriots leading the series 5-3.

Previewing the Super Bowl, it looks like it might be one-sided. The Patriots are 18-0, and, even when they seemed to struggle in certain games, including a 38-35 win over the Giants Dec. 29, they still win.

The last time the Patriots and Giants met, prior to this past regular season, was in 2003. New England won that game 17-6, and went on to beat the Carolina Panthers 32-29 in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

I’m not yet sure which team I will cheer for when I plop my backside on the couch. I guess I will have to decide which team I consider the lesser of two evils. That seems to be the Giants. They were a slightly above-average team that overachieved in the playoffs, while the Patriots coasted across the regular season and playoff schedule with arrogance and a few rolls of illegal game footage.

I do prefer Tom Coughlin over Bill Belichick. I think I’m just tired of hearing about Belichick being a football genius, and about his hoodie.

Belichick had one winning season (11-5 in 1994) in his five years as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, and finished 36-44 while with the Browns. His first season with the Patriots in 2000, remains as Belichick’s only losing season (5-11) with New England, and he has a 91-37 record in eight seasons with the Patriots. Three of those seasons ended with Super Bowl titles. Belichick is, no doubt, a good coach, but what happened in Cleveland? I think he became a genius when his players got better.

Belichick and the Patriots will probably win the Super Bowl, and that’s fine with me. Let’s just hope Coughlin and the Giants give them a good game.

The next big game between the two towns is Friday, April 11. The Yankees visit the Red Sox that day for the first meeting of the regular season.

I’m sure we’ll hear about it.

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