An audible groan fell upon Boston and most of New England tonight. Eli Manning threw the winning touchdown with 35 seconds left to spare for the New York Giants’ win in Super Bowl XLII over the New England Patriots. This was not just any Super Bowl victory. With their win, the Giants stopped a juggernaut in reaching a perfect 19-0 season. They prevented a 4th title in 7 years. They destroyed the dreams of a football dynasty from the dynamic partnership of Coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. Even Vegas betted against them by 12 points. No, this game was a major upset.
I said goodbye to my hosts for the night and headed home. Out on the streets, small groups of people briskly passed each other as they walked home from the football parties, the bars and pubs, and the presumptuous celebrations. Their breaths would condense around their noses and mouths to give a gray aura of dejection. All had stunned looks on their faces as they stared distantly down the streets, and they barely noticed the cars whizzing by not more than two feet away. Indeed, as a driver, it was difficult to concentrate on the road.
Oh Nike, great goddess of victory, why do you taunt us so? Why do you bait our hopes for the history books? You appear to us as an oasis in the desert, as a shiny object in a haystack, as Penelope waiting for Odysseus to return. Yet you are nothing more than a harsh mirage, a rusty nail, or a speck of dust on the horizon. Yes, it is great to cheer for the underdogs, but sometimes, you just want the establishment to win.
Tomorrow is another day. In a week, all that will be talked about is the primary election that will happen on Tuesday. Obama or Clinton? Romney or McCain? Life will be back to normal. There will be other years to live for, other Super Bowls to root for, and many more trophies to vie for. What really matters in the end is that the Red Sox are the defending champions and the Yankees still suck.
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