14) The 2 week layover for the SB makes for a lousy game which improves the chances for the favorite.
My only reply to this one is that Ultimatenyg nailed the two week layover for Super Bowl XLII a full 12 days before the Super Bowl when no one had yet begun to discuss the issue.
Rule 14 is all about the general matchup between two close teams during the regular season that would become a blowout (for the favorite) with the extra preparation. The odds actually fronted that and got it wrong because the Giants were never going to get the respect (and they STILL don't have it 5 months later!).
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Exceptions to the Rules..?.. Part 2
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2 comments:
Excellent point about the two week layover.
I want to expand on another concept...that of respect as well as expectations.
No one expected the Giants to win this past season. Even Andy F. on his 11/17/2007 blog (after the second Cowboys loss) said: "...there was a finality to the Giants' season this week. It is over... any real ideas of a championship got completely obliterated. It was not a likehihood that the Giants could or would ascend to that place in the league. But there was a chance. And the Giants missed their chance."
I am not blaming Andy F. at all. In fact, I give him credit for calling it like he sees it.
However, these low expectations of the Giants this year (for example Chris "Mad Dog" Russo predicted a Patriots Super Bowl victory of forty something to seven) made the victories THAT MUCH SWEETER.
We should thank people and the "experts" when they pick against the Giants because of this phenomenon. It also creates less pressure on the team.
After the Cowboys playoff victory everything was like gravy. Losing against the Cowboys two times in the regular season and then squeaking out a playoff victory against them was amazing.
The sweetest year of the Yankees since 1994 was not 1998 when they won all those games, but 1996. The championship was unexpected and they were big underdogs against the Braves.
I appreciate it when Andy F. makes statements like "Some people say it is a successful season if the Giants beat Dallas, or if they beat the Skins. I say it is successful if we win a championship." However, notions like that will leave fans inevitably disappointed most times.
Of course the ultimate goal is to win a championship is to win a championship. However, perhaps in certain circumstances it can be still considered a successful season just to make the playoffs. This will make it more enjoyable for the fans.
I'm not saying that this is like Little League or Pop Warner where the attitude is, "as long as you do your best, the results don't matter". We would still expect results.
For example, what if Eli matures even more and the offense plays amazing this upcoming year and the team has a great record, but they lose a close playoff game in the same fashion they lost against the Patriots in week 17 of the regular season (perhaps partly related to the fact that the defense does not perform as well in this example)? I would recommend that Giants fans not be overly disappointed in that scenario. It shouldn't be thought of an abject failure.
If the Yankees make the playoffs this year, that should be considered a success as well because they are in a semi-rebuilding year, with a new manager, with a lot of injuries and they are a lot of games back.
I appreciate the quotes Bass grabs. This is a record for all to see, and I lay it out there. In coming days I will pick out some memorable good AND bad calls made during the 2007 season, just for grins. (One last installment coming tomorrow, Pt 3 of the Exceptions..)
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