The Vagaries of Football’s Super Bowl

I was going to write about another topic, until I saw the predictions for today’s matchup between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots on MSN.com.

To read the FOXSports.com article by Senior NFL writer Alex Marvez, you’d think that the Giants might well have stayed in their New Jersey homes and enjoyed the nice sunny day. In his column of about 870 words, the Giants barely get a mention, and then, only at the end.

In another story on the same web site, FOXSports on MSN calls on 11 experts – all of which, except one – pick the Pats to win Super Bowl XLII. Kevin Hench, FOXSports.com contributor, has the Pats winning 41-10, the widest margin predicted, while Peter Schrager, NFL contributor, is the sole analyst to pick the Giants. He gives them a 4-point spread, 27-23.

I don’t know about you, but all this nonsense talk about knowing who will win the game ignores the laws of probability. Like a coin toss for heads or tails, this game could land on either side. Furthermore, the Pats’ uninterrupted 18-game winning streak keeps increasing the statistical chances of their losing. It will happen sooner or later. Pretty sobering, isn’t it?

Hey! Wait a minute here. Don’t think I’m rooting for the Giants. I’m an old Red Sox fan who knows how to cheer on his team while keeping his fingers crossed until the clock stops ticking and the final score is registered on the board.

I’m wary of Eli Manning who seems to have awakened from his regular season somnambulism and has been playing post-season games with the precision of a jungle cat trying to take down a gazelle. I don’t expect him or the rest of the Giants to do anything but to try to claw their way to victory.

Here’s to all of us slightly off-balance and sometimes demented sports fans in the New England and New York area – have a pre-game toast to the whole kit and caboodle.

Note: See http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7747796?MSNHPHCP&GT1=10937 for the Alex Marvey story, and http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7744306?MSNHPHCP&GT1=10937 for the pre-game predictions.