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Monday, February 4, 2008

Tremendous Victory--Giants win 3rd Super Bowl, now can Jets please win one

I was 2 1/2 years old when the Jets won their Super Bowl, I am now 41 1/2 years old. They're due, I'm due.

As thrilling as last night's win was, I've experienced three Giant Super Bowl wins in my adult life, and in this one case I kind of know what it feels like to be a Yankee fan. That feeling of ho-hum, another world title, please pass the Grey Poupon.

I went crazy when the Giants scored their last touchdown, and I was excited to hear the sports talk guys go on about it today, but I guess because the Giants are my second favorite team in football, it lacks that exhilarating feeling that would definitely come if the Jets ever entered the promised land.

Was last night's game the most exciting of all time? The greatest of all time? I'm not sure. It's up there, but Buffalo's missed field goal against the Giants in 1991 seemed more exciting. I guess because it ended the game. Can you imagine if Randy Moss had caught that pass at the 20 yard line with 20 seconds left last night? The Patriots would have gone for a 37 yard field goal to send it into Overtime. That is the only way last night's game could have been better.

Before expansion and parity, teams didn't come back late in games the way they do now. So when Joe Montana and the 49ers came back against the Bengals to score that last minute touchdown in 1989, that was both thrilling and unprecedented. But for sheer 4th quarter theatrics, perhaps the greatest Super Bowl of all time was the 1999 Rams-Tennessee game. That ended with the Titans stretching at the goal line for a touchdown, only to miss it by inches. I wasn't watching football in 1979, but from those who saw it, they tell me that was pretty exciting. Pittsburgh beat Dallas, when Roger Staubach threw into the end zone and Jackie Smith dropped the winning pass.

I started following football in 1981 and fell in love with the Jets that year. They made it to their first playoff game in 12 years that year and then to the AFC Championship the following year. I was young and spoiled and thought they would do it every year. They didn't and in 27 years I have only seen them get to two AFC Championship games. My heart stopped both times and finally was broken. What would my heart need if they ever made it to a Super Bowl and then won? I'd love to find out.

My teams in descending order of passion and year they last won title:

Mets--1986

Jets---1969

Giants---2008

Knicks---1973

Nets---Never in the NBA

Islanders----1983

Rangers----1994

Devils----2003


The Freditor

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