Saratoga New York 1919
On August 13th, the World Famous thoroughbred horse known as Man o War entered his seventh career race. At the time he was undefeated. Man O War was famous. Known throughout the United States as the greatest competitive racehorse in history. He was a perfect 6-0 and was heavily favored to win the Sanford Memorial States in Saratoga. Yet in a stunning turn of events a little known horse by the name of “Upset” had beaten Man O War by less than a half-length. News of the surprise victory spread like wild fire though newspapers and radio stations all over the United States. All everyone was talking about was the surprise “Upset” victory in thoroughbred racing. As a result of the famous race, the word “Upset” although still associated with sickness anger or pain, would forever be linked to an unexpected sports victory by an underdog.
Man O War 1920
Miami Florida 1969
On January 9, New York Jets Quarterback Joe Willy Namath was honored as the NFL’s player of the year by the Miami touch down club. The awards dinner was held just three days before Super Bowl III. After being helicaled at the podium by cocky arrogant Baltimore Colt fans, Joe formerly announced the Jets would win Super Bowl III and that he was guaranteeing victory. At the time his Jets were residing in the inferior American Football League, and were 12-point underdogs facing the National Football League’s very best. It was expected that the game would be a blow out and writers and annalists alike picked the Colts to win very significantly. Yet in a stunning turn of events the Jets had upset the Colts 16-7. The AFL would never be the same again.
Glendale Arizona 2008
The undefeated New England Patriots entered Super Bowl XLII with a perfect record of 18-0 on the season. Las Vegas had them favored to win the game by 14 points. They were preparing to do battle against the number five seed, wild card New York Giants. Yet as I was watching the fourth quarter back home in New York, I was hardly able to believe what was happening on the 12 televisions around me. The New York Giants had pulled off the most improbable shocking upset in football history.
Bloomington New York 2008
It is no easy chore hosting your own Super Bowl party. Not that I had to do all the work myself, but my ego and pride got the best of me, as they often do. The Super Bowl weekend started with my typical drive home from Jersey after work. Friday night I set 10 televisions in the Burger Palace (basement) and one in the downstairs bathroom. Saturday I began cooking all the party food. Sausage and Peppers, steak mushrooms and onions, meatballs, chicken cutlets and wings. Time was running out, my head was spinning, and before I knew it, it was 2:00pm on Sunday. I was doing my final preparations for the party as I began to concentrate on the game.
With this blog in mind, I got out my notebook and rosters and began documenting Super bowl XLII while meeting and greeting guests.
Finally at 6:24 every guest had arrived. TOM (my father) was the last to arrive, and I am always a bit on edge when my divorced parents are in close proximity. Never the less I had no time to worry about family squabbles.
The game was starting!
Every joke about Ryan Secret, our food being eaten, and my television in the bathroom, had been told. The roof in Glendale had been closed. With every former San Francisco 49er on hand, the Giants won the coin toss and elected to receive. I had a Diet Pepsi, my notebook and 10 televisions.
Super Bowl XLII was underway.
The scoring started right where the last NFL game had left off. Lawrence Tynes 37 yard field goal in Green Bay had gotten the Giants into the Super Bowl. Tynes was good once again to give the G-men a three-point lead exactly two weeks later. In hine sight the tempo and control of the entire game was determined in the opening drive. The Giants offense was focused, strong and killing the clock. With only five minutes left in the first quarter the New England offense took the field in a unique position,
losing.
New England marched down field, and with the help of a huge pass interference call the Patriots had the ball on the one-yard line as the second quarter began. I knew it was business as usual for Brady’s offense, and I took the opportunity to check on the guests, and re-heat some food. Like a mad man I was running up and down the stairs from basement to kitchen, food in hand. On the first play of the second quarter, Lawrence Maroney ran the ball into the end zone for a Patriot touchdown and a 7-3 New England lead. The Touchdown would be the last of the scoring by either team in the first half. The defense of both teams dominated the remainder of the second quarter as Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers took the field at half time.
The game was half way over and no one expected a 7-3 score.
The second half started out quite boring.
In fact my aunt Gert had fallen asleep. (Not that that is a real good example.) But just when my guests began getting real quite, Eli Manning found his new tight-end Kevin Boss. On a 45-yard pass from Manning to Boss, the Giants were set up in the Patriot red-zone. Then Eli found David Tyree for a touchdown. The first Giant TD of the game. The Giants had retaken the lead, shocking the world. As I said to anyone listening, I expected the Giants to play competitive but not this late into the game.
New York 10 New England 7 Fourth Quarter
Finally New England started to do what we all expected. They moved the ball down field with 5:00 minutes left in the game. Brady to Wes Welker, Brady to Randy Moss, Brady back to Welker, and finally Brady to Moss for 6 points.
14-10 Patriots with less then five minutes to play. That was more like it!
It’s what we had been told was going to happen for two weeks prior to the game. It was what we had come to know as reality week after week with New England. 18 straight victories. A perfect season. Yes 14-10 seemed like the final score that even true blue Giant fans knew was coming. All the New England defense had to do was hold the Giants for five minutes and the game would be over.
The drive for New York started out exactly as predicted. The Giants were desperate, and struggling to drive the ball thru the New England territory. They even had to convert a huge fourth down with less then three minutes left in the game.
Then Manning at his own 43-yard line began a sequence of plays that will never be forgotton. First down produced nothing. Second down was more of the same. Finally it was third and five, the game on the line. Manning called for the ball and while looking down field, he quickly began to feel the pocket cave in around him. Jarvis Green and Richard Seymour of the Patriot defensive line tried a total of four times to sac Manning. Yet somehow someway the Giant Quarterback remained on his feet, dashing and slithering his way in and out of pressure.
As if Manning’s resilient scramble wasn’t amazing enough, what happened next was truly unbelievable! Manning threw the ball 30 yards down the field into a four-man defensive cover. Four different New England Patriots surround just one New York Giant.
That Giant was tight end David Tyree.
In an effort of desperation, Tyree leapt into the air and pulled down the Manning pass. The ball was well over Tyree’s head as he began to fall to the ground. Patriot safety Rodney Harrison was also trying to catch the ball. As both men hit the turf, the ball had settled in-between Tyree’s hands, directly on top of his helmet. Somehow someway Tyree held on to the ball and completed the catch. The Giants were alive and the momentum of Super Bowl XLII had taken a shocking dramatic shift.
The Burger Palace erupted with excitement. My father jumped to his feet. My brother and sister were rooting for New York. My cousin Don was cheering loudly, and even my uncle’s Bob and Gary were caught up in the moment. My heart was pounding, I had butterflies, and my brain was trying to comprehend what was happening in the physical world around me.
Thirty seconds later Manning found Plexico Burress in the end zone for a touchdown.
Giants 17 Patriots 14
There was 35 seconds left in the game. The Giants defense that had been so dominate for 59 minutes 25 seconds never let up. Strahan, Umenyiora, Pierce, and Tuck all contributing heavily to stopping Tom Brady and the Patriots. With just one second left the Giants took over on downs. Eli took a knee and New York Giants had shocked the world.
Super Bowl XLII the Arizona Upset!
I played Frank Sinatra’s New York New York on the Burger Palace sound system. Friends and family began saying their good byes and clearing out in a matter of minutes. After all it was Sunday night. I was still in awe of the shocking upset. The feeling was surreal. I had been preparing for weeks to write a sports blog about the perfect Patriots. Yet on Sunday February 3rd 2008, thoughts of "Upset" the race horse, Joe Willy Namath, James Buster Douglass, and the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team were running threw my mind categorizing themselves with the 2008 New York Giants.
I got only three hours sleep before getting up to drive to work. This whole week as been a wash for me, as my sleep patterns are shot! Yet it was all worth it. We witnessed history Sunday night. The Arizona Upset will forever be remembered.
