Bartender Banter: Tecmo Blow

Well the TMSSS2000 couldn't have been more wrong with it's picks this week, and frankly I couldn't be happier. It was a little nerve racking to start the third quarter though. The Saints seemed to be on a roll as they pulled within 2 points and the Bears offense was just spinning it's wheels. I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

But it never did. The intentional grounding safety on Drew Brees marked the beginning of the end for the Saints and the Bears, little by little, regained their momentum. Berrian makes a ridiculous catch at the goal line, then Ogunleye murders Brees and takes the ball away, and after a while it became very clear that they were actually going to win this son of a bitch.

The most important key to that win had to be the turnover ratio. The Saints gave up the ball 4 times to the Bears 0. Sexy Rexy managed to not F it up and the Bears cruised to victory, and that seems to be all we need. Now they're going to face a team whose defensive strategy against the run is to stack 18 guys on the line and hope for the best. I'm feeling good about this. A whole lot better than seeing the Patriots in the big game. I know some were pumped about possibly seeing a Super Bowl XX rematch but honestly, if that had happened and the Patriots smoked us, I feel it would've sort of tarnished that legendary season. That, and we wouldn't be able to throw" 46-10" in a Chowderhead's face when they started droning about how wicked awesome Tom Brady has been.

A quick side note about the Bears-Pats. Apparently Yahoo was dying to see them in the big game as well. When I went to their NFL page this morning, they had a poll asking which team will win Super Bowl XLI. Your choices: Bears or Patriots. I just went back and they have since changed it, but not before I got a screen capture of it. Colts fans are probably feeling pretty surreal right now. Damn you Yahoo, why must you toy with them?


Seriously though, I can't honestly remember the last time I watched a Super Bowl where I actually gave a crap about the outcome. Looking back I'd have to say the last one where I was seriously rooting for a team was Super Bowl XXVI when the Redskins destroyed the Bills. I used to love Washington, back when I was a kid, and my favorite player was Art Monk (arguably the biggest HOF snub in any sport right now that wasn't mired in some sort of scandal). It'll be fun to cheer for a team I'm a fan of this year, instead of watching a game that I don't really care who wins, while I drink beer and eat my own body weight in junk food.

Oh, and did you hear that? That was the collective groan from Bristol, CT, over the Saints not making the Super Bowl. Alright guys, you better call Chris Connelly back from New Orleans. We won't be able to do the tearjerker puff piece on post-Katrina New Orleans that will inexplicably kill the middle portion of a Sportscenter and allow everyone to turn the channel to something that actually reports on yesterday's events and shows sports highlights.

BEAR DIGNITY!