What a sports weekend.
Saturday, the Number One Ranked Team in College Football loses for the 3rd week in a row (Oklahoma upset by Missouri), and the Giants pull off the biggest NLCS upset in my lifetime.
The Phillies had the Pitching, the Hitting, and the Defense. The Giants really only had the Pitching. The Phillies have about 5 Future Hall-of-Famers, the Giants would be lucky to have more than one. The Phillies had home-field advantage, oh, and the guy who two weeks ago, threw only the second no-hitter in the history of postseason baseball.
The Phillies were EVERYONES pick. I'm pretty sure that before game one, even bay-area papers were selling the Giants. Even when the Giants went up 3-1, there were still experts and analysts who said the Phillies would come back and win the series. But the Giants pushed through all the adversity, including having a less talented team, and won the NL Pennant. Its just the fourth time since moving to San Francisco, and the first time since 2002, when they lost to the Angels.
They have another tough opponent in the Texas Rangers waiting for them in the World Series, but for right now, the little team that could continues to celebrate.
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After an amazing Saturday, there was no way Sunday could be any better, except it almost was.
Many of the televised football games went to the last minutes of action, one between the Ravens and Bills (thats right, the now 0-6 Bills) went to Overtime.
The Dolphins lost to the Steelers on a botched call by the officials, the Chargers fell to the Patriots by way of a missed field-goal that would have tied the game.
But maybe the most heartbreaking defeat was by the Minnesota Vikings and Bret Favre. Favre had a regular Bret Favre game. He threw three interceptions, but still kept Minnesota in the game, even on a gimpy leg. However, when Bret Favre threw the go-ahead touchdown with a minute left on the clock, it was reversed by instant replay. Clearly, the receiver, Percy Harvin, had his foot out of bounds, so it wasn't a catch, but ten years ago, before instant replay, that's the go-ahead touchdown and Bret Favre is the hero today, and not the goat.
I'm 100% behind instant replay, and especially in this case, where the evidence was pretty clear, and the right team won because of it. But you have got to feel for a guy who, 10 years ago, would have been a hero in this game. Instead, he will be ridiculed by the media, be begged to retire by the fans, and why? Because he threw 3 picks and had a passer rating (maybe the dumbest stat in all of professional sports) of 50?
Bret Favre will always either be praised or hated. There is no middle ground. Either he won the game, or he lost it. In Minnesota or around the country, it doesn't matter. Its unfortunate that for the next week, he will be a pariah in Vikings Country, because without him, the Vikings lose last night, not by 4, but by 20.
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