No Parity for This Sports Fan

Over the next couple of weeks, if you pay very close attention, you might hear a word or two about an upcoming sporting event (Sunday, Feb. 3) known as the ‘Super Bowl.’ You’ll have to really tune into your TV or radio for long stretches, or do an extensive search on the Internet, but somebody will be talking about it.

It’s a relatively unpopular competition, but if history is any indicator, ESPN will devote at least five minutes to pre-game Super Bowl coverage this week, and maybe even 10 minutes next week as the game looms closer. But if it’s such an unpopular event, you might be asking yourself why I’m even bringing it up. I mean, this year the Super Bowl, as it’s called, is likely to receive even less attention than usual, given that it will feature a little-known undefeated team called the New England Patriots and a team from a little-known town with a virtually non-existent media core called the New York Giants. I can’t imagine many people will watch the game, let alone cover it.

I bring it up, though, because despite its meager following, I was planning to tune into the game with the hope of seeing the undefeated New England team lose the championship matchup. However, now that this New York team is also competing in the event, I’m not sure whom I want to lose. You see, lately fans in Boston and New York City haven’t exactly had lengthy runs of bad luck when it comes to seeing their sports teams play for a championship.

Over the last 12 years, a New York or Boston team has played in a championship game or series EVERY YEAR, with the exception of 2006. And in eight of those 12 years, one of those cities has produced a winner. Take a look:

1996 – Yankees win the World Series (vs. Braves)
1997 – Patriots play in the Super Bowl (vs. Packers)
1998 – Yankees win the World Series (vs. Padres)
1999 – Yankees win the World Series (vs. Braves)
2000 – Yankees win the World Series (vs. Mets)
2001 – Giants play in the Super Bowl (vs. Ravens) and the Yankees play in the World Series (vs. Diamondbacks)
2002 – Patriots win the Super Bowl (vs. Rams)
2003 – Yankees play in the World Series (vs. Marlins)
2004 – Patriots win the Super Bowl (vs. Panthers) and the Red Sox win the World Series (vs. Cardinals)
2005 – Patriots win the Super Bowl (vs. Eagles)
2006 – N/A
2007 – Red Sox win the World Series (vs. Rockies)

Now that either the Patriots or the Giants will win the Super Bowl, that figure is 9 for 13. And this streak has evolved despite the fact that neither cities’ NBA or NHL teams (New York has two hockey teams) have really come close to competing for a title in 14 years. Which means these two cities have rung-up this impressive streak by relying on only two of the four major sports leagues in which they root for (the NFL and MLB).

But if that’s not enough, if you throw in their NBA and NHL franchises, then that streak stretches to 1994, in which Big Apple residents enjoyed the Rangers winning the Stanley Cup and the Knicks playing in the NBA finals. And this year, the Boston Celtics have a better-than-average shot at winning the NBA finals (you may have heard that they’re having a pretty good season) and the Red Sox have to be an early favorite to once again win the World Series.

Allow me a moment to try to freeze the part of my brain that just dripped out of my ears.

So now I don’t know what I’d rather see - the Patriots lose the Super Bowl or, right after both teams run onto the field, watch as the Cloverfield monster attacks the stadium. I think it’s the latter.

If anyone can round up the monster, I can give him a ride.

P.S. If you want to check out some other funny stuff, click on Humor-Blogs.com. The more times you go there from here, the more likely they are to list my blog on their site. So if the two of you wouldn't mind... it would help a brother out. And me too.