Saturday, February 4, 2017

Diary of a Chicago Sports Fan







A look at the Super Bowl and the Bulls prove they're still the Bulls.

Everybody else is making their Super Bowl picks, so I figured I’d make mine.  I hate to be so conventional, but I like Belichick, er the Patriots by a field goal.  The finals score: Patriots 34 Falcons 31.  If Belichick was coaching the Falcons, I’d like them by a field goal.  Belichick is easily the most respected/feared coach in the NFL.  Of course, feared is not the same as liked.

If the Patriots prevail, it will give Tom Brady the most Super Bowl wins in NFL history with five.  His record in Super Bowls going into Sunday night’s game is 4-2.  That record would be 3-3 if the Seattle Seahawks hadn’t made one of the most puzzling play calls in Super Bowl history.  But that’s another story.  It would also give Brady the strongest argument to the claim of greatest quarterback in NFL history, co this is a special one for Tom.

Tom Brady, meet Roger Goodell


As a cherry on the Super Bowl sundae for Brady, it would be deflating for NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell.  That might sound like more incentive, but I don’t think that any player in the Super Bowl needs more incentive to win a Super Bowl than winning the game itself.

I’ve come around to thinking that Brady is the best quarterback of all time, I just wish he was easier to like. As time as gone on, I care less and less about Inflategate.  To me, it seems likely that Brady was involved in deflating footballs in last year’s playoffs.  It also seems that adjusting the air pressure of game balls is not all that uncommon.  In addition, Roger Goodell has been hemorrhaging credibility for some time now. 

In retrospect, Brady’s four game suspension seems like it was a bit much.  Goodell seemed to be playing catch up on previous Pats transgressions.  That just doesn’t work.

On somewhat over overlooked aspect of the game that Goodell did impact is having the extra point being kicked from 35 yards out.  Patriots kicker, Stephen Gostkowski went 46-49 on extra points during the regular season, while the Falcons Matt Bryant went 56-57.  It’s a small edge, but could be the difference in what figures to be a closely contested game.

And in the losing interest fast department.............


In other sports news, the Bulls lost in overtime to the Rockets, 121-117.  In typical Bulls fashion, they lost a lead late in the fourth quarter.  The Bulls were playing without Jimmy Butler who sat out the game with a heel contusion.  Michael Carter-Williams filled in for Butler and had a nice line of 23-9-6 before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.  The loss would be more aggravating if I thought the Bulls were more than a long running soap opera.

As for the cartoon, some guys think of betting as an investment.  That's like calling an escort a date.
More next time

 

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