Patriots win it 20-17.

February 3, 2002 7:08 PM

Patriots win it 20-17. Everyon thought it would be a blowout for St. Louis, But the Pats pull it out with a last minute field goal. All in all, a good nail-biter of a game. If it can't be my Giants, at least it's an east coast team.
posted by jonmc (85 comments total)

Living in Connecticut and having been jobbed but the Patriots, I don't consider them an East Coast team. This is depressing. I was hoping for another Bears or Packers-like beating.
posted by treywhit at 7:11 PM on February 3, 2002

Hey, hey, take it to sportsfilter... :)

The Pats earned it, and had McGinnest not held Faulk early in the 4th quarter, we could have witnessed a ~93yd touchdown return (and a 24-3 lead by the Pats) and an actual blowout of the heavily favored Rams. A damned exciting game, though. Damned exciting...
posted by hincandenza at 7:11 PM on February 3, 2002

Man, jonmc, you beat me to the post.

Anyway, a great fourth quarter, even if the Greatest Show on Turf wound up not being.
posted by Yelling At Nothing at 7:14 PM on February 3, 2002

treywhit - me too, where?

Actually, I love tense games like this and the Pats gave us something we haven't seen in the NFL for a while-a great upset. No disrepect to the Rams, a working class hero like Kurt Warner gets props from me, but the Pats showed 'em who's boss.
posted by jonmc at 7:15 PM on February 3, 2002

Well, it was still a good game. If only all Super Bowls could be this interesting.

That said, as a Packers fan, I did like that other Patriots Super Bowl in New Orleans...
posted by mrbula at 7:15 PM on February 3, 2002

Not for nothin', but major props to Brady as well, talk about rising to the occasion.
posted by jonmc at 7:18 PM on February 3, 2002

Living in Connecticut and having been jobbed but the Patriots
I was living in Hartford when Kraft went back on his word to move the Patriots from Mass., so jonmc I understand how you feel. Hartford almost had a champion, it's that just the story of the Insurance Capitol of World.

Oh, and let the conspiracy theories start.
posted by Bag Man at 7:21 PM on February 3, 2002

I'm surprised no one started a thread at the beginning of the game with a play-by-play in the comments. I can envision a mad race to post comments resulting in quadruple-posts of each and every play.
posted by pheideaux at 7:23 PM on February 3, 2002

bagman - although I do live in CT(Brigdeport inna house, Baby), that was treywhit. And as a Park City boy, I feel obliged to hate Hartford. Nothing personal.
posted by jonmc at 7:23 PM on February 3, 2002

I'm just happy to see that the Rams aren't invincible. I can't think of anything more boring for football than another Dallas-like dynasty lording it over the Superbowl for the next five years.
posted by MrBaliHai at 7:26 PM on February 3, 2002

First, the Budweiser "Clydesdale" ad makes me teary. Then, Bob "Benedict Arnold" Kraft's Patriots win a great game. Now jonmc is bagging my hometown. Must be a sign that I should have watched the Playmates on Fear Factor.
posted by treywhit at 7:40 PM on February 3, 2002

I wonder if the fans here in Boston will pull a Denver and trash the city. It's kind of chilly for rioting.
posted by swerve at 7:40 PM on February 3, 2002

Supposedly, though, the Rams are going to be together for a while. I don't have a link (sorry) but the Oregonian ran a good article a couple days ago about how they are still well under the salary cap.
posted by Yelling At Nothing at 7:42 PM on February 3, 2002

Wasn't there two seconds on clock after the field goal? Why was there no kick off?
posted by srboisvert at 7:43 PM on February 3, 2002

ahh, treywhit don't take it personally. It's not that Hartford's so bad, it's just that it pales next to the gritty park city. Come down and check out a Bluefish game sometime. Anyway, we can both unite in the fact that we're superior to New Haven and Waterbury.
posted by jonmc at 7:45 PM on February 3, 2002

sometime during the first half, they panned over paul tagliabue's box, where he happened to be pouring himself a soft drink. the announcer (i can't remember which one) described tagliabue as drinking "ah, an american soft drink."

i realize that no-one is surprised to know that only one soft drink shall be mentioned during the super bowl, but it made me laugh tasty beverage out my nose anyway.
posted by hob at 7:51 PM on February 3, 2002

I agree on the two seconds. More conspiracy theory material. It wouldn't make for perfect theater if the Patriots lost on the ensuing kickoff.

jonmc - Your mayor is certainly FAR more interesting than ours. Makes Condit look tame in comparison.
posted by treywhit at 7:51 PM on February 3, 2002

Um, that's Waterbury treywhit, I'm from Bridgeport. Their mayor is a pedophile, our mayor, Ganim, is merely corrupt. To which I can only quote Claude Rains in Casablanca-

"I'm shocked, shocked to find there's gambling at Rick's"
posted by jonmc at 7:55 PM on February 3, 2002

two seconds, ten seconds, whatever. the rams had 59 minutes plus, to prove they deserved to be the nfl champs. they failed to do that, in a most spectacular way.

the better team won.
posted by lescour at 8:05 PM on February 3, 2002

Silence of the Rams!

What an amazing group of guys. True meaning of teamwork and team spirit.

Boston has been waiting for this championship, 16 years in the making.
posted by jerseygirl at 8:16 PM on February 3, 2002

Everyone thought it would be a blowout for St. Louis

ahem. The set of everyone doesn't include me -- I feel so alone. Hold me.

But seriously, there's honking and yelling and people running around outside my window. There are also Patriots' fans outside.
posted by MarkAnd at 8:18 PM on February 3, 2002

If it can't be my Giants, at least it's an east coast team.

HA! If it can't be your Yankees, don't come crying this way, loser!

Wasn't there two seconds on clock after the field goal? Why was there no kick off?

There was no kickoff because the Rams quit. To hell with the midwest and the Bronx!

HA
posted by eshepard at 8:19 PM on February 3, 2002

"First, the Budweiser "Clydesdale" ad makes me teary."

You too? Thank God I wasn't the only one. It was sweet.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 8:21 PM on February 3, 2002

I agree that it was a very exciting superbowl. I am a little disappointed that my man Marshall Faulk didn't come through in the clutch, but hey, you win some, you lose some.

The Clydesdale ad actually made me change the channel in disgust. Over all, I think the "Ra Ra America" attitude, while understandable, was overdone to the point of tackiness. Hell, the America Salutes Paul McCartney / Paul McCartney Salutes America segment alone was too much. Then there was the comparison between the New England Patriots and the patriots of the Revolutionary War, which was a big groaner. There were numerous points during the broadcast when all I could think was, "this is a football game; talk about football, for christ's sake."
posted by Hildago at 8:25 PM on February 3, 2002

What about that half-time show? Was it my imagination, or did the tower-like banner on which they were projecting the names of people who died 9/11 fall down half-way through (as names continued to be projected onto nothing). Talk about ironic in a really eerie bad way. I'll bet some heads will roll tomorrow for that one.
posted by straight at 8:25 PM on February 3, 2002

2 seconds left...Wasn't that enough for the Music City Miracle 2 (i think) years ago?
posted by jmd82 at 8:27 PM on February 3, 2002

(sorry for double post, BUT didn't see this one)
straight- good question. One thing is I was watching the names being scrolled, it they were only on 'D' when it dropped. At the rate they were going, there wasn't enough time to list all the names....kind of made me really wonder.
posted by jmd82 at 8:30 PM on February 3, 2002

"That kicker just died and went to American jock heaven." -- my roommate

Nice job, Pats.
posted by Succa at 8:32 PM on February 3, 2002

Re: the two seconds left whining. Let's nip this puppy in the bud.

First, the Rams "quit" so as not to seem like sore losers; it would have looked pretty graceless and lacking sportsmanship to push for those two seconds when you just got beat fair and square. Ah, but screw sportsmanship: could they have scored on a punt return? Highly unlikely; a graphic during the game noted that there has never been a kickoff return for a touchdown in a SuperBowl game.

But more to the point, the Pats would have just killed the last two seconds on the kickoff anyway; one obvious way I can think is to kick the ball about 15 yards downfield and out of bounds. Unless I misread the NFL rules for the kickoff, a punt is a legal kick if it goes 10+ yards, even if it lands out of bounds. It would have been Rams ball at the point it goes out of bounds, except that those last two seconds would have expired while the ball was in the air- the clock starts at the point of the kick. If that is in fact a misreading of the kickoff rules, then the punter could just kick it all of 15 yards virtually straight up into the air (like an onside kick); by the time the ball comes down it- and any Rams receivers- would be literally surrounding by 11 Patriots. Zero chance of the Rams running that back for a TD after they get plastered around the 45 yard line by the entire Patriots special teams squad.
posted by hincandenza at 8:43 PM on February 3, 2002

straight: I thought it was intentional... but then the names kept scrolling (you could see the names beamed against other surfaces)
posted by delmoi at 8:45 PM on February 3, 2002

a graphic during the game noted that there has never been a kickoff return for a touchdown in a SuperBowl game.

What? In last year's game, it happened on successive plays.

one obvious way I can think is to kick the ball about 15 yards downfield and out of bounds.

What? Kicking the ball out of bounds on the kickoff is a penalty and as we all know, the game can't end on a defensive penalty (for just this reason, basically).
posted by MarkAnd at 8:48 PM on February 3, 2002

I'm under the impression that while the clock would have started at the start of a punt, on a kickoff, the clock doesn't start until the receiver touches the ball.
posted by gyc at 8:50 PM on February 3, 2002

The reason people saw two seconds is that they're not looking at the official clock. The time is kept on the field. It doesn't matter what it says on your tv screen -- if the official thinks the play took seven seconds, the game is over...
posted by MarkAnd at 8:51 PM on February 3, 2002

I'm under the impression that while the clock would have started at the start of a punt, on a kickoff, the clock doesn't start until the receiver touches the ball.

No, the clock starts when the ball is kicked. I think you're thinking of basketball. Also, I'm done being obnoxious now.
posted by MarkAnd at 8:52 PM on February 3, 2002

No, the clock starts when the ball is kicked.

Hmm, or maybe you're right now that I think about it. Seriously done being now.
posted by MarkAnd at 8:58 PM on February 3, 2002

Seriously done being now.

Gah. *blinks out of existence*
posted by MarkAnd at 9:01 PM on February 3, 2002

While I am generally of the opinion that arguing about the last 2 seconds is quibling when you had the other 59:58 where you could have won the game I do think it is poor form for officials not to enforce the rules. After all, the Pat's got into the game on a pretty hardcore interpretation of the rulebook.

Note: I have no prefenence who wins the stupor bowl (and despite the last second drama this was another bad game) ...my domain of righteous indignation is the NBA where there is far more fertile ground for conspiracy theories. Go Raptors!
posted by srboisvert at 9:03 PM on February 3, 2002

Well, whether my interpretation of the rules is accurate or not, the fact is the Patriots controlled the ball for those last two seconds; while a team that already has possession and two seconds left can pull of a Hail Mary or some other desperation play, it's basically inconceivable that the Rams could have returned the punt for a touchdown. The Pats could have just killed the last two seconds somehow- I would trust a football mind like Bellicheck to conceive of a way, even if I can't- or used the short-kick-and-swarm-the-receiver play killer. Which is why, even if there were 2 seconds left- and MarkAnd suggests there weren't- the Rams wouldn't have wasted anyone's time and made a scene by forcing a useless punt to be made.

More important: the Patriots defense played 3 quarters of the most amazing defense I've ever seen, holding one of the greatest offenses in history to only an unlikely 53-yard field goal in the first quarter (and preventing said offense from storming ahead in the 4th). And but for one ill-timed holding call, the Pats would have negated the first Rams touchdown by scoring one of their own on Bucky Jones called-back 90+ yard scamper to make it 24-3 instead of 17-10. While the Rams may have been the "better team", there's no doubt who played the better game today.
posted by hincandenza at 9:06 PM on February 3, 2002

Wonderful game. I don't think it's so much that the patriotism theme was overdone as that it was done so badly. The recreation of Iwo Jima at the beginning ... did anyone else catch that and almost barf? It was really tacky and awful. And the halftime show was kind of disturbingly bad. My friends who would all pretty much take a bullet for Bono were like "This is ridiculous," while he was running around the stage and making heart symbols on his chest. The names could have been such a nice gesture, but first you have the big E*Trade logo superimposed over everything, and for a memorial, there was no sobriety to the moment at all, with people screaming and trying to molest Bono. And it was all interspersed with those awful, awful, nonsensical ads reminding us that drug users are actually terrorists themselves. Blech.

Awesome, awesome game though. Yeah Patriots!!!
posted by grrarrgh00 at 9:07 PM on February 3, 2002

Just a small correction.

The Pats would not have punted after the field goal, they would have kicked off.

I liked watching the game, though. Having no favorites in the Big Game is kind of fun.

Being a Colts fan, though, I have no fantasies of ever having a favorite team in the Super Bowl.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:10 PM on February 3, 2002

1). Just to clarify, clock don't start on a kick-off until the someone touches it.
2). Nobody is talking about the fact that Brady was in the fucking pocket when he threw that ball out of bounds on that last drive. Just look at it. Shoulda been a penalty, and the Rams definitely should have kept blitzing.

Sorry, I'm still pissed about that Raiders game.
posted by dig_duggler at 9:16 PM on February 3, 2002

straight: I thought that whole halftime show was in bad taste. First, we have hundreds of teenie boppers screaming in delight while the names of thousands of murdered people scroll by, and then, they didn't even go through the entire list of names? SHEER EXCREMENT.
posted by Doug at 9:17 PM on February 3, 2002

Best. Use. Of. Typo. Ever.

Doug is my hero.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:17 PM on February 3, 2002

Clock starts when the ball touches the reciever. End of story.

Best Super Bowl ever. Considering Unitas didn't play most of Super Bowl III, I think it is a bigger upset. I am glad my team pulled it off.

and despite the last second drama this was another bad game

I'd really like to know what constitutes a good game.
posted by McBain at 9:18 PM on February 3, 2002

Nobody is talking about the fact that Brady was in the fucking pocket when he threw that ball out of bounds on that last drive. Just look at it. Shoulda been a penalty, and the Rams definitely should have kept blitzing.

I disagree. He was past the right hand hash marks, I think the tackle was lined up very near it. And it wouldn't have mattered anyway.
posted by McBain at 9:20 PM on February 3, 2002

(flogging the deceased Eohippus here)

"...it wouldn't have mattered anyway."

That is why they play the full sixty minutes, you know.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:28 PM on February 3, 2002

Although I hate Boston with an intense passion (spent 2 hellish years there and am so glad to be away from it) and can't ever wish anything positive on that city, I have to give the Pats credit. They played the better game and in the end, when they had to, they didn't panic and made the kick....
On the Rams side, the question has to be, Oh Marshall, where did you go?
posted by ajayb at 9:31 PM on February 3, 2002

dig_duggler: tell it to benny barnes. fred swearingen's hideous pass interference call was several order of magnitudes worse than the non-grounding by brady.

besides, hurtful miscarriages of justice are what makes sports fun, right? right?
posted by lescour at 9:33 PM on February 3, 2002

Just thought I'd add my two cents on the holding call -- no one seems to have mentioned that it was Marshall Faulk being held, and had he not been held, perhaps Warner would have had an option besides trying to take it into the end zone.
posted by caveday at 9:37 PM on February 3, 2002

Typo?

It was my impression that the banner fell just as the lights and tempo changed on Streets going into the denouement. In other words, it looked intentional to me. It was very disappointing that the banner only got as far as the Ds -- several thousand people were disappointed tonight, completely unnecessarily. The names should have been printed smaller, or the scroll faster, or something. There was an error either in execution or planning, there is no doubt. Other than that I didn't find it in bad taste -- at least not significantly worse taste than any other Superbowl half-time show. U2 can pull off solemn while rocking out, like few bands can, and thus they were the perfect choice for this oddly elegiac party.

The part that killed me was the shots showing McCartney's teleprompter during "Freedom". There's like five words in that song, repeated in different order! Does it matter that much if you mess it up? Would anyone notice? But my friend noted that Paul's been changed incredibly -- whether it was Linda's convalescence and death, or his new wife, or something else, he's suddenly become much more of a regular guy again.
posted by dhartung at 9:40 PM on February 3, 2002

Although I hate Boston with an intense passion (spent 2 hellish years there and am so glad to be away from it) and can't ever wish anything positive on that city

Ha! I lived there 3 years. Loved it. I am moving back this fall. The Patriots have always been my second favorite team behind the Vikings.

That is why they play the full sixty minutes, you know.

The amount of time they play hasn't got anything to do with it. It was very close and not called. Those things can go either way. It is a classic championship non-call like Jordan's final push off against the Jazz.
posted by McBain at 9:42 PM on February 3, 2002

Is there some feud with Sprotsfilter?
posted by McBain at 9:43 PM on February 3, 2002

Highly unlikely; a graphic during the game noted that there has never been a kickoff return for a touchdown in a SuperBowl game.
I'm fairly certain that was talking about a punt return, not a kickoff return.
posted by smackfu at 9:44 PM on February 3, 2002

dhartung: both my wife and myself were disappointed that u2 didn't launch into sunday, bloody sunday. a difficult decision that would have been, but a 1983 u2 would have done it without hesitation.
posted by lescour at 9:48 PM on February 3, 2002

Yes, it was punt. I think Desmond Howard returned a kick for a touchdown the last time the Pats were in the big dance.
posted by McBain at 9:49 PM on February 3, 2002

"It is a classic championship non-call like Jordan's final push off against the Jazz."

You just have to egg me on, don't you, McBain? :P
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:54 PM on February 3, 2002

Well, honestly, I think Brady was outside the tackle box, where as I think Jordan did push off.
posted by McBain at 9:57 PM on February 3, 2002

Enough about the game, what about the most important thing... the ads? Not living in the States, we never got your ads so does anyone know where they might be available online now that adcritic is down and how did they stand up against previous years? Anyone?
posted by Jubey at 10:08 PM on February 3, 2002

Generally, the ads were boring. I think the golden days of Super Bowl ads are gone. Ad agencies are bombarding us with ads that are trying to be the next big fad ("Whassupp!", a brilliant ad, but got overexposed very quickly) regardless of what time of year it is.
posted by McBain at 10:13 PM on February 3, 2002

I really liked the "we screwed up" E*Trade ad with the chimp. Not as much as some of the prior years' efforts, but it was good for a chuckle.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 10:17 PM on February 3, 2002

C'mon....I've heard so much bitching about the ruling in the Pats v raiders game. The rule says that a pass is incomplete if it is knocked down in the event that the QB's hand is moving forward even if they are attempting to tuck the ball in. Face the facts. The call was correct. There is no room for interpretation. The pats desreved to be there. If the Raipers(oops!!) had been in that same game they would've been beat by at least 28.

To Raiders fans: Watch the game, learn the rules. It's really that simple.
posted by ttrendel at 10:19 PM on February 3, 2002

U2 at halftime was the best, most creatively intense and least distateful "event" I've ever seen attached to an American sporting event. Complaining about it because people were cheering is the worst kind of lame.
posted by eshepard at 10:19 PM on February 3, 2002

The E*Trade ad was an intruction book on how to try too hard.
posted by McBain at 10:21 PM on February 3, 2002

The ads are here. Site's swamped right now... maybe better luck later.
posted by Haveed at 10:30 PM on February 3, 2002

Is there some feud with Sprotsfilter?

It's sort of like East Coast / West Coast. We gonna own the Howie-man.


The ads stunk, but I loved the Bonds/Aaron commercial.

Britney wasn't bad either
posted by owillis at 10:33 PM on February 3, 2002

Both my girlfriend and I (notice the proper English) were disappointed that U2 is even still around. What ever happened to the Blue Oyster Cult? Twice the talent, half the self-righteous Bono.
posted by ttrendel at 10:39 PM on February 3, 2002

I've spent the better part of the last three hours walking around downtown Boston observing and photographing the mayhem. It isn't all that bad - there are your usual drunken exhortations of women to show their goods, and a few people have tipped over newspaper boxes and trash cans, but it seems pretty peaceful on Boylston St. right now, albeit nice and loud (and I do mean LOUD - I live six blocks away from the intersection of Boylston and Charles, where a large group of people have congregated, and I can clearly hear it from here with my window closed).

I've heard unconfirmed reports of Harvard Square being cordoned off and a car tipped over and set on fire in Allston (just west of Boston proper), but the worst thing I saw tonight was firefighters rescuing a drunk guy in a tree near Faneuil Hall who was threatening to jump, while a few cool guys in the crowd egged him on to do so.

For the most part, what I've seen tonight seems overwhelmingly good-natured - lots of hugging and celebrating and "USA!" chants (and more than a few "Yankees Suck!" chants) and almost no real organized vandalism. The police and emergency services have been excellent in their coverage of downtown Boston; I didn't go to Cambridge or Lansdowne Street (huge club/bar area next to Fenway Park), so I can't speak for that part of town. It may be a cliche, but we needed this.
posted by dayan at 10:44 PM on February 3, 2002

Dayan- Good to hear. I wish I was there. I can't wait to move back to Boston. I couldn't be happier for all the Pats fans and Boston in general. We just need the Red Sox to break out of their funk.
posted by McBain at 10:56 PM on February 3, 2002

Speaking of ads, mLife ran several ads, but we checked their web site four or five times during the game, and the connection timed out every time. Who could have predicted a massive server load?
posted by kirkaracha at 11:29 PM on February 3, 2002

I think the whole Yankees Suck thing is hilarious. My buddy who lives up there (where I'll be moving sometime this year) went to a Patriots-Vikings exhibition game and the whole Yankees Suck thing came up. I think Boston's hatred of the Yankees is #1 while DC-Dallas comes in at #2 for sheer vitriol.
posted by owillis at 11:34 PM on February 3, 2002

As a Vikings season ticket holder, I can tell you the Vikes-Pack thing is all out war. (I could be drawn and quartered for admitting that when they aren't playing the purple, I love the cheese)
posted by McBain at 11:39 PM on February 3, 2002

I think the most interesting part of this is that the point spread was 14 points in favor of the Rams. Lots of unhappy bookies tonight.
posted by esch at 2:00 AM on February 4, 2002

[Lots of unhappy bookies tonight.]

Bookies always make their money, that's what the "spread" insures.
posted by revbrian at 4:24 AM on February 4, 2002

Those two ads linking the War on (Some) Drugs with the War on Terrorism raised an awful lot of interesting assertions. Like: How, exactly, does the money from a nickel bag make it into Osama's pocket?
posted by alumshubby at 6:27 AM on February 4, 2002

It was my impression that the banner fell just as the lights and tempo changed on Streets going into the denouement. In other words, it looked intentional to me.

If so, what an extremely awful idea. Create a big black tower containing the names of the people who died and then watch it collapse.

And if that was the way it was supposed to work, why were they still projecting names on empty space? You could see out-of-focus projections on the band still scrolling names.
posted by straight at 7:11 AM on February 4, 2002

[helping derail thread...]
"Whatever happened to Blue Oyster Cult?"
Evidently they're playing state fairs now. I loved Secret Treaties, but their later stuff wasn't as good (though more commercially successful).
["I'm making a career of evil..."]
posted by StOne at 7:34 AM on February 4, 2002

We were spared Kurt Warner and other Rams thanking the Lord Jesus Crist for preferring their team over the other, and we were also spared more footage than we probably wanted of Kurt's wife. . . .a good day all around!

I grew up living and (mostly) dying with the LA Rams. . .I'm no Ram fan these days. . .
posted by Danf at 7:41 AM on February 4, 2002

>>Speaking of ads, mLife ran several ads, but we checked their web site four or five times during the game, and the connection timed out every time. Who could have predicted a massive server load?<<

Anyone with even a whit of experience or brains. Someone will lose their job for that. You don't DO a SuperBowl ad if you can't handle ANY amount of traffic, no matter how high.
posted by mikel at 8:23 AM on February 4, 2002

If yahoo is still slow, the ads are also posted at ifilm.com.
posted by hootch at 9:53 AM on February 4, 2002

I think the ads overall were a big disappointment, but the Clydesdale horses ad was, to me, even more offensive than Sir Paul singing with Terry Bradshaw. If the horses had just stopped and watched the skyline, it might have been fine, but the bow sent it waaaay over the top. Still irritates me, hours later...
posted by jaustinspace at 10:02 AM on February 4, 2002

I'm another CT ex-pat who jumped on the Patriots bandwagon after Brady's first win against Indianapolis. (Yes, I'm a low-down fair-weather sports fan. The Red Sox will do that to ya.)

Had the stadium deal gone through, the Pats would have started playing in Hartford in 2001.

"We shocked the world" brings back memories of UConn's upset of Duke in 1999, with Khalid El-Amin shouting the same thing.
posted by kurumi at 10:33 AM on February 4, 2002

I remember when my high school team played Khalid El-Amin's Minneapolis North High team. They pounded us. It was disgusting.
posted by McBain at 10:54 AM on February 4, 2002

"We shocked the world" brings back memories of UConn's upset of Duke in 1999, with Khalid El-Amin shouting the same thing.

Go Huskies!! As a not-so-big sports fan, but a UConn alumni, I remember everyone yelling that after UConn won in '99. Then when I heard everyone yelling the same thing last night, i thought it was just a common phase every team yelled after they won!
posted by saralovering at 1:59 PM on February 4, 2002

Bookies always make their money, that's what the "spread" insures.

Bookies don't make any money if the team that's expected to lose wins.

The spread is designed to protect the bookie from losing money when the team that's expected to win just barely wins.
posted by esch at 4:14 PM on February 4, 2002

esch - There's actually a whole subgroup of bookies called "layoff men" who prevent upsets from making bookmakers go broke.
These guys usually operate on a national(or international) level. They simply take the action that the local bookie can't afford to risk-and of course take apercentage for their trouble. For further illumination, read Nicholas Pileggi's "Casino", it will give you a rundown on the most profitable wing of America's entertainment economy.(That's right, legal gambling brings in more money than music, movies and TV combined, and that's not counting illegal backroom stuff)
posted by jonmc at 5:45 PM on February 4, 2002