By now, everyone who is interested knows how the Super Bowl ended (Ironically, on a Kurt Warner fumble, and fittingly, on a controversial official’s decision that awarded the Pittsburgh Steelers a sixth Super Bowl title and a brand new region of football fans who loathe them.)
Arizona fans will no doubt join the growing ranks of anti-Steeler fans in whining about the Pittsburgh referee conspiracy (Charter members; Seattle, Baltimore, and Oakland). I find this tragic, considering the fact that it could have been avoided if only the replay booth had reviewed the Kurt Warner fumble that sealed the Steelers win.
If the review held, then game over, and no whining (well, not as much whining). If the review had been overturned, Kurt Warner would have fumbled the very next play (Say what you want about Warner’s “hall of fame” caliber career; he had clearly reverted to the old, butterfingers Kurt Warner under duress.) The NFL missed a golden-opportunity to dispel the cloud of doubt surrounding the alleged ref-bias for Pittsburgh.
Still, much respect to Pittsburgh and head coach Mike Tomlin for displaying sound football. Despite the alleged evidence to the contrary, the Steelers won because they were the better team on that night, period.
Though I picked Arizona to win, my heart was with Pittsburgh. Sure, I lost two straight-up bets with my pick (a dime-bet with my aunt and a five dollar bet with my sexy barber up the street). But for sports-betting purposes, I beat the spread (Pittsburgh was a seven-point favorite.) That means I went out on top! Challenge my fluky sports-betting prowess at your own peril!
But enough about the game with its questionable officiating and Kurt Warner’s predictably-atrocious ball-handling in the pocket. Let’s discuss the real draw to the NFL Championship game…
