February 05, 2002

Thinking About Playing The Odds: Oliver Willis is thinking about the huge Superbowl upset

Thinking About Playing The Odds This week I'm thinking about the Superbowl. Honestly I'm thinking, "What the hell was that"? I'm not a fan of the underdog. I'm sorry but it's true. A guy like me who derides the state lottery as a tax on the stupid and only spends $35 dolllars gambling in Vegas over a two-day period is not ballsy enough to go up against the odds. The way I figure it, the underdog is the underdog for a reason. The American love for the underdog seems to go completely against our culture of going along with the winning team (Jordan's Bulls, Jerry's Cowboys). But then again almost every sports movie (especially from Disney) is about the underdog who: a) Hits the home run b) Slaps in the winning goal c) Makes that long, slo-mo run to the endzone (or long bomb to the wideout) Eventually winning the game, the love of the pretty girl, and bringing general peace and prosperity to what is inevitably a struggling coal town. I'm just too cynical to buy that. Sorry Mr. Eisner. I like the odds loaded up on my side. I don't want to be David, hell, Goliath was undoubtedly robbed because there's no way that puny little guy beats Goliath in a fair fight. If you're in a Looney Tunes cartoon, you want the Really Big Anvil, not the one from our pals at Acme. Transport me back to Colonial America, and I'm putting my cash on King George's boys because there's no way those puny Continentals have a chance! Were Kurt and the Rams not paying attention? I'm ready for that story about him getting loaded up on Chunky Soup on Bourbon Street Saturday night, because the Warner we saw is not the same guy who's worked some sort of Voo-doo with the ball all year. He looked timid and in pain (not just from the thumb that Madden obsessed over). What was even worse was the Rams cheering like crazy when they tied the game. Tied. Please note OWIT's (Oliver Willis Is Thinking) First Law Of Football: Thou Shalt Not Celebrate When Thine Is Not Ahead. I hate celebrating as it is, when you're not winning makes it worse. Then Bill Belichek refuses to play it safe (see above for my gambling stance), hurls it down the field (with the Rams seemingly playing the deservedly hated "pre-vent" - which seems to "pre-vent" nothing) and kicks a Field Goal Which Is Not Shanked. Honestly, this Superbowl has trampled over all I know and hold dear to my heart. My logic is shot, and I need to be held. What next? Randy Moss actually throws a block for someone? No, that's sheer lunacy. Oliver Willis really wants the 'Skins to get Drew Bledsoe. Really. You can email him here. Talking about yourself in the third person is more fun than you realize.

posted by owillis to commentary at 02:49 AM - 0 comments