It has been 21 years since the last time the Chicago Bears went to the Super Bowl. I was in high school. We had a party. Things aren’t much different now. I’m still in school, albeit through a circuitous route, and I’m going to another party.
There are still a few days left of hype before the big game (“Mr. Grossman, if you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?”), but it’s never too early to project the outcome. Fans and computers are joining the experts in predicting that Peyton Manning will get his first Super Bowl victory. Two weeks ago, the experts defied the numbers and fan sentiment (), but it looks like the collective wisdom is against the Chicago Bears. Then again, there’s the Techno Bowl projections of a Bears victory, but that relies on a couple Ron Morris touchdowns we’ll never get (Thanks to Tyler for this insight).
Why limit projections to the game Sunday? There are at least XL other great teams to compare and rank. Of course, those lists are wrong, too. Exhibit A: Failing to rank the ’85 Bears as the greatest team ever. It is an inevitable activity. They even rank Super Bowl commercials these days.
What makes this Super Bowl super special for me is the other team: the Indianapolis Colts. Rex’s family symbolizes this strange split of loyalties, although mine runs deeper since my regional affliation with Chicago was three decades long. Although I have been baited a bit, I cannot engage in Colts bashing; I’m all about the Bears winning not the Colts losing. The rivalry is a cheery one, almost like teammates playing H-O-R-S-E. The local bagel shop is selling frosted sugar cookies for each team and keeping track of sales. Archie and I purchased two Bears cookies last Saturday to help tie up the Colts in sales, although Amy reported the Colts in front during her last visit. And then there’s Bear vs. Colt (thanks to Pat for pointing me to it). Their battlefield is social networking sites, as representative mascots for each team are locked in a race for friends.
Chips. Root Beer. Friends. Great Football. Six overtimes. That’s all I ask.
3 replies on “It’s just little old me, Underdog”
For what it’s worth, in my Madden 07 pre-game the Bears pulled away with a decisive victory 62 to 26 with Grossman passing 20 of 23 with over 400 passing yards.
I would have preferred that to the game we saw, but I really wanted a 6 OT game. Maybe next year.
The friend I played Madden 07 just informed me that our pre-game predicted Hester returning the super bowl kick off 90+ yds for a TD. It happened in our game too!