The Reminder

Credit: Sports Illustrated

Job’s patience. Our Parish Priest discussed about Job’s patience in last Sunday’s Holy Mass. Job was known for having remarkable patience no matter how tough the times were. No matter how Satan dared Job to blame God for his drastic misfortunes, Job did not give way. He remained patient until the end. The priest told us that no matter how many times you get defeated during tough times, you stay strong. You stay patient.

I gasped. Is this a sign of things to come? Will the New England Patriots get beaten again by the New York Giants? In 2008, the unbeaten Patriots zoomed to the Super Bowl only to get upset by the Giants. It was one of the toughest losses in Boston history. Having a shot at a perfect season is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In the history of NFL, only one squad finished perfect (Miami Dolphins). And, there were fewer games then. New England was on the cusp of NFL glory until a young, underrated quarterback named Eli Manning pulled off a miracle drive that was highly improbable because of all the fortunate turn of events for the G-Men. It led to several what-ifs for Boston fans. What if Tyree dropped that tough catch? What if the ball was intercepted in Eli’s final drive? It was a tough loss. What made it worse was it came against New York. For those who do not know, New York is Boston’s rival just as La Salle is Ateneo’s. New England already had three championships under quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick then. The duo spent the next few years trying to build a new Patriot dynasty.

The next opportunity they got a shot for revenge was… wait for it… this season.

But before we talk about that game, we should take note that the Patriots built a powerhouse lineup. Their tight end combo of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez is the best tight end one-two punch in the league. Gronkowski set the tight end record this year. Brady has teamed up with his good friend Deion Branch and they connected well in Brady’s record-setting season last year. Yes, the Patriots destroyed their opposition in the regular season last year. Tom Brady became the league’s MVP. The problem was, they got eliminated after their first game in the playoffs. The culprits were their division rivals, the New York Jets. Yes, New York again. It left me with a horrible feeling. Seeing Rex Ryan rejoice and the Jets doing their flying motion in the field was horrifying. It added insult to injury. New England may have formed a dominant team and may have owned the regular season, but they still could not win that fourth title.

This season, New England’s guns remain blazing. Tom Brady has mastered the no-huddle offense and the Pats have torched the opposition. Gronkowski is an unstoppable force as he caught gazillion of touchdowns. As for the NY Giants, they were the low-key, erratic team in the regular season. They win against great teams but they lose stupidly against the weak teams. I hate them because I could not pick their games correctly on pigskin pick ‘em.

Then, we had the revenge game. For the first time in four years, Belichick and Brady have a shot of avenging their Super Bowl defeat. The Patriots were playing in New England where they have not lost a regular season game for a very long time.

It was a tight game. With two clutch quarterbacks, it was poised to be an awesome game. Not the revenge we wanted, but I will surely take a win no matter the circumstance. With a few minutes remaining in the game, Brady had the ball and he drove it across the field in time for a clutch touchdown. There was less than two minutes left for the Giants to answer back. They started a long way back. Pats can stick it to the guy who confidently (and quite irrationally then) said he was an elite quarterback. With the New England crowd booing and chanting “defense,” there’s no chance we lose, right? This is the revenge game after all.

Wrong. Eli drove the ball in time for a huge touchdown. For the second straight time, the Giants broke our hearts. Revenge game down the drain.

Forget about the revenge game. That was just the regular season. The Patriots continued to win the ensuing regular season games while the Giants continued to stupidly lose against easy teams. Come playoffs, the Patriots won the games. They defeated Tim Tebow’s Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens. These were their first playoff wins after their Super Bowl loss to the Giants. Things were starting to come around for the Patriots. Maybe, it was because of the good karma of devoting their season for Myra Kraft – the deceased wife of their owner who was instrumental in ending the NFL’s lockout this season.

For those who follow my writeups, you know that I am also a Green Bay Packers fan. After winning the Super Bowl last year, the Green Bay Packers put up a run for perfection. They demolished everything in their path, including the New York Giants. However, the Packers faltered in their next game after the win over the Giants. The perfect season was foiled. The mortifying thing though was, they faced the sneaky good team in the playoffs – the New York freakin’ Giants. Yes, the G-Men upset the defending champions. Ouch. I hate the Giants.

Oh by the way, these were the teams the Giants defeated on their way to the Super Bowl: Atlanta Falcons (damn it, I am living in Atlanta right now). Green Bay Packers (my dream for the back-to-back was squandered). San Francisco Giants (my favorite non-Patriot, non-Packer, non-Tebow team).

But heading to the Super Bowl, I smelled it was destiny. A New York team has to play the role of villain by beating my liked teams and my Patriots would end up avenging their 2007 loss. It was all in play. Brady had a bad game prior to this – he is a guy who hates to lose. He will bounce back. Everything to go but up. The Pats lost to the Giants in the regular season. It served as a reminder for the near-perfect season. The Patriots are hungrier. And, the Giants are cocky and confident. That should motivate the Patriots.

But, you know what? Not all things end up the way you want. I wanted to see the Patriots marching down the field with fierce vengeance in their eyes and throw touchdown after touchdown. I wanted Belichick to pull off several tricks out of his pocket. This is the opportunity. The Patriots should grab it.

In reality, the New York Giants also wanted it. They were confident for a good reason. They knew they have our number. They knew they would have more fans and that the city of Indianapolis (New England’s rival) would root for them. The Giants began the game with a 9-0 lead. The Pats had a bad mental mistake of fielding twelve men on the field. Brady threw an uncharacteristic intentional grounding pass that cost the Pats two points and the possession. It can’t be this way! Not this way! Fight, Patriots!

And fight they did. Tom Brady completed a barrage of passes and they went for the no-huddle again. No matter how far they started, the Patriots scored a touchdown. By the end of the halftime, we were in the lead 10-9 even if it seemed that the Giants had better field position for most of the game. Brady is a big time player.

New England continued with its momentum at the start of the second half. Brady connected with Aaron Hernandez for their second touchdown. Brady touched the MHK sign in his jersey and pointed to the skies in honor of Myra Kraft. This is the ending I wanted to see. We are going to win the elusive Super Bowl.

Another Manning Miracle. Lightning struck the 2nd time | Credit: SI

However, the Giants chipped in the lead slowly but surely. They defended well and gave themselves a shot. Not only did they do these, they also had that horseshoe type of luck that Eli Manning usually had. They recovered when they fumble. The Pats committed violations when it seemed that New York would need to punt in the next down. All these set the Giants in line for their remarkable final drive.

We all know what happened. Eli had another long miracle pass. They scored at the final stretches. And as for me, I was helpless with my beer and with despair and frustration. I was helpless because losing was inevitable in that situation. I was helpless when the Pats Defense gave up the yards for the Giants touchdown drive. We were not supposed to be good at defense after all.

All that was left to me was that final drive. “A New Game” blared at the stadium amplifiers. This is the chance to go for glory. It is like a movie scene. Just when you are against all odds, you will score. Then, reality struck. Pats got dropped passes. Brady got sacked. But still, we had a last shot. Five seconds and a Hail Mary pass. Brady threw an excellent pass to the end zone just exactly where the receivers can catch it. Then the ball reached the arms of the players at the end zone. And fell. And bounced into the ground. Game over.

We lost.

The Hail Mary Pass | Credit: Sports Illustrated

My favorite sports flick is “Friday Night Lights.” [SPOILER ALERT] This movie is one of the most realistic ones I have ever seen. Instead of having an underdog poor team in the spotlight. It showcased a powerhouse squad with a huge following from its community. The challenges its protagonists had were more on their inner ghosts. One of them was hated by his ex-champion father because he could barely hold the football for long. The team’s coach had to struggle with the pressures of the school’s boosters. Their squad lost their star running back at the start of the season. But eventually, they reached the championship game because the team started to click.

In the championship game, they were badly dominated by their opponents at the start. Bloodied and beaten, they pulled off a huge comeback. They believed. They can do it for their school and community. Then, it came to the final drive. The ex-champion’s son suddenly held the ball when needed. He played like a champion. They mustered all their strength to win as the seconds ticked. And in the last play, they had the golden shot. They went for it. The end zone was near.

And they got stopped.

They got stopped one yard short of victory. “Friday Night Lights” ended with the protagonists losing. Just like in real life. You do not win always. But the thing I liked the most from it was even if they lost, they fought hard. They tried their best with what they got.

[SPOILER END]

Yeah, I know. You are now elite, Eli. | Credit: Sports Illustrated

Even if I was helpless when I was watching the Patriots last Sunday night, I knew they fought hard. They tried their best to win it. Brady’s fantastic two touchdown drives. Gronkowski catching the football despite playing hurt. New England’s defense containing New York’s offense even if they had the momentum in the first half (and were in good field position). The End Around plays that scored crucial first downs. And even if Wes Welker dropped the most crucial pass, he still played great the whole game.

The New York Giants were actually the logical pick to win the Super Bowl. Eli was on fire. Their linemen could rush well. The G-Men sported three great receivers that the Patriots’ secondary would surely have a tough time to deal with. When I was asked who I picked to win the game, I thought the Giants really had the advantage. After all, they had the Pats’ number in the past two games. I am not making excuses. The Pats lost, but I appreciated how they battled against the odds. They might have lost the game, but they fought with their hearts. They tried.

And that is what you ask for in your sports team. We did not have the perfect ending, but we had the team that played with heart.

But still, we lost. For me, losing is a reminder. It is a reminder that we are flawed. It makes me remember that I will not get fortunate every time. I admit, I am a pampered sports fan. Since 2007, I experienced at least one championship a year. I am still hoping that the streak continues this year. Last year, I hit the quota at the start of the year (when the Packers won the Super Bowl).

As a die-hard sports fan since I was a kid, what I am enjoying right now seems different to what I was experiencing then. I am a lucky sports fan in the sense that my sports teams have accumulated more than fifteen championships in my lifetime, but I was also used to rooting for the non-dynasty teams – the teams that often lost in the end.

When I followed PBA, I hated the Alaska Milkmen. Guess who won the most championships in that time (1990’s). I was the kid who cried after seeing his favorite team lose a heartbreaking game. One of the most notable experiences I had was when I was weeping after a lost game while we were praying the rosary in October (Mama Mary’s month). I could not fight those tears then because I cared so much for my team. As a Utah Jazz fan, I felt so bitter when they lost their third game in the 1998 NBA Finals. It was supposed to be our time then. Why are the Bulls - who already have five rings - going to win the championship again?!

I was fortunate to experience a World Series championship from the Atlanta Braves but in every year before and after 1995, I was a frustrated fan who watched the New York Yankees and Florida Marlins get the prize. Before Ateneo had its current dynasty, I endured most of my college life seeing them come up short every year.

It was brutal. You stay confident for the whole season because your team has a dominant lineup. Then, you watch them fall and become vulnerable at the most crucial part of the year. It is even tougher if your opponent ends up winning in a sports movie-esque way. Pundits tag your team as villains, chokers and pretenders. Whenever my team’s season ends with a bad note, I sigh and say “sayang.” I have to wait for one more year for them to have that shot. What if they do not get that shot anymore?

What sucked the most on New England’s loss to New York was how they lost the opportunity to avenge their loss. What sucked was that the Giants fans can mock us with “we own you” and we cannot make a comeback at that. What sucked was that we were so close to winning it all.

[SPOILER] The good thing about “Friday Night Lights” was that, it did not end with their championship loss. The movie ended by showing the coach getting ready for the next season. It was sad that the graduating players played their last football game with a loss, but the movie reminded that life moves on after a defeat. [SPOILER END]

Say what you want but Brady tried his best | Credit: Sports Illustrated

Losing is a reminder. It is a reminder that you still need to improve. It is a reminder that you need to try harder. When New England lost to New York last Sunday, it gave the same feeling that every playoff defeat has given me – I could hardly wait to see my team have another shot next year. It made me hungrier. In losing, you stop being complacent and content. You want to get back and prove you are not a loser.

Lastly, losing was a reminder to me to be patient. I do not have Job’s remarkable patience. But, losing is a test of our patience. As a Boston fan (except in NBA), sports life sucks because of the recent demise of the Red Sox and the Patriots. One may say, why be patient when you can go act as soon as possible? The latter was the point on the last paragraph. Thus, why wait? Because, it is a process. When you fall, you do not fight back as soon as possible. You stand up first. For the Patriots, they have to go and watch the replays and ponder on what went wrong. They practice to get better. They do roster moves. There is a reason why you lost. You still need to get better. In real life, you have to struggle with your everyday problems before you succeed. You reflect and plan on getting better.

These are not the universal answers to everything. But, we can surely try. Patriots fans, let’s wait more. Let us move on. There is still next year after all.