Super Sunday Wrap-up

Before I get to an in-depth Super Bowl wrap-up (which I will get to later on this week), I wanted to do a somewhat brief look at the two historic events that unfolded yesterday on Super Sunday.

Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oy! Oy! Oy!

First things first, yesterday's men's final in the Australian Open will go down as one of the greatest tennis matches that I've ever watched. Although it isn't quite on par with the sensational Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal Wimbledon final from last summer, it is still a worthy chapter in the great brewing Federer-Nadal rivalry. In case you missed it, world's #1 Nadal won his first career hard court major title with a thrilling 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 6-2 (that's five sets) victory over world's #2 Federer. It was another brilliant match between the two best players in the world.

As for this being a rivalry, some would argue that in order for a rivalry to exist, both sides must win roughly half the time, and Nadal has basically dominated Federer in their meetings, but I would say that this easily still qualifies as a rivalry. When you have the greatest player of his generation (Federer) involved in a series of matches against the greatest player of the next generation (Nadal), then it seems clear-cut to me. Especially as incredible as these matches have been.

The more these two players clash, the more I can't help but feel like we're not getting the best of Federer in their matches. The way Roger is able to absolutely annihilate his competition when he faces anyone else, and yet struggles with some of the most basic aspects of his game against Nadal, I have to wonder just what we're getting out of him. For example, yesterday Federer struggled immensely with his serve, even though he had been having one of his best serving tournaments of his career in this year's Aussie. It was very strange how it seemed Federer, a man that's never seemed to be the victim of his own emotions, had problems maintaining focus in yesterday's match. I don't know if this is the effect of playing against the best opponent in the world, or if Federer is developing a mental block specifically due to Nadal. Either way, I hope he figures it out so we can see him push back in this rivalry down the road. It definitely doesn't seem like he's over the hill (he's only 27, and even the all-time best Pete Sampras didn't run out of gas until he was 29 or 30).

As for Nadal, there's not much else to say than he is simply the best in the world right now. This guy's mental fortitude is unmatched, and he plays every point as loose as if it were the first point of the match, yet as aggressively and frantically as if it were match point. He almost never seems rattled, and his motor never seems to run down no matter how much his opponents make him run. I know that, being 24, my frame of reference isn't the best, but I have to wonder if he will go down as the greatest pure athlete to play the game. Yesterday during the coverage, two comments stood out to me in this vein: first, he was a superstar soccer player when he was a kid, and even as a pre-teen, and easily could have become a professional soccer player had he not chosen tennis; and second, he used to use two hands on all of his tennis strokes and actually chose to be a southpaw! Most people are lucky if they can be passable with one hand; he could choose between two!

Super Bowl XLIII

As I said, I will do a full breakdown of the game later on this week, so here I'll just give you some of my first impressions. First and foremost, this was a sensational game. It was interesting throughout, even if the Steelers did seem to dominate for the first three quarters. It was rather funny: many people at the party I attended to watch the game made comments that it seemed like the Cardinals were getting killed early on, and I even heard Chris Berman mention this on the post-game report on ESPN, but I didn't feel that way. In the first quarter and a half, while it seemed like the Steelers were in control, I couldn't help but keep thinking that Pittsburgh was actually unable to take full advantage of their control of the game and that the Cardinals did a good job of hanging around. Count me among those that thought coach Mike Tomlin should have had the Steelers go for it on fourth and inches on the opening drive. Of course that James Harrison TAINT was probably the biggest play in the entire game, changing a potential 14-10 Cards lead or 10-10 haftime score to a 17-7 Steeler lead.

The fourth quarter of this game, much like last year, made it an all-time great. Although the Steelers held a 13 point lead, the Cardinals were still very much alive and had shown that they could move the ball all game, as long as they could avoid penalties. You can also count me as one that had numerous complaints about the officiating, but I thought it evened out a bit by the end. Unfortunately, I still think it's disappointing that the officials would let the game end on a controversial play without reviewing it, even if the review officials believed that it was clear. Just the gesture of the review would have made disappointed Cardinals fans feel like they got a fair shake.

The one thing that has been going through my mind for the past 20 hours or so since the game ended was the question of where I'd place Ben Roethlisberger on a list of the most clutch QBs in the NFL right now. After a little thought (this is something I may write about in more detail at a later date), this is my top 5 quarterbacks I'd want to have with the ball with the game on the line:

1. Tom Brady - When healthy, Brady is still the most clutch QB in the league and will likely go down as a top 5 clutch QB of all time.

2. Ben Roethlisberger - His ability to avoid the pass rush and create plays when the pocket breaks down is second to none. The man is almost impossible for a single player to take down.

3. Peyton Manning - Manning's postseason struggles cost him a spot on this list. From quarter 1 through 3, there's no QB I'd rather have (except maybe Tom Brady circa 2007). But in the fourth quarter, Manning is only third.

4. Kurt Warner - You don't have an 8-3 postseason record on accident. When Warner is at his best, he's a machine in the hurry-up offense and he kills tired defenses.

5. Philip Rivers - It's weird, but it was surprisingly tough to think of a solid #5. The top four are all quite a bit better than anyone I could put here. Some other options: Drew Brees, Donovan McNabb (regular season only), Matt Hasselbeck (when healthy), possibly Jay Cutler (just not yet). I just don't know how much I trust any of these guys compared to those listed above.

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention the fantastic catch by Santonio Holmes to give the Steelers the lead for good. There has been some argument that this could be better than The Helmet Catch last year by David Tyree, but I think that's kind of silly. The throw was better, yes, as Roethlisberger had a minuscule window to put the ball in, but the acrobaticism (that's right, I made up a word!) of the Tyree catch is what made it so magnificent. Both are roughly equal is meaningfulness, as Holmes catch gave the team the lead and Tyree's catch came on a third and long that, had it failed, likely would have meant the game. Regardless, I thought from the first moment I saw the play that Holmes had gotten both feet in (I know many have said they thought otherwise), but I hoped (being that I picked the Cards to win) that the replay would prove my first reaction wrong. Alas, it did not.

In the end, we were robbed of our first ever overtime Super Bowl (yet again) but we were given another historic game that cemented the legacy of two Hall of Fame quarterbacks and one all-time great franchise.

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