Tim Marcin’s: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

By Tim Marcin

Elm Staff Writer

The Good

Sunday’s Jacksonville vs. Houston football game illustrated why we watch sports.  It showed that the cliché “anything can happen” became a cliché for a reason, because in sports anything can happen.

It was the final play of the game, and the Jaguars needed a score to win.  Quarterback David Gerrard heaved up a 50-yard “hail mary”, hoping for the best.  The pass was ill fated and went straight into Texans defender Glover Quin’s hands.  Quin, in an attempt to bat the ball down, instead knocked it straight into the hands of Jaguars receiver Mike Thomas.  Thomas plunged into the endzone to give the Jags a 31-24 victory.

It was inexplicable, unbelievable, and nearly impossible.  It was everything that is great about sports.  Just when the game seemed over, the football gods pulled a 180-degree turn and gift-wrapped a Jacksonville miracle.  One instant Houston fans rejoiced and Jacksonville fans were crushed.  In the very next instant the roles were reversed.

That is why we are fans.  That is why we pay ridiculous prices for tickets.  That is why athletes make millions of dollars.  That is why we sit through losing seasons.  As fans we put up with a lot of heartbreak to see moments that make it all worthwhile.  Moments like Jacksonville’s hail mary remind us why sports are great.

The Bad

Michael Vick was amazing against the Washington Redskins this past Monday.  Washington’s defense however, could have done a much better job.  Vick and the rest of the Philadelphia Eagles, seemed to be easing down the field for most of the game.

The Redskins defense put Washington in a 28-0 hole after the first quarter, the largest deficit a home team has ever had after one quarter in NFL history.  The final score was 59-28 and it was never really that close.  Vick finished with 333 passing yards and 4 passing TD’s, as well as 80 rushing yards and 2 rushing TD’s.  Numbers of that magnitude have never been seen in an NFL game before.

While Vick and the Eagles offense is to be praised for a historic performance, the Redskins deserve a fair share of blame.  There is no way that any NFL defense should get dominated to that extent.  Washington’s offense was not terrible, but every time they made some progress, the defense dug an even bigger hole.  It took a 5 touchdown deficit for the ‘skins defense to show any signs of life—and it was far too little far too late.”  Washington cornerback Deangelo Hall put it best saying, “We just got embarrassed, from start to finish.”

The Ugly

Antonio Margarito had to spend the night in the hospital after taking a beating from Manny Pacquiao in their boxing match for a middleweight title belt.  It should have never come to that.  Margarito, being overly proud marched out into the 9th and 10th round, when the fight should have been stopped.  ESPN boxing analyst Dan Rafael called his face, “nearly disfigured”.  If you happen to see a picture of Margarito’s face after the fight, you will see that Rafael’s description doesn’t do it justice.  His face was essentially one big swollen bruise.  His orbital bone was crushed, and needed surgery.  Think about that, he fought with a crushed orbital bone.  There is no way he should have finished the fight.

This is a case of testosterone and bravado getting the best of common sense.  Margarito had no shot at winning the fight.  It was once again pure domination by Manny Pacquiao, who now owns belts in eight different weight classes.  Not only did Margarito have to undergo surgery to repair his face, he likely has taken countless unnecessary punches.  What are the chances he did not sustain a serious concussion from the match?  What are the long-term consequences of stupid pride?  Someone in his corner should have forced the fight to end—not doing so is not only dumb but also downright dangerous.

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