Being on the West Coast, the advantage is that many of the night time sporting events come on in primetime. The disadvantage is afternoon events on the East Coast translate to morning events. When I awoke at 10 AM this morning I had no idea what to expect.
I should’ve just expected the unexpected.
First came a phone call from my mother. Two to be exact. They were to tell me to turn to CBS immediately. Sure enough there was Maria Sharapova losing in the third round of a grand slam. Not just my future ex-wife, the most gorgeous female athlete on this planet, but someone who I argued was a great tennis player was bowing out. By some random. In this the US Open, the slam that was supposed to have her star shine the brighest she was taken out. Not by the Williams sisters. Not by Henin, Jankovic or Ivanovic. Not even an up and comer. A newbie. In what was the easiest draw she will see in years (she wouldn’t have had to play any of those above) she loses early. In arguments with my parents I could always rely on the fact that she was consistently good enough to get to the quarters at least. No more. The gloating came in mean spirited fashion. What a way to start the day.
But that was nowhere near the biggest shocker of the day. Appalacian State 34, #5 Michigan 32. Excuse me. At Michigan? At the Big House? Stunning 100,000+? Where the bleep is Appalacian State? Boone, North Carolina?? The two time division I-AA champions pulled off the biggest upset in college football history. In history I said. And yes I meant it. I don’t mean it in the ‘Warriors pull the biggest upset by beating the Mavs’ type overhype. I mean the biggest upset in college football history. Never before has a Division I-AA team defeated a Division I-A team in college football. It has just never happened before. And the first to go down would be #5 Michigan at home. They will forever be etched in the record books. The blocked field goals. The Appalacian State team dancing with their geeky white band because they had no fans. The shots of the Michigan crowd in shock.
Just like that, sports made its return. We’re not talking about Donaghy, steroids, Michael Vick or any other scandal. The purity of sport returned to the forefront courtesy of the heart of Boone, NC. David overcame Goliath..screw that David overcame Goliath, Goliath’s mom, dad, brother and uncle Joe Goliath. Just like that we all remember it isn’t always the most talented team that gets the win. Instead it is the team that is together, the team that is tough and the team that wants it more. The passion displayed by Appalacian State was amazing. Forever, coaches will use Appalacian State as an example to get their teams going.
The beauty of Appalacian State’s victory goes hand in hand with the beast known as Michigan’s loss. Their season is over. This isn’t college basketball, there is no season tournament to keep your NC title hopes alive. Even if they win out, they’ll have to hope everyone else loses twice to crappy teams. Just like that, all the hype, all the promise and all the talk is over. Does anyone believe in Michigan right now? Just like no one thought they would lose, no one knows if they are any good still. The beauty of college football.
The rest of today was full of the usual skullcrushings and beatdowns. The Tempe area is buzzing right now as the Sun Devils look to make their debut tonight. I mean buzzing literally. I couldn’t tell you how many people have had something to drink, you wouldn’t believe me. My prediction; ASU screws around the first half, its entirely too close and then they pull away to win.