It's funny how sports and fate work. One day, your team is like a god walking amongst mere mortals - a dynasty with no end in sight. The rest of the country looks at your team and feels nothing but envy and hate. They can't lose, no matter who they play. They're more experienced in the playoffs, they've never lost a championship, and they've got the steadiest, most dynamic player in the game with enough ice in his veins to finish off any opposition.
And then Luis Gonzalez hits a bloop single over Derek Jeter's head, and you come crashing back to reality.
What? Which dynasty did you think I was talking about?
I'm not here to berate you, Patriots fans. I'm not here to rub it in your face. I'm here to say I know how you feel.
The similarities between the 2001 Yankees and the 2007 Patriots are striking.
Everyone knows the deal with the Pats. They've won three championships dating back to 2001. They were trying to become the first team ever to go 19-0. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick had never lost in the Super Bowl. And all they had to do was beat a Giants team that was talked about as one of the worst Super Bowl contenders ever.
The Yankees were comparable favorites in 2001. They had won the past three World Series and four of the last five overall. They were trying to become the first team in almost 50 years to win four in a row. None of their core players - Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera - had lost in a World Series. Their opponent was the Arizona Diamondbacks, an expansion team that had come into the league the same year as the Devil Rays. Nobody took them seriously.
Both teams just seemed fated to win it all. The Patriots overcame several close calls on their way to 18-0: They had to score in the last minute against the Ravens, they had to come back from a 12-point deficit to the Giants, and they had to overcome Tom Brady's three interceptions in the AFC Championship Game. The Yankees faced similar obstacles in the World Series, going down 0-2 in the series before winning the next three games, including two consecutive ninth-inning comebacks.
Unfortunately, fate was just tricking us. It was actually on the other side. The Diamondbacks got to Mariano and tied Game 7 in the bottom of the ninth inning. With the infield in, Gonzalez hit a would-be-out-turned-game-winner over Jeter, crushing the Yankees and their fans and bringing me to tears.
Likewise, Eli broke away from the Pats' entire defensive line with less than two minutes left to complete a 32-yard pass to David Tyree - one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history. Just seconds later, he threw the game-winner to Plaxico Burress, leaving the Pats in pure shock. Belichick looked like he'd been hit by a semi in the postgame interview.
As fans, we know that these runs must come to an end, but we never truly believe it. Now let me be the one to lay down the harsh truth on you, Pats fans: your dynasty is over. I got angry when people told me the same thing after 2001, but it's true.
The Pats haven't won it all since the 2004 season. They have a bevy of free agents: Randy Moss, Asante Samuel, Randall Gay, Tedy Bruschi, Junior Seau and Eugene Wilson. They're embarking on one of the hardest journeys in sports: the way down. Losses like Super Bowl XLII - and the 2001 World Series - linger for a long time. Just ask Yankees fans. We're still waiting for that next ring.
David Heck is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at David.Heck@tufts.edu.
