411 Sports Fact of Fiction 02.01.2008: The Super Bowl, Eli Manning, Tom Brady's Boot, Cameragate, & More!

Posted by Dan Owen on 02.01.2008

The inaugural edition of Sports Fact or Fiction covers the Super Bowl, the Super Bowl, and more Super Bowl. Oh, and there might have been some big trade in baseball. Join Ramon Aranda and Ken Schmidt as they debate the hot topics of the Sports World!

Welcome to the inaugural edition of Sports Fact or Fiction! I'll be your ever-handsome host, bringing you your weekly dose of Sports debate. Before we get rolling, though, let's meet our competitors!

Hailing from the Sports Zone's Boxing section, it's Ramon Aranda! Oh, and did I mention he's also the Editor of the Games Zone?

And facing off against Ramon is our very own Sports Kid, Ken Scmidt!



1. The Patriots will win the Super Bowl and be the first team to go 19-0 in NFL history.

Ken Schmidt: Fact

This is really not a tough question for me because I believe that not only will the Pats win this game but they will do it in dominant fashion. They just have way too many weapons. The Giants secondary is shaky as it is, though they stepped up in the playoffs, but they are going to need to pick their poison. Do you cover Moss downfield or do you focus on Welker underneath. Pick one and the other will beat you. Plaxico guessed 23-17? Well he might be right about 23 but there is zero chance in the Pats scoring just 17. I see the Pats getting the ball first and scoring, then a big play on defense making this 14-0 early and from there it is over.

Ramon Aranda: Fiction

Something just tells me that all this undefeated stuff will come to an end on Sunday night. The Giants fell just a few points shy of upsetting the Patriots in Week 17 and it just seems so fitting and almost an omen that they now have a rematch in the Super Bowl. I expect a close game but my gut feeling tells me that the Giants will pull it off and end the Patriots' historic run in a superb Super Bowl. All the odds are against the Giants and no one in their right mind would pick against New England but shit happens and it'll happen on Sunday!

Score: 0 for 1


2. Eli Manning has finally emerged as the top tier quarterback he was hyped to be.

Ken Schmidt: Fiction

This run in the playoffs is more a credit to Tom Coughlin than it is Eli Manning. I still don't believe in Eli as a quarterback. Sure he hasn't thrown a pick in the playoffs but that is because Coughlin isn't letting him. The Giants stepped up a two-headed running attack and it is opening up the passing games. Heck, I don't even think Eli is as much a top tier quarterback as he is just an average quarterback with receivers making him look great. Plaxico looks like he is 9 feet tall when he goes up for the ball. I can't wait for this all to be over and Eli have more picks than TDs next season.

Ramon Aranda: Fact

Manning has been on the brink of finally coming out and I think the tight game against New England finally brought out the best in him. He's been money all throughout the playoffs and win or lose on Sunday, I see Eli having a big 2008. We all know he has the talent to be a top tier quarterback and he just needed something to take him over the top. His stats have been tremendous and he really seems to be settling into his role as the leader of this NY Giants football team.

Score: 0 for 2


3. Tom Brady isn't injured any more than most other players are at this point in the season, and were he on any other team he would not have been wearing a boot.

Ken Schmidt: Fiction

I am going to disagree with this especially the part about if he were on any other team he would not be wearing a boot, because he would be. He is a professional football player, he gets banged up. He is a quarterback, he isn't the toughest and he gets hurt. Players wear boots and walk around on crutches all the time, it happens. As far as being more injured than other players, it isn't a pissing contest. Sure he isn't Phillip Rivers manning up and playing on a demolished knee but the guy is hurt, like every quarterback in the NFL is always! This is not a big story, he's hurt, he's not dying, he'll be fine.

Ramon Aranda: Fiction

I agree that Brady would have likely worn a boot regardless of what team he was on. By this time in the year, who isn't in pain in one way or another. I don't take it too seriously that Brady has been wearing a boot because believe me, Brady will be at his best come Super Bowl Sunday and the ankle will not come into play. Adrenaline will carry him to finish the game regardless of how much pain he may or may not be in. Brady knows what's at stake and won't let any type of injury bring him down.

Score: 1 for 3


SWITCH!


4. Regardless of what happens on Sunday, the Patriots legacy is tarnished because they were caught cheating earlier this season.

Ramon Aranda: Fiction

At this point, no one gives a rat's ass about the so called "cheating" earlier in the year. C'mon, no one needs to cheat to beat the Jets and a team as talented as the Patriots would have a field day with the Jets regardless of what they did that week.

Ken Schmidt: Fiction

I don't think their legacy has been tarnished, I think they have just successfully made most of America hate them, they are well on their way of being like the 1990s Cowboys who everyone hated because they won it all the time. I think that cameragate is starting to slip to the back of everyone's mind and even if it hasn't, it really wasn't a major issue of cheating. The Patriots tarnished their legacy more by Bellicheck being a pompous ass.

Score: 2 for 4


5. The Minnesota Twins got ripped off in their trade of Johan Santana to the New York Mets.

Ramon Aranda: Fiction

The Twins needed some fresh meat and some new arms. This will help out the Twins in the long run but it also means that the Mets got a hell of a deal and acquired an ace that should help put them at the top of the league. This doesn't mean the Twins are stupid but I think it will help both teams in the end. The Mets however will put this new acquisition to use immediately.

Ken Schmidt: Fiction

The Twins got offers from plenty of teams and this was their best offer. They scout players more than I do (I'd hope) so those early 20 pitchers must have some potential. Like Ramon said, they need fresh meat because this team needs to rebuild some young talent, be bad for a few years, and eventually get back to being playoff contenders.

Score: 3 for 5


6. The NHL All-Star game came and went this past weekend with no real coverage on ESPN or any of the broadcast networks. Other than diehard hockey fans, sports fans simply do not care about the NHL and will not start caring anytime soon.

Ramon Aranda: Fact

Let's face it, the NHL is fun to watch but outside of diehard fans and Canadians, no one really gives a damn. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a hockey game as much as the next fellow and I'm a LA Kings fan but in all honesty with leagues such as the NFL and MLB, the NHL will always play second fiddle and I actually forgot all about the NHL all-star game. I'm sure so did most of America.

Ken Schmidt: Fact

This pains me to say because I am one of those diehard hockey fans. My hockey team was on the road this weekend playing in Pittsburgh and we all got together in a hotel room to watch the Skills and the game. The problem, we had to go to a hotel we weren't staying at to watch it because most people don't get Versus. I haven't heard about the NHL raising the amount of people subscribing to Versus and I haven't even heard anything about the All-Star game so their is no one out there to argue about Eric Staal not deserving the MVP! Evgeni Nabokov was awesome. Other than those of us who loved hockey and still do, hockey is really dropping in popularity. I'd also like to apologize to Ramon for the pain he goes through being a Kings fan this year, they suck.

Score: 4 for 6


And with that our debut edition finishes strong at 4 for 6. Join us next Friday for another awesome edition of Sports Fact or Fiction!