The Super Bowl definitely lived up to the hopes of a good showing this year. The Chiefs had to come back from a 10-point deficit with only six minutes left in the game to defeat the strong 49ers team.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes did not have his best game, but he stepped up big when his team needed him the most. For the first half, the game was very close, with neither team wanting to make any mistakes. The 49ers had a great third quarter that put them up 10 points, but the Chiefs never gave up.
The turning point play of the game was when Patrick Mahomes completed a 44-yard pass, putting the Chiefs in the red zone for the first of three quick touchdowns to take the lead. Then the defense stepped up, holding the 49ers at bay to end the game.
I am very happy for Andy Reid. This victory should eventually get him into the NFL Hall of Fame as a coach. This is even more difficult to attain than as a player.
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In golf news, the USGA and the R&A came out with a very detailed report on how the extreme distances that some players are able to hit the ball is affecting the game. This report is well overdue in my opinion, but it will take two or three more years to come up with solutions to the problem. The distance that most male professionals can hit a ball has gotten out of control.
We golf lovers need to come up with better rules to control the distance technology of golf clubs and golf balls that the male professionals and competitive amateur players want to use to play in competition.
For example, Saint Andrews in Scotland is too short to be challenging for the professionals unless the weather becomes a factor. I think it is time to have two sets of rules, one for competitive players' golf clubs and balls, and one for the rest of us hackers who just want to play recreationally.
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Last week offered some great tennis to end the Australian Open. There was one surprise result and one predictable one.
On the women’s side, American Sofia Kenin accomplished her lifelong dream (at age 21!) to win a major tournament by beating Garbiñe Muguruza in three sets. It has been a long time since I have seen a player playing with so much energy for the entire match. It was pretty cool.
On the men’s side, Novak Djokovic came from two sets to one down to beat Dominic Thiem to win his eighth Australian Open. If Djokovic stays healthy, he could become the tennis player with the most major titles. At age 32, he has 17 majors and Roger Federer, who is 38, has 20 majors. We will see what happens in the end, when they are both, hopefully, still playing in their 40s.
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A 2002 Cape grad and 2007 UD grad, Lewes resident Sumner Spence is one of the Cape area's biggest sports fans. Although he’s used a wheelchair his entire life, he has lived vicariously through his sports-playing father, brother, and friends, who gave him his love of sports. He hopes to provide new and interesting perspectives on the sports stories and issues of the day. Email Sumner at sumspence@gmail.com.
