Sometimes teams are meant to win
By: CHRISTIAN HARGAS
Sports Editor
Destiny is something sports fans do not pay much attention to because there is a belief that it does not coincide with the team’s actual performance. In my opinion, however, the concept of one particular team going the distance because it is “meant to be” is very real.
It is true that some teams who were “meant” to bring home the gold were not able to. The 2015 Chicago Cubs were in a position to reach the World Series for the first time since 1945. Fans believed this was the year the Cubs were going to reach the fall classic and win their first championship since 1908. The film Back to the Future (1985) prophesized the Cubs winning the World Series in 2015, but they were eliminated by the New York Mets. While destiny does not always play a factor, certain team were “just meant” to achieve championship success.
The 2007 New York Giants were not expected to make the NFL Playoffs following their 2006 season. The Giants snuck in the back door and eliminated the heavily favored Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers before advancing to Super Bowl XLII. There, New York defeated the previously unbeaten New England Patriots to capture their fourth Lombardi Trophy.
The 2014 Los Angeles Kings gained momentum at the right time heading into the NHL Playoffs. Facing superior competition in the form of the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks and defending champion Chicago Blackhawks, the Kings outlasted and defeated them in seven game series to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. The New York Rangers were their final test and favored to win the cup, but the Kings defeated them in five games.
The San Francisco Giants won three World Series championships in the last five years [2010, 2012, 2014]. Their 2012 victory was nothing short of miraculous because of the number of times their backs were against the wall. After losing the first two of a five game National League Division Series against the Cincinnati Reds, the Giants won the last three to advance to the NL Championship Series. Trailing three games to one in a seven game NLCS against the Saint Louis Cardinals, they won the last three to advance to the World Series. The Giants swept the high-powered Detroit Tigers in the 2012 fall classic to win it all.
A team can surprise you with a conclusion that leaves you wondering, but there is no reason to wonder about something that is just meant to be.
