For the first time in many years, we watched this years Super Bowl while attending a Super Bowl Party, and many thanks to Fred Shugars (The Official Actuary of The Grandstander) and his wife, Susan, for hosting a really fun evening. If you know Fred, you will not be surprised to know that this party included a number of betting games for which Fred keeps voluminous statistics. I am happy to report that we did not come away empty handed: Marilyn won $20 in a block pool for having the first quarter, and I won $1.93 for correctly predicting that Baltimore would win the coin toss (I shared the $27 pot with 13 other people).
Watching the game in a crowded home with a lot of people present is certainly a different experience. It is fun in that there is a lot of noise and cheering and it makes for a very cool atmosphere. On the other hand, you do miss on a lot of the commentary that is made in the course of the telecast, but, upon reflection, who cares? The conversation with friends as you watch the game more than makes up for missing the bon mots of Solomon Wilcotts and Phil Simms.
On the down side, though, you do miss out on the commercials, which, to many, is almost as much fun as the game itself. I did record the game on our DVR and may run through it at some point today just to see the commercials. Or maybe not.
The Halftime Show. Beyonce is certainly a beautiful and talented woman and fun to watch, and it's nice to see that the NFL has abandoned the Geezers that have appeared in recent years, but do we really need all the pyrotechnics? The consensus at the parety last night was to either (a) bring back Marching Bands, or (b) a Dog and a Frisbee.
As for the game itself, it sure appeared that this was going to be a monumental blowout reminiscent of Cowboys vs. Bills type Super Bowls of years gone by, but the Forty-Niners rallied, as they had in their previous playoff games, and turned it into one hell of a ball game. No need for me to recount the details for if you are reading this, you are no doubt well aware of what happened. Hats off to both teams for putting on a great show.
I have to tell you that I really got a kick out of the black out at the Super Dome that delayed the game for 35 minutes in the third quarter. Knowing how image conscious the NFL is and how staged everything is at the Super Bowl, I just loved picturing all of the Suits in the NFL PR offices positively losing their minds over this turn of events. Wonder how they'll do at next year's game in New Jersey if there's a blizzard or single degree temperatures during there Showcase Game?
As for a local angle, Steelers fans can come off the suicide watch list since the Niners were unable to get their sixth Lombardi Trophy. On the other hand, their is no doubt deep despair in Steelers Nation because, as Bloggin' Bob Smizik points out today, it is now an indisputable fact that the Steelers are now no longer the "Team to Beat" in the AFC North.
And one final note, I did call this one correctly for the Ravens, and my record for this post season ends at 5-6. Over the past three NFL post-seasons, I stand at 18-15.
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