The Final GPR, Shirt Pocket Notes, and an Absent Friend, Grant Jackson

We are a little over 72 hours away from the ultimate game*, so it's time for the final Grandstander Power Rankings of the season.

Short and sweet:

1. Chiefs
2. Bucs

It's hard to differentiate these two teams at this point, and it's hard to put any team ahead of another team that has Tom Brady at quarterback, but there you are.  I think that this is a terrific match-up and that it's going to be a terrific game.  At this point, I am leaning towards the Chiefs, but will reserve my official prediction until Saturday or maybe even Sunday morning.

Patrick Mahomes vs. Tom Brady.  Couldn't get much better.

* I believe that it was Duane Thomas, the iconoclastic Dallas Cowboys running back of the 1970's, who said "If it's the ultimate game, why are they playing another one next year?"  I don't think that the powers-that-be in the NFL much appreciated that remark at the time.

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Now for some shirt pockets notes that have been accumulating over the last couple of weeks.....

The Jacksonville Jaguars made a huge off season splash by hiring Urban Meyer to be their new head coach.  It will be fascinating to watch Meyer, who was, and presumably still is, a total control freak as a college head coach, as a first time professional coach.  It has been reported that after completing seasons with records like 11-1 or 12-2 in college, not untypical for him, Meyer would spend the entire off season obsessing over the games that his teams lost. It would inevitably lead to "health issues" that would cause him to resign his coaching positions.  How is that mindset going to translate on the pro level with a team that will probably lose more games in 2021 that Meyer's college teams lost in any given five or six given seasons?  Meyer's worst season as a college coach was in 2010 at Florida, when the Gators went 8-5, a season which lead to Meyer's health issues and resignation.  In seven seasons at Ohio State, Meyer went 83-9, plus 5-2 in Bowl games.  Eleven losses in seven years.  That ain't gonna happen in Jacksonville, not anytime soon, anyway.

Also, Meyer will not be able to out-recruit the NFL as he was able to do in the Big Ten or SEC.  Plus, professional players making hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars are going to be more likely to tell him to pound sand with his my-way-or-the-highway approach to coaching than a bunch of scholarship student-athletes on college campuses.

Meyer can coach on the college level, no question about that, but he's never done it on the pro level, so  this is going to be an interesting lab experiment to watch over the next few seasons.  Not sure what the length of his Jax contract is, but I'm betting he won't serve the full term of it.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates began making news starting on Christmas Eve when they traded current "Face of the Franchise" Josh Bell to the Washington Nationals.   There then followed January trades of Joe Musgrove to the Padres and Jameson Taillon to the Yankees.  These three trades netted ten  "prospects", some of them highly regarded, for the Pirates.  Throw in the 2020 trade of Starling Marte to the Diamondbacks for prospects, and it becomes obvious what GM Ben Cherrington is attempting to do: a complete teardown of any tangible assets the team may have in an effort to restock the farm system and then become serious contenders by 2023 or 2024.

It's a great idea, in theory, and I hope it works, but in the meantime, it is going to mean seeing some very bad baseball teams plying their trade at PNC Park over the next few years.  Also, it is sad to see guys like Bell and Taillon being sent packing, because once, THEY were the young stars of the future around whom the Pirates would be building championship caliber teams.  How did that work out?

All three of the players sent away by GMBC are going to teams that figure to be contenders this coming season, so they are no doubt thrilled with the opportunity to escape Bob Nutting's Ship of Fools.  Good for them.  For Pirates fans, 2021 just promises to be another Groundhog Day season where the team will struggle to avoid 100 losses.

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Speaking of the 2021 baseball season, isn't it fun reading about how the owners and players are engaged in yet another pissing contest over the terms of the upcoming season in a nation that is still gripped in the clutches of a pandemic and public health crisis.  Just like the lead up to the shortened 2020 season.  And a preview to the Armageddon that is sure to ensue after the 2021 season when the CBA needs to be renegotiated.  It is almost as if the MLB Owners and the MLBPA actually want their sport to shrivel up and die.

I will normally always take the sides of the players in these sports labor-management dustups, but I am getting so tired of these annual dances that surround Major League Baseball.  They will get around to playing games in 2021, and I will no doubt be watching intently, as I always have, but the day is surely coming when we will be subjected to these unseemly discussions, the game will come back, and the people are going to say "You know what?  I just don't care,"  and they will choose to watch NBA Summer League games and MLS instead.  I think that day has already arrived for people under the age of forty or so.

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Finally, we bid good-bye to former Pirates pitcher Grant Jackson, who died this week of COVID related symptoms at the age of 78.  Jackson was a member of Pirates 1979 World Series Championship team, the winning pitcher in Game Seven, and for that alone he deserves recognition.  Another fact that I had forgotten was that Jackson also pitched in the 1971 World Series against the Pirates as a member of the Baltimore Orioles.  Jackson spoke of several occasions to the Pittsburgh SABR Chapter, and he was always an entertaining and lively speaker.  He was a part of a panel discussion on the '79 team at the SABR National Convention held in Pittsburgh in 2017.  After his career ended, Jackson remained in Pittsburgh and served as a vital member of the Pirates Alumni, the Pirates Fantasy Camp, and in Community Relations for the team.

Farewell, Buck Jackson, and RIP.

Patriots 28 - Seahawks 24, and Other Super Bowl Thoughts

Okay, okay, I know that no one is supposed to like the New England Patriots, but you've got to hand it to them, and you most especially have to hand it to Tom Brady.  They are good, Brady is perhaps the Best Ever, and that 28-24 win over Seattle last night was one whale of a football game.

When Brady threw that second interception, which led to a Seattle TD and a 24-14 lead at the end of three quarters, that game was this close to being over.  I said at the time that the Patriots simply HAVE to respond right now, or this one could be over.  Did they ever.  Brady responds with a TD drive, the New England defense responds by forcing a three-and-out, and Brady responds AGAIN with another TD drive. Excellent play by the Patriots and positively brilliant play by Brady.

Of course, all of it could have been rendered moot because of a fluky tip ball catch by the Seahawks.  

Which leads up to that positively stupefying play call by Seattle on the goal line which led to the interception that sealed the deal for New England.  You don't give the ball to Marshawn Lynch when you are on the one yard line and a TD wins you the Super Bowl?  The term "dumbshit" doesn't even begin to describe the stupidity of that play call.  That one is going to haunt Pete Carroll forever, or at least until he coaches another Super Bowl win (and maybe not even then).

And how fitting that this 2014 NFL season ends in a Pier Six brawl.  What great imagery.  Stay classy, Seattle.

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Of course we all know that the actual game is merely a footnote to the Super Bowl, so here are my random thoughts on everything else.....

• It took Idena Manzell 2:07 to sing the National Anthem.  Too long.  That song should be sung in ninety seconds, tops.

• We liked Katy Perry and her halftime show.  Very energetic, very talented. Now, like Bruno Mars last year, Miss Perry doesn't appeal to our particular demographic, but there is no denying the talent.  For the second year in a row, the NFL has abandoned Geezer Rock and hit it out of the park.

The there are the commercials.  Here are the ones we found worth noting.

• BMW with Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric
• Carnival Cruise using JFK's voice to hawk their cruises.  I found that to be inappropriate.  Wonder what the Kennedy Family thought. At what point does a President, even a deceased one, become public domain?
• What happens when you pour Coke into a computer
• The Dove soap "Daddy" commercial
• The Doritos ad with the guy on the airplane
• Nissan "Cat's in the Cradle"
• Fiat "Viagra" commercial
• Kia commercial with Pierce Brosnan
• Wix website with old football players "Farve and Carve", "Immaculate Receptions"...brilliant
• Victoria's Secret "let the real games begin"
• Then, of course, Sketcher's shoes using Pete Rose.  Is there nothing that guy won't do for a buck?  Note to self: never, ever buy a pair of Sketchers.  Never.

There are now sixteen days reaming until Pirates pitchers and catchers report to Bradenton.

The Super Bowl

Regulars have no doubt noticed that I have been almost completely silent about the NFL Playoffs and the upcoming Super Bowl.  I just know that you have all missed my always not-so-accurate playoff predictions.  This can be traced to a couple of reasons.

One, due to our vacation in Hawaii and it's five hour time difference, I saw exactly NONE of the divisional playoffs or the conference championship games.  That's not exactly true.  I ducked into a bar in a town called Paia on Maui and saw Marshawn Lynch score the touchdown that put Seattle ahead of Green Bay late in the fourth quarter in the NFC title game.  The bar was filled with Seahawks fans, and the place exploded.  At the time, I was in a complete vacuum about the game and had no idea of what led up to that point.  And we got back to our hotel room in time to tune into the New England-Indy game in the fourth quarter with the Pats up 35-7, so why bother with the rest of it?

That has been the sum and substance of my NFL watching since the Steelers went down to the Ravens back on January 3.

The second reason for my silence on the game is the fact that I seem to be able to generate only negative passion for either of the participants.  Deflated footballs, smarmy coaches on both sides, loudmouth Richard Sherman, closed-mouthed Marshawn Lynch, blowhard Robert Kraft.  Hard to like either team, and both teams have enough going for them that you wouldn't mind seeing both of them lose.

This means I'm going to skip the game, right?  Not on your tintype, my friend.  The NFL has done a lot to turn you off in 2014, but I still like it, I like watching football, and, hey, it's the SUPER BOWL!!!!  And, whatever the faults of these two teams, they are both very good teams, and it should be a hell of a good football game.  As always, I will skip the hype and the hoopla of four plus hours of pre-game shows, (will probably watch a movie in the afternoon leading up to game time), and will tune in around 6:00 or so for the 6:30 kick-off.  I learned a long time ago that skipping all the network pre-game b.s. prevents you from being burned out before the game even begins.  Then there are the commercials, and the half-time show. I am completely unfamiliar with Katy Perry, other than I know shows a good looking young woman, and am anxious to see what kind of talent she is.

As for a prediction, well, here goes, and having not watched any of the games leading up to this one, it will not be my most informed prediction.  I am going to make this one based strictly on the two quarterbacks.  Russell Wilson is a terrific young talent, but Tom Brady is TOM BRADY, and, much as many may be loathe to admit it, he is one of they greatest of all time.  I am guessing that he wants to avenge those two Super Bowl losses to the Giants in recent years, and I am predicting that the old guy will out play the young guy in the one.  I also think that Bill Belichick will out coach Pete Carroll.

So call this one a win for the Patriots in what I hope will be a tense, close, and exciting game.  Then, we can all hold our noses when the Lombardi trophy is presented to Bob Kraft and Bill Belichick, or just turn the TV off when the final gun goes off, or immediately switch over to the new episode of "Downtown Abbey" that you DVR'd while the game was going on.

Enjoy the game, and party responsibly.

Hail, Seattle, and Other Super Bowl Thoughts

Well, that was one dud of a game yesterday, wasn't it?  I mean, really, what can be said about it?  But I'll throw some random thoughts at you anyway....

• Denver's first three possessions consisted of eight plays and produced a Seattle safety, a punt, and an interception.  It was four and one-half minutes into the second quarter before Denver made a first down.  I was thinking "this is like the Steelers vs. the Vikings in Super Bowl IX."
• The safety on the first play of the game gave an indication of what was to come, and the kick return for a TD to open the second half effectively ended the game.  The "Denver Super Bowl Champion" hats and t-shirts were already on the planes to Third World countries once Percy Harvin crossed the goal line.
• I thought that Peyton Manning looked every one of his 37 years by half-time.
• That DB Kam Chancellor for the Seahawks - WOW!  And he's only the second best DB for Seattle!
• I could go on and talk about key plays here and there in the game, but why bother?  I mean, how can you single one or two specific plays in an ass-kicking like this? The game was never, not once, in doubt for the Seahawks.

Some other thoughts on events surrounding the actual game...

• That fur coat on Joe Namath for the coin toss - tremendous.  Broadway Joe is still Broadway Joe!
• The weather sure wasn't a factor.  Expect the Super Bowl to return to New York in the next 8-10 years.
• It wasn't until late in the second half that Fox began to show shots of celebrities in the stands (Hugh Jackman, Michael Douglas, Paul McCartney).  This is unusual for Fox, and, thankfully, none of these people were stars of lousy Fox Network sitcoms.
• I was unfamiliar with his work, and I am not about to go out an buy  a bunch of his records (can we still call them "records"?), but I was impressed with Bruno Mars and his halftime show. Very talented and quite entertaining guy.  I only wished that he didn't relinquish a part of his 14 minute show to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
• Loved it when, at one point in the third quarter, Troy Aikman essentially said "this game is over."  The Suits at neither the NFL nor Fox had to be happy about that.
• For the umpteenth year in a row, I turned the TV on shortly after 6:00, thus missing the entire four hour pregame drivel.  This is great for one's mental well being.

The commercials. I liked...

• The Chevy Silverado commercial with the bull saying "Hello, ladies."
• Radio Shack, "the 80's called"
• "Gwen quits" for GoDaddy.com
• The Tim Tebow T-Mobile "no contract" commercials
• Bob Dylan for Chrysler.  Great commercial!
• The Budweiser Puppy Love and Returning Hero commercials
• The one with the woman running the tanning salon.  I think it was for GoDaddy.

Did not like....

• David Beckham in his underwear. Those tattoos are awful.
• The VW engineers sprouting wings
• The Steven Colbert pistachio commercial. Kind of creepy.
• Heinz Ketchup "if you're happy and you know it".  I'm sure all those Heinz employees recently let go are glad the company spent $4 million on that lousy commercial.
• The bear in the store eating Chobani Yogurt with a Bob Dylan song playing over it.  Just when I was going to write about how disappointing it was to see Dylan sell out like that, he redeemed himself with that Chrysler spot.
• That two part Bud Light commercial early in the game.  Bud Light usually has some of the best Super Bowl commercials, but those two were big swings and misses this year.

As for my predictions, I called for a Seattle win - check. I said fewer than 50 points would be scored.  Actual total was 51, pretty close.  I said it would be a close game.  Well, you can't win 'em all.

I finished the NFL Post Season with an 8-3 record.  Pretty good.

Congratulations, Seahawks, a most deserving Super Bowl Champion.

Pirates pitchers and catchers report to Bradenton in nine days.

The Super Bowl....and Other Thoughts

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.

My Super Bowl Pick

I currently hold a 4-6 record with my NFL post-season predictions, so I am guaranteed, for the first time in three years of doing this, a losing record in this prognostication department, but I'm going to give you my thoughts anyway.

First off, I am looking forward to the game.  I think it is a match-up that has the potential to be a very entertaining football game.  The opposing quarterbacks, Colin Kaepernick and Joe Flacco, have easily been the most dominant players in this playoff season. and they have certainly earned the right to be on this big stage.  I am somewhat surprised to hear so many people here in Pittsburgh, some of them close friends, who profess to be football fans, say that they have no interest in the game, and probably will watch very little, if any, of the game.  I don't get it.  If you are a pro football fan, why wouldn't you want to watch the Super Bowl, especially one that appears too offer an exciting and competitive match-up?

As to the game itself, I will be rooting for the Forty-Niners.  I really couldn't care less that this will mean that they will tie the Steelers with six Super Bowl wins.  Hey, all you Steelers Nation folks, that doesn't lesson the Steelers accomplishments, and it doesn't really affect YOUR life one way or the other.  I like Jim Harbaugh, despite his tendency to go berserk on the sidelines, Kaepernick is a very exciting player to watch, and I will show my own Black & Gold Bias here by not wanting to see the Steelers most bitter rival, the Ravens, win the big one.

That said, my call for the winner of the big game?

I'm calling for a Ravens win because of the play of Joe Flacco.  He has certainly made a believer out of me, not only for his play in these playoffs, which has been stellar, but for his body of work over the last few years.  Need I remind anyone that he is 3-1 against the Steelers over the past two seasons?  And like it or not, I think there is something about this "Let's Win It for Ray Lewis" fever that seems to be enveloping the Ravens.  Yeah, it's way over the top, but so was the Jerome Bettis Fever that gripped the Steelers on their Super Bowl run in 2005.  It's hokey, corny, and hard to take for the non-fans, but sometimes, it is meaningful for the team involved.

(By the way, the closest thing that I have to an NFL Insider tells me that Lewis is a "good guy." Respectful to the game, a class act and a true leader on the field, and that the "praise-the-Lord" bit of his is genuine and not something he just turns on for the TV cameras.  This doesn't make me do a 180 and become a big fan of Lewis, but it does temper my opinions somewhat.)

So there it is: RAVENS over the Forty-Niners come Sunday in Super Bowl Whatever the Roman Numeral Is.

The Games of Sunday

Someone made the comment on Facebook that NFL Conference Championship Sunday is better than Super Bowl Sunday, and it is hard to argue that point.  The games of two days ago are certainly a case in point with two home, higher seeded (one a #1 seed at that) teams losing and NOT SCORING a point in the second half of each game.  Remarkable.

And here's an amazing fact about the upcoming Super Bowl of which you might not be aware.  The opposing coaches are brothers!  Can you believe that?  Two guys born of the same parents, who grew up in the same house, are actually going to be coaching against each other in the Super Bowl.  I can't believe that no one has mentioned that before.

Anyway, some thoughts and comments on the two games on Sunday, many of which I had previously shared on Facebook.....

• Concerning the results, the Bad News: Two more weeks of Ray Lewis b.s.  The Good News: We won't have to see a thousand or so shots of Bob Kraft in the Owner's Box during the Super Bowl.
• Before you point it out to me, yes, I know I went 0-for-2 on my predictions for these games.
• As mentioned in my pre-game comments, the Atlanta coaches certainly did figure out a way to stop Colin Kaepernick from running all over the place on Sunday.  Too bad for them, it turns out that Kaepernick is a pretty good passer, too.
• I saw Julio Jones did more for the Falcons in three quarters than the Steelers "Young Money" troika of Wallace-Brown-Sanders did all season.   
• The ease with which Frank Gore could get in the end zone when the 49'ers were inside the ten made me wonder if the SF offensive line is THAT much better than the Steelers line, or were the Steelers running backs that much worse than Gore.
• While I did believe that New England would beat Baltimore, I did feel that Baltimore had a reasonable chance to win.  That they won with such dominance and comparative ease amazes me.
• Even though he was on the losing side, Wes Welker is an amazing football player.
• Did you catch the look of complete disbelief on Tom Brady's face in the fourth quarter, particularly after throwing that interception that sealed the deal for Baltimore?
• Speaking of Brady, am I the only guy who thought that his foot was aimed just a bit too high on that Baltimore defender when he slid towards the end of the first half?  Ty Cobb would have loved it, but Czar roger should relieve him of some cash, in my opinion.
• When Matt Ryan threw that incomplete pass on fourth down from the 10 yard line late in the game, how many of you flashed back to Neil O'Donnell against the Chargers in the '94 AFC Championship Game?
• So, Bill Belichick goes true to form and refuses an interview with CBS after losing the game.  (a) Stay classy, Coach, (b) aren't coaches REQUIRED to do such interviews with the NFL's network partners?, (c) if so, will coach Bill be fined by Czar Roger?, (d) Shannon Sharpe now becomes a folk hero, and (e) to take another point of view, did we really miss anything by NOT hearing from Coach Bill?
• Contrary to many Pittsburghers, I do not find the Harbaugh Brothers repellent, in fact, I kind of like both of them (even if I don't care for the Ravens), and I think the Brothers Coaching Against Each Other is a pretty cool story, even if it will get beaten to death over the next two weeks.
• I also know that despite what they may say in public, I am pretty sure that each brother wants to beat the hell out of each other.
• Speaking of coaches, was it Walt Harris or Dave Wannstedt who thought Joe Flaco wasn't worth playing at Pitt?  Yeah, I know, hindsight is 20/20, but still...
• As for me, I will be rooting for San Francisco in the Super Bowl for the following reasons.  (1) In like Jim slightly better than John, (2) I don't like the Ravens, (3) the Ray Lewis sycophantry, (4) The Colin Kaepernick Story is a very cool one, and (5) unlike many Steelers fans, I am not threatened by the idea that a 49'er win will tie them with the Steelers with six Super Bowl titles.

Big Win for Big Blue

The Giants win Super Bowl XLVI by a score of 21-17 with - deja vu all over again - Eli Manning leading a last minute touchdown drive to beat the Patriots.

Going into the game, I had no great emotional investment. I neither liked nor disliked either team enough to have a strong rooting interest. I just wanted a good, if not great, ballgame. On the surface, this game had all the elements of such a game. Two masterful Tom Brady-led drives at the end of the first half and beginning of the second half that gave the Pats a 17-9 lead, a terrific end of game 88 yard Manning-led drive that led to the winning TD with :57 left to play, and even a Brady hail mary heave that had you on the edge as the game ended.

Despite all of that, when it was all over, and perhaps it was that lack of emotional investment alluded to earlier, I was left with a sort of well-it's-over-now-bring-on-Spring-Training-baseball kind of feeling.

Also, when the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl is one that the defense let happen and the offense did not want to score, well it lends a kind of surreal feeling to the whole thing. The strategy on both sides for this bizarre happenstance can be defended - Bill Bellichick is a genius, after all - but something about it just doesn't sit right.

As for the other Super Bowl sideshows...

Madonna at halftime. Another aging rocker struts her stuff at the Super Bowl. Haven't we seen this before? Did you notice how she almost fell trying to mount one of those steps? Do we really need all this ridiculous spectacle and fireworks? If we really need a singer, how about bringing him/her/them out with a back-up band and a microphone and have him/her/them sing a few songs? Or, how about a dog and a frisbee?

Commercials. Twelve hours after the fact, I can remember the following: the cat killing dog for Doritos, the baby in the slingshot for Doritos again, the eTrade baby, "Wego" the dog for Bud Light, the Budweiser prohibition-is-over spots, the bulldog outracing the greyhounds for some kind of sneaker, the lady head-butting her husband over some kind of yogurt, the dog that worked out to lose weight for some kind of car, chimps in suits for CareerBuilder, and the Fiat commercial with some incredibly hot woman drinking some kind of foamy coffee drink. That's it. That's the list.

Oh, and one more note on commercials. Danica Patrick wants it both ways. She wants to be taken seriously as a major competitive athlete/driver and not be put down because she is a woman in a man's world, yet she continues to do commercials that tease us with the idea that if you go to the website, you just might get to see her naked. Which is it going to be, Danica?

Oh, and The Grandstander got his prediction wrong (see post of last Friday) and closes the NFL post-season with a 7-4 record. Not bad. However, in my pre-season write-up, where I listed about a dozen or so teams, one of whom would win the Super Bowl, the New York Giants were not included on that list. Not good.

Twelve days until pitchers & catchers report in Bradenton.

Super Bowl Prediction

So, I have been pondering the question as to who will win the Super Bowl for almost two weeks, and, more than any Super Bowl in recent memory, a case can be made for either team as the eventual winner.

Giants - Pros:

• A strong defense that got hot at the perfect time in the season


• Eli Manning has looked terrific in the playoffs, and proved in 49'er game that he can withstand even the fiercest of NFL defenses


• They have demonstrated a knack to beat the Patriots in recent years, most notably in the Super Bowl four years ago

Giants - Cons

• They seem a bit mouthy and over-confident


• They were only a 9-7 team during the year


• They lost twice, convincingly, to the God-awful Washington Redskins

Patriots - Pros

• They have Tom Brady


• They have, like it or not, Bill Belichick as head coach, and he's pretty good


• They have Rob Gronkowski


• Brady looked like he was from another world in the playoff game against the Broncos

Patriots - Cons

• They have, at best, a very ordinary defense


• Until they beat the Ravens two weeks ago, they had not beaten a team with a winning record all season


• Rob Gronkowski is injured and his effectiveness for Sunday is unknown at this time


• Brady looked very ordinary in the game against the Ravens

So, considering all of these factors, I had been leaning towards picking the Giants to win. However, something last night just clicked in my head and has told me that Brady is going tom take charge and that the Patriots are going to avenge the loss of four years ago and take care of business in Indy on Sunday. There you have it...the PATRIOTS to win on Sunday.

Should this happen, there will, of course, be some major angst among the Yinzers of Steelers Nation as this will mean that Belichick will now join Chuck Noll as the only head coach to have won four Super Bowls, and Brady will join Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana (who played in the WPIAL, which is almost as good as being a Steeler) as the only QB to have played on four Super Bowl winning teams. Should the Patriots win, I predict that the first call to The Fan stating that Belichick's four wins "shouldn't count" because he "cheated by video tapin' n'at" will come in before midnight on Sunday.

Let's hope it's a great game, with lots of great commercials, and an entertaining performance by Madonna at halftime.

Enjoy!!

Halftime at the Super Bowl

The National Football League announced this week that the halftime entertainment at the upcoming Super Bowl will be Madonna.

In making this announcement, the NFL has upheld one of their most sacred traditions in choosing the Halftime Show for their Showcase Event: A 50-something rocker who is at least 25 years past his, or in this case, her, prime. Really, didn't Madonna peak in the late 80's?

I will say this, though. The last female entertainer that I remember performing at the Super Bowl was Janet Jackson, and we all remember how THAT turned out, right? If anyone might be able to top Ms. Jackson's performance, it would be Madonna looking to be totally outrageous in trying to jump start her career.

Czar Roger might want to rethink this.