Super Bowl Ads
Super Bowl Sunday is the one day when many people look forward as much to the advertisements as to the game itself. The last few years have been a letdown in my opinion, but there have been some great ones. You can see a collection of them at superbowl-ads.com.
The first great commercial I remember was the Mac commercial “1984″. We don’t consider the Skins disgrace an “afterthought” but the ad did help ease the pain.
There have been some good ones since. The Budweiser horses playing football, the Budweiser dalmations, and the e-Trade baby to name a few.
I am looking forward to the baby’s return this year.
Is Pittsburgh’s ‘Super Bowl’ delay a Bad Sign?
People are saying this is a sign of the decay of our educational system.
Don’t be ridiculous! It’s the Super Bowl – in Pittsburgh!
City schools set two-hour ‘Super Bowl’ delay Monday.
Invincible
In trying to stay with this week’s Super Bowl theme I was going to post a review of Invincible earlier today. Then I was distracted by Google’s wild and wacky behavior.
So, now I am ready.
Invincible is the real-life story of Vince Papale, an out-of-work substitute teacher who is very much down on his luck, and his unlikely chance at a spot on the roster of the Philadelphia Eagles. We received the Blu-ray as a gift when we bought our TV and I looked forward to watching it because I remember the events depicted in the film. I was an Eagles fan for a couple of years at just this time (and am still a Dick Vermeil fan because of that).
Good writing and a great cast made this movie better than most sports movies. The story was as predictable as any of these stories are (even those not real-life), but I never found myself disappointed. I was especially pleased that it told another story – that of a man I still revere, a hero to the city I detest so much. 
Playing for Pizza
Playing for Pizza is a departure from Grisham’s normal fare, but it’s a fun story about a washed up NFL quarterback who heads to Italy to play for a team that even Italy doesn’t care about.
Like most readers, I guess, I found the novel was missing a real story. I was enjoying the read but didn’t see what the point was. It actually reminded me for a while of my first reading of Hemingway. That was the experience then – I thought the story wandered around but I enjoyed reading about the characters. The one difference here, of course, is that Grisham’s characters in this one are not as interesting.
I happened to read this book during the NFL season when my Jets were thriving with their new washed up quarterback, so I was captivated by the similarities in the experiences of the football teams. It actually gave me grand hope for my Jets – hope that dissipated soon after, I’m sorry to report.
If you are a Grisham fan, you may be disappointed. You won’t find the normal twist of plot you’ve learned to expect. If you are looking for a quick, relatively fun read then you should pick this one up.
Are the best two teams playing in the super bowl?
I’ve always preferred college football to the NFL. Teams always seemed to take chances in order to earn points in the eyes of voters. I understand that this may take away from the strategy necessary to win a game in some cases, but it gives the game a level of excitement that is not present in a more conservative gameplan.
That being said, I’ve come away from many seasons with a sense of disappointment at the way the national champion was decided. Not this season, mind you – I’m very happy my Gators pulled it off but in many other seasons, I’ve been less than excited.
I was hopeful when the BCS was instituted, and in my opinion it has done a better job of choosing a champion than the previous system. My problem with the BCS is that it seems to have ruined the bowl season. What I remember as one or two days of great football has become almost two weeks of mostly inconsequential games named after greedy corporations.
So, like many others I have been spouting off at the mouth about how college football needs a playoff of some kind. I’ve been a big proponent of a “plus one” system. When Barack Obama started talking about it, I was thrilled. Not because I want my president to worry about such trivialities, but because I was glad to hear that someone of his intelligence (and sports fan status) would agree with me.
But now I have to wonder if I am on the right side of the debate. Are we headed in the wrong direction? If we can stick to the current system I think things will be okay, but can we do that? Will a plus-one system simply lead to more controversy? If it does, will that not eventually lead to a full-blown playoff system? and is that what we want?
I’m not sure. If there were a playoff system, I think I would be disappointed. First, one of the things I like most about college football, playing for “style points,” will not be as significant a factor. Second, we may end up with a definitive yet mediocre champion. I did not think much about this until I read this piece in which the author makes a very strong argument that the playoff system in the NFL simply doesn’t work. Someone at SI raises the same issue. I’d argue that is even the case in other professional sports.
On the other hand, maybe it’s the process we enjoy anyway. Who doesn’t love the NCAA basketball tournament? One of the things I like best about March Madness is that anything can happen, yet that’s what I like least about the NFL playoffs.
I guess I really have no idea what I want now.
NFL Players Player’s Talk About Barack Obama
My posts over the next week will be mostly Super Bowl related and I thought the following video would be an interesting transition from my previous posts.
What do NFL players think about our new president?
Some of them speak out in this video.
Daily Links
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Perhaps Johnson's ardor for Favre is as much economic as football-related. The Jets have some personal seat licenses (PSLs) to move, and it's a much easier sell when the starting quarterback is a first-ballot Hall of Famer instead of some dude named Kellen.
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I'm not a big fan of the NBA anymore, but Zo was one of my favorites. I was sad to see him leave my Nets and sad to see him leave the game. Stay healthy Zo.
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Accessories include: Night vision cameras, pump-action shotguns, tear gas cannons. Comes with bottles of blood compatible with the President's blood.
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The US Bird Avoidance Model? I find this all very hard to believe.
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We can say with some certainty that USA 202 is an advanced spy satellite of some description.
House Roll Call 1-22-2009
Commending the University of Florida Gators for winning the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game.
NO votes from AR, AZ, GA, PA, and TX
via Final Vote Results for Roll Call 29.
Daily Links
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If you really want to know what does, watch Thursday night. The answer will be written all over his face.
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"Mr. Raju said Wednesday that 50.4 billion rupees, or $1.04 billion, of the 53.6 billion rupees in cash and bank loans the company listed as assets for its second quarter, which ended in September, were nonexistent."
Say what?
Happy New Year!
I spent several hours of my 39th birthday at the Redskins v. Eagles game at the link on Sunday.I bought the tix as a Christmas present for Terri who is a huge Redskins fan. We enjoyed it very much especially since the skins made the playoffs and the Eagles failed to win a division game all season. I also put together a new look for this site. I wanted something a little less busy but still with all the links, photos, etc. Nothing fancy, but I like it.
It feels a little better now
One of my worst memories as a Jets fan is of that fake spike.
As most remember, with little time left, Marino had driven the Dolphins near our goal line and lined up as if he were going to spike the ball to stop the clock. But instead, he faked the spike, and as our defense let up for a split second, Marino threw the winning touchdown. Things were never the same for the Jets after that game. We went on an awful losing streak, the coaches were fired and it took three years for the franchise to turn it around.former Jet remembers it too
Anytime it comes up, I don’t want to think about it. It was painful.It does feel a little better now, though. Coach remembered it too! I wonder how long he’s been waiting to use this.Nice goin’ Pete!NPR : USC Win Tops Frantic Football Weekend
Vikings and Boats
Frankly, this kind of thing doesn’t surprise me. I know it should, but it doesn’t.I saw a report on ESPN that these guys believe they need to get out there and win. They believe that is the only way to redeem themselves. You know the sad thing is that they are right. People will forgive them as long as they win.Vikings Face Boat-Load of New ProblemsSome people never learn.
If I read his name one more time…
When Doug Brien missed two field goals to blow our game against the Steelers this year I was quick to defend him. After all, you can’t blame a whole game on the kicker. Can you? It is his job to kick that ball between the posts, right?Anyway, my daughter got me this great Jets desk calendar for Christmas. It’s the kind with a little rip-off page for each day. I love it, but…I am officially sick of Doug Brien.
- February 11
- Doug Brien was named the AFC’s special-teams player of the week after kicking 2 field goals, including the game winner in overtime, in the Jets’ 27 – 24 victory over Oakland in week 10 of 2003.
- May 2
- While with San Fransisco in 1994, kicker Doug Brien recovered a fumbled kickoff that helped the 49ers forge a big first-quarter lead over Dallas in the NFC title game. San Fransisco went on to win that game, then the Super Bowl.
- May 14/15
- Kicker Doug Brien’s 105 points in 2003 fell just 1 short of his career best. For what team did he score 106 points in 2000? Ans: – New Orleans
- June 2
- In what two games did Doug Brien kick 3 field goals in 2003?
- I could not care less!!!
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This website is simply a place for me to express my opinions. I post my thoughts on faith, family, freedom, and fun. -
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