Super Bowl Recap

You know it’s funny, just because the Super Bowl was played this week, everyone expects you to write about it.

In the past week, I had half or dozen or so individuals tall me they were anxious to read my column this week because they wanted my take on the big game.   Just because it is the Super Bowl doesn’t mean I have to write about it.  But I will… a little.

The Rams did not make the Super Bowl this year, so I really didn’t care who won, but since St. Louis is in the NFC, and being the loyal fan I am, I rooted for the Packers.  I’ll admit, I like Pittsburgh as well.  Actually, I liked the fact we had two teams that had been in the NFL for a very long time, and two teams with rich pedigrees doing battle.  It had all the makings of a great Super Bowl, and I’m not sure it was great, but it was very good.

I was quite pleased to see the Packers score twice in about 30 seconds late in the first quarter and go up 14-0.  I was even more pleased to see them go up 21-3 in the second quarter, and wasn’t really concerned when the Steelers scored a late first half touchdown to cut the lead to 21-10 at the half.

Ok, I’ll admit I started to squirm a little bit when Pittsburgh cut the lead to 21-17, but felt comfortable enough to get more snacks when the Packers made it 28-17 early in the fourth quarte
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But here came Big Ben and the Steelers again, scoring another touchdown AND converting a two-point try where Roethlisberger made like a wishbone quarterback and optioning the ball right before he was hit.

The Pack added a field goal to make it 31-25, and the suspense began to mount as Pittsburgh got the ball with two minutes left and started their final drive.  But the Packer defense had their big boy pants on and was able to stop the Steelers on fourth-down, and for the fourth time, the Green Bay Packers were Super Bowl champions.

I was pleased.

I was not pleased with the National Anthem.

I am not a fan of hers, but I acknowledge Christina Aguilera has talent, so I did not think anything of it when the NFL asked her to do the national anthem.  But good grief, not only did she mess up the words, she skipped a line.  When you’re on the big stage, you have to perform to a higher standard.

It was not pretty.

I was not as pleased with the half-time show or the commercials.

The Black-Eyed Peas are a well-known act, but all that glitz and futuristic stuff was just a little too much for me.  OK, having Slash show up to play guitar on Guns ‘N Roses “Sweet Child O Mine” was a plus, but I’m sorry, as far as I’m concerned, the rest of the half time gave me a headache.  We don’t need pyrotechnics, or performers dropping from the roof, and we certainly don’t need a thousand dancers prancing around and glowing like they have been nuked.   Besides, how many people really watch the halftime show anyway?

In my opinion, get some classic rock band, put them out there and let them play.

Personally, I thought the commercials were a little lame as well.  Oh, there were a few good ones.  I thought the VW ad with the kid playing Darth Vader was exceptional.  Nothing like messing with the mind of a 10-year-old.  I also enjoyed the Pepsi Max commercial where the wife/girlfriend throws a can of Pepsi at her husband/boyfriend for having wandering eyes.  He of course ducks, and the can hits this blonde female jogger (the object of his glances) upside the head, laying her out.  It wasn’t really that violent, just funny in a Three Stooges sort-of-way.  I could almost hear Curly in the background, with his trademark, “nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.”

I liked the Audi commercial where the jail looked like a posh mansion or hotel or something like that.  All the old money folks doing their time.  They were rebelling by taking their forks to their crystal champagne glasses, and the warden responded by saying, “quick, cue the Kenny G,” and suddenly the noise stopped replaced by mellow, contented sounds from the inmates.   Pretty clever there.

Of course the E-Trade commercials with the infants are always good.  You would think we would get tired of them by now, but they keep them fresh and funny.  I also liked the Coke commercial with the border guards and the Doritos ad with the bulldog.  Very cute.

Ok, maybe they weren’t so lame.

(The above was my column "Bits & Pieces for Feb. 10)