Super Bowl

As Twitter, Facebook and the rest of the blogging world (Myspace, what's that?) fill up with news of the Super Bowl, I'm going to make like a sheep and follow.

The Indianapolis Colts dominated the first quarter, strong on defense and aggressive on the offense. The Colts opened the scoring, with Matt Stover, the oldest ever Super Bowl player, kicking a field goal to put the Colts three up. With 36 seconds left on the clock in the first quarter, Manning threw a 19 yard pass, straight into the waiting hands of a double-covered Pierre Garcon. With the 2 point PAT kick good, the Colts were up 10-0 at the quarter.

Its seemed as though my predictions were to become true. My head said Colts but my heart said Saints. After a Colts dominated first quarter, the Saints looked like they were never going to recover. The second quarter brought the Saints two field goals, bringing the score to 10-6, with the Colts dominance fading.

I don't know what happened in the locker-room at half-time, I was too busy watching The Who, but the Saints came out roaring after half-time. After recovering the onside kick, the Saints dominated the game, scoring a touchdown, leading the game 13-10. The lead then changed hands back to the Colts yet again, but the momentum from the Saints was undeniable, and they were soon back on top.

The final quarter was an all Saints affair. Scoring two touchdowns, one of them an intercept from a Manning pass. The Saints convincingly won the game, 31-17.

Forget the Super Bowl

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few weeks, or, say, overseas, then you would inevitably be aware that the Super Bowl is due in around a week. I even bothered to blog about it, and you just know that if I bother to blog about it, then it must be noteworthy.

All that aside, let's continue on with the genre of sport. About a week ago (yes, I'm a lazy blogger, get over it) a story hit the headlines about a Kansas basketball coach who made a seemingly impossible basket. In an attempt to repeat a prank performed on CollegeHumor, students at a local Kansas high school blindfolded the women's basketball coach and promised tickets to the NCAA Final Four, if he made the half-court shot. In a stroke of luck, the shot was sunk and the crowd went wild for Coach Branstorm.

Of course, there were no tickets to be spoken of. Feeling guilty, the students pooled together enough money to purchase a gift card to a local restaurant.

Back to the water-cooler topic at hand: the Indianapolis Colts and New Orlean Saints could both use a Branstorm on their team. Or a Flutie. Or, you know, a Manning.

Bree vs. Manning, this Sunday 6:30PM EST (7:30 Central).

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/1004921/blindfolded-basketball-coach-prank-backfires

The Day the Nation Stops

It's nearly that time of year again folks. The day grown men cry tears of joy and happiness; the day people of all races, creeds or gender come together in solidarity against a common enemy. It is the only day of the year that you will see the streets of New York, Philadelphia or Dallas desertedand desolate. It is Super Bowl Sunday.

As the days push further into the new year, the nation quickly forgets the Christmases/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/New Year celebrations, to make way for the biggest day in American t.v. From mid-January (coinciding with the New Year Rule) the nation gradually becomes further and further obsessed with the national sport. The excitement becomes undeniably contagious during the days leading up to the conference playoffs. Water-cooler talk becomes more monopolized than North Korea.

It is such an important feature of the nation's psyche that it is classified as an National Security Event, subject to the same security measures as Presiden Brack Obama's Inauguration, or former-President Ronald Reagan's state funeral. And post-911 you just know you're chances of an rectal search just skyrocketed.

Then, on the first Sunday of February, the streets empty and the power bill goes through the roof. Welcome to the Super Bowl.

Close to 100 million people around the nation tune in to watch. Some for the sport, some for the half-time show, some for the eye candy and, increasingly, some for the ads.

It's the day that defines and fulfills the nation's love of sport, family and friends. Only mere days til the day the nation stops.