5 Questions About The Super Bowl

Since last week’s “instructional” post was a hit I thought I’d do one more before I got back to interviews. I was inspired by a gentleman that I met today that knew seemingly nothing about football as I was trying my best to comfortably watch the Playoffs while indulging in a lovely black and tan and pasta (Yeah, I am still in NY). He asked some questions and I had some others recently so here we go…

1. What team has the best Super Bowl record?

That would be the San Francisco 49ers with a perfect 5-0 record. The Dallas Cowboys have also won five, but lost three and the Pittsburg Steelers are in the five win club but have losses as well. The Green Bay Packers have won 3 Super Bowls, but have 12 championships. They won the others before the current “Super Bowl” format.

2. Where, when, and who was in the first Super Bowl?

Bart Starr led the Green Bay Packers to a 35-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. It was on January 15, 1967 at the Coliseum in Los Angeles.

3. It seems like Super Bowl Games are always played in California or Florida, what gives?

Yes, someone asked me this. Since the Super Bowl has always been played in the winter, it is generally played in warmer places. Sure, you could have one at Lambeau Field, but it would be awfully cold and an unfair advantage to any team playing that always played in cold weather. Really, the idea is to have the conditions as neutral as possible and South Florida or Southern California are both well suited for this. There have been several games at the Louisiana Superdome over the years. In addition, there have been two Super Bowl games played in Michigan since the field has a dome.

4. Where do you find out records like who has the most sacks or receiving yards in Super Bowls?

The NFL has a very nice site that tells you all these facts and more. Oh, and by the way – sacks would be Reggie White and receiving yards would be Jerry Rice.

5. How much do Super Bowl ads cost this year?

Apparently it will set you back about 3 million dollars for a 30 second ad this year. This is one of the only games that fans actually pay attention to the commercials during the games since companies really go all out. For many fans, it is part of the whole watching the game experience.

Brett Favre Top Five...

I was set to write a post about my five favorite Brett Favre moments or quotes and realized just how much everyone has beat the dead horse that is the Brett Favre story. I really can't believe I'm talking about Brett again, actually. After searching the web I found a plethora of Brett Favre top fives. Check these out:

ESPN’s John Clayton says here are five reasons Favre would start for the Packers. I guess those weren’t compelling reasons. He cites experience, pressure, squeaky wheel factor, salary, and a chip that is on Favre’s shoulder. I guess Brett decided it didn’t matter what shade of green it was he wore on the jersey.

Hungdizzle has a fun list of the top five reasons Brett should leave Green Bay. My favorite is the one about his jean shorts.

The Bleacher Report posted the top five reasons the Packers don’t need him. They make good points like age, interceptions, retirement carousel, and more. You have to remember one thing about those interceptions…there are a lot of touchdowns also. One of my silly inspirational thoughts when I was a freshman in college was John Elway’s stats. He threw a ridiculous amount of picks…but look at his accomplishments. I guess that’s my corny way of pointing out that in order to succeed you must fail quite a bit.

Mefeedia has video of what they call his top five career moments. I know YouTube has quite the collection of Favre vids also. A fun one to watch is this one where he gets goosed while talking to Goose.

SI.com has the top five potential Brett Favre Headlines. My favorite is “Jets looking Favre better”. Sports radio today here in Los Angeles was still skeptical about the Jets even making it to the playoffs, even with Favre. Personally, I think he would have had a better chance in Tampa. He would have had a built-in fan base too – have you ever been there? It’s like Green Bay south. I had never fully experienced cheeseheads before I went to college in Florida.

NFL Gridiron Gab plays both sides of the fence and give the five reasons he should retire and the five that he should come back.

JoeSportsFan.com has a post from last year that gives seven of the most ridiculous things others have said about Favre. They are all pretty funny and Chris Berman is on the list more than once!

Check out this video collection of funny Brett sound bytes while you’re at it.

I’ll bet John Madden can’t wait to get to New York!

Brett Favre...Again

Being that this is a sports blog I feel compelled to comment yet again about the whole Brett Favre thing. I wrote a post when he retired a few months back commending his show of emotion. More recently I begged him not to return. With all of the new developments, there really isn’t something new I can write that hasn’t been said or rehashed in the last week. With that in mind, here is a list of places I’ve been getting my Brett Favre fill with:

Yahoo! Sports has the headline that reads Favre says the Pack should let him play elsewhere. How strange will that be to see Brett in another jersey?

Girls Dig Sports first asked Brett to let it go and then gave that observation a second look.

Gonner’s View wrote a letter of frustration about the entire shenanigans.

Pyle of List has a long commentary addressing Brett and the Packers fans.

On Opinion On Sports points out that there is no “semi-retired” in the NFL.

Afraid of Ed Hochuli broke his normal pattern of posting to discuss the matter.

With Malice even threw in his two cents when the whole thing was at the rumor stage.

Lombardi Ave wants ESPN to hush and also posted a collection of links about the Favre-versy yesterday.

Of course you can’t watch the NFL Network or SportsCenter without hearing about Brett Favre. Where have you been getting your Brett news? Have you written a Favre-related post recently?

Don't Do It Brett!!

Okay, the rumors are now in full swing and ESPN is reporting over and over about a possible return to football for Brett Favre. Allthough I’m not in Green Bay and am not a Packers fan I did develop a great deal of respect and admiration for Brett Favre over the years. As a football fan, the thought of him returning just coats a layer of cheese over his entire career. Sorry to say, but it would sour his legacy for me. For example, I have all the respect in the world for Michael Jordan but his stint playing with the Wizards was just really absurd in my view.

Fans that were interviewed in Green Bay were mostly supportive of the prospect of Favre’s return. No kidding. Green Bay = Football. Brett Favre continued to bring attention to this city and without him, it will take time for them to reach that higher level they’re accustomed to. Is there anything else to do in Green Bay? I’ve never been there so someone will have to let me know on that one.

I’m begging and pleading with you, Brett. Stay retired. If you’re bored playing golf, come out here to Southern California. There are plenty of great courses to keep you busy. Better yet, do the Steve Young or Troy Aikman and get an analyst job. I bet you look sharp in a suit.

So What If He Cried?

Brett Favre grew on me a few years ago. At first, I wasn’t a fan of his work or the Green Bay Backers since I am a follower of California NFL teams, particularly the San Francisco 49ers. After a while, the rivalry faded as the Niners became less of a threat following the salary cap debacle and disappointing performances year after year. I didn’t really give Favre much though until he started breaking some impressive records.

The one thing I have always admired is his work ethic. For example, here was a guy that had an extra helping of family tragedy in a short amount of time but remained a professional. He lost his father, his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, his brother-in-law was killed on his property, and his family home was destroyed in the 2005 hurricane season. If I’m not mistaken, his mother had a brief hospitalization somewhere in there also.

In spite of any tragedy he was experiencing, he never missed a game. In fact, I don’t remember ever hearing him complain about anything. Come to think of it, I can’t recall complaints of any sort in his career. No prima donna contract disputes, no bad-mouthing of teammates…nothing. I could be missing something since I am not anywhere near Green Bay so correct me if you know of any such whining…

Earlier this week when Favre announced his retirement he became quite emotional at the press conference. I was listening to ESPN radio and one of the guys was tearing Favre a new one for shedding tears. In true “good cop, bad cop” fashion, the other was supporting Favre’s honesty. Some of the commentary did seem a bit forced though - like they were just trying to get listeners to phone in and create buzz. Now, the Internet is full of blogs with fans freaking out about the fact that Favre cried.

Big deal! Seriously! Does this somehow upset people because it means he is actually human? I would like someone to explain to me why the big story around this incredible athlete’s career is the fact he had an emotional press conference. Oh, and don’t leave me some condescending comment that I don’t think it was a big deal because I’m female. Spare me the baloney please, I'm personally not a crier (not that it matters) and I’ve conferred with several male sports fans on this. I can’t find one that thinks Favre’s image is somehow tarnished now. Some of these guys have played pro sports themselves and would be considered quite “manly”. Please give me an intelligent argument as to why Favre's behavior is problematic.

I would think that more relevant stories would be to discuss the "big shoes" that Aaron Rodgers has to fill. How about covering what Mike McCarthy plans to do to keep the team moving ahead without their inspirational leader?

So what is really behind the problem with Brett’s show of emotion? Do tell!

Wild World of Wednesday – March 5, 2008

The first Wednesday in March and already a fun bunch of sports news even though the NCAA madness hasn’t even begun!

Fresh off of their Carling Cup win, the Tottenham Hotspur have caused quite a ruckus for playing badly and partying a bit much. Manchester United defeated Lyon 1-0 in their 10th straight home win. Cristiano Ronaldo’s game-winning goal was his 30th of the season. Arsenal still remain atop the Premier League in points although many think Man U will easily pass them since they're only one behind as of today.

NFL fans can relax, Randy Moss resigned with the New England Patriots in spite of rumors that he could end up with Dante Culpepper in Tampa Bay or with Brett Favre in Green Bay (although Culpepper has not gone to the Bucs yet). Speaking of Favre, the entire city of Green Bay (and perhaps the whole state of Wisconsin) is in mourning now that the 17-year veteran has announced his retirement. Interestingly enough, it wasn’t too long ago they were all very upset with his performances and whispered he should be traded away. Now that he is really gone, the mayor of the city nearly broke down in tears when interviewed on ESPN radio.

The Los Angeles Lakers are still red-hot in the NBA. Kobe Bryant scored 52 points in an overtime win against the Dallas Mavericks.

Kelly Slater won the Quiksilver Pro title in Australia over the weekend, beating out local favorite Mick Fanning. Not bad for a guy that's pushing 40! I've heard that age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill, although Slater is as skilled as any newbie half his age if not more!