Thanks to Chris for hosting
On friday and saturday. I pretty much covered my football rants at my site.
Michael's other raging issue remains -- Did Dennis like Pepsuber?
Labels: quote superbowl unquote, superbowl
posted by Brian @ 9:57 PM
15 comments
15 Comments:
Session in brief.
Saturday: Played BSG. Played Le Havre. Played caylus Magna Carta. Played Portal. Got song stuck in head.
Bought cake. Played rock band. Others played glory to Rome. Watched football. Got pissed off my football.
End session report.
Oh yes. And thanks for letting us invade. All weekend. :)
I always make a prop bet pool for my students. The most exciting one this year was "Over/under of shots of Brenda Warner during the game: 3.5". They didn't show her at all until the final minute of the 3rd. Then with 5:31 left in the 4th, they showed her in slo-mo replay, followed by a live shot from a different angle, and that shot put her at 4. People cheered louder than for the winning touchdown. Controversy was avoided by one more shot down the stretch.
I made two predictions before the game -- one I told you about (13+ point margin) and one I didn't (James Harrison wins MVP). Late in the 3rd I was golden. Two things killed me:
- The end-zone-holding safety
- Larry Fitzgerald is not of this Earth.
Pepsuber squandered great promise. There was one really odd ad near the end of the first half that we all liked, but I'm blanking on what it was. Heroes is now like Highlander -- everything after the first season doesn't really exist.
I was sad about the result. If the Cardinals can play a 2 minute defense, or make a play on an interception made in traffic, this is very different.
Also, how could there be no review on that game ending "fumble"? I expect the league to rescind the Patriot's first "tuck" rule fueled Super Bowl tomorrow given that they didn't even feel that play deserved a second look.
Ah, it was the Teleflora.com "No one wants to see you naked" ad. Second place goes to Hulu and Alec Baldwin.
Also, how was Holmes not flagged for unsportsmanlike for the "salt shaker" ball after his last touchdown? That plus non-turnover + 15 more yards for unsportsmanlike on the non-turnover equals the cardinals knocking on the door with 5 seconds left. Who knows but that was one of the worst officiated games (start to finish) since the Steelers - Eagles Superbowl (surprise surprise, the Steelers have been given two Superbowls in the past decade).
No review on the last play is a complete reversal of how it's been used the last several seasons. Unacceptable.
And the salt shaker was the Lebron resin thing. I hate it.
Steelers-Seahawks featured the phantom hold on a Seattle touchdown.
The other big concern (besides Pepsuber) was my writing "game over" in my notebook when the Steelers kicked a mincing fraidy-cat field goal from the 1 inch line on their first drive. This looked to be true (and the margin of victory) until that stupid catch.
I still believe that decision was utterly moronic.
Oh yeah, thanks for hosting Chris. It was good to see everyone that could make it.
Thanks for coming over, guys.
I was torn during the entire game. I didn't really have a rooting interest other than I like Kurt Warner. Nice guy, does a LOT of community work. Genuinely good person. And he's got a great rags-to-riches story that's been well publicized. But I didn't see how the Cardinals would really have a chance. I thought the Pittsburgh-Arizona defense difference was greater than the Arizona-Pittsburgh offense difference going into the game. I didn't see how Arizona could put enough points on the board to win the game. So I had to pick Pittsburgh.
Last year, I was solidly in the Giants camp, and it was great. This year, I was slightly in the Pittsburgh camp. Don't know why my silly prediction influenced who I was rooting for, but it seemed to. Bottom line, I thought Pittsburgh would run away with it in the late third and fourth quarter. Secretly, I would have been pretty happy for Warner to get another ring.
I was wrong on both counts.
The last Arizona play should have been reviewed. Christ, it's pretty much the last play of the entire NFL season. Ya got somewhere to go, refs? In a hurry to catch a plane or postgame buffet or something? Seriously, take two minutes and make sure the call is right, if not for yourself then at least to placate the 100 million watching the game. You didn't do yourself any favors by letting that one slip by.
The commercials generally were in the forgettable to headscratcher range. A startling number just didn't work. For the amount of money those things cost, it's a little surprising. I mean, this is essentially the Super Bowl of advertising as well. And that's what you brought?
Some of the job-seeking commercials were pretty funny (the moose head one comes to mind). Most of the beer commercials were not (I'm sorry, but I think the last Clydesdale commercial I found funny was the one with the zebra under the instant replay hood a few years back). Macgruber/Pepsuber was ok--I think it would mean more if I had seen some of the SNL skits with him before. I think I found it entertaining primarily because Michael kept mentioning "Pepsuber" for the rest of the game. I also thought Conan O'Brien's spot, the Flowers in a Box ("No one wants to see you naked") and the Dog Adoption ad with the rhino and ostrich were all pretty good, too. The Go Daddy ads were a little uncomfortable to watch. I know that pushing the bounds of decency is the point, but it still surprised me for a program that I'm sure a lot of kids were watching. Maybe I'm just getting old.
Last play should have been reviewed, but it wouldn't have been overturned. Warner lost control of the ball *before* his arm went forward, so even though he pushed the ball forward, it's still a fumble.
Holmes's "salt shaker" celebration should also be an automatic 15-yard penalty (using the ball as a prop), but I'm honestly glad is wasn't called, because the Super Bowl should not be affected by rules that are lame with a capital LAME.
And you're all missing the best penalty of the night -- a personal foul for obliterating the holder on a field goal. An all-time first for me.
Last year, someone at my party described the theme of all Bud Light commercials as "the beer for jerks". Watched in that context, they all make sense. Most of the commercials were ridiculously bad, but they have been for a couple of years now. Careerbuilder.com was particularly absurd -- you may be crying at work, but are you really giving up a stable job right now? Just because someone punched a koala?
The commercials were for the most part stupid. What happened to the frogs? I mean really -- horses in love running across the country to be together. :sigh:
But you should see what they didnt air. Talk about uncomfortable.
Watching the go daddy adds was awkward enough. i am not sure that peta members getting it on with vegetation advertising that vegetarianism makes for better sex would have been at all comfortable.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/01272009/gossip/pagesix/its_a_veggie_violation_152166.htm
And I would have liked the hulu add better is Alec Baldwin didnt look so creepy. Ick. But I will remember the commercial. And the site now.
I'm sure you all heard about what you COULD have been watching...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7864733.stm
Amy -- that would have been more awkward indeed. Glad that didnt happen.
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