Monday, February 2, 2009

Happy Post-Super Bowl, Groundhog, Pre-Blogroll Amnesty Day!

This weekend I discovered, thanks to Jon Swift and Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, that February 3 was Blogroll Amnesty Day (though it is actually being celebrated January 31 - February 3, making it more of a Blogroll Amnesty Long Weekend), "the blogosphere's greatest (and, so far, only) holiday... a day when we salute all of the great smaller blogs that don't get the recognition they deserve," per Mr. Swift. To which I say "here, here" -- as in, send your readers here, here, to J-TWO-O, a Lilliputian-sized blog with big dreams, Mr. Swift and Mr. Bush Kangaroo! (Hmm... Maybe they should have called it National Blog Whoring Day.)

And while I think giving voice/linkage to deserving small blogs is a most noble idea, and I do my bit every day by linking to many fine small (and some large) blogs (at right), which I encourage everyone reading this to click on and explore, I am suffering a bit from "special day" overload. Take today, for example, which is Groundhog Day. And this just in from Gobbler's Knob, Pennsylvania: Six more weeks of winter. Curse you, Punxsutawney Phil! (No wonder he's packing heat. He's going to need it after that forecast. Feh.)

It is also Post-Super Bowl/Big Game Day (more on this below). And now Pre-Blogroll Amnesty Day (which should really be called Support Your Favorite Small Blogs Day). And in less than two weeks it will be Valentine's Day. And then before we know it it'll be St. Patrick's Day, which is really just an excuse to drink way too much beer, act like an idiot, and piss in an alley.

Enough with the "days" already.

What's next, Stimulate the Economy Day? A Day without Rod Blagojevich Day? (Though that would be nice. Ditto A Day without Sarah Palin Day.) Rush Limbaugh Day? (Though really every day is Rush Limbaugh Day, at least at MSNBC.) Oh and don't get me started on National Boss Day. (What are the self-employed supposed to do, celebrate themselves?)

But as today is the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday it behooves me to briefly discuss the Big Game, even though neither the New York Giants nor the New York Jets played this year. Herewith, J.'s Thoughts on Super Bowl XLIII (typed during the Big Game):

First Half:
* Is make-up speed anything like make-up sex?

* Is it me or were this year's commercials way better than last year's? (The spouse and I particularly liked the Pepsi commercial featuring Bob Dylan and Will.i.am, though Pepsi? And I did chuckle at the GoDaddy.com ad with Danica Patrick in the shower and the Cars.com ad. Though I still HATE those dumb eTrade ads with the baby(ies). Btw, you can watch all the Super Bowl ads on Hulu.com.)

* Apparently, per the announcers, Kurt Warner had yet to "find his rhythm" and is "a rhythm quarterback." Considering the guy has seven kids (though three are adopted, I believe), I would say the rhythm method hasn't been working for Kurt for a while now.

* Second quarter, just over 8 minutes left, looked like we had a game -- and Kurt found his rhythm! Steelers 10, Cardinals 7.

* Just wondering, how many letters can fit on the back of an official NFL jersey? Good thing Ben is so Big, otherwise Roethlisberger would never fit; ditto Rodgers-Cromartie.

* Phenomenal end to the half, if you are a Steelers fan -- 100 yard interception return by No. 92, James Harrison, the youngest of 14 kids. (Whoa.) Was the longest interception return in Super Bowl history. Though totally sucked if you (like me and the spouse) were rooting for the Cardinals. Gotta admit though, that was pretty incredible. Did not see that one coming (nor, apparently, did Kurt Warner and the Cardinals. Again, so much for the "rhythm" method).

Half Time:
* I am so not feeling you Sobe. And what is with all the 3-D sh*t?

* Listening to the NBC Gatorade half-time team, I am not listening. Commentary overload. Let's not go back to the first possession of the game, Bob... (Clearly they were playing for time and praying for Bruce Springsteen to start playing.)

* Re Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, how much do you think they made for 12 minutes/4 songs? Not a huge fan of The Boss, but the spouse and I thought he put on a very good show -- and the saxophone player kicked butt. Also liked the girls with guitars. (And hey, it beat the heck out of listening to Bob Costas, Chris Collinsworth, and the rest of the NBC Gatorade half-time crew prattle on for another 12 minutes.)

Second Half:
* Harrison almost did it again. Almost.

* End of the third: Pittsburgh 20, Arizona 7. Yawn. Give me Super Bowl XLII. (Even the commercials had gotten boring.) But then...

* 7:33 to go in the fourth and Larry Fitzgerald scored a touchdown for Arizona -- 20 - 14, Steelers. And, okay, that Alec Baldwin Hulu.com commercial and the latest "Heroes" ad were pretty funny. Things were looking up!

* 6:39 to go and Roethlisberger gets sacked. Better...

* Et tu Richard Dean Anderson? Pepsuber? Really? Worse...

* You call that a penalty?! Harrison should have been thrown out of the game. Talk about unnecessary roughness. Those were low blows.

* Wow. Safety. Pittsburgh 20, Arizona 16. Less than three minutes to go... Things were starting to get interesting again.

* 2:37 Larry Fitzgerald goes ALL... THE... WAY! WoW. Arizona 23, Pittsburgh 20. Whoa. Talk about an amazing race... (And Matt Leinart makes a cameo.)

* Holy cow! Pittsburgh scored a touchdown with 35 seconds left in the fourth quarter! Another amazing play. No sh*t, Sherlock -- I mean Santonio, who went on to become the MVP. So much for boring. Though you gotta feel a little bad for Warner, Fitzgerald, and the Cardinals.

* And it's over. The Pittsburgh Steelers win 27 - 23, becoming the first franchise to win six Super Bowls.

Oh and do check out my Super Bowl Pre-Game Wrap-Up if you have not already done so -- and check out some small blogs this week!

10 comments:

Dave S. said...

Great game, although when the penultimate Steelers drive is fueled by 3 personal foul penalties...

The interception return was amazing and is in fact the longest play of any kind in SB history. About the only thing more amazing was the last TD catch.

Springsteen rocked our house - hard to believe he's 56. My Jersey Girl wife used to trick or treat at his house!

Anonymous said...

May Springsteen and all us aging bloggers be forever young!
You rock J! Thanks for another great morning pick up. Keep on trucken.

J. said...

Good point, Dave. I'm now thinking definitely asterisk.

Re your lovely wife, very cool bit of Springsteen trivia. And he's 56. Wow.

And Anonymous, thanks for the kind words, but why no name? (I know you're not my mom or the spouse. And Felix hasn't learned to type yet...)

Anonymous said...

6 more weeks of winter-argh.
6 more months without football-sigh.
12 minutes of the Boss was exceptional.

I think I am going to eat lunch.

Anonymous said...

A better game then I expected (perhaps enhanced even more by a bounty of beer in 2 kegs I had left over from a dinner party the night prior?) the highpoints of which Dave S, summarized nicely.

Regarding the halftime show, Springsteen is always at this best live but I did find his power slide ending in a tea bagging of the television camera a bit much at age 56. I still think the best halftime show ever was Prince, his guitar solo of purple reign with the "love symbol/phallus" guitar cast in shadow silhouette on a billowing cloth ranks as the # 1 performance I've seen.

J. said...

Even without a keg (or two), it wound up being a most interesting and exciting game, Powaqqatsi. And your "tea bagging of the television camera" line may very well become my phrase of the day. Though, technically, I believe the camera was tea bagging the Boss. (In any case, I will never look at that clip the same way again.)

Anonymous said...

You'd have to consult Samantha Jones to resolve that one. In any case, tea was served.

You Tube the prince video if you haven't seen it.

J. said...

I cannot believe I had to Google "Samantha Jones." Oh, the shame.

And did check out Prince on YouTube, though it was hard to hear him over the clowns.

As for the guitar, when is a guitar (or bass) NOT a phallic symbol? And who cares? Conservatives need to get a (sex) life.

EMM said...

Great game, the personal foul by Harrison tainted that awesome 2nd Quarter run.

J, hate to disagree w/ you, but I thought the commercials were really lame (I like the e-trade commercials). The e-trade "golf", Coke "picnic" and Alec Baldwin's were my favorites.

Half time was good musically, but I could have done w/out the schtick and changing of the lyrics. I agree that Prince's half time show was the best by far.

Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale is delicious...can't have a Super Bowl w/out beer.

J. said...

Thanks for weighing in, EMM! Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale, eh? Will look into it. Still have to get through the Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA I bought on Dave's recommendation. (Too bitter for me.)