Please make it a competitive game. Otherwise I'm going to have a bunch of drunks on my hands. Well, I may anyway but they won't be bored and drunk.

BTW: I noticed the "Epilog" before it was changed. I thought it must be some kind of pun that I wasn't getting.

No one will like the halftime show

While normally a truism, Tom Petty's great. Not that he necessarily appeals to today's generation, but still...Let's just hope for no wardrobe malfunctions.

I switched to the more popular spelling of "epilogue".

When are you going to switch "Things you might know have known" ?

Wikipedia says Don Mischer is running the halftime show, again, this year. So there may or may not be balloons.

Things you might know have known

But you went with the very unpopular spelling of "not".

5
I can't tell whether that's funny or not because I have no idea who Don Mischer is.

He made the most interesting contribution to CNN's coverage of the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

So far I've heard three predictions from out here on the East Coast:

Pats 27, Giants 17
Pats 31, Giants 28

and

Giants 142, Pats 12.

Hmm...

If I was to make a bet today, I would take the Eli's and the points

So have Rams fans been playing "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" on a loop this week?

(reposting) I know there's a chat here today for the Stupor Bowl, which is great, but no reason you can't check in with two live blogging events - ya know, if you're online anyway. So join me for an experiment in live blogging too, beginning at 3pm Pacific:

http://tinyurl.com/2gj33w

I have to approve each comment so hopefully I won't get overwhelmed, but that probably won't be a problem.

I won't make any predictions on a final score until a few minutes before the final whistle.

Just doing my part to keep the Toaster's servers from being overwhelmed.

I think the car I drive is an XL-II model.

I haven't been paying any attention, so can someone explain to me what it is that "conservatives" don't like about McCain? (Assume I know nothing, which may not require any deviation from normalcy)

If your bored and have no rooting interest some Toaster favorites have the following numbers in my pool.
LAT - 8-5 and 5-8. What are the odds that if you buy two squares out of 100 that you would get the same numbers for both teams?
Eric Stephen - Giants 6, Pats 5
Yours Truly - Giants 6 Pats 4
Giants 1 Pats 3
Giants 3 Pats 3
My wife has Giants 4 Pats 0
Payout is 50.00 per score change, 250 per quarter except for the 4th and whatever is left from the 2000 goes to the winner.

Being a Packer fans and a somewhat Pat fan even if they are cheaters, I am hoping they crush the Giants because I really dislike their coach and because they knocked the Packers out.

Amazing how the Lakers have changed their future with one trade.

And Jeff Kent has Giants 4 Pats either 1 or 9.

I didn't know you had a pool going TC

15
Conservatives approve of McCain's Selma killing policy, but they oppose his Bart killing policy.

If McCain becomes president, I'm shorting my stock in Waterboards, Inc.

I gather McCain's a warmonger, but that would presumably make him appealing to The Right. What is it that makes them think he's a lib'rul?

McCain does support fetal stem cell research, although he leans to the pro-life side. His stance on immigration isn't considered tough enough for some conservatives.

21
But if we bomb enough of the foreigners, we won't have to worry about them moving in illegally and taking our jobs...

For D4P's reading pleasure:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18437398

19 I believe you mean McBain. McBaaaaainnnn...

---

Man, first he ruins New Year's Eve, now we're subjected to him again. I speak, of course, of Ryan Seacrest.

23
In theory, reading what the candidates say about the issues should tell us where they stand. But I tend to think their statements don't really mean much, and don't always gel with their actual stances.

Not a conservative, but I (and most conservatives I know) are appalled by McCain-Feingold. Heck, it got the NRA & the ACLU to agree on one thing: BCRA is bad.

Animal Planet is showing Puppy Bowl.

Go Giants (though I suspect the New England team will score more points)

18
I thought I sent you an email. I sent out quite a few to DT people like Bob, Jon, Bhsportsguy and so forth but only LAT and Eric responded.
I only had a few squares available because most of them are reserved for a pickem pool I run that has 35 members or my extended family.

Geez. George Bluth Sr. is in another comedy, by my count the second since Arrested Development died.

This Tuesday is shaping up as the most exciting primary day of my lifetime. I'm still unnerved when I watch Clinton and Obama wade into these crowds during the primary campaign.

As much as I love cats, I have to admit the Kitten Bowl was a crashing bore. Puppy Bowl will no doubt be more exciting, or at least better than more Ryan Secrest at halftime.

underdog will not officially endorse anyone in the upcoming primaries, because my first two officially sanctioned candidates have both dropped out before Tuesday, so I am the kiss of death. I won't say who, I'll just say one of them is Latino and the other has very expensive hair.

I can't help but feel like the "winner" of this election will actually end up being a big loser. Whomever takes over is seriously set up for failure, and will inherit from the current administration a ton of unsolvable problems for which s/he will be blamed by supporters of the current admin.

No thanks.

Sort of like James Buchanan? Or Herbert Hoover?

D4P, I've got a couple of Petty YouTube links up at my place (http://www.linkmeister.com/blog/) if you need a fix before halftime.

I'll take the Pats by a touchdown. The Jints beat the spread, but the Pats go undefeated.

I'm staying home to watch for the first time since 1990; my usual host is off-Oahu and on-island in Manhattan.

27 Didn't get one, but no worries. I'm already in a couple.

I liked Dodd, but...

of the two remaining on the Democratic side, I think Hillary is meaner, which may be a requirement right now.

On the Republican side, I'll be polite and not say a word.

Link,
I'll be in your state in April, but I'll be on Kauai. My girlfriend and I planning on doing nothing and I figured that's the best place for it. Also, she's never been there.

Gotta love Tom Petty's "Lucky" character on King of the Hill.

Bob, if you have any time in Honolulu waiting for a plane, let me know.

Kauai is under a flash flood watch today.

We're going nonstop from LAX to LIH, but thanks for the offer.

Not picking up a Politics of Hope vibe, here. I'd better get to inTrade and start shorting Obama.

30
from what I've seen of the Puppy Bowl so far, I'd say you can save your thumbs--or whatever combination of appendages/digits you normally use to operate the remote.
-Oh, and save your retinas too.

When is Bob coming out to NC? He (hopefully) only has a 4-5 month window to visit before I leave...

Discovery is running a replay of the Baseball special Mythbusters (with Roger Clemens cameo). Apparently corking your bat is dumb, as well as illegal.

Don't forget! Help me test this live blogging software in my own super bowl chat, now live at
http://underdog.typepad.com/wandering_outloud_/live-super-bowl-and-super.html

jump in and out anytime!

3 Here's hoping Tom Petty can somehow top Prince; maybe he'll make his silhouette look like it sprouted a hyperactive nymph on the other end of it's third leg.

re ● sil ● ien ● cy
being able to sit through inane pre-game segments

in ● tell ● i ● gence
not watching pre-game segments

gen ● i ● us
not watching game itself

team ● work ● ism ● ness
why we we'll never stop hearing about the 2007-08 Patriots

nothing ● better ● to ● do
why I'm watching the game

anything ● is ● better ● then ● watching ● New ● England ● win

● then ●

=

● than ●

believe ● in ● schadenfreude

Referee Mike Carey is one of those guys who makes calls that sound very official. It's almost like he's in the military.

I will eat no chips during this game. I bought fruit!

Chips are reserved for college football bowl games.

Doesn't everyone eat fruit during the Super Bowl...?

I love the fact that the computer-generated blue and yellow lines are in slo-mo shots now.

Just think how well these Giant plays would be working if New England didn't know they were coming...

Message to NY: don't bother kicking field goals.

Belichick looks like a homeless man. Seriously.

8:25 taken off the clock so far.

With respect to kicking field goals against New England, Ivan Drago said it best:

"You vill lose"

Giants for a FG. What a surprise.

Belichick looks like a homeless man

Cheating wears on you. Or so I'm told.

If the game gets called off now because of rain, the Giants win!

The stadium has a roof.

Um, if the game gets called off now because of a terrorist attack, the Giants win!

I hope the Giants realize that 7 > 3

How many people are waiting on 3/0 in their pools right now.

I think the Patriots just realized 7 > 3.

So is 7 > 3?

I hope the terrorists hold off now for a while. Look to me for the signal, guys.

That was the most ineffective blitz in Super Bowl history.

I hope the Giants realize that 7 > 6

7 > 0 =(

Mr. Smith, you have been relieved.

76 One Bruin is rooting for a Trojan. During the Laker game broadcast, Stu Lantz mentioned that Jordan Farmar's high school teammate at Taft High is Steve Smith, who was the 2 aka shooting guard on their basketball team.

Farmar said Smith was a very good basketball player but was a better football player.

Okay, the commercials really suck.

If Hillary promised not to let the government buy Super Bowl ads about drugs, I'd think about voting for her.

I liked Steve Smith when he was at USC because he was USC's designated "non-jerk" receiver. I hated Mike Williams, who was a bomb in the NFL, and Dwayne Jarrett.

80- And Andrew Bogut.

79
Aren't kids just "saying 'No'" to drugs, anyway?

The Giants's "Run on 1st and 2nd downs, throw on 3rd" gambit is bold and innovative.

82
I will give kids my prescription drugs. This will keep their cholesterol down and also stop their epilepsy.

Knotty problem of football developing.

"Illegal bat"? What sport is this anyway?

That was a good call.

You can't knock loose balls around with your hands or feet in a deliberate way.

No penalties called on New England yet. I guess they're perfect.

This is one of those annoying games where "your" team will outgain the opponent by a lot of yards, but still lose.

Bob's kind enough to drop by my chat, so I'm returning the favor.

I bet the scoring in this game picks up by end of 3rd quarter.

Bet trainwreck likes Randy Moss not having any catches so far.

The Patriots were the 17th most penalized team in the NFL in terms of yardage. The Giants were 21st.

92
So: these refs are clearly biased.

I also just learned my limit for guacamole and tortilla chips. Ugh. I think I know where I'm spending part of the Tom Petty halftime show.

underdog's Final words: I should've eaten fruit...

Four teams have actually made it through a Super Bowl without a penalty:

Falcons against Denver in 1998
Broncos against San Francisco in 1989
Steelers against Dallas in 1975
Dolphins against Dallas in 1971

The teams with no penalties were 1-3.

Tom Petty and the Heartburners?

Bob, are you using football-reference.com?

The NFL website has most of this info.

Huh. The Giants had the lowest payroll of any team in the NFL this year. The Patriots had the second highest. I thought salary caps meant all payrolls would be about the same, but it looks like there's a fifty million dollar spread.

http://tinyurl.com/2ds6ec

there was a time when Tom Petty was fresh and new. of course, that was when Super Bowls were still in the teens.

The First Lady of California has endorsed Obama. Those Kennedys don't get along well.

That's because it's easier to pay a group of young extras to pretend they like old acts than it is to hire a recent act old fart football fans won't recognize.

You could have laid a bet at the Las Vegas Hilton on what the last song of Tom Petty's set would be.

No Rule 5 at The Griddle!

Up With People participated in the Rose Parade this year.

This is the least objectionable half-time show I can remember. Just boring is a major step up from actively irritating.

The NFL even has a nice chart for Super Bowl entertainment history.

http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/history/entertainment

No Rule 5 at The Griddle!

Dodger Thoughts hates our freedom.

Serie del Caribe isn't that much better...

I reserve the right to censor anyone's comments. But since I don't get as many comments as Jon does, I don't see political commentary being a big issue.

Jon gets way more traffic and he doesn't want DT to turn into some Battle Royale between Daily Kos and Instapundit.

Tom Petty: "Thank you so much! God bless! I'm a million dollars richer!"

111 It's amazing how Jon manages to keep it civil there. Lots of credit goes to the commenters, obviously.

Tom Petty King of the Hill tie-in... It was only a matter of time

Lots of credit goes to the commenters, obviously

Thanks.

I wonder if any impressionable kids have tried slipping on pee-pee at the CostCo to get $50,000 settlements.

Is there any doubt left about just how much money the Indian casinos have or how much these propositions mean to them. They must be spending a fortune on advertsing.

If this challenge goes New England's way, we will hear D4P's screams throughout the country.

bellichek can hop

118
I'm not watching. What's happening?

118 Is that what that sound is?

12 men on the field on the Giants. First down New England.

=(

12 men on the field on the Giants

That's BS. How do the refs know for sure that all 12 of them are men...?

120 "Baseball players are smarter than football players. How often do you see a baseball team penalized for too many men on the field?" - Jim Bouton

124
Visual inspection.

Carmen Electra is a distant relative of former ESPN anchor Dan Patrick.

At least Petty enforces the perception(false) that Rock is still more improtant in this country than Country. I had to release both my children to Country music as much as I hated the name. However I am beginning to find that modern Country is mostly Rock or Blues, and if I just accept the lanquage, I have no real problem. For a decade or so most Country singers sang with a stupid hick accent over a Rock background, but now even that seems to be fading.

These ads have mostly been a disappointment so far. I've liked the Bridgestone ads and the Career Builder one... not much else...

that's very undorellian.

You know, prior to the debut of the Macintosh in 1984, nobody ever cared about the ads in the Super Bowl.

I watched Super Bowl III at the Paley Center and they just had regular car commercials and a lot of Gillette ads.

And in the Serie del Caribe, Aguiles over Tigres 2-1, 3rd inning.

Tom Hanks and Tim Allen probaby made a few easy bucks for that plug.

129 You didn't like the salesgenie ads? Ethnic stereotypes at their finest

I thought the Patriots were supposed to keep Mr. Brady from getting hit. Gisele will be mad.

134 I read their strategy was to produce intentionally bad ads, but they've taken that edict way too far.

I have eaten three bananas today and I have no leg cramps.

Gisele will be mad

I hope she doesn't get her panties in a Bündch

I think I will be missing the Pro Bowl.

I remember back in the day when the Pro Bowl was held annually at the LA Coliseum and it was a big deal.

Riddle:

I won't be watching the Pro Bowl, but I won't be missing it either.

This affair doesn't have much scoring, which kind of goes against the point of affairs in the first place.

Fewest points in a Super Bowl is 21.

Miami 14, Washington 7.

The game was not as close as the score would have indicated.

The Miami-Washington Super Bowl at the LA Coliseum (#7) was the first one held in LA that the NFL allowed to be televised in the LA market.

Super Bowl 1 was blacked out in LA despite it being shown on TWO networks.

A 6-pointer!

Bill Plaschke told me that Tom Brady can't lead his team to game-winning touchdowns, so the best New England can hope for is to tie the score.

Bill Plaschke didn't watch the Patriots-Ravens game did he?

!!!!! That Giants TD was the best thing to happen tonight since that Terminator started beating the crap out of the Fox robot...

I feel bad that my kids like the animated robot that comes on when they go to commercial (and come back). They mimic what it does each time. I hate that thing.

It would almost be amusing if this ended up a tie, and revealed the horrible tie breaking system the NFL has. I assume they have nothing better for the Superbowl. Whoever wins the coin flip probably wins. An interesting premise!

Whoever wins the coin flip probably wins

No doubt the Patriots will sneak in a double-headed coin and then call "Heads".

149 Why would a robot need to do warm-up exercises anyway?

The college tie breaking system isn't a whole lot better than sudden death.

I suggest the NFL adopt the old California Tiebreaker. Put the ball on the 50, each team alternates plays for 8 snaps. The winner is the team with the ball in its opponents side of the field.

154
What did they do if one team scored a touchdown on one of its snaps (or the defense returned a turnover for a touchdown)?

Or we could let them play 15 minute periods until a period ends with one team ahead, or until one team runs out of players, whichever comes first.

Then the game was over.

Baseball and basketball have the most sensible tiebreaking procedures.

Basketball's is the fairest. In baseball, the visitors have to get three extra outs to win.

Lame possession, Giants.

Sudden death should commence with an XFL-style opening kickoff, where one player from each team races to the ball on the 50. Winner gets the advantageous first possession.

That's better than a coin flip.

Ugh. The game is setup for a legendary game-winning TD drive.

The Patriots are unlikely to go on an 8-minute long 80-yard TD drive.

However, the Patriots did have a long drive to run out the clock against the Chargers in their last game.

162
You know it's going to happen. And we're gonna have to hear about it ad nauseum. But at least it will be tarnished by the cheating.

Johnny Unitas would have won this game already.

Is New York employing the "Prevent (Yourself from Keeping the Other Team From Scoring) Defense"?

The Giants best hope now is for Brady to morph into Rob Johnson.

I think the Super Bowl record of fewest rushing attempts is in the bag now. Total of 39 in the game. And I doubt the Giants are going to rush the ball six times on their next drive.

oh boo

I just broke Rule 13.

your turn, Jints

Brady may be named the MVP by default. There's really nobody on the Patriots who has done a lot.

Welker does have 11 catches, but they weren't for TDs.

Patriots MVP: Camera guy

Eli Manning may be named MVP.

I can only hope that someday New England's accomplishments are as tarnished as Barry's.

wow!

That was pretty amazing.

What a catch!

I have a hard time believing that play just transpired.

Nice catch.

Not to mention MVP Manning's sack avoidance.

Manning can be MVP if he can survive.

It seems that the MVP will be the winning QB although Brady really didn't play all that well.

At least by his normal standards.

Yatta!

wow!

Wow. How did he get wide open?

I'm D4P, and I approve of that touchdown.

Burress was as open as John Taylor.

I've got a daughter going for the Giants, a son going for the Patriots, and another son who is going for whoever is in the lead.

I like the son who blows with the wind. Let me just say. If the voters can blow with the wind, I too will show them that I can blow.

Holy Rule 1 Violation!

D4P I know you dislike the Patriots, but I'm surprised you're willing to stomach two Mannings winning Super Bowls back-to-back.

Mark this moment, the only time in recent sports history that everyone was rooting for a NY team*

* They play in Jersey but you know what I mean.

This will be just the ninth drive for the Patriots. The Giants did about all they could do. If they lose, the Patriots earned it.

"...Some people believe the universe would be replaced by something even more bizarre. Others believe this has already happened."

191 Those voters aren't blowing with the wind. They're caught up in an Obama maelstrom.

Time to pull out those tapes Bill.

What a hit.

When was the last time Brady got hit so much?

Making the Giants sentimental favorites is akin to the way Digger Phelps made Danny Ainge a heroic figure.

D4P I know you dislike the Patriots, but I'm surprised you're willing to stomach two Mannings winning Super Bowls back-to-back

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

201
See 202

He was open but boy that was a nice defensive play.

My Patriots son says it's impossible now. My other son is feeling guilty for switching teams several times.

201 Digger was very respectful yesterday and according to eyewitnesses, had a nice visit with Coach Wooden.

When was the last time Brady got hit so much?

Johnny Unitas got hit more in the huddle than Brady gets hit in an entire season.

In a battle between BYU and Notre Dame, I will side with the Good Professor's team 101 out of 100 times.

Thank goodness I wasn't a BYU fan when Ainge played there, because I would have been clobbered for being a traitor.

Yay!

This victory is for all the teams the Patriots have Rule 1 Violationed over the past 6 years with their cheating.

This feels very good.

205
Digger's sins are unpardonable by me.

I feel like there should be Ewoks dancing and playing a song.

Finally a game that lived up to the hype.

207 There comes a time when evil must be defeated. I appreciate your support.

I hate Digger more than D4P hates the Patriots.

Hey, I'm a supposed Patriots fan, and I'm rooting for Eli. DP4 won't have to make any argument, except the Giants win!!

How about Giants defense for MVP?

212 And is someone burning Darth Vader's body?

Thanks, that was a nice chuckle.

204 What about your other sons and daughters?

Eli Manning will be the MVP or else there's going to be some explaining to do.

Bob, this is for you, to keep track of your dead-to-me list:

http://www.enemybook.info/

Sonny Mcleans just went very quiet.

Well there is always the Celtics.

What a week for New York sports teams, the Mets get Santana, the Knicks actually find someone they can beat and the Giants win the Super Bowl.

218

Pretend all the streamers and tickertape raining down on the field right now are Death Star ashes.

Oh, I am sure someone will have a picture of Mercury Morris and Don Shula opening a bottle of champagne.

223 I always pictured myself as Wedge in the Star Wars version of my life.

But some might see me as Jabba the Hutt's witless spokesman.

Funny, the Giants were the trendy pick this week, but Joe Buck says no one gave them a chance.

219 Steadfastly independent.

Doug Williams looks like he's going to carry out an execution.

No, I have to say the winners here are the Giants and Eli! The Dolphins didn't make it through as long a season. The Giants>the Dolphins.

HOLY SHIT I can't belive my eyes

226 Well, its always trendy to pick a big underdog.

Joe missed out on pulling out a phrase from his dad, "I don't believe what I just saw."

I guess Eli's passion bucket is full.

So I guess this proves once and for all that the Super Bowl's aren't all rigged for the Pats?

What's Georgia Frontiere doing there on the field?

No shout out for the Yale Bowl? Damn...

233 That's mean.

By next Saturday, there will be a commercial with Peyton and Eli.

I think the Yale Bowl may have been the last NFL stadium that didn't have lights.

Mercury Morris is being interviewed on ESPN, he gives props to the Giants.

I don't think there is much difference between a sad Bill Belichick and a happy Bill Belichick.

Belichick is the Care Bear with the storm cloud on his belly.

Tell Chris Berman that he can stop referring to them as the New York football Giants.

Those other Giants moved to San Francisco 50 years ago.

New York Football Giants is the legal name of the team and that's the trademark they use.

So the sound of ultimate suffering I heard a little while ago here in New England wasn't the sound of true love lost, but just a bunch of unhappy Pats fans? Sweet!

241 Well that other New York Giant team was around for at least 20 years before they started.

So does that kick off the next 86 year stretch of New York superiority over New England?

please?

244 Only if the Knicks can coax Willis Reed out of retirement.

That may have been the best Super Bowl ending I've ever seen. Started out rooting for the Pat's switched to the Giants based on my pool. With the Pat's marching I needed a Pat's touchdown followed by a Giant touchdown to end the game so that a good friend who really needs the 1000 bucks could win. I'm still it shocked it worked out that way and that play by Eli and catch by whoever was the single greatest play I've ever seen in the Super Bowl.
I am on such a high right now and it may be the only time I've ever rooted for a NY Giant touchdown in my lifetime.

241 thanks bob, you wanna remind the teacher she forgot to assign us homework as well?

That was my specialty in school!

Man, I wih I had put money on the Elis.

I really liked the halftime show. Good Petty songs all around!

By my standards, the best Super Bowl ending is still London Fletcher making the touchdown-saving tackle against the Titans on the 2 yard line with time running out.

But that catch in yesterday's game was the best I've seen in a Super Bowl.