Thoughts On Super Bowl XLIV

Here are my thoughts on Super Bowl XLIV...

• It was a good game - sometimes the Super Bowl is a really dreary game to watch. Not this time. Close action, comebacks, trick plays, great performances on both sides of the ball by both teams, and really - despite the end score - the outcome was in question until the pick thrown by Manning late in the game.

• The officiating was actually good - unlike the absolute moron-athon of refereeing in the Super Bowl played in by the Seahawks a few years ago, the officiating in this game seemed right on the money. In Super Bowl XL there were phantom TDs scored by the Steelers (seriously, watch it 100 times over and Big Ben is NOT in the end zone), phantom holding calls against the Seahawks, phantom pass interference calls (again, against the Seahawks) and more...all having a direct impact on the outcome of the game. This year, the zebras got the tricky ones right (the NO Saint's player scoring that 2 point conversion, the Saint's recovery of the on-side kick) and did not screw up the rest of the game with too many or obviously incorrect penalties.

• I liked the unexpected outcome - I liked the fact that the team that was supposed to lose won. Unlike movies, TV and most other types of entertainment, sports offers an unknown outcome. Sure, one team may be favored or likely to win, but you don't know until you play the game.

• I have sympathy for Colts fans - believe me, I'm sympathetic to Colts fans. Why? Well, my Oregon Ducks lost a close Rose Bowl game this January despite being favored over Ohio State. And, despite having struggled much of the game, the Ducks were in position to re-take the lead and put the hammer down on the Buckeyes. But, as they were moving in to score the go-ahead TD, they fumbled the ball and lost it. From there on in, it was a very unlikely scenario that the Ducks could win...and they didn't. So, Colt fans, I feel your pain. Your team may indeed be "the better team" overall, but on Sunday the Saints were better...not by much mind you...but a little better. And, your team made one fatal mistake that cost it big time. Hey, at least you all won the Super Bowl a few years ago and will probably be favored to make it back again next year.

• The commercials were really lame - not a good crop this year in my opinion. Babies talking about day trading? A house made out of Bud Lite cans? The old Chicago Bears doing a short parody of their song from the 1980s? A dog tricking a guy into giving him his Doritos? Guys walking around without any pants on? Building a human bridge so a truck full of Bud can get into town? Seriously? Oh man, these are baaaaad TV commercials....mostly because they were boring and predictable. Some people liked the Snickers ad where a guy who isn't pulling his weight during a backyard football game is depicted by Betty White until he eats a Snickers bar and gets back to being his real self. But...yeah...really? Not very imaginative. The only one that came close to eliciting any type of response from me was the Miller High Life ad in which the company "gave over" its ad time to four or five small business owners who quickly (and humorously) introduced themselves and their company names.

• The Who are over the hill - I am a Who fan. Any of you not Who fans need to go back and listen to their music. This was a ground breaking band from London that rivaled the Beatles in the 60s and the Stones in the 70s. Pete Townsend is a musical genius and the Who created some major, major rock songs. But, they're old now. And it shows. Diane and I saw them live 10 years or so ago and at that point they were still vital and, to me, relevant. They also still had original bassist John Entwistle back then. He subsequently died a few years ago. Anyway, at best the Super Bowl halftime gave those not in the know about the Who perhaps something to look into. For me, it was just a reminder that all people get old - even rock stars.

• I was really glad to hunker down and watch a whole Super Bowl - because I am usually traveling for work on Super Bowl Sunday, this was the first Super Bowl since the Seahawks played in the big game that I was able to be at home, on my own couch and watch the entire game. Usually I'm in some hotel bar at a industry event watching bits and pieces of the game as I chat up colleagues, media and others.