Last Sunday, I watched “THE” Game at a well known Prince George establishment; the Westwood Sports Pub. Like most “watering holes” the fans were glued to the big screen TV, and for the most part were cheering the underdog Arizona Cardinals. Although I'm not prepared to state that the Pittsburgh Steelers come from behind 27-23 victory was the greatest Super Bowl game ever, it certainly was in the ball park. Ultimately, the big winners were us, the football fans.

 

Isn’t it ironic that a second consecutive Super Bowl game ended on an outstanding catch, with just 35 seconds left? While most fans expected Pittsburgh to win, the manner in which it happened was totally unpredictable and that is what makes sports so riveting. This couldn’t have been scripted any better as the best was left for last. Recent NFL history, however, depicts very different endings; but times are changing with free agency, and the salary cap, creating parity throughout the league.

 

When the Steelers led 20-7 in the 4^th quarter, the game was evolving as I anticipated, with defence dictating the outcome (thanks in large part to that record setting 100-yard interception return for a TD on the last play of the half by Defensive Player of the year James Harrison). The Cardinals then responded with 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and took a lead with 2 ½ minutes remaining, setting the stage for one of the greatest finishes in Super Bowl history. Enter Big Ben! 26 year old Ben Roethlisberger elevated his status from a very good quarterback to a great one as he masterfully engineered an 8-play, 78 yard drive, capped off by a six-yard scoring strike to Santonio Holmes.

 

The MVP was awarded to Holmes but “Big Ben” should have been a co-winner. Roethlisberger
doesn't have the passing numbers like other elite pivots, which is a very misleading statistic. This guy is a proven winner, who plays his best, when it counts, in the clutch. Two Super Bowls in four seasons speaks for itself. His game winning drive reminded me of the Broncos legend, John Elway. I am not sure there is a bigger honor than to be mentioned in the league as Elway.

 

 

 

I still pick the 2008 Giants upset victory over the Patriots over this year's game even though we may not ever see another Super Bowl game with 3 monstrous momentum swinging plays in the same game. First, the Harrison interception, then the Kurt Warner 64-yard TD pass to all-pro receiver Larry Fitzgerald, which gave the Cardinals their one and only lead late in the game. Finally, of course, the grand finale; the Holmes TD catch all while keeping his toes in on the sidelines. Think about it for a moment. When was the last time a CFL game had three plays of that magnitude?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't forget the NFL pro-bowl Sunday in Honolulu. I am being facetious, of course. The game is an afterthought, with little or no meaning. It's a great honor for the players to get selected, but fans are no longer enthusiastic about these types of games. If there is nothing on the line, then there is no need to play it.

 

 

 

Is there a better rivalry or at least matchup in sports than Rafael Nadal against Roger Federer? These guys are virtually single handedly carrying tennis; a sport that would have fallen off the map without them. At Wimbledon last year, Nadal outlasted Federer with the 5^th and deciding set going 9-7. The drama was nearly repeated at the Australian with Nadal again edging Federer in five sets. The only problem with this rivalry is that you want to cheer for both players. It's unfortunate one of the two doesn't become a bad boy. Perhaps they could get some pointers on that from the Super Brat John McEnroe or his arch rival Jimmy Connors.

 

 

 

Contributor Derek Wilken of Calgary (http://smacksport.blogspot.com/)

Comedy writer Jerry Perishohttp://monologuewriter.blogspot.com/,on the California woman who gave birth to octuplets.

“An Arizona station apologized to its viewers over their accidentally showing 30 seconds of pornography during the Super Bowl. Apparently the station received numerous complaints, mostly from men who wondered why they went back to the game so soon.”

“Considering the fact that the Cardinals and Steelers were whistled for a combined total of 18 penalties and 162 yards, should Super Bowl XLIII go down as the best ever game of Flag Football?”

“A Wisconsin court just ruled that cheerleading is a contact sport. And that was just the mothers at the tryouts.”
Contributor Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California (www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com)

 

“A Wisconsin court has ruled that cheerleading is a contact sport. Wanda Holloway (the Texas Cheerleader Mom) expressed relief at 'finally being vindicated'.”
“There was plenty of Buffalo wings available for the Super Bowl, officials say, despite reports that there wouldn't be. Word was that they'd been hijacked to Toronto.”

“The concern about lack of Buffalo wings for the Big Game brings back memories of Jim Kelly's Super Bowl performances.”

Cam Hutchinson of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, on a Steelers fan offering to sell her forehead to an
advertiser in return for Super Bowl tickets.

 

Comedy writer Jim Barach of WCHS-TV in Charleston, W.Va (http://jokesbyjim.blogspot.com/)