Hartley Miller's Slap-Shots - February 5 - 2010 - Opinion 250 - News for Northern and Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada

Hartley Miller's Slap-Shots - February 5 - 2010

Friday, February 05, 2010 03:45 AM

Whether you live in Prince George, B.C., Canada, or Prince George's County in Maryland, USA, the Super Bowl is the one event that unites North America with millions of fans focused at the same time.

It is nearly impossible for the game to live up to its advanced billing, especially since it is the most hyped extravaganza in sports. Yes, double digits have decided 27 of the 43 Super Bowls and 33 of the games have been by five or more points.

However, four or less points decided five of the last eight games. Interestingly, overtime has not been a factor in any of these contests. Let us hope this trend continues, especially since the league needs a better playoff format. For instance, the Minnesota Vikings offence did not get a chance to score in overtime in their emotionally crushing 31-28 OT loss to New Orleans in the NFC Final. I like the first team to score six points as a solution (with each club having at least one possession) but that is another topic for another day.

The Indianapolis-New Orleans match-up promises to provide offence. Therefore, TV ratings should be extremely high as both teams are capable of coming from behind even if they are down two or three scores. To illustrate this point, the Over/under number of 56 is the highest total ever released for a Super Bowl.

This is the first time since 1993 that the top two Conference seeds will be playing in the NFL championship game. In fact, it was not that long ago both teams boasted a record of 13-0. Since then, the Saints lost three straight, won convincingly in their first playoff game against Arizona and followed that up with an unimpressive and lucky victory over Minnesota.

Meanwhile, the Colts hit the 14-0 mark before controversy hit when they “tanked” their final two regular season games by using their starters sparingly. In the playoffs, however, Indy has looked dominant, dispatching Baltimore and the New York Jets.

The Las Vegas line started with the Colts as 3 ½ point favorites followed by a quick jump to 5 ½ within a day. This means most people are betting for Indianapolis, a team representing the AFC, the conference that has won 9 of the last 12 Super Bowls.

I pick the Colts to win the game for several reasons including better defence, more experience (this is the first Super Bowl for New Orleans but the second in four years for Indy) and Peyton Manning over Drew Brees.

However, I believe the Saints will play better against the Colts than they did against the Vikings because there will be less pressure. In the NFC Championship Game, the Saints carried a huge weight on their shoulders, with expectations to earn a spot in the Super Bowl. Now, they can just worry about playing the game and let the Colts deal with the favorite’s role.

Like the majority of fans, I will be watching the game on a big screen away from home in a party like atmosphere, at Shooters Sports Pub (across from CN Centre). Since this game, or shall I say event is for not only the hard core football fan, but the casual one as well, I have searched the internet to come up with 10 “out of the ordinary facts” for you to digest in preparation for Sunday’s gala:

Just one in 20 people will watch the game alone.
The average number of people at a Super Bowl party is 17.
Super Bowl Sunday is second in food consumption behind only Thanksgiving Day. The amount of food gobbled down includes an estimated 14,500 tons of chips, 4,000 tons of popcorn and eight million pounds of guacamole.
On the Monday following the Super Bowl, an average of six percent of the workforce calls in sick.
On the same Monday, antacid sales show a 20 per cent increase.
One out of every 12 people viewing the game on television only does so to see the commercials.
Of the top 10 most watched television programs of all time, nine of them are Super Bowls.
80 per cent of all Super Bowl tickets sold go to corporate sponsors of the NFL and of the Super Bowl.
Over 700,000 footballs are produced annually for official NFL use and 72 of them are used for the Super Bowl.
There is a Super Bowl curse for the losing team. Since the 1998-1999 season, the losing Super Bowl team has gone on to have a winning record the next season only twice.

Here is one last stat to “chew on”. For every NFL game, which can last up to four hours on television, a recent study shows there is only about 12 minutes of real game action. Therefore, the game may not last long, but the hangovers sure will.

From the quote rack:

The Pizza Hut pizza chain says it will sell 1.7 million pizzas on Super Bowl Sunday, enough to cover 45 football fields. And, who’ll never guess who will deliver most of those pizzas; Ryan Leaf.

Comedy writer Jerry Perishohttp://monologuewriter.blogspot.com/

Gloria Allred is threatening to sue CBS over Tim Tebow's anti-abortion Super Bowl ad. CBS, meanwhile, is trying to appease her by trying to persuade Eastern Washington to name its new turf after her.

Tiger Woods is pitching the idea of trying to save his marriage by taking Elin on a cruise out to sea on his yacht. He better hope she didn't see 'Double Jeopardy'.

Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California

For the second time in six months, John Daly has announced he is done with golf. He says he will, however, make an exception for the A T and T Pro-Am, with his partner Brett Favre.

A California newspaper headline said "Struggling Maple Leafs acquire Phaneuf and Giguere in separate trades." Now, I'm no editor, but isn't "struggling Maple Leafs" redundant?
Contributor Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California (www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com)

Fans are questioning the bonus that millionaire NHL players could receive if they win a medal at the Olympics. Most people surveyed said the money should go to athletes near the poverty line like those in luge, biathlon and CFL players.
Contributor Derek Wilken of Calgary (http://smacksport.blogspot.com/)

Disturbing news, as Jets coach Rex Ryan reportedly saw his shadow this morning, meaning we are in for at least six more weeks of boorishness.

Comedy writer Marc Ragovin of New York

They should weigh her other thigh next time.
Patrick Smith of the Australian on Australian open champ Serena Williams being listed as weighing 150 pounds.

And in case you missed it:

A New Orleans resident went on Craigslist to offer his left testicle in exchange for a Super Bowl ticket. Well, no question about it, that man has BALLS.

Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97fm. He also writes for the PG Free Press. Send along a quote, note or anecdote to hmiller@94xfm.com.

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