I believe it was the dullest Super Bowl in a long time. Alesci's did right by us by showing the game via a projector with the big screen, and it was pretty cool. I had a choice seat, the food was good, and I drank a 12-pack. Stayed longer than I thought I would, but you knew Cousin Ron would be there for the duration. Probably wouldn't have had that many pops, but a friend showed up at halftime, and we ended up leaving kinda late. I mean, I think Jimmy Kimmel was almost over when we left. Then her and I had to battle the wind to get to our cars. It was like a wintry Katrina out there.

BTW, I was so proud of my Dad while watching the game. The Pepsi commercial came on and he said, "Hey, there's P. Diddy.". This from someone famous for referring to an actor named "Richard" DeNiro. So, I thought what's up with that. Then there was an ad for a new ABC show starring Rob Estes. I said out loud, "What show was he on again?" and my Dad says, "Silk Stalkings." Whoa, check out the big brain on Dad. He completed the trifecta by confirming Tommy Kirk played the original "Shaggy Dog". I kept getting it confused with "The Shaggy D.A."

Game Thoughts:

While Heath Miller did not score the first TD, he should have. Second-and-Goal from the two, before Roethlisberger's faux TD, should have been his chance.

No mention of the troops. I thought that odd.

I was really comfortable and did not imitate Michael Philip Jagger.

John Madden said something extremely funny: "I don't know what they're looking at, that they needed to take his pants off."

Did I mention I drank a 12-pack of beer?

Not sure how many times Bettis' parents were shown, because I didn't care.

"Sweet Shaun Alexander" wasn't sung, because Seattle abandoned the running game way too early.

My Brooke Burke comment was, "I'd like Brooke Burke on top of my Whopper."

I had the correct winner, but not the correct score. And I won zero squares again.

Meal of Links

The Super Bowl commercials were OK. There were a few standouts for me. OK, Brooke Burke in anything rates highly. Another was the Bud Light commercial where the refirgerator disappeared behind a wall...into the next apartment. Of course, if monkeys are involved, it's great. Clothed monkeys even better. And I thought the MacGyver MasterCard ad was cool.

Super Bowl XL was the highest-rated game in 10 years. It shows the power of the NFL< which doesn't have to rely on big-market teams to draw viewers. Unlike baseball or basketball.

I thought the Stones might be censored during "Start Me Up". They were.

Exercise Yard

A definite highlight was the introduction of all of the Super Bowl MVPs. But where were Bradshaw and Montana? Bradshaw says he wanted to spend time with his family. Seriously, I heard Terry on the radio earlier in the week and I think his meds were off. Montana, on the other hand, apparently held out for $100,000. If true, that is unbelievable. I can't fathom that both of these NFL greats would pass up on this tribute and take a huge hit to their reputations because of money.

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61 Across: Netman Lendl (4 letters) Answer: Ivan