Contemplating A Cold Super Bowl And Other Things…
May 26, 2010 – Unreported in the four-ballot granting of the 2014 Super Bowl to the New York/New Jersey unnamed stadium, is the fact that when you spend $1.6 billion on a stadium, the NFL will kick you this event as a major single payday to help defer your costs. Too bad they couldn’t have factored this in when they decided putting a roof on the place was too expensive….Hosting in the world’s leading media market will certainly broaden the payday for the NFL. Despite the gripes, there’s no better place in the world to hold the event. The parties will be sick. The food and booze will flow. The influx of celebs will out number the influx of hookers. Ninety percent of the Super Bowl is the media build up and the exclusive events for high rollers, I mean, NFL partners. New York will set a new standard….A cold Sunday night game will be the least of it. While I’m at it, how come a temporary fabric roof couldn’t be constructed to keep in rising hot air from heaters at field level? I’m certain that could raise the temperature to 55 degrees (my golf cut-off temperature) from the predicted 30 degrees….Chicago cheerleader Michael Wilbon is a Black Hawks fan. He apparently has a Black Hawks sweater hanging in his closet. He may also be the leader of a small group of African-American fans that swear they followed the NHL while growing up. Wilbon cites every Chicagoan and what side of town they are from whenever possible. He’s from the Southside, but he tucked his Cubs jersey in neatly to throw out a first pitch at Wrigley. Wilbon confuses me. He’s supposed to be an objective national sports voice, but it’s okay to root for his home team. He’s on record for hoping LeBron goes to the Bulls. He’s also a big fan of Mrs. O’Leary’s cow…..While we are on ESPN morons, Jim Rome is choking a bit in his biased NBA coverage. He was over-the-top when the Lakers took off to a 2-0 lead against the Suns. He was brutal toward Amare Stoudamire and lauded that the Lakers were “too big” for the Suns. Now he’s again lecturing “Philip” Jackson for his coaching moves. Rome “blows in the wind” more than Bob Dylan. Whenever there’s a chance to talk smack about his homeboy Lakers, he takes it. He argued and mocked guest Dan Shaughnessy when the Boston writer predicted a Celtic resurgence in the playoffs and an ultimate Laker-Celtic showdown. Rome almost rose out his chair at the audacity to pose a “old” team against his vaunted Lakers. Now “Romey” is portraying a different viewpoint, like he knew the Celts and Suns would play like this all along. Tell us now who’s going to win, Rome. Or tell us how cool you are and how uncool Tiger Woods is for going to a Nickelback concert. This guy is the arbiter of nothing. He picks winners like he picks his horses….Steve Yzerman goes to Tampa Bay and perhaps this will be good for the NHL. It comes with great trepidation from everyone in Detroit. Too bad the sports teams don’t have the player depth like the Red Wings have at General Manager with incumbent Ken Holland and assistant Jim Nill. He inherits a few good players, a new owner and a legacy with a Detroit connection. Until Lightning owner Jeff Vinik recently stabilized the franchise, there was some possibility of the former owners defaulting on their purchase terms and the team reverting back to Detroiter William Davidson’s estate, to be lumped in with widow Karen Davidson’s for sale sports properties that include the Pistons….It’s very easy to get into a racist “phonics” debate when citing some professional broadcaster’s inclination to pronounce “ask” as “axe,” “desk” as “dex,” “birthday” as “birfday” and “bathroom” as “bafroom.” But Al Leiter of the New York Yankees needs to understand that the words are “frustrate” and “frustration,” not “fustrate” and “fustration.” It’s very frustrating, Al.
