Huckabee and the New York Giants

Mike Huckabee thinks he's Eli Manning.

From: Governor Mike Huckabee
Subject: America Will See a Second Upset This Week

Heart. Commitment. Gutsy. The New York Giants exemplified these qualities this evening in what is being widely hailed as one of the greatest Super Bowl games in history and a titanic upset of the heavily favored New England Patriots.

For many long months against overwhelming odds, we have been working our way towards the White House in a similar fashion.

Our run has been long and difficult at times. Improbable. Yet here we are, still running strong together, heads held high, eyes forward into Super Tuesday. The media and our rivals want to make Tuesday the finish line for our campaign.

But if the media really understood our campaign and the issues we are fighting for: the Human Life Amendment, real border security, the FairTax and so much more, they would understand that we are here to stay.

America will see a second upset this week.

For us to have a chance though, I need your help now. Please, take a moment to do these three things:

1. Below is a list of the Super Tuesday states. Please scan them and make a list of family, friends and co-workers you may know in each of these states. Then, email and call the people on your list and ask them to visit our website www.mikehuckabee.com to learn more about our campaign and to vote for me on Tuesday.

2. Make 5 calls to voters in Tennessee, Oklahoma, Alabama and Georgia tomorrow using our online phone bank tool. I know these calls aren't fun to make, but they are necessary. So far, the calls we have made in Oklahoma, Georgia and Alabama have helped identify thousands of supporters that we will be able to reach out to and remind them to vote on Tuesday. Imagine, if we are able to contact 50,000 more voters in these key states tomorrow. The people we reach and then follow-up with may make the difference on Tuesday. The polls in many of the states are that close.

3. Make a contribution of $25 or more to help us reach our goal of $1,000,000 by tomorrow at midnight. We are less than $280,000 away from our goal. Your financial support will be invested on Tuesday into our final Get Out The Vote calls to voters in Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia. Every dollar you contribute will go towards contacting supporters and reminding them to vote.

Let me close by saying, "heart, commitment and gutsy" could just as easily describe our campaign. Working together, lets show America a second upset this week. Lets make certain Super Tuesday isn't a finish line for our campaign but a starting line for the second half of our run.

With deepest gratitude,




Super Tuesday States:

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia.

Governor Huckabee, I've watched the Giants. I know the Giants. Eli Manning just played at Lambeau. Governor, you're no Eli Manning.

Diet Pepsi Max Super Bowl Commercial

I thought the Super Bowl XLII commercials were pretty good.

Watch the ads here.

Monkeys weren't prominent this year, though animals still took center stage.

I thought the Audi Godfather horse head spoof was more creepy than clever.

Personally, I didn't care for the GoDaddy.com Danica Patrick commercial but I suspect the site drew heavy traffic because of it.

The one I really liked was the Diet Pepsi Max commercial.



Joe Buck seemed to have a little trouble finding the beat.

Chris Kattan's appearance at the end was great.

Tom Petty Super Bowl Reviews

Tom Petty performs with his band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, during halftime of the Super Bowl XLII football game between the New England Patriots and New York Giants at University of Phoenix Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 3, 2008 in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

Tom Petty's Super Bowl halftime show isn't exactly getting super enthusiastic reviews. Many say he was OK, but not all that special.

From the New York Times:

Tom Petty was not an obvious choice for halftime entertainment at Super Bowl XLII. His most recent album, “Highway Companion,” came out in 2006, and he is by no means a staple of pop radio or MTV. Petty, 57, is yet another of the mature performers chosen for the Super Bowl halftime since Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction in 2004.

But Petty and his band, the Heartbreakers, are still touring arenas — his next tour starts in May — and the brawny, ringing riffs of his songs still give audiences clear arena-rock cues. From the first chords of “Free Fallin’ ” on Sunday night, tens of thousands of cellphones were lit up and waving in the air.

That was one of the visual effects that the Super Bowl show splashed onto Petty and the Heartbreakers, who simply sing, play their instruments and occasionally stroll somewhere onstage.

Presumably to hold the attention of the MTV generation, there was a mildly suggestive graphic of a lighted Flying V guitar piercing a heart (creating a stage shaped like the Heartbreakers’ logo), a stampede of fans onto the field and fireworks as Petty started “American Girl.” Then came strobe lights, giant video-screen animations and some murky graphic effect in “Free Fallin’ ” that looked like a psychedelic oil slick.

Mildly suggestive? Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

But the bearded Petty — wearing a polka-dot black tie and, like the rest of the band, a black jacket — ignored the flash and sang in the frayed but stubborn voice that suits his songs. With a weary quaver, he delivered “I Won’t Back Down” less as a boast than as a matter of fact, the song of someone with no other choice.

His four songs balanced disappointment and aspiration: dead-end characters in “American Girl” and “Free Fallin’,” tenacious ones in “Runnin’ Down a Dream” and, in “I Won’t Back Down,” the ideal song for a Super Bowl in which so much hinged on defense. In Petty’s songs, winning is not as important as holding on and holding out. It is the music that turns tenacity into victory, with rock-ribbed, twangy riffs and a sure-footed beat.

Actually, other than the swipe about Petty being a "mature" act, this review was rather positive.

The game itself this year was so incredible that it would have taken a "wardrobe malfunction" of mammoth proportions to take away from the football drama.

If "mature" means that Petty didn't flash the audience or grab himself during his performance, I think that's a good thing.

This review from the LA Times is less positive:

For a large number of Petty fans, this was surely the only Petty show they'll see this year. So how was Petty and team? Taking to a guitar-shaped stage, Petty and the Heartbreakers looked professional in sport coats, and the feel of the 12-minute set was a band going to work, not trying to connect with an audience. The hooks of "American Girl," "I Won't Back Down" and "Runnin' Down A Dream" are downright undeniable, and the nostalgia, romance and classic Bryds-like guitar work in a song like "American Girl" makes it perfect for stadiums.

Yet it never quite connected at Super Bowl XLII. Petty is not a larger-than-life performer. He doesn't ham it up like a Bono or a Mick Jagger, and was out of place on the Super Bowl stage, even in a sing-along like a "Free Fallin'." Petty's appeal is in his unassuming nature, a working musician who takes the stage and gets down to business. He's one of the most consistent artists America has to offer, but his appeal sneaks up on you -- it doesn't (thankfully) hit you over the head like a soda commercial featuring Justin Timberlake.

No matter, Petty will back on the road this spring, where he belongs, and his momentary shilling for the NFL and a tire company, which not-so-subtly sponsored the affair, will be a thing of pop-culture past.

Petty connected as well as anyone can connect with an audience of about 100 million.

I certainly wouldn't call his performance at halftime "shilling for the NFL and a tire company."

That's just weird.

Being invited to perform at halftime of the Super Bowl is an honor. It's not shilling or selling out.

Derrik J. Lang of the Associated Press wasn't overly impressed:

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' surprisingly subdued Super Bowl halftime show was as uncomplicated in person as it looked on television. There were no wardrobe — or any other kind — of malfunctions.

...When the stadium lights dimmed for "Free Fallin,'" those weren't lighters the audience just happened to have in their pockets, ready to whip out in unison for some groovy ambiance. They were actually tiny flashlights that had been previously distributed among the crowd. Hey, free souvenir!

I don't get the "surprisingly subdued" comment.

What was Lang expecting?

Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune doesn't mince words:

The biggest surprise about the performance was that he agreed to do it at all; the rocker has refused to license his songs for advertising and corporate sponsorship for his tours. So what was he doing playing a halftime event sponsored by a tire company? Apparently, the chance to perform in front of a worldwide audience was too tempting to turn down --- particularly on the eve of a national arena tour, which Petty announced a few days ago.

If that was the motive, Petty did a good job of reminding fans of some of his biggest songs. But it really wasn’t a great performance; it was more of a Tom Petty commercial.

What is the big deal about a tire company sponsoring the halftime show? That's not the same as having a corporate sponsor for a tour. Anyway, I don't see a problem with corporate sponsorship if it help keeps ticket prices down.

Apparently Kot believes no self-respecting artist would agree to perform at the Super Bowl, too commercial.

Yes, 100 million people would rather be entertained by a marching bad playing "You Don't Know How it Feels" at halftime.

Dave Tianen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes:

Ever since the Great Nipplegate Calamity of 2004, the NFL has opted for halftime shows that resemble the musical equivalent of a four-year run off-tackle.

That's meant a procession of middle-age vets who could be depended upon not to get flagged by the FCC: Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Prince and, now, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

All of those acts represent a certain guaranteed level of professionalism and brand-name familiarity. Petty brought the same workmanlike dependability established by his predecessors, although there's a definite sense that the assignment is to rock the house without rocking the boat.

...Petty and the Heartbreakers are way too seasoned a group of pros to not hold their own in a quick sprint like the halftime show. That said, Sunday's show didn't deliver the excitement of last year's rain-drenched set from Prince. It could be argued that a harder rocker than "American Girl" would have been a better choice to launch the set. "Free Fallin' " is hooky and familiar, but not exactly high-energy. If it hadn't been for "Runnin' Down a Dream," this would have been a halftime show that never quite hit fourth gear.

I thought Prince put on a great show last year.

I think Petty was equally entertaining, in spite of the lack of that "exciting" rain. I give him high marks.

I liked the songs Petty chose for his set, including opening with "American Girl."

You don't get much more American than the Super Bowl.

Giants Win

Michelle Messick and her husband Mike Messick watched the Giants win in Times Square. (Patrick Andrade for The New York Times)

I think this picture does a great job of telling the story of Super Bowl XLII -- surprise.

For Giants fans it was thrilling. For fans of the Patriots it had to be like a bad dream.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Giants were not even supposed to be here, taking an unlikely playoff path through the behemoths of their conference and regarded, once they alighted on Super Bowl XLII, as little more than charming foils for the New England Patriots’ assault on immortality.

But with their defense battering this season’s National Football League’s most valuable player, Tom Brady, and Giants quarterback Eli Manning playing more like Brady than Brady himself, the Giants produced one of the greatest upsets in Super Bowl history Sunday night, beating the previously undefeated Patriots, 17-14.

That's right. The Giants weren't supposed to be in the Super Bowl. WE WERE. The Giants weren't going to be able to beat the Packers at home at Lambeau, in those brutal, cold conditions. We were on our way to Arizona.

Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way. The Packers didn't return to the Super Bowl for a fifth time. But I didn't feel like the Packers were robbed. The Packers' loss wasn't due to luck on the part of the Giants. They played better in the NFC Championship game. They earned their place in the Super Bowl.

The Giants came in as major underdogs. They had to face the undefeated Patriots and the god-like figure Tom Brady. Some have proclaimed him to be the best quarterback to ever play the game. Some consider the Patriots to be the greatest team of all time.

Tom Brady didn't look like the best yesterday and the Patriots didn't look like the greatest.

...“It’s disappointing; we came so close to being special,” Patriots defensive lineman Richard Seymour said. “We’re second-class.”

Not exactly. The Patriots still have a 16-0 regular season to cling to, and their offense, for almost the whole season, was unstoppable. But they were crestfallen by their near miss with football history.

It was the first time Belichick had lost a Super Bowl for New England. In recent days, questions had been raised about whether the Patriots videotaped a walk-through by St. Louis before New England won its first Super Bowl in 2002, and several Rams players said they hoped the N.F.L. would conduct a full investigation. The Patriots now face a long, perhaps embarrassing off-season.

And despite his affection for the Giants’ organization, where he worked for 12 years, Belichick was clipped in his postgame comments.

“I mean, look, they played well,” he said. “They made some plays. We made some plays. In the end, they made a couple more than we did.”

Belichick looked positively shell-shocked after the game.

He looked like someone had died.

I hope he snaps back from the loss better than Al Gore did after he lost the 2000 presidential election. I hope he manages to pull himself together after this enormous disappointment. He might get desperate and do something stupid, like spying. I don't think he will. Why would the best coach in the league do that?

...“Every team is beatable, you never know,” [Giants coach Tom] Coughlin said. “The right moment, the right time, every team is beatable.”

That's right. Even the supposedly unbeatable Patriots do lose sometimes, and the team picked the worst possible time to lose.

Of course if you're a Giants fan, the Patriots' timing was perfect.

The Lombardi Super Bowls

Super Bowl XLII -- I can't help but think of how different today could be.

The Packers were so close to making a fifth trip to the Super Bowl. It was such a phenomenal season, almost perfect. Almost.

So much is being made of the undefeated Patriots making history. There are dreamers hoping that the underdog Giants will make history. Yeah, whatever. I don't care about that history.

I care about our Packer Super Bowl history.

Back to the beginning---

On January 15, 1967, the Green Bay Packers won the first Super Bowl, beating the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10.





The Green Bay Dynasty also took home the Super Bowl II title. After winning their third consecutive NFL Championship, the Pack defeated the Oakland Raiders, 33-14, on January 14, 1968.





Super Bowl II was Vince Lombardi's last game as the head coach of the Packers. It was the last time his players carried him off the field, victorious.

In his nine years at Green Bay, the Glory Years, Coach Lombardi won six Western Conference championships, five NFL championships, and two Super Bowls.

A Glorious Chapter in Packer History

Likable Ray "Scooter" McLean moved up from being an outstanding assistant coach to guide the destiny of the Packers for 1958. McLean resigned in December after a 1-10-1 record, the worst in Packer history in his lone season as head coach.

The Packers took their time after McLean's resignation. [Jack] Vainisi conducted Phase II of the '59 draft by himself, as the team debated whether to hire a general manager as well as a coach, or one person for both positions. The search spanned from the CFL to the college ranks, and even included a GM application from Curly Lambeau.

On. Jan. 28, when team president Dominic Olejniczak recommended to the committee a little-known Giants assistant, longtime committee member John Torinus replied, "Who the hell is Vince Lombardi?"

The committee, and the world, quickly found out. Within hours after his arrival on Feb. 2, Lombardi told the committee, "I want it understood that I am in complete command here." Two days later the Packers officially gave Lombardi both titles.

I've always considered it to be an especially fitting tribute to Vince Lombardi that the Super Bowl trophy bears his name.

The Lombardi Trophy, the NFL's most prestigious award, signifies hard work, strong will, character, pride, and dedication to excellence. It embodies not only the skills but also the values that Coach Lombardi instilled in his players.

As Coach Lombardi said, "The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor."

As he did so often, he wasn't just talking about football; he was talking about life.

In perhaps his most famous speech, Coach Lombardi's eloquence goes far beyond the typical rhetoric used to encourage a football team to win a game.

It speaks to the possibilities within every person, encouraging one to strive to achieve and live to the fullest.

Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.

There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that's first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don't ever want to finish second again. There is a second place bowl game, but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we do, and to win, and to win, and to win.

Every time a football player goes to play his trade he's got to play from the ground up -- from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That's O.K. You've got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more importantly, you've got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you're lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he's never going to come off the field second.

Running a football team is no different than running any other kind of organization -- an army, a political party or a business. The principles are the same. The object is to win -- to beat the other guy. Maybe that sounds hard or cruel. I don't think it is.

It is a reality of life that men are competitive and the most competitive games draw the most competitive men. That's why they are there -- to compete. To know the rules and objectives when they get in the game. The object is to win fairly, squarely, by the rules -- but to win.

And in truth, I've never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn't appreciate the grind, the discipline. There is something in good men that really yearns for discipline and the harsh reality of head to head combat.

I don't say these things because I believe in the "brute" nature of man or that men must be brutalized to be combative. I believe in God, and I believe in human decency. But I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle -- victorious.

IT WAS HOLMGREN'S FAULT!

I love this article. It substantiates what I've believed for the past ten years.

It was Holmgren.

Bob McGinn writes:

Even now, 10 years after the fact, the cut is deep, the memories fresh and the recrimination endless.

Each time that Ron Wolf tries to get past the Green Bay Packers' 31-24 upset defeat at the hands of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII, he remembers how the course of history might have and, in his strong opinion, should have been altered.

The retired general manager holds former coach Mike Holmgren primarily responsible for the crushing setback in San Diego, possibly the most haunting in the franchise's 87-year existence.

"Certain calls were to be made that weren't made," Wolf said during a trip to Green Bay in August. "Mike Holmgren refused those calls. There would have been an adjustment on the blocking scheme and it would have been over.

"One of the great things about playing the game of football is you have to adjust. When you fail to adjust in critical situations you're going to lose, and that's what happened here. To be pig-headed about it, I mean, to have the answer and then not apply it, that's a little different."

Wolf was referring to the Packers' inability to handle the blitzing of Broncos defensive coordinator Greg Robinson that changed the complexion of the entire game.

It wasn't a great day for any number of key Green Bay participants, including the late Fritz Shurmur, coordinator of the defense; quarterback Brett Favre; and defensive end Reggie White. But Wolf kept coming back to Holmgren because the simplest solution was his and he didn't execute it.

How was Wolf, who seldom concerned himself with X's and O's, made aware that Holmgren mishandled the offense?

"I found this out about four years ago," Wolf said. "Two people told me about it that were in a position to know. I could tell you who they were but they wouldn't tell you. They were coaches."

...When told of Wolf's remarks, safety LeRoy Butler said there was no doubt in his mind that the issue was Holmgren's refusal to keep more blockers in for pass protection.

"He's my favorite coach of all time," Butler said. "But he wanted five eligible (receivers) out. Keeping guys in was too boring for him. He was trying to show off."

...Some will say the Packers were the victims of their own press clippings. The blame game will be played for as long as Packers fans toss back beers at neighborhood taverns.

In the locker room that night, Wolf would say unforgettably, "We're a one-year wonder, just a fart in the wind." And after being stunned 12 days ago in the NFC Championship Game, the Packers still haven't returned to the Big One.

I admit that I still have a hard time with the Super Bowl loss.

It shouldn't have happened.

I don't plan on really watching too much of the game on Sunday. I'll be happy to enjoy the party, the commercials, and half-time, but I'm not in the mood for dwelling on the what might have been on the field.

John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, and Jay Leno

While in California to pick up the endorsement of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, John McCain was a guest on the Tonight Show.

It was Republican night!

Jay Leno always sucks up to McCain. Introducing him, Leno said his rebounding from a DOA campaign was an "amazing story."

McCain was clearly relaxed. He had the glow of a front-runner. He seemed positively buoyant. There was no trace of the angry, expletive-spewing McCain. It was all jovial Mr. Nice Guy.

He started with a lawyer joke, following the "lawyers telling lawyer jokes" bit that Leno had done in the segment before McCain came out.

Referring to the state of his campaign months ago, McCain quoted Chairman Mao, "It's always darkest before it's totally black."

Leno said that it wasn't a good idea to quote Mao while campaigning to be President of the United States.

McCain talked about being in Iraq with his friend Lindsey Graham. To cheers, he said, "We're winning."

Then, it was on to global warming. "Climate change is real in my view."

He said that "The Terminator" believes that, too. Apparently, Leno's audience must skew toward believers in man-made global warming.

McCain brought up that Chuck Norris said he was too old.

He said, "Schwarzenegger's gonna take care of him."

It seemed like McCain had a good deal of prepared material that he wanted to get out.

After a commercial break, Leno mentioned that McCain and Mitt Romney were a little "snippy" during the debate.

About Romney, McCain said, "Well, it got a little rough. I understand that we're getting near the end here. And I think we've got some momentum. Governor Schwarzenegger, the governor of Florida, Charlie Crist..."

Leno asked, "Do you like Romney?"

McCain responded, "Oh, yeah. I think he's a very fine family man. I think he's a good man. I just think I'm obviously more qualified. So we got some momentum..."

The audience interrupted him with cheers.

"So, it got a little rough; but you try to avoid that as much as you can."

McCain gave a shout-out to the man he owes at least some of his success. He said, "This guy Governor Huckabee is a good guy. He really is. He's a good sincere person."

McCain also mentioned Fred Thompson.

Gee, Ron Paul must feel slighted. He gets no respect, no respect at all.

Leno brought up "conservative radio, Rush Limbaugh especially," saying that the Republican Party is dead if McCain gets the nomination.

Leno asked, "Would you go on his show if he invited you?"

McCain claimed, "I'd go on most any show if I was invited."

Not true. NOT TRUE.

Now it will be tough for McCain to dodge going on some of the talk radio shows that he's been avoiding.

When Leno asked about McCain's choice for the VP, he quipped about Leno's contract being up.

Seemed like a rehearsed joke to me.

Talking about the War on Terror, looking straight at the audience, McCain said, "My friends, I'll get Osama bin Laden. I'll get him, as President of the United States. I will."

Oh, really?

That sounds like a "Read my lips, no new taxes" line.

Leno brought up the age issue and Reagan. McCain joked about running in all thirteen states.

Leno then asked, "How important is the Rudy Giuliani endorsement?"

"Well, Rudy Giuliani is one of the great American heroes...

"Why don't you ask Rudy? Why don't you ask Rudy?"

On cue, enter Rudy.

Leno feigned surprise.

McCain moved over and Rudy took the chair next to the desk.

It was immediately time for a commercial break.

Leno asked Giuliani, "Can you stick around? Can you stay?"

Giuliani said he could and they cut to commercial.

That was possibly the least spontaneous televised moment of the 2008 campaign to date.

Leno said that a lot of Republicans think "you guys are too liberal."

McCain and Giuliani laughed.

Giuliani answered that it depends on how you define "conservative," and concluded that both he and McCain are conservative.

"Conservative" and "Reagan" were probably said more often in the three segments than any other words. I assume that wasn't accidental.

Leno asked Giuliani what accounted for his downfall in the race.

Giuliani said it had a lot to do with what a great campaign McCain ran.

When Giuliani endorses he really endorses.

He also said his strategy of skipping the early primaries didn't work.

McCain said, "It was also an honorable campaign." Applause, of course. It was a love fest.

Leno asked Giuliani, "Would you ever be a running mate?"

Giuliani said, "No one runs for running mate." I took that to mean, "Hell, yeah!"

Leno turned to McCain and asked, "Who would you rather campaign against... Hillary or Obama?"

McCain said both were formidable.

McCain rambled on, "The fact that I am a conservative and I think in tune with most of the American people, and we'll have a conservative Republican against a liberal Democrat, and that will be a respectful but very, very spirited debate."

Giuliani chimed in, "On John's behalf though, John is a conservative. But John also has the ability to reach out, as a number of these primaries have shown, to independent voters and Democratic voters. And it makes him a candidate in states that other Republicans might not be a competitive candidate..."

There certainly was an effort to advertise that McCAIN IS A CONSERVATIVE.

Last question:

Leno wanted to know, "Who do you got in the Super Bowl?"

Giuliani naturally went with New York.

McCain noted that Arizona is the host and squirmed a bit. "Straight talk: Somebody's gonna have to show me how you beat the Patriots."

Giuliani asked, "Will you give me the points?"

McCain laughed, "Yes, I'll give you the points."

Then they left, with handshakes and embraces all around.

One thing that was noticeable though not necessarily noteworthy:

Both Leno and Giuliani were wearing flag pins. McCain wasn't.

Maybe the no flag pin is meant to appeal to independents and Dems, make him seem less Right-wing. Or, maybe he doesn't like to wear his conservativism on his lapel. Or, maybe he lost it.

The Packers' Almost Storybook Season

Bart Starr talks with Brett Favre prior to the game. (Photo/AP)


Do you believe in miracles?

I do.

When the season began, the thought of the 2007 Packers being a contender to make it to the Super Bowl was a dream, as in it would take a miracle for that to happen.

But after trouncing the Seahawks, we had good reason to believe that the Packers were going to make it to the Super Bowl this year.

I was still believing it when the NFC championship game went into overtime.

While the Packers didn't become the NFC champions, and they won't be on their way to play in Super Bowl XLII, what they accomplished this season was incredible.

There's no denying that.

The game yesterday was such a roller coaster. I'm exhausted. And I would be lying to say that I'm not terribly disappointed with its outcome.

Of course, I'm disappointed.

I thought there would be a dramatic Packer victory, an exciting ending to the hard-fought game, just like in the Ice Bowl.

It didn't happen.

Not to be Pollyanna about it, but I think it's appropriate to focus on all the good that did happen this season and all that can happen next year.

Mike McCarthy, Brett Favre, and the team were great, especially last week. Everything was clicking.

Now, because the team didn't play nearly as well as in the game against the Giants, they've suddenly morphed into unprepared, sloppy, no talent, losers.

Angry "fans" are calling for Favre to retire.

I didn't hear anyone doing that after the Seahawks game.

Those knee-jerk reactions are irrational, utterly ridiculous.

I don't have a problem with rational critiques of the Packers' performance. I do have a problem with reactions that seem grounded in bipolar disorders.

Bottom line:

----The Packers are capable of playing much better than they did against the Giants. Letting a trip to the Super Bowl get away is a bitter loss.

----The Packers had a dramatically better season and performed dramatically better than anyone expected. It's not a stretch to call it miraculous.

----A 14-4 record and taking the NFC championship game into overtime is an enormous accomplishment.

I, for one, am grateful to the team and the entire Packer organization for their hard work and dedication that made this fantastic season a reality.

And in spite of how it ended, I will remember it as being fantastic rather than failed.

The Moon Smiles on Lambeau

Earlier this week, before fans and media from all over the country descended on Green Bay, we went to Lambeau to soak in the glory.

It was cold, in the teens, and windy. That may seem like a heat wave compared to what's predicted for Sunday's game.

The tundra was frozen but it was really warm in the Packer Pro Shop. Sliding all those credit cards as fans purchase Packers merchandise probably heats up the place.

The Lambeau Field Atrium was relatively quiet. Milwaukee TV stations had their territory staked out. Lance Allan and Rod Burks of TMJ4 were at a table doing... I don't know what they were doing. It looked like they were waiting, like Packer fans everywhere are waiting for game day to arrive.



Standing in the wide open atrium, I imagined the mobs of bundled up fans and the noise and the excitement that will fill the place on Sunday. One more win and it's the Super Bowl. That's absolutely thrilling!

We went upstairs to Curly's Pub and had dinner. The Playoff Burger was one of the specials.

Although I won't be at Lambeau for the big game, it was nice to go there and spend some time where another chapter of Packer history is about to unfold.

When we left, we stood in the cold and the quiet for a while to admire the statues of Vince Lombardi and Curly Lambeau, dusted with snow.

Larger than life.

Looking up at Vince, in the sky just above the stadium's roof, I saw a bright half moon smiling down on Lambeau, a big shining smile.

The Price of Packer Mania?

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is highlighting the cost of Packer Mania.

It attempts to put a damper on what the euphoria being felt by Wisconsin Packer fans means for state employers.

How much time do you spend at work on the Packers?

Team's run to the Super Bowl costs state employers millions in lost time

Note that statement.

The Journal Sentinel states as FACT that the Packers' success is costing state employers millions in lost time.

The problem is that "FACT" is not known to be true at all.

The Packers are a giant distraction to Wisconsin workers this week. But wise employers aren't about to complain.

If every Wisconsin worker spent one hour of their work week obsessing about Sunday's NFC championship game at Lambeau Field, the state could lose $40 million in worker productivity. That's ten times the estimated $4 million that the game will shovel into the Green Bay economy.

But experts advise employers to harness this diversion, not rein it in.

Indeed, Aarrowcast Inc., a foundry in Shawano, is scheduling a long break in its production shift Sunday evening. Employees who live close can run home, watch the game, and return to finish the shift. Others can stay and catch it on the TV in the company's lunchroom.

"We've got about 300 people and they're all focused on one thing - and that's the Packers kicking the Giants' butts," said Ben Grigg, Aarowcast's president. "And that's exciting. And there is a lot of noise, but we see that as a positive energy and something that we sort of go with."

Bay Towel, a Green Bay-based linen and uniform business, is urging route drivers to don green and gold this week in solidarity with customers - and their 185 fellow workers.

"That's the only time we let them out of uniform, because we are a uniform company," said Paul Linzmeyer, Bay Towel's president. "Otherwise, they forget why all of us are scrambling like madmen." Linzmeyer expects a lot of hectic overtime this week accommodating hotel and restaurants in the Green Bay area.

"Whether or not you take advantage of it, people are going to be talking about it anyway. So we incorporate it into something positive," said Bill Van Den Brandt, corporate communications manager for Appleton, the papermaker that extended a lunch hour last week and threw a Packers tailgate party for its 1,200 workers in Appleton.

...Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data, if each Wisconsin worker spent one hour at work rhapsodizing over the Packers, scrounging for tickets or scouting the Giants' offensive tendencies, state employers collectively would lose $39.7 million in wages.

That's based on a median hourly wage of $14.49. Of course, not every worker is dwelling on the Packers this week, and a one-hour average might be conservative. The estimated productivity loss varies by geography, according to the size of work force and the median pay. Applying the same calculation on just the metropolitan New York area would amount to a productivity loss exceeding $93 million.

A big supposition is that an hour at work contemplating the Packers otherwise would have been productive.

That is a "big supposition."

It seems to me that the Journal Sentinel is CREATING an issue out of nothing.

The numbers are silly. They aren't grounded in anything real.

..."We haven't had members calling and expressing concern about distractions or anything like that," said Mary Hunter, a senior human resources director for MRA-The Management Association Inc.

..."I don't hear anybody that I'm aware of complaining about lost productivity," said Jim Golembeski, executive director of the Bay Area Workforce Development Board, in Green Bay. "There's a lot of ways in which productivity is lost other than the fact that we've got a championship game coming up. The winter doldrums, the cold weather. And this just boosts everybody's spirits."

In sum--

It's a stupid article.

Lost productivity, lost shmoductivity.

Stick to the facts.

T.O.'s Tears

Terrell Owens was emotional after Dallas’s defeat. (Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press)

The strain of the playoffs obviously took a toll on Dallas Cowboy Terrell Owens.

Meeting the press after the team's loss to the New York Giants, T.O. turned into a blubbering mess.

IRVING, Tex. -- The softer side of Terrell Owens surfaced Sunday. After the Cowboys’ season ended in another playoff loss, after his quarterback turned in another playoff disappointment, Owens became downright sentimental.

He wore pitch-black aviator shades to his postgame news conference. And he needed them to shield his eyes, which dripped tears when the subject turned to Tony Romo.

“It’s not about Tony,” he said, his voice even, flat. “You guys can point the finger at him. You can talk about the vacation. ...”

His voice trailed off, then cracked and wobbled. But Owens continued on. He fought to contain his sobs, blurting out sentences between them.

“If you do that, that’s really unfair,” Owens said. “Really unfair. That’s my teammate. That’s my quarterback. We lost as a team. We lost as a team, man.”

Wow! That was quite... unexpected.

I suppose he figured that this was his party and he'll cry if he wants to.

...Romo used his playoff bye week to vacation in Mexico with his pop star girlfriend, Jessica Simpson.

During the week, the Cowboys insisted the controversy Romo created in Cabo San Lucas was overblown. After the game, Romo said better there than Las Vegas.

“I don’t live with regrets,” Romo said. “I’m content in my own skin. If I try to be a good person, and I’m strong enough in my faith, if I’m strong enough in what I’m trying to do, then I feel like I’m doing it the right way.”

It's good Romo has no regrets and he's content in his own skin.

There are probably a lot of Dallas fans not feeling quite so content about the results of the game.

Romo may find consolation in the thought that Jessica Simpson will be there to comfort him. If she rejects Romo, T.O. has his back.

...This was not the Terrell Owens of years past, the flamboyant and talkative wide receiver with the tendency to engage in clashes with his quarterbacks. He bickered regularly in Philadelphia with Donovan McNabb. And he insulted quarterback Jeff Garcia, then with the 49ers.

On Sunday, Owens changed the whole routine. He went from a quarterback critic to a quarterback defender. His sadness appeared genuine. Asked if that was because this was the best relationship he had had with a quarterback, Owens said none of his relationships with quarterbacks went sour. (McNabb and Garcia might disagree.)

“I always had a good relationship with my quarterbacks,” Owens said. “I know the type of person I am on the inside. You guys judge me on the outside.”

Though Owens claims he's always been a softy on the inside, it appears that during the bye Owens had a personality transplant.

I believe that Owens was genuinely upset about the loss and being denied a shot at a trip to the Super Bowl.

However, I don't buy that he was moved to tears because he couldn't bear the thought of the press ripping on Romo.

I think Owens was feeling sorry for himself.

Even spoiled, bratty children occasionally break down.

I'm not worried about Owens. He'll have plenty of time to regain his composure. The party's over for the Cowboys.

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AT LAMBEAU

(AP Photo/Morry Gash)


YEEEAAAHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

From the Green Bay Press-Gazette:

The road to Super Bowl XLII goes through Lambeau Field.

The Green Bay Packers will host the New York Giants in next Sunday’s NFC championship game after the Giants defeated the Dallas Cowboys 21-17 on Sunday evening at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas.

The game will be at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 20.

____________________

Cowboys flop, Giants soar

Tony Romo can go wherever he wants with Jessica Simpson now. Eli Manning and the New York Giants knocked him and the Dallas Cowboys into the offseason Sunday.

HOW TO RUIN THE SUPER BOWL

This is not a good idea.

WASHINGTON -- Drink beer, eat candy, buy a car. Now add a new pitch to next year's lineup of Super Bowl television ads: Vote for me.

...As states line up to hold presidential primaries on the first Tuesday in February, the Feb. 3 Super Bowl could look super inviting and super expensive to presidential campaigns eager to deliver a knockout punch.

"That is a very ripe and timely target," said Mark McKinnon, chief media strategist for President Bush in 2000 and 2004 and now an adviser to Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign. "It would reach a huge audience at a very critical time. I think campaigns will look very closely at that."

That campaigns would give serious thought to advertising on Super Bowl Sunday illustrates how a packed primary schedule in early February could upend the traditional pace and the time-tested strategies of presidential elections.

...A 30-second spot in this year's Super Bowl cost as much as $2.6 million — enough to consume the proceeds of a recent Clinton fundraising gala in Washington, D.C. Politicians can get a bit of a break, though, because under federal law they are entitled to the lowest rate charged in that time slot for that broadcast. That could shave a few hundred thousand dollars off the top price.

And the ad better be good.

"You can't run your same old schlock on the Super Bowl," Tracey said. "You probably have to pay a higher price for doing that."

It could be worth it.

Consider that 94.1 million people watched this year's Super Bowl game, according to Nielsen Media Research. Consider, too, that the most-watched moment of the broadcast, as measured by TiVo rewinds and downloads, was not a highlight of the game but an ad for Bud Light.

Of the more than 20 states contemplating or already scheduled to hold a Feb. 5 primary or caucus, 14 have a total of 18 NFL teams. Chances are good that a primary state will have a team in the game with a sizable and attentive audience to boot.

What's more, a good Super Bowl ad benefits from vast media attention, extending the buzz it generates for days. "If your spot is really good, you can end up quadrupling the benefit of that ad," said Tobe Berkovitz, associate dean of communications at Boston University and an expert on political advertising.

But, Berkovitz cautioned: "You run a piece of junk and you're going to take a hammering that will be incredibly destructive to your campaign."

The Super Bowl is not the time for political advertising.

Can you imagine seeing Hillary sandwiched between a Budweiser and a Cialis commercial?

I don't think Vince Lombardi would approve.

Manly Snickers

I think it's sort of funny that Super Bowl XLI seemed to be without controversy.

Days later however, controversy is popping up, slowly but surely.

It's as though there needed to be a review, a slow-motion replay before issues with this year's Super Bowl became evident to the masses.

First, the half time show. You have the Prince phallic form that's been receiving attention.


REUTERS/Shaun Best (UNITED STATES)


(Screen shot)

I have two questions about that.

1. What took so long for people to notice and make an issue out of it? I'm surprised it wasn't more immediate.

2. Was it an intentional move by Prince? I don't know. I would say there's a strong possibility. The producers of the half time show had to recognize the image during rehearsals, unless Prince made the move unexpectedly. I doubt that.

Anyway, I did notice the suggestive silhouette on Sunday. My reaction now is the same as it was then: Who cares?

It was a brief image, something to giggle about during half time. No big deal.

The second controversy is causing more of a ruckus -- The Snickers commercial.

Watch it.



I didn't see that ad during the game.

Most likely, I was preparing food or serving food or cleaning up from the food. I'm sorry I missed it. I wish I had seen it as it aired live. That way, my reaction wouldn't be colored by the ensuing controversy and the reactions of others. I don't really know how I would have responded to the ad.

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. -- A commercial for Snickers candy bars launched in the Super Bowl broadcast was benched after its maker got complaints that it was homophobic.

The ad showed two auto mechanics accidentally kissing while eating the same candy bar and then ripping out some chest hair to do something "manly." One of the alternate endings on the Snickers Web site showed the men attacking each other.

The Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation complained to the maker of Snickers, Hackettstown-based Masterfoods USA, a division of Mars Inc., which also makes M&M's and other candies.

The Web site also featured video of players from the Super Bowl teams reacting to the kiss.

"This type of jeering from professional sports figures at the sight of two men kissing fuels the kind of anti-gay bullying that haunts countless gay and lesbian school children on playgrounds all across the country," Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese said in a statement.

GLAAD spokesman Marc McCarthy said Tuesday the group believed "this kind of prejudice was inexcusable."

The company has agreed to pull the ad from TV and its website, even though it received positive feedback from its target consumers.

Masterfoods spokeswoman Alice Nathanson said, "[M]any media and website commentators of this year's Super Bowl commercial line-up ranked the commercial among this year's top ten best. USA Today ranked it 9 of its top ten picks."

USA Today liked it. Does that make USA Today homophobic? I suppose so.

Will USA Today and other media outlets that lauded the commercial be targeted as bigoted?

Will the jeering sports figures be punished by GLAAD? Will they be forced to apologize or sent to gay rehab like Isaiah Washington of Grey's Anatomy?

Nathanson said that the company didn't intend to be offensive. The ad was meant to be humorous. Some obviously didn't see the humor.

So, the ad is history.

I didn't even know about the Snickers ad until there was this uproar about it. By complaining and drawing attention to it, the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation actually ending up giving Snickers additional advertising, more bang for their buck.

Personally, I think it was a little too edgy for a candy bar commercial; but it did get noticed, which is the point of advertising.

So many candy commercials target children. That's evil, right? This one clearly was meant to appeal to an older demographic. I guess Snickers can't win.
The bottom line is the ad offended some people. They complained. The company responded by removing it. That's nothing all that unusual. A decision was made to discontinue showing the ad.

I think the more interesting question is whether the ad was funny, clever, and fair or an inexcusable, hateful display.

I understand how some people would take the men's reaction to their unexpected kiss as offensive. They believe it presents a homosexual kiss as repulsive and shameful.

However, I don't think that the ad does that. I don't think it degrades homosexual behavior as much as it mocks the completely over the top reaction of the men.

The men ripping out their chest hair and screaming look like fools. They may be trying to be "manly," but they are buffoons.

They are the idiots in the ad for behaving so ridiculously.

How is that anti-gay?

Perhaps the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation should back off their knee jerk reaction and examine the ad's message.

There's humor in the ad, and it's at the expense of homophobes.



"I just want your extra time and your Kiss"

Super Bowl XLI Observations

Indianapolis Colts' quarterback Peyton Manning (R) hugs his head coach Tony Dungy, while holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy, after defeating the Chicago Bears to win the NFL's Super Bowl XLI football game in Miami, Florida, February 4, 2007. Manning was named MVP of the game. REUTERS/Mike Blake (UNITED STATES)

The champs of Super Bowl XLI are the Colts!

There's no joy in Bearville tonight.

As a Packer fan, I'm happy.

Super Bowl titles:

Minnesota -- 0

Chicago -- 1

Green Bay -- 3

Here is an account of the game from the Associated Press.

Also from AP, here is a review of the Super Bowl entertainment.

I wasn't able to watch every moment of the broadcast. Someone has to feed and clean up after those who do.

So, from what I did see, here are a few random observations:

-- I couldn't believe that CBS trotted out Katie Couric during the pre-game show. Super Bowl viewers should not be ambushed and forced to put up with Couric.

Katie Couric, who can chant "We're No. 3" about CBS News, joined the guys, for yet another "very touching story indeed," as Brown put it after introducing the high-priced "Evening News" anchorwoman by citing her sports reporting credibility. ("She brings a sports background to the desk. She ran track — an outstanding cheerleader").

HAHAHA

(Photo/mediabistro)

-- When the coverage of the game began, around 5:00 pm CT, there was a taped intro with a montage of Colts and Bears players talking about the game being "60 Minutes." The players said things like: I have "60 Minutes" to become a champion. I have "60 Minutes" to do what I've spent a lifetime dreaming about. For "60 Minutes" I will give it all I've got. The one thing that linked the players' comments together was "60 Minutes."

I thought it was a cheap move by CBS to promote 60 Minutes. If one or two players referenced the "60 Minutes" of an NFL game, I wouldn't call it that. I'd consider it just a coincidence, but this seemed like a commercial. I expected Morley Safer to pop up.

-- I give Billy Joel's version of the National Anthem a passing mark. It was a straight forward rendition, nothing special. Actually, I liked that. He didn't showcase himself like some singers do when given that assignment. He sang the Anthem without a lot of added flourish. That was a nice change.


REUTERS/Pierre Ducharme (UNITED STATES)

-- While the rain had to be a nightmare for the crowd and tough on the players, the difficult conditions made the game more exciting. The sloppy play could be chalked up to the elements.

-- Half time was great. I really liked Prince's performance and I don't consider myself a diehard fan by any means. It had an energy and electricity that's been missing recently. Paul McCartney was so boring. Even the Rolling Stones were dull.


REUTERS/Shaun Best (UNITED STATES)

The New York Times declared Prince to be an "American treasure" and called his performance "noncontroversial." Hmmm -- American treasure? True, there was no Janet Jackson-style wardrobe malfunction, but there was one sort of risqué image. At one point, Prince was behind a billowing sheet. Because of the shape of his guitar, a certain angle of his silhouette was...let's say eye-catching.

It was very brief, but I wasn't the only one to notice.

It's not just my mind that travels in that direction.

This photo gives you an idea, but it's not the specific image that drew our attention. It's close, but no cigar.


REUTERS/Shaun Best (UNITED STATES)

While watching the broadcast, I didn't notice Prince striking this pose, gesturing during his performance. I'm sure it was a split second move captured by a quick shutter.


REUTERS/Mike Blake (UNITED STATES)

Anyway, Prince put on an impressive show. Very well done.

-- The commercials were a disappointment. This wasn't a good year. No standouts.

-- Lovie Smith is a class act. He was so gracious in his post-game interview. I hope kids watching noted how he acted in defeat. He's a great role model.

-- Tony Dungy is also a class act. I have such respect for him. His life has been far from perfect, yet his faith in God remains strong and he's not afraid to say it. He said he was proud to be the first African-American coach to win a Super Bowl. He also wanted to make it clear that he's a Christian coach. What a great role model! What a humble man! Like Smith, Dungy's style should be noted and copied.

-- MVP Peyton Manning is a good winner, too. He reminds me of Brett Favre.

Bears v. Colts: In the Beginning...

Super Bowl XLI -- That's a lot of Super Bowls!

This year's model is special. It's being called historic because Colts Coach Tony Dungy and Bears Coach Lovie Smith are African-Americans.

Good luck to both of them.

Since we're talking history and football coaches, let's go back to the beginning.




Generally speaking, I don't think the first one is necessarily the best, but it always does have a special significance, by virtue of the fact that it is the first.

On January 15, 1967, the Green Bay Packers won the first Super Bowl, beating the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10.





The Green Bay Dynasty also took home the Super Bowl II title. After winning their third consecutive NFL Championship, the Pack defeated the Oakland Raiders, 33-14, on January 14, 1968.





Super Bowl II was Vince Lombardi's last game as the head coach of the Packers. It was the last time his players carried him off the field, victorious.

In his nine years at Green Bay, the Glory Years, Coach Lombardi won six Western Conference championships, five NFL championships, and two Super Bowls.

A Glorious Chapter in Packer History

Likable Ray "Scooter" McLean moved up from being an outstanding assistant coach to guide the destiny of the Packers for 1958. McLean resigned in December after a 1-10-1 record, the worst in Packer history in his lone season as head coach.

The Packers took their time after McLean's resignation. [Jack] Vainisi conducted Phase II of the '59 draft by himself, as the team debated whether to hire a general manager as well as a coach, or one person for both positions. The search spanned from the CFL to the college ranks, and even included a GM application from Curly Lambeau.

On. Jan. 28, when team president Dominic Olejniczak recommended to the committee a little-known Giants assistant, longtime committee member John Torinus replied, "Who the hell is Vince Lombardi?"

The committee, and the world, quickly found out. Within hours after his arrival on Feb. 2, Lombardi told the committee, "I want it understood that I am in complete command here." Two days later the Packers officially gave Lombardi both titles.

I've always considered it to be an especially fitting tribute to Vince Lombardi that the Super Bowl trophy bears his name.

The Lombardi Trophy, the NFL's most prestigious award, signifies hard work, strong will, character, pride, and dedication to excellence. It embodies not only the skills but also the values that Coach Lombardi instilled in his players.

As Coach Lombardi said, "The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor."

As he did so often, he wasn't just talking about football; he was talking about life.

In perhaps his most famous speech, Coach Lombardi's eloquence goes far beyond the typical rhetoric used to encourage a football team to win a game.

It speaks to the possibilities within every person, encouraging one to strive to achieve and live to the fullest.

Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.

There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that's first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don't ever want to finish second again. There is a second place bowl game, but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we do, and to win, and to win, and to win.

Every time a football player goes to play his trade he's got to play from the ground up -- from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That's O.K. You've got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more importantly, you've got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you're lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he's never going to come off the field second.

Running a football team is no different than running any other kind of organization -- an army, a political party or a business. The principles are the same. The object is to win -- to beat the other guy. Maybe that sounds hard or cruel. I don't think it is.

It is a reality of life that men are competitive and the most competitive games draw the most competitive men. That's why they are there -- to compete. To know the rules and objectives when they get in the game. The object is to win fairly, squarely, by the rules -- but to win.

And in truth, I've never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn't appreciate the grind, the discipline. There is something in good men that really yearns for discipline and the harsh reality of head to head combat.

I don't say these things because I believe in the "brute" nature of man or that men must be brutalized to be combative. I believe in God, and I believe in human decency. But I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle -- victorious.

GO COLTS!!!

Bears v. Colts

Super Bowl XLI is guaranteed to be historic because of race.

When I saw the Saints fall apart and it became clear that the Bears and Coach Lovie Smith were going to the Super Bowl, I didn't think about Smith's skin color.

Congratulations to him. It's a tremendous accomplishment to coach your team to the Super Bowl. Smith seems like a nice guy and he's done a great job with the Bears.

But there's the rub -- the BEARS.

As a Packers fan, I can't be happy about the Bears being in the Super Bowl.

It's not that I never cheer for the Bears. Just last weekend, I was thrilled that the Bears kept the Seahawks out of the NFC championship game -- anything to keep Mike Holmgren away from winning another Lombardi Trophy.

It's small of me, but I blame him for the 1998 Packers loss in Super Bowl XXXII.

Even though I still hold a grudge against him for his poor coaching in that game, I felt sorry for Holmgren after Seattle's loss to the Bears. He seemed so dejected. I felt guilty for wanting him to lose.

I digress.

Today, I really, REALLY wanted the Saints to beat the Bears. Alas, it was not to be. The Saints were sloppy, turnovers and penalties. (What happened? Was it a lack of preparation? Did George Bush have something to do with it? Did FEMA screw up?)

Actually, I think you must give credit where credit is due -- the Bears' defense is a superior force and they eventually wore down the Saints.

As it turns out, it will be the Bears v. the Colts, both teams coached by African-Americans.

When I heard that the Colts would be the Bears' opponent, I was glad that New England wouldn't be returning for another shot at the championship. I was happy for the Colts and their fans.

I admit that I didn't think about Tony Dungy's skin color.

Was I supposed to?

I think I was. The media are telling me I should be thinking about it.

(AP) -- Two good friends who happen to be NFL coaches are already front-and-center in this Super Bowl, and kickoff is still two weeks away.

Lovie Smith became the first black head coach to make it all the way to the NFL's marquee game Sunday when his Chicago Bears won the NFC championship.

About four hours later, his pal and mentor, Tony Dungy, joined him there when his Indianapolis Colts took the AFC title.

For the first time in the big game's 41-year history, not one, but two black head coaches will be on the sidelines.

"It means a lot," Dungy said after a 38-34 victory over the New England Patriots. "I'm very proud to represent African-American coaches."

...Smith and Dungy are breaking new ground for black coaches in the league, much like Washington's Doug Williams did for black quarterbacks in the 1988 Super Bowl.

"Being the first black coach to lead this team, of course our players knew about it, and they wanted to help us make history," Smith said. "So I feel blessed to be in that position."

Smith was one of Dungy's assistants when the two were with Tampa Bay from 1996-2000, and they established a friendship that has grown in the years since. Now, the two buddies will go to the Super Bowl — with the chance to win a championship.

"We have to play someone, and, in my perfect world, I would like to see the Colts be that team," Smith said after the Bears won. "Tony Dungy has done an awful lot for our game. He hasn't had a chance to coach in the Super Bowl. I would love to see it."

Now everyone will get that chance.

When Dungy started in Tampa, there were just three black head coaches in the NFL.

This season, there were seven. Now, there will be two in the Super Bowl.

...Smith and Dungy already have sealed a huge victory for minority coaches, regardless of who brings home a championship.

"I'm happy for both coaches," Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney said. "I hope we get to the point we don't have to hear about it."

Exactly! Wouldn't it be nice if race didn't play in to this?

Why should anyone be shocked that teams coached by African Americans are in the Super Bowl?

I think it's too bad that it's a big deal.

Aren't we past that point?

Apparently not.

Upon being reminded, repeatedly, that Super Bowl XLI would be significant for its racial composition, I wondered whether both Smith and Dungy are really black and not pretenders like some other African Americans.

Are they black with an asterisk, like Clarence Thomas?

Are they Uncle Tom blacks, like Michael Steele?

Will they be pelted with Oreos?

I haven't heard about any of that sort of stuff when it comes to Smith and Dungy. I guess African Americans in the NFL are REAL representatives of their race.

As I said before, Smith seems like a nice man.

Nothing personal against him, but I'll be cheering for the Colts. I hope Tony Dungy is the winning coach. I don't want Lovie Smith and his Bears to take the title.

Does that make me a racist?

I hope not. I'm not a racist. I'm a Packers fan.

Sorry, Seahawks

Congratulations, Steelers -- Super Bowl XL Champions

Congratulations, Hines Ward -- Super Bowl XL MVP

I didn't have a team in this year's game. I really didn't care which team won, although I was cheering for former Packer Matt Hasselbeck.

I admit I still have mixed feelings about Mike Holmgren. His departure from Green Bay was an unpleasant one, yet he led the team back to glory and two Super Bowls, so it's hard to hold a grudge.

I'm certainly not disappointed that the Steelers won and I'm not at all happy that the Seahawks lost. I suppose I'm indifferent.

Not to take anything away from Hines, but I do think that the refs should have been considered for the MVP award. I think they played a very significant role in the outcome of the game.

I can understand if Seattle fans weren't happy with the officiating. I think they have a number of legitimate gripes.

As far as the commercials go, some were funny; most were forgettable.

The halftime show was lackluster -- no wardrobe malfunctions this year, which was a blessing I suppose.

AP offers some details on the entertainment.

The Stones did three songs. I think halftime of the Super Bowl was a poor time to perform a song from their recent album. They have over forty years of material and they decide to do a song that would be unfamiliar to most of the audience. That was self-indulgent. Not smart.

I noticed that there were no tight close-ups on Mick and the "boys." Again, that was probably a blessing, although I do agree with AP's assessment, "Jagger, at age 62, is still a force of nature."

So, another Super Bowl is history. Pittsburgh chalks up another championship.

Seattle will have to wait for its first victory, and Mike Holmgren will have to wait for another win.

Oh, well. He'll always have New Orleans and Super Bowl XXXI.

TITLETOWN

Generally speaking, I don't think the first one is necessarily the best, but it always does have a special significance, by virtue of the fact that it is the first.

On January 15, 1967, the Green Bay Packers won the first Super Bowl, beating the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10.





The Green Bay Dynasty also took home the Super Bowl II title. After winning their third consecutive NFL Championship, the Pack defeated the Oakland Raiders, 33-14, on January 14, 1968.





Super Bowl II was Vince Lombardi's last game as the head coach of the Packers. It was the last time his players carried him off the field, victorious.

In his nine years at Green Bay, the Glory Years, Coach Lombardi won six Western Conference championships, five NFL championships, and two Super Bowls.

A Glorious Chapter in Packer History

Likable Ray "Scooter" McLean moved up from being an outstanding assistant coach to guide the destiny of the Packers for 1958. McLean resigned in December after a 1-10-1 record, the worst in Packer history in his lone season as head coach.

The Packers took their time after McLean's resignation. [Jack] Vainisi conducted Phase II of the '59 draft by himself, as the team debated whether to hire a general manager as well as a coach, or one person for both positions. The search spanned from the CFL to the college ranks, and even included a GM application from Curly Lambeau.

On. Jan. 28, when team president Dominic Olejniczak recommended to the committee a little-known Giants assistant, longtime committee member John Torinus replied, "Who the hell is Vince Lombardi?"

The committee, and the world, quickly found out. Within hours after his arrival on Feb. 2, Lombardi told the committee, "I want it understood that I am in complete command here." Two days later the Packers officially gave Lombardi both titles.

I've always considered it to be an especially fitting tribute to Vince Lombardi that the Super Bowl trophy bears his name.

The Lombardi Trophy, the NFL's most prestigious award, signifies hard work, strong will, character, pride, and dedication to excellence. It embodies not only the skills but also the values that Coach Lombardi instilled in his players.

As Coach Lombardi said, "The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor."

As he did so often, he wasn't just talking about football; he was talking about life.

In perhaps his most famous speech, Coach Lombardi's eloquence goes far beyond the typical rhetoric used to encourage a football team to win a game.

It speaks to the possibilities within every person, encouraging one to strive to achieve and live to the fullest.

Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.

There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that's first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don't ever want to finish second again. There is a second place bowl game, but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we do, and to win, and to win, and to win.

Every time a football player goes to play his trade he's got to play from the ground up -- from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That's O.K. You've got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more importantly, you've got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you're lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he's never going to come off the field second.

Running a football team is no different than running any other kind of organization -- an army, a political party or a business. The principles are the same. The object is to win -- to beat the other guy. Maybe that sounds hard or cruel. I don't think it is.

It is a reality of life that men are competitive and the most competitive games draw the most competitive men. That's why they are there -- to compete. To know the rules and objectives when they get in the game. The object is to win fairly, squarely, by the rules -- but to win.

And in truth, I've never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn't appreciate the grind, the discipline. There is something in good men that really yearns for discipline and the harsh reality of head to head combat.

I don't say these things because I believe in the "brute" nature of man or that men must be brutalized to be combative. I believe in God, and I believe in human decency. But I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle -- victorious.

Reggie

There really was never any doubt that Reggie White would take his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Although the majority of his career was not spent with the Packers, his greatest moments were with the green and gold.

Detroit -- If life was fleeting for Reggie White, this won't be.

This is forever.

White, who died at age 43 a little more than a year ago and not long after finishing one of the most distinguished careers of any lineman in the history of the National Football League, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. He officially will take his place among the other legends of the game during induction ceremonies the weekend of Aug. 5-6 in Canton, Ohio.

White played six of his 15 seasons with the Green Bay Packers and left an impact on the franchise like few other players in its storied past.

On the field, White dominated opponents from his defensive end position and played a leading role in the Packers' resurgence in the 1990s capped by victory in Super Bowl XXXI. Off the field, he was just as towering a figure, becoming one of the franchise's most effective salesmen and spokesmen.



..."He was so looking forward to his moment," Sara [White's widow] said. "We discussed it. He said, 'You know, it's five years before you can actually get in.' So we counted the time."

After speaking to those assembled in the ballroom, Sara sat down and shed tears.

"For me, it's bittersweet because he's not here physically to appreciate being a part of such an elite group," she explained later.

Since his death, White had his number retired by both the Packers and Philadelphia Eagles. Just last week, he was selected to the Packer Hall of Fame. And before his death, he was inducted into the Lombardi Legends, a group formed by players from the Vince Lombardi Era.

But White also knew that the Pro Football Hall of Fame, more so than any other honor, would ensure him of football immortality.

"The Hall of Fame was at the top of his list," said Sara. "Then the Lombardi Legends was second, believe it or not. The Super Bowl was third."



It's hard to believe that so many years have passed.

Super Bowl XXXI, when Reggie helped bring the Lombardi Trophy back home to Green Bay, doesn't seem all that long ago.

Life is fleeting, but not the joy of the years he spent with the Packers.

Just like Reggie's honor, it's forever.