The two easiest predictions of 2008
Just a few moments ago it seemed to me I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror.
Then I realized it was only Bill Simmons, the Sports Guy, screaming in anguish that the Patriots just lost the Superbowl.
Heh, heh.
Those predictions: the next Sports Guy column will have the theme, “We wuz robbed.” The one after will explain in great detail why the Patriots are still the Greatest. Team. Ever.
As for me … for the first and most likely the only time in my life I rooted for the Giants. I do not like the Patriots.
Okay. On to a subject at least a couple of my readers may actually give a carp about…
Was this an epically lame year for Superbowl commercials, or what? It wasn’t until the FedEx pigeon courier ad that I laughed or even cracked much of a smile. Perhaps the most egregious was the early animated Ad Genie commercial: not simply because it was completely lacking in interest, but because for a company that purports to sell its services as marketing experts to lack so completely any sense of what makes a successful Superbowl ad - humor, wit, the moondog bizarre, anything different - would seem to be nothing short of disaster.
One of the more amusing ad series was actually Fox’s own, featuring their new football robot mascot getting the grease kicked out of him by the Terminator, to plug their new series, The Sarah Connor Chronicles. It looked toward the end as if perhaps more robot jocks (but not those robot jocks) were going to gang up on Ol’ Chromebones -
- But my cable company lost the signal. With about eleven minutes to go in the fourth. And didn’t get it back until just before the Giants’ game-winning touchdown. That meant that I would’ve missed the two earlier lead-changing touchdowns, if I hadn’t finally found the signal on my little portable telescoping-antenna TV, so that I watched some of the most amazing Superbowl action in the history of the game on a three by four inch black & white screen. Way to roll, Comcast!
Anyway, that was wild. Sorry, but you’ll have to wait a bit for an after-action report on yesterday’s Wild Cards related hijinks. Quick summary: they rocked.