There’s a post I’d forgotten to put in actually – I’ll put it in here.

The snow that fell earlier in the week is still around, and in the case of snow sitting on the side of roads, is turning into sludge, a mix of dirt and ice. It really isn’t a pretty picture, and can be a challenge to walk around / through / over, however most of the snow is still pure white.

Sunday 4 February – Boston

Superbowl Sunday

In hindsight, Superbowl Sunday wasn’t all that big. Not sure what it was - whether it was the fact that it clearly wasn’t the best two teams of the year playing, or Boston was just disappointed after the New England Patriots got knocked out in the semi finals (the ‘Conference Championships’) – but walking around the streets of Downtown Boston, both before and after the game, there was very few people around. I expected there to be a lot people in the numerous bars around our area, but there certainly wasn’t. I’ve got no doubt that the Soccer World Cup, or even a Cricket World Cup final, carries so much more an atmosphere and a real focus on the actual game than the Superbowl.

You can see why there’s such a focus on the Superbowl TV ads, and on the half time entertainment, as opposed to the actual game. There’s no doubt that the best two teams in the land played in the 2nd last game, and not the final one, but it can’t be avoided because New England and Indianapolis (the Superbowl winner) are in the same conference. I think that’s a real weakness in the sport – I can’t think of too many other sports in which the finals system is not designed to having the best two teams / individuals meet in the final.

Also supporting the possibility of the best game being played last week was the fact that there are a lot of impartial, or neutral, supporters at the game. To me it remains one of the disappointing aspects of the AFL game that members of the competing sides don’t rank high enough when it comes to being able to get Grand Final Tickets. I’d love to see the day when we have turned this around, but I can’t see it happening. Personally, I’m taking the stance that if GF tickets ever come my way and the Cats weren’t involved, I’ll give the tickets away to a member of the either of the two competing teams, as long as they can show they’ve been a true supporter all the way through (in other words, people like Pete who jump on and off their team’s bandwagon a number of times per minute need not apply for the tickets).

At least they mentioned Aussie Rules during the coverage. The game was played in wet conditions, and upon one of the many fumbles made on the night, the commentator made reference to the game being more like a game of Australian Rules. But this game had nothing on the Swans and Eagles classics of the last two years.
It’s clear who’s the most important player in the NFL team... hence Colts quarterback Peyton Manning’s choice as MVP. As discussed with Pete & his housemates (where I settled down to watch the a game), if there isn’t a standout performance from any particular player on the field, the MVP award basically automatically gets awarded to the winning team’s quarterback.

Anyway, the general conclusion was that the Ads were disappointing – not enough funny ones, and too many repeats. In regards to the half time entertainment, I’m unsure how to rank it. It was Prince (or the artist who was known as the ‘The Artist Formerly Known As Prince’), of whom I’m not a great fan, so I’ll reserve my opinion.

Libe spent the Superbowl Sunday in a pub near Greenwich Village in Manhattan, but left at half time, which was quite understandable given the game wasn’t quite as boring as bat droppings, but wasn’t far off.