Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

There are some who say that there are too many strawmen arguments on this blog.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

Everybody saw this coming.

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

If you can’t control your emotions, someone else will.

Let me file that under fuck it.

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

So many bastards, so little time.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

The desire to stay informed is directly at odds with the need to not be constantly enraged.

Fight them, without becoming them!

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

Sometimes the world just tells you your cat is here.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

You are here: Home / Sports / Super Bowl Open Thread

Reader Interactions

336Comments

  1. 1.

    JPL

    I have no idea what Belichick was thinking about when he had someone with a camera on the field. Most teams are smart enough to hide them in the stands.

    John, Is your father going to watch the game and do you have the jrt’s at your house?

  17. 17.

    noodler

    watching from a friends bar on the lower east side, top hops. Sumpthin like 800 beers, and prob my belgian favs jupilier and carmelitte. Should be a great game and blah blah looking forward to the commercials… Go Giants! BJers welcome.

  18. 18.

    JGabriel

    That annual athletic display with all the pads that sporty people discuss each year is on again tonight?

    (As a New Yorker, smart-assery aside, I guess I have a rooting interest in the Giants winning this one — even if I do think of them as being more of a New Jersey team, by more than half.)

    .

  20. 20.

    Suffern ACE

    I’m rooting for patriots 6, giants 7. Or any score ending in those numbers, preferably at halftime and game end.

  22. 22.

    Amir Khalid

    I attended a Super Bowl party in the US once. It was at LotusSphere 1997, held in Disney World, on the eve of the conference launch. I don’t even remember who was playing. I do seem to remember that it was more about beer and food — there was an abundance of both — than football; and that I went back to my hotel room afterwards to watch The X-Files. (It was the episode where Scully has a fight with Mulder, and goes off to Pittsburgh where she hooks up with a guy who has a jealous talking tattoo called Betty.)

  24. 24.

    hildebrand

    At the moment, I am far more interested in listening to my son and wife work on their piano duet for the upcoming recital – they are playing Rachmaninov’s Prelude in C sharp minor.

  30. 30.

    robertdsc-PowerBook

    Glad Belichick is wearing the charcoal gray hoodie. The cursed red hoodie has been burned, I hope.

    Hoping the Pats win today.

  31. 31.

    wengler

    Yeah, 8 games off I’m sure he’ll come back good as new. Meanwhile, Bale and Ade are gonna be pouring them in.

  36. 36.

    Jim C

    Are we supposed to stand and put our hands over our hearts during the national anthem in our own homes?

    Watching all the players swaying with adrenalin makes me think we should sing this song at a different point in time.

  37. 37.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Amir Khalid: January 1997? That would have been Packers/Patriots. Green Bay won.

    As much as it pains me, I will be rooting not so much for the Patriots to win but for the Giants to lose.

  43. 43.

    The Dangerman

    @Southern Beale:

    Just realized we have an entire pitcher of margaritas in the fridge.

    Way to take one for the team!

    Don’t have a dog in this hunt, so gotta root for a local kid even though he doesn’t see the field too much, if at all (Ramses Barden, 13, Giants).

  45. 45.

    dmsilev

    Sports announcers must attend the same post-graduate program in applied inanity that political pundits graduate from.

  47. 47.

    lamh35

    Have no interest in this game at all besides the commercials and you can actually see them online.

    Saints aren’t playing so I’m just gonna go with the hometown boy and say “Go Eli”.

    BTW, I’m no raving fan of Madge, but I might check out the half-time show. About what time will halftime be? Can anyone guest-imate?

  48. 48.

    Cassidy

    Just realized we have an entire pitcher of margaritas in the fridge.

    I want a fridge that does that.

  51. 51.

    darwinsjoke

    Am I the only one that hears “pretentious cocksucker” when a player says, “THE Ohio State University”?

  55. 55.

    Amir Khalid

    I saw this Opinion page blurb on a Maureen Dowd column, and it made me not want to read the thing. Come on, NYT. That’s the opposite of how a blurb is supposed to work.

    Can Callista transform Newt so that he can transform her into the First Third Lady?

  56. 56.

    Spaghetti Lee

    Not to ruffle anyone’s feathers, but I’ve always thought of “I only watch/care about the commercials” a hipsterism equivalent to “They’re real obscure, you’ve probably never heard of them.”

  57. 57.

    JPL

    Eli is probably okay. After all he does like to go antique hunting so he can’t be all bad. I do have on my Patriot clothes although Miss Moxie doesn’t have on her New England Patriots dog collar on.

  58. 58.

    JordanRules

    @Violet: Works for me! Who are you rooting for in the food V. commercials battle then? I’m team food.

    Kinda care so, go other Manning I guess…you are elite and Darth hoody is scary.

  59. 59.

    geg6

    I’m here only for the commercials. And in the hope that Madonna will do an ironic Tebow just for the shits and giggles of fundie heads asploding.

    I hate both these teams, passionately, but have decided to root for the Giants because a late friend loooooved them and they have a kid from Pitt playing fullback. Gotta stick with fellow alumni.

  60. 60.

    Spaghetti Lee

    I don’t really have a rooting interest here, for the first time in a while. If I’m not actually a fan of the teams (Bears), I root for the distinct underdog or else the team who hasn’t won in a while. Patriots, I guess, for History’s sake.

  63. 63.

    Elizabelle

    Commercials so far. Meh.

    The vampires for Audi (?) does remind you of “daylight” headlights.

  65. 65.

    Yutsano

    @The Dangerman: I’m stuck. Good friend from Mississippi plus New York Dawg = pulling for the Giants. Though to be honest I’m in total apathy mode for the whole affair.

    @gwangung: Ahem. Why for you never tell me about Ezell’s before? That place is da shiznit!

  68. 68.

    different-church-lady

    I have to say that oddly, I am enjoying the Patriots playing the role of the “bad guys” this year.

  69. 69.

    Violet

    Elton John Pepsi ad was lame.

    @Spaghetti Lee:
    Really? I honestly do watch for the commercials most of the time. I think they’re funny. I like football well enough, but don’t really care who wins this time.

    @JordanRules:
    Totally Team Food!

  73. 73.

    Spaghetti Lee

    Maybe I’m just bitter. I distinctly remember being disappointed by the commercials as a group for like 5-6 years now. Maybe this year will be better.

  75. 75.

    NobodySpecial

    Patriots can’t tackle. If that keeps up this game won’t be close.

    Of course, I’m still rooting for the meteor strike.

  79. 79.

    The Dangerman

    OK, I was rooting for Ramses, which is kinda like a safety (I’d rather have the margarita).

    I wonder how many prop bets had a safety as the first score. Nice payday.

  87. 87.

    Suffern ACE

    Bud light goes with the Etta James remix, which is probably better than pepsis cover of respect.

  90. 90.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again):

    Have I ever told you about watching the Seahawks score two touchdowns- right in front of me!- in the first two minutes of the 2007 Divisional Round game at Lambeau?

    Was that the overtime game where Hasselback made the “We want the ball and we’re going to score” comment and then threw a pick-6 to Al Harris?

  92. 92.

    Violet

    I like that Chevy truck commercial with the tie in with Twinkies. Funny. At least the Twinkies part.

  93. 93.

    BGinCHI

    Fuck, Manning is just too good. How did he get that pass in there??

    Peyton is probably breaking all the furniture in his man cave.

  94. 94.

    Spaghetti Lee

    OK, that apocalypse one was pretty good. M&M one too. Didn’t think you could get away with that on prime time TV actually, but I guess it’s OK if they’re cartoon candies.

  96. 96.

    Nom de Plume

    @Violet:

    The last time the commercials were generally good was during the crazy dotcom era.

    I haven’t watched the commercials in about 20 years, ever since SB commercials became “something to watch”. They became self-conscious and smug, all “look at me, I’m a Super Bowl commercial!”, and they just become moreso with each passing year. The ones that I do manage to see are just insufferable, just brimming with self-satisfaction, and not the least bit fucking funny.

  98. 98.

    BGinCHI

    I don’t care if you call Bud Light “Platinum” or “crack” or “free.”

    It tastes like piss.

  100. 100.

    Amir Khalid

    @BGinCHI:
    That was crazy. Man U were three goals down early in the second half, then the ref helped them by awarding two dubious penalties. Chelsea must feel like they got fucked over. Still, It was just about the result I wanted for Liverpool’s benefit so I’m good with it.

  101. 101.

    gogol's wife

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I’ve asked for one every week. I think it’s hopeless. You’ll have to settle for Patton Oswalt’s twitter feed (I probably got that wrong, but something like that).

  104. 104.

    dmsilev

    @BGinCHI: I think it’s like what credit card companies did some years back, working their way through the periodic table. Wake me when we get Bud Light Neodymium.

  107. 107.

    BGinCHI

    @Violet: Tacit admission that their regular product is of urinary quality.

    Gotta love a product that is 99% marketing and 1% ingredients and craft.

    USA!

  109. 109.

    phoebes-in-santa fe

    Why are so many of these commercials so violent? Even the ones that don’t HAVE to be violent? I mean, I know there’s a lot testesterone around, but most of the violent commercials don’t even make sense.

  110. 110.

    dmsilev

    And to the person who decided that the world needed a movie adaptation of the game Battleship, fuck you very much.

  118. 118.

    Violet

    I always love the Clydesdales Bud commercial. Such gorgeous horses.

    Okay, that Doritos ad was funny.

  119. 119.

    Donald G

    I’ve been led to believe that there’s some kind of important football game, today. Something called the Stupid Bowl… oh, that’s SUPER Bowl. Sorry everyone, the Stupid Bowl was last night’s Nevada Republican Caucuses,

    GO COWB…whattya mean, they’re not playing? They’re “America’s Team”, aren’t they? Oh, they sucked this year…I see.

    So, who’s the new “America’s Team”?

    It’s either the Patriots or the Giants. Well, the Patriots have the patriotic name, but the term Giants is as good a description of American exceptionalism as any. So, who should I support?

    What say we combine the best of both teams?

    Patriots…Giants

    Pa…nts

    Pants!

    That’s it! GO PANTS!!!

    (Who says the spirit of compromise is dead?)

  126. 126.

    different-church-lady

    Once again I’m getting that “You spent a million dollars on THAT?!?” feeling…

  128. 128.

    suzanne

    I have a dumb question that’s NOT about FourLoko_chan: how many men ARE allowed on the field? ‘Cause what was that “12 men on the field” penalty about?

  129. 129.

    ChrisB

    Hilarious that NBC went with the JPP knock off of OPP going to commercial after Pierre Paul knocked down that pass.

    We’ve come a long way from nipplegate.

  136. 136.

    Suffern ACE

    @nom de plume – at no point can super bowl ads count as secret pleasues. Or follow the best band you’ve never heard of narrative.

  139. 139.

    Elizabelle

    Think Steven Tyler was in the Patriots’ owner box?

    Somebody was in there in a leopard print.

  140. 140.

    BGinCHI

    Where the fuck is Jeffrey with some photos of his outrageous Superbowl food.

    Can you even imagine what that guy made today?

  142. 142.

    eemom

    These are the 2 things I have to say about the Superbowl:

    1. My sister and her husband and sons, rabid Giants fans, are there — they actually WON tickets!

    2. After this football will be over. Yay.

  149. 149.

    RossinDetroit

    Wake me when we get Bud Light Neodymium.

    When they get past Hydrogen they’ll either have to do subatomic particles or chemical compounds.
    Bud Light Carbon Dioxide could be a keeper.

  159. 159.

    suzanne

    I’ve got quite a few male friends who are REALLY excited about that David Beckham ad.

    As for me: meh.

  162. 162.

    wengler

    @BGinCHI: Aw come on, you couldn’t have just made a riot joke? Joke will be on you Scousers when Ade and Bale are burning your back line tomorrow.

  167. 167.

    RossinDetroit

    I’ll be damned. An ex-girlfriend just posted that she picked out Sir Elton’s eyeglasses for him. She has an optical shop in LA.

    ” Derome Brenner Stardust in BLUE!!! ”

    In case you want to cop that look for yourself.

  168. 168.

    BGinCHI

    @wengler: Let’s leave my back line out of this, you bum looker.

    I like Bale cuz he’s a Welshie. Also too, he looks like an elf and plays like a magician.

  205. 205.

    dmsilev

    And meanwhile, in the game that serves as an interstitial for the ads, the Patriots just took the lead.

  208. 208.

    Donald G

    @Cris (without an H):

    Are all you people posting about how you don’t care about the Super Bowl the same ones who post in TV threads that you don’t have a TV?

    I am not ashamed to admit that I have three functioning television sets (albeit all SD), but mostly they are used to watch vintage programs and movies on DVD. I spend to much of the waking hours reading political blogs for much TV watching, anymore.

  214. 214.

    different-church-lady

    Patriots play like crap for almost an entire half, and go into the locker room with the lead. Go figure.

    Advanced question: why did the end judge throw his cap down on the last touchdown?

  217. 217.

    OldDave

    On the Star Wars 3D ad: you’ll note Jar Jar didn’t make an appearance. Perhaps Lucas read the memo.

  218. 218.

    MikeJ

    @BGinCHI:

    How will they fuck the Avengers up? I just don’t trust Hollywood.

    I do trust Joss Whedon though. I can’t wait, and I hate, hate, hate superhero movies.

  221. 221.

    Schlemizel

    So, anyone, anyone at all, the least bit interested in Grandma Gaga doing halftime?

    I imagine a bunch of 70 year olds sitting in NY saying “Who can we get to do the halftime – whos big with the kids these days”? Some octogenarian pipes up “That woman with that dresses weird!” followed by someone else “Madonna”

  225. 225.

    bjacques

    52 Pickup: There’s a JOKER in the deck!

    Welp, 2am. I guess I’ll stay up a little longer for the Madonna medley. Oy.

    Madonna covering The Meatmen’s “Centurions of Rome?”

    50 years old and still has a reedy voice.

  227. 227.

    Elie

    @dmsilev:

    What a bore. The ads are about the past — power defined by the old shit — not real new thinking about other ways to lead.

    The game is interesting for those who like some sort of defense (which I do)…

    Lets take off those pads, helmets and do tackles where we don’t have to scramble brains… something like rugby and lets speed this thing up by half..

    I think it gets harder to do this knowing players’ brains
    are being damaged even as we watch…

    I love football.. but I think we need some changes to make it successful going forward

    The ads are from the past — nothin new here

  245. 245.

    lamh35

    not that it’s a bad thing, but is this the gayest halftime show evah??? Only thing gayer woulda been Lady Gaga. Still I bet Madonna’s live show is cool.

    So are wingnuts heads exploding?

    Seriously though, there is nothing that Cee-Lo Green can’t make cooler…IMHO!

  248. 248.

    Mike in NC

    @Violet:

    The famous herding cats commercial was for EDS, a former employer. The ad was actually better than the experience of working for Ross Perot’s company.

  249. 249.

    Cacti

    Madge can still bounce around on stage pretty well for a 53 y.o.

    And it’s a good visual reminder of what a complete knock off Lady Gaga is.

  250. 250.

    lamh35

    oh, and bets that Cee-Lo ain’t lip syncing. Brother can sing.

    Actually, I don’t think that halftime was that bad. Madonna does get around well for a 53 y.o. old don’t she.

  253. 253.

    Elie

    @phoebes-in-santa fe:

    And you know, it wouldnt be bad if she didn’t LOOK too old to be doing it —

    Frankly, its not just her — its the whole shtick — old, stale and boring…. (and I am old, stale and boring and I even think its past prime)

    She is working hard at it but our entertainment culture is pretty ruthless…Then they throw on some “World Peace” mottos to keep it “current”

  258. 258.

    burnspbesq

    Is there anyone involved in sport, any sport, at any level, anywhere in the world, who is more clueless than Sepp Blatter? He is actually going to demand that the Egyptian government reinstate the board and the head of the Egyptian federation, who were fired (or resigned, depending on who you believe) after the Port Said riot.

    Feckin’ idjit.

  261. 261.

    S. cerevisiae

    Around the country millions of guys are hanging around the kitchen going “Where the hell is Aerosmith?”

  262. 262.

    suzanne

    Between Madonna and David Beckham, my gay friends are enjoying this Super Bowl more than anyone else, methinks.

  267. 267.

    jl

    There a football game on?

    The season ended two weeks ago when the gritty little Team of Destiny was tragically beaten by some big goons from Jersey, in a tragic fluke play.

    Then they had the pro bowl. So? What, they starting exhibition games already?

    Whatever. I only pay attention to important games.

  276. 276.

    RossinDetroit

    I’m Madonna’s age and whether you like the routine or not it’s impressive that she can do it at all. She’s aging better than most of us, or maybe my eyesight is just failing faster than her looks.

  277. 277.

    Cacti

    @jl:

    The season ended two weeks ago when the gritty little Team of Destiny was tragically beaten by some big goons from Jersey, in a tragic fluke play

    If you’re talking about a certain northern California team, let’s be honest. If they had even a reasonably competent QB, they’d have won that game by double digits.

    On the bright side, I think another Manning might be available for some draft picks this offseason.

  282. 282.

    Cacti

    @RossinDetroit:

    I’m Madonna’s age and whether you like the routine or not it’s impressive that she can do it at all. She’s aging better than most of us, or maybe my eyesight is just failing faster than her looks

    Steven Tyler looks more like an old woman than Madonna does.

  286. 286.

    JGabriel

    @jl:

    There a football game on?

    Either that, or a gay pride concert featuring Madonna. I’m not watching, and, going by the posts here, I can’t tell which it is.

    Mind you, it’s possible the BJ commentariat can’t tell the difference either.

    Of course, it’s also possible that there is no difference.

    .

  290. 290.

    RossinDetroit

    @Cacti:

    Steven Tyler looks more like an old woman than Madonna does.

    Well, he earned those looks. He’s lucky he’s on this side of the turf.

  294. 294.

    martha

    @Omnes Omnibus: I know. But, it’s a union town. That Clint was the messenger interests me more. I always thought he was an old school repub. Perhaps he’s had enough of the dreck, like many others, and decided to take a stand in his own way.

  298. 298.

    Violet

    @Jenny:
    Yeah, that halftime show made Madonna look….small. She’s always seemed larger than life and she couldn’t fill the stage. They had to bring in Niki Minaj, Cee Lo, and LMFAO just to fill out the show. Prince didn’t need outside help.

  299. 299.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Violet: Prince is a weird little man, but he can put on one hell of a show. His halftime show was probably the best one ever.

  307. 307.

    Cacti

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Prince is a weird little man, but he can put on one hell of a show. His halftime show was probably the best one ever.

    And the fact that it was raining into the purple stage lighting on “Purple Rain” was one of those moments that couldn’t be planned, or duplicated.

  310. 310.

    JGabriel

    martha:

    I always thought [Clint] was an old school repub.

    Eastwood is a Republican, but he’s generally described his views as less conservative than (small-l?) libertarian. His views seemed to shift more to the center during the 90s and 00s.

    But he’s still a GOPer — or apparently registered as one anyway. From Wikipedia:

    During the 2008 United States Presidential Election, Eastwood endorsed John McCain for President; he has known McCain since 1973. Upon the election of Barack Obama, Eastwood stated “Obama is my president now and I am going to be wishing him the very best because it is what is best for all of us.”
    __
    […]
    __
    When asked his opinion of the 2012 Republican presidential candidates in February 2012, Eastwood replied that Texas Congressman Ron Paul was “‘as good as anybody else’ in the race but that he will decide on a candidate in another month or two after ‘listening to all that crap on television.'”

    I’m not watching the game, so I may as well be the one to look this shit up.

    .

  312. 312.

    RossinDetroit

    @Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again):

    I still can’t believe they went with the Stones the last time the game was in Detroit. Hello! Stevie Wonder!

    I’ve been in the Silverdome twice, once to see the Cowboys humiliate the Lions and once to see the Stones.

    I’d have liked to see some subversive reference to wardrobe malfunction in Madonna’s outfit. Like a lock and chain across the bust. But alas.

  320. 320.

    Jim C

    @Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again):
    Stevie actually did the halftime show (at least) once. I don’t remember the year (and am too lazy to look it up before typing).

    But that year the halftime show was sponsored by an insurance company I’d never heard of, and they had the singers come out [fake] driving cars, while the announcer read promotional copy about their insurance.

    Stevie Wonder [fake] driving a car. This is supposed to fill me with confidence in an insurance company? I mean, his performance was fine, but … having him come out on the field pretending to drive a car … wha?

  331. 331.

    2liberal

    Patriots defense just couldn’t get off the field. I had the game on mute 95% of the time – I can’t stand Collinsworth.

  335. 335.

    Joel

    @2liberal: Collinsworth is the worst frontrunner in sports commentary. I’ve never liked him, even when he was frontrunning for the Patriots (and the Rams before them, and the Broncos before them, and the Packers before them).

  336. 336.

    Bubblegum Tate

    Having learned that Bob Kraft is friends with Rush Limbaugh (and even had EL Rushbo in the owner’s box for the game), I am now very happy that the Giants won.

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