Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

This blog will pay for itself.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

The revolution will be supervised.

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

This really is a full service blog.

All your base are belong to Tunch.

People are complicated. Love is not.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

We still have time to mess this up!

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Consistently wrong since 2002

The words do not have to be perfect.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

I did not have telepathic declassification on my 2022 bingo card.

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Reader Interactions

435Comments

  10. 10.

    redshirt

    Any Marvel fans here?

    Did you see the ad for Civil War?

    I’m legitimately more excited for this movie then any other I’ve been maybe since 1999 and TPM. But maybe I have horrible taste too.

  11. 11.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    Since I don’t have cable I am streaming from Sky-sports though later I am going to a French stream for laughs and giggles. Disappointed there is no Serbian or Chinese feeds.

  13. 13.

    Geoduck

    I’m rooting for the Panthers, since they beat my team (Seattle), but it’s nice to see that Denver’s making a game of it this time around.

  15. 15.

    chopper

    I think they’re contractually required to bring up the halftime show every 30 goddamn seconds.

  16. 16.

    Betty Cracker

    What is the worst halftime show y’all can remember? The Black-Eyed Peas stunk it up pretty bad. But surely there were worse!

  19. 19.

    gene108

    @redshirt:

    Missed the promo, but I’ve run across the story line in the comics a bit here and there.

    I wonder how they will tie it into Agents of Shield, like they did with the Winter Soldier line, and how it will impact the Avengers Infinity War storyline they are setting up.

  23. 23.

    cmorenc

    On average. the Super Bowl is a tight competitive game about a third of the time, just sorta ok game won decisively but not overwhelmingly that wouldn’t be anything special during regular season about a third of the time, and a Stupor Bowl blowout about a third of the time.

    If you’re expecting a link to actual detailed stats to back up this assertion, it would jump into the first three letters of my “assertion”.

  28. 28.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    This is why I want to completely nuke instant replay in all sports. It’s a time suck that kills the natural rhythm of the game, and in the end, it still leaves us with the wrong call. Just kill it.

  35. 35.

    Baud

    The Baud! 2016! Superbowl ad will be awesome!

    I couldn’t afford to air the ad during the game, of course. But it will briefly appear on select dark web sites sometime in the next couple of hours.

  37. 37.

    Mary G

    I am not watching. The only thing I am curious about is the Shrub’s ad for the pathetic dweeb.

  48. 48.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    @The Other Chuck: There’s also a very strange epistemology at work in instant replay systems and the requirement that the call can only be overturned if the evidence is absolutely conclusive. (We can debate whether or not officials actually follow this standard, but it is the standard.) This privileging of the live call, even when made from a bad angle or when the action happened too quickly for the human eye, makes no sense. If the replay indicates that the call was most likely wrong, it stands.

    I think that’s what happened here. The call was almost certainly wrong, but there’s just enough doubt that they couldn’t remove the “almost” from that evaluation, and so the call stands even though there was no way the on-field official could possibly know whether it hit the ground or not.

  50. 50.

    cmorenc

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym:

    This is why I want to completely nuke instant replay in all sports. It’s a time suck that kills the natural rhythm of the game, and in the end, it still leaves us with the wrong call. Just kill it.

    That’s one of the great virtues of soccer officiating – NO instant replays, players have to take the judgment calls (and no-calls) of the referee crew, whether right or wrong, or be prepared to get caught flat-footed by a quick restart if they try to argue. I do, however think the use of goal-line technology to assist in determining whether a ball completely crossed over the line for a goal is a good exception – the assistant referees, whose job includes making that call, have an inherent conflict with their other duty to stay with the second to last defender to judge offside, usually ten or more yards upfield from the goal line.

  52. 52.

    Heliopause

    Got a bit of a bad feeling for the Panthers right now. Not just that they’re down by ten already but that this is the first time in four months that they’ve played a game that was both (1) away from home and (2) against a non-joke team.

  53. 53.

    jl

    Not watching. I’m going to go over to a party and eat junk food, though. Waited until after the game started to get my Superb Owl food, since too damn crowded before.

    Which reminds me that I saw several chicken pix on internet and one in the store giving stats on the horrifying chicken genocide for their wings. The stats don’t match each other. And some suggest that chickens have far more than two wings. I don’t get it.

    But most important, BC’s chickens look far crankier than other chickens.

    Those are my deep Super Bowl thoughts for today.

  58. 58.

    redshirt

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: I agree. Instant replay in the NFL is a disaster. It needs to be fundamentally changed. I recommend removing all automatic reviews and instead giving each coach 2 challenges per half. Those are the only reviewed plays.

    This works for me because theoretically it eliminates the worst calls – if a ref really botches a big play, replay can help overturn the bad call.

    And it won’t effect gameplay except for the 4 times it’s used per game.

  62. 62.

    MobiusKlein

    @Mike J: It’s a nice soccer pitch. (well, 4 pitches), but it’s literally in the shadows of Levi stadium.

    At some point, somebody will decide on how much $$$ it takes to get a new field setup elsewhere, and turn that lot into parking.

  63. 63.

    SiubhanDuinne, Annoying Scoundrel

    O/T, trying to send an email to Anne Laurie and Betty Cracker. How exactly am I supposed to do that? I go to Contact/Select an Author and click on the names I want, but nothing happens. I feel as though I’ve mentioned this before. Don’t know whether it’s a glitch of the BJ redesign or something else, but it’s annoying as all fuck.

  66. 66.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Betty Cracker: Did I miss
    the Jeb ad?
    and I was just gonna post this

    Matt Oswalt ‏@ MattOswaltVA 30m30 minutes ago
    so far these #SB50 commercials are basically just SNL sketches that didn’t make it past the Tuesday pitch meeting

  69. 69.

    TallPete

    Takib should be ejected before he injures someone. NFL needs a two personal fouls and your out rule.

  73. 73.

    lol chikinburd

    My Twitter timeline suggests America is losing its collective mind, vomiting nightmare images of babies like pea soup out of Linda Blair. That’s nice I guess. It’s all puppies and kittens here tonight, and then an unexpected early bedtime because apparently we’re showing the house tomorrow morning. (Getting the ground level photo-worthy and showing-worthy after how messy it was required a Herculean two-week effort the completion of which still seems damn near miraculous.)

  77. 77.

    Betty Cracker

    @TallPete: Agreed. He’s a piece of shit in general. Used to play in Tampa and was always doing something stupid and dangerous on and off the field.

  81. 81.

    max

    @Mr. Twister: That last play should have resulted in an ejection.

    Second! That was a nasty nasty fucking play.

    max
    [‘He coulda killed that guy doing that.’]

  87. 87.

    Mike J

    @Mr. Twister:

    That last play should have resulted in an ejection.

    Without an ejection, there is literally nothing you can;t do to stop somebody on the 1 yard line. You could pull out a gun and murder the ball carrier and it will still be half the distance to the goal line.

  88. 88.

    WaterGirl

    @SiubhanDuinne, Annoying Scoundrel: Yeah, it doesn’t work like it did before the site “upgrade”.

    You can only select one name at a time, and then you have to click the unobtrusive “send email” button that is below the dropdown list. Did you get that far? Or does it seem to do nothing before you get to that point?

    For me, if I select Anne Laurie and the hit the “send email” button, it opens my email program and puts her address in the TO: field of a new email message. If you want to send email to both Anne Laurie and Betty Cracker, you will have to do that once for each of them and then copy/paste the second email address into the other email that was automatically created. Does that make sense?

  90. 90.

    gogol's wife

    “Hello, everybody. This is Mrs. Norman Maine.”

    Wait, what? There’s a football game? Carry on.

  91. 91.

    Heliopause

    Giving up your last challenge for the sake of seven yards in the second quarter is probably not good strategery.

  92. 92.

    WaterGirl

    @schrodinger’s cat: It’s working like crap for me. :-( The fan on my laptop comes on almost constantly now and even with 8 GB of memory it fills up in a heartbeat. Safari now behaves for me like it did before I installed the ad blocker, ClicktoFlash and Ghostery years ago. Very frustrating.

  93. 93.

    ruemara

    I’m still confused about why the Super Bowl is in Santa Clara but no one from CA is in it. Isn’t it like hosted by one of the teams playing? It seems weird.

  99. 99.

    Betty Cracker

    @schrodinger’s cat: Are you on an Apple product? It works great for me on my Windoze laptop, but it’s glitchy again on the iPhone and iPad. For awhile, it wasn’t, then it was again.

  102. 102.

    Elizabelle

    Hi all. I don’t got a dog in this Superb Owl fight, although I have been to Denver, and they use my high school colors. Someone told me the Panthers are from Charlotte. That’s fighting words to someone from Virginia. That’s where all our banks (and bank jobs) done gone.

    Who is rooting for whom?

    And — OT — Betty C mentioned she’d been reading the Rolling Stone issue on David Bowie. Have you guys seen it on newstands? I have been looking, and have yet to encounter it in the wild. There was the Leo DiCaprio cover, and I see the Rolling Stone special issue re the 1990s with Kurt Cobain in a suit.

    But have yet to see the Bowie issue, and would like it …

  103. 103.

    lol chikinburd

    Oh, and Puppy Bowl XII’s halftime show was oddly satisfying, particularly if you can imagine all the rent-inflating techies getting eaten. (It’s coming up on the hour.)

  104. 104.

    SiubhanDuinne, Annoying Scoundrel

    @WaterGirl:

    Thank you so much. It does make sense now that you’ve explained it. I am ashamed to say that I never noticed the “Send email” button, but now that I know about it I guess I’m good. (Used to be that I would click on a FrontPager’s email address and it would take me to a shiny new “compose email” with the “To” field already populated.)

    Anyhow, I ended up sending not one, not two, but (inadvertently) three or four emails to BC, so I hope at some point she will reward my tenacity and share the awesome photo I sent her.

  111. 111.

    geg6

    @ruemara:

    Super Bowl venues are chosen a couple of years in advance, so no one knows what teams will play. They are generally held in warm weather cities or ones with domed stadiums. That has changed a bit after having one at Giants stadium and word is they will be having more cold weather Super Bowls. I am wholeheartedly in raver of that. Football should be played in actual weather, not these sterile atmospheres.

  112. 112.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    @ruemara: The sites are chosen in advance, usually the NFL likes Miami, or New Orleans sometimes in warm weather sites, but tey seem to expand to other places like New York a couple years ago or Detroit. Dallas(Irving) will be popular because it is a big stadium, and I guess the new LA stadium in Inglewood, will be popular SB site.

  113. 113.

    The Dangerman

    Denver wants to give the game to Carolina but they won’t take it.

    Sloppy across the board (Carolina, Denver, Refs, Phil Simms, Lady Gaga).

  118. 118.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    I’m looking for book review blogs that are interested in reviewing Becoming Phoebe. I will be happy to send a review copy in just about any form other than audiobook to anyone with an established review blog. So, if you have such a blog, or know someone who does, please contact me.

  120. 120.

    Elie

    @Baud:

    Aint that the truth. I think also a little “over confidence” on the part of the Panthers who have had their way with the last two opponents and maybe didn’t bring the same energy. They got off slow. Of course, that is why you have to play the game — not just talk it. I’m not a big Broncos fan but being a football fan of both the Chicago Bears and Seahawks, I know all about woulda-coulda.

  121. 121.

    WaterGirl

    @SiubhanDuinne, Annoying Scoundrel: You are not alone. For me, it was the similarly unobtrusive “Post Comment” button on the iPad that got me. I was looking and looking for something that would allow me to post my comment.

    Leave a reply! Join the discussion! Feel Free to contribute. All huge. :: ssh: post comment :: ssh, don’t tell anybody. :-)

  126. 126.

    WaterGirl

    @geg6: I was trying to figure out why the stadiums are “doomed” and then I realized the word was “domed”. Made it more interesting that way, but still “duh” on my part.

  127. 127.

    Heliopause

    I was going to say that this is a good defensive game between two good defensive teams but in fact there is an awful lot of sloppy play out there.

  132. 132.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    I am streaming and watching the game vis Sky Sports, how is the quality of the SB commercials?

  135. 135.

    Elie

    Wade Phillips is an old defensive cowpoke… son of Buddy Ryan of Chicago Bears superbowl champions and Lord of the ’46 defense. Wade understands defense is primarily physical domination and speed because that gets into the opponents head. I thought that the Panthers were faster but it doesn’t look like that was correct. The only break that the Panthers have is that Manning has his feet in two cement buckets. If he could move, they would be dead ducks teemed with that Bronco defense.

  142. 142.

    John Revolta

    @geg6: I remember way back in the wayback when “Up With People” used to do the halftime every year. We would mock them mercilessly but then there was one year I had to eat my mocks when they actually impressed me with some kinda big finish. Although there might have been chemical enhancements involved.

  143. 143.

    Temporarily Max McGee (Soon Enough to Be Andy K Again)

    @Baud:

    When Baud is elected President, the only legal fantasy football teams will be those that base scores on the stats of punters and offensive linemen.

  149. 149.

    Origuy

    The amount of preparation for this shindig couldn’t possibly happen in two weeks–I’m not sure it could be done in a year. They rerouted the mass transit system, fixed potholes in the freeway leading to the stadium, created this huge “NFL Experience” thing up at Moscone Center in SF. I got stopped by a police escort yesterday taking the Panthers team buses to practice. It’s just crazy.

  150. 150.

    Elie

    Cam is exhausted. He was not ready for a real physical/mental challenge and it shows. Too much focus on his clothing rather than staying focused on what he needs to do. He was not ready. Period

  151. 151.

    SiubhanDuinne, Annoying Scoundrel

    @WaterGirl:

    For me, it was the similarly unobtrusive “Post Comment” button on the iPad that got me.

    It is still too unobtrusive for my taste, but I’ve learned to find it.

  153. 153.

    Onkel Fritze

    7 – 13 is still a one-score game. The Panthers need to get a grip on their nerves and things might go very different in the 2nd half. Or not.

  154. 154.

    Cacti

    Reasonably good defensive game, lots of sloppy offensive mistakes.

    Talib should have been ejected for that face mask penalty.

  155. 155.

    Elie

    @Elie:

    My bad — Wade Phillips is Bum Phillips son — not Buddy Ryan. Looks like he definitely knew how to prepare for this and I stand by my assessment of Cam and time spent picking outfits instead of getting mentally ready.

  156. 156.

    The Dangerman

    @BruceFromOhio:

    …instead of the blowout I thought it was going to be.

    I had it as a Carolina blowout, too, but Defense can still win games (and, going back to my last comment, has there been a worse SB winning QB than Dilfer?)

    I think Newton will settle down, and Carolina wins this game, but it will be close.

  159. 159.

    Cacti

    @ruemara:

    I’m still confused about why the Super Bowl is in Santa Clara but no one from CA is in it. Isn’t it like hosted by one of the teams playing? It seems weird.

    Super Bowl is played in host cities. Usually based on mild winter weather or having a climate controlled domed stadium for cold weather cities. If the team of the host city made it to the game, it would be a coincidence and has never happened to my knowledge.

    I’ve always found this a little odd given that American football hangs its hat on being played in all types of weather conditions.

  161. 161.

    The Other Chuck

    @Cacti: The Super Bowl is first and foremost a business. Asses in seats makes more money when there’s more seats. More money spent all around when it’s in a major city.

  162. 162.

    Cacti

    Also think that the Denver offense is going to have to put together some kind of touchdown drive for a win. Denver’s defense was lights out in the first half, but it’s still just a 6-point game.

  163. 163.

    Felonius Monk

    @Elie:

    son of Buddy Ryan

    Son of Bum Phillips. not Buddy Ryan. Rex Ryan and Rob Ryan are Buddy’s sons.

    ETA: But I see you already corrected. Sorry.

  164. 164.

    The Dangerman

    @Cacti:

    …the host city made it to the game, it would be a coincidence and has never happened to my knowledge.

    LA Rams and Pasadena.

  165. 165.

    Cacti

    @The Other Chuck:

    The Super Bowl is first and foremost a business. Asses in seats makes more money when there’s more seats. More money spent all around when it’s in a major city.

    I get why they do it. Just have never liked the idea that weather should be a factor in every game except the biggest one.

    But yeah, the people spending $2-grand for nosebleed seats are going to have a better time in a place that’s 70 degrees in February vs. 10 below.

  170. 170.

    gene108

    On “suggestions” of people on this thread, I am watching the Up With People half-time shows. They are not that different than modern half time shows. A band and a bunch of people dancing on the field, probably screwing the turf for players like today, but fewer fire works.

  175. 175.

    The Pale Scot

    Bruno Mars costumes are a disaster, where’s the cool retro threads?

    Oh, I see. They’re not allowed to look better than Beyonce.

  176. 176.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    I had never heard a Coldplay song before, I feel like I lost something tonight that I can never get back. I thought Bruno Mars was a singer not yet another boy group. Beyonce did show us her one talent when she bent over & shook it. Now you kids get off my damn lawn!

  177. 177.

    Mike J

    I would have paid super bowl ticket prices to see Beyonce beat Chris Martin to death with a ball peen hammer, but it hasn’t happened.

    Yet.

  178. 178.

    ThresherK

    I swear one year in the Superdome they had Steve Wonder driving a car and then ascending stairs to a platform to sing. Can someone back me up on this? (Or conversely tell me I’m full of beans; I’ll accept that if it’s the case.)

    Now we have an “ode to halftime” montage during halftime? I guess “The Simpsons” has predicted everything!

  183. 183.

    PurpleGirl

    So anyone leaving the game for Downton Abby? At least Kitten Bowl rebroadcasts will end at 9 pm and I can go to Downton Abby without missing anything.

  190. 190.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @Cacti:
    I remember a lot of bitching when the game was held in Detroit (IIRC) the first cold weather site. Later I read that a lot of reporters were upset because the city had tried to clean up a bit so there were not enough hookers to go around. The reporters took their frustration out on the city in their reports. I heard – second hand – that Minneapolis made sure to not make that mistake when they hosted & got much better reviews.

  198. 198.

    Cacti

    @Schlemazel (parmesan rancor):

    I remember a lot of bitching when the game was held in Detroit (IIRC) the first cold weather site. Later I read that a lot of reporters were upset because the city had tried to clean up a bit so there were not enough hookers to go around. The reporters took their frustration out on the city in their reports. I heard – second hand – that Minneapolis made sure to not make that mistake when they hosted & got much better reviews.

    I find all of this entirely believable.

  202. 202.

    ThresherK

    @schrodinger’s cat: Because the midfield turf ain’t gonna destroy itself?

    Seriously, I have no better idea. It’s there because of sheer inertia.

    The only American pro team sports to escape this are hockey and baseball. Even the MLS Cup falls prey. I don’t like overblown Star Spangled Banners beforehand, and God Bless Americas during the 7th inning stretch, but they are simply not as bad.

    And at least in collegiate sports there are the actual bands from the schools.

  205. 205.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Baud: I read it was a So Carolina ad. They’re burning through that hundred million too fast for national, I guess, and they want some rat-fuck revenge money left over

  210. 210.

    Elie

    @Elmo:

    You will get no condemnation from me. Enjoy! I like all the glitter and flash — I can go a lot of ways…

    :-)

  213. 213.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @The Other Chuck: @Baud: I think he’s trailing None of the Above.

    Florina changed her name in a bid to move up in the polls and get back on the debate stage?

  214. 214.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @ThresherK:
    The most famous overblown anthem was at a Penguins Stanley Cup game. It went on forever (and was parodied by the Simpsons) Pit blamed the singer for their loss & it sort of killed his career.

    I just LUV the jingo-fest the 7th inning stretch has become, God Bless America followed by I’m Proud to be an American. Really they should finish it off by executing some brown foreigners at second base.

  215. 215.

    NotMax

    @geg6

    A well-scrubbed, apple-cheeked concoction suitable to show up on Lawrence Welk’s show in a vain attempt to make it seem trendy and hip.

  221. 221.

    Betty Cracker

    Unfortunate field goal miss.

    @Elmo: I’ll join you on the Bleachers of Shame. I like some of their stuff too.

  222. 222.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    HEY! if you want some real excitement, US vs. CHina in curling on NBCSports!!! If NBCSports had a second channel like ESPN it would be carrying the international paint drying competition.

  225. 225.

    The Dangerman

    Sure, they missed the field goal, but that series of downs tells me Denver is in deep shit; Carolina may have figured out a scheme that works … and I don’t think Peyton has it in him.

  226. 226.

    ruemara

    @Cacti: WEl thank you for explaining it. I am unfortunately quite drunk on vodka and therefore insensate. BUt I appreciate the clarity. about 2 hours to sobriety.

  229. 229.

    Elie

    Wuh-OH — missed that field goal….

    You Cannot Do that In the Super Bowl if your team is NOT AHEAD.

    WOW

    The Panthers just look unprepared physically and psychologically. This is a game they should be able to easily win and instead they are not just not winning, but they look LAME. Whatever, looking LAME after a year when they lost only one game…. Man its gotta hurt…

    It proves that if you have a good team around you, you do not have to be the best quarterback in the league… you have to do the basics and minimize your mistakes…

  230. 230.

    ThresherK

    @Schlemazel (parmesan rancor): I really enjoy hockey, but somehow don’t remember the actual event, but I do remember Bleeding Gums Murphy going on for about 40 minutes on the anthem on a Simpsons.

    Ken Burns’ Baseball has a piano rendition of a few songs used often, notably Take Me Out to the Ball Game (including the verse) and the Star Spangled Banner. Bruce Hornsby may have been the pianist. The anthem comes in at about 1 minute 15 seconds, even with the last stanza slowed down.

  234. 234.

    Elie

    @The Dangerman:

    Sir, you are dreaming. But carry on…

    Personally, I would love that the Panthers would win and send Mr Supplement home hanging his head. But I am a realist and I see what I see. The Panthers remain rattled and have not found a way to win this psychologically. Its in their heads.

  239. 239.

    Bob In Portland

    I like the pink intestinal guy commercial better than the woman looking sad and painting a snail.

  242. 242.

    hilts

    @ Betty Cracker

    “Teams leading by at least six points at halftime are 30-3 in Super Bowl history.”

    h/t Paul Gutierrez ESPN Staff Writer

  244. 244.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @ThresherK:
    I just tried googling & nothing comes up for it. I remember it being 91 or 92 & there was a big whoop about it because he really did go on for a very long time. Perhaps our host would remember? He was just a boy but still

  248. 248.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @Bob In Portland:
    I thought the one of opouid induced constipation was a new high in bizarre. Last years “but I died” still holds the record but there are plenty of contenders this year

  251. 251.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @Baud:
    to turn an old sports cliche, Its a shame one of these teams has to win.

    Probably not really fair as these defenses look solid

  254. 254.

    gene108

    Ginn, Jr. cannot run around like that on punt returns. He’s done it twice and both times Carolina has had a block in the back trying to get an opening for him.

  257. 257.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @Baud:
    Well the turnovers can be credited to the D. The penalties probably are coming from extra bennies they took because it is the superb owl

  259. 259.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @Betty Cracker:
    Yeah, jut what assholes need, truck bed speakers so they can annoy everyone in the neighborhood when they drive through.

  264. 264.

    mark

    Still lots of time to go, but I guess if the Broncos win Peyton get’s game MVP. So far it looks like the defense is most deserving though. My opinion only!

  269. 269.

    gene108

    @mark:

    Still lots of time to go, but I guess if the Broncos win Peyton get’s game MVP. So far it looks like the defense is most deserving though. My opinion only!

    Peyton should not have gotten the MVP, when Indy won. The running back won the the game for Indy.

  270. 270.

    Elie

    I wonder if Cam is going to wear that Versace leopard suit on the bus going home?

    Next time, Cam, spend the week getting your head as well as your body ready and leave the suits at home.

  275. 275.

    Temporarily Max McGee (Soon Enough to Be Andy K Again)

    @mark:

    I’m thinking that if the game continues as it’s been played, it will go to a couple of players from Denver’s defensive front seven. There’s precedence for that- Super Bowl XII, when Danny White and Harvey Martin were co-MVPs.

  287. 287.

    John Revolta

    @geg6: God, now that I’m thinking about it (thanks a lot BTW) I’m pretty sure that they played at my high school and we all had to go get uplifted. Damn, I bet somebody made a shitload of money off of that racket.

  289. 289.

    eclare

    @mark: Peyton is not leaving this game til he’s bagged and tagged on the field. He will be lucky to be able to walk in a few years.

  290. 290.

    Mike J

    @Betty Cracker:
    Most Turnovers, Game
    9 Buffalo vs. Dallas, XXVII
    8 Denver vs. Dallas, XII
    7 Baltimore vs. Dallas, V

    Most Turnovers, Both Teams, Game
    11 Baltimore (7) vs. Dallas (4), V Buffalo (9) vs. Dallas (2), XXVII
    10 Denver (8) vs. Dallas (2), XII
    8 New England (6) vs. Chicago (2), XX
    Chicago (5) vs. Indianapolis (3), XLI

  291. 291.

    Temporarily Max McGee (Soon Enough to Be Andy K Again)

    @mark:

    But he’s had a shit game, and not even Nantz and Simms can get away with naming him the MVP. If he was having a decent game, then maybe, but…

    BTW: RANDY White, not Danny.

  292. 292.

    geg6

    OT, I’m reading “Dearie” by Bob Spitz, a biography of Julia Child. I did not know this, but her dad was, I am inferring from the descriptions in the book, a John Bircher. I knew she was from a wealthy California family but not that he was involved in Chinatown-type water schemes, anti-communist and anti-French conspiracy theories and far right wing circles like the Grove attendees and such. Crazy, since she was quite the liberal herself.

  296. 296.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    I am thinking that the panthers are getting screwed. That was a good catch early in the game that they challenged & lost. Thar last thing was pass interference, not even close. There have been a couple others that went against the panthers, I have not noticed the same for Denver. Since I don’t care who wins I don’t think I am biased on this.

  298. 298.

    The Dangerman

    I like the Guy, great player and all, but I feel a Peyton fumble or pick coming again.

    Carolina boosters, hang in there.

  301. 301.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @geg6:
    I read her book, she had a lot of issues with her dads politics & he hated hers and her husband as well. She rejected the wealth of her upbringing to make her own way & it expanded her view

  303. 303.

    lol chikinburd

    @Elizabelle: Surviving, thanks for asking. Getting things done that need to get done. Too busy being busy to be too sad, though I know that eventually will change. That’s life, though.

  304. 304.

    Temporarily Max McGee (Soon Enough to Be Andy K Again)

    @Schlemazel (parmesan rancor):

    It happens to every team, all season long. Imagine how many teams got screwed before there was instant replay, or before there was even television. A couple of plays over the course of the game are something a good team overcomes.

    Except for that fucking Fail Mary play in Seattle a few years ago…

  306. 306.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @Elie:
    I understand that they get stuff wrong but when it mostly goes one way it stinks. Perhaps NC would not be doing so badly had that catch been ruled a catch, certainly the interference call made a huge difference. There have been a couple other drive killers that were questionable. Neither team is covering itself in glory but one does seem to be getting help in that department.

  318. 318.

    Wag

    I’m a life long Broncos fan, but for god’s sake, if Peyton can’t get a TD, do they deserve a SB win?

  321. 321.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @Betty Cracker:
    She and my mom had a lot in common, both learned how to cook with trial and error and really dug into food preparation to get it right. JC had a fabulous opportunity and really made the most out of it. My mom was pregnant when she graduated high school, married later that month & had 5 kids in 5 years so the opportunities did not appear. She did have a successful catering business eventually but I always wonder how much further she could have gone. I also wish she could have met JC, I bet they would have had a great time talking food.

  323. 323.

    Baud

    I get that the Denver D is awesome, but that’s a stupid strategy.

    ETA: Still a dumb strategy.

  333. 333.

    Jay C

    Three thoughts this SB:

    1. IIJM, or this a mediocre football game?
    2. IIJM. or this a abnormally penalty-laden game? ISTM that there’s a flag on every fourth or fifth play..
    3. Jeep wins the Ad Bowl? Really cool ads…..

  337. 337.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @Betty Cracker:
    Oh yeah, I grew up as her 3rd – did all the peeling & chopping, all the grunt work. I love to cook. My kids all do too. Unfortunately our daughter took it a little too seriously & is a professional cook. It is a shitty way to make a living but she bought that bullshit about doing what you love. She has worked in some very very high end places but is treated like dirt.

  340. 340.

    Elie

    I really wanted the Panthers to win this. I am so disappointed for them and so hoped that they would be more ready for this…Oh well…

    I have learned that you cannot assume that you will get another chance. You have to prepare and stay focused. Nothing is given — only earned.

  344. 344.

    Schlemazel (parmesan rancor)

    @Wag:
    yeah, they needed what, 7 yards? That fixes everything

    replay shows, it was not a pass so it was a fumble

  346. 346.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    I laughed until I nearly cried at the Prius ad. Brilliant. The end.

  353. 353.

    The Dangerman

    Kubiak didn’t let Manning pass again (well, other than that one 10 feet over everyone’s head).

  357. 357.

    Elie

    @hilts:

    I suspect he won’t like it much after this.

    May have been better to wear work outs and stay focused… Though I am just disappointed for them and him

  363. 363.

    mark

    Good game and a good end to a good season. For the most part the game was played clean and the officiating was pretty good. No complaints here other than it wasn’t the Seahawks winning it all.

  364. 364.

    Peale

    @Elie: yep. Cam should ask Dan Marino, Dan Fouts and Warren Moon about how frequently these chances come around. Kudos to the Denver Defense for revealing his weaknesses.

  367. 367.

    cckids

    @mark: Gotta disagree about the “good game” part. It was a messy, error-filled, kinda boring game. Both of the conference championship games were miles better.

  369. 369.

    mark

    @cckids: I understand where your coming from, but I do enjoy a good defensive game from time to time. This was one of those times in my opinion.

  373. 373.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    That Papa John fucker just rooted in for a hug with Manning on the field right after time expired. What a starfucking douche.

  375. 375.

    Cacti

    To be fair to Cam, it was total team choke on offense for Carolina.

    Lots of catch-able balls dropped by receivers, bad turnovers, and Ron Rivera not having his team mentally prepared to play.

    The defense did about all you could ask from them.

  382. 382.

    ThresherK

    @mark: After debacles in some of the higher-echelon bowl games, and NFL playoffs, I’m just relieved that an officiating screwup didn’t really play a part here.

  383. 383.

    David Koch

    After 40 seasons in professional football and at age 68, Wade Phillips wins his first Super Bowl

    This was Wade Phillips’s and Von Miller’s Super Bowl.

  388. 388.

    Cacti

    @mark:

    I’ve got to agree on that one. The Papa John asshole shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the game. The guy makes my skin crawl!

    Yeah, “Papa” John Schnatter is a total Republican douchecannon.

    He’s the arsehole who lives in a 24,000 square foot mansion, and threatened to raise the price of his crap pizzas if the Affordable Care Act passed.

  390. 390.

    David Koch

    Those Papa John commercials are so racist. 98% of the starters in the NFL are black, yet he has 3 white players as his spokespersons.

  393. 393.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Cacti: by .14, as I recall? I remember that fundraiser with Willard. “What a house! What grounds! What a swimming pool!”

    I’ve seen Manning referred to as a partner in that business, I don’t know if that’s actually a big stake in the company, or a franchise deal.

  395. 395.

    Cacti

    @Baud:

    Congrats, Broncos fans. Now go make some Superbowl babies.

    Gotta say, found that particular ad campaign a little creepy too.

  397. 397.

    Heliopause

    1. Regarding that dropped/not dropped pass early on, stop complaining. Fact is, the ball was moving in his grasp, it might have touched the ground while doing so, that’s why the call wasn’t overturned. Mike Carey has botched several of these in games I’ve watched and Phil Simms is obviously an idiot, so don’t listen to them. Just stop bitching.

    2. MVP? I was half kidding earlier when I suggested Colquitt, but he legitimately was probably the runner up. Von Miller for sure.

    3. Let’s talk about Cam. It is absolutely true that he was subjected to an awful lot of thinly veiled racist bullshit in recent weeks, but at the same time we have to be honest. He isn’t even the 12th best QB in the league much less the best. Carolina rode an excellent defense, good run game, and clownishly easy schedule to this point. That’s just the way it is. The Panthers finally faced a top tier team that was on its game and on a neutral field. If they want to win a SB they’ll have to develop a less gimmicky pass attack.

    4. Peyton’s body is obviously shot and a Trent Dilfer-Ryan Leaf hybrid probably could have won this game today. That is to say he didn’t strictly deserve to end his career on this note but oh well.

  399. 399.

    cckids

    I get that Bud is a sponsor, but are they paying Manning big $$ every time he name-drops them? Its beyond weird.

  400. 400.

    David Koch

    @Cacti: not only that it’s false

    In 2013 more newborns arrived in August than in any other month. The second, third, and fourth most popular birthday months were July, October, and September, in that order.

    Since most births happen in August, if there’s any correlation to sports it would be the World Series.

  402. 402.

    joeyess

    Wish I had read this post prior to the game. Taking into account Cracker’s track record, I would have bet the other way.

    In a heartbeat.

  403. 403.

    Geeno

    I told everyone I knew IRL to take the points, the Denver D wasn’t going to let the Broncos get crushed. They did even better than I thought they would and held Carolina out of the game.
    As the old adage goes, “Offense sells tickets; defense wins championships”.

  405. 405.

    Mai.naem.mobile

    Don’t give a crap about the game. I’m just waiting for Colbert. The Budweiser product placement by Manning is kinda douchey.

  406. 406.

    Temporarily Max McGee (Soon Enough to Be Andy K Again)

    @David Koch:

    Since most births happen in August, if there’s any correlation to sports it would be the World Series.

    And college homecoming weekends, and the long Thanksgiving weekend.

  408. 408.

    Mike J

    Jennifer Bendery ‏@jbendery 2h2 hours ago
    Let’s dispel with this fiction that Beyonce doesn’t know what she’s doing. She knows exactly what she’s doing.

  409. 409.

    Temporarily Max McGee (Soon Enough to Be Andy K Again)

    @jonas:

    Well, if he had to pay his employees shit, he couldn’t afford the mega-mansion. Duh.

    Sure he could.

    Now the water bill is a different story. If you aren’t getting constant flow through your moat, it tends to get stinky awfully quickly.

  413. 413.

    Soylent Green

    I’ve been a Broncos fan for 35 years, so am enjoying this win. Almost every one of our wins this season was close enough to lose, and were achieved by the defense.

    Most of us want Manning to hang it up — we are ready for the next guy. And I wish he would get off my TV. I keep thinking, dammit Peyton how much money do you need?

  418. 418.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    I haven’t read all the comments.

    Has anyone speculated about whether NC was paid to lose? There was the “record punt return” where the NC guy had the Denver receiver in his arms and suddenly drew back as if the guy with the ball had called “fair catch”. There was Cam backing away from the ball after it was stripped from his hand. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were others…

    Elie here called it very early. You folks should listen to her. ;-)

    Maybe it was nerves. But it looked, as usual, that too many mistakes were made in the officiating and too many mistakes were made that couldn’t easily be explained by just nerves…

    (I didn’t watch most of it. Seeing #21 nearly rip the head off the NC guy and just get a facemask personal foul and a 1 yard penalty was the perfect illustration to me that NFL football isn’t a sport. It’s a violent money-grubbing monopoly designed to grind up men, break their bodies, and kill them early, just to extract more money out of Americans (and increasingly other people around the world).)

    FWIW.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  419. 419.

    David Koch

    Donald J. Trump ‏@realDonaldTrump 2h2 hours ago

    So far the Super Bowl is very boring – not nearly as exciting as politics – MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

    13,284 retweets 21,097 likes

    Man, he obviously did not get enough attention as a kid.

    Also hilarious coming from the loser who killed the USFL. America craves football in all it’s forms (pro, college, high school). Owning a football franchise is a license to print money. Yet Trump is such a dumbshit he found a way to kill an entire league.

  422. 422.

    Cacti

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet:

    Has anyone speculated about whether NC was paid to lose? There was the “record punt return” where the NC guy had the Denver receiver in his arms and suddenly drew back as if the guy with the ball had called “fair catch”. There was Cam backing away from the ball after it was stripped from his hand. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were others…

    The punt return sequence just seemed like a brain fart after the Carolina players had interfered with the returner and were expecting a flag (but didn’t get one for some reason).

    Newton not trying to frantically dive on that fumble was just plain strange.

  423. 423.

    Cacti

    @David Koch:

    Trump is such a dumbshit he found a way to kill an entire league.

    Also couldn’t make money on a gambling casino.

    Are there two things Americans love more than gambling and football? Trump couldn’t make a buck at either of them.

  425. 425.

    Wag

    I think that the best way to think about this game is to recognize that a multiracial defense worked together to overpower a multiracial offense and a great lily white band shared the stage with a pair of amazing black performers on a wild ass flower of a stage.

    In other words, if you can look beyond my bronco’s GOP loving, over the hill QB and stupid racist remarks made about the Panther’s black QB, this game reflected a new American ideal in sports and entertainment.

  427. 427.

    catclub

    @Cacti:

    Newton not trying to frantically dive on that fumble was just plain strange.

    I bet it is drilled and drilled into quarterbacks to NOT get involved in fumble scrums.

    I was not surprised.

  428. 428.

    J R in WV

    @geg6: Julia Child was with the OSS during WW II… which is a lot like being with the CIA, except the CIA hasn’t ever had to deal with the SS, or even a real war.

  429. 429.

    Mike J

    @catclub:

    I bet it is drilled and drilled into quarterbacks to NOT get involved in fumble scrums.

    Cam played like a professional quarterback whose first duty is to not get hurt. During the season when he ran he would stand up and take hits until he was brought down. Tonight he slid after he got the yards to avoid the tackle.

    That’s not a knock on him. That’s smart play for somebody that wants a career.

  430. 430.

    NotMax

    Moderately interesting – over 400 comments and not word one about the inflation or deflation pressure of footballs.

  432. 432.

    ruemara

    Please you guys. Tell me Super Bowls are not normally this horrible. It’s killing my will on this anime script.

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