Super Bowl 2013: Predictions and Notes

Running tab of the big game:

PRE-GAME
First take: Ravens 31, 49ers 27. 

The experts seem to be picking San Fran based on overall talent. A few took Baltimore because of the emotive factor: Ray Lewis is playing his last game and the team has rallied behind him since his retirement announcement before the playoffs. I think the talent difference is overplayed on this stage. So is the 'win one for the Gip' stuff.

I tend to support people who are viciously, over-the-top hated, so I've got to admit that I'm rooting for Lewis a bit. Felt the same about LeBron James after the Cleveland exit, Terrell Owens being constantly blasted for his eccentric diva persona though he's never been in trouble or accused of PED use, etc. Self-righteousness stinks like roadkill.

Colin Kaepernick is cool and collected, but he's very young, and up against one of three Joe Cools in league history: Flacco. (Namath and Montana are the others, of course.) I think that will be the difference. Barely.

 

1ST Q

"Good drama would be kap gets hurt and smith comes and plays a strong game" says a text from my brother. Love that idea.

 

RayRay misses a couple of early open-field tackles and looked very slow. (ETA: He was pretty much at three-quarters speed of the other 21 players all game long.) Kinda deadens the whole PED thing, but the eye test is no proof when it comes to enhancers. I don't care what Bill Simmons says about before-and-after heads of athletes.

GoDaddy's shill Danica Patrick features model Bar Refaeli  and "Walter" trading spit in an irrelevant exercise. Refaeli must have needed a check badly. Can't even think of a good insult for this tripe. But then: It is GoDaddy.Their specialty is pushing out soft porn ads that have nothing to do with buying a web domain. Nothing to see here.

2ND Q

Back to back commercials with the usual agenda. Cross-dressing men eating Doritos...

...and then homoerotic Calvin Klein models. CK has always been mainstream porno.










Raven tight end Pitta catches a touchdown to put Baltimore up 14-3. I have a feeling that the Ravens better get a two or three-score lead... San Fran is a team that can be beat if they're up a bit. But if they're down in the fourth, they get all berserker (like their coach Jim Harbaugh) and score three times over the opponents' stupid prevent D.

Hyundai has an ad about every six commercials. None of them memorable; they're trying too hard. They must have spent their entire '13 budget; we'll see these spots all year.

"It's been chippy from the start," to paraphrase the CBS commentators. An on-the-field brawl after Ed Reed picked Kap off bring it to a head. That was the S.F. QB's first big mistake in his short and moist pro career... interesting to see how he reacts.

Kap has indeed looked just a tad hesitant after his high-stakes INT. Just a tad but enough to throw his timing off... then comes Flacco's TD pass to Jacoby Jones, where Jones burned Culliver twice. Been a while since I've seen a juke that good. Barry Sanders is smiling somewhere.

"Jim Harbaugh is going to eat the face off of a bench player to scare his team into playing better," I text my brother. Halftime score: 21-6.

HALFTIME SHOW

When Beyonce is involved, we are probably gonna see some satanic imagery. Remember last year's show with Madonna, Nicki Minaj and company--Baphomet worshippers galore. That was clearly a satanic ritual. Those who scoff at that simply are uninformed and have no idea what they are looking at. When we don't know something, we should find out about it.

Watch any of Beyonce's recent videos and know she is down with the beast, too. And no way will the agents of the prince of lies allow 100 million-plus viewers to avoid these symbols and sick agendas. No larger audience all year long. Can't-miss opportunity.

Twenty minutes later: More informed people than me will break this down. But first impressions reveal the usual homage to the enemy of mankind. Pyramid hand gestures and light shows... total absence of men and overwhelming feminine energy... nothing new here.

3RD Q
Not long after Jones' 109-yard kickoff return, most of the Superdome lights goes dark for a half-hour. (ETA: the official count was later changed to 108 yards.) Baltimore is up 28-6. The delay is obviously going to hurt the Ravens more, as they had ridiculously nice momenturm. Accident? Or conspiracy to prevent a total blowout game? It will be asked after this game. A conspiracy is simply a secret plan by two or more people, but that word makes "intelligent" people into mockers.

Paraphrasing commentator Phil Simms: The Ravens do a good collective job of keeping Kap from breaking a big one. It's been strange to see so many teams let him take the same angles toward the sidelines for 20-yard runs. Will be a lot of film on him... and Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, and Robert Griffin III too, of course. Defenses will catch up to these guys. At least as much as the league will allow.

As expected: Kap leads the Niners downfield, Michael Crabtree catches the TD, and the game has totally changed. It looks like the Ravens are going to fold faster than Superman on laundry day, to quote Bart Simpson. Ravens, 28-13, with 7:20 left in the quarter. I see the score being very close early in the fourth... Baltimore is taking their foot off the gas; the lights-out garbage was just in time for the Niners. So predictable.

Deion Sanders' "Leon Sandcastle" commercial is the only ad to get a positive reaction out of me so far. A forty-something rookie dominating the NFL combine... I like it. Every other commercial, as mentioned earlier, seems to be trying too hard. I guess if I paid hundreds of thousands per minute, I would sweat about making an impact too.

The Ravens are clinging to a 28-23 lead.

4TH Q

Still up 31-29 with under ten minutes to go, the Ravens have allowed 23 points in 12:00 of game time. They look totally shaken--or shook, as the rappers use to say. The first half fire is long gone. And I'll be surprised if Baltimore wins what looked like a sure thing not that long ago. Wow.

Fourth down, 1:49 to go, Kap in trouble, he floats a ball over Crabtree's head out of bound. What a thriller. Jim Harbaugh is crying about holding but 1) Crab was grabby too, and 2) the ball was out of bounds. It was uncatchable, even with a lay-out, fingertip catch, toe-dragging effort. A ref throws a flag in that situation, he should be fired. No ref threw. Ravens up, 34-29.

Baltimore runs three times and takes an intentional safety. San Fran didn't seem to see it coming and 8 of the last 12 seconds slip away before they push the punter out of bounds. Wow again.

The RayRay haters are frothing on the Inter-Web. And Jim is about to pop a vein. But then he always looks that way. He won't last long in this league with that kind of emotion and energy being constantly expended... just ask the original Chucky, Jon Gruden.

Baltimore wins, 34-31.

NFL 2012 Championship Sunday: Head-Ducking

Big Joe went toe-to-toe with Captain America and won for the second time this season. Flacco and Ray Lewis led the AFC champion Ravens to the Super Bowl in a fashion we will remember for a few years. That is about the ceiling for memorable sports events these days, except for the occasional one-handed catch-against-the-helmet.

It's hard to pick against New England. And then I'm almost surprised when they stumble. When they do lose, they're usually right there in the end. Not today. Baltimore pulled away, stopping all of Tom Brady's usual fine engineering. No matter what's going on, we can't tell by looking at Patriot coach Bill Belichick.

***

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons played true to form, in the end. I'm not one of the Matt Ryan doubters. But as a whole, the Falcons are like Tiger Woods in his prime. They simply play better when they are blowing people out.

When things get tight or go wrong, more often than not Atlanta will freeze up. Unfortunately, that is the character of this talented team. They escaped against Seattle a week ago. Could see the relief in Ryan's face postgame. NFC champ San Francisco had a little more comeback gas in the tank today.

A few years ago, coach Jon Gruden got put in split-screens with Chucky the killer doll. He keeps getting asked to climb out of the TV booth and coach again, but won't. The NFL has its new Chucky--the super-intense, throw his venti Starbucks against the wall because it's too sweet, slap an opposing coach's behind like he's beating a rug type.

We're talking about 49er coach Jim Harbaugh. I'm sure he's not really an unbalanced lunatic control freak; he just plays one on TV.

***

Why no outcry about offensive players ducking their heads and causing some of these head collisions?

During the New England-Baltimore game, Stevan Ridley clearly lowered his helmet before losing the football on contact. Players like Wes Welker and Danny Woodhead did it during that game, too--hunching forward to meet the tackler. They should have to adjust, same as the defenders.

Michael Wilbon has a phrase that puts it best (paraphrase): The NFL has legislated defense out of football. That is partly responsible for the recent rash of broken offensive records and rookie quarterbacks who play like five-year vets. But there seems to be a movement by most sports media: Ignore the decade-long cumulative effect of rule changes, bent on (1) making the game "safer", and (2) making the game offense-packed and fan-friendly.

The result of this is a weird spirit of seeing the defense as a sort of bad guy, guilty until proven innocent at all times. The number of defensive penalties in the game the last few season has changed the whole feel of pro football games. 

Ridley put himself in a life-threatening position, and no one has batted an eye about it (except me). If Ridley had been laid out for more than a moment, hushing all of the spectators, there would be more fake outrage over safety. But violence will not be legislated out of this game.

2012 season, Week 13.

2012 season, Week 5.

Replacement referees, replaced.

Still Boring and Dependable: The San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs won their January 9 home game versus the Los Angeles Lakers. San Antonio is 15-2 at home as of that victory. The Lakers are big news during this 2012-13 season, because they are struggling.

There is an angst that falls over the NBA when one of the league pillars is weak. We claim to love parity. But the dynastic franchises and universities in every sport have the most fans. So many of us must secretly, and actually, love rooting for Goliath (and, finally, for his failure).

The Greg Popovich-Tim Duncan era has been amazingly consistent. But since they aren't flashy, they get short shrift from fans and media.

In late 2012, David Stern passed down a fine because Pop didn't play his three best stars--Duncan, Tony Parker, and Tim Duncan. Since then, the Spurs have been wrecking the league.

In 2007, I was a guest caller for a late-night sports show. Long story short, I got the equivalent of an eye-roll from the show hosts.

The San Antonio Spurs had just clinched the title for the third time in five years. One host was moaning about how boring the Spurs were. 

My rebuttal was, to paraphrase, People keep claiming the pros don't play team ball, yet the most machine-like team in the game gets labeled 'boring'. Those talking heads tore me to shreds for an entire segment. "This caller probably likes watching women's basketball, too!" Was great.

The Spurs are again a contender. They seem to peak in odd-numbered years. I still can't find anyone to agree with me, but watching a team where everyone seems to be absorbed and knows their role... it's nice to watch. Like the New England Patriots, everyone knows the game plan but can't do much about it.

Children's Lit: Glen Wit, The Wizard

 

Notice the lightning bolt in the book's title. Lightning images can be used in the occult. Remember the mark on Harry Potter's forehead.. and that Jesus beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. (Luke 10:18 KJV)

This children's book introduces young readers to a wizard named Glen Wit. It's amazing that the Bible and Christian prayer was removed from public schools in the 1960s, yet nearly anything else is acceptable. Parents and administrators probably pat themselves on their own backs for shielding kids from the most violent and sexual media. The Bible says that this witch stuff is just as dangerous. (Galatians 5:20, Deuteronomy 18:11)

 

Glen Wit has an enchanted scarf with Masonic checks. He also has lots of rhymes, used to cast his spells. Are these young readers almost ready to cast their own? Do they have the proper vocal cadence yet?

Fireworks are thought to affect the lower spirits that surround us. From Occult View, a site that explores the paranormal:

 

Maybe there are many types of astral flora and fauna. If the natural world has so many forms of life, why not the astral world? The danger with these astral forms is if a human contacts them. And assumes astral wildlife are equal with humanity. Imagine channeling a lesser, animalistic astral entity. A good reason to avoiding channeling with just anything out there. With this idea we can see why firecrackers just might scare away lowly negative spirits.



..and it's all back to normal. Glen is all light and no heat..

Signs of the Times: Veiled Big Brother Terms

Check out the bottom feed during Hurricane Sandy's northeast rampage. This was on the Weather Channel's coverage. Notice the vaguely ominous wording of President Obama's public messages. Unfortunately I was not quick enough with the camera to capture the first message, which said, in effect: OBEY ALL AUTHORITIES.

New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg stated the obvious:

 

New Jersey governor Chris Christie always ups his own ante:

"Federal Government shut down in DC".. wasn't it already?

The meteorologists who walk into ninety-mile-per-hour wind and rain are entertaining. This must be the only reason that these men and women go outside to stand at forty-five degree angles--they are entertaining us.

Signs of the Times: Green Potato Cowgirl

 

Weird box at my local Food Lion.

 

This potato box illustration is vaguely unsettling and I have no good reason why that is..

NFL 2012 Q1 Report

As usual, the people who are paid to prognosticate started making concrete judgements on the NFL, minutes after Week 1. Football teams were "who we thought they were".. the rest were huge surprises or disappointments. Remember: Week 1 had just ended.

On one sports radio show, the co-hosts joked about our amnesia-riddled, kneejerk society.. and within two minutes were rethinking their preseason predictions because of the first game's results.

Like every specialty channel, ESPN has twenty-four hours per day to fill, on multiple platforms. So there is simply no time to let things lie. Talking heads have to be definitive at all times, and perspective is useless (until time forces it on us). Pump out enough information/trivial tidbits to drown us, and we either won't remember or won't care how many times you were wrong. Numb us in the cool waters of River Terabyte.

This is the name of the game from CNN and FoxNews, on down the line. ESPN is only following the lead.

Random flashes on the 2012 National Football League campaign:

• Watching Tom Brady toss the pigskin around to Gronkowski, Woodhead, Edelman and Welker nearly always gives me the giggles. The N.E. Patriot offense makes me think of a big brother, or the older neighborhood cat who was simply cooler and more athletic than any kid around. The guy all the other guys are copying. I always have the impression Brady's out there playing with midget versions of himself. (Yea, Gronk is physically larger, but it's all about their collective body language.).. why are the Pats funny to me? Maybe it's because Welker and company are like Mini Coopers out there, zigzagging around, their drumsticks spinning like cartoon character legs. The opposing three-hundred-pound defensive players look like they are trying to grab speedy toddlers.
• For a long time, the AFC seemed deeper, top to bottom, than the NFC. That's clearly shifted over the last few seasons, and the switchover looks to be complete after the first four weeks. Every NFC team is dangerous on any given week. The AFC has a few dogs: the Jets, the Browns, three-quarters of the AFC South.
• I don't understand the surprise at the NFC West's rise. This league is all about complete flips in stature. There are a handful of perenially-good teams that benefit from good owners and management; otherwise, terrible teams are constantly struggling to their feet before sinking back to the floor. Did people really think the NFC Worst West would collectively stink for decades?

• Washington Redskins rookie Robert Griffin III has been around just long enough for the scrutiny to worm into him. He's almost too engaged with the media and the public--too open with them/us. Meanwhile, fans and 'heads are dividing into underrated/overrated camps already.. I was thinking Griffin is so savvy, and then he got jumped for criticizing things like the opposing teams' style. At some point, everyone in the public eye seems to get swallowed up. Truly, no one is immune: you are caught between being honest, true, 100%, and realizing that the honest and true you is bound to be crushed by the cwuel cwuel world. And as intelligent as RG seems to be, he doesn't appear to understand how delicious his every word and deed have become. This is why the Bradys and Derek Jeters are who they are. They are normally silent, or they're slippery when they must speak. Athletes try to emulate their play, when it may be their off-the-field persona that needs copying.
• Back to the NFC West: specifically, the St. Louis Rams. For years I've thought it a shame that running back Steven Jackson be wasted on this team. RBs only have about four or five peak years, sandwiched between a few seasons on each side. Jackson has a few eye-popping stats, like 2,334 from scrimmage back in '06. He tends to rush for over 1,000 even when missing games because of injury. But the Rams seem to be milking this man's talent.