Instant Replay- The Unedited Edition

Everyone always assumed that Coach Lombardi was Catholic. He went along with this because when he was with the New York Giants he had to fit in. Wellington Mara was a devout Catholic and he tried to curry favor with the Mara's so he could get the head coaching job of the Giants which was the one thing he most coveted in his life. But it was not to be so he had to settle for a rinky dink town like Green Bay.

One of the advantages was that he could finally be himself. You see he actually was a Mormon and had twenty two wives who all looked pretty much the same and all insisted that he buy them a mink stole every year. He had a hell of a time getting them tickets for the Super Bowl.  Especially leaving the ducats at the will-call window. Strangely enough they were all named Marie except for the youngest who was named Margene.

They lived happily ever after in Wisconsin which has long been home to many unusual lifestyle choices.
(Instant Replay- The Unedited Edition, Jerry Kramer & Dick Schaap Random House 1968)

They might be Giants?

Superbowl 50 is almost here!

Who do you like?

I don't give a crap because the Giants are out of it. No I take that back. I want Payton to lose so Eli can still stick his two rings in his face.

Open Superbowl Thread

 

Final Score - Patriots 28, Seahawks 24.

"Church spirit endures in shadow of Super Bowl hype"

"American Sundays are defined for many by two things: church and football. Fans fidget in the pews as kickoff looms. Players pray before and after games. Many even believe in a sort of God of the Gridiron, surveys suggest — a great handicapper in the sky who decides the outcome of sporting events."

But that has not meant a boom in business for the six friars and 800 or so parishioners who spent months planning for an expected deluge of fans sparing a few minutes for their faith at the church across the street, which has stood there since Phoenix was just a few dirt roads in the desert. 

Michael Arciga, a Patriots fan from Phoenix who came to Mass on Friday, was dismayed to find the pews nearly empty even as downtown filled with football fans. Arciga, who owes his Patriots fandom to a stint at Fort Devens in the 1980s, said he has never prayed for the Patriots.

“They’re already good,” he joked. “No prayers needed.”

For Arciga and others on the less-traveled side of East Monroe Street — even those looking forward to Sunday’s game — the juxtaposition of the elegant old church sitting empty amid the very modern revelry was a little off-putting.

“It’s surprising and frustrating,” Arciga said.

"Mass chaos - again - after the 'Mass Transit' Super Bowl"

"Visitors to the Garden State were mostly thrilled with their Super Bowl experience, unless it involved traveling to and from MetLife Stadium on NJTransit. Thousands of fans are were stranded at MetLife waiting for NJTransit to figure itself out. Here's what they're were saying on social media."

Via Storify

RT @njdotcom: Whoa: Massive post-#SB48 crowds wait for @NJTRANSIT on platform: http://t.co/iwU5OSPSOu #SuperJersey pic.twitter.com/OPw9kXhtSD”
— Rick Fromberg (@rickfromberg) February 3, 2014

#njtransit remains in chaos post Supe - could this be political payback to NFL for not hosting any swanky parties in downtown Trenton?? :)
— rob master (@robj76) February 3, 2014

The 17 Most Ridiculous Bets Of This Year's Super Bowl

There are actual betting lines for these events.

Seventeen.  What kind of hat will Bruno Mars wear during the half-time show?  Fedora is such a heavy favorite that you have to bet $100 to win $66. It’s for good reason too. Bruno Mars showing up without a fedora is like Peyton Manning taking the field without a helmet or Joe Buck going live without a can of Aquanet holding his hair in place. It’s possible Mars could rock a fur hat (11/2) or a tuque (5/1), but the “wears no hat” option at 5/2 is absurd.

Sixteen.  Will Richard Sherman get a taunting penalty?  The odds are 4:1 on Yes.  Two weeks ago, maybe. But after his Super Bowl week conversion to NFL statesman, there are better odds Sherman plays a down wearing Bruno Mars’ fedora.

Fifteen.  Coin Toss - heads or tails?  Even.  RJ Bell of Pregame.com says this is the most popular prop bet of the Super Bowl because it’s easy to understand for people who don’t know much about point spreads and over/unders. “There’s also a perversity to it,” he said, “and it’s a topic of conversation.” Plus, bettors like a little action before the game even starts.

Fourteen.  Peyton Manning total passing yards over/under 289.  If coin toss is the most popular novelty, the yardage for the game’s most popular player is always one of the biggest on-field props. Manning threw for over 289 yards in 14 of 18 games this season. Of course, he wasn’t playing the Seahawks defense in any of those.

Thirteen.    Even.  Will the player who scores the first touchdown have a jersey number above or below 79.5?  You’ll push if a player wearing No. 79.5 scores first.

Twelve.   2,500:1.  Seattle or Denver to score exactly two points.  Since the merger, a team has scored exactly two points in a game eight times. But two of those games happened in the past 24 months. I’m just saying.

Eleven.    20:1.  Red Hot Chili Peppers to announce that they have renamed themselves Chili Peppers during the show.  This is a weather related bet, obviously.  Novelty props are easy to bet and the limits on the wagering (often as low as $50 on the quirkiest of props) invite light action.  There’s also another motive for setting ridiculous offerings, like the one above.  The word of mouth and viralness of these is an important consideration, the sports books are thinking if all these media outlets are talking about this, it’s free advertising.

WLEM AM

Where Woody Hayes would feel at home. 

The spread favors Denver over Seattle by 2.5, but keep in mind that three out of the four times the Broncos lost the Super Bowl, they were in orange jerseys, as they will be today.