Soggy Super Bowl

Super Bowl XLI is in the books. Congratulations to the Colts for winning their first Super Bowl title in 36 years and the first since the franchise moved to Indianapolis from Baltimore. Tony Dungy is the first African American head coach to hold the Vince Lombardi Trophy in victory. Quarterback Peyton Manning wins MVP honors and the Cadillac of his choice.

Here are some random thoughts about the game and the week leading up to the game:

• South Florida had pretty good weather through Saturday providing a great backdrop for the NFL Network, ESPN, and HBO Sports, not to mention all the folks just hanging out on South Beach every day and night.
  
  

• Football purists probably love the fact that SB XLI was played outdoors, despite the driving downpour in South Florida on Sunday night. I am not among that group. With the championship at stake and the tremendous financial investment of the league, the host city, and sponsors galore, Super Bowls should be played in the very best of conditions. Granted, this is the first time rain has fallen on an outdoor Super Bowl, last night's conditions were a bummer. Slippery footballs affecting play; rain drop spotted television camera lenses affecting my view. Not good. Of course, I think every game should be played in the best of conditions. I love indoor stadiums because, not only can you play regardless of the weather, but fans can truly enjoy the experience they've shelled out hundreds of dollars to attend. I love attending games in outdoor stadiums but the temperature needs to be above 70 degrees and the forecast should not include rain. Had i paid $600 and up for a ticket to SB XLI-- and let's face it, many of the 74,000+ fans in Dolphins Stadium on Sunday night paid MUCH more than that-- there is no way I would want to sit in a driving rain. To all the folks who think Super Bowls should only be played in Miami, Tampa, New Orleans, Phoenix, and San Diego, I say if it's okay to play the title game outside in drenching rain in South Florida, it's okay to play indoors in cities like Detroit, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Indianapolis and St. Louis.
  
  
• Don't you have to be a fairly smart person to run a professional sports league or own a team? Don't you have to be fairly intelligent to work as the lead announcer for a network covering the biggest and most widely watched sporting event on the planet? It rained, off and on, all day long in South Florida on Sunday. Did it not occur to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Colts owner Jim Irsay, and CBS announcer Jim Nantz that it would be a good idea to bring a raincoat with them to the stadium? Did they not look stupid standing out there for the trophy presentation dressed in their custom made suits getting drenched? How smart is that?

• Prince rocked the house! That halftime show was HOTT! I'm talking the best in YEARS! The stage was great! The pyrotechnics were great! The song list was great! And how about the bonus performance we got on Thursday when, instead of answering a bunch questions nobody would care about, Prince did a mini concert for the media in attendance and everyone watching on the NFL Network? Can the NFL book him for halftime every year?

• In the Super Bowl's 41 year history, Billy Joel is the only singer to perform the national anthem at two games. Super Bowl XLI and Super Bowl XXIII in 1989, also held in South Florida.

• I love Cirque du Soliel but that pre-game show they produced didn't work for me.

• Jim Nantz and Phil Simms were BORING. I hope CBS Sports finds a different team to do the game in 2010.

Oh, Good Evening!