Super Bowl MMMCXXI

The first Sunday in February is about more than just communion in church. After many wake up and go hear Rev. Whomever deliver an insightful sermon and then honor the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, rabid NFL fans will return home and prepare the last football supper of the 2006 season.

It's hard to believe a whole year has passed since I was all fired up about Super Bowl XL in my hometown, the Winter Wonderland of Detroit. Super Bowl XLI takes place Sunday in the Tropical Paradise of South Florida. I am very much looking forward to seeing the contest between the AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts and the NFC Champion Chicago Bears. There are so many stories to watch unfold:

• Colts QB Peyton Manning finally making it to the big game-- Can he win it?
• Bears QB Rex Grossman, dubbed the worst quarterback ever to play in the Super Bowl-- Can he prove his critics wrong?
• Can the Colts defense contain the Bears running game?
• Can the Bears defense contain the Colts passing game?

The list goes on and on. But no storyline is more significant to me than this: Who will be the first African American head coach to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy above his head when the game ends-- Chicago's Lovie Smith or Indy's Tony Dungy? They are both such great coaches and even greater men, it's a shame one of them has to lose the game. But they have both already won in the skill and character department and I hope this opens the door to more talented coaches of color in the NFL, other professional leagues, and at the collegiate level.

All of that aside-- my greatest anticipation about Sunday's game is the halftime show. After the disappointment of hearing that the Rolling Stones had been booked for last year's show in Detroit-- that performance was truly a mess-- I have been bouncing around with sheer delight over the signing of Prince to play this year's show. He is, by far, my favorite music artist of all time. I have most of his CDs, a few DVDs, and I have seen him in concert three times having never been disappointed by a performance. This could be the best Super Bowl halftime show since Diana Ross was the featured performer at Super Bowl XXX in 1996. Check out the commercial promoting the show and Let's Go Crazy at Super Bowl MMMCXXI! That's 3121 for the Roman numeral challenged.

Oh, Good Evening!