Couple things. First, we watched the second half of the Super Bowl, after weeks of railing against the myriad evils of the NFL and swearing off our participation, however slight, in perpetuating the travesty. In the end, we were all talk, a hypocrite, a sham.
In our defense, we went into Super Bowl Sunday with the best intentions. The Friday before, wed had coffee with our friend and vicious book editor Wendy, who wondered if we wanted to watch the Super Bowl with her and her husband Charlie and her folks Nancy and Jim. We told her we werent watching the Super Bowl. Rather, we told her, we were planning on watching the Puppy Bowl. Amazingly and we dont throw that word around recklessly she hadnt heard of the Puppy Bowl, but she was totally on board.
Yeah, come over and well all watch the Puppy Bowl!
So we go over with Puppy Bowl beer and snacks and Wendy is all sad and she says, Youre going to kill us.
Turns out, they dropped cable TV in favor of Apple TV and Roku and didnt get Animal Planet, which has shown the Puppy Bowl for 10 years.
Well just put the Super Bowl on and turn the sound off and we can pretend the players are little puppies, was our solution.
For the first half, we pretty much chatted and ignored the TV. Then came halftime and someone for some reason, wanted to hear Katy Perry, if for no other reason than to hear someone explain the giant walking mega-widget she rode in on.
Then the sound stayed on for the second half and we were drawn into the savagery, which, as everyone knows, was immensely entertaining and exciting. Soon, we were actually rooting for the Patriots and deftly fielding Wendys questions, which included, Why dont people try to go get the ball? following an incomplete pass.
Then, there was Seahawk coach Pete Carrolls call, already termed, almost unanimously, as the worst call in Super Bowl history. All night Sunday and all day Monday, everyone whos seen even one inning of football was making the sage and seasoned pronouncement that Carroll shouldve had Marshawn Lynch carry the ball in for a touchdown to clinch a victory for the Birds.
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Even the Indian cricket vet Vijay who runs the little market across the street was telling us that they shouldve run.
Its the easiest call in Super Bowl history for a Monday morning quarterback to make. And, while Pete Carroll is the sole reason we rooted for the Patriots, we can nevertheless see what he was going for. When every living creature above the rank of a tuna fish knows Lynch is going to get the ball, Carroll has his QB pass it for an easy touchdown, while commentators and rank civilians alike call it a gutsy, brilliant play.
Or maybe Carroll had a horrible flashback on Lynchs three fumbles during the season; 26 in his career. The Super Bowl isnt the time to take a wild and reckless chance on some blundering running back coughing the ball up. Monday morning would be full of people wondering why Carroll would give the ball to a documented fumbler.
The big stupid play dominated the news all day Monday. We never even caught the score of the Puppy Bowl
Contact Tim Grobaty at 562-714-2116, tim.grobaty@langnews.com, @grobaty on Twitter.
Source: http://www.presstelegram.com/events/20150202/tim-grobaty-puppy-bowl-blackout-forces-us-to-watch-the-super-bowl
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