The Economy + Scott Norwood = Wide Right!

Good Tuesday and Happy Birthday to Paul Newman. A man who led quite the life...

Blame it on the economy, blame it on the teams who are in the final Big Game of the NFL, fact is fact. Interest and demand for the game and for tickets are way down. Reports that some tickets in nosebleed heaven have been lowered from 800 to 500. That is unheard of! Attendance for all the events and parties that happen during the week in Tampa Bay are also down.

It is without question that the Arizona Cardinals are a great Goliath story with the year they have had. Everyone loves an underdog. I can only wonder what the stories, hype, and anticipation would be like if it were the Cowboys and Steelers or even the Giants and Steelers. There is the angle of the history Ken Whisenhunt has with the Steelers, and how well Arizona will be able to match up with the Dick LeBeau defense of the Steelers. There are the long overdue tips of the hat being given to wideout Larry Fitzgerald. Kudos that was years in the waiting after a great career in USC.

Kurt Warner is now the 3rd oldest player to play in the big game. John Elway 2nd at 37 years and Johnny Unitas was first at 37 plus years of age. Mike Tomlin on the other hand will become the youngest coach to participate in a Super Bowl. At bigger issue if you're a Steelers fan are the health and well-being of Big Ben Roethlisberger (Ribs) and Heinz Ward (Knee). Currently the Steelers are a seven point favorite. I expect Pittsburgh to win, but Arizona to cover by a final score of 24-20. I am also taking the under (46.5).

This day in 1991 was one of the best Super Bowls ever! With Frank Gifford in the booth and Kathie Lee doing the National Anthem, the Giants and Bills did battle. Jeff Hostettler would rule the offensive side of things for over forty minutes as New York would cling to a 20-19 lead with seven seconds left.

Otis Anderson had a monster game on the ground. It was down to a Scott Norwood field goal for a Bills win...It went wide right for a Giants win. Buffalo would play in four straight Super Bowls, only to get lose four straight. Many wonder what might have been had Norwood connected on the first kick. This would be the last game for Bill Parcells, leaving behind a nice resume with two titles in five years for the Mara family.

An Ice Storm now headed to North Texas. This ties in nicely as I am about to watch some hockey at the AAC. The first visit for the Atlanta Thrashers since a 2006 visit when they overcame a 2-1 deficit with four unanswered goals and a 5-2 Thrasher victory. Atlanta not doing as well in 2009 as a bottom feeder. These kind of games are sometimes a trap for the Stars. They now sit four points behind the #8 seed in the West. In fact, you have seven teams in the West separated by a mere five points. This is what I call competitive!

Time to bundle up!

Over and out in Big D

Mr Will