Super used to be enough!

In January of 1983, the Yard attended our first and only Super Bowl. The only Shack that was a relevant sports icon to us was our good friend and former NAU Lumberjack John Shack who was on the Redskins injured reserve. Joe Theismann was eighteen months away from Lawrence Taylor ending his career during the making of the “Blind Side”. Super Bowl MVP John Riggins was the Huckleberry who rushed for 166 yards and the game changing touchdown. It was still a football game back then.

My first employer, Lanier Business Products was advertising dictation equipment during that Super Bowl. Lanier missed out on Edison’s electricity but they were all over his wax cylinders and dictation invention. Industry Icon, Temple Alumni and father of Victor, Bob got us Lanier hall passes into that game. The Yard is forever in his debt on many levels but we will probably never attend another Super Bowl. In 1983, the tickets were free with a face value of $40. In 2010, the face value is $850 and nothing is free.

At the Rose Bowl that day, the sponsoring of sports in America was still about the game not about being at the game. When the arrogance of being at the game subjugated the value of the game, the Super Bowl became courtside seats at Staples. Celebrities will be “surprised” that there is an interviewer in their face who wants to discuss their CBS TV series. Taco Bell, Budweiser, and Go Daddy will buy the soul of our Super Bowl thirty seconds at a time. The Yard will watch the game from home with the youthful fervor of 1983 and the waistline of 2010 on the sofa from 2006.

There is no better sports story than Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. The “Who Dat” nation has descended on South Beach and they do not need no stinking tickets. They will cheer in proximity with an alcohol fervor that the Yard could barely muster in 1983. Drew Brees signed with the Saints when the smart money was playing for the Dolphins. Bill Parcells wanted him desperately and appeared to have him locked up when the Chargers released Brees. The Chargers desperately needed Phillip Rivers to lead San Diego to greatness and apparently felt Brees would never lead a team to the Super Bowl.

Drew Brees is the guy you want coming to the front door to pick up your daughter. He says the right things because he means them. He works as hard as Peyton Manning with less public ball washings. He makes as many right decisions and he has more weapons. He had a better season than Sir Peyton and he will have full Yard support. The Saint defense is under rated and opportunistic. They pummeled Kurt Warner into retirement. Brett Favre got a similar message while throwing a game changing play off interception with a different team for the third straight post season. Brees decided on New Orleans because he did not just want to rebuild the Saints, he wanted to rebuild the city. In four years, he has taken the Saints to their first Super Bowl and has helped rebuild the city he now owns.

The Yard expressed concern that the impending divorce of Jamie the Load and Frank the Weak was going to hamper the Dodger’s ability to fill the gaps in their lineup. The Dodgers filled in the gaps in their roster with Reed Johnson and Jeff Weaver this past week. Reed Johnson to replace Juan Pierre? The Dodgers are paying 60% of Pierre’s salary so he can start for the White Sox. Jeff Weaver? Is this the 8th coming of Jeff Weaver? The Dodgers keep picking the wrong brother.

UCLA basketball coach Ben Howland is conducting his greatest coaching clinic this season. He is working harder with this young 11-12 team than he had to with any of his Final Four Teams. Howland always works hard and pounds fundamentals. Today’s one and done elite players are not easy converts. This Twittering, entitled youth does not always want to learn the bricks and mortar. They feel they were born with the bricks and already laid the mortar. They want the gloss and the Benjamin’s not necessarily Benjamin Howland.

The players that buy into his system are now playing significant minutes in the NBA. Drew Gordon did not get that and his last games will be played as a New Mexico Lobo. NBA coaches know that Ben’s kids are alright. If they can play for Howland, they can play anywhere. Freshman Tyler Honeycutt will play at the next level. He can run the point while leading the team in rebounding.

Extra Minutes: Is it just the Yard or is the whole sex addiction illness just a married guy who got caught epidemic? Derek Jeter banged half the Maxim Hot 100 between 2007 to present. He had more quantity than Tiger and exponentially better quality. But Tiger is a cheat who needs to cure his addiction. Derek is a player who is getting major trim. Jeter was smart enough to save the “I do’s” for the end of career not the prime. We hope it all works out for the Woods because lord knows the PGA needs him.

Penalty Kicks: Is Horatio Caine of CSI Miami going to introduce the Who for their signature tune while lowering his sunglasses?