Since You've Already Been Inundated With Super Bowl Coverage...

I won't be putting a full-blown preview of the game up here.  No point.  If you haven't already heard two hundred analysts and hosts discuss this game over the last two weeks, the only thing I could conclude is that you're on the Island in ABC's Lost.

Assuming you're not there, and you haven't been speared by John Locke, you probably have seen the wall-to-wall coverage on ESPN, or any of the other sports networks previewing the game.  So instead of giving the whole rundown, here's what I'm excited for in tonight's Super Bowl: (and by the way, the Steelers are favored by 7 points, for those of you who haven't yet wagered on the game)

• I'm excited to watch the teams come out of the tunnel before the game.  Doesn't even matter which team it is.  It gives me goose bumps because I feel their excitement sitting in front of the TV.
• I'm excited to watch Larry Fitzgerald leap for a couple of big catches.  He's great.  I'm also excited to hear how many references to his father covering the game there will be.
• I'm excited to see Hines Ward play, and interested to see how truly healthy both he and his quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, are.  I like Ward.  He's a consummate professional.  So is Big Ben, so long as he's not near a motorcycle.
• I'm excited to watch Kurt Warner in another Super Bowl.  I've always liked the guy, even though he's a little too religious for my taste.  He's a stand-up guy, he's got great belief in himself and his teammates, and he's a born leader.
• I'm excited to watch Bruce Springsteen as the half-time show.  Honestly, of all things, I'm most excited for that.  He's definitely going to play some hits, like Born to Run and Glory Days, but I'm hoping for a Rosalita, Lonesome Day, Radio Nowhere.  Eh, screw the game.  Just let him play a couple hours.
• I'm excited to see how many references to Ken Whisenhunt's former job with the Steelers are mentioned.
• I'm excited to see if the team that loses almost as often as my Cubs, the Cardinals, can finally hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
• I'm excited to see how many athletes ESPN personalities kiss up to after the game.
• I'm excited to hear how many references to the "Terrible Towels" there are.
• I'm excited that football season is over.  It's time to get ready for March Madness and Major League Baseball.

Hump Day Headlines

In this week's Hump Day Headlines, we discuss power crazy football executives, home court perfection, Kelvin Sampson, and Super Sunday...

• Good for LaDainian Tomlinson. He wants to return to San Diego despite the fact his General Manager is one of the biggest blowhards in sports. This he said in an interview in Tampa on ESPN's "Jim Rome is Burning". Chargers GM A.J. Smith mocked Tomlinson publicly this week when the All-Pro running back was quoted on his blog reiterating to media that he had no intentions of leaving the Chargers. Tomlinson then had to read that his GM made almost an identical quote regarding LaDainian's status to the San Diego Union Tribune. That had Tomlinson publicly confused and it lead linebacker Shawne Merriman to lash out at Smith, saying "That [stuff] doesn't help bring a Super Bowl to San Diego...and that [stuff] needs to stop, period. It needs to stop now." Smith has since responded by apologizing to L.T., telling the Chargers team website that it was important to him that Tomlinson knew "exactly what happened." So let me get this straight, A.J. You mocked your star player publicly, because you're an arrogant, power-crazed jerk, and now you're trying to save face? Good for L.T. that he wants to remain loyal to the Charger fans that adore him. But if that were me? I'd demand a trade.
• The Cleveland Cavaliers are unbeatable at home. That's not an opinion. That's a fact. With last night's win over the miserable Kings, the fighting Bron-Brons are now 21-0 at the Quicken Loans Arena. That is pretty remarkable. The next best home records in the NBA this year are the only two teams with comparable records to the Cavs overall. Boston is 22-2 at the TD Bank North Garden, and the Lakers are 23-3 at the Staples Center. The best home record in NBA History is 40-1, accomplished by the 67-15 Celtics at the old Boston Garden between 1985-1986. (The 95-96 Bulls that went 72-10, the best overall record in NBA regular season history, went 39-2 at the United Center.) If the Cavaliers keep up this torrid pace, they could be the most dangerous team in the playoffs this year. If you knew the team never lost at home, would you want to play there in a playoff series? I don't think so.
• Kelvin Sampson is appealing his five year ban from college basketball coaching, as reported by the Indianapolis Star. The former Indiana basketball coach was give then "show cause penalty", meaning that he can't get hired by another school unless that school convinces the powers that be that he should be allowed back. I guess assistant coaching the Eastern Conference's eight-seeded Bucks isn't doing it for Mr. Sampson. Sampson was pink-slipped in the first place because he and his assistants made more than 100 illegal phone calls to recruits. Apparently these recuits he racked up the phone bill trying to land aren't so great after all, considering IU basketball is the worst in the Big Ten this year. At 5-13 overall and as the only team winless in the conference (0-6), new coach Tom Crean will have some work to do. The program seems to be in good hands though, considering how well Crean's former club Marquette is doing this year.
• Oh yeah, I should probably mention something about the Super Bowl here since that is a recurring headline this week in sports. Yesterday we had the Media Day, which really wasn't all that great, but as Scott chronicled Tuesday, it can at least be entertaining. Here are the storylines I think you'll hear about most as we head towards Super Sunday: Larry Fitzgerald's father is a sportswriter who is covering his son at the game. The star wideout also attended college at Pittsburgh. Is Kurt Warner a Hall of Famer if he wins the Super Bowl? Mike Tomlin is the 3rd African-American coach to lead his team to the Super Bowl. Ken Whisenhunt is the former Steelers offensive coordinator. What ever happened to Matt Leinart? Are Anquan Boldin and offensive coordinator Todd Haley still fighting? The Cardinals are the sports team with the longest championship drought of any sports franchise other than my Chicago Cubs. (A tear just rolled down my face) Can the Cardinals cover the seven point spread? Get ready for Super Sunday...

Media Day, My Way

The week before each Super Bowl, the players from each team are trotted out and are met by masses of media members.  Some real, some not.  Some serious, some definitely not.  Some funny, some clearly not.

As something of a jokester myself, some of the media day questions I've enjoyed most have been the craziest, the funniest, the silliest questions.  There's only been one guy I've seen that's truly captured the essence of what media day should be (see below).  

If I was running things, these are just a few of the questions I'd ask if given the opportunity at one of these carnivals.

To an offensive lineman:

• Does it bother you that there's probably only five people that live within 700 miles of your home stadium that can identify you without a helmet on?

OR

• How far along are you?  In the pregnancy, how many months in?

To Larry Fitzgerald:

• At what point did you decide that the look you wanted to go for was the Predator look?  Also, did you speak with him (or, it, I guess?) about just jacking his 'do?

To Kurt Warner:

• Some of us are a little confused, and have something of an office pool going on back East.  How important of a role would you say God has played in your life, we weren't sure.  Feel free to go on as long as you please.

To Edge James/Anquan Boldin:

• If it was socially acceptable, would you clone yourself, then marry yourself so you could never stop looking at how great you are?

To Hines Ward:

• If your knee isn't that bad, why are you treating it like a madman for two weeks straight, and waking up at all times in the middle of the night?

To Ken Whisenhunt:

• OK, honesty time, what were you honestly thinking when Big Ben got into his motorcycle accident?

To Byron Leftwich:

• Let's say Ben gets hurt, how low would you say your chances are for success?  If I poured water on you, would you just grow into the ground?

To any one:

• Have you been to or plan to go to one of Tampa Bay's 43 wild and crazy strip clubs? (as opposed to the serious, business-approach ones elsewhere in the country)
• Both are dead, but who would you rather see alive, 2 Pac or Biggie?  
• What player in the NFL do you want to see get wrecked in the most non-life threatening way possible on a football field?  That isn't a wide-receiver...
• Do you think Shaq could play offensive line in the NFL?  
• What's the deal with this economy? (no, seriously, how hysterical would it be to hear a bunch of millionaires try to make it seem like things are going terribly for them too)
• If Barack Obama played football, what position would he play?  Would he be any good?  Would you take a free shot at him if he was coming across the middle on you?

Those are the sorts of things I'd like to see asked at Media Day.  It's the only day a year where the questions are not only expected to be off the wall, but are basically encouraged to be.  So, reporters, heed my advice and take advantage of the once-a-year freedom and ask some real questions.  Enough of this, "if you were a tree, what type of tree would you be?" nonsense.  If you want a moving picture example of the best version I've seen of a reporter taking advantage of a media day opportunity, take a look at this clip.

Now, that's how it's done.