Left Coast Sports Babe

Until Super Bowl XLVI.  (Feb, 5, 2012)  I hear the pre-game show starts next week.

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So Elton John allowed “Tiny Dancer” to be used in a Super Bowl commercial. Well, it’s less of a sellout than performing at Rush Limbaugh’s latest wedding… 

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A commercial for the NFL says “The path to the Draft” starts tomorrow. The NFL Draft is in April. Perfect for all those who think there just wasn’t enough pre-Super Bowl coverage.

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And a sure sign of Super Bowl Sunday morning…. avocados beng snatched up at the local Safeway faster than Wonka bars when there was a Golden Ticket inside.

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The Black Eyed Peas represented  real change for the Super Bowl. For the first time in recent memory, the halftime act might have been younger than most of the players on the field.

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At one point in the second half,  former Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers was looking for ANYTHING to jump start the offense and help his team score.  Rumor has it an all-points bulletin was put out for the Stanford band?

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It doesn’t hurt though when a team stops dropping catchable balls.  Wonder if Packers coach Mike McCarthy called a quick sideline meeting with Green Bay receivers – in American football, you are allowed to use your hands.

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Christina Aquilera today became the latest singer to botch the lyrics to the National Anthem. Where’s the ghost of Mitch “follow the bouncing ball” Miller, when you really need him? (Anyone too young to get that reference, try Google.)

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There was a mixup where temporary seats at Cowboys stadium weren’t completed to the satisfaction of the fire marshall. Which resulted in over 400 people who expected to be at the Super Bowl not being able to get into the game. Over 450 if you counted the roster of the Dallas Cowboys.

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Okay, so much for that 2011 made-for-TV movie “Ben Roethlisberger – Victory and Redemption.”

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Ben Roethlisberger certainly tried enough passes in the Super Bowl. But mostly with the kind of results that must have reminded him of being in a bar with college girls.

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Quote of the week? From Patti Davis, Ronald Reagan’s daughter about two would-be-heirs to her father’s legacy – Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann. “My father was a Rhodes Scholar compared to them.

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And now that football is over….I’ve joked about what would happen if the Washington Wizards (0-25 on the road) travelled to Cleveland to play the Cavaliers (0-24 period.)? And my friend John points out this will happen, Feb 13. So after the Super Bowl, mark your calendar of basketball’s equivalent of the Toilet Bowl.

 SF Giants fans were surprised to see Tim Lincecum with a mustache at today’s Fan Fest. Mostly they were surprised to see he could grow one.

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A slimmer Pablo Sandoval, quoted in the SF Chronicle “I knew in the postseason already I had to change my body (and) my mind. For all the things that happened with me in the postseason, I say thank you to the Giants because they made me grow up in that situation.” A baseball player acting like an adult and taking responsibility? What a concept!

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Tate Forcier, declared academically ineligible this year for the Gator Bowl with Michigan, has now announced he has narrowed his transfer choices to Kansas State, Washington, Arizona, Miami and Montana. When asked which of them might be a better fit for his major, Forcier allegedly responded “What’s a major?”

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There’s a major contaminated ground beef recall now in Northern California, making anyone who’s eaten beef in the area recently at least a little nervous. So at least Taco Bell customers are safe.

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Not much of a surprise that Deion Sanders made the Hall of Fame.  The interesting question, will he break the record for the longest accetpance speech? 

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Okay, while I’m a moderate I do have some intelligent friends I disagree with politically, but come on, Sarah Palin trying to lay claim to the Reagan legacy?  About the only thing Reagan and Palin REALLY have in common is that they both had incredibly healthy good-sized first children born prematurely 7 1/2 months after their marriages.   (True.)

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So when do the Cleveland Cavaliers schedule a game against the Harlem Globetrotters?

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Actually,when are the Cavs going to schedule a game with a more evenly matched opponent? Like the Washington Generals?

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New York Mets ownership is still denying they should have known that Bernie Madoff was running a Ponzi scheme with investors’ money. “Should have”, probably, but what do you expect from the folks who thought signing Oliver Perez for 3 years and $36 million was a good idea?

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 Bill Littlejohn, on a Dallas Zoo elephant predicting a Green Bay victory in the Super Bowl: “Of course she likes the Packers — she’s a packerderm.”

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And Augie,  referencing a previous post about Prince Charles and a”horsey” relationship –

On Prince Charles’ probable diplomatic immunity, the horse news could be the reason for those mule-like ears as a family trait.

Washington Redskins defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth was named in a misdemeanor assault warrant.   According to the police,  Haynesworth was accused of punching a motorist who had complained the NFL player was tailgating  him.  Shame Albert hadn’t been following  Dan Snyder.  In D.C. instead of a warrant he might have been given a medal.

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Former New York Gov. David Paterson has paid a $62,124 fine fine from the state ethics board over free Yankees World Series tickets. Well, at least that’s one problem that will not happen anytime soon with the Governor of Ohio.

(Or to Rahm Emanuel should he be elected Mayor of Chicago.)

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Andy Pettitte is retiring. You know what that means – GM Brian Cashman is just adding another expensive All-Star pitcher to his trade deadline shopping list.

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John McCain declined to endorse his former running mate Sarah Palin for the 2012 Presidential nomination. At this point John feels about that choice about the same as Larry King feels about one or two of those early wives.

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Ice fell from the Cowboy Stadium roof today and injured several workers.  And while no one was hurt by flight cancellations,  many fans were unable to get to Dallas today due to snow at the airport.

So where are all these Conservative preachers who love to blame any natural disaster in a blue state on God’s wrath?  Any chance this might be interpreted as a sign God is not a fan of Texas?

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For all those who say that the number one reason that Andrew Luck should have gone into the NFL draft was the risk of a senior year injury, I give you Sam Bradford. Who made the same “mistake,” barely played his senior year, and ended up 2010 NFL Rookie of the Year. Follow your heart, the money will follow.

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And on a rare serious note, it was 28 years ago today that Karen Carpenter died of a heart attack at the age of 32.  One of the bestvoices of many generations.  R.I.P.  

 Why reading is important: O.J. Mayo now said “an energy drink he bought at a gas station” was responsible for the failed drug test that led to his NBA ten game suspension. Really? Had he read the newspapers in the past few months he could have just said his father gave him some vitamins.

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All of the publicity from the 13 Iowa football players hospitalized due to overly strenuous workouts might make a difference in the Big 10 next year. Unfortunately that difference will probably just be the rest of the teams in the conference practicing harder to keep up. 

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The Egyptian government is trying to cut off all internet access to the country. Wouldn’t it have been easier to just switch all Egyptian citizens over to AOL?

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The Kings of Leon and “Glee’s” creator have been engaged in a war of words, after the band refused to allowed their music to be covered by the show, ” because they said it was “selling out.” Right, as opposed to the artistic merits of using a Kings of Leon song in a Jetta commercial.

(the song, for those who can’t remember or simply choose to forget, is “Molly’s Chamber.)

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George W. Bush says now he is “through with” and “uninterested in” politics. Sounds like he’s just about as engaged as he was when he was President.

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Charlie Sheen is back in rehab. Shouldn’t he have amassed enough points for a free stay by now?

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Okay, however this lawsuit comes out, here’s a question – was there anyone before this week who actually went to Taco Bell for the meat?

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And for anyone who thought San Francisco went crazy when the Giants were in the World Series… see below:

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From Bill Littlejohn: A week later, fans in Chicago have not gotten over the NFC Championship game, and are still burning Jay Cutler jerseys outside of Soldier Field. Apparently they have to constantly relight the jerseys, because the fires kept quitting.

Well, not exactly.  But the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears have not met in an NFL playoff game since 1941. And contrary to the jokes of comedians everywhere, Brett Favre was not the Green Bay quarterback that day. He was contemplating retirement at the time.’ 

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Despite months of speculation and backroom conversations, at this time Carmelo Anthony is still a Denver Nugget. If they do a documentary on this whole trade process, I assume it will be titled “The Indecision.”

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In hopes of rebuilding their image, HP has added new board members. Including Meg Whitman. And sure, when you think of being fiscally responsible, smart and forward thinking, don’t we all think of the woman who spent $150 million to win a job few people wanted, and then still lost in a landslide?

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In hopes of keeping most of their team together, and defending their World Series Championship, the San Francisco Giants have increased their payroll to a team record $115 million.  $115 million?!!.   Commented the New York Yankees “How cute.”

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Now that Cam Newton has formally decided to leave Auburn, has anyone told his father that the NFL draft doesn’t work on a “highest bidder” system?

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Okay, whether or not you like “Glee,” or cats, I challenge anyone to watch the new Xfinity commercial with Jane Lynch and the “limo cat,” without giggling.  Especially the tag line “And then the cat crushes him.”

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Cathy Cruz Marrero, the woman who fell into a fountain while texting, is considering suing, partly from the embarassment caused by someone leaking the video. And what a way to recover your privacy – go public with the complaints and appear on Good Morning America, for starters…

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A GOP spokesman said “We need to repeal Obamacare so Americans can find the healthcare plan that works best for them.” Well, if most Americans COULD find a plan that works for them, we wouldn’t have needed reform in the first place.

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Newt Gringrich has now apparently told friends he intends to run for President in 2012. And no doubt touting “family values,” though he cheated on both his first two wives AND filed for divorce from the first while she had cancer.  

Presidential material?  More like a Republican John Edwards with a cheaper haircut.

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From Bill Littlejohn, and with a special nod to my UM fan readers: A Columbus-area man, who  has created a Lego replica of Ohio State’s horseshoe-shaped football stadium, says the project took about two years to complete. He said it would’ve been finished sooner had it not been suspended for five games.’