Super Bowl XLIII All Day Today On NBC

Why do they use that pretentious Roman Numeral way of numbering Super Bowls? Wouldn't it be easier to just call it Super Bowl 43?

We don't even use Roman Numerals for something as important as President of the United States.

As in our dearly departed former leader, George W. was not known as XLIII. He was known as 43. As in the 43rd President of the United States.

What percentage of avid football fans can count in Roman Numerals? I can't help but wonder.

I knew that the Phoenix NFL team is in the Super Bowl. I knew this due to my Phoenix sister telling me they are all now Phoenix fans, meaning her husband and my nephews and, I guess, my sister. I generally don't pay much attention to the sports pages. But this morning I bothered to find out that Phoenix, well, Arizona, is playing Pittsburgh today. Apparently Arizona is the underdog with Pittsburgh expected to win.

I usually enjoy the commercials, and sometimes the halftime show. Last year I did not find the commercials amusing. I don't remember the halftime show. I blinked during Janet Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction, several Super Bowls ago, and had to download video of it to see what the fuss was all about. Much ado about nothing, it appeared to me.

When Seattle was in the Super Bowl, for the first and only time, a couple years ago, I actually watched both the game and the commercials and halftime show. I was appalled by the game. If a casual non-football fan can spot referee errors, well, that's pathetic. If all Super Bowls were like that one, I really don't get why people watch.

Even though I don't care for football and don't see what it is that people find so interesting, I have been known to have or go to a Super Bowl Party. On the West Coast the Super Bowl starts up about 3 in the afternoon. Here in the Central Time Zone it starts up at 5.

I was so used to West Coast start times for live events, I've never gotten used to the Central Time Zone and live events. Like the Academy Awards on the West Coast start at 6 and are over by about 10. Here it starts at 8 and goes til midnight. I've never made it to the end of an Academy Awards Show in Texas. That may be partially due to the fact that anymore I find the Academy Awards show even more boring than football.

It seems to my memory that usually the President's Annual State of the Union address is the first Tuesday after the Super Bowl. It is not scheduled this week, near as I can tell. I think on the West Coast the State of the Union came on at 7, making it 9 here.

Maybe the State of the Union is so bad this year our new President is choosing not to tell us about it. Someone needs to remind him that he is constitutionally obligated to inform the nation of the State of the Union, once a year. He can do it by written report if he isn't in the mood to give another big speech so soon after his last one.

Now, I must start to prepare for my Super Bowl Party. You are welcome to come. But I may kick you out when that game runs too deep into my bedtime.