Super Bowl XLII

[Jean-Claude Fornier]

We're approaching the play-offs. Some teams are emerging like big favorites :

at the AFC : New England Patriots with no defeats is strong favorite now but you can still count on previous winners like Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers, both with great results too.

at the NFC : Dallas Cowboys have just beaten Green Bay Packers and both teams look like having the best chances but don't forget NY Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Seattle Seahawks.

BTW, we know Magnum supports the Detroit Tigers as concerns baseball, but what about football ? Does Magnum support the Detroit Lions too ?

I voted for Green Bay Packers. I love this team so much and especially QB Brett Favre. The team is young and despite the recent defeat at Dallas, and despite the impressive season made by New England, I think they can reach the final and why not winning it ?
Brett can still launch huge throws to Jennings and beat any d-fence !
Come on, Packers !

[Doc Ibold]

Hi Jean-Claude!

Nice to see that NFL Europa (RIP) has turned on some of our neighbors across the pond to the concept of "American Football".

Now, as to your question regarding whether or not Magnum is a Detroit Lions fan, coming from a native Detroiter and for whatever reason, Lions fan.....



I would say that Magnum is NOT a Lions fan. The Lions, over many, many, many years, have consistently underperformed, underwhelmed, and well, just plain STUNK.

Were it not for Barry Sanders, the Lions would have been the laughingstock of the league for well over 30 years. Heck, they are anyway! From earlier posts (see "One More Summer"), I had supported my beloved Leos from year to year , hoping that this next year would be the "Leap" forward.

Quantum Leap references aside, the Lions are for lack of a better term, either hopeless or a tease in the city of Detroit. And people, like me, still continue to support them for whatever reason due to ineffectual scouting, management and ownership.

Now, you may say "Doc, true, the Lions may be terrible, but why would Magnum (i.e. Tom Selleck) support the Tigers since they have also had their share of bad luck?"

Well, Jean-Claude, the answer is that while the Tigers have had their down years, they have at least given us a few playoff runs, World Series championships and appearances, and above all, HOPE, which is what the city of Detroit thrives on, especially now. The Tigers are an organization of history, but even more so, they strive towards the future.

To me, and thanks to Tom Selleck for taking an aspect of his childhood and highlighting them on his show, the Tigers are about YOUTH. Playing baseball, summer afternoons, hot dogs, and just enjoying yourself. Going to a Tigers game isn't just a game, it's an event.

Plus, I would like to say that the Tigers references on Magnum were YEARS before they won the World Series in '84, so he was representing long before it became cool to do so!

Wow, this post has really gone off on a tangent.

So, to summarize, Magnum a Lions fan. HECK NO!

So, JCF, while going against my NFC and hometown roots, I say go Green Bay! (If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!). And thanks for keeping up on our sport!

[SelleckLover]

The only thing I know about the Superbowl is that I attended the very first Superbowl game (yeah, I'm OLD!) back in the late 1960's or possibly the early 1970's. My brother-in-law worked for the Rams when they were here in L.A. and he got the tickets. (Sure wish I still had them...the tickets I mean!) I don't even remember who was playing or who won.

[Jean-Claude Fornier]

[rubber chicken]

By the by (as Higgins would say), the college national championship game is tomorrow if you didn't know. Do you get to see any college football in France? If there was only one college game shown in Europe I guess that the national championship would be it.

At least where I'm from, college football is more popular than Pro, (I think) that's generally true across the country. I love college football but never really get into pro games. They're so good, comparatively predictable and evenly matched in their awesome skills it just isn't as exciting (to me). There's a reason why the largest college stadiums hold nearly 110,000 people and pro only 80,000.

[Jean-Claude Fornier]

Sometimes, I'm watching College football on BYU TV. Amazingly, that's one of the rare american channels we can catch in Europe. They broadcast past games of BYU Cougars.
Well, a lot of commitment and passion in College football too !

Personally, I'm watching the NFL live thanks to the satellite feeds (technical transmissions destinated to some big channels, it's legal to catch them and to watch them) on Telstar satellite.

Unfortunately, it's all over with the NFL Europe, it was another way to watch games, but honestly, it was so poor to watch something like Frankfurt Galaxy vs Amsterdam Admirals when you used to watch some New England vs Indianapolis games !!!

Sometimes, I watched some games of the AFL (Arena Football League), it was very entertaining to watch an amazing version of indoor football on a shorter pitch, with different rules (no punting) and amazing attempts to score from a far spot.

[Jean-Claude Fornier]

Well, we're deep into it !
Pats or Giants ?

Unfortunately, my Packers lost 2 weeks ago ...

[Waltstasz]

Hmm. I guess it's too late to vote now. Good game yesterday though...

_________________
My darling, you look ravishing... A-heh, heh heh... A little champagne?

[rubber chicken]

I had it on in the background. It was a good game though. Not much scoring but close all the way.

Jean-Claude - do Europeans stay up most of the night to watch to watch a game in the US? Do they also show the game the next day at a normal time?

[Lt Tanaka]

Didn't think it was really that good of a game. That one play by Manning though where he had three Pats on top of him and the receiver used his helmet to catch the ball.........fantastic!