Finally, the Hype Was Worthy of the Game

Bernie Lincicome of the Chicago Tribune writing on the Super Bowl:

“If it took another century to finally raise the bar to the exaggeration that fuels it, if it took two teams without reputation or encouragement to do it, if it took a pair of carpet-bagging owners cashing in on the dreams of strangers, if it took a city undeserving to host the worst of these Super Bowls, never mind the best, maybe the wait and extortion was worth it.

“This is the classic against which every Super Bowl must now be measured. . . .�

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Trivia time: What is the Super Bowl record for the longest touchdown pass play?

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Pay the man: John McClain of the Houston Chronicle writes that Tennessee Titan Coach Jeff Fisher is underpaid, compared to other NFL coaches. He has one year left on a contract that pays him $800,000 next season.

The top coaches earn an average of $2 million a year, and that’s probably what Fisher will bargain for--and probably get from owner Bud Adams.

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Big appetite: Jim Armstrong in the Denver Post: “Sure, Bobby Bonilla signed a minor league deal with the Braves, but don’t expect him to land in the minors.

“From the looks of him, he’d never make it on minor league meal money.�

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Showtime: Ron Rapoport writing on Hall of Fame inductee Howie Long:

“He’s the only NFL player I know who used to conduct his own interviews. I remember trying to get a word in edgewise once, only to have him glare at me and say, ‘Don’t try to lead me.’

“No problem, his questions were better than mine already.�

Disturbing trend: Michael Ventre of MSNBC: “I don’t like this current trend by TV sideline reporters of interviewing head coaches at the end of halves and after halftime, and sometimes chatting with players during games.

“Pretty soon they’ll be catching guys coming out of the john and asking, ‘Did anything surprise you in there?’ �

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Crazy stuff: Steve Davis of the Dallas Morning News writes that one of the zaniest Super Bowl bets involved the Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal: Would St. Louis Ram receiver Isaac Bruce have more receptions than Shaq had missed free throws Sunday?

The winning bet was on Bruce. He had six receptions, and Shaq missed “only� five free throws.

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FYI: A survey by Hallmark cards revealed that Super Bowl Sunday is now the No. 1 at-home party event of the year, surpassing New Year’s Eve.

The Super Bowl is the second-biggest day for food consumption, surpassed only by Thanksgiving.

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Trivia answer: Brett Favre teamed with Antonio Freeman on an 81-yard scoring pass play for Green Bay against New England in 1997.

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And finally: Phil Mushnick in the New York Post on Tom Osborne’s run for the U.S. Senate: “We’re told he’ll run a get-tough-on-crime campaign, provided the criminal’s eligibility has expired.�