Super Bowl Bests

The Big Game will be played today for the 54th time. Just in time for the impending clash between the Chiefs and the 49ers, here’s a look at some Super Bowl superlatives, from the best movie trailer debut to the best half-time show and more.

Best Movie Trailer: The Avengers (2012)

The Avengers Super Bowl trailer (Uploaded to YouTube by Marvel Entertainment)

It’s easy to forget now in the age of Marvel movie domination, but the first Avengers film was considered a risky premise built on a gamble. In the early 2000s, the non-X-Men and Spidey characters were considered the B List. But that all changed with the 2008 breakthrough of Iron Man, the first part of Marvel Studios honcho Kevin Feige’s master plan. The next four movies (Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger) built toward the formation of the team. A teaser at the end of Captain America (“Some Assembly Required”) and another teaser (set to “We’re in This Together” by Nine Inch Nails) set the stage, but the Big Game Trailer included the first version of the now-iconic “circle shot” of the team together for the first time. The Avengers had assembled, and an unprecedented string of successes would follow.

Best Commercial:  Apple, “1984” (1984)

How Apple’s “1984” Commercial Changed the Super Bowl Forever | NFL Films Presents (Uploaded to YouTube by NFL Films)

There will always be endless debate about the best ad. There have been long-lasting favorites from the likes of Volkswagen (“Vader Kid”), McDonald’s (Jordan vs. Bird, “nothing but net”), Pepsi (1992 Cindy Crawford), and countless memorable beer spots. But potentially the craziest one is the Apple ad that ran only once. Evoking the films of Fritz Lang and the writings of George Orwell, the spot suggests liberation from a gray-hued dystopian by … the Macintosh computer? Though the spot aired just one time, it consumed conversation with opinion pieces, TV news airtime, and talk show discussions. Publications like Business Insider consider this the moment that Super Bowl ads became the biggest commercial availability of the year.

Best Half-Time Show: Prince (2007)

Prince Performs “Purple Rain” During Downpour | Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show |NFL (Uploaded to YouTube by the NFL)

You know a half-time show transcends mere mid-game entertainment when the NFL makes a mini-documentary about it. In the midst of pouring rain, the crowd heard an opening take on Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” Then the stage lit up: it was The Symbol. Prince appeared, said, “Dearly beloved … ” and the crowd went bonkers. What followed was a super-charged performance that included a mosaic of tunes like “Let’s Go Crazy,” “1999,” “Baby I’m a Star,” CCR/Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary,” Dylan/Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower,” Foo Fighters’ “Best of You,” and, of course, “Purple Rain.” It was showmanship of the highest level, made more incredible by the artist’s ability to transcend, and in a way, even take control of the weather to enhance the performance.

Best Play (tie): The Riggins Run and the Tyree “Helmet Catch”

Ask 50 people what the Best Super Bowl Play Ever was, and you’ll probably get more than 50 answers. However, if you ask people to list some of the best plays, a few elite moments will rise to the top every time. For that reason, the Post offers two selections, appropriately split between a run play and a pass play.

In Super Bowl XVII in 1982, the Redskins squared off against the Dolphins. Trailing on a 4th and 1, the Redskins handed the ball to John Riggins. Riggins broke through to pick up the 1st down … and just kept going. He ran for an additional 41 yards, right into the end zone. The play turned the tide of the game, and Riggins was named Super Bowl MVP.

In 2008’s Super Bowl XLII, the Giants were running out of time against the Patriots. In the final two minutes, scrambling Giants QB Eli Manning threw to wide receiver David Tyree, who was facing his own heavy pressure. Remarkably, Tyree secured the ball in mid-air by holding it against his helmet. The play gained the Giants 32 yards and a 1st down. The Giants went on to win, 17-14.

Best Game: Super Bowl LI (2017)

Super Bowl LI highlights. (Uploaded to YouTube by the NFL)

Let’s face it. Some Super Bowls have been thrilling, and others have been one-sided affairs that were decided in the early going. This was a spirited nail-biter that went into the first OT in Super Bowl history. You had the New England Patriots with Brady and Belichick and the Atlanta Falcons had MVP QB Matt Ryan. It certainly looked like it could be a blowout, as the Falcons led 28-3 in the third. But the Patriots came roaring back, dropping 25 on the Falcons to take it into OT. The Patriots won the coin toss and converted that stroke of luck into a TD, wrapping up their fifth championship.

Featured image: LunaseeStudios / Shutterstock

Satisfaction Guaranteed: Namath and the Jets Upset the Colts 50 Years Ago

Sports history enshrines many its greatest moments with simple titles. The Drive. The Catch. The Immaculate Reception. It’s fair to say that the pantheon should make room for a moment that occurred off-the-field: The Guarantee. In 1969, New York Jets star quarterback Joe Namath boldly proclaimed that his team would beat the heavily-favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. Three days later, on January 12, they did just that.

The Colts had already won two championships in the 1950s, prior to the championship game getting the updated title of the Super Bowl. Coincidentally, the coach of those two winning teams had been Webb Ewbank; this time, he’d be on the opposite side, coaching the Jets. The Colts finished the regular season with a 13-1 record; the Jets went 11-3. On paper, both teams had considerable strengths; though the Jets had a powerful offense, the Colts had the best defense in the league, allowing only 144 total points against them for the entire season.

Namath’s prediction came during an appearance at the Miami Touchdown Club. With a loud Colts fan heckling him in the crowd, Namath spontaneously responded with, “We’re gonna win the game. I guarantee it.” Of course, the real test would come on the field.

Super Bowl III is available in full on YouTube, courtesy of the NFL’s official channel.

Though it might not have been the most exciting game ever played, it was certainly a sterling exemplar of field control on the part of the Jets. They held the Colts scoreless through the first three quarters, picking off MVP quarterback Earl Morrall three times; in the fourth, injured Colts legend Johnny Unitas came off the bench and led his team to their only touchdown. By the final whistle, it was Jets over Colts, 16-7.

Many guarantees have been made by players since. Some have even been fulfilled. But this one lives on. Perhaps it’s because it was inspired by the human moment of Namath attempting to silence a skeptic. Perhaps it’s because an underdog defied the odds. Whatever the case, the Namath Guarantee continues to be a touchstone of pop culture and part of the lore of one of the most consistently popular sports in America.

News of the Week: Super Paper, Super Bald Men, and Super Bowl Recipes for Sunday 

Paper Rules

Someone once asked me what my favorite app was, and I told them pen and paper. It’s true. I don’t use a smartphone, and I don’t 100 percent trust “the cloud,” so I’m very old school when it comes to taking notes and keeping things organized. I can’t live without my Moleskine and Field Notes notebooks and my Uni-ball 307 pens. I love the Kindle but I prefer print books. I’m a paper guy.

This BBC article about the joys of paper and the resurgence that it’s having made me smile (a real smile, not an emoji). And it’s not just older people clinging to nostalgia; it’s also millennials and younger people who grew up as digital-first natives. Studies show that people who actually write things down remember them better. There’s something about paper that is vital, necessary, something that will make it last, even if we constantly hear that print books and newspapers are going away and everything is digital digital digital. Or, as my friend William Powers puts it, paper is eternal. [PDF]

How important is paper? Try going to the restroom without it next time. There’s no app for that.

Hair Is Overrated

I’m not saying this because I’m bald, even though I am, well, bald. I’m saying it because it’s science!

According to a University of Pennsylvania study, bald men are seen as more dominant, stronger, and even taller. Considering my height, I don’t really understand the “taller” part of that study, but I’ll take dominant and stronger.

The study also showed that men who are balding should just go ahead and shave off what hair they have left instead of using hair restoration products or doing that horrifying comb-over that isn’t fooling anybody.

The Best Airport in the World Is In…

Come on, guess! Is it in England, Japan, Australia, Switzerland, China? Nope, the best airport in the world is right here in the United States (and no, it’s not in New York or Chicago or Los Angeles).

It’s in Pittsburgh! It’s Pittsburgh International Airport. This is according to Air Transport World magazine, a publication that has been picking the best airport for the past four years. Previous winners are London’s Heathrow, Hong Kong International, and Singapore’s Changi.

I think airports instantly sound more important if they have “international” in their title.

RIP John Hurt, Barbara Hale, John Wetton, Mary Webster, Harold Hayes

John Hurt was an acclaimed veteran actor who appeared in such classic movies as The Elephant Man, Alien, Midnight Express, A Man for All Seasons, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Osterman Weekend, Watership Down, Rob Roy, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, plus several Harry Potter films. On TV he had roles in I, Claudius, The Storyteller, and Doctor Who. He will be seen in four movies later this year. Hurt passed away from cancer last Friday at the age of 77.

Barbara Hale was best known as Perry Mason’s assistant Della Street on the classic series Perry Mason and dozens of TV movies. She also had roles in movies like Airport, Gildersleeve’s Bad Day, The Boy with Green Hair, and The Window, as well as TV shows like Adam-12, Ironside, Playhouse 90, Lassie, and Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. Her death at age 94 was first reported by her son, actor William Katt, star of The Greatest American Hero.

Musician and producer John Wetton was the lead singer and bassist for the supergroup Asia, who had hits like “Heat of the Moment,” “Don’t Cry,” and “Only Time Will Tell.” He was also in the bands UK and King Crimson and had stints in Roxy Music and Uriah Heep. He also released several solo albums over the years. He passed away after a long battle with cancer at the age of 67.

Mary Webster co-starred in one of my favorite movies, the 1957 Anthony Perkins/Henry Fonda western The Tin Star, as well as Jerry Lewis’s first film without Dean Martin, The Delicate Delinquent. She was also in the Vincent Price sci-fi adventure Master of the World and TV shows like The Twilight Zone, Perry Mason, Dr. Kildare, Father Knows Best, Route 66, and The George Burns and Grace Allen Show. She passed away Monday at the age of 81.

Harold Hayes, a true American hero, was the last surviving member of a group of Army medics and nurses who escaped from Nazis during World War II. He was on a plane with 29 others when it was hampered by bad weather and German attacks, forcing it to land in Albania. All 30 of them — one with a badly injured knee — survived the 600-mile trek through hostile territory to freedom. Hayes passed away at the age of 94.

One Last Thing about Mary Tyler Moore

Did you see CBS’s hour-long tribute to Mary Tyler Moore? No? Good. You didn’t miss much. The show was all about Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King, as the two talked and talked about how The Mary Tyler Moore Show affected them and how Moore went on Oprah’s show that time and how she empowered women. It looks like it was put together too quickly by someone who learned about Moore by reading Wikipedia. I thought it was more like The Oprah Winfrey Show than a real tribute to Moore, and when I checked Twitter, someone else thought the same thing:

I enjoyed getting a glimpse of Mary Tyler Moore on the @Oprah Winfrey Show tonight @CBS

— Dick Van Dyke (@iammrvandy) January 27, 2017

 

That’s officially my favorite tweet of all time.

Earlier, Van Dyke was interviewed on CBS This Morning, and it’s better than that special, even if Charlie Rose does pronounce the character’s name wrong (it’s PET-rie, Charlie, not PEET-rie):

This Week in History

Prohibition Begins (January 29, 1919)

It lasted until December 5, 1933. Maybe you can remember Prohibition by making some moonshine.

Black Student Sit-In at Woolworth’s (February 1, 1960)

Four students sat in the whites-only section of the Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, and were refused service. They came back later with more protestors, and the sit-in eventually grew to 300 people, which forced Woolworth’s to change its policy.

This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: Norman Rockwell Born (February 3, 1894)

When you think of The Saturday Evening Post, you also think of artist Norman Rockwell. Here’s a look back at our Rockwell birthday issue from 1984, and here’s a terrific remembrance from his granddaughter Abigail, which includes a gallery of classic Rockwell Post covers.

Super Bowl Recipes

Super Bowl LI is this Sunday. It airs on Fox and starts at 6:30 p.m. ET. Believe it or not, the pre-game starts at 1 p.m., so you have approximately 5 1/2 hours to “get ready” to root for the New England Patriots or the Atlanta Falcons (as a Bay Stater, I have to put the Pats first in this sentence).

One of the things you can do during the afternoon is make food for the big game. Now, I’m going to assume that because this is the Super Bowl, you’re not going to want Beef Wellington or ceviche or a big plate of Papparelle with Sea Urchin and Cauliflower. You want football food. Stuff that’s probably not that great for you and requires a bunch of napkins.

How about these classic chili recipes from Emeril Lagasse? Chips and dips are big on Super Bowl Sunday, so how about this recipe for guacamole? And for drinks and dessert, go on over to the Today show website and get some recipes for root beer floats and Rice Krispies treats that look like football jerseys.

Me? I’ll be watching the game, but only for the commercials.

Next Week’s Holidays and Events​

National Weatherperson’s Day (February 5)

Four days ago the local meteorologists here said we were only going to get a dusting of snow today. Then, suddenly, yesterday’s forecast changed to 3 to 5 inches and I had to shovel. Maybe this is why we shouldn’t have 5- or 7- or 10-day forecasts. They’re never right.

But people dump on meteorologists all the time, so maybe this is one day we can send them a box of chocolates or an umbrella instead.

Safer Internet Day (February 7)

The safest internet is the one you never log on to, but if that’s not an option for you, you can read our tips for being a smart cyber citizen, learn how to prevent identity theft, and learn how to keep your kids safe when they’re online.

Five things you need to know about Super Bowl XLVIII

As one of the pinnacle events in the sports world, we have compiled a list of six things we think you should know about Super Bowl XLVIII. The game airs Sunday on Fox at 6:30P.M.

1. Best defense vs. Best offense

The Denver Broncos go into Sunday’s game with a top-ranked offense led by quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning has had a record-setting year for the Broncos. His 55 touchdown passes this season are the most in NFL history, and he set a league record with 5,477 passing yards. As a team, the Broncos offense scored 606 points this season. Meanwhile, the Seahawks defense has been a force to be reckoned with all season long. Led by the outspoken Richard Sherman, one of the top corners in the league, the Seahawks’ defense have forced 28 interceptions (eight of those credited to Sherman), committed 44 sacks, and allowed opponents to score just 231 points. Despite this historic matchup, experts predict the outcome of the game will be determined on the other side of the game: the Broncos defense against the Seahawks offense. Either way, this game is bound to be a classic.

2. Weather

For the first time in Super Bowl history, the game will be played in Met Life Stadium, just outside of New York City. Since the site announcement, speculation of bad weather has been a featured storyline. For days leading up to the event, hundreds of workers have been removing snow and ice from the stadium. The coldest Super Bowl on record was back in 1972 in New Orleans when the temperature was a mild 39 degrees. Meteorologists are predicting this year’s game day temperature to be 37 degrees with a 20 percent chance of precipitation. New York has been blasted with frigid temperatures this winter due to the Polar Vortex, so a high of 37 may feel toasty to locals.

3. Commercials

Every year there’s a big fuss about the companies that will pay millions of dollars to run a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl. And every year, lists of the best and the worst are compiled and scattered across the Internet Monday morning. This year, there are commercials teasing out commercials that will air during the big game. The adorable Budweiser ad with the puppy and the clydesdale has already gone viral a week before it officially airs on TV. Scarlett Johansson has been under criticism for a racy, un-rated ad for SodaStream which prompted her to resign from her position as global ambassador of Oxford International, a company that fights poverty.

4. Peyton Manning’s Legacy

It may be hard to believe, but Peyton Manning has been in the league since 1998. During his illustrious career, he has carefully danced around the conversation of being named the “Greatest Quarterback of all Time.” As he approaches the outcome of his third Super Bowl appearance and looks for his second Super Bowl ring, the conversation has intensified. Can Peyton Manning really be the greatest of all time if he only has one ring? Manning will turn 38 in March, and although he has just completed his best regular season of his career, the clock is ticking as retirement looms. Will this be Manning’s last chance for another ring?

5. Super Bowl Alternatives

We aren’t all sports fans, so perhaps Sunday evening will be spent watching something other than the Super Bowl. If so, you have some options. Every year, Animal Planet airs the ultimate spectacle of cuteness in the Puppy Bowl. Puppy Bowl X airs during the Super Bowl Sunday evening. This year, the NFL got in on the action and put together a Puppy Bowl Fantasy League! Downton Abbey is brand new on PBS at 9pm on Sunday evening, and AMC will be playing a marathon of The Walking Dead all day Sunday in anticipation for the mid-season premiere the following week. NBCSports will be airing the Olympic Speed Skating trials, and there is an array of movies on other cable networks for non-sports fans.

6. The Halftime Show

Since Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction ten years ago, the halftime show at the Super Bowl demands almost as much attention as the game itself. This year, pop star Bruno Mars will perform on the big stage joined by rock band The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Expect an electric, creative, and upbeat performance from the vocalist.