This is Alpha, the first-born, when he was 2YO.
This is Beta, the second-born, when he was about 2YO.
This is Gamma, the third-born, when he was about 18MO.
Super Bowl Thoughts
Feb
5
2013
1. I have an idea for what I would do if I were in charge of creating a commercial that would air during the Super Bowl.
It would require some cooperation from the network. It should be near the beginning of the 4th quarter. The commercial would start with the actual announcers for the Super Bowl – the viewers should not be able to tell that it is a commercial, they should think it’s the game returning from commercial break.
The announcers would say something like “Welcome back to Super Bowl XLVII, where the Baltimore Ravens are about to”
And then, abruptly, cutting off the announcers, viewers would see the opening of Heidi. Of course, Heidi would run for several seconds before giving way to the actual product pitch. I have no idea what products would be a good fit, or how that transition would occur, but that’s what I have so far.
2. In case you’re wondering, my favorite commercial was the Ram truck farmer commercial. In case you’re not wondering, my favorite commercial still was the Ram truck farmer commercial.
3. We watched the game at my brother-in-law/sister-in-law’s house. The plan was to watch the first half, drive home during halftime (during which the younger kids would fall asleep so we could transfer them right to bed), and watch the second half at home.
Things didn’t go as planned. Halftime started and we realized that we didn’t start the dessert on time. So we made and ate dessert during halftime.
Since the Ravens were winning by a significant amount, I didn’t feel bad missing the 3rd quarter. As I was warming up and loading the minivan, my nephew informed me that the Ravens ran the kickoff back for a touchdown, so it was now 28-6. “Perfect!” I thought. So we left.
“Can we listen to the game?” Alpha asked, as soon as we left the driveway. He seemed to be into the game. I found the station I thought should be carrying the game, but it wasn’t coming in very well. But they were talking about the game, so I left it and figured we would deal with the poor signal. We soon found out that the radio signal was fine – it sounded bad because the announcer was talking through a telephone because the Superdome power went out.
The half-hour drive home happened during the Super Bowl power outage instead of during halftime. Things didn’t go as planned – they went better than planned. Who would want to sit and watch a blackout for 30 minutes of TV?
I figured the younger two would fall asleep and I would transfer them to bed but the older two would want to watch the rest of the game – especially since Beta is into sports as much as he is. Beta fell asleep on the drive. I woke him when we got home, asked him if he wanted to watch the game or go to bed, and was surprised when he chose bed. So, Alpha and I watched the rest of the game. He doesn’t normally stay up that late. I bet that teachers don’t like the day after the Super Bowl because they have to deal all day with a bunch of kids that stayed up too late. Monday was an early bedtime.
4. The Ravens players certainly time things well. I’m not talking about their playing – I mean the administrative-type stuff. Ray Lewis won the Super Bowl for his very last football game, and Joe Flacco won the Super Bowl on the last game before his first real contract negotiation. That’s quite a bargaining chip.
5. If you are to perform the national anthem, the only thing you should add to the song is emotion.
6. My sister-in-law knew the Ravens were going to win when she saw the Harbaughs greet each other on the field before the game. John looked relaxed and Jim looked tense. Of course, they always look that way. She’s right though – in general, if you are relaxed you will play/coach better than if you are tense. Not too relaxed though – you still want to care about the game.
7. I knew the Ravens were going to win because, of all the players the camera showed us during the national anthem, only one was singing along. That was Ray Lewis, of the Ravens.
The base expectation is that a player will stand respectfully and face the flag during The Star-Spangled Banner. But if players are doing something else, I will judge them accordingly. A lot of times, I know nothing else about a player, so my only knowledge of him is how he behaved during the national anthem. If he is goofing off or warming up or otherwise not paying attention, I’ll root against him (if I have no other rooting interests). Likewise, if a player is singing along, I’ll cheer for him.
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!”
Psalm 91:2
