Off The Bench

Happy Friday. Is it just me, or is there no excitement for The Really Big Event That Takes Place on the First Sunday in February (TRBETTPOTFSIF)? I mean I’ll watch come kickoff, but I just can’t get juiced up for this thing. Only a couple of other games in the history of TRBETTPOTFSIF have ever had me this “blah.” I had little interest in the Eagles and Pats two years ago, and probably the same for the Bucs and Raiders a few years back.

Billy Joel will sing the National Anthem. Now he’s one of my favorites, but why is he the choice? And then there’s Prince at halftime. Whatever. If he sings “Little Red Corvette”, it will probably make The Wife happy.

It’s all about making The Wife happy, isn’t it?

Mike Ditka (America’s Coach) dropped that the 1989 San Francisco 49ers will be named as the greatest Super Bowl team in the NFL Network’s series, “America’s Team” yesterday on the Mike and Mad Dog program. What a joke. That’s why you can’t get hung up on things like this. These jackasses who voted all have a fetish for Joe Montana and it is sickening. They all worship at the altar of Bill Walsh (“The Genius). Any of the four Steelers Super Bowl winners in the 70’s, or the ’85 Bears, or the ’72 Dolphins, or the ’66 Packers would have beaten the Niners. I even think the ’86 Giants were better.

(EDIT - Da Coach didn't have all of the facts. The '89 Niners were actually fourth, with the '78 Steelers third, da '85 Bears second, and the '72 Dolphins first. I still don't agree, but I'll live.)

Said it before, and I’ll say it again. There are a couple of quarterbacks that I would take before Lord Joe Montana. We can start with Unitas, then Marino, then Elway, then Bradshaw. At this point, I might even take Brady and just maybe Favre.

Jesus, but I’m in a rotten mood. Started sinking on Wednesday and has almost bottomed out this morning. Of course, I can’t tell you why.

The Ditka interview was great. That guy is a nut-case, but he gets it. He’s not afraid to say that the NFL should be ashamed for the way they’re treating their former players, and he’s right. It’s almost criminal. These guys gave their bodies for the sport, and they’re getting no financial support from the most profitable sport. What happened to former Steelers center Mike Webster was criminal. He lived in his car and his brain was mush, before a heart attack killed him. Earl Campbell doesn’t leave his own house. Old Colts tight end John Mackey is in a nursing home. It’s embarrassing, and the attitudes of former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and labor president (and former Radier) Gene Upshaw is awful. Upshaw should be fired on the spot for his handling of things. Clearly he has forgotten where he came from.

You probably know that the shoulder of a road is known as “the breakdown lane.” In that I wish to introduce new term. The left lane of the southbound Taconic Parkway, from approximately Underhill Avenue to NY state route 134 (or maybe even much farther south than that) should be known as “the crash lane” or “the suicide lane” or something like that. People can not handle driving in that lane, or on that road. I’ve always said that drivers should be forced to take a litmus test before being permitted to drive on the TSP. I stand by that belief.

There are reports that Bernie Williams is going to accept a non-roster invite to Spring Training. Is that the best each side has? Is it time for Bernie to fade out and play his music full time? Are the Yankees just doing him a favor? I think the answer is yes on all fronts. It’s never easy to walk away.

Looks like I’ll be back on the air, sort of. Tomorrow, I will be the guest of Ricky Fritsch on “The Sports Insider.” We’re going to talk with Greenwich hoops coach Bill Brehm about his terrific team, and about the Super Bowl. Join us live around 9:05 Saturday morning. If all goes as planned, I will join Don Boyle on SportingNewsCT (www.sportingnewsct.com) Thursday night at 7:45, as Greenwich hosts Darien in hockey. I’ve only done color on hockey a few times, so don’t expect me to be John Davidson. Or Dave Maloney or John Spang.

That’s all I’ve got for now. Enjoy the Super Bowl, and I’m sure we’ll have plenty to talk about on Monday.

Cheers!