January 16, 2011

My vision of the Super Bowl.

The Packers defeated the Eagles and the Falcons, so birds need to watch out. It will be more fun (next week) to see them go after the Bears. "Packers" refers to meat-packing, so I think Bears are more meat than Seahawks. Enough fowl. We want red meat. (So I want the Bears to win today.)

Now, after we the Packers butcher the Bears, it's on to the Super Bowl (which suggests a bird, Superb Owl, but there will be no birds in the Super Bowl). Who will face the Packers: Jets, Patriots, or Steelers. The best image isn't Packers against Jets. Jets are planes. I don't like the imagery. So Patriots or Steelers. Both are human beings. I think Steelers makes for the best imagery, because Packers and Steelers are both working guys. There's a nice parallelism to that, which pleases me.

I also care about what I like to call their "costumes." Certainly, yesterday, the Steelers' costumes were much better than the Ravens costumes. Man, the Ravens looked like they were wearing ladies' leggings. I think you want some color break at the knee, so I was for the Steelers.

I'm all about: How do they look? It's a spectator sport!

(Originally written as a comment, here.)

UPDATE: I'm watching the Seahawks and Bears game right now, and I'm seeing there's a player named Herring on the Seahawks team. That's like having a player named Honey on the Bears team. This reinforces my support for the Bears (this week).

UPDATE 2: The Jets and the Patriots have quite similar costumes. To understand the game, I need to keep trying to remember which team is dark on top and white on bottom and which is the other way around. It's like that "Last Battlefield" episode of "Star Trek" where one guy is white on the left side his face and black on the right side and the other guy is the reverse. To people who aren't intimately connected to the struggle, like Captain Kirk, it just doesn't look different enough to matter. And by the way, that episode of "Star Trek" was bogus as hell unless it's established that these people don't have mirrors. Anyway, I concede that top and bottom are easier to distinguish than right and left, and I also realize the dark color is different for the Jets and the Patriots, but I need more contrast.

66 comments:

Lincolntf said...

Can't wait for kickoff. We're hosting a Patriots watching party starting at 3:30.
The idea of crushing Rex Ryan (he's really been begging for an ass-kicking this week) and Tom Brady getting that much closer to another SB win has me chomping at the bit.

Henry said...

The Patriot's "Flying Elvis" logo is worth a shout out:

Since 2000, this logo is in use by the New England Patriots. It demonstrates a silver patriot with naval blue shadow and hat with red stripes. This Patriots logo is known to Boston sports fans as the "Flying Elvis", due to the Minuteman's sideburn and pout.

In contrast, what do the Packers have to offer? A big G.

Fen said...

I'm all about: How do they look? It's a spectator sport!

Well... I guess thats one way to pick teams. You should get Meade to set up a betting system based on this. Wouldn't it be funny if you managed to pick the winners based on costume? Ha.

Ann Althouse said...

I hope you like my football commentary. I may live-blog a bit. I'll live-blog the Super Bowl if the Packers make it.

Kev said...

(the other kev)

My perverse streak forces me to root for the 'hawks today. Not only would it be great to have the NFC championship game hosted by a team with a losing record, but you gotta love the possibility of the same team having to win the Super Bowl to actually get a winning record for the season (11-9, if that plays out).

In realty, I'm guessing Seattle had its season-best game last week, and the Bears will blow them out.

Kev said...

(the other kev)

Linc, nothing would make me happier than seeing Ryan get stomped today. He's become the Lane Kiffin of pro football.

Peter Hoh said...

I'd love to see the Seahawks pull off the upset, but Bears-Packers is a great rivalry, and it would be fun to watch them play again.

Yes, the Steelers and the Packers have classic football uniforms.

Henry said...

Let's give some credit to the New England Patriots' Flying Elvis helmet:

Since 2000, this logo is in use by the New England Patriots. It demonstrates a silver patriot with naval blue shadow and hat with red stripes. This Patriots logo is known to Boston sports fans as the "Flying Elvis", due to the Minuteman's sideburn and pout. Not much changes were made to the logo except making the blue shades more deeper.

What do the Packers have to offer? A big G. And a stripe.

Lincolntf said...

Come to think of it, I wish the Pats would go back to their old "Pat Patriot" costumes.

Trooper York said...

Costumes?

Spoken like your typical Packer fan.

Hee, hee.

You are gonna give garage mahal a stroke talking like that.

HT said...

Very entertaining! Thank you. I used to tell my brother and his friends who to bet on (in the NFL) and got on a hot streak when I did it based on uniform colors, and which one was more dominant that day (to me).

Fen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Big Mike said...

... so birds need to watch out.

Yes, and the Ravens lost yesterday too. But before the Packers face the Bears, the Bears have to beat the Seahawks. So the Packers may need to beat three teams named after birds to get to the Super Bowl.

Where the Steelers will kick their butt.

Leland said...

You really do listen to a lot of Rush Limbaugh. At least you get the humor. That's probably because you don't tune in with the opinion that you must hate it.

Jets still fly, so somewhat bird like. Steelers vs Packers would be the super fan game. If the Packers make it that far though, I'm fairly certain it will be Packers vs Patriots.

Fen said...

All I know is the Cowboys always sucked when they wore their "away" jerseys.

And some of you didn't read the Memo regarding vitriolic speech. tsk tsk!

ricpic said...

Greatest "costume" ever is worn by the Oakland Raiders. Steelers and Bears are both pretty macho costumewize.

Packers vs Bears should be a real rockemsockem affair.

joated said...

You make as much sense as some of the "analysts" on the network pregame shows!

FOX or CBS should be calling later today.

Unknown said...

Costumes, huh? I have a feeling there should be a sarc tag somewhere.

Well, that's what the League, and later baseball, had in mind. They wanted to appeal to women.

"Packers and Steelers are both working guys."??

As they used to say in the Honourable Artillery Company, "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?".

The people who own the team in Green Bay may be working stiffs and Pittsburgh used to be a city of the big shoulders, but the guys on the field do all their work on the Nautilus machines.

Ann has been reading one of those old football for women columns they used to have.

WV "cacti" The Apache version of the Iron Maiden.

Joe said...

I watch for the commercials and stick around only if it's a really good game, which it rarely is. Don't actually give a shit about any team going or who could go.

jungatheart said...

My daughter walked through yesterday when the Steelers were way down and said, with the Oregon Ducks' defeat in mind, 'yellow isn't a very lucky color.' Hee.

I want to see the Steelers win the Superb Owl.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Patriots could not afford luxuries like meat and cheese, heck they were fighting the British and their tax on tea.. but as we all know the Patriots prevailed in the end.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Steelers were pirates, really uncivil people also known as filibusteros or filibusters.. the new civility state discourages filibusters..

Steelers loose.

DaLawGiver said...

Man, the Ravens looked like they were wearing ladies' leggings.

They played the 2nd half like they were wearing ladies' leggings.

chickelit said...

Lem said..the new civility state discourages filibusters.

I hope they don't go after frilibustiers next. :(

Fred4Pres said...

I want Hawks and Jets to win today. Let the Packers win or lose at Qwest Field next week. Let's see the Jets pay back the Pats.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Patriots were civil.. they were so civil one of them defended a British Captain.. a member of the other side.. cant get more civil than a Patriot.. well maybe except for Mel Gibson ;)

chickelit said...

I want Winter's Bone and Dexter to win big tonight.

Ann Althouse said...

"The people who own the team in Green Bay may be working stiffs and Pittsburgh used to be a city of the big shoulders, but the guys on the field do all their work on the Nautilus machines."

I'm talking about the imagery in the name. For example, I like when the Badgers play the Wolverines, because I can picture an actual fight between the 2 types of animals. When the Badgers play the Buckeyes or the Boilermakers... I don't get that poetic frisson.

Fen said...

Hmmm. I always thought team names like Packers and Steelers was a hat tip to the workers who made each city what it was known for.

(gah, clumsy syntax but I'm too tired to up my game)

Unknown said...

Ann Althouse said...

"The people who own the team in Green Bay may be working stiffs and Pittsburgh used to be a city of the big shoulders, but the guys on the field do all their work on the Nautilus machines."

I'm talking about the imagery in the name. For example, I like when the Badgers play the Wolverines, because I can picture an actual fight between the 2 types of animals. When the Badgers play the Buckeyes or the Boilermakers... I don't get that poetic frisson.


Conformity is the hobgoblin of small minds.

Or something like that.

You should have noted at the outset you wanted poetic frisson.

Like Cowboys vs Redskins. Texans vs Chiefs. Seahawks vs. Buccaneers.

If so, who plays the Cardinals? There's no team called the Rabbis.

Or the Saints. Vegas would have to join the league.

Or the Patriots - we'd need a team called the Traitors - or something.

Anonymous said...

They should have been the Stealers???

Ann Althouse said...

"You should have noted at the outset you wanted poetic frisson."

It's pretty obvious in the original post! Must I get out my sledgehammer? To talk about poetry?!

Lincolntf said...

"..we'd need a team called the Traitors - or something."

Kinda like The Harvard Crimson?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Mother Nature is so uncivil snowing on the game like that.

Anonymous said...

I don't know anything about frisson, poetic or otherwise. I was attending U.C. Irvine during 66-67 when they voted to call themselves the Anteaters and that was just silly. Had to transfer to Cal where the Bears live but that entailed tear gas on Lower Sproul Plaza and patchoulie oil stink on Telegraph Avenue. The pot was good though.

Lincolntf said...

In high school my school's team name was the Pioneers and in college it was the Musketeers. They were both armed (the pioneer had a rifle in one hand), so that would probably be a toss-up.

StoughtonSconnie said...

Nah. It should be Packers-Jets. The team that recognized that it was time to move on from the Favre era vs. the team that Favre used so he could play for the Vikings to fulfill his stupid revenge fantasy. The irony!

Unknown said...

Ann Althouse said...

"You should have noted at the outset you wanted poetic frisson."

It's pretty obvious in the original post! Must I get out my sledgehammer? To talk about poetry?!


I was being Puckish. If you want to hurt me, The Blonde can loan you her whip.

traditionalguy said...

Welcome to football watching, Professor. The fun part is seeing how the coach's styles interact with the teams through the tribulations they must face. But I look forward to your new Point of View analysis based on uniform style. But can anyone ever beat the Oregon Ducks creativity there?

Lee Merrick said...

Boy, you have a busy brain!

David said...

Be careful what you wish for. Da Bears iz tough dis yeah.

I'm Full of Soup said...

The Pack is back baby! I see a Super Bowl trophy in their very near future.

Revenant said...

"Packers" refers to meat-packing? I always assumed it had something to do with cheese.

chickelit said...

Revenant said...
'Packers' refers to meat-packing? I always assumed it had something to do with cheese.

Meat and cheese go hand in glove in those parts. So to speak.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Rev- you have it mixed up. A Packers fan is from Wisconsin mostly and some entrepreneur came up with a cheesehead gear & theme to denote their fanaticism for the Packers.

traditionalguy said...

The ads on the Althouse Blog should start to include beer and pizza makers as the Super Bowl unfolds. Then Meade will then have to drink Bud Light and eat Little Caesar's pizza, at least in the restaurant and the kitchen pics.

Sixty Bricks said...

I can't wait to see the Packers win their 4th Super Bowl.

Phil 314 said...

Uh, I'm sorry Professor but I have a "Y" chromosome and therefore I can't understand your point. I'd rather watch the game and decide based on the score.

Peter Hoh said...

There's a sitcom that played on this theme in one episode, but damned if I can remember which one. The ditzy secretary wins the office NFL pool, and one of the guys asks her how she picked the winners.

She replies brightly that everyone should know that the Cowboys slaughter Buffalo, Eagles are stronger than Cardinals, Lions eat Rams, and so on.

Peter Hoh said...

Shall I jinx the Jets by mentioning that they are looking pretty good right now.

MadisonMan said...

peter, was that WKRP? It sounds like Jennifer talking.

Palladian said...

"Anyway, I concede that top and bottom are easier to distinguish than right and left"

You and I need to go to a gay bar together, woman.

Peter Hoh said...

Lincoln, dude, I don't know what's wrong, 'cause usually, whatever side I'm rooting for ends up choking.

AST said...

I think the face on the Pats' helmets was inspired by Pete Carroll who coached there for 3 years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PeteCarroll.JPG

The better teams know how to elevate their game in the playoffs. Atlanta didn't. Neither did the Eagles and Saints. The colts had too many injured players. Missing are the perennial playoff teams from my youth the '9ers and Dallas. But the Steelers and Pats are there, but this could be the Jets' year.

Meade said...

Palladian said...

"You and I need to go to a gay bar together, woman."

Why? Is there badger/wolverine frisson there?

Meade said...

"I hope you like my football commentary. I may live-blog a bit. I'll live-blog the Super Bowl if the Packers make it."

In case anyone is wondering, I think that is meant as a promise, not a threat.

JAL said...

The helmets, Professor.

JAL said...

Sorry about that, Lem.

MadisonMan said...

I'm not sure how lack of mirrors would make a difference in that episode. The black/white and the white/black can look in the same mirror at the same time and see a difference. So why would the presence of mirrors make the concept bogus?

Peter Hoh said...

MM, IAMAT (I am not a Trekkie) but it seems to me that if one of these people looked in the mirror, he would see the "other" in the reflection.

Revenant said...

So why would the presence of mirrors make the concept bogus?

It would be a bit odd to look in a mirror and see a member of the "hated" race staring back at you.

I thought it was a clever way of showing out other cultures fail to notice racial differences, though. The same thing came up during WW2 -- both Pacific Islanders and, in one cause, Australian aborigines had a difficult time telling the two groups of "white people" (Japanese and Americans/Brits) apart by sight.

Ann Althouse said...

"MM, IAMAT (I am not a Trekkie) but it seems to me that if one of these people looked in the mirror, he would see the "other" in the reflection."

Yes. How could the hatred have developed in the first place if they had mirrors. The supposed "other" would look the same as you look in the mirror.

Ann Althouse said...

"It would be a bit odd to look in a mirror and see a member of the "hated" race staring back at you."

Exactly.

Peter Hoh said...

It'd be like that skit on the Chappelle show, where a blind black guy is raised to believe that he's white, and goes on to become a white supremacist.

Google to the rescue: link.

NSFW, or Althouse, due to the liberal use of the N word.

Trooper York said...

Revenant said...
'Packers' refers to meat-packing? I always assumed it had something to do with cheese.

Actually it refers to fudge packing. Not that there's any thing wrong with that.

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