It doesn't get much more bizarre than to be in a stadium full of 70,000-plus fans who are absolutely convinced of how a game is going to turn out - and it doesn't turn out that way. This was a predominantly pro-New England crowd, with waves of them streaming into the stadium, filling the upper concourses, chanting, yelling and screaming throughout the pregame and roaring loudest for their team during introductions. But they got quieter and quieter as the game went on.

At halftime, most were pretty tame, with worried tones in their voices, a lot of "this isn't so good, they'd better pick it up'' comments. They went ballistic again when Randy Moss scored late in the game to put New England ahead again, but again went near-dead silent when Eli Manning got out of that sure sack and completed the pass to David Tyree - and completely numb when Plaxico Burress caught the game-winner. At that moment, from the 300 level behind the Patriots sideline, a lone commemorative seat-cushion went spiraling into the air and into the lower level.

At game's end, the Giants fans were going nuts, but they sounded sparse and scattered. From the Patriots fans, nothing but shuffling feet heading for the exits.

Posted by David Steele at 11:48 PM | Permalink
                    

If you’re still trying to wrap your arms around what happened at University of Phoenix Stadium tonight, join the club. The New York Giants had no business beating the New England Patriots, but somebody obviously forgot to tell Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress.

Burress, by the way, owes us all an apology. He guaranteed the Giants would win, 23-17, but he was way off. I mean, what was he thinking?

Remember Tom Brady’s reaction to that prediction? He scoffed at the notion that the Patriots would score so few points, and then they went out and scored even fewer.

“We didn’t get into the end zone enough,’’ he said, delivering what Howard Cosell liked to call “a piercing look into the obvious.”

“We scored 14 points. That’s the lowest total of the year. That got us beat.”

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:20 PM | Permalink
                    

Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens must wish he had chosen football instead of baseball about now, considering how the NFL is handling the accusation that the Patriots taped a St. Louis Rams practice before the 2002 Super Bowl.

“We were aware of the rumor months ago and looked into it,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. “There was no evidence of it on the tapes or in the notes produced by the Patriots, and the Patriots told us it was not true.”

In other words, the NFL is operating on the honor system. If the Patriots were guilty of anything, they would have turned themselves in.

Clemens denied a report in the Mitchell Report that he allowed personal trainer Brian McNamee to inject him with steroids, and said in a “60 Minutes” interview that he deserved the “benefit of the doubt” because of everything he’s done for Major League Baseball.

If he was in the NFL, all he would have had to do was cross his heart and the whole thing would be over now.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:50 PM | Permalink
                    

Pop star Alicia Keys has opened the Super Bowl Pregame Show, and University of Phoenix Stadium is beginning to rock. Alicia obviously took a page from the Prince playbook, because she had a full compliment of sexy backup singers.

It's amazing to watch them set up and break down the stage at midfield, and the pregame stage is a fraction of the size of the one that will be built in three or four minutes for Tom Petty and Heartbreakers at halftime. Can't wait.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:04 PM | Permalink
                    

The Super Bowl kicks off here in about seven hours, and there's no one in the Phoenix metropolitan area that I feel more sorry for than the media covering the Patriots. Their day, just like the previous two days, is totally screwed. Their lives and jobs no longer revolve around the team they cover or the chance at 19-0, but around SpyGate, especially after the new allegations about the Patriots' very first Super Bowl win, that someone in their organization taped the Rams' walkthrough the day before that upset.

The first Super Bowl I covered, when I was with the San Francisco Chronicle, was the Raiders-Buccaneers game in San Diego, and Nancy Gay, now the paper's NFL columnist, was then the Raiders' beat writer. She says to this day that it was one of the worst days of her career, because the morning of the game the news broke about Barret Robbins going AWOL in Tijuana, missing all team activities Saturday, showing up drunk that night and being benched for the game. She can barely remember anything from that game because she spent the entire day chasing that story. The staff had a meeting on a concourse of Qualcomm Stadium a few hours before kickoff, and it wasn't even worth it to ask what she might write. She already had spent the whole morning on the phone, and she looked as if someone with a raging case of the flu had sneezed directly into her face.

As for the rest of us, it was impossible to write a word about the Raiders that day without addressing Robbins, and in the locker room afterward, the players, as hurt as they were about getting drilled, were 10 times more hurt and angry whenever the topic of Robbins came up.

This game today is now officially as much about SpyGate as about any other angle. That stinks for the NFL and for the Patriots, and just as much for the Boston reporters who probably won't see much of tonight's game.

On the bright side, though, at this moment all the media are being served the single most decadent meal they will consume this year, the pregame brunch. It's such a guilty pleasure, it's actually embarrassing to be part of it. The only competition for that honor? The postgame buffet. This isn't too bad a way to make a living after all.

Posted by David Steele at 11:32 AM | Permalink
                    

Maybe urban sprawl isn't such a bad thing. The Phoenix metropolitan area is so expansive, it was hard to find a place that looked particularly crowded during Super Bowl Week. Things were hopping in Scottsdale, but if you wanted to have a nice dinner in the downtown area that had been cordoned off for Super Bowl revelry, there wasn't even a wait at most places...even on Saturday night.

It's tough to get a table at McCormick and Schmicks on a generic Saturday night at the Inner Harbor, but a group of us showed up at a nice Phoenix restaurant called Kincaid's Steak, Chop and Fish House, which is only a block or so from all the alleged action, and sat right down.

I'm guessing the local merchants -- most of whom scheduled extra staff to handle the supposed Super Bowl crush -- expected a little more of a bump from the big game.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

Once again, legendary punter Ray Guy was left at the altar when the this year's NFL class was selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. You'd think a guy who took the trouble to pump helium into every football at the Oakland Coliseum would get a little more respect.

I'm joking about the helium, of course. Or am I? Guy kicked the ball so high that there were always whispers that he was doctoring the footballs, and I might have wondered about the helium rumors if he had a really high, squeaky voice. Instead, I'm wondering what's wrong with the Hall of Fame selection people, who have completely ignored a very important part of the game.

There are, at last count, exactly no punters enshrined in the football hall. They used to have a similar problem at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, where there was one reliever (Rollie Fingers) for the longest time, but pitchers like Dennnis Eckersley, Bruce Sutter and Rich Gossage have changed all that.

It's high time (pardon the expression) that punters get their due in Canton.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:17 PM | Permalink
                    

The glitzy Commissioner’s Party was held Friday night at the Commemorative Air Force Wing Arizona Wing Aircraft Museum in nearby Mesa. That might not sound like much if you weren’t there, but the 1940’s themed “Flight 42” event was very cool.

The featured musical act was Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, the Southern California swing band that played the Super Bowl halftime show in 1999 and also performed in Jon Favreau’s 1996 cult movie comedy "Swingers."

There were other throwback acts that gave the party a fun USO feel, since it took place in the shadow of a huge B-17 bomber in the main part of the museum hangar.

The Lombardi Trophy also was on prominent display, guarded by two security agents. I guess they thought the New York Giants might show up and try to steal it.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:00 AM | Permalink
                    

My favorite part of Super Bowl Week is the way small things become big things. Plaxico Burress says his team is going to win and somehow that’s considered billboard material. I’m waiting for the day when somebody guarantees the other team is going to win. Now that would deserve big headlines.

The same goes for the revelation that New York had tentatively scheduled a victory parade for the Giants this Tuesday. That might seem presumptuous if you’ve never organized a tickertape parade in Manhattan, but those of us who have know that you can’t put that kind of thing together in 24 hours. New York has to plan ahead for that possibility. Same for Boston.

For once, Bill Belichick’s dour demeanor was just perfect for a question at yesterday’s press conference asking whether he had a problem with New York’s parade planning:

“Not really. Right now, our thoughts are on the game Sunday afternoon against the Giants. Really, that’s where everything is going to be settled. I know there is a lot of talk about, ‘Somebody said this. Somebody said that. Somebody else is doing this. Some other town is doing that.’ Whatever it is, this game will be decided by the team that performs the best on Sunday. That’s the way it should be and that’s what it will come down to.”

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:17 PM | Permalink
                    

The two sides didn't meet face-to-face, because the Gridiron Greats - the Jerry Kramer-Mike Ditka advocate group of retired players fighting for benefits - met the press early this morning, and Gene Upshaw holds his state-of-the-NFL Players Association press conference this afternoon. Expect the barbs from the old players to reach Upshaw before he steps to the mike.

As usual, the issues were compelling - the pensions, disability payments and "dire-need'' cases with players needing help with health and financial issues. And, as usual, much of the time was spent using Upshaw as target practice.

Steelers Hall of Famer "Mean" Joe Greene was asked whether Upshaw, a longtime opponent, had "turned his back'' on his own. "I honestly don't think so,'' Greene said. "I think he needs some help. I think it's a problem that existed before he got there. Can he do more? He probably can.''

It took about five minutes for Kyle Turley, one of the players on hand whose career ended recently, to disagree: "When you really look into it, he's not doing his job ... You look at the situation, and it's a direct connection to Gene Upshaw and the guys who came before him who were not doing their jobs.''

In the now-regularly scheduled insult-fest, Upshaw's turn to rebut comes later today.

Posted by David Steele at 3:16 PM | Permalink
                    

Big day here.

One of my favorite events of Super Bowl Week, the Super Bowl Anthem Singer/Pregame Show/Halftime Show Media Conference, takes place this afternoon. It actually is two media events. First, there’s a news conference with Alicia Keys and Jordan Sparks, then there’s the main event – the Bridgestone Halftime Show Media Conference with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Yes, even the media conferences have sponsors. Just want to say something right up front: If they try to give me a set of four Bridgestone Tires on the way into the Tom Petty event, our company ethics policy prohibits me from accepting them.

Petty will have a tough act to follow. Prince set a new standard for Super Bowl Week halftime performers when he staged a brief concert – complete with sexy backup singers -- instead of a Q&A at his media preview. Not sure Petty will be able to muster up two performances this week, but I’m fired up anyway.

My favorite Petty hit: “Even the Losers.”

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:07 PM | Permalink
                    

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was listed on the injury report, but not with the injury that was expected.

According to the report, he was limited in Wednesday's practice because of his right shoulder. There was no mention of his right ankle, which has caused him to limp earlier in the week.

"I don't think the ankle will be a problem," Brady said. "If it was, I think coach would have listed it."

Posted by Jamison Hensley at 11:08 AM | Permalink
                    

Patriots coach Bill Belichick showed his Maryland roots when a reporter asked his opinion of the best quarterback he has ever seen.

"Growing up in Annapolis, watching [John] Unitas was pretty special," Belichick said. "He was such a great leader."

Belichick then mentioned Bert Jones, the Baltimore Colts' quarterback from 1973 to 1981.

"I think as a pure passer, you can't put anyone above Bert Jones," Belichick said.

Posted by Jamison Hensley at 11:03 AM | Permalink
                    

The word from stubhub.com is that the average after-market price being paid for a ticket to Super Bowl XLII is about $4,200, which seems like a lot of money until you consider the cost of comprehensive health insurance for a family of four.

Considered in that light, it might seem downright reasonable, but I still can think of a lot better ways to spend that kind of money, especially when you can see the game better on a big high-def TV that you could get at a third of the price of an upper-deck seat at University of Phoenix Stadium.

In fact, if I were you, I think I'd make that case to your wife right now and head out to the big-box store. If you watched the State of the Union speech on Monday night, you know that's the right thing to do for America.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:13 PM | Permalink
                    

When we first arrived in Arizona Sunday, it was rainy and cold, but it was passed off as a remnant from the winter storms lashing the West Coast. On Monday and Tuesday, no rain, but brisk temperatures, again attributed to the storm. Now, Wednesday morning here, it was 39 degrees when we woke up -- and now locals and event organizers are describing this as a "surprise cold front.'' Forecasts are saying the temperatures won't go much above 60, will stay in the high 50s during the day and dip into the low 40s and possibly 30s at night.

Not that this isn't a pleasant alternative to everybody who had to be in Green Bay and Foxborough the week before, but it isn't what anybody expected or planned for when the game was set for Arizona. And it now makes four straight years the Super Bowl has been beset by less-than-ideal conditions. Last year, another unexpected cold front hit Miami early in the week, and the game itself featured a torrential downpour all night. The year before, Detroit. The year before that, cold, overcast, drizzly, smelly Jacksonville.

There's no way the NFL expected this, or why would they have held an official event last night at a nearby ranch, most of it outdoors, with the inside walls opened up as well? The cold snap drove lots of the guests away after just a short time there.

If this is how it's going to be (and Al Gore says it is), then why not just award the game to Baltimore? At least cold January weather won't catch anyone off-guard.

Posted by David Steele at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

It's official. The New England Patriots can get anyone to conform to their team concept because they've done so with receiver Randy Moss.

In the past, Moss has sounded off to the media when he doesn't get the ball. But after just two catches in the playoffs, Moss has not complained.

"The last couple of games, I've been taken out of the game," Moss said Wednesday. "With this being my first Super Bowl, you would think that I would want the ball. At this point, I just want to win."

Moss also talked about how the Green Bay Packers showed interest in trading for him last offseason. But Moss said he hung up on them because they kept talking about "the wrong things."

Asked about the problem, Moss explained that the Packers stressed to him that he would have to accept that Donald Driver is still the No. 1 receiver and team officials repeated how he would have to behave. Moss said he thought Green Bay just had the wrong impression of him.

"I felt Brett Favre wanted me but the Packers organization didn't," Moss said.

Moss then touched on how he wants to retire with the Patriots but acknowledged that he didn't know what would happen in free agency.

Posted by Jamison Hensley at 11:04 AM | Permalink
                    

Follow Sun columnist Peter Schmuck as he takes in the sights and sounds of Super Bowl media day in Glendale, Ariz.

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 7:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                    

Plaxico Burress, who already has thrown down a gauntlet of sorts by saying the Giants' receivers are better than New England's, got it going again by being quoted in today's New York Post as predicting a Giants win, 23-17.

Most of the Patriots shrugged it off ("If you have somebody making a prediction and all that kind of stuff, it means that they are very confident,'' reasoned Vince Wilfork). Burress' coach, Tom Coughlin, wasn't as forgiving.

"I'm just hearing about this,'' he said at media day. Asked if it went against the way he likes his players to conduct themselves, he said, somewhat curtly, "Yes, it does. We'll talk about it.''

That should be some conversation, especially when Burress - who wears No. 17 for the Giants - tells him what he told reporters about how he picked that score: "My high school basketball number was 23.''

Which is why Michael Strahan (No. 92) isn't making predictions.

Posted by David Steele at 5:57 PM | Permalink
                    

I've got to admit, I was a little taken aback by University of Phoenix Stadium. I mean, is this some architectural wonder or just something that landed in the desert while no one was looking?

While I'm on the subject, just where is the University of Phoenix and what conference does its football team play in? I don't know many Big Ten teams that have stadiums like this, so it must be quite a program.

(Don't get excited. I know the U of P is a national higher education network that allows students to earn degrees online and on 190 campuses around the country, but I couldn't resist.)

Back on subject. The stadium still looks like some kind of extraterrestrial spaceship. I almost expected to see Dennis Kucinich leading tours.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:46 PM | Permalink
                    

While most fans know that linebacker Adalius Thomas will be playing Sunday, there will be another former Raven in uniform at the Super Bowl.

Anthony Wright, who quarterbacked the Ravens into the 2003 playoffs, is a backup for the New York Giants. But he didn't exactly distinguish himself during Tuesday's Media Day.

In a segment for NBC's Tonight Show, Wright picked up some pom-poms and started doing a cheer alongside former American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler.

Maybe Wright has too much time on his hands these days.

Posted by Jamison Hensley at 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

The Giants finished their arrival press conferences about an hour ago at their desert resort, and it took almost no time for everybody to notice that the six players speaking in the hotel ballroom were all wearing black. Five of them - Amani Toomer, Antonio Pierce, Eli Manning, Plaxico Burress and Michael Strahan - from head to toe, and the sixth, Jeff Feagles, with only a white shirt to break it up. It had to mean something.

"Just a show of unity,'' Toomer said.

Problem was, somebody told him that Strahan had been asked the question, and he had said there was nothing to it, just coincidence. Toomer grinned and said, "Well, maybe not for all of us.'' Then, 'fessing up, "It wasn't planned, it just ended up that way.''

Across the room, Strahan was confirming it. "I came in here, and it was black everywhere. Everybody's wearing black,'' he said, grinning. "I don't know why. And it's not all black for everybody. Who's got the white shirt?''

So, just to be clear, this isn't a message the underdog Giants are trying to send to the world? That they mean business? That they're serious? That there's going to be a funeral for the Patriots and their perfect season?

"No message here,'' Strahan said.

Well, there's always tomorrow.

-- David Steele

Posted by David Steele at 8:50 PM | Permalink
                    

This year’s Super Bowl is supposed to be taking place in the desert, right?

You’d never know it by the cool temperatures and the steady rain that fell on the Phoenix metropolitan area for the past couple days. Maybe they just wanted to make the New England Patriots feel more at home when they arrived on Sunday night.

Yeah, yeah, it’s all relative. Temperatures were in the low 50s, at worst, but you don’t come to Arizona for the low cloud cover. This is one of the great winter golf spots and a pretty good warm weather choice for the Super Bowl, though -- all things being equal -- I’d rather be at Mardi Gras.

No doubt, the weather will clear up in time for some of the festive outdoor activities this week. I’m depending on it, since I didn’t bring a raincoat, an umbrella or my pledge sheet from the Polar Bear Plunge.

-- Peter Schmuck

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 8:00 PM | Permalink
                    

The weather is mild in Phoenix right now, but I'm just appreciating room to move at this point. By the end of the week, the Valley of the Sun will be crowded, especially with media.

About 3,500 media members from all over the world are credentialed for the Super Bowl, which is an astonishing number. Considering there are 106 players on the active rosters, that is a 33-to-1 ratio of reporters to players. There are days during the regular season when there are three reporters at Ravens headquarters.

ESPN alone has brought 600 employees to Arizona. I think nearly half have been assigned to watch Tom Brady's ankle.

-- Jamison Hensley

Posted by Jamison Hensley at 1:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)