Quick Hits: Super Bowl, Morneau & Twins & MLB Stuffage...

I have not been able to give my two cents on the Super Bowl, just because I have had a crazy week being out covering the Nationals for another blog, writing for other commitments, and going out with friends on Wednesday night.

Well, once again America will have their collective attention fixed on Miami and the pomp and circumstance of the Super Bowl. A lady friend on mine got tickets and she’s going down there with a friend of hers, but I’m honestly not really into it this year. For me, I’ll have a chance to eat like crazy and drink highly carbonated substances.

These days, except for the fans of the Bears and Colts, the game is a smorgasbord of consumerism, materialism, excess, celebrity and good ol’ action.

Right now, I have been watching some of Super Bowl hoopla with the media day, ESPN and some MASN coverage, but I have not had the time or attention span to keep with everything.

I do think Tank Johnson has no business being in the game – sorry, Chicago fans. If you or I were up on his charges, we’d have a probation officer all over us and not allowed to travel outside of our respective state or locality. However, if you’re an athlete in the Super Bowl, the laws don’t apply to you. He’s just learning, as long as he’s a big name athlete and has a lawyer who can BS, all is well.

Well, onto the game itself. As of now, the Colts are now 6 point favorites and look like the odd-ons favorite to win. However, I think Chicago will have far less pressure, as most think that Peyton and his golden arm will trounce all over Rex (or Sexy Rexy, as Sooze, from BWLB thinks).

Rex has been bounced by the media for being so inconsistent, by being real good one week and then being real bad another.

Peyton needs to win this game to cement his legacy, while the Bears can shock the world and win.

I’m thinking that Indy wins, 28-21, but then again anything can happen, as my picks during this year’s NFL playoffs have not gone as planned.

All in good fun.

One more topic: The historic significance of this game. As we know, this will be the first Super Bowl where both coaches are African-American. Even though some people can say we have moved along in terms of race relations, and I don’t think it’s that big of deal (as I think a coach is a coach), but for me, seeing two guys who look me coach the biggest sporting event in America is a water shed moment. Even though we have moved well past Jim Crow and the turbulent era of the Civil Rights movement, the fact that America has brought this up endlessly only proves to show the race is still an issue especially in sports.

However, we can be proud, that two proud, honorable men made it to the ultimate game and we should be happy with whoever wins.

MLB News:

Justin Morneau, AL MVP and Twins first baseman agreed Friday to a $4.5 million, one-year contract with the team. As well, Nick Punto and Lew Ford settled their cases.

Well, I don’t know if you remember the case of the doctor who decided to sue the Angels over a Mother’s Day promotion with some bags, but it was dismissed.

“A judge has dismissed a lawsuit claiming the Angels discriminated against men by giving tote bags to women during a Mother's Day baseball game.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Jonathan Cannon ruled Thursday that the giveaway was not biased against men and that the May 8, 2005, event was a way to honor mothers.

The lawsuit, filed by Los Angeles psychologist Michael Cohn, claimed thousands of men and fans under age 18 were each entitled to $4,000 in damages because they were treated unfairly. Women over 18 received the gifts that day.”

This fellow, Cohn filed a silly lawsuit, and to be perfectly honest, if he had probably just asked for a bag when he entered the park, he probably would have gotten one.

The Game Spreading Across the Atlantic, this time: Dusty Baker, Major League Baseball vice president Bob Watson, and former major leaguers Dave Winfield, Reggie Smith and Al Jackson also are making the trip along with Omar Minaya to Ghana to spread the game of baseball. Basically, they want to spread the game to Africa and hopefully foster some talent and more importantly, get young kids over there into the game. Unlike what the Yankees and Red Sox are doing, this trip seems to be a sincere effort to get more minority involvement in the game and truly make it a global one.

Last, but not least: Brett Favre is coming back...