Thursday's Things

(on most Thursday's at OOB, I rant in list fashion)

Things I Remember Most From The Previous XLI Super Bowls
(in no particular order)

1. Garo Yepremian "passing" the ball in VII after a blocked FG, and it being intercepted by U-M's Mike Bass, who took it to the house. And my memories aren't from NFL Films; I remember watching it live.

2. John Riggins going off tackle for some 45 yards for a TD to seal the deal against the Dolphins in XVII

3. Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction

4. Some dude named Timmy Smith going off for over 200 yards rushing for the Skins in XXII

5. All the 55-10 type games that seemed to occur with ridiculous frequency

6. Lynn Swann laying out on a bomb from Terry Bradshaw and making a diving catch at midfield in X, AFTER the ball was tipped and bobbled

7. Watching old Lions kicker Errol Mann winning a championship with the Raiders in XI, and thinking, "This is as bad as it gets." (It wasn't, of course).

8. Watching old Lions kicker Eddie Murray winning a championship with the Cowboys in XXVII, and thinking, "Well, the Lions are a good feeder organization for Super Bowl kickers, apparently."

9. Realizing, just now, that both those kickers have the initials "EM"

10. Watching Alice Cooper, a Detroiter, being interviewed in a pre-game show sometime in the mid-1970s, and when he was asked who he liked in the game, he said, "Detroit by seven."

11. Winning my first and only Super Bowl bet: $20 on XVI -- thanks to a 49ers' goal-line stand against the Bengals in the Silverdome

12. Going to downtown Pontiac the week of XVI, and walking down "Bourbon Street North", and it was so cold that the saliva on my beer bottle kept freezing after every sip

13. Watching Jim O'Brien -- later a Lion -- win V for the Colts with a FG at the gun, but the game will never be considered a classic because it was so poorly played, and the Cowboys' LB Chuck Howley was the MVP in a losing cause

14. Seeing William "Refrigerator" Perry score a TD in XX, while everyone guffawed as Walter Payton went scoreless, shamefully

15. Watching Scott Norwood being seated at the same table that Bill Buckner, Steven Bartman, Edmonton Oiler Steve Smith, and Chris Webber now occupy

16. Smiling when John Elway finally won the Big One in XXXII

17. Not even being able to IMAGINE the Lions playing in this game

18. The awful officiating here in Detroit in XL, which jobbed the Seahawks

19. The Rams taking a 19-17 lead into the 4th quarter over the Steelers in XIV, then collapsing into defeat

20. Steve Young, on the sidelines as XXIX wound down, pitching forward and imploring his teammates to "Take this gorilla off my back!" after he won the first 49ers Super Bowl sans Joe Montana

Care to share?