February 02, 2010

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle:

A place to discuss the sports stories that aren't making news, share links that aren't quite front-page material, and diagram plays on your hand. Remember to count to five Mississippi before commenting in anger.

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 12 comments

Super Bowl Media Day and Groundhog Day both taking place today? Wow. Just one of these events all by itself is so momentous that it's almost apocalyptic to have them both take place on the same day.

The excitement is overwhelming. I'm holding onto the guard rail and the waves are crashing over my head.

Two days ago on SpoFi, it was revealed that the Champions League Final and the Super Bowl both draw well over 100 million viewers.

On a relative basis, both pale in comparison to what happens in Pennsylvania on Groundhog Day.

Each year, over 10,000 people are in attendance at the Knob to watch a bunch of chimney sweeps pull a plump stockpot candidate out of a fake tree stump and hold it high in the air for a group genitalia check.

Given where the importance of this event ranks in the grand order of human activities, the crowd size at Punxsutawney Phil's annual unveiling is roughly equivalent to the Super Bowl being played in front of 850,000 fans.

And the comparative extended international TV and online viewership for Punxsy Phil can be estimated at around 2 billion.

Rodents rule. That's one reason why SI goes all-squirrel every February.

posted by beaverboard at 12:33 PM on February 02, 2010

Who needs ESPN the ocho when there's the Ochocinco News Network?

posted by jmd82 at 12:52 PM on February 02, 2010

I went to college close enough to Punxy, PA that I was able to attend 1 groundhogs day. Talk about organized chaos. The PETA people protesting. Crazy amounts of Booze, people in groundhog hats, and so many people that I never saw anything actually going on. Fortunatly I was drunk too. I have also been to a Super Bowl in Detroit. (no ticket, just tailgated) I would say there were about the same number of drunks in both places. Better crowd the F1 racing hands down.

Screw that rat for blessing me with 6 more weeks of winter.

PS: P.E.T.A If Phil is abused, sign me up too. He has a huge heated habitat, is fed well and daily, has a chick Groundhog to "play" with, and works 1 day a year.

posted by Debo270 at 01:12 PM on February 02, 2010

PS: P.E.T.A If Phil is abused, sign me up too. He has a huge heated habitat, is fed well and daily, has a chick Groundhog to "play" with, and works 1 day a year.

Heh, same thing a few months ago when PETA wanted UGA to get a robot dawg to replace UGA VII. Like most mascots, he's treated like royalty and I were reincarnated, that's my dream job.

posted by jmd82 at 01:28 PM on February 02, 2010

of course, there is the occassional kidnapping to deal with, and of course, being branded and then eaten by the very team you're a mascot for has to be a down side to being a mascot.

posted by dviking at 02:14 PM on February 02, 2010

Super Bowl Media Day and Groundhog Day both taking place today? Wow. Just one of these events all by itself is so momentous that it's almost apocalyptic to have them both take place on the same day.

Is there any truth to the story that Roger Goodell saw his shadow and tried to extend the football season for 6 weeks?

posted by Howard_T at 03:08 PM on February 02, 2010

Casey Puckett and Daron Rahlves will be GTG in Vancouver. Toldja so.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 03:15 PM on February 02, 2010

Peyton Manning has been the quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts since 1998 and has started every game each season.

Vikings starting quarterbacks since 1998: Brad Johnson, Randall Cunningham, Jeff George, Daunte Culpepper, Todd Bouman, Spergon Wynn, Gus Frerotte, Brad Johnson, Tarvaris Jackson, Kelly Holcomb, Brooks Bollinger, Gus Frerotte, and Brett Favre. (Johnson and Frerotte left the team and came back; Johnson won the Super Bowl in the interim.)

This year was the first season since 2004 (and only the fourth since 1995) that a Vikings quarterback started all 16 games.

posted by kirkaracha at 06:56 PM on February 02, 2010

Returning from his accident, Felipe Massa is kicking ass in the first testing of the new F1 season.

And PETA are idiots. I hope they get branded as a terrorist organization as some are requesting.

I want to get a nice juicy burger and eat it in front of their offices while wearing a mink coat and buggering a vole.

posted by Drood at 07:06 PM on February 02, 2010

I happen to be an expert in vole anuses; I pity the fellow who can fit his pecker into such a tiny hole.

posted by Hugh Janus at 10:41 PM on February 02, 2010

I pity the fellow who can fit his pecker into such a tiny hole

Nevermind the fella, I pity the vole.

posted by BornIcon at 10:02 AM on February 03, 2010

I pity the fellow who can fit his pecker into such a tiny hole.

posted by Hugh Janus...

posted by dusted at 03:43 PM on February 03, 2010

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