Bienvenido a 44

There's no better time to start a sports blog, in my opinion, than the day after the Super Bowl. Because every other sports blog in the world isn't filling the internet with their own, inevitably more thoughtful and reasoned, day-after analysis. And yet, in spite of the fact that there's no reason for me to do so, I'll go ahead and get started today.

And I'll start with this: I simply can't get on board with the complaints about last night's Super Bowl. Were there better games during the regular season and the playoffs? Absolutely. Does it come anywhere near the greatness of more recent college and professional championship games? The Fiesta Bowl laughs at such a proposition. And was it a clean, well-played game? Not by any possible definition of those terms.

At the same time, though, I have to give the game credit for accomplishing two major goals. First of all, it held my party's interest for three hours. For a group of 20 or so people, only a couple of which are even moderately interested in watching sports on TV, Super Bowl XLI had enough general wackiness in it to make it worthwhile as a spectacle. Devin Hester's opening touchdown? Rex Grossman's lame (in the sense of "pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness", as Google defines it) downfield throwgasms? Missed field goals? All sorts of other bizarre crap that has no place in a championship game? Check, check, and check. The Super Bowl is the one time of the year when non-sports-fans get themselves into the game, and while a 60-minute 3-0 defensive struggle certainly would have fascinated *me*, the rest of the crowd would have been yelling about wanting to watch something else. Anything that gets the general public more interested in sticking through four quarters is acceptable in my book.

The second reason, which many are going to disagree with, is that the right team (and the right quarterback) won. I've never been a Colts fan, and Peyton Manning drives me up the wall sometimes. But at the end of the day, there can't possibly be any argument about whether he or Rex Grossman is a superior quarterback. Peyton is, without a doubt, one of the best quarterbacks of our generation; not only does he have a laser-rocket-arm, but he's got an unbelievable ability to stay calm and keep his team steady even when the game looks like it's slipping out of control. See, for example, last month's AFC championship game. As cliche as this is, if the Bears had won, it would have been in spite of Rex Grossman, not because of him.

And on that most banal of topics, 44 In A Row is open for business. I promise, much more interesting issues will be covered, in much more interesting ways. The storefront, such as it is, remains a work in progress, and I welcome all suggestions and tips. And until next time, I wish you all peace, and coffee.