Perfect and Getting Better Every Day, Part 1

Posted from Royal Oak, Michigan--

Observations from SuperBowl XLII:

It was one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport.  The 2008 version of the Superbowl was in fact, a perfect game that ended just the way it was meant to end.  In case you can't tell, I also thought The Sopranos' finale was perfect. 

Eli Manning and the New York Giants surprised Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, 17-14.  Surprise is certainly the best word to describe the first play.  The Giants, on defense, blitzed Brady and gave him a scare that seemed to affect his rhythm the duration of the game.  It didn't help that the Pats were running some sort of Barnum and Bailey circus play on the first snap after kickoff.

Adapting a signature phrase from my keynote speeches across the fruited plain:  The New England Patriots, 18-1 on the regular season, are perfect and getting better every day.

The Pats may have lost the biggest game of the year, but they still had a perfect year.  Perfect and getting better every day. Their coach, Bill Belichick was not the best loser.  He left the field before the game was finished. 

His post-game interview consisted of bitter one-word answers and visible anger.  He reacted to the loss the way a father might react if his daughter was killed in a car crash.  Lighten up, Billy.

The National Football League (NFL) staged a near-perfect half-time show.  Tom Petty rocked the house, although he's probably the least tele-genic of any guest musician in Superbowl history.   I read later that the fans who rushed the stage as he began his first song were not from the stands.

CNN.com reported that the throng was assembled outside the stadium and released onto the field just for the half-time show. 

Confusion reigned, however, when the band finished playing.  The stadium lights went dark for the stage to be disassembled and Petty fans wandered the field aimlessly until the security team could broom them all out. 

More on perfection in my next posting.