Super Radio Coverage…

Friday, January, 30, 2009 by Mel Phillips.

(Weekend Edition) 

If you’re stuck in your car Sunday night or just don’t like the idea of spending three hours with John Madden and Al Michaels, there are plenty of radio stations to take care of your Super Bowl jones.  Clicking on this radio map will show all the stations carrying the game.  If you’d rather sniff the rather congested air of cyberspace, cbs sportsline is a good place to start.  Then there’s Sirius XM which will carry the game in 10 different languages, thankfully one of those languages is English.  You’ll also get a national feed and local coverage and slants from Pittsburgh and Arizona too, compliments of the NFL Network.  There’s no better coverage of any other sporting event than the Super Bowl.  The Super Bowl is not just a game, it’s an event…

There’s more wagering on the Super Bowl than in any other sporting event.  There are even odds posted on non-game events.  Here are some of my favorites: The over/under on how many times Al Michaels and John Madden refer to Ben Roethlisberger as “Big Ben” is 7.  The over/under for how many food references Madden makes during the game is 1 1/2.  The over/under on the Nielsen rating for the game is 42.5.  The odds on which commercial will have a higher rating on USA Today’s annual Ad Meter has all Anheuser-Busch/Budwiser products favored at even money.  And the over/under for how long it will take Jennifer Hudson to sing the national anthem is 1:54…

Oh, I almost forgot.  The Pittsburgh Steelers are favored to beat the Arizona Cardinals by a touchdown and despite the recession, the big winner will be NBC which is televising the game… 

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1865] Free at last: Slavery is abolished with the ratification of the 13th amendment (1/31) which will go into effect on February 1, 1865…
2. 1913] All aboard: Grand Central Station opens in New York City (2/1). The largest train station in the world is still beautiful…
3. 1933] Debuted on this date: “The Lone Ranger” airs the first of 2,956 episodes, ending in 1955 and beyond that in films and specials (1/30)…1982] David Letterman debuts on NBC-TV with his own show. His first guest is Bill Murray (2/1).  Letterman may have made his network debut in 1971 covering the Indy 500…
4. 1948] In Cold Blood: Indian political and spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi is murdered by a Hindu extremist (1/30)…
5. 1962] High-flying tragedy: Two members of the ‘Flying Wallendas’ high-wire act are killed when their 7-person pyramid collapses during a performance in Detroit (1/30).  Some years later the family does it successfully. In 1978 family patriarch Karl Wallenda falls to his death in Puerto Rico…
6. 1971] Fly me to the moon: Astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell and Stuart A. Roosa blast off for the moon on Apollo 14 (1/31)…
7. 1983] Super Bowl Sunday: The Washington Redskins beat the Miami Dolphins 21-17 in SBXVII as RB John Riggins picks up 166 yards on 38 carries (1/30)…1988] Herb Alpert plays our national anthem on trumpet, then the Washington Redskins led by the first black QB in SB history, Doug Williams, rout the Denver Broncos 42-10 in SBXXII (1/31)…1999] Cher sings the national anthem prior to the Denver Broncos second consecutive SB win. John Elway stars in a 34-19 victory over Atlanta in SBXXXIII (1/31). Here’s a clip of both games…2000] Kurt Warner hits Isaac Bruce for the winning TD with 2 minutes remaining as the St. Louis Rams pull off a 23-16 victory over Tennessee in SB XXXIV (1/30). Warner will QB the Phoenix Cardinals in Sunday’s SB…
8. 1999] Going to Hall: Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor is elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot (1/30)…
9. 2000] Off his rocker: Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker is suspended by baseball commissioner Bud Selig for his disparaging racial remarks, mostly about the straphangers on the no. 7 to Shea Stadium. His statements appear in Sports Illustrated (1/31). Rocker got into another jam recently…
10. 2003] Space tragedy: The space shuttle Columbia explodes during re-entry, killing all 7 astronauts on board (2/1)…

Music Memories:

• 1963] Recorded on this date: “Surfin’ U.S.A./Shutdown” - Beach Boys (1/31)…
• 1965] Number One on this date: “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” - Righteous Brothers (1/31)…1974] “The Way We Were” - Barbra Streisand (1/31)…1981] “The Tide Is High” - Blondie (1/31)…1984] “Karma Chameleon” - Culture Club (1/31)…1985] “I Want To Know What Love Is” - Foreigner (1/30)…
• 1969] Curtains: For the last time anywhere, the Beatles perform their infamous London rooftop version of “Get Back” (1/30)…
• 1979] Tour debut: The Clash who loved R&B acts for their opening acts, choose Bo Diddley on their first U.S. tour (1/31)…

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday“:

(1/30) Wilmer Valderrama (29), comedienne Brett Butler (51), Phil Collins (58), Davey Johnson (656, Marty Balin (67), Dick Cheney (68), Vanessa Redgrave (72), Tammy Grimes (75), Gene Hackman (79), Hal Prince (81) and Dorothy Malone (84)…(1/31) Justin Timberlake (28), Portia de Rossi (36), Minnie Driver (39), Johnny Lydon aka Johnny Rotten (53), Harry Wayne Casey aka KC (58), Nolan Ryan (62), Jessica Walter (68), Ernie “Let’s play two” Banks (78), Jean Simmons (80) and Carol Channing (88)…(2/1) Pauly Shore (41), Lisa Marie Presley (41), Monaco’s Princess Stephanie (44), Sherman Hemsley (71), Ray (”Dr. Hook”) Sawyer (72), Garrett Morris (72), Don Everly (72), Stuart Whitman (81) and legendary gospel singer George Beverly Shea (100)…

Timeline Countdown: 2 days until Super Bowl XLIII, 15 days until Valentine’s Day and pitchers & catchers report voluntarily and 17 days until Presidents Day…

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