"The Charbor Chronicles": Super Bowl XL Memories

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Super Bowl XL - Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Seattle Seahawks 10. Played on February 5, 2006 at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan. MVP Hines Ward. Favorite Steelers by 4. National anthem Aaron Neville, Aretha Franklin and Dr. John, ASL performed by Angela LaGuardia. Halftime show The Rolling Stones. Attendance 68,206. Network ABC. Announcers Al Michaels and John Madden. Nielsen ratings 41.6. est. 90.7 million viewers. Market share 62. Cost of 30-second commercial US $2.5 million

Now, I will admit to thinking that this was probably the worst Super Bowl that I have seen, even though it should not have been. I liked both teams (this was prior to knowing how much of a lowlife the Steelers star quarterback was), and thought that they had both played inspired ball to get this far. For Seattle, they enjoyed their finest season in history up to that point, and qualified for the Super Bowl for the very first time in franchise history. For Pittsburgh, it was an amazing run through the AFC playoffs, going on the road and beating Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Denver, becoming the first NFL team ever to knock off the number 1, 2, and 3 seeds in playoff history. So, you kind of figure that it is going to be a good game.

Not so much. Major mistakes were made by both teams, such as dropped passes and missed opportunities. The high profile players largely did not play key roles in the game, either. And it did not help that the referees also had a game worth forgetting.

There were some Super Bowls that were bigger blowouts, while this one was relatively close throughout. Yet still, I would pick this as the worst Super Bowl, simply because despite how much of an accomplishment it was to get this far, there was not the sense that yo saw two teams playing their best, which made it feel, at least for this game, that the best teams were not playing. Would other solid teams of this season have played better? Had Indianapolis averted disaster and beaten the Steelers and made the Super Bowl, could they have played a better game? If the Panthers had managed to defeat Seattle, perhaps they would have had less mistakes and fewer dropped passes. It certainly did not feel unthinkable.

All of that added up to a lackluster affair, and what I felt was the dullest Super Bowl imaginable. Even when there seemed to be a little bit of intrigue, with Seattle possibly having some chances at the end, the game never seemed to roar to life. Just a boring game that has become a largely forgettable Super Bowl for everyone but the team that ended up winning and their fans, and that is largely by default. To their credit, however, the Steelers would more than make up for it a few years later, when they won their second Super Bowl title in four seasons in electrifying fashion against the Arizona Cardinals. But in this one, they looked like the least impressive Super Bowl champions ever.

Personal Memories: The night before the Super Bowl, my then wife and I left our son with my parents, and spent the first real day or evening without our baby, who was about three months old at the time. It was to see an event with authors, and my particular favorite author, Kurt Vonnegut.

The year 2006 was rather a strange one, as I remember, although it has the distinction in my life of being my first full year as a father, which is something that I am proud of.

As for what was happening in the world, George W. Bush was still embarrassing the country he represented. France made it back to the World Cup Final with an amazing run, although they fell short in the shoot out that decided it after overtime. The most memorable moment from that game was an ignominious one, when French star Zinedine Zidane headbutted Marco Materazzi of Italy. It was after that foolishness that I, as a fan, kind of felt the air go out, and there was that sinking feeling that France had already lost it.

This was the year that Pearl Jam released their self-titled album, which is sometimes referred to unofficially as the avocado album, as they returned to a more grungy, punk sound than they had had for years, since at least 1998's release of the Yield album.

http://www.infoplease.com/year/2006.html

Here are some of the major events that took place in 2006, the year this Super Bowl was played. The world's population was 6.5 billion people. Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon suffers a massive stroke; he is replaced by acting prime minister Ehud Olmert (Jan. 5). Militant group Hamas wins 74 of 132 seats in Palestinian legislative elections (Jan. 25). Israeli leaders vote to withhold $50 million per month (Feb. 19). A Danish newspaper challenges taboos against illustrations of Muhammad by printing several negative cartoons depicting him. Angry demonstrators throughout the Muslim world smash windows, set fires, and burn flags of Denmark and other nations whose newspapers reprint the cartoons (Feb. 4 onward). In Iraq, a coalition of Shiites and Kurds dominates the new government. Secretarian violence wracks the country, killing tens of thousands, with fatality rates rising throughout the year; some observers describe the situation as a civil war between Sunnis and Shiites. Several internal reports characterize the U.S. military efforts as failing. See Iraq Timeline 2006. After weeks of crippling student-led protests, French president Jacques Chirac repeals a new labor law that would have made it easier for employers to fire workers under the age of 26 (Apr. 10). In defiance of the U.N. Security Council, Iran president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announces that Iran has successfully enriched uranium (Apr. 11). The International Atomic Energy Agency reports to the Security Council that it has found traces of highly enriched uranium at Iran's Natanz facility (July 31). U.N. Security Council resolution bans the Iranian import and export of materials and technology used to enrich uranium (Dec. 23). North Korea test fires missiles over the Sea of Japan (July 4) and explodes a nuclear device in the North Korean mountains (Oct. 9). The U.N. Security Council votes in favor of a resolution banning the sale of materials to North Korea that could be used to produce weapons (Oct. 14). North Korea agrees to resume disarmament talks with China, Russia, the U.S., and South Korea (Oct. 31). India test-launches a missile with a range of 1,800 miles (July 9). More than 200 people die and hundreds more are wounded when a series of bombs explode on commuter trains in Mumbai, India during the evening rush hour (July 11). Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group, fires rockets into Israel. In response, Israel launches a major military attack, sending thousands of troops into Lebanon. (July 13–Aug. 15). Saddam Hussein is convicted of crimes against humanity by an Iraqi court (Nov. 5), and hanged in Baghdad. A witness videotapes the hanging using a cell phone and captures the chaos that unfolds as Shiite guards taunt Hussein (Dec. 30).

http://boards.sportslogos.net/topic/98529-super-bowl-field-database-sb-xlvi-texture-added-122215/page-9