Top Ten Super Bowl Prop Bets

TTCS does not condone illegal gambling. But if we did, here are ten prop bets we’d suggest wagering on come Super Sunday.

- All lines courtesy of betus.com

10: 1st quarter points Over/Under-- Total 10

In the past decade, since Super Bowl 33 (Broncos over Falcons), only one Super Bowl has seen a total of 10 points or more in the first quarter: Bears/Colts in 2007. The teams in the big game are so nervous being out there, so jacked up to finally be running around and hitting an opposing player after two weeks off, that the first quarter is usually sloppy. Take the under and enjoy the sloppyness.

9: First song of Bruce Springsteen’s halftime show

The two favorites, “Born to Run” and “Born in the USA” are not very big payoffs, with “Run” going at +200 and “USA” at even money. Instead, I’ll take a sleeper pick, “Glory Days”. It just sounds like a song that would kick off a Super Bowl halftime show. The current line is +250, a nice payoff for an upset pick.

8: Player to score first touchdown

Lots of choices here, from Larry Fitzgerald and Willie Parker (both 5-1) to no touchdown scored entire game (100-1). The best bet for your money is probably Tim Hightower, the Cardinals goal line back, who is sitting at 9-1. Arizona likes to bring him in when they are near the end zone, shown by his 10 TD’s this season. I’m not sure if the Cards will score the first touchdown, but if they do, the best bet is Hightower.

7: John Madden food references Over/Under-- Total 2.5

Apparently, this line started out at 1.5, but so many people took the over, it moved up to 2.5. This one is hard to tell, because it seems like with a big game like this, Madden will try to focus on the football. Then again, 25 years of announcing history says that Big John will eventually start discussing his favorite subject: what’s on his plate. Take the over, but be careful if that line moves up any more.

6: Will Arizona score in the 1st and 2nd quarters?-- Yes +130, No -150

In all three of their previous playoff games, the Cardinals have scored early. Now, I just told you to go with the under for the first quarter, and the Steelers have a great D. But assume the Cards get a first quarter field goal before the game opens up in the second, giving Arizona points in each of the first two 15-minute periods. Lay the 100 bucks, take the Yes and cash in on the $130 you earned next Monday.

5: Super Bowl MVP

In bets like this, unless you really have a good feeling about a player, never go with the favorite. Ben Roethlisberger is at +175 and Kurt Warner comes in for +200, meaning you essentially make double your money on those bets. Instead, take somebody like Anquan Boldin (+1,500) or James Harrison (+3,000). Putting down $100 on either of those guys, both of whom have realistic shots at MVP, would bring back quite the payoff.

4: Jennifer Hudson’s National Anthem length Over/Under-- Total 2 minutes

In this case, always go for the over. These singers realize the entire world is watching, so they will stretch the song out as long as they possibly can. And considering how patriotic Chicagoins are feeling these days with Obama in office, expect the Windy City native to display her love for America longer than 120 seconds. Put the cash on the over and use the anthem as a good time for a bathroom break.

3: Combined interceptions Over/Under-- 2.5 interceptions

With two Super Bowl winning quarterbacks facing off, the common thinking is that this one will be under. But I’m not so sure. Both defenses go for the big play and each quarterback will be under constant pressure. In Roethlisberger’s only career Super Bowl, he threw two picks, and in Warner’s last Super Bowl while on the Rams, he threw two INT’s as well. It’s a bit of a risk, but I like the over.

2: Who will have more on February 1? -- Steelers points (+1.5) or LeBron James points (-1.5)

One of the best things about Super Bowl prop bets are the crossover-sports wagers. The Steelers averaged 22 points a game this season, so if you add the spread, that’s 23.5 points. On the other hand, King James, if you subtract the spread, averages 26.5 points a game. So it really comes down to this: Whose defense is better, the Arizona Cardinals or Detroit Pistons? It’s close, but go with LeBron.

1: Hines Ward receiving yards Over/Under-- 68.5 yards

The MVP of Super Bowl 40 is one of the toughest and most talented wideouts in the entire NFL. He also has a banged up right knee that has limited him in practice the last two weeks. This bet, like all other ones for players, is only applicable if Ward actually plays in the game. That’s a good thing, because all reports are that he will try to give it a go but is unsure how long he can play for. So unless Ward has 69 receiving yards before his knee starts bothering him, the safe bet is clearly the under.

Top Ten Super Bowl Party Essentials

It's important to have everything you need on Sunday because once the game is underway, you don't want to have to run out.

So to help you prepare for the biggest Sunday Funday of the year, here are the Top Ten Super Bowl Party Essentials.

10. The Remote Control

You don't want your girlfriend or wife trying to sneak in a few minutes of The Real Housewives of Orange County during the game do you?

Before kickoff, make sure you designate a replacement remote operator so that nobody has to suffer through that nonsense.

9. Taco Dip and or/Nachos

I challenge you to find me anyone who doesn't like a variation of either Sunday Funday snack. Easy to make, easy to consume and both go so well together with a frosty mug filled with your favorite brew.

8. Comfortable Clothing

Think elastic waistband and you'll do just fine. A hoodie, some warmup pants and you're set for the rest of the day.

Either that or get yourself a Snuggie.

Has anyone noticed how the Snuggies in the commercial are all the color of the Arizona Cardinals?



Side note: Just to give credit where credit's due, our friend over at SI's Hot Clicks, Jimmy Trainia, was the first to reference the Snuggie. That is, if he really even wants to be known as the man who turned the Snuggie into a Pop Culture icon.

7. Chicken Wings

The hotter the better as far as I'm concerned. I'm only interested if I start sweating before I even take my first bite. I don't want to be able to taste anything for a week.

Can you handle that?

6. Super Bowl Drinking Game

You're going to have plenty of beer so including it on this list would be pointless. But what's a little boozing with friends without a game to play along with the game?

After doing a little snooping around, I found this gem (NSFW).

5. Comfortable Seat

Having a comfortable place to sit is paramount in terms of your overall Super Bowl enjoyment. Think of it as your home base. It's where you'll eat, drink, talk trash and possibly even sleep.

Just make sure you call seat lock before getting up.

4. The Bacon Explosion

I see this thing and I want to start grunting along with Tim Taylor on Tool Time.

But has there even been a more manly concoction than this thing?

You create a woven wrap of bacon, spread a layer of ground Italian sausage over it, add crispy bacon, BBQ sauce and some seasonings and you've got yourself the stuff of legends.

For the full recipe, visit the Bacon Explosion's creators: BBQ Addicts.

3. Toilet Paper

Let's be honest.

You put a bunch of guys in a room together that have been drinking coffee all morning, eating greasy food washed down with beer in the afternoon, you're going to have some bombs a brewing.

While we're at it, throw in some Glade pine tree air freshener.

2. Big Screen, HD TV

Once you go HD, you never go back and you don't want to watch the Super Bowl on anything else.

1. Squares or Strip Cards

It's the Super Bowl!

Everyone gambles on the Sunday of all Sundays. Before everyone shows up, or you leave your house, make sure to bring about thirty bucks in an assortment of bills. That way you'll be included in all the action.

Top ten Chicago Super Bowl connections

10. Mike Gandy

Mike Gandy is about as 'Chicago' as you can get: grew up in upstate Rockford, attended Notre Dame, drafted by the Bears - sucked -, went on to find success with another team. Few would have guessed it a couple years ago, but now Gandy is starting the Super Bowl, protecting Kurt Warner's blindside. Since the Cards make their living through the air, you can argue that Gandy will be as important as anyone on Sunday.

As for his Bears days, here's what Gandy told the Sun-Times' Mike Mulligan today:

''It's tough when you have so many holes,'' Gandy said of his 3½ years with the Bears that included only one winning season. ''We had a ton of holes going into every season, especially on the line. You can't jell on an offensive line unless everybody is playing together. We used a lot of different guys. We had trouble at the quarterback spot. A lot of things didn't work out. It's not good for a left tackle when you are changing quarterbacks every year.''

9. Russ Grim

Though he's still a lowly offensive line coach for the Cardinals, some may remember that Grimm nearly became the head coach of the Bears in 2005. After axing the perenially mediocre Dick Jauron, the Bears coaching search narrowed to two candidates: Grimm, and current coach Lovie Smith.

8. Kurt Warner

No, Warner has never played for the Bears, nor is he from the area. But doesn't it seem like every time the dude is a free agent, the Bears are rumored to be going after him? Even still.

And for the record, I don't really want any part of Warner this offseason. Three reasons: a) he's 37, b) after leading the Cards to the Super Bowl, he'll command of a truckload of money, and - most importantly - c) playing QB is just a tad easier when you're throwing jump balls to Larry Fitzgerald rather than Rashied Davis.

7. Rashard Mendenhall

I used to, and I suppose still do, fancy myself as a bit of a draft nerd. Roughly fourteen months ago, I really only wanted my beloved Bears to draft one guy: Rashard Mendenhall. The Bears (rightfully) passed on Shard in the first round to grab the far superior Matt Forte in the second, and the former Niles West and U of I star slid until he was picked by Pittsburgh at No. 23.

Mendenhall was put in a tough situation from the start, having to backup star tailback Willie Parker, but didn't do himself any favors with a lengthy training camp contract holdout. A shoulder injury eventually KO'd his season, but I'm not ready to him a bust just yet.

6. Dave McGinnis

Ah, Dave McGinnis. Remember him? If not, maybe Wikipedia can help:

McGinnis was the focal figure in an embarrassing public relations blunder by the Chicago Bears in 1999. After McGinnis interviewed for the vacant head coach position on Thursday, January 22nd, team president Mike McCaskey prematurely organized a news conference for the following day with local and national media to announce the hiring of McGinnis as the 11th Head Coach of the Chicago Bears. The news came as a surprise to most notably Dave McGinnis, who had not reached terms on a contract. In an attempt to save face, the Chicago Bears postponed the news conference and issued a personal apology to McGinnis from the patriarch of Bears ownership, Ed McCaskey. However, Dave McGinnis remained disenfranchised with the order of business conducted by the Chicago Bears organization and officially declined future consideration.

The Bears went on to hire Dick Jauron, while McGinnis became head coach of the Cardinals.

5. MIKE DITKA

It has long been my opinion that Da Coach's name should be spelled only in all caps. I don't know, it just seems fitting. Has their ever been a more beloved man in our city's history? What's even scarier is that had Ditka decided to take the Republican nomination in the 04 senate race, there's a small chance Barack Obama might not be our president right now. MIKE DITKA says "keep the change".

Oh yeah: Ditka grew up in Western PA. Count it.

4. Todd Haley

The Cards' offensive coordinator was thrust into the spotlight this postseason after a highly publicized on-field battle with star receiver Anquan Boldin. What people may not remember is that Haley was the Bears' wide receivers coach just a couple years back. Now he's arguably the hottest assistant coach in the NFL.

The Bears: ruining great offensive minds for at least the last 21 years.

3. Denny's rant

Until this unlikely run to the Super Bowl, what is the one thing most people remember about the Cardinals this decade? Come on, this one's too easy... (a little bit of NSFW language here)



2. The winner of this game will be the first pro team to meet President Obama


I think the headline pretty much speaks for itself.

Also: there is obviously no way this is ever ever ever ever ever going to happen, but, hypothetically, let us just assume the Cubs win the World Series in the next four to eight years. This will naturally be followed by pigs flying and hell freezing over, but work with me here for a second. Would the prez act hostile towards the North Siders? Refuse the meeting, even? Would he wear his signature beat up Sox cap to the photo op? So many questions. Too bad we'll never get any answers.

1. South Side Cardinals

Not only were the Cardinals once Chicago's, but while the Bears were slumming it at Wrigley, the Cards were playing in gorgeous Comisky Park. If that's not enough reason to root for them on Sunday - assuming you can overcome the Ditka connection.....DITKA - I don't know what is.

Top Ten reasons why the Illini are flying high

Okay, so this year’s Illini team is probably still one or two years away from being a top team nationally again. And when you consider the fact that Illinois won the second most games in the nation from 2001-2005, trailing only Duke, this year’s fast start hardly has people forgetting the trio of Dee, Deron and Luther and the amazing ‘05 team.

Still, reflect on where Illinois was at this point last year; on their way to a 16-19 season and 10th place finish in the Big Ten with some people even calling for Bruce Weber’s exit because of his in-state recruiting failures. At the beginning of this season, most people pegged them to finish in the middle of the Big Ten, and an NCAA tournament bid seemed very unlikely.

Now, off to a 17-3 start and ranked for the first time since 2006, Illinois has been arguably the biggest surprise in the country. Here are 10 reasons for their surprise turnaround.

10. Senior leadership Illinois’ seniors seem determined to go out on a high note and get rid of the bad taste in their mouths from last season. Chester Frazier has provided great defense and steady ball handling, Trent Meacham outside shooting, and Calvin Brock energy off the bench. Those three seniors have also provided great leadership for a team that starts three sophomores, and has another sophomore and junior college transfer seeing significant playing time.

9. Unselfishness Last week I heard Jay Bilas say that Illinois has assisted on 72% of their field goals, an amazing stat. Four guys average between 11 and 12.5 points per game, and seven different players have led the Illini in scoring. Without a go-to scorer, Illinois has needed to share the ball and keep all five guys involved in the offense.

8. Bench If Kentucky transfer Alex Legion can start to hit his shots more consistently, he turns a good Illinois bench into a great one. Brock isn’t really a scorer, but he is the team’s best athlete and can do a little bit of everything on the court. Dominique Keller, a junior college transfer, has shown signs of late and could start at small forward next season. This is probably the deepest team Weber has had at Illinois, deeper than even the ‘05 team whose only real reliable sub was Jack Ingram.

7. Soft non-conference schedule The only likely tournament team that Illinois played in the non-conference portion of their schedule was Clemson. Their best wins out of conference came against Missouri, Tulsa, and Vanderbilt, all very average teams. Still, last season Illinois lost non-conference games to Tennessee State and Miami of Ohio, so give them credit for not overlooking anyone this time around.

6. The maturity of Demetri McCamey He and Weber haven’t always seen eye to eye, but McCamey is the key going down the stretch. Of late, outside of the Michigan State game, McCamey has stepped up his game and become a more complete player. It’s hard to believe this guy wasn’t more heavily recruited coming out of St. Joe’s (high school teammate Evan Turner probably had something to do with that). At this point, McCamey is even with or maybe even ahead of where Deron Williams was when he was a sophomore at Illinois.

5. Bruce Weber Say what you want about his recruiting struggles the past few years (although that is finally starting to change), but the guy can flat out coach. In a conference filled with some of the best coaches in the country, Weber has done a remarkable job of getting a pretty young team to buy in to his system. He has always been one of the better in-game coaches around, and his teams respect and play hard for him, this year’s group especially.

4. Defense Illinois doesn’t have that take over the game type scorer, so great defense has been what has carried them so far, holding opponents to just 56 points a game, best in the conference. Frazier is one of the best on-ball defenders in the country. The credit goes to the players’ commitment on the defensive end and Weber’s persistence.

3. Development of the two Mike’s With Shaun Pruitt and Brian Randle last season, neither Mike Tisdale nor Mike Davis got much of a chance to play. They combined to average just six points and four rebounds as freshmen. This season, the two have used their size and athleticism to combine for 22 points and 12 rebounds a night. Considering both are still pretty raw, it’s scary to think how good each could be once they get a little stronger and get more experience.

2. Recruiting The sophomore class of Tisdale, Davis and McCamey has been the first of what looks like will be a string of real good recruiting classes. Next year, Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson highlight a strong class, while the 2010 class looks loaded with star potential in Jereme Richmond and Crandall Head. Even the state’s top sophomore, Mt. Carmel’s Tracy Adams, has already committed to Illinois for 2011. Hopefully, the days of Weber missing out on the state’s top players like Derrick Rose, Julian Wright, Jon Scheyer, and Sherron Collins are gone.

1. Better chemistry Several players already have mentioned how last year everyone played for themselves and how this year everyone’s focus is solely on winning games. You can blame Pruitt and his running feud with Weber for a lot of the turmoil that surrounded the team last season. Watching Illinois this year, it’s obvious these guys are much more coachable and have fun playing together. Good chemistry is often a direct result of winning.

Top Ten's Top Ten

Top Ten Chicago Sports celebrated our one-year anniversary a week ago Friday and we celebrated by having one of our "Original Six" quit. But we felt that we had better commemorate our hard work and the time you took out of your day to check out what was going on. So below is our "Top Ten Top Ten," the ten greatest posts our site produced in its first year.

10. Top Ten athletes we'd like to party with

Captain Matt debuted with a bang. One of our first posts that will surely have to be modified now to make room for Pat Kane, but Olsen set the tone from the get-go.

9. Top Ten fat guys

We saw this reposted recently, and it would be hard to argue against any of these guys.

8. Top Ten John Daly quotes

Former TTCSer Scott Phillips posted this shortly after another run-in Daly had with authority, and numerically, this post was viewed by more people than any post. Roughly 25,000 people ventured onto the site to see and hear the "Best of John Daly."

7. Top ten reasons to care more about your Madden dynasty than your homework

Nobody likes doing homework and Ricky gave me a reason to play video games instead of focusing on studies.

6. Top Ten Chicago fights we want to see

Danny S. did a great job filling in and has earned a weekly spot because of posts like this.

5. Top Ten reasons soccer won't succeed in America

One of the more controversial lists and who would have thought it would have thought it would have been something regarding soccer. The world's greatest soccer blog, Unprofessional Foul, strongly disagreed with what was written, and they did not take too kindly to my ideas.

4. Top Ten Chicago accessories

My personal favorite, this post has a little bit of everything.

3. Top Ten replacements for Jay Mariotti

This Ricky O'Donnell's prized article. When asked what posts we should put on this list, Ricky said "Can you put the Mariotti one on there? I poured my heart and soul in that one."

2. Top Ten Chicago draft busts

This is where it all began, our first post (and Phillip's favorite). The first, and only time the six of us actually sat down, put our heads together and collaborated. It's been downhill from there.

1. Top Ten "Major League" quotes

While the only thing related to Chicago sports to go along with the list was Jack Parkman, overall this post was a wild success. Seen by thousands of people who had a lot of great comments, this list tops our first-year posts.

Thank you for continuing to tune into TTCS, we hope to be able to keep doing this at least long enough to have a second list like this.

Top Ten Chicago athletes who were ‘Mo Money Mo Problems’

With a movie based on his life now in theaters, it seemed like the right time to honor one of the greatest rappers ever to grip a microphone, The Notorious B.I.G. And since Biggie himself was a fan of top ten lists (check out “Ten Crack Commandments”), this is the perfect place to honor him. So I’ve decided to take the theme of one of his greatest songs and translate it to Chicago sports. Here are ten guys who started being a problem on the field or court after they got big contracts from their teams.



10: Devin Hester

In his first two seasons, Hester was the greatest kick/punt returner in NFL history. Yet the Bears weren’t satisfied with his 11 regular season and one Super Bowl returns for touchdowns. They wanted him to be a #1 receiver as well, and in exchange, Hester started singing a different classic Biggie song: ‘Gimmie the Loot’. #23 threatened to hold out of 2008’s training camp, but eventually, the Bears agreed to a four-year, $40 million (with incentives) contract. After getting his cash, Hester responded with his worst season to date, not coming close to returning a kick for a score and putting up receiving numbers (51 catches, 665 yards, three TD’s) worthy of a number three wideout, not a number one.

9: Jeff Blauser

During the 1997 season, while playing shortstop for the Braves, Blauser hit .308, drove in 70 runs and made the NL All-Star team. He was the top hitter for a team that won 101 games and was one of the most sought-after free agents in the winter of ’97. The Cubs, in constant need of a quality middle-infielder, scooped up Blauser for a two-year, $7.5 million contract, with a $4 mil. team option for third year. The teams reason for giving the 32 year-old Blauser the big deal? He it well over .300 in his career at Wrigley Field. Of course when signed by the North Siders, he no longer got to face Cubs pitching, and after the two years where Blauser hit around .230, the team let him go.

8: Luol Deng

After his dominant 2007 playoff series against the Miami Heat, there wasn’t a more popular guy in the Windy City than Deng. Fans begged GM John Paxson not to include the forward in proposed trades for Kevin Garnett or Kobe Bryant (Neither of which was actually close to taking place) and instead to sign him to a long-term deal. In the summer of ’08, the Bulls finally agreed to o a six-year, $70 million contract with Deng. Of course since that signing, he’s averaging 14 points and six rebounds a game, both career lows since his rookie year. Now fans are begging Paxson to get rid of Deng any way he can.

7: Brian Urlacher

It’s hard to call Urlacher a ‘problem’, considering he has been the best player on the Bears for 95% of the time since he was drafted. Yet the truth is, before he signed his latest contract, the Bears middle linebacker always was near the team lead in tackles, was great at forcing turnovers and clearly the guy opposing offenses game-planned to stop. Then, as B.I.G. said, Things Done Changed. Urlacher was given a new extension in 2008 that pays him about $6.5 million yearly until 2012 and responded with a career low in tackles, sacks and fumbles forced (excluding 2004 when Urlacher was hurt). Some fans say the Bears should move Lance Briggs to MLB, others say just cut Urlacher. It will be interesting to see what GM Jerry Angelo does with the face of the franchise.

6: Javier Vazquez

According to the trusty folks at baseball-reference.com, the White Sox paid Vazquez a total of $36 million in the three years he pitched for the team. For all that money, the Sox got 38 wins, 36 losses and an ERA over four. Considering he was brought to the South Side in the winter following the World Series to make the rotation the best in baseball, it definitely cannot be considered money well spent. I doubt anybody disagrees that the Sox made the smart decision this winter to trade Vazquez to the Braves for a quartet of minor league prospects.

5: Eddie Robinson

If there’s one thing the NBA has a lot of, it’s perimeter players that can jump out of the gym but don’t understand the real fundamentals of basketball. Eddie Robinson was one of those guys. So in the summer of 2001, when Bulls GM Jerry Krause signed E-Rob to a five year, $32 million contract, it was seen with puzzled looks around the city. Turns out the critics were right. After two seasons of injuries, laziness and DNP-CD’s, the Bulls bought Robinson out of his deal, paying him $10.5 million to just go away. This past November, Robinson was taken in the fifth round of the D-League draft, but ended up not making the roster of the Albuquerque Thunderbirds.

4: Mushin Muhammad

The title of Biggie’s first album could easily share the name of a story recapping Muhammad’s time with the Bears: Ready to Die. After putting together multiple good years with Carolina, the Bears signed Muhammad in February of 2005 to be the big play wide receiver they have always lacked. The deal- six years, $30 million- was by far the biggest contract the team had ever given to a wideout. Turns out the moment Moose put on the blue and orange uniform, his skills went away. In three years with the Bears, Muhammad never had a season where he had more than 65 catches, 870 yards or five touchdowns. The team cut him last February, and after re-signing with the Panthers, Muhammad put together a season where he matched or exceeded all three of those statistical benchmarks.

3: Paul Konerko

After being a key member of the White Sox championship team in 2005, Konerko entered free agency that winter as one of the most sought-after players on the market. He got offers from a bunch of teams, but ended up going back to the South Side, agreeing to a deal worth five years and $60 million. The Sox thought they were getting an All-Star caliber player; instead they ended up with a player who has struggled at the plate the last two seasons. There are now almost daily trade rumors about Konerko, many involving a deal to Anaheim, a team he was close to signing with in the winter of ’05.

2: Latroy Hawkins

Three years and $11 million doesn’t seem like that outrageous of a contract, especially compared to other players on this list. But the reason Hawkins is number two on this list is because his year and a half with the Cubs still give the Wrigley faithful nightmares. Signed in the winter of 2003 from the Twins, Hawkins was supposed to shore up the Cubs bullpen. Instead, thanks to his 6-8 record with 13 blown saves during his time in Cubby blue, he pretty much single-handedly kept the Cubs out of the 2004 playoffs. The team traded him in May of 2005 to the Giants and Hawkins is currently on Houston, which means he will face the Cubs 18 time a year, something Cubs fans couldn’t be happier about.

1: Ben Wallace

There’s no doubt that the man known as Big Poppa- real name Chris Wallace- would have been disappointed in the one called Big Ben- real name Ben Wallace. The former Piston was a key member of Detroit’s rise to dominance in the Eastern Conference, winning NBA Defensive Player of the Year four times and leading the Pistons to the ’04 NBA Title. In the summer of 2006, the Bulls signed Ben to a 4-year, $60 million contract, an astounding deal for the then-32 year old big man who didn’t even fill the team’s biggest need, low post scoring. After a year and a half in a Bulls uniform, where Wallace averaged about five points and 10 rebounds a game, the team dealt him in a three-team trade to division rival Cleveland.

Top Ten Changes That Need to be Made to the Super Bowl

It's a national holiday, or at least the day after should be.

The Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event of the year, but that doesn't mean it's perfect.

Far from it.

Here are the Top Ten Changes That Need to be Made to the Super Bowl.

10. No Domes

It's football. It's meant to be played in the elements. It's meant to be a struggle against the man in front of you in the environment around you.

How can a player run off the field without a grass stain on his jersey and feel like a champion?

9. Lose the Interpretive Dance

The NFL tries to show its softer side by allowing these ridiculous, modern dance routines into the stadium.

What is that even supposed to be?

8. Lose the Red Carpet

I'll keep this one short and simple:

At no point during the Super Bowl should Ryan Seacrest ever appear on my television screen. Let alone working the red carpet outside of the stadium.

7. Lower the Prices

According to this MSNBC article:

LiveStub, a secondary ticket site that doesn't charge commissions for tickets it sells, says the average selling price is $2,278 per seat. eBay's StubHub has the average this morning at $2,790 per seat.

How can anyone that's making the average salary possibly come up with that kind of money to see their team in the Super Bowl? Add in travel expenses, lodging, food and merchandise and you're somewhere in the neighborhood of a $5,000 weekend.

6. Start the Game Earlier

If you've already lost 85% of the senior citizen demographic before kickoff, how is starting the Super Bowl at midnight actually helping you out?

After the senior citizens pass out, the rest of the population that doesn't worship football rolls over at halftime, puts on the sleep timer and calls it a night.

This isn't brain science Mr. Goodell. It's common sense.

5. Announcers are Chosen, Not Assigned

NFL referees are graded throughout the season based upon their performance in game situations. The highest rated crews are chosen to officiate the Super Bowl - the highest honor in the profession.

Why not the same for NFL announcers?

We need to set up a system that grades announcers on their ability to improvise, accuracy and level of knowledge. Based upon those grades, two weeks before the Super Bowl the announcers would be chosen.

ESPN could even buy the rights to the selection show.

4. Let the Real Fans In

When the Bears made to the Super Bowl a few years back, the entire population of Chicago tried to get tickets. Of the five that actually got lucky enough to secure a seat in Florda, four were the kind that yell at you for standing up to cheer during a game.

Where are the real fans at?

3. Pick a Half Time Show People Actually Want to See

At this point, we're about two years away from seeing Yo-Yo Ma and Michael Buble at the 50-yard line during halftime.

Look, Nipplegate had just as a dramatic effect on my life as anyone else (I had no idea you could put something like that on your...).

But come on, does watching Paul McCartney or The Rolling Stones really get you pumped up to play some football? If you can't picture anyone in the locker room listening to any of these artists on their iPod before a game, find someone else.

It's time.

2. Bring the Bud Bowl back

Growing up I looked more forward to the Bud Bowl than the actual game.

Side note: Now that I think about it, that may explain alot of things. I can't imagine how I'd react to seeing a 10-year-old kid screaming Budweiser at the top of his lungs in front of the TV.

Bottom line, the Bud Bowl was the perfect Super Bowl companion and revolutionized the way people felt about commercials.

1.Change it to a Saturday

The NFL waved bye bye to tradition the minute they turned the game itself into the longest running advertisement you'll ever see. So don't give me, 'but it's always been on Sundays, it's a tradition', kind of arguments in the comments section.

This is the biggest cash register in professional sports right now and I'm truly shocked the NFL hasn't made the move yet. More people would watch, bars would sell more drinks, grocery stores would sell more junk food and less people would call in sick to work because of a Super Bowl Monday hangover.

You want to help the economy Mr. President?

Super Bowl Saturday it is.

Top ten Chicago sports championship moments

All the Super Bowl hype got us thinking of happier days. Here are the 10 best Chicago sports championship moments.

10. 1992 NBA Finals: The Shrug



9. 2005 World Series: Geoff Blum Game 3 homer
(Why aren't these World Series highlights on YouTube? Step your game up, MLB)



8. 1997 NBA Finals: The Flu Game



7. 2005 World Series: Scott Podsednik Game 2 walkoff homer



6. 1991 NBA Finals: MJ switches hands



5. 2005 World Series: Konerko's grand slam



4. Super Bowl XLI: Hester takes it TO THE HOUSE



3. 1998 NBA Finals: MJ's final shot in a Bulls uniform



1-2. Super Bowl XX Bears highlights
* Lets be honest: the 1985 Bears are so renown, they deserve two spots.

Top Ten things overheard in the Bulls locker room

BY DANNY SHERIDAN

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be inside the Bulls locker room, especially after a loss like yesterday’s heartbreaker to the Knicks. Were the players more upset about Quentin Richardson scoring 24 points and Chris Duhon scoring the go-ahead basket, or were they more concerned about finding the best NY pizza joint for lunch? My guess would be the latter.

Face it, other than Derrick Rose, this is a team of individuals that either forgot how they won 49 games in 06-07’ (playing defense), don’t care about winning anymore (new contracts might have something to do with that), or a combination of both. If I ever did get access to the locker room, here are 10 things that I bet I would hear.

10. Kirk Hinrich
“Remember two years ago when I was the most important player on the Bulls and also made the NBA-All Defensive Second Team?”
9. Larry Hughes
“Forget Stephon Marbury. I’m the real missing piece if the Celtics want to win another championship.” 8. Andres Nocioni
“I wonder how long it will be until they realize I don’t really play good defense, I can’t make threes, and all my antics are really just for show and not a sign that I care about winning?”
7. John Paxson
“Can I go back to the night of June 28, 2006 and have a do-over?” 6. Tyrus Thomas
“Damn, I could be a senior in college now. Then basketball might still be fun.”
5. Luol Deng
“Haha, what a bunch of suckers.” 4. Vinny Del Negro
“At least I’m doing a better job than Jim Boylan. Right? If these guys would just listen to me we could be great. I mean, my background speaks for itself.”
3. Ben Gordon
“More shots= more points = more money = more happy. Plus, who do you want shooting instead?” 2. Joakim Noah
“Me and my Florida boys would have owned this city.”
1. Derrick Rose
“These guys suck. Losing sucks. I better start trying to make close friends with Dwyane Wade. I’ll try and sell him on the fact he could go to a lot of Richards high school basketball games if he came to Chicago.”