Live Blogging - Super Bowl XLV 1st Half

So, I'm here on my couch, foregoing a pub viewing to bring you, my loyal reader(s?) a live blog of the Super Bowl. Or, more likely, the first half.

Pregame: So, if you had the over on the "how long will Aguilera hold the 'brave'?" as a prop bet, you just won. 10+ sec. That's info you won't get from any other blog*

German broadcast note: They're really going in depth about the new stadium, and the multiple shots of Jerry Jones make me glad I don't have an HD tuner. Not good.

Hall of Fame Note: The best part? Shannon Sharpe and Deion Sanders being inducted means that they have to shut up for the ceremony. They should be inducted every year.

13:24 - Hey hey! Big Ben fails to make the 3rd down! Woo hoo!

13:20 - D'oh! My general rule of thumb on blocking for the punt returner: don't back into the returner.

11:15 - Well, that would've been the best catch that I've seen in Super Bowl history. Instead? A rather compelling incompletion. Like most of my throws in ultimate.

11:05 - Does anyone else think the coach is telling Ben, "no, I'm pretty sure the ball girls aren't into you"?

9:41 - I'm pretty sure that false starts and other pre-play penalties have to be the most mystifying for non-football fans. Why does everyone just stop?

3:21 - Ohhhhhhh, snap! Big Ben coughs up a TAINT! Actually, the Vegas odds on him being involved with a TAINT were +110, but being involved in a story with a hotel employee's taint was -250**.

2nd Quarter
Friends Update: The last hour of the game was NOT live blogged, due to chatting with friends in DFW. Here's the rundown:
Court: Working on getting her 3rd Jackhole status changed from probationary to permanent
Charlie: Disappointed with me not having any good Egypt protest stories
Kristen: Really, really likes her "new" car
Andie: Enjoyed playing in snow
Dave: Prepping for a move and still awesome
Chad: Busy getting multiple wives*** drunk

9:20 - That is the oldest ball boy I've ever seen. Can I make a prop bet on him yelling at the players to "get off my damn lawn"?

6:10 - The Steelers are dominating time of possession, but their strategy of having the ball but not scoring isn't really paying off.

5:30 - Randle El is pretty excited about that 1st down. The last time I was that excited was Friday, when I was told that beers were half price.

4:30 - The German TV announcers are obsessed with hair. Is Clay Matthews prepping his hair for his starring role in "Hack: The David Lee Roth Story"?

4:28 - Do you think the Steelers drew up a play during the timeout for Big Ben to throw a pick into double coverage? And is it just me, or does his beard move him from "borderline sex offender" to "almost certain pedophile" status?

4:15 - Now is a good time to mention that a) I'm wearing a Packers T-shirt and b) I'm drinking a Bush (the strongest Belgian beer, thank you, Fred) in prescient honor of his interception of Big Ben.

2:25 - I think Polamalu would've had the interception if he hadn't paused to hold up a shampoo bottle. But he still had time to go helmet-to-helmet.

2:24 - What kind of moron wears his striped club shirt to the Super Bowl?

0:40 - Ugh. Who stopped covering Ward in the endzone? Oh, wait. That was actually a pretty good move and a decent throw. But do you think that Big Ben was pointing at the strippers he has tied to the screens over the field?

And, with that, Richardson out.

* Well, any other blog about me
** I hope I got the odds right on that joke. If not, he's far more likely to be a sleazy douche than an incompetent QB
*** Not all the wives in question were his