not so super bowl

For the first time in 19 years, I'm not at the Big Bowl. Part of me misses the big-game buzz. Part of me says, great, no 5 am monday morning wakeup call for the 9 am flight in a jammed airport. I watched the "game'' go from a sporting event to a mega-merger between sports and big business. Because of irrational newspaper deadlines, I "watched'' the second half of every Super Bowl with my nose buried in my laptop. As with most events I've covered, people at home see more of the game than I do... anyway, a few questions: (1) Do you watch this game any more intently than a Bengals regular season game, especially if you don't have money on it? (2) Do you even listen to the broadcast, or are you at a party or a bar and can't hear it? I've always wondered why we make such a big deal about who's announcing this game. (3) As the hype around the game has mushroomed, has your interest in it dropped? (Mine, too.) (4) Is it the best sporting event of the year, or merely the most promoted? I'd rather watch the NCAA basketball final, Sunday at the Masters or any of the AFC/NFC title games than this. What about you?