It’s a full dog bowl this week, as the R-Dog & The Duke preview The Big Game on Sunday (2-8). Plus, an exciting Wizards trade, Curling, and Duke’s Three-Pointer! Get those meatballs and your seven-layer dip ready, and let’s roll with another Sports Dogs Pod, brought to you by Energy Windows, LLC…your go-to team for everything outside the home. Call Dave at 540-671-9243 or visit https://energywindowsllc.com
(posted 2-4-26)
Greetings From The Booth!
Here we are, finally, on the precipice of Super Bowl 60 (talk about something that’ll make you feel old!), as New England and Seattle do battle this Sunday in Santa Clara, California. The game will probably not live up to the 66-52 shootout that was the Pro Bowl Flag Football Game, won by the NFC. Sorry to say, I did not watch that epic battle–I was instead watching the F-Troop Marathon on TV Land. Boy, that Larry Storch was a comedic genius!
Once again this year, I do not have a horse in the race, as the glory days of my Skins are way in the rear-view mirror. But, hey, there are always the Super Bowl commercials, right? Is it me, or are the Big Game ads getting more bizarre, almost to the point that we can’t remember the actual products or services being pitched? The most memorable Super Bowl commercials are those that are entertaining, strike an emotional chord, AND have great product recall. Those are the ones that stand the test of time. So, as we approach so-called “Super Sunday,” here are my Top 3 Super Bowl commercials, ranked from third to first.
3. The “1984” Apple Macintosh Ad. Being a George Orwell fan, this one grabbed me. This iconic, visually stunning commercial unveiled the Macintosh personal computer, which would hit the market 2 days later. The theme was Orwell’s “1984,” with a dreary auditorium setting the tone. Suddenly, an athletic female hammer thrower enters and destroys the big screen, on which “Big Brother” is preaching the party line of conformity. In truth, this was the only entertaining thing about that 1984 Super Bowl, where my Redskins were destroyed by the Raiders 38-9.
2. The Budweiser Clydesdale “9-11” Commercial. If you didn’t tear up when you saw this 2011 Super Bowl ad, you should check your pulse. I just watched it again, and my eyes are moist. Airing just months after the September 11 attacks, this amazing commercial features the iconic Budweiser Clydesdales making their way through the USA, finally reaching New York and kneeling in tribute to the Statue of Liberty. No dialogue needed–just the words “We’ll Never Forget.” All the Budweiser Clydesdale commercials are great, but this one is the best of all time.
1. The Mean Joe Greene Coke Ad. This legendary commercial from 1979 still might be the greatest Super Bowl ad of all time. By 1979, the Steelers’ “Mean Joe” Greene had cemented his image of being, well, mean. The commercial starts with an injured Greene limping back to the locker room, when a young boy offers Joe his Coke. After a brief brush-off, Greene accepts the Coke, and by the commercial’s end, Joe gives the young fan his game jersey. In 30 seconds, “Mean Joe”Greene becomes “Loveable” Joe Greene…after chugging a Coke. After 47 years, this commercial remains top-of-mind, AND we remember the product! For me, this commercial is Number One on my list, and will probably always be.
And those are my favorite Super Bowl commercials of all-time. If Sunday’s “Big Game” is a dud, I can only hope there are some memorable ads to fall back on. I have just one request for Madison Avenue. Don’t turn people into animals. That Seal commercial still gives me nightmares!
Enjoy the game!
RW
Not even Fern can keep the Dogs from barkin’ this week! We’ll recap the NFC & AFC Championship Games, weigh in on Handley alum Stephen Daly, Bill Belichick, The Commander’s new Defensive Coordinator… and of course, Duke’s Three Pointer focusing on local high school basketball.
(Posted 1/28/26)
Greetings from an icy Booth!
As the area continues to dig out of an epic snow and ice event, we look toward much-warmer Santa Clara, California, and Super Bowl 60. (Sidebar: Can we please dispense with the Roman numerals? As far as I know, no Super Bowl has been played in Rome, and Marcus Aurelius isn’t going to be doing the coin toss anytime soon. Too many X’s, L’s, and V’s for me! Although a Ben-Hur-type chariot race at halftime would be preferable to some of the more recent performers.) The Big Game will feature a 2015 rematch between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. But today, a look backward.
I get asked all the time about the first Super Bowl I remember. That one is easy. Super Bowl 3 is the first one I can recall, and it is memorable for many reasons. The first two Super Bowls were one-sided, as the NFL’s representative, the Green Bay Packers, dominated Kansas City and Oakland, respectively. The third edition was expected to be more of the same, as the powerful Baltimore Colts of the NFL took on the upstart New York Jets, who carried the banner of the equally upstart American Football League into Miami’s Orange Bowl. No one gave the Jets a chance, and the Colts went into the game as 16-point favorites on that January day in 1969.
Earlier that week, surrounded by the media as he held court from a lounge chair, Jets quarterback Joe Namath made national headlines by guaranteeing victory. (Looking back, what would you expect him to say? “I think the Colts are going to smear us?”). With his brash prediction, Namath became the face of the Super Bowl and the target of the Colts’ defense. Surely, “Broadway Joe” would eat his words. Instead, he raised his index finger high as he left the field with a 16-7 win, one of the great upsets in football history.
Super Bowl 3 was not just a football game, however. It was a microcosm of what was happening in the USA at the time. The mighty Colts represented the “establishment”, in some ways, the military-industrial complex. The Jets represented a youthful, vibrant, “hip” America, personified by Namath. The country was divided by the Vietnam War, and we were a nation of Hawks and Doves, as the anti-war movement was gaining momentum. The Colts and Jets were perceived as being on opposite sides of that fence. The game was also a contrast of cities. The Colts were very much an extension of blue-collar Baltimore, while the Jets certainly mirrored the Big Apple: Broadway, Madison Avenue, Manhattan.
As a 9-year-old, I felt that divisiveness watching the game. It poured out of the TV into my living room as a young Namath picked apart the Colts, and an old, battered Johnny Unitas failed to bring Baltimore back. Super Bowl 3 divided Fathers and Sons, young and old, even men and women. It was a game that was perfect for its time, and one I’ll always remember.
Enjoy the Big Game, and stay warm this week!
RW
