A sporting news

One thing about huge sporting events, and the Super Bowl definitely counts as one - they generate a lot of trivia and interest in trivial statistics. Not like the baseball guys who go a bit overboard in their spare time with crazy stats like: What left-handed relief pitcher born on a military base at night stuck out the most right-handed batters during a home day game at Fenway Park, only to see the game called because of rain? Nothing like that. But the Super Bowl does have reams of information available for the determined and the scholarly, the curious and the guy trying to win that bet or office pool.

The following trivia was gleaned from ESPN.com, About.com, Sportsline.com, Wikipedia.org, Wiki.answers.com and CBS Sports:

This year's Super Bowl XLIII between the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers starts off with some interesting facts, even before the game begins. According to CBS Sports, Mike Tomlin, the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach is the youngest coach, 36 years old, to take his team to a Super Bowl. Being black, he will also be the youngest black coach to take his team to the Super Bowl (Tony Dungy took the Indianapolis Colts to the Super Bowl two years ago, Super Bowl XLI, and won, so Tomlin won't be first in ether of those categories). This is the Steelers' seventh appearance, which is not a record, but, if they win, they will have won six Super Bowls - and that is a record.

The Arizona Cardinals have never been to the Super Bowl. Ever. So everything they do will be a Super Bowl team record. The Cardinals franchise never went to the Super Bowl while in St. Louis, either. And the four years previous to that, when the Super Bowl was called the World Championship (before the American Football League merged with the National Football League), they were spectators as well.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, who already has a Super Bowl ri ng from Super Bowl XXXIV when his St. Louis Rams defeated the Tennessee Titans, holds the Super Bowl record for most passing yards with 414. He also won the MVP award for that game. His team, the Cardinals, also have the distinction of allowing the most points per game (26.6) than any other team to make it to the Super Bowl. They face a team, the Steelers, who led the League in defense during the regular season.

NBC is the hosting network for Super Bowl XLIII and are charging a record $3 million for a 30-second commercial slot, a record - even in these harsh economic times. NBC is tied with CBS with the most number of Super Bowls broadcast: 16.

This is the fourth time Tampa has hosted the Super Bowl, the second time it has been held at Raymond James Stadium. The Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans has hosted the most Super Bowls: 6. The city of Miami has hosted the most Super Bowls: 10. They will host Super Bowl XLIV in 2010 as well.

A couple of other interesting trivia facts that could come in handy to decide ties in that office pool:

San Francisco 49ers Jerry Rice set a record in Super Bowl XXIII with 215 receiving yards against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Devon Hester of the Chicago Bears is the only player in history to return the opening kickoff for a touchdown, which he accomplished against the victorious Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI.

The Buffalo Bills have been to four (and those four were consecutive) Super Bowls without a victory, the most of any team in the NFL.

The Dallas Cowboys have been to the most Super Bowls: 8. They have won five Championships.

The only Super Bowl starting quarterback from West Virginia University appeared in Super Bowl XXV. Jeff Hostetler started for the winning New York Giants against the hapless Buffalo Bills.

College with the most starting quarterbacks (not counting multiples, such as Joe Montana's and Terry Bradshaw's four trips and wins, which makes them the quarterbacks with the most victories and the most victories without a loss): Univerity of Alabama - 3 (Bart Starr, Joe Namath, Ken Stabler); Notre Dame - 3 (Darryl Lamonica, Joe Montana, Joe Theismann). However, there is a distinction to be made in that not one of the Alabama quarterbacks lost a game in four Super Bowls (Starr played in the first two, when it was known as the World Championship), while Daryle Lamonica lost in Super Bowl II against Starr and Joe Theismann lost in Super Bowl XVIII against the Raiders. Notre Dame quarterbacks have started 7 Super Bowls; Montana won 4, Theismann won 1).Jim Kelly of the Buffalo Bills lost more games without a win than any other quarterback: 4.

No Super Bowl has ever seen two quarterbacks from the same college start a gainst each other.

There have been only three starting left-handed quarterbacks: Ken Stabler (Oakland Raiders), Boomer Esiason (Cincinnati Bengals), and Steve Young (San Francisco 49ers).

There are five active professional NFL football teams that have yet to play in a Super Bowl: Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the New Orleans Saints.

There's plenty more trivia out there for the imaginative and the curious. By the end of Super Bowl XLIII, there will be plenty more.

New Shows

This spring brings TV viewers a mix of fantasy and reality, with mostly drama and not quite enough comedy. Shows may start out promising, but the viewing public can be fickle. Ratings can quickly deci  de if Spring TV newcomers can stand up to the existing players and make it through to the next season.

Spring TV shows face the challenge that a new restaurant may face on an overly-crowded street. Everything better be good for the first show, or there will be no repeat viewers. Here are five TV shows premiering this spring that should be given a chance to build an adoring fan base and audience.

New Spring 2009 TV Shows That Should Not Be Canceled

In the Motherhood

With so few comedies on the spring schedule, and so few shows about women, and even fewer about moms it would be a shame to see In the Motherhood cancelled. This show has built a web audience that could be parlayed into a TV audience. ABC has a lineup that is set to reel the viewers hungry for some much-needed comedy.

In the Motherhood treats fans to a sit com favorite, Megan Mullally, of Will & Grace fame. The show will focus on stories moms can relate to, as they struggle to juggle work, house and kids with not enough hands, just as the characters on the show will.

In the Motherhood premieres on on Thursday March 26, 2009 at 8pm on ABC.

Castle

Fans of Nathan Fillion can sit back and enjoy a little mystery with him on Castle. Nathan Fillion has appeared on Desperate Housewives, as Dr. Adam Mayfair. On Drive he was Alex Tully. Previously he had a stint on two Joss Whedon shows: Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

A little drama, a little mystery, a la Monk, but without the crazy may be just the show viewers want this spring. Nathan Fillion shows don't have a good track record, so maybe his time has come. The inclusion of the enticing actress, Stana Katic, who played a vampire on 2008's The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice can only help this show's chances of survival.

Cupid
Moving into a world that seems slightly unbelievable is Cupid. If this sounds familiar, beyond the Greek mythology reference, it is. The show had a trial once before, in a death-to-any-show time slot, Saturday night.

The previous incarnation starred Jeremy Piven, who actually believed himself to be cupid. This incarnation features Bobby Cannavale as Cupid. The first incarnation had Rob Thomas as the show's writer who had a following with his previous shows Veronica Mars and Dawson's Creek.

A better time slot and more physically appealing lead may keep this show on the air.

Cupid premieres on Tuesday, March 24, 2008 at 10pm on ABC.

The Doll House

More Joss Whedon. Fans are grimacing, grinning and hoping for the best from the latest Joss Whedon show, The Dollhouse. The show stars Eliza Dushku, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. The beauty played Faith.

The premise makes the show sound like a cross between Point of No Return, The Bourne Identity for hot folks, and the novel He She It by Marge Piercy. The show already has an audience in Joss Whedon fans, and if the FOX and Friday night audience can understand the show, they may keep tuning in.

The Dollhouse premieres on Friday, February 13, 2009 at 9pm on FOX.

The Unusuals

The Unusuals takes two interesting actors, Harold Perrineau (Michael from Lost) and Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia) and mixes them up in a cop drama. Cop dramas are nothing new, but these two talents may be enough to keep the audience tuning it.