Opinion: Super Bowl LIV coming up
Professional football season is coming to a close once again.
The Kansas City Chiefs will square off against the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 2 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, according to Google. It is being broadcast by the Fox television network.
What I appreciate most about football season is how it entertains my husband so I have Sundays to myself. Leisurely reading the weekend editions of the newspaper with a cup of coffee in my pajamas is great.
Next up, the National Hot Rod Association and drag racing will fill his weekends.
It would seem during the Super Bowl, the country takes a break as everyone enjoys the game. When I worked for the Massetti family answering service, the telephones and radios were virtually silent for that three-hour period.
In my younger days, I enjoyed spending Super Bowl Sunday in a local watering hole known as “Someplace Else.” After the building burned, the business relocated to its current location and renamed “Someplace Else Again.”
The present owners call it “Backstreet Bar and Grill,” at 1930 Howard Road.
When it was SPE I knew the owners and we had an underground Super Bowl Big Board that paid out $2,500 per quarter. The bet was $100 a square and the board filled up within the first couple of months of the football year.
While I occasionally won the weekly Monday Night Football boards at $250 a quarter, the Super Bowl board always eluded me.
I’m fairly certain the statute of limitations on this bit of illegal gambling ran out some years ago. The partners that owned the bar are now enjoying cocktails at the big “Cheers,” tavern in the sky.
It was a great place to unwind at the end of the day or to have lunch on Saturdays. I have many fond memories of the place.
Madera once had several places with friendly cocktail lounges. The Pagoda Room at the Village Restaurant, The Lounge at Madera Valley Inn, Lucca’s Italian Restaurant, Farnesi’s, The T Room, Malicks and Skeeko’s, to name a few. Riley’s Tavern had coin-op pool tables. The Arbor Nook was what passed for a biker’s bar.
Malicks is now Mr. D’s and Skeeko’s is called Casey’s and it has a for sale sign on it. The rest of those places have sadly gone the way of the buffalo.
The Las Vegas oddsmakers have Super Bowl LIV at the opening with Kansas City Chief minus 1.5 and the San Francisco 49ers at plus 1.5, according to CBS Sports online.
As a native and lifelong Cali resident, I should be rooting for the 49ers. I don’t care enough about the game to root for anybody. The television commercials are often far more interesting than the game.
Again, according to Google, “companies pay $5 million to run a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl. That lofty price tag might be worth it for some companies; after all, more than 111 million Americans tuned in for the big game in 2018.”
As a point of interest, face value on a ticket to this year’s game runs between $950 and $5,000 each. I have been to a few pro games and the energy and crowd participation are extremely high. I can’t begin to imagine how exciting a Super Bowl game would feel.
A good way to start the day is to head over to the Joe Van Allen Hall at the Madera District Fairgrounds for a pancake breakfast, 7 to 11 a.m., prepared and served by members of the Howard 4-H Club.
Long days and pleasant nights, have a good weekend.
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Readers may contact Tami Jo Nix by emailing tamijonix@gmail.com or following @TamiJoNix on Twitter.
