Super Bowl Weekend and Beyond!
It’s arguably the biggest sports weekend of the year. And whether you are a football fan or not, chances are you are planning to be among the bazillion or so viewers of Super Bowl XLVI. With a halftime show highlighted by the “super” talented and precocious Madonna and all those new commercials, there is way more than just a football game to be enjoyed on WSAZ.
Here at WSAZ I am on the record that I am a Giants fan this weekend. That may sound strange coming from a Philly boy (we learn to hate anything New York at an early age), but consider these reasons to back the G-Men and yell loudly against the Pats. First there is Tom Brady with his Uggs. Sure he has Giselle and a great throwing arm, but he is from Michigan. ‘Nuf said, right Buckeye fans?
Then there is Mr. Charisma himself, Bill Belichick the wall paper coach of the Pats. Don’t get me wrong, Mr B. is a great coach but if you have watched his press conferences through the years, then you know how “person-less” he is. He says nothing, has no emotion when talking to the press and his body language makes it clear it is torture for him to be talking to the media.
Admittedly, I saw Belichick smile once this week and his Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien is a Nittany Lion in the waiting! Still, there's that Brady issue I can't get over.
Then there is Eli Manning. Playing in the shadow of big bro Peyton and under the Big Apple microscope, the rather humble Manning just loves to play the game. He is rarely flashy, but often memorable. Eli was my kind of player when I used to coach sports. Toss in Ahmad Bradshaw of Marshall fame and you have two reasons I want the G-Men to win.
Now there is no sense giving a weather forecast for Indianapolis since the game will be played indoors. Let’s just say the ice and snow of last year’s Dallas debacle outside the “Jerry-Dome” will not be repeated in the Circle City. A seasonably chilly day in Indiana is on tap.
Here at home, our weather will be rather damp and dreary, grey and gloomy to start the weekend. A cold rain will arrive by Saturday afternoon and spill its way into early Sunday morning. As north winds return Sunday afternoon, skies will brighten as wet snow ends in the mountains after an accumulation of 2”-4” at Snowshoe's summit (Skidder Run at 4848’) with about an inch at the base of Cupp Run (3500’).
As you travel to your Super Bowl party, the chilly north wind may fool you into thinking a cold week is ahead next week. It is not, at least to start. But by the Valentine’s weekend, the weather is likely to take a turn to true winter weather. You see our long range ensemble charts are showing growing evidence that the coldest and snowiest weather of the winter will arrive starting Valentine’s weekend and last for 1-2 weeks.
I am still on the hook for a 7 inch snowstorm prediction from several blogs earlier this winter. If this pattern does take hold as I am now predicting, that 7 incher is well within reach before the March Lion roars. As I told the 7th and 8th graders at Inez Middle School during a stop this week, we still have 2 or 3 snow days in the works before spring break.
In summary, I predict a 31-17 Pats victory, but will end by saying, "Go Giants"!
