Did Sunday’s Super Bowl leave a lot to be desired, or am I alone in this appraisal?

And I’m not talking about the New York Giants victory I wrongly predicted … so much of the time the game was blah. Like a thud it dropped on viewers, even with the Baltimore Ravens cruising 34-7. I’ve seen games like this before, but seldom will you see a Super Bowl contest that grabbed me less.

But it wouldn’t be fair not to credit Baltimore with a whiz of a defensive effort. The Ravens stifled the favored Giants, that’s what they did. The Giants punted 11 times, but from all accounts the Ravens must have 10 times also. Just making their money? No, I don’t guess you could accuse a team of that. That’s just football.

I guess it’s no wonder that a linebacker – Baltimore’s ragin’ Ray Lewis – was selected the game’s most valuable player, because that’s where the action was. Lewis might have made the most profound statement of the long afternoon when he pronounced post-game at midfield that the Ravens’ defense had been underrated all season. Lewis has had some personal problems, but not on the field. He’s good!

But back to the kickoff note of this column, the game didn’t grab many folks. In fact, at McDonald’s-Tracetown on Monday everybody that mentioned the game was grumbling about how drab it was.

I guess football can’t help that all along – that’s just the way it goes with any game. I know I covered maybe hundreds of high school and college games long ago for The Democrat, and that just comes with the territory. Try to write exciting anyway, unless you want to sure enough tell it like it is when it’s not.

Anyway, I guessed a 23-20 Super Bowl XXXV victory for New York, which was blasted 34-7 by the ragin’ Ravens, whom you have to salute for a tremendous defensive game complemented by a not-so-shabby offense.

I guess that as far Super Bowls go, this one in 2001 was in the mold of the majority. Seems like that to me anyway. But I still like Super Bowls.

4One of the greatest ladies I’ve ever known was saluted by her children recently. If you read about it in another newspaper a few days ago, the &uot;hero&uot; of the tribute was 98-year-old Mrs. Ben Green Sr. of Ferriday, La.

Hey, sweet lady!

When Natchez Democrat reporters started covering Ferriday High football banquets way back, we’d fight among ourselves to see who would get to cover a fine team’s program. Like I said, the &uot;task&uot; included telling interested fans in the Miss-Lou (and the number was huge in those days of FHS football glory) Bulldog Banquet news.

Mrs. Green, who now lives in Baton Rouge, La., is living proof of family love, and how high school football can help mold a community into one. I remember that she was about as interested in what was going on at the banquets as she was how well her cooking was received.

Her children did a sweet thing in remembering their mother and grandmother last Christmas with a cookbook of her own recipes (they’re for sale, and can be purchased by calling (318) 336-7717.)

Mrs. Green has always been so ready to help.

You’re a sweetheart, Mrs. Green. Don’t want to spoil you, but everyone loves you.

Glenvall Estes is a longtime sports columnist for The Natchez Democrat.