Super Bowl prediction

UPDATE: I was close on the score but had the winner wrong. Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers, winners of the Super Bowl.

Well, I was got one right and one wrong in the championship games, so I’m still even through the playoffs.

One game left. I like what the Cardinals have done through the playoffs. Solid defense, especially against the run and a balanced offense.

But who can go against the Steelers, tradition, experience, good defense and good running game. That’s what wins championships.

Except for last year, the AFC has a four game winning streak. The Giants and the Bucs are the only NFC teams to win since Kurt Warner was in the Super Bowl last.

But I have not been impressed with the Steelers. Are they not that good? Or are they just doing what they need to do to move on.

My heart is with the Cardinals and I think they could win. If they can run. If Fitzgerald or Boldin gets catches. If Warner withstands the rush.

That’s a lot of ifs…..

But I’ll take it, Cardinals 26 Steelers 23.

Besides, if I pick the Steelers to win, that would be too easy.

Now where are those 3-D glasses.

Some Super Bowl news

Police: Fake Super Bowl Merchandise Sold At Flea Market

Super Bowl ads aren’t sold out yet

And finally, NFL players unite to help build East Tampa playgrounds

All-Pro players such as Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, Eagles safety Brian Dawkins, Panthers receiver Steve Smith and Falcons linebacker Keith Brooking joined about 160 Home Depot associates and about 40 volunteers from CDC (Corporation to Develop Communities) of Tampa in building a new public playground and an additional one at the King’s Kids Christian Academy.

Bucs fire Gruden and Allen

UPDATE IV: Buccaneers.com announces a news conference for 3 pm ET (3:30?)

UPDATE III: The St. Petersburg Times reports that Morris will be head coach, Mark Dominik the General manager and possibly Gary Gibbs as defensive coordinator.

UPDATE II: Just as I updated, a tweet from TBO.com posted a story that not only Glazer but Peter King of SI.com and ESPN.com’s John Clayton are also citing sources that Morris will succeed Gruden.

UPDATE: FOXSports’ Jay Glazer reports Buc sources say that Bucs Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris will replace Gruden. Morris had been rumored as a candidate for the Denver job.

From the St. Petersburg Times Tampa Bay Online web site,

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have fired head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen.

The team made the announcement in a two-paragraph statement on its Web site after 5:30 p.m. Friday. No successor has been named for either job.

The move had been talked about since the Bucs lost 4 straight games and fell out of playoff contention.

Gruden was 57-55 in seven seasons as head coach with the Bucs, but was only 45-51 after his initial season. His record still ranks second among seven all-time Bucs coaches. Tony Dungy, the head coach Gruden replaced, was 56-45 in six seasons.

In 11 seasons as a head coach, including four with the Oakland Raiders, Gruden compiled a 91-77 overall record and his teams won four division titles.

Bucs players contacted by the Times were surprised by the firings. Fan Opinion, on the other hand leaned in favor of the firings.

He will no doubt catch on at one of the other teams looking for coaches as will Bruce Allen.

I’m not sure what I think of this. I’m still a little upset with Glazers for firing Dungy. But “Chuckie” certainly hasn’t shown much since the Super Bowl season, although it’s a little unfair to blame him completely for the fade at the end.

But the buck (Buc?) stops with the coach.

You can tell the economy is bad …

when Super Bowl parties are cancelled

The recession has hit Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl party plans like a Dick Butkus tackle to the knees.

Sports Illustrated has called off its staple Big Game bash. The Brooks & Dunn Inaugural Golf Classic, a celebrity party and golf tournament hosted by Bucs Warrick Dunn and Derrick Brooks, was canceled for lack of sponsors. Even the venerable skin mag Playboy pulled out of its annual party, leaving Tampa with a Bunny-free bowl.

Waukesha Carnival – Happy New Year

Welcome to the first edition of 2009.

Let’s see which posts made the cut for me.

New Year’s is the time of year when we review stories, check on last year’s predictions and predict for the coming year. James Wigderson does all three in three posts. You can find his prediction results, his look back, and his predictions for the coming year all at Wigderson Library & Pub.

On that theme, at Practically Speaking, Kyle Prast shares what she feels were her best posts of the past year.

Cindy Kilkenny is also reflective of the past accomplishments and future directions over at Fairly Conservative.

Huckleberry Dumbell, publisher, editor and writer at Spring City Chronicle, gives his opinion of what the Packers need.

Food is always popular this time of year and we have Scott Feldstein giving a thumbs-up to downtown Waukesha eating places.

We also have MommaBlogger over at Homemaker’s Guide to the Galaxy, talking about something called Iron Cupcake. No, you’ll have to click the link to find out.

As to that web site for the Wisconsin GAB that has the Minneapolis skyline on it, The Asian Badger says that’s not the real problem.

Tom Gehl at Brookfield Basics reviews the book Flowing Streams by Stuart Briscoe, minister at large, at Elmbrook Church.

Alexander at A little off Main gives us Reason # 247 to love mass transit…

Bryon Houlgrave got up early New Years morning (stayed up late?) to give us Good Morning, 2009.

Trisha (Mrs. silent E) over at DaBubbler reposts an old article entitled The Green Conservative which is still well worth reading. Her blog was formerly named “life artist,” so take note.

Speaking of silent E, he gave a report of the Bloggers Christmas Party at silent E speaks. You can see the predictions they made for the coming year and some pictures at Fred’s place.

Finally, Dad29 comments on one of those little-heard economics items, M1 the multiplier. He’s got a chart, too, and says,

The period from ‘the end of 3.2′ to 2008 was kinda ‘sticky-gooey’ economically, come to think of it…

In fact, it looks to me that “the end of 3.2″ corresponds to Alan Greenspan becoming head of the Fed. Coincidence?

That’s it for this week. You can always add your choices in the comments. You can also submit a post for next week’s carnival in the comments also, or you can e-mail them to me at thoughtfulconservative [at] yahoo [dot] com.  Past editions can be found on our here.

Mid-Pinellas site in mix for new Rays stadium

Via the St. Petersburg Times

A vacant block in the Gateway area of St. Petersburg is emerging as a potential new home for the Tampa Bay Rays.

The site, 15 acres in the Carillon office complex, would be closer to Tampa and north Pinellas County than either Tropicana Field or the failed proposal for Al Lang Field.

The Carillon location also has twice as many people within a 30-minute drive than either downtown St. Petersburg site, according to an internal report released by the Rays.

The other sites in the mix for the new stadium in addition to the Carillon property are

Al Lang Field, Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport, the Toytown landfill, the former sod farm property south of Valpak off Interstate 275, and Derby Lane.

I’ve got a Google map of the sites here.

The report by the ABC (A Baseball Committee) is here (part one and part two, both PDF files). These reports take an in-depth look at all the sites. It states at the outset,

By 2012, Tropicana Field will be the 5th oldest stadium in all of MLB, behind Fenway Park (1912) in Boston, Wrigley Field (1914) in Chicago, Dodger Stadium (1962) in Los Angeles, and the Rogers Centre (1989) in Toronto.

Wow. Of course, the stadium was part of the Tampa Bay Area’s “Build it and they will come” effort in the early 90′s, before finally landing the Devil Rays in 98.

The Times reports in a separate blog that the Rays stadium site, www.majorleaguedowntown.com. The web site now directs traffic to the Rays’ official web site, www.raysbaseball.com.