The calendar still reads January, but no matter what joyous or grim events (and there surely has been a lot of them lately) occur throughout the world between now and Feb. 11, it seems safe to suggest that most of our attention that Sunday will be focused on the annual clash of the NFL’s goliaths of the gridiron: Super Bowl LVIII!
The pinnacle of professional pigskin perfection will be played at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada before an onsite capacity crowd of 65,000 pairs of eyes.
Not to mention the mesmerized thousands of NFL staffers, techs, broadcasters, etc. plus the hundreds of millions more watching TV (at least for the opening quarter) around the world.
All those eyes will be focused on the enclosed, climate-controlled striped battlefield stadium where either a wagonload of gold-seeking Forty Niners from San Francisco or a pride of Lions from Detroit will suit up to challenge either an unkindness of clawing Ravens from Baltimore or a tribe of rampaging Chiefs (sorry, PC fans; that’s what they are!) from Kansas City and their head totem, Andy Reid, (formerly Cap’n Andy of an aerie of Philadelphia Eagles) for fame, fortune and the Lombardi Trophy.
In a sideline game (or is it the real game?) deep-pocketed advertisers will nervously wait for Feb. 12 ratings’ reports to learn whether the tens of millions of dollars they have ponied up to promote their brands in this modern Circus Maximus were well spent.
Next week we’ll have more to chronicle about Super Bowls past and present, plus a fearless forecast of who will win LVIII.
***************
Turning our thoughts from professional sports’ “acme of attention” to more earthy matters (, Feb. 2 is Groundhog Day) to what one could classify as our “Ode to February.”
Ah, February, a rather dismal time of year whose name may be loosely translated to mean “ice or hard frost” or “purification.” Were this month a person, we would most likely call him/her “shorty.” Obviously, an appropriate moniker for a month with only 28 days (excepting 29 every fourth year like this one.)
February’s limited time on the horizon has done rather well throughout the years in the milestone business. Consider its annual: Groundhog Day, St. Valentine’s Day, Presidents Day, and Black History Month, to name but a few.
February also is the month when the 15th amendment of the U.S. Constitution (Black suffrage) was proposed (1869) and the 16th amendment (the now dreaded income tax law) was ratified (1913). And, it was in February that the culture of pop music was changed forever when The Beatles set foot on American soil (1964…and, hey, Jude, that’s 60 years!) and headlined TV’s mega-popular, black-and- white “Ed Sullivan Show” a few nights later.
In the birthday department, many notable personalities took their first breaths in February, including: Norman Rockwell, James Michener, Johannes Gutenberg, Charles Lindbergh, Rosa Parks, Jules Verne, James Dean, William Henry Harrison, Carol King, Mia Farrow, Bob Griese, Ted Koppel, and Morgan Fairchild. One may conclude that, although short, February has recorded its share of tall achievements.
Regretfully, like every other month, February notable occasions and people have been co-opted by a score of “silly observances.” Pay a Compliment Day (6th) to Banana Bread Day (23rd) are included in a frittata of offerings cooked up by Madison Avenue marketing mavens trying to satisfy the cacophony of their clients for more sales. Alas, some things never change.
************
This just in:
The Kiwanis Club of the Main Line is accepting applications from local high school seniors to compete for two $2500 Kiwanis Service Scholarships!
Graduating seniors from Harriton, Haverford, Lower Merion and Radnor, as well as private high schools on the Main Line, are eligible to apply. All applicants must be students in good standing that have completed at least 100 hours of community service or volunteer work in 2023.
Application criteria and a formal application are available online at kiwanismainline.com. All entries must be submitted by March 30, and winners will be announced in mid-April.
“It’s our club’s great pleasure to offer these scholarships to support students pursuing higher education,” said Sarah Zulueta, president of the club. “We know many kids need help in our community, and we are pleased that providing these opportunities is a meaningful way we can partner for a brighter tomorrow,” she added.
As an aside,, the Main Line Club is one of the oldest Kiwanis organizations in the nation, being chartered on November 12, 1926. It meets regularly at various sites and conducts annual fund-raising and other events (a social hour was held last Thursday at Azie at Main, Villanova, for example) to recognize its legendary Six Objects of Kiwanis.
The “six pack” of platitudes dating back more than a century may seem like passé ancient axioms to some, but in our opinion, they truly constitute a platform worthy of performance.
Decide for yourself.
The Objects are: 1) to give primacy to the human and spiritual rather than to the material values of life, 2) to encourage the living of the Golden Rule in all human relationships, 3) to promote the adoption and the applications of higher social business and professional standards, 4) to develop by precept and example, a more intelligent, aggressive and serviceable citizenship, 5) to provide a practical means to form enduring friendships, to render altruistic service and to build better communities, and 6) to cooperate in creating and maintaining that sound public opinion and high idealism which make possible the increase of righteousness, justice, patriotism and good will.
************
Finally, nobody asked, but what meteorological misfit devised the “temperature feels like” table noted on every TV weather show? It’s only our opinion, for example, that if it’s 15 degrees F (or the Celsius equivalent of -9.4 degrees) that’s just what it is! What it may “feel like” to one person may differ widely from another.
Chill out on that, Frosty!
The Last Word: Good day, good luck, and good news tomorrow!
Comments invited to mainlinebanter@verizon.net.
