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It's that time of year again. By the time you read this, you've probably got everything ready to go. The beer's chilling in the fridge, the Doritos are on the table and your TV's already set to NBC. T-minus....O.K., a few more days until the network's pregame Super Bowl coverage begins. Here are a few links to help you kill at least a little bit of the time between now and then:
USA Today: "Las Vegas Fearing a Giants Win in Super Bowl XLVI"
There's a good chance that New York could win the big game on Sunday, and plenty of folks in Las Vegas aren't happy about this at all. Lots of bookies and casinos took bets early in the season, some at odds as high as 80-1, that the Giants would go all the way (the odds reached 100-1 in mid-December after the Giants loss to the Redskins). Back then, it looked like they stood as good a chance of accomplishing this feat as a snowball lasting twenty minutes in hell. Still, the Patriots remain the favorite with an average spread of 3-points. See "...And Know When to Run" for more on this.
ESPN: "Women Get in on Super Bowl Action"
This year's Super Bowl may become the most bet-upon in NFL history. Industry experts predict that football fans around the world will drop $10 billion on bets and it's not just guys that are contemplating the odds. Not only are plenty of women putting their hard-earned dough on the game's outcome, they're also being drawn into the world of "novelty proposition bets." According to the good folks at ESPN, these games are actually illegal in the state of Nevada (well, sort of, but we digress....). Nevertheless, through other outlets, ladies are gambling on factors including, "What Color Will Madonna's Hair be During the Halftime Show?" and "If Tom Brady's Son is Shown, Will He be Wearing a Tom Brady Jersey?"
Off-Topic, AWB Halftime Linkage
They've both played superheroes in Hollywood blockbusters recently, but will Johansson and Reynold's former love nest fetch the super $3.5 million they're asking for it? Located in the affluent Los Angeles neighborhood of Los Feliz, the gorgeous spread, known locally as "The Wong House," was built in 1969. It features two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a saltwater pool and a library. Reynolds and Johansson reportedly dumped a ton of their Hollywood lucre into the place, upgrading it with eco-friendly features such as solar power.
The Huffington Post: "Jerry Seinfeld's Super Bowl Commercial"
Everyone's talking about the Honda spot starring Matthew "Save Ferris" Broderick, but former sitcom star Jerry Seinfeld's car ad does a better job of "bringing the funny." Desperate to land the #1 spot on the waiting list for the new 2012 Acura NSX, he tries to coax a stranger out of it using everything from the Soup Nazi to a holographic monkey. Unfortunately for Seinfeld, another famous, car-crazed comedian offers the guy something he truly can't refuse.
Yahoo Sports: Five Super Bowl Records That Might be Broken in 2012
Among the records that could be shattered on Sunday: "The Most Points in a Super Bowl" and "The Longest Pass." The current title holder of that last one is Carolina Panthers quarterback Muhsin Muhammad, who threw an 85-yard completion during Super Bowl XXXVIII.