"Literally,
that's how I saw the world," said the former San Francisco 49ers
quarterback, who was elected to the Hall on Saturday along with Dan
Marino, Bennie Friedman and Fritz Pollard.
Young said Saturday that one of the thrills of his career was
being able to visit cities like Berlin, Tokyo, London and Barcelona
for exhibition games.
"You were just looking for a free vacation," Marino chimed
in.
Friedman, also a quarterback, was one of the NFL's biggest draws
from 1927-34. Pollard was the first black head coach in the NFL and
a running back who led the Akron Pros to the fledgling league's 1920
championship with an undefeated record.
___
READING THE T.O. LEAVES:@ Sports astrologer Andrea Mallis sees
something in the stars for Philadelphia Eagles star Terrell
Owens.
Mallis, who is a sort of official astrologer for the Oakland
Athletics' radio post-game show, said that Owens faces a challenging
Saturn aspect (the planet of limitation) to his Mars (physical
energy) while trying to come back early from leg surgery.
"It should be fascinating to watch his role, however limited, as
Saturn tends to delay, deny and restrict," she said. "Much to his
chagrin and dismay, it looks like his chart may render him a
non-factor _ or worse, he can re-injure himself. (He) may be
dismayed if he is not utilized enough, as Mars in Capricorn opposes
his Saturn in Cancer on Super Bowl Sunday _ sort of a cosmic double
whammy."
Mallis advised Owens to watch for "excessive physical strain and
exertion, annoying ego conflicts."
"Not the most positive forecast for T.O.," she said.
Astrology, like other forms of prognostication, can be hit or
miss.
A week before last year's Super Bowl, Mallis that the halftime
show "should be rather ethereal, filled with the exotic, bizarre and
glamorous" _ not much of a stretch, based on the past ones. But she
also said that "confusion can reign; lots of replays may be needed
when strange alignments occur."
Sure enough, Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" became one of
the most replayed TV clips of the year.
Mallis also guessed that the outcome would be in doubt, and the
New England Patriots won on a late field goal by Adam Vinatieri.
___
AND MANY MORE:@ Ty Warren's wife is going to have to find him
another birthday present.
The New England Patriots defensive lineman, who turns 24 on Super
Bowl Sunday, was planning to come to the game even if the Patriots
didn't make it.
"I was talking to my wife earlier in the year and she asked me
what I wanted. I said that would be a good present for me," he said.
"So we were planning on going anyway."
And how about a second Super Bowl ring for the second-year
player.
"It would be icing on the cake," he said.
___
PAINT IT BLACK:@ It's the second straight Super Bowl for the New
England Patriots, but the fifth in a row for the company that paints
their logo in the end zone.
World Class Athletic Surfaces, of Leland, Miss., provided about
600 gallons of paint to color the grass in Alltel Stadium, including
the teams' logos in the end zone and the Super Bowl logo at
midfield. With cool temperatures and showers before game day, this
year has been a challenge.
"They put a tarp on (the field), and water's been on top of it
and water's underneath it. The paint's not really drying," said Tra
DuBois, the company owner. "But being our fifth one, it's been
special."
Work on the painting began in December, when the NFL playoff
field took shape. DuBois said he was mixing the Eagles' shade of
green and creating the stencil for the team's end zone logo while
the Patriots were beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC
championship on Jan. 23.
The logo patterns and first batch of paint arrived at
Jacksonville that night. The next day, the crew at the stadium gave
the field the first of four pre-game paintings.