Sunday afternoon and not a car could be seen on either Sandridge or Hwy. 103. Downtown Long Beach was deserted except for groups of ladies going from shop to shop, loading their bags with goods. Handfuls of cars were parked in front of various houses and the flicker of big-screen TVs could be seen through drawn curtains.

A tumultuous roar would burst forth from within, and then all would again be still. Taverns were packed with visitors who had come but once a year, much like a worshiper darkening a church door only at Christmas time. The reason for the bizarre behavior could only be attributed to one phenomenon-Feb. 4 was Super Sunday XLI.

Super Sunday was kicked off in 1967 when the Green Bay Packers annihilated Kansas City 35-10 and wasn’t even called super back then. The next year the Packers won big again over Oakland 33-14 and a few sportswriters used the S-word followed by the Roman numeral II so as not to confuse the two contests. More was done to educate the world about Roman numeral mathematics by that decision than by any other event in human history. (XLI equals 41 as any football fan who can figure quarterback ratings obviously knows.)

Super Bowl III was considered to be the biggest upset of them all when the unheralded AFL New York Jets and Joe Namath defeated the heavily-favored NFL Baltimore Colts. The American and National Football Leagues had merged for one reason-cash-and competitive contests weren’t part of the early deal. The Jets from the upstart AFL were anywhere from 17 to 20 point underdogs and the vast majority of betters figured the Colts could easily beat that spread, but Joe “Willy” predicted the win and his team came through with a 16-7 shocker.

In the NFL title game of 1958, Baltimore defeated the New York Giants in cavernous Yankee Stadium in what many still call the greatest game ever played and the game that changed professional football forever. The contest went into overtime, another first, and after Johnny Unitas wearing black high-top football shoes with screw-on cleats completed key passes to Raymond Berry, fullback Alan Ameche crossed the goal line for a 23-17 victory.

The contest was seen on a record number of black-and-white TV sets. The goal posts were made of wood and were actually on the goal line and the Colts were still in Baltimore. That was before seven moving vans spirited the team away literally in the middle of the Feb. 13, 1984 night and hauled them to their present digs in the Indianapolis Hoosier Dome. The move, like the AFL-NFL merger, was motivated by money. The Baltimore Colts did win Super Bowl V over Dallas 16-13 in 1971 on a last-second field goal.

The Chicago Bears are one of the original NFL franchises and under legendary coach George Halas won the 1940 championship over the Washington Redskins 73-0, the most lop-sided title tilt ever. Since Halas was also part-owner of the team, he never fired himself as coach. The Bears have won 18 conference titles dating back to 1921 and under Mike Ditka slaughtered New England 46-10 in Super Bowl XX in 1985.

This year’s Super Bowl was viewed by an estimated 140 million Americans and was also broadcast to about 240 countries around the globe. Again it was the highest-rated TV show since last year’s game in which Pittsburgh defeated Seattle 21-10 in what has been dubbed the “Replay–but still got it wrong Bowl” by many Seahawk fans. A 30-second commercial cost the company $2.6 million and that doesn’t include the expense of producing the TV spot. In fact, there is a Super Bowl commercial hall of fame. “Bud–Wise–Err,” and “Paper or plastic?” are among the inductees.

Over the years the game itself has become secondary to all the hype. Now teams have two weeks to prepare and the players have a 14-day pre-game show in which to say the wrong thing in front of hundreds of reporters. The start of the game has even been moved back to 6:25 ET, evidently giving half-time extravaganza performers ample opportunity to get ready for ward robe malfunctions and to practice other inappropriate moves. Montana, Rice, Bradshaw, Lombardi and the Jackson’s all come to mind when the term Super Bowl is mentioned.

Super Bowl celebrations have become so popular that there is actually a 10-commandments for ladies whose significant others are football fans. For example it is OK to ask what the score is, but never ask your beau who is playing. Another “thou shalt not” is to walk in front of the TV screen, even if serving beverages. Speaking of beverages, it is acceptable to sip from your guy’s drink (especially later in the game, if you know what I mean), but never take any food off his plate as there is something innately instinctive about knowing where one’s hot wings are located.

A rule of thumb for gauging the value of a Valentine’s gift is adding up the amount the fellow in your life spends on a new jersey and cap for his newly-picked favorite team that is playing in the game, tack on the cost of food and then estimate the price of beverages consumed or spilled. A nice set of diamond earrings is not out of the question.

Super Sunday is second only to New Year’s Eve in terms of the most alcoholic beverages sold, having passed the Fourth of July in its sudsy wake several years ago. The event also is the second-biggest eating day in the U.S. behind Thanksgiving. There are those who propose having the Monday after Super Sunday as being a national holiday, knowing that the only sure cure for a hangover or gluttony is taking time to rest. The day after Super Sunday is also no doubt the second-most prolific day to make resolutions.

We already have the Fourth for hotdogs, Thanksgiving for turkey, Christmas for a ham or goose; it seems only natural to have Super Monday and honor the chicken with left-over hot wings.

By the way, anybody remember who won the game?