Two-yard gain brings up second-and-8
The redesign has advanced, ever so slightly. You're still not seeing the images. Someday soon, you will. For now, you get the explainer on the far right. (For our regular readers, that's what Web developers call "static" content. It doesn't change. It won't change, at least not on a regular basis. I'll probably edit it every once in a while. Don't waste your time reading it at every visit.)

Speaking of Web development, the Freelance Gig will move from consulting and setup to real-live Web development after this week. Maybe that means you'll see images on this site. Maybe that means this site will have a new address. Maybe I'll be so damn busy I won't have time for this site. (Wouldn't that be remarkable?) An awful lot of maybes; nothing's real definite, except that a Very Large Computer Company based in Texas has lots and lots and lots of my money. If the hardware sucks, you'll read about it here. I'll be sure to register with a search engine at that point so everybody will know. Until then, optimism reigns.

(Hold on for jarring transition from My Static Life to the sports world): Let the record show that I was not one of the bleating minions counting on a Rams blowout in the Super Bowl. I thought they would win, but I didn't expect a typical 45-21 Super Blah. It backs up what I've said about the Rams all year: Their offense can be stopped, if you just pound on their receivers, like, an awful lot. It's pretty simple, but so many teams were scared of pounding on the Rams receivers because usually, that only works right up to the point where the Rams receivers go all 4.3 on you and fade into the end-zone ether. The simple philosophy was summed up by Patriots corner Ty Law: "I've never seen anybody win a hundred-yard dash with somebody standing in front of them." The Rams' offensive line did its job admirably, but it didn't matter if Kurt Warner had all the time in the world to throw, because he had nobody to throw it to. And I was a little saddened by the fact that I'll remember Madden and Summerall from this game: Summerall being wrong, a lot, about what was happening on the field and Madden berating Bill Belichick for not running out the clock right up to the point where Adam Vinatieri kicked the game-winner.

And normally, I don't notice the Super Bowl commercials, no matter how loud the hype. Nor do I watch the halftime show. The one time I did, I had a thought: "Wow. Somebody approved this." But, three observations:

Cadillac has finally figured out that its customer base is, like, almost dead. The average age of a new Cadillac buyer is 69. The marketing folks catch a clue: Cadillac cues up the Zeppelin, finds a '59 Eldo, and voila, a star is born. Not crazy about the CTS; it's kind of a funny-looking car. But it's a hell of a lot better swing than the Cimarron and the Catera were. That said, anybody think Cadillac is a little late getting serious about the entry-level luxury market? Gotta figure that all the young, newly rich dot-com folks have already bought their Mercedes C-Classes and BMW 3-series and, maybe, a Lincoln LS or two. Anybody who hasn't bought one by now, chances are, is too late. Those stock options don't buy too many Cadillacs anymore.

I'm a big fan of Budweiser. I'm a big fan of the Clydesdales. Always have been. And, man, was I a big fan of the Clydesdales-in-NY commercial. That was a hell of a creative idea. I buy Budweiser anyway, so it didn't influence me much. But I feel a little bit better about buying it.

I'm a little old for Britney Spears. I admit that. She's not aiming at my demographic. Not with her music, anyway. Let's just say: You can't help but notice. (And, for the record, I am not a pig: I did not turn to NBC during the halftime show for Fear Factor. Not once. Not even for a peek. And I don't even like U2.)