Gisele Plays the Super Bowl Blame Game; A Pro Bowl Ultimatum
Today in sports: Gisele Bündchen is already blaming husband Tom Brady's receivers for New England's loss, Seattle could be close to landing an NBA team, and expect slow Internet service in London during this summer's Olympics.
.Today in sports: Gisele Bündchen is already blaming husband Tom Brady's receivers for New England's loss, Seattle could be close to landing an NBA team, and expect slow Internet service in London during this summer's Olympics.
Last night's Super Bowl: terrific. Equally terrific: the footage of Gisele Bündchen, international supermodel and wife of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, informing a bunch of rowdy Giants fans "my husband cannot f------ throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time." A fair and valid point, considering all the passes that were dropped by New England receivers, but not the thing for a star player's wife to say hours after a Super Bowl loss, especially when there's so much blame to be spread around. [The Insider via The Big Lead]
The official numbers won't be in until later in the day, but NBC is touting last night's game as the third most-watched telecast in Super Bowl history. Which is great, but also maybe a bit of a disappointment, since it means this year's ratings were down from the 2010 and 2011 numbers. [TV Line]
Oh, no: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is threatening to get rid of the Pro Bowl if players don't start taking the meaningless all-star game more seriously. This is terrible news for anyone who enjoys the sight of players cramping on the sidelines and gaudy, vaguely tropical uniform combinations. [ESPN Radio]
It seems that Seattle mayor Mike McGinn and "a wealthy San Francisco hedge-fund manager" named Christopher Hansen have spent the last eight months quietly working on a plan to lure an NBA franchise back Seattle for the 2012-2013 season. Seattle has been pining for a team since the Sonics moved to Oklahoma City in 2008, but apparently Hansen and the city have a plan to build a new arena that would require minimal public funding. That sounds too good to be true, but at least "Seattle City Hall source" believes the Sacramento Kings will be playing in Seattle next year, if the city doesn't come through with a new arena plan by March 1. [The Seattle Times]
While his little brother was out winning the Super Bowl, Peyton Manning was apparently rethinking his refusal to renegotiate the terms of his contract with the Indianapolis Colts. Sources say that Manning, who is currently scheduled to earn a $28 million bonus in March, is open to a restructured, incentive-laden deal that would pay him "little or no guaranteed money up front," and possibly push much of his bonus to the opening day of the regular season. This gesture will endear Manning to Colts fans, but it doesn't change the fact the team doesn't want to pay him, say, $15 million (or $10 million or $8 million) to serve as the backup to likely number one overall draft pick Andrew Luck. [ESPN.com]
Some good news British football fans: the brief international stand-off between London and the city of St. Louis has been resolved, and the Rams and Patriots will play next October at Wembley Stadium as scheduled. Tickets for the game are finally going to go on sale today. [PFT]
In addition to traffic jams, crowded subways and possible protests, Londoners have another thing to look forward to during this summer's Olympic Games: slow Internet. Per a report issued the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, users can expect slower-than-usual service during the games, and possibly even some "drop-outs." The report also casually mentions that some ISPs are considering installing data caps "to try and spread the loading and give a more equal service to their entire customer base." So, the drop-outs will likely impact everyone. [BBC]