Numbers taken: 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25, 26, 28, 29, 31, 34, 39, 41, 43, 44, 45, 46, 48, 51, 52, 53, 55, 59, 60, 65, 66, 69, 71, 72, 74, 75, 79, 80, 84, 88, 91, 92, 93, 96, 97, 99.
Jeff, the millions (billions, really) involved in sports are just indicated by the moneymaker the Super Bowl is, and has become.....incredible the hoopla that goes into it, for weeks before! I think more so than any other sporting event, the SB is #1 for advertising, fanfare, ticket prices, etc. And honestly, games like GB vs. Dallas are usually a LOT more interesting than the actual big game.....lots of nerves, and often players don't perform to their potential. Hope we get a really intense, close, hard fought game this year....regardless of my NFL opinions, I do enjoy getting together with our family members to watch the game, reminds me of my childhood (and the 85 Bears, subjects of my next contest!!)
As far as the HOF, my best friend calls it the Hall of Above Average, and I think that is what it has become in every sport. I would never mention Rivers, Roethlisberger, or E. Manning in the same sentence as Unitas or Montana, by any means. The last few years for the baseball HOF have been some very strong candidates. PED users aside, I think there have been more deserving baseball players in the last two or three years than in probably the 8 or 10 years prior. It is subjective, though a player has to be VERY good to be truly considered alongside the greats who came before (Ruth, Gehrig, Musial, etc.)
Mike, your statement about life being easier....I was born in 1981, and I agree that life was simpler then, I can't even imagine life in the 50s, less to want, less to worry about....God willing our children's lives will be less complicated, or as simple as they can be for the times we live in!