DanMargarita.com

First of all, can we please do away with these Roman numerals? We don't need them, and no one uses them in real life. Have you ever known anybody who left a note that read, "Be back in XV minutes?"

I don't think that Romans even use this numbering system. Does anyone feel shortchanged because we don't refer to other championships as World Series XXIVI, or Stanley Cup Final XIV? Can't we just call it the Super Bowl?

"Super Bowl XXXV" looks as though it has been given a movie rating by some morality board, in which the "XXX" is for hard core pornography, and the "V" is for violence. That may turn out to be a more appropriate rating for the upcoming XFL games.

Non-football fans are drawn to this game for two reasons: the commercials and the musical entertainment. There was a vast array of popular singers, and it was clear that the planners were going to try to appeal to as many demographics as possible.

The first performer (that I saw, since I tuned in a little late) was Ray Charles, doing his classic rendition of "America the Beautiful," followed immediately by the Backstreet Boys singing the "Star Spangled Banner." I didn't know what to expect, and in all fairness, their rendition wasn't horribly bad, although I had a vision of Ray in the background covering his ears, screaming at God for having taken the wrong sense.

Halftime paired up veteran local rockers Aerosmith, and current bubblegum vocal group 'N Sync, for what proved to be the weirdest pairing of artists since Elvis Costello teamed up with Burt Bacharach. For their finale, they combined to do Aerosmith's Classic Rock staple, "Walk This Way" during which they were joined onstage by Brittany Spears, Mary J. Blige and someone called Nelly.

It was obvious that they were intent on entertaining the two largest disposable income groups, Babyboomers and middle-class mallrats. Where was the entertainment for the upper class? Perhaps they could've had Luciano Pavarotti belting out a verse. How about the people who are down on their luck? They need entertainment more than anybody and were probably clamoring for Boxcar Willie. Unfortunately for them, his death in 1999 has severely curtailed his personal appearance schedule (although death hasn't seemed to slow down Elvis Presley).

The game lacked the drama of last year's contest, which went down to the final play. Both teams struggled to move the ball early, leading to more kicks than a Rockette audition. (Sorry for the corny one-liner. I was just watching a Bob Hope movie.)

In the second half it became a blowout in the Ravens favor, and when Jamal Lewis scored to make it 31-7, TV remotes all over the nation could be heard clicking to Malcolm in the Middle.

Millions, perhaps billions of dollars were wagered on this game, which is consistently the most heavily bet event in American sports, and I have to admit that I finally participated.

I lost $2, betting on the Giants.