Sen. John Kerry, eat your heart out! This week, I’ve felt like a politician, rubbing elbows with dozens of locals in my quest to reach a consensus on Sunday’s Super Bowl.
     Armed with cell phone and reporter’s notepad, I stopped strangers on the street and invaded the working areas of Luna Community College, Highlands University and Carnegie Library.
     I expected a number of partisan fans, each one pulling for either the New England Patriots or the Carolina Panthers. Instead, the most common response to my question, “Whom do you predict will win the Super Bowl?” was “Who’s playing?”

     “Who’s playing!” Why that’s almost as bad as the time the UNM football Lobos had a mediocre team. I joined some friends at the stadium in Albuquerque but forgot the four tickets on the dashboard of my unlocked car. When we got back to the car, just before game time, we discovered someone had entered the car and left five more Lobo tickets.
     Apparently, this year’s serving of football stew doesn’t abound with partisans. People are more interested in the fellowship, tailgate parties, barbecue, chances of winning money, and other frills.
     How much more definitive can people be than Patricia Gallegos, LCC Humanities office specialist? First, she wanted to know who was playing, then took the liberty of declaring the Patriots winners by three. Why? “Because I said so.” One would hope the teams are listening.
     Vicky Sandoval, LCC’s human resources technician, doesn’t worry about who’s playing, but will be tuning in to watch Kid Rock at halftime, plus the new commercials, going at $2.3 million for a 30-second spot. Think how many instructional buildings LCC could erect on the revenue for just a Super Bowl minute or two.
     One who knows who’s playing and who has a preference is Rolando Rael, a biology professor at HU. “I’m hoping the Pats win and win big.” Colleague Dave West, of the HU business department is pulling for the Carolina Panthers “because they’re a Cinderella team, and I’m a big fan of Cinderella teams, like the Green Bay Packers.” West said the Packers’ winning the division made him a happier and somewhat wealthier man because he had bet on them.
     Several of those interviewed are either for or against a team and beat their own favorite team. Roland Salas of HU’s student services center is a Raider fan who no doubt remembers the infamous “tuck rule” two years ago that went against the Raiders and gave the Patriots a pass to the Super Bowl. Despite that, Salas concedes, “New England’s gonna be pretty hard to beat.”
     Martin A. Ortiz, a member of the facilities management staff at Highlands, expects the Panthers to win in a close game.
     Las Vegas resident and New York Giants fan Patrick Tafoya looks for the Patriots to win and even offered a final score: 34-27. Bill Moore, however, who likes the 49ers, said the Panthers should win, but by a lower score.
     Miami Dolphins fan Larry Cruz, a student services counselor at LCC, predicts the Patriots will take it, “and it won’t even be close.”
     A die-hard Dallas Cowboy fan, Kayleen Encinias, an administrative assistant to the LCC dean, picks the Panthers to win. “I don’t like the Patriots because they beat Dallas . . . (or was it the Panthers that beat the Cowboys?) No matter
     Across the campus, Director of Humanities, Eloy Garcia first asked, “Who’s playing?” then ventured a perceptive prognostication: “the Patriots by 12. Overall, they’re a better offensive and defensive team.”
     LCC student Laura Yeaman of Rociada, picks the New Englanders, and Lupe Martinez, also of Rociada, ventured an “I don’t even know who’s playing.” A member of the Luna security staff, Alfred S. Carrillo, predicts the Panthers in a close game.
     Luna library technician Diane Vigil said, “I don’t know who’s playing, but years ago, when my boys were at home, we all had our favorites.”
     An extremely pragmatic preference was made by Rose Romero, a clerk at Carnegie Library, who picks New England “because I’ve bet some money on them.” And co-worker Caressa Ortiz, another member of the Who’s Playing, Anyway? group, chooses the Patriots.
     Jesse Torres, a student-Spanish tutor at NMHU, responded, “I don’t even know who’s playing. We just got a TV last Saturday.” However, he favors the Patriots “because I’ve never even heard about the other team.”
     It’s obvious a number of people aren’t the die-hard fans I expected to encounter. The impression is that they’re not passionate because the schedule of their own favorite team didn’t extend to February. No one claimed to be an original Patriots or Panthers fan.
     They’ll probably watch the Super Bowl because of the commercials, bands, entertainment and—let’s not forget—the football pools.
     One of the top responses, which typifies the importance she places on the Super Bore game, came from my wife Bonnie, who predicts the “Yankees will win on Sunday, in no more than six games.”