Ever get into a situation in which you’re incapable of processing all the information in front of you? But before some reader responds with, “Well, Art, it happened to you — every day in every grade in elementary school,” let me explain the data overload.
Whenever I need my fill of sports information — records, batting averages, punting percentages, assists — I ask Carlos Lopez, who manages Lowe’s on Mills. Because I realized my yearly Super Bowl column would be incomplete without Carlos’s input, I asked him to pick this Sunday’s winner.
Without flinching, he picked the Pittsburgh Steelers to win by at least 20 over the Seattle Seahawks. Carlos has much more than a hunch to back up his prognostications. The young man must study every sports page on the planet. Beyond just saying, “Pittsburgh will win because of their quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger,” he’s able to compare one team’s performance to another, the margin of victory, the place where the game was played, and even the time of the season. So, all of these factors Carlos corrals in order to make his prediction. Carlos might even factor in IQ, maternal family line and the number of zoos in the Steelers’ hometowns. If Carlos says the Steelers are going to win, who am I to argue?
Coincidentally, before looking up Carlos, I spent 10 minutes with Joe Coca, who says he has plans to attend a Super Bowl party but wasn’t able to come up with the names of the competitors. I prodded him a bit: “One team is from Seattle, Joe.” To this he said, “Oh yes, the Mariners have a good chance.”
Wrong sport, Joe. Coca, who’s been retired from retail grocery sales for six years and who augments his retirement by collecting trailer parks, said baseball’s his sport. Does he mind if we quote him? No, not a bit, he said.
Denise Balderas, a teacher at Armijo Elementary, said, “I have no clue as to who’s playing.” She justifies that by saying her teaching, her three kids and keeping up with her state legislator husband Hector leave her little time to follow sports.
Inquiries of area fans as to their picks yielded a host of Dallas Cowboy and Denver Bronco fans. Only one person, Kristin Lucero, an associate in WalMart’s jewelry department, is a Raider fan, and for that she should get a raise. She picks the Steelers to win.
Another associate, Faye Solano, from Tecolote, who likes the 49ers, predicts a close game. Her heart is with the Steelers but expects the Seahawks to win.
No one interviewed picked the Seahawks or the Steelers as their favorite team, and their teams are going to be watching from the stands, or at home.
Most picked Pittsburgh on the basis that the AFC is tougher than the NFC.
With the authority that only a university president can wield, Manny Aragon, Highlands’ chief executive and a Washington Redskins fan, picks the Steelers and predicts a 27-17 final score.
Ernie Martinez, whose driveway carries a sign, “Bronco fan parking only,” picks Seattle in a close game.
Samuel F. Vigil, a former state representative and former president of Luna Community College, says it’s mainly up to Ben Roethlisberger. “If he’s up to par, the Steelers will win, but it’ll still be a close game.” Samuel is a Bronco fan.
Sam’s coffee-drinking friend, Ray Vigil, said he wishes his beloved Broncos would be in Detroit this weekend, but since they can’t, he’ll root for the Steelers “because they have a good running game.”
Local businessman Larry Brow, a Cowboy fan, said he’s not really interested in who wins Sunday, since his team didn’t make it to the playoffs, but plans to attend a Super Bowl party nevertheless.
And fellow Cowboy fan Larry Chavez, a retired highway department employee, picks Pittsburgh by 10.
Earl Harrison, former grocer, predicts a Steeler victory by a touchdown. Why? “Because they’re tougher than heck. I mean, they were the underdogs all the way through, and they’ve beaten teams on the road.”
Justin Gallegos, a city employee assigned to the Abe Montoya Recreation Center, bleeds Bronco orange and is favoring Seattle on Sunday.
Joseph Gallegos, a junior at Highlands, is a 49er fan and picks the Steelers “by about two touchdowns because the Seahawks have never been to the Super Bowl. And besides, Pittsburgh already has four championships.”
Typical of a lot of women who regard football as “a bunch of guys running into each other,” Corrine Tafoya, utilities services supervisor for the city, said, “I don’t even know who’s playing.”
Casey Ondeck, a clerk at Auto Zone, comes from the Bay Area and likes the 49ers. He expects Seattle to win “because I can’t stand Pittsburgh.” Now if games were lost on the basis of the number of people who hate a particular team, the Dallas Cowboys would never win a game.
Bob Abreu, a salesman at Enchantment Motors, uncharacteristically said his interest in the Super Bowl is zilch “because my Cowboys won’t be in it.”
Modesta Esquibel Macy, who with her husband Kenneth, has lived in several places, including San Diego, claims to be almost as big a Charger fan as her husband. “I watched the last game with my husband and expect Pittsburgh to win,” she said.
So, which fans will be weeping Sunday evening? My emotions ride with Seattle, mainly because of their premier MVP running back Shaun Alexander, who scored 28 touchdowns this season. Yet Carlos Lopez calls him “over-rated.” My son Stan still lives in Seattle, as did my daughter-in-law, Connie Jimenez Trujillo, and I’ve visited the city a half dozen times.
So do I go with the Seahawks? Sorry, but I can’t. In spite of what my heart says, Carlos Lopez guesstimates a 20-point victory for Pittsburgh. Carlos said it, so that settles it.
Meanwhile, enjoy the salsa and beer.