Better than my favorite Super Bowl commercial?

Okay, I was a little disappointed with most of the ads that aired last night, especially considering it cost $2.5 million per 30 second spot (so you’d think they’d put a little more creativity and innovation into them). The Tebow ad wasn’t as controversial as everyone was making it out to be–at least, I had no problem with it. There were ads that were far more offensive: misogynist and just plain yuck, denigrating women and portraying men as emasculated by relationships/marriages. And what was with all the sans-pants action? Seriously … THIS is what you think 93 million people are like?

That said, my favorite Super Bowl ad was the simplest one, and also the most effective. Google’s simple storytelling underlined not only the power of understated simplicity but also the importance of story. And it didn’t turn off half the population. (And it’s not even as if Google needs the publicity! Maybe that’s why … many of the other advertisers were trying too hard.)

And then, this morning, I came across this, from the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership in the UK. It’s beautiful, poignant, effective, simple. I wish more commercials eschewed the American tendency for making everything overblown.

Barack the Sports Commentator

(Photo: Getty)

The President attended the Georgetown-Duke basketball game earlier today, even offering a few minutes in the commentary booth.

I love this president.

Welcome back, Sasha

Sasha Cohen’s been out of competitive figure-skating for a few years, and at 25, she’s older than most of her competitors. Which makes her comeback and her bid to contend for this year’s Winter Olympics all the more awesome and impressive.

Here’s her short program from the nationals earlier this week. She came second.

Glad you’re back, S.

How to get Rafa Nadal to smile

By proposing to him, apparently. Thanks to Yahoo! Sports for the news:

During the world No. 2′s second round match at the Aussie Open a woman in the stands yelled, “Hey, Nadal, will you marry me?”, much to the delight of others in the crowd and the Eurosport announcers broadcasting the match. At first Nadal ignored the question, probably wanting to stay focused on returning serve, but as the laughter increased he gave a shy wave of the hand and then burst out into a full smile before the point.

Felix Hernandez = Mariner

… for five more years!

Here are Felix and Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik (otherwise known as GMZ or “The GM with the Golden Touch”) at a press conference yesterday:

(Photo: Geoff Baker/Seattle Times)

Roll on, April.

Goodbye, Adrian Beltre

I’m glad we have Chone Figgins; I think he’ll be an awesome 3B. But I sure as heck will miss seeing this guy and these kinds of plays on a regular basis:

Red Sox fans, prepare to be astounded.

Mariners lose

Yeah, I’m not gonna blog about them for a little while …