What's so super about Super Bowl Sunday?

All the hype and buildup to Super Bowl Sunday can bewilder and tire a non-football fan. Trust me, I know too well.

But a good story is a good story, and the Herald's sports staff has been churning them out with Super Bowl XLIII in our backyard. I think my favorite remains Roger Mooney's early story about Joe Madden and his severe addiction to the Cardinals -- rooted, of course, in his adoration of everything St. Louis, including the real Cardinals.

In today's Sunday Herald, Roger has a great setup piece for the 43rd Super Bowl, including all the anomalies of the day:

Super Bowl parties and Super Bowl pools.
Fewest weddings for any weekend.
Fewer crimes.
Emptier churches.
Fatter waistlines -- 3,000-plus calories consumed by every football fan.

In summation: A lot of swearing, swilling and silliness.

We'll be covering all these sensations throughout the day on Bradenton.com, capturing the coverage here in our Super Bowl section. Roger will be joined by reporters John Lembo, Nick Walter and Ryan Boyd as they cover the game, scene and atmosphere as the Cardinals and Steelers take the field. Their live reports, quarter-by-quarter, will have local regular updates -- even tracking the performance of Lakewood Ranch's Dominique
Rodgers-Cromartie.

So when you need a break from the TV or those obnoxious live fans, check out the Herald's storytellers here and in print tomorrow.

Joan