Time to clean up the mess from a pathetic Super Bowl weekend bash, a mess exceeded only by one of the worst played games these tired eyes have had the misfortune to watch:

I guess I’m happy for Bill Cowher. I don’t like accomplished coaches or players who have to deal with the “can’t win the big one� stigma, as if failure to win a championship somehow diminishes one’s place in history. Under that theory, Ted Williams (0-rings) and John Hannah (0) fall somewhere below Greg Kite (2) and Terry Deurod (1).

That said, please Bill….PLEASE get your players to act like they’ve been there before. I’ve never seen a group of guys talk so much trash despite never having accomplished a thing. At least now the current Steelers have a Super Bowl title to their credit, but watching them woof at Seahawks receivers after allowing a 15-yard gain on 3rd and 5 gets real old, real fast. That’s why most football fans outside of Western Pennsylvania were turned off by the Steelers “victory.�

If you think a coach has no control over that behavior, check out the NFL films footage of Bill Belichick yelling at his troops to knock it off and focus when the Patriots engaged in a bit too much yelping with the Eagles during last year’s big game.

Great to see the greatest trash talker of them all, Joey Porter, back up his words with an astounding total of three tackles….the biggest hot air debacle since the Hindenburg.

Hines Ward, on the other hand, can play on my team any time he wants. Most Valuable Player despite taking pain killing injections in his injured shoulder.

Of course, the real MVP’s of that contest were the officials. I know, I know Steelers fans! Your boys might have won the game anyway. But the TD nullified by a ticky-tack offensive pass interference penalty and the phantom holding call taking away a 1st and goal at the one in a 14-10 game played a huge role in the outcome. The ridiculous call on Matt Hasselbeck’s tackle after his interception didn’t change the outcome, but it did cement Super Bowl XL’s place as the worst officiated playoff game in history. Worse than the Pitt-Indy game last month.

Do teams in the NFC not know how to run a 2-minute drill? Yesterday’s Seahawks performance would make the Eagles proud!

Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw refused to participate in the pre-game ceremony because the NFL wouldn’t guarantee them a big appearance fee? From his television work, we’ve known for a long time what a buffoon Bradshaw can be. However, do you think the previously “saintly� Montana asked for $100,000 10-years ago when HE was chosen to toss the coin?

Best commercial? A toss-up between the FedEx “Caveman� and the Sprint cell phone ad. Nothing like kicking an animal and a cell phone thrown at someone’s head for pandering to a mostly male audience.

I actually found John Madden on top of his game last night. While Al Michaels seemed lost on several occasions, Madden did his best trying to explain the rule book and some of those questionable calls. I would have liked him to be a bit more honest in criticizing the officiating, but with the NFL censoring the halftime show, do you really think they’re going to allow an announcer to let it rip?

Speaking of halftime, The Stones should follow Jerome Bettis’ lead and ride off into the sunset….for keeps this time!

It’s officially time to start rooting for the Celtics to lose as many games as possible. The playoffs are a lost cause, Al Jefferson can’t take the next step without spraining an ankle and Brian Scalabrine insists on shooting 3-pointers even though he hasn’t hit one since Saddam Hussein was in power. It says here; play the kids, take your lumps, and get a top-5 draft pick instead of one in the double digit vicinity.

Wonder if former Celtic, Mark Blount, was skipping up and down the court after his performances over the weekend? In back-to-back losses to Golden State and Portland, the $6-million a year malcontent combined for 9-points on 4-for-13 shooting in 40-minutes of action. Enjoy him Minnesota. With no more Boston match ups on the schedule, that dog will repay the cheers you showered on him during an inspired performance against the C’s by rolling over and playing dead 9-out of 10-games.

Tiger Woods is now 2-for-2 in 2006. I smell one of those runs they’ll be referring to in 10-years when Tiger has officially supplanted Jack Nicklaus as the greatest golfer in history.

Lastly, a plug for a “Goode� guy. Lowell Spinners Director of Corporate Communications, Jon Goode, and his wife Lauren host a big fundraiser to benefit the C2 Mission February 25th at The Brewery Exchange in Lowell. Dave Silk, a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey team will be on hand to show off his precious Gold Medal and sign autographs. The event, billed as “A Fan’s Press Conference with Dave Silk� will help raise funds for children and families affected by Cerebral Palsy and Cystic Fibrosis. For ticket information, visit c2mission.org.