Sports highlights: Super Bowl 50 surprises, Caribbean World Series, Phoenix Open

This Super Bowl Sunday is quite different from the ones before: it's actually held in the "neighborhood" (less than 15 miles away) The traffic was expected to be real bad before and after the game. Also, it's the Chinese New Year's eve. So we ended up not able to invite anyone to party at our place. After lunch, there were still 3 hours 'til kickoff so we watched a bit of the Caribbean World Series, between the Winter league champions from Venezuela and Mexico. Former White Sox great Freddie Garcia (who pitched the world series-clinching game 4) pitched his final game for the Venezuelan team. It was kinda exciting. Mexico came back to tie while down 2-4 and got a walk-off HR at bottom of the 9th. I also watched a tie-breaking playoff at the end of the Phoenix Open Golf Tournament between Rickie Fowler and Hideki Matsuyama. The American Fowler is becoming one of the "Big 4" of this new generation of world golfers and that's why I tuned in. Matsuyama is the highest ranked Japanese player too. They remained tied after first 3 playoff holes. The tie was not broken until Fowler hit his tee shot into the water and practically gave away the victory. And that happened while Lady Gaga was singing the national anthem during the Super Bowl opening ceremony. I jumped in right at the kickoff! The game featured 3 players from my schools: Panther's kicker and kick returner/RB Fozzy Whitaker (Texas) and Punter Brad Nortman (Wisconsin) as well as the star TE of the Broncos, Owen Daniels (Wisconsin) My coworker was so convinced that the Panther would blow out the Broncos unless the latter could somehow force some turnovers into scores. That was what exactly happened. I knew the Broncos defense would be the most important factor to the "watchability" of the game and they stood up to the challenge. Normally I prefer offensive fireworks but I was glad that it was a defense dominated tight game instead. It's not a bad thing that a good player like Peyton Manning could go out on top. Also, long-time Cowboy-turned Bronco LB DeMarcus Ware deserved his super bowl ring.

So, that's how the sports world wrapped up the year of the sheep. I am looking forward to a great year of the monkey! (Yay to Euro 2016 and World Cup of Hockey!!!)