Issue Date: February 4, 2007

Super Bowl Party

Solutions for Sunday

Radio's liveliest sports hosts offer expert tips on enjoying the big game (even if it's your only football all year).

By Tim Wendel

Super Bowl Sunday is a challenge for any true sports fan. Take putting on a Super Bowl party, for example: How do you watch in a crowd -- much less play host -- and still enjoy the game?

For answers, USA WEEKEND Magazine recently chatted with James Carville and Luke Russert, co-hosts of XM Satellite Radio's 60/20 Sports, a lively show about all matters of sport with a generational twist (hence the title).

Between them, Carville, the veteran political strategist, and Russert, a student at Boston College, have taken in eight Super Bowls in person. In fact, Carville was in the stands for Super Bowl I in 1967, while Russert, the son of NBC newsman and diehard Buffalo Bills fan Tim Russert, attended two Super Bowls by age 16.

Here's how Carville and Russert suggest coping with four different Super Bowl party challenges.

Challenge 1: You're hosting, but you want to watch
If you're hosting the big party, how do you manage to watch the game, too?
Luke: It may not be possible. If you have to choose, the game is the thing. If there's a red-zone alert, you have to get in front of the TV.
James: Absolutely. Replays don't cut it for me.
Luke: I mean, there are people who won't go to the bathroom during the entire game.
James: Well, wait a minute. That is ridiculous, Luke. If I have to go to the bathroom, I'll go to the bathroom.

Buffalo wings are the ultimate Super Bowl snack.

Luke: The food has to be easy to make and to serve. For me, that is why it has to be Buffalo wings. Just like my father, right? That Buffalo connection is showing. Also, my neighbor makes unreal Korean dumplings.
James: If I'm hosting, it's chili. I load it up with Cajun fixings -- make it good and steamy. The best part is that I make it the day before, so I'm not cooking the day of the game. That's how I get to watch what's going on.

Challenge 2: You're pelted with stupid questions
How about if you're watching with a clueless significant other who doesn't know what's going on but asks a million questions?
Luke: That's so annoying. In high school, we didn't allow girlfriends at Super Bowl parties for that very reason. Of course, times change. So, I'd advise you to direct your SO to story lines -- the human-interest angles. Anyone can focus on a particular player or two.
James: I never have to deal with this. My wife, Mary [Matalin], will read during the game, which is good, because I'm not sure she knows the difference between a touchdown and a field goal.

Challenge 3: Your team's not playing
Say your team didn't make the Super Bowl this year -- and likely won't for the next 10 years. How do you get the most out of the game?
James: That's my reality. I'm a Saints fan. And before this year, they've never been close.
Luke: Find another way to cheer. My favorite teams are Washington and Buffalo. If they aren't in it, I'll find some other connection. I go to Boston College, so last year I was cheering for Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck because he went there, too.

Challenge 4: Your guys lose the game
What if this happened: After stinking it up for 10 years, your team finally makes the Super Bowl -- and loses! How do you deal?
James: I've never had a winning Super Bowl moment with the Saints. But I'd love to see it happen.
Luke: If it's like the Bills' loss in '91 -- when my team lost to the Giants on a missed field goal -- that's pretty tough. You only should take calls from people who know what you are going through. The worst thing, in my case, is getting a call from a girl who says, "How about those Gii-aants?" They have no idea what it means to be a diehard fan who's dealing with heartbreak.

Tim Wendel's books include "Castro's Curveball" and "My Man Stan."