SuperBowl 35 Every year Phil goes to the big one. Every year he phones me from the game, or from a restaurant where he's sitting next to Tony Dungy, or from where he's standing next to the Madden Cruiser. You get the picture. But Phil's trips are more than just going to the game. This is a thankfully short but still nauseating piece on a week at SuperBowl XXXIV in Atlanta. Whilst sitting having a drink with Carter Gaddis of The Tampa Tribune at the Hyatt Regency, I noticed everyone kept looking at me. I thought it just might be the Bucs UK jacket or shirt they were looking at. After about 20 minutes, I realised the person behind me was getting up and leaving - I glanced round and realised I had been sitting next to Wayne Gretzky without realising it! I then decided to call the travel company representative to arrange a time to meet up and discuss future SuperBowl ticket arrangements. On speaking to him, I found out he was actually sitting about five yards away at the next table! On walking down the stairs of the hotel, Tony Dungy was coming up the other way. We spoke and he asked if I was the guy he had met the previous year in Miami for the SuperBowl (something I just had to phone Paul to gloat about!). I told him that Paul was only going to be here if the Bucs got here. "Well I was kind of hoping they would too" replied the Bucs' head coach. He also remarked on how nice he thought the Bucs UK jackets were. I had a chance to talk to Warrick Dunn who is one of the nicest people you could ever meet. "I'm just chilling this week" was his comment at his presence at the game. "I've heard about you guys before" he said on discussing the Bucs UK. Warrick doesn't sign autographs or pictures, so don't even think of trying to get him to do so. He's very polite and honest about it, but he just doesn't sign things. I then decided to go looking for the bar that is run by a guy I met in Miami last year and promptly found myself to be right outside it. Five hours later, I came out again. I managed to take in an NBA game between the Atlanta Hawks and the New York Knicks at the CNN Building which is a really impressive venue. Had I been staying in Atlanta an extra night, I could have seen the NHL Thrashers play too. A couple of NFL players I got to meet were Akili Smith and Tim Couch, the first two picks from the 1999 draft. Akili is a really nice guy, down to earth and happy to sign anything or talk to anyone. Couch is a complete tosser who loves himself for being who he is. There weren't many players at the card shows this year because most of them are held outdoors and the weather was friggin' cold! No chance this year to mention to Keyshawn Johnson how Paul had just traded him from his fantasy team then! I had got over the Bucs' loss to the Rams by now (more than Paul did - he refused to watch the game on TV out of principle) and was able to enjoy what turned out to be a really great game. I was surrounded by Rams fans, but sitting next to me, as usually seems to happen, was the loudest and most obnoxious Titans' fan you can imagine. The guy was simply psychotic and sat staring at the field without blinking the whole game. He only had one chant which was along the lines of "I like Ram stew". Having watched the Rams win, it dawned on me that this St.Louis team are a lot better than people have given them credit for. They have the offensive weapons in Warner, Bruce, Hakim, Holt and Faulk, and the defense has some good players too in Kevin Carter and London Fletcher. Once the SuperBowl had finished, the real Atlanta started to emerge and this is not a nice place to be stuck in, believe me! The final word has to go to a beggar I saw outside a bar holding a McDonald's cup. I gave him some change - "Gee thanks buddy" he replied. "Only another $2,950 and I can afford a ticket for the game!" Phil Jones February 2001