what vs. what?

[calimac]

Joe Montana led the 49ers to an impressive 26-21 win over the Bengals, passing for one TD and running for one -- but he didn't free the slaves.

What?

Well, it's all part of an argument to prove that the sixteenth U.S. President, one A. Lincoln, was better, or more significant, or more fun to watch, or something, than Super Bowl XVI, good as the latter was - heck, even I remember that one, once you remind me which one it was, and I pay no attention to football at all.

It appears that this year is Super Bowl XLIV (that's 44 once you invent digits) during the administration of the 44th President (that's if you assume there were two identical twins both named Grover Cleveland, which, frankly, I don't).

So that unique (to date, and one hopes it's never to be repeated) numbering coincidence has caused this guy to decide to blog a countdown - Presidents vs. Super Bowls, head to head.

I read about this in the New Yorker that came out today, and immediately sent the link off to my younger brothers. They should love it. They were born with the football-watching gene; I wasn't. But I taught them about the Presidents. Its locale has been lost in the mists of time, but a tape was made of my youngest brother at the age of five, naming all the Presidents up to that time, in order. The fact that a five-year-old had that knowledge was my doing. (He still knows them, too.)

We also played with President dolls, little painted plaster statues about three inches high, which ... well, another time.

Anybody who likes both pop history and pop football, the way some people like to combine the tastes of chocolate and peanut butter (ych!), will get a kick out of this.