Super Sunday

While New Year's Eve is usually a big party, it can't contend with the magnitude of Super Sunday -- when, depending on your point of view, the biggest game of the year is on television, or the best commercials of the year make their debut.

The Super Bowl is huge in every aspect. According to Hallmark Cards, it is the top at-home party event of the entire year, surpassing New Year's Eve. And according to the American Institute of Food Distribution, it is second only to Thanksgiving in terms of the largest food consumption days.

This year, the Oakland Raiders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will square off, but that doesn't even seem to matter to many. It's all about the party, they say.

"Oh, I don't even care who plays in the game. I don't follow football all that much, but the Super Bowl is the Super Bowl and you have to watch it," said Leah Brice of Palmer, who said she and her husband -- a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan -- always go to their neighbor's Super Bowl party. "I go more for the party than the game."

Mark Agerio, a Wasilla carpenter who proclaims he is the world's biggest Minnesota Vikings fan, said the matchup isn't as important as the lineup -- the food lineup, that is.

"You gotta have chicken wings, nachos, salsa and some pizza. And you need some beverages, you know, some beers and sodas, to keep everyone happy" said Agerio, who hosts a Super Bowl party at his house every year. "You have to have things you can watch a game while you're eating, like chips and dips and stuff."

Hosting a Super Bowl party can be big work, as Agerio attests. He said he has between 10 and 20 people show up every year, which is right around the national average. According to Hallmark, the average number of people at a Super Bowl party is 17. Just as the teams spend all year getting ready for the big game, if you are the host with the most, you better start getting ready for the big party.

"I do all the shopping for the party the week before the game, because you can't be running out at the last second for more stuff," Agerio said. "My wife thinks I'm crazy, but it's the Super Bowl."

If Agerio is spotted at Fred Meyer buying avocados, he won't be the only person there. According to the California Avocado Commission, eight million pounds of guacamole is eaten on Super Bowl Sunday.

Wasilla's Rich Dursten said the secret to hosting a good Super Bowl party is having an extra television or two so that everybody can see the game.

"You have the real serious football fans who are glued to the screen during the game, and then you have the wives who are more interested in the commercials and want to talk during the game," Dursten said. "We put a second TV in another part of our living room so people can see. We usually only have a handful of people come over, but it makes it nicer."

The National Electronic Dealers Association agrees that Dursten may be on to something with his television theory. The association reported that sales of large-screen televisions increase five times during the week preceding the big game. Most fans will be buying televisions rather than getting married -- Super Bowl weekend is the slowest weekend of the year for weddings.

It is a big weekend for bars, however. The second most popular choice for viewing the Super Bowl is watching it at a bar. Between the bars and Super Bowl parties, almost everybody has a place to go. According to the Web site www.superbowl.com, about 95 percent of people watch the game with at least one more person.

Like Brice, many people who don't follow football or have interest in sports will attend, or even host, a Super Bowl party. That's how big the event has gotten during the last decade.

"All the hype that it generates gets people excited about the game," said Jessie Thomas, a Big Lake trucker. "Whether you like football or not, you're going to watch the Super Bowl. My wife doesn't have a clue about football, but she watches the Super Bowl."

For those who are watching for the game, kickoff is scheduled for 2:18 p.m. Alaska Standard Time.

The game is being played in San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium.

And if the Super Bowl party gets a little out of hand and the post-game celebration is pretty wild, you're not alone. Statistics show that 6 percent of Americans will call in sick the Monday after the game.

Recipes from the NFL

JEFF BLAKE'S STUFFED MUSHROOMS

1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1/4 cup real bacon bits

2 cloves garlic, minced

20 medium mushroom caps

1 cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, blend the cream cheese, Parmesan, bacon bits, and garlic. Spoon about a tablespoon of the mixture into each of the mushroom caps. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top. Arrange the mushroom caps in a baking dish. Bake until the cheese is melted. Serve hot.

Jeff Blake is a quarterback in the NFL.

JEFF FISHER'S BBQ PORK TENDERLOIN

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

fresh ground pepper to taste

2 pork tenderloins

In a medium mixing bowl or large glass measuring cup combine the garlic and olive oil. Add the Worcestershire sauce and stir. Add the soy sauce and teriyaki sauce and mix well. Add fresh ground pepper to taste. Lay the pork tenderloins in a large glass baking dish. Pour the marinade over the tenderloins. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator 1 to 6 hours prior to use. Prepare the barbecue coals. Grill the pork tenderloin over the coals until degree of desired doneness is reached. Slice and serve.

Jeff Fisher is the head coach of the Tennessee Titans.