This is a huge weekend. Not only will I be venturing down to Tunica, MS to gamble my hard earned money at the chance of making a minuscule return, not only will a billion people be tuning in to The Super Bowl pitting the perfect Patriots against the galvanized Giants (nice use of alliteration), this weekend is even more special because it plays host to The Puppy Bowl. Last year was the first time I tuned into Animal Planet to catch this spectacle. And…it…was…awesome. If you are new to The Puppy Bowl here are the ground rules. They put 4-5 puppies in a play area that looks like a football field. They let the puppies do what puppies do and the madness ensues. The best part is when there are penalties (usually for going to the bathroom). The “referee” pulls the puppy out and cleans up the mess. If you thought CBS had cool cameras you haven’t seen the water cam yet. The water bowls have a clear bottom and the camera looks up into the bowl. INCREDIBLE.The lineup this year looks a little weak…mainly because there are no black labs. But if I had to put money on it I would go with Bruin an Alaskan Malamute. I have never actually heard of that bread but he looks like a beast of a dog. There are a couple other dogs like they mean business but you can never tell with puppies.
If watching puppies run around and fight isn’t enough excitement for you, Barstoolsports.com encourages its readers to make prop bets (a prop bet is a side bet that you place with other spectators). So, for instance, first puppy to poop, first one to play in the water bowl, first one to bark and the list goes on. Even if you don’t watch for the full three hours (3pm Eastern to 6pm) a couple minutes of this is well worth it. If you are lucky enough to have HD television, Animal Planet is in HD now and for the first year so is The Puppy Bowl. So sit back this weekend…enjoy the festivities surrounding The Super Bowl but give The Puppy Bowl a couple minutes of your time. You can thank me later (also thank Sean since he reminded me about The Puppy Bowl).