Now THAT was an amazing Super Bowl. Wow.

Here is how some of America’s leading pundits saw the Steelers’ triumph:

Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times: “In the end Sunday night, with Pittsburgh dancing and Arizona moaning and America struck dumb with the true spectacle of it all, Super Bowl XLIII will overwhelmingly be remembered for one thing. It was the greatest. From a stirring national anthem to a tingling late finish, the Steelers’ 27-23 victory over the Cardinals was the greatest Super Bowl ever, one whose Roman numbers should have been XXL for its double-extra-large helping of theatrics and dramatics.”

Greg Cote, Miami Herald: “Arizona had erased a 13-point deficit to lead 23-20 with 2:37 left after Larry Fitzgerald’s 64-yard scoring play — poised to win the franchise’s first NFL title since 1947. When a new car cost $1,500 in the black and white days before TV. That would have marked the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. And, considering the franchise’s forlorn past and Arizona’s mediocre 9-7 record this season, a Cardinals win might just have been the most unlikely Super Bowl result since the one Joe Namath famously guaranteed 40 years earlier.”

Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports: “The fourth quarter had been a disaster for the Steelers, 16 unanswered points, a tiring defense and an offense that couldn’t get out of its own way. A lesser team would’ve crumbled. A weaker-minded group would’ve pointed fingers. Anything less than a champion would’ve let the Cardinals momentum wash right over them. (Ben) Roethlisberger had no such concerns. He knew his guys. He gathered the team before that final drive, embraced the opportunity and dared his teammates. This was their chance. It’s one drive for the Super Bowl, who doesn’t want this?”

Mark Kriegel, FoxSports.com: “Hines Ward might be the soul of the Steelers. Larry Fitzgerald, who now owns Jerry Rice’s single-season playoff records, might be the best receiver in football. But as the night moved toward its finale, Santonio Holmes kept telling himself this was his game. And so it was.”

Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN.com: “Do you have any idea how hard it is to win a Super Bowl? The Steelers have now won a record-breaking six of them, two in the past four years. Fifteen of the NFL’s 32 franchises have never won one. Five have never even advanced to the game. So trying to put an Iron City six-pack into perspective is like trying to comprehend Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel or Rod Blagojevich’s hair. Some things are beyond explanation.”

Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel: “In these trying economic times, how can you not feel good that it’s the Steelers who have become the model franchise in all of professional sports? Some other of the NFL’s other dynastic franchises have come and gone, but the Steelers just keep coming. The Dallas Cowboys? They make headlines because their quarterback dates Jessica Simpson, but they haven’t won a playoff game in a dozen years.”

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

Questions to ponder while wondering if Tony La Russa spent Sunday afternoon watching the precious Puppy Bowl V:

• Why would Kurt Warner even consider retiring after a performance like that?
• Will Manny Legace answer Chris Mason’s challenge?
• Can Leo Lyons carry Saturday night’s effort into the tough games left on Mizzou’s schedule?
• What got into Kansas State all of a sudden?
• Will Michael Phelps make to the next Olympics in one piece? Or will his frat boy urges get the best of him?

AN AMAZING SUPER BOWL AD

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And check out the stories behind the story:

THE WEIRD AND WACKY OF SUPER BOWL WEEK

If have some time to kill, The Sporting Blog offers a wonderful journey though the week that was. Scroll all the way though to get an inside look at the silliness leading up to the big game. And here is a comprehensive party breakdown.

Once again, Tipsheet spent a week inside the Media Center. Here are a few observations:

• There is too much barking and growling on sports talk radio. Why are some radio stations so high on the canine demographic?
• Deacon Jones is livelier than many recent Rams draft picks, even at his advanced age.
• Joe Theismann is chatty. For everybody’s sake, he needs more TV time.
• Tipsheet would also like to thank all the swimsuit models who roamed the Radio Row. Nothing says “great radio” like swimsuit model interviews. The listeners must love them.
• Radio Row was treated to some mixed-martial arts fun between radio personalities from Baltimore and Dallas. Can’t we all get along?
• We really missed seeing Burger King and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, parade through Radio Row looking for interview opportunities. Was the King under the weather this year? Or is Terrell Owens keeping Rosenhaus too busy?

To hear some of the interviews we actually did get to do, check out the Busch Rewind feature at KFNS.com.

MEGAPHONE

“I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment. I’m 23 years old and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again.”

Michael Phelps, apologizing for his Bong Show.

ELSEWHERE ON STLTODAY

After chatting with Brian Billick on “The Sports Edge” (Noon to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday on KFNS), I wrote about the ascension of young, first-time head coaches in the NFL. The Rams hope they are on the right side of the trend. On my Hockey Guy blog, I praised Mason’s Saturday night shutout and wondered if John Davidson finally has the goaltending tandem he was shooting for last summer. Weigh in on these topics and more on my live chat later today.