Pete's Blog: Super Bowl XLV from Ozzie's: First Quarter

-The crowd is massive here, at least 150 Steelers fans upstairs, and another 150-200 downstairs. It’s a sea of black and gold on the second floor, with big screens, and tons of adults as well as families decked out in their Steeler gear.

-Christina Aguilera’s rendition of Star Spangled Banner just fired up the bar. Yeah, she oversang it, but we all knew she’d hold that last “Brave” for 10 seconds, and it didn’t matter. Good job on her end.

-Steelers start with it, and don’t impress. The three-and-out doesn’t phase the upstairs though. Feels like we’re in the bleachers at Heinze Field, with chanting and stomping of feet. ‘Stomp, Stomp’ “DEFENSE!”.

-My neighbors are Sharea, Martinique and Keta, and they are residents of North St. Louis who are wanting a Green Bay win. "We're Rams fans at heart, but tonight, it's Go Pack Go!" said Sharea as her friends nodded in agreement. 

-The downstairs erupts with the first TD strike from Rodgers to Nelson, and I officially can’t hear a thing. Can only imagine what a Steeler score will sound like.

-14-0 Packers…this downstairs is coming alive rooting for the Packers. Feels like a lot of Rams fans who turned into Packer backers, but they are loving this start.

-Just talked with Paul, from South City. A Rams' fan at heart, he's been a Packer backer for years as his second team, traveling up to Lambeau Field more than once to see games at the storied stadium. As I talk to him, the Packers get an interception return for a TD and it was like trying to talk over a fire alarm. High fives all around.

-2^nd quarter I’ll be focusing upstairs, meeting people there. Lucky I chose to start down here with the way its gone, I don’t want a plate of nachos on my head. 

-Most popular commercial so far is a tie between the Doritos commercial with the finger-licking co-worker and the Pepsi Max commercial, with the can jettisoned at an innocent bystander.