Everyone Is an Expert at Picking This Game

You’ve heard the experts’ Super Bowl predictions. Here is what some fans have to say:

--Mike Royko, columnist for the Chicago Tribune: “I don’t like either team. I can’t stand any San Francisco team. The thought of San Francisco winning it, you ruined my morning just asking me. I’m sick of San Francisco. If they win the Super Bowl, all we’ll hear . . . is that they’re the team of the decade.

“And then Denver. Colorado and Denver and the Rocky Mountains and that wimpy singer singing about Rocky Mountain high. Neither team deserves to be champion.”

--John Wooden, former UCLA basketball coach: “I think the 49ers will win primarily because they have great balance on offense and defense. They’re not a one-man team, but they have one great player, one of the best ever--Joe Montana. Denver has a great player also in (John) Elway, but they don’t have that great balance. I would pick the 49ers because of Montana, but Elway can score from any place at any time. 49ers by 10.”

--Jerry Mathers, the Beaver: “The 49ers, because I went to school at Berkeley and I’ve been following them for a long time. They deserve it . . . Montana is great. Denver’s a good team, but they just don’t have it. 28-14.”

Trivia time: Which state’s high schools have produced the most players participating in today’s Super Bowl?

Fast forward: CBS analyst Terry Bradshaw, on the possibility of a lopsided victory by the 49ers: “If a game’s a blowout, I turn it off, and I know the public’s like that. For instance, I watched about three quarters of the Denver-Cleveland (AFC title) game and then went fishing. I had my wife tape the Rams and 49ers, and when I got back and heard the score, I just threw it away.”

No wake, please: Porter Wharton, a public relations consultant who has been hired to coordinate Monday’s “welcome home” events in Denver, on why a quiet reception will be held instead of a parade if the Broncos lose: “The organization has always appreciated the show of support from fans, but it’s a very difficult situation for everyone after (a loss). The players are very down and very tired, and it’s better to keep things low-key.”

Bumper crop: Jesse Sapolu, 49er center, on why linemen should enjoy greater longevity in the NFL than linebackers or running backs: “If you put two cars about a foot apart and ram them against each other time after time, and then you get two of the same kind of cars and put them 10 yards apart, and they ram each other full speed, I think the two 10 yards apart wouldn’t last as long.”

Starting out small: How far has Mike Holmgren, the 49ers’ offensive coordinator, come in coaching? He started at Sacred Heart High in San Francisco. Said Holmgren: “It’s a small parochial school and I was helping out a friend of mine as assistant coach. We lost our first 22 games.”

Stare wars: The 49ers’ Harris Barton on the difference between Coach George Seifert and Seifert’s predecessor, Bill Walsh: “Bill was like Darth Vader. You never knew what he was thinking. He was always watching you. There were so many things he was particular about, like keeping your shirt tucked in and not cussing. There was definitely a dark side.”

Burning bright: Seifert on former Raider Matt Millen, now with the 49ers: “He’s a leader. He’s a Jack Reynolds-type player. He brings a certain pizazz and fire to the game. He’s totally into football.”

Pleasure before business: CBS Radio’s Jack Buck, who will cover the Super Bowl for the 10th consecutive year: “Doing the game on radio is more fun; doing it on television means more money.”

Trivia answer: Of the 94 players, 13 played high school ball in California, 12 in Texas. The Broncos have eight former California high school players; the 49ers have eight former Texas schoolboy stars.

Quotebook: CBS analyst John Madden: “I think the Super Bowl is the ultimate hang. And I enjoy hangs.”