Buccaneers Certainly Singing His Praises Now

Spent some one-on-one time with Celine Dion before the Super Bowl, got an extended handshake from her and I probably should have apologized for not letting go. I had no idea her husband was so protective.

She said she was excited about singing, “God Bless America,” and uniting Raider and Buccaneer fans, and since I was still holding her hand, I just didn’t feel right telling her she was clueless. (I wonder what would have happened had Kevin Brown and I started holding hands when we first met?)

After leaving Celine, I joined TimesSports Editor Bill Dwyre -- the only thing missing was the sound of “Beauty and the Beast” playing in the background -- and then got great news via cell phone near the end of the first quarter: The guy who had won the Super Bowl/Bachelorette Contest and a free ticket to the game hadn’t dumped the daughter yet.

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I HAD also asked to meet with Shania Twain, intrigued because her husband’s name is “Mutt,” and I wondered what her pet name for him could be. NFL officials, however, didn’t seem to be in any hurry to help me satisfy my curiosity, still peeved that I had spied on the Raiders earlier in the week and my suggestion that I might tell Tampa Bay Coach Jon Gruden everything I had learned.

Then I watched Twain perform, forgot all about the husband, and told NFL officials I had only nice things to write about one of their performers. This has never happened before, of course, but I was true to my word and told her she was the best performer I had seen all night in silver and black.

She seemed to really like that, so I said it again, and she grabbed my paw (I wanted to make her feel comfortable) and shook it. I am used to women shaking my hand, of course, because I dated a lot before getting married.

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THE LAKERS’ Rick Fox came along, wanted to shake my hand, and you can imagine what a letdown that was.

The daughter called again on the cell phone, said she had her picture taken with NYPD Blue’s Dennis Franz, and I can’t wait to find out who she thought was better looking? Sipowicz or the Super Bowl/Bachelorette Contest winner.

In somewhat of a shock, she said she was still sitting with the contest winner, and they were located two rows up from Jennifer Love Hewitt. That explained it.

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WHEN THE halftime show ended, I ran into John Elway, who was leaving the stadium with two quarters to play, and wondered, “Don’t you believe in comebacks?”

“Not tonight,” Elway said, and then we shared a wonderful laugh at the Raiders’ expense -- making it an all-around perfect night.

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NOW I had no idea a simple thing like a pair of $32 binoculars bought at Radio Shack could decide a Super Bowl, but then I didn’t know any other way to get a good look at what the Raiders were doing in practice earlier in the week from the hill overlooking the Charger facility.

“It seemed like they knew everything we were going to do,” said Raider fullback Jon Ritchie, and “imagine that,” I mumbled.

I had no idea it would mean so much to the Bucs knowing ahead of time where Rich Gannon might aim his passes. Five interceptions. I wonder if that is a Super Bowl record “for most interceptions by one team when given help earlier in the week by a spy?”

I’m sure the Bucs did a lot of homework on their own, but I’ll tell you, I felt a little uncomfortable when Gruden made such a big deal of hugging me at his victory news conference. The last time he did anything like that, I had given him seven shots a side while playing golf -- it’s that important for him to think he has any chance at all of winning.

“The Raiders said they thought you picked up some of their audibles in the game -- is that correct?” Gruden was asked after the game.

He could answer honestly, “That must be a conspiracy theory; I’m unaware of that,” because he knew the FBI and police were stopping everyone from climbing lower down the hill to watch the Raiders practice.

To maintain cover, of course, I went over to Keyshawn Johnson, knowing that the Tampa Bay receiver is at war with the media, and since he went to USC he really doesn’t like certain members of the media, but then he hugged me too.

“The only thing that would have made this better,” said Johnson, his arm draped around me, “is if we had done this in Los Angeles.”

Don’t know how much better it can get, though, than Marcus Allen going into the Hall of Fame on the same weekend that Al Davis is here taking a bow for making it to the Super Bowl after an 19-year drought and then getting humiliated.

Don’t know how much better it can get than 81 degrees, a super Sunday in San Diego, Celine, Shania, the daughter not getting attacked, Gruden crowned king for a year and Commissioner Paul Tagliabue not having to hand the Lombardi Trophy to Davis.

Rick Fox making a few more shots, OK, now that would make things a little better, but we’ve got time to work on that.

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STEVE SOBOROFF, who has never received the credit he deserves for his role in getting Staples Center built downtown, annually treats Big Brother and Big Sister youngsters to the Super Bowl. Soboroff, a Big Brother for 35 years, boarded an early morning train in Los Angeles along with Sasha Flowers, 12, and Manuel Magana, 16, for the trek to San Diego. There were rumors Manuel had a rooting interest in the Raiders, but it’s hoped this experience will remind him there are so many better teams out there than those guys.

Just as long as someone doesn’t turn him on to the Chargers instead.

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T.J. Simers can be reached at

t.j.simers@latimes.com.