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By Sonny Jones

Which team will win the Super Bowl and how do you watch the game?

I’m not a Super Bowl party guy nor a halftime show guy and not much of a commercials guy. I plan to sit in front of the TV and watch the actual game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. For those who know me, that won’t come as a surprise.

I’m not a pregame show type. I won’t tune in for hours leading up to the kickoff. Nor will I stick around long after the game. I like watching the actual game. Period.

What about you? Are you a party person? Can’t wait for Rihanna at halftime? Wonder what the next commercial will be? Tune in early afternoon and stay tuned well past bedtime? There’s no right nor wrong answer. There are lots of options, so, all of us can enjoy the game in our way.

As for outcome, it should be a really tight, exciting game. Some Super Bowls are and some not so much.

Here’s a nugget to consider. Since 2000, quarterbacks who won the NFL’s regular-season MVP award and also played in the Super Bowl that same season are 0-9. Can Patrick Mahomes break that streak?

Here’s the list:

• Super Bowl XXXVI: MVP Kurt Warner and St. Louis lost 20-17 to New England on Feb. 3, 2002

• Super Bowl XXXVII: MVP Rich Gannon and Okaland lost 48-21 to Tampa Bay on Jan. 26, 2003

• Super Bowl XL: MVP Shaun Alexander and Seattle lost 21-10 to Pittsburgh on Feb. 5, 2006

• Super Bowl XLII: MVP Tom Brady and New England lost 17-14 to the New York Giants on Feb. 3, 2008

• Super Bowl XLIV: MVP Peyton Manning and Indianapolis lost 31-17 to New Orleans on Feb. 7, 2010

• Super Bowl XLVIII: MVP Peyton Manning and Denver lost 43-8 to Seattle on Feb. 2, 2014

• Super Bowl 50: MVP Cam Newton and Carolina lost 24-10 to Denver on Feb. 7, 2016

• Super Bowl LI: MVP Matt Ryan and Atlanta lost 34-28 to New England on Feb. 5, 2017

• Super Bowl LII: MVP Tom Brady and New England lost 41-33 to Philadelphia on Feb. 4, 2018

The last quarterback to win regular-season MVP and the Super Bowl in the same season was Warner following the 1999 season when he led St. Louis to a 23-16 win against Tennessee in Super Bowl XXXIV on Jan. 30, 2000. Brett Favre, Steve Young, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw and Bart Starr also have won MVP and the Super Bowl in the same season.

Based on that statistic, I’m going with Jalen Hurts and the Eagles 31-27.

• The Tar Heel Dixie Youth program has scheduled baseball, softball and T-ball sign-ups for Thursday, Feb. 16 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 18 at 9 a.m. inside the former fire department building across from Tar Heel Middle School. Teams are available in T-ball (ages 2-5), baseball (ages 5-12) and girls softball (ages 5-10). Information meeting is scheduled Thursday, Feb. 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Fire the Cage Batting Center, which is located inside the brick building across from Tar Heel Middle School. For more information, contact Sophia Brixie at 910-876-5364 or email tarheeldyb@gmail.com

• Bladen Recreation’s Blastball registration is now open and will continue through March 3. Blastball is co-ed for ages 3-5. Age is determined as of April 1, 2023. The fee is $30 to play. Registration can be completed online (Registration Link) or in person at the Bladen County Parks and Recreation Office, 803 West King Street in Elizabethtown. Information: 910-862-6770.

• Bladen Recreation’s Adult Co-Ed Volleyball registration continues through February 24. Fee is $30 per person. Players must be 18 years of age by February 1, 2023. Team captains can pick up a registration packet from Bladen County Parks and Recreation, request to be emailed a packet or print the packet from bladeninfo.org under the Parks and Recreation Department. Information: 910-862-6770.

• Clarkton Dixie Youth Baseball has scheduled player registration for Saturday, February 18 and Saturday, Feb. 25, from 10 a.m.-noon at Clarkton DYB Complex. Teams are available for ages 7 through 12. Player evaluations on March 4 at the facility are Coach-Pitch (ages 7-8) at 11 a.m., Minors (ages 9-10) at 1 p.m. and Majors (ages 11-12) at 3 p.m. For more information, call Graham Burney at 910-874-4457.

• Elizabethtown Dixie Youth Baseball player registration is available online. At the top of the TeamPass website, choose “select league”, then click Elizabethtown DYB from the drop-down box. Register your player by clicking here. Player evaluations are scheduled Saturday, March 4 at Leinwand Park. Coach-Pitch (ages 7-8) at 11 a.m., Minors (ages 9-10) at 1 p.m. and Majors (ages 11-12) at 3 p.m. For more information, call after 5 p.m. either Mark Gillespie at 910-876-7394 or Kyle Bostic at 910-874-2257.

• The Lu Mil Wine Run 5k is scheduled Saturday, April 8 at the vineyard located on the outskirts of Dublin. Proceeds will benefit the Dublin Peanut Festival. The event will start at 9 a.m. Registration fee is $25 through Feb. 24 and $60 afterward and includes a T-shirt, wine glass, finisher medal, race bib and, of course, a pour of wine. Click here to register. Lu Mil Vineyard is located at 438 Suggs-Taylor Road, Elizabethtown.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

• 2007 — Duke, saddled by its first four-game losing skid in 11 years, falls out of The Associated Press men’s poll for the first time since the end of the 1995-96 season. The Blue Devils had been in the media poll for 200 straight weeks — the second longest streak behind UCLA’s record 221 weeks.

POTATO PICKS TO WATCH TODAY

• SOCCER: Manchester United at Leeds United, 9 a.m., USA

• SOCCER: Aston Villa at Manchester City, 11:30 a.m., USA

• WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: N.C. State at Virginia, noon, BALLY SOUTH

• WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Boston College at North Carolina, noon, ACCN

• PGA: Phoenix Open, 1 p.m., GOLF and 3 p.m., CBS

• NHL: San Jose at Washington, 1:30 p.m., NHLN

• WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Miami at Duke, 2 p.m., BALLY SOUTH

• NBA: Memphis at Boston, 2 p.m., ABC

• NFL: Super Bowl – Kansas City vs. Philadelphia, 6:30 p.m., FOX

Sonny Jones can be reached at wibbyj@gmail.com.