Since the Patriots first made it to the Super Bowl in 1986 they really haven’t had to worry much about what the weather would be like on game day.

In 1986 when they lost against the Chicago Bears they played inside the Superdome in New Orleans.

In 1997 when they lost to the Green Bay Packers they were also playing in the Superdome.

In 2002 when they beat the St. Louis Rams they once again played indoors at the Superdome. 

In 2004 when they were victorious over the Carolina Panthers they also played indoors but this time at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Finally in 2005 they played outdoors at Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida where they went on to beat the Philadelphia Eagles.  The weather in Jacksonville on that day, the high temperature was 65 degrees with a sustained northeast winds of 10 mph.

In 2008 when they lost against the New York Giants they were once again indoors in Glendale, Arizona at the University of Phoenix Stadium.

Now in 2012 the weather will once again not be an issue as the Patriots take on the New York Giants inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. But in case you’re wondering what the weather will be like there anyway, it is forecasted to be mostly sunny with highs in the 40s.

If you’re planning on going to the Super Bowl any time in the future, it’s not just the cost of your ticket you have to take into consideration. You also better be prepared to pay to park.

How much, you ask? How about $300.

That’s what our parking attendant said they anticipate charging for a spot on game day. To be fair, we have been parking in a lot right behind Lucas Oil Stadium, but nevertheless the price of parking has been going up since we arrived in Indianapolis, and it will surely hit its peak Sunday night.

Other lots, a little farther from the stadium  have advertised prices of $195 per space, which you have to reserve in advance online.

Keep in mind, these parking prices are just for your car. Looking to bring a party bus? That could run you up to $780 for game day and $1800 for the whole weekend!

If you’re willing to walk a little more than three miles, you can pay $55 per space.

As mentioned earlier, the prices are already on their way up. We parked in a garage on Thursday for the normal going rate. The next day, we parked in the lot behind the stadium at $20. Saturday, that same spot cost $30, which was $10 less than some neighboring lots.

Suffice it to say that on game day, we are planning on finding a place to park that is far, far away.

Just about everyone has, will or is going to a Super Bowl party.  It’s usually a blast, food, friends, drinks, etc.  It becomes a late night on a Sunday and work productivity is lacking at best on Monday.

For years and years and years, when my parents used to make me go to bed before the Super Bowl ended, I always thought Super Bowl Sunday should be played the day before the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday.   Then many people would have the Monday after the Super Bowl off.

Now that the NFL has expanded its season, added bye weeks and plays the Super Bowl in February, why not make the game the day before the President’s Day holiday.  If the NFL ever expands to 18 games or adds an extra bye week, that may happen on its own.

Until then, let’s just move the President’s Day holiday up to follow the Super Bowl.

This year, President’s day will be observed on February 20th, it misses the Super Bowl by two weeks.  George Washington was born on February 22nd.  Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12th, his birthday isn’t observed in all states, but it is in New York, Connecticut and others.

Let’s just scrap the difference and make the day after the Super Bowl a federal holiday, President’s Day.  We can even play the Super Bowl in Washington, DC some years. 

It may not be what our founding fathers had in mind, but in the Declaration of Independence it says “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

I’m still pursuing that happiness and few things would make me happier than having a day off the day after the Super Bowl. 

It is election season, President Obama, Mitt, Newt, Ron take the hint, I’m sure this would sway some undecided voters!

That and focing the NCAA to have a football playoff, but that argument is for another day.

Two weeks between games! Two weeks! It makes sense for the NFL, teams have to take care of their ticket requests and also have time to focus on the game.  It makes sense for fans travelling to the Super Bowl to finalize their plans.

It just doesn’t make sense for the 99% of the country (made up statistic) that doesn’t go to the Super Bowl.  I’m almost ready for Spring Training.  Last Sunday was my first reality check that the football season is almost over. there wasn’t a game on TV for the first time since Labor Day (I don’t count the glorified flag football game that is the Pro Bowl). 

I’ve been in Indianapolis since Thursday and I’m already sick of waiting for kickoff.  Let’s play already!  I know it’s not going to happen, nonetheless, it’s going to be exciting on Sunday.

Prediction: Patriots 31 Giants 24
My guess for MVP: Wes Welker
Backup MVP: Ben-Jarvus Green Ellis (I predict 3 Td’s)
Likely MVP: Tom Brady

We have heard of a lot of different ways to predict super bowl wins; from computerized formulas to expert analysis. A more recent, albeit less advanced method, has gotten a lot of media attention in recent years; animals being used to decide game outcomes. The method was brought to worldwide attention in 2010 when Paul the Octopus in Germany correctly predicted the outcomes of that year’s World Cup soccer matches. In making his prediction, Paul selected food from within one of two boxes, with each box bearing the national flag of the teams playing in the match; the box Paul selected was supposed to be the winner; and in his case, it was!

Since then, other animals have been used to make similar predictions. On 22News’ Mass Appeal, two Australian Bearded Dragons from the Forest Park Zoo were used to predict a Patriots win in the AFC Championship game against the Ravens. The dragon assigned to the Patriots got to eat a cricket faster; sealing the prediction for the Pats.

On Nantucket, Quentin the Quahog, who is also used by islanders to predict the weather, predicted that the Patriots would win the Super Bowl by three points.

Unorthodox as it is, as seen in the past, this method has been fairly successful, so we took the question to the streets of Indianapolis. Patriots fan Scott told 22News that he had no problem with this kind of prediction. “I’d take a Vermont cow to pick the Patriots any day!” he said.

Where the Patriots go, the cheerleaders go too, and the New England Patriots cheerleaders are out practicing for the big game. While they’ve been really busy getting ready, they did stop to talk with reporters and members of the public at an event Friday night at their hotel, the Crowne Plaza Airport.

Among the cheerleaders in attendance was Siobhan O’Keefe, who is currently a student at UMass-Amherst. She told 22News that she is excited to be cheering in her first Super Bowl. “We’re having a blast, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” In fact, for all of the Patriots cheerleaders, this is their first time at the Super Bowl; the team has a three year retirement policy. O’Keefe is in her second year with the team, and as such will have one more chance to go to the Super Bowl again.

Cheerleader Athena Lazo of Southbridge told 22News that for her, one of the most exciting things was performing on the Today Show Friday morning. “Adam Levine was there, and I have such a crush on Adam Levine,” Lazo said.

22News will be assembling a photo gallery of all the Patriots cheerleaders later tonight. You can find that here on WWLP.com! Now, it is off to downtown Indy to catch some of the excitement there. The biggest crowds yet are expected downtown for the performance of the hit musical group LMFAO.

Indianapolis is incredibly crowded Friday afternoon, two days before the big game. Thousands of people have flooded the city’s streets- with many streets closed off to traffic and some surrounding streets moving so slowly that they might as well be closed.

It is in this extremely crowded atmosphere that I tried to secure a cab ride. With the streets so packed with people, free taxis are few and far between, even at the JW Marriott, the hotel that’s the destination of many famous people (I was definitely not the only one waiting for a cab there.) After leaving the hotel to try to find a cab of my own, I was finally able to get one several blocks away.

My cab driver told me that since the event began, he has been extremely busy, and a few of the people he has driven were former super bowl players (though he could not remember exactly which ones.

I finally made my arrival at the Crowne Plaza Indianapolis Airport about 30 minutes after getting into the cab (most of that time was spent in traffic). I am now at an event starring the New England Patriots cheerleaders! Stay with WWLP.com for more on this exciting event!

With all the fun activities available in downtown Indianapolis in advance of the big game, what would cause hundreds of people to spend hours just standing around outside a hotel? The search for celebrities, of course!

Hundreds of people are lined up inside and outside the JW Marriot hotel in downtown Indianapolis, where many famous names are staying.

Betty Widbin of New Palestine, IN is one of those who staked out a spot in the lobby to look for celebrities. Widbin, who lives nearby and has been driving into the city, says this is her fourth day of going to the events in Indianapolis. She told 22News that she has seen Tim Tebow, Adam Sandler, Deion Sanders, and Jimmy Fallon (she got tickets to his show, which airs on NBC.) “He was hillarious,” she said. While the celebrity sightings are exciting for her, she told 22News that she had really just originally came down to hang out, attend the free concerts, and watch people go down the zip line.

“We are proud of our city, we’ve never had anything like this around here this big, that’s for sure.” Widbin said. She added that the downtown area has really improved “This downtown is amazing now.”

Meanwhile 22News is also on the lookout for celebrities, at the JW Marriot so far I saw Vanilla Ice, but that was just as I was approaching the hotel and I was unable to get a picture. Stay with us, on air, online, and on the go- tonight we will be going to a New England Patriots cheerleader event, and will be on celebrity watch outside the exclusive St. Elmo’s Steakhouse!

22News is on its way to the big game! 22News reporter Ryan Walsh and I are currently at Chicago’s Midway Airport awaiting our flight to our final destination: Indianapolis, home of Super Bowl XLVI.

While we are on our trip to Indianapolis, we will be bringing you the excitement that this major event is bringing to this city! This event is not just about football; it has grown to a major cultural event and a place for the stars to be seen. We’ll be attending some VIP parties, and hopefully getting in some interviews with celebrities!

Stay with 22News on air, online, and on the go to keep track of our trip!