View from America

By Kevin Asseo BBC Sport in California

Broadway Brady

This is supposed to be the "Super Bowl without stars."

All eyes are on Brady

Carolina's and New England's lack of marquee talent has the football media searching for storylines and the TV networks scrambling for someone to use in their ads.

But there is one man who is starting to see more than his share of the limelight.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is rapidly becoming this generation's version of 'Broadway' Joe Namath.

Namath was renowned for his playboy lifestyle while playing for the New York Jets in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and Brady is travelling the same path, albeit without the fur coats and sunglasses.

Brady's nightlife and romantic pursuits with Hollywood starlets are the chief topic of Boston's gossip columns, and then there he was last week, sitting next to the first lady at President Bush's State of the Union address in Washington.

Super Bowl without stars? Someone forgot to tell Broadway Tom.

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Quarterback question

Speaking of Brady, he's also at the centre of the biggest on-field question of the upcoming Super Bowl.

Can New England's suspect offensive line protect their quarterback from the Panthers' outstanding defence - arguably the best in the NFL?

Carolina's best hope for victory lies with their defensive front four's ability to punish Brady and force the QB into mistakes and turnovers.

Though New England's banged-up offence has not faced a front line as good as Carolina's this season, Brady's ability to stay calm in the pocket and make quick decisions should overcome the shortcomings of his protectors.

He may take some big hits along the way, but the Patriots will prevail as long as Brady keeps getting up.

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Clemens takes the hits

Former Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens dared to venture back to New York City last weekend, two weeks after ending his brief retirement to sign with his hometown team Houston.

Clemens shows off his new colours

Many in the New York press have excoriated Clemens since he flip-flopped on his retirement decision, and the response he received at the NYC baseball dinner, where he was accepting an award, was mixed at best.

Clemens, ever the sensitive soul, was stung by the criticism. "I read some of the things on the back pages. It was hurtful and it did bother me because I poured my heart out [for the Yankees]," said the future Hall-of-Fame hurler.

Well, Roger, you best get used to it.

New York supporters are an unforgiving lot, and the reception you received at Sunday's black-tie dinner is nothing compared to what awaits you on your first trip to the Big Apple as an Astros pitcher.

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Record chasers

With slightly more than a month remaining until March Madness, college basketball's championship knock-out tournament, there is a very good chance that one team, possibly two, will make it to the "Big Dance" undefeated.

St. Joseph's of Philadelphia and Stanford University of Northern California have both made it this far without a loss and can already see the light at the end of the tunnel.

St. Joseph's has the best chance to reach March Madness with an unblemished record.

The Hawks, who boast two of the best guards in the nation in Jameer Nelson and Delonte West, play in the relatively weak Atlantic-10 Conference, where they have been crushing their opposition.

Stanford, who do not have any one stand-out player but rather a deep and balanced squad, still has several difficult games remaining, though no task has proved too tough for the Cardinal this season.

While a handful of college teams have reached March Madness and even the Final Four undefeated in the past 30 years, no side since Indiana University in 1976 has won the national championship without a loss.

So keep an eye on the Hawks and the Cardinal - by the way, it is Cardinal, not Cardinals. Strange but true...