Puppy Bowl

We already learned a bit of background on the pups and the referee in Part I, now let's hear more about the action, including this year's "streaker" (!) on the field, in the interview below.
PetSugar: What do you say to yourself when you get up that morning?
Ref: I look myself in the mirror for a long time, in the eye, and I say: 'This is your calling, this is what you're meant to do.' It's what I'm born into, my destiny.

PetSugar: Do you have any secret weapons on hand in case things get a little hairy?
Ref: Just experience and I consult the Puppy Bowl referee guidebook. I like to keep a little peanut butter behind the ears sometimes, but otherwise it's just my strong bond with the dogs and they know who's boss when I'm out there.

PetSugar: How many pups play at a time?
Ref: There are 10 to 12 dogs out there but we do have substitutions. You'll see that on the field, if a puppy's acting up and has too many penalties or is being a dirty dog, I have to eject him from the game. We give everyone a fair shot and I tell you, the puppies we have this year are some of the cutest but also you'll see there's so much action, touchdowns being scored, tackles, it's an exciting year for Puppy Bowl.

PetSugar: Which penalty do you see most and how do you keep order?
Ref: There's two: The first is unnecessary ruffness (r-u-f-f, of course) and then the other one is a personal foul. As you can imagine, there are a lot of foul things on that field with puppies. But I throw my yellow flag on it – it's a dirty job but someone's got to do it.

Learn about the special guest performer before Puppy Bowl V, kitty halftime, and this year's "streaker" (!) when you read more

Ummm, of course, I jumped at the chance to interview the referee of Puppy Bowl because I can barely imagine a cooler job! Lucky for us, Ref. Andrew had tons to say about what he describes as "puppies pretending to play football in a miniature football stadium with 'Puppy Penalties,' 'Fido First Downs,' and 'Terrier Tackles' – it's the cutest two hours of television you could ever ask for."I agree and will absolutely tune into Animal Planet on Feb.1 at 3 p.m. to the action on the gridiron. Find out what it's like behind the scenes and start the first of my two-part interview below.

PetSugar: How did you get this job?
Ref: I'd say that it's very similar to American Idol where they fill arenas with potential hopefuls that want to be the ref . . . but, in reality, I was already working for Animal Planet. I like to think I was born into the position. Some people are teachers, some people are firemen, and I referee adorable little puppies pretending to play football – it was meant to be.

PetSugar: What's your practice like in the off-season?
Ref: It's a strict regimen. I mostly eat carbohydrates and sugars to stay fueled and I train in dog parks with big dogs so that I'm ready for the little ones. I've got a really strict exercise regimen as well – gotta be in tip-top shape for the puppies.

Learn more about the "athletes" themselves and read more

On Feb. 1, the Cardinals and Steelers will come together on the gridiron for the Super Bowl . . . or so I've been told. However, once again, I'm counting down to another kind of bowl, the most magical kind of all: Puppy Bowl!
Seriously, how amazing would it be to referee the gridiron for this friendly, furry competition instead?! I'm thinking it seems like one of the most amazing ways to spend an afternoon (IMO, waaaaay better than football) and I'm getting the chance to interview the ref himself about his job. Now I can think of a bunch of questions off the top of my head, but I know you've got some of your own. Help me think of great things to ask and suggest them in your comments below.

The Super Bowl is playing it relatively safe with its halftime entertainment this year, lining up a show by Tom Petty, who is — how shall I put this? — not exactly known for doing suggestive things with his guitar. If you're bored by the idea of "Free Fallin'," cable networks are dialing up their own halftime programming. As the head of the dude-focused Spike TV told the Hollywood Reporter:

"We see an opportunity at halftime because young viewers may not be into watching a musical performance suited to older guys. To get the competitive juices flowing, we have a better idea."

That idea? A competitive eating contest in two stages: an appetizer of scarfing hard-boiled eggs, followed by a headliner of devouring ham.

Some others:

• Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl will air its own halftime show, the Kitten Bowl.
• Oxygen is putting the premiere of Deion and Pilar: Prime Time Love, a reality show starring former NFL player Deion Sanders, online for two hours, starting roughly around halftime. It will also cut away from programming to show it on TV during the halftime show itself.

So, what'll it be? Kitties? Eggs? Or is Tom Petty sounding better and better?

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