A word of praise for CBS, which helped organize the “Baghdad Bowl” for troops in Iraq (hat tip: Debbie Schlussel):

Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, January 25, 2007

The inaugural Baghdad Bowl, in Iraq, will air during CBS’ Super Bowl pregame show, USA Today reported Wednesday.

CBS analyst Randy Cross told the paper that he pitched the idea after visiting a U.S. military base in Afghanistan last year. The idea, USA Today wrote, is for U.S. soldiers in Iraq — men and women — to don Colts and Bears jerseys for a touch football game that, he joked, “will give you an early indication” of the Super Bowl winner.

USA Today:

…the game balls, which will emulate Super Bowl balls, will be emblazoned with “Baghdad Bowl” lettering. After all, Cross says, “The idea is to bring some degree of normalcy to the troops.”

Chicago Tribune:

It is one of America’s biggest bases in Iraq, and it is primed for the biggest football game of the year.

At Camp Anaconda, the sprawling supply base 40 miles north of Baghdad, Army soldiers and Air Force airmen ate meals at the base’s four chow halls under football-themed decorations. They have been watching days of pre-Super Bowl sports specials on widescreen televisions. And they are planning for a 2 a.m. kickoff early Monday with an enthusiasm seldom shared for that hour of the morning.

Every TV we passed by during our short trip to Baghdad was tuned to sports. I bunked with a few ladies at Camp Victory who set their alarm clocks for the crack of dawn to catch a Gators game. Glad to see the network do something nice for the troops.