The Diluting of Ground Hog Day

The sun has long set on another Ground Hog Day, and until this year I never realized that a lot of places have gotten into the act. Not sure how I feel about this, but I’m sure the people out there around Gobblers Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania feel that their quaint little event has been cheapened.

Looking through the list I was a little surprised to see ‘Staten Island Chuck’. You’ve got to be kidding me, right? To top it off, apparently this particular rodent lives in the Staten Island Zoo. I guess I don’t mind that some of these small towns and hamlets have gotten into the Ground Hog Day act, but I find it a little nauseating that New York City felt compelled to muscle in on the action too.

On a positive note, I noticed that there weren’t any West Coast entrees, so either there aren't many meteorologically inclined groundhogs there, or they're simply too busy chasing mythical monsters like Bigfoot.  Actually, this probably isn't too far off the mark since they’re currently trying to understand the meaning of all those giant squids that have been invading the beaches by the hundreds.

Postscript:  In a dramatic counter-move, the citizens of Gobblers Knob have agreed to the production of a Groundhog Day-themed Super Bowl spot featuring Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The ad promotes the new truTV series NFL FULL CONTACT, which premieres the day after the Super Bowl: Monday, Feb. 8, at 10 p.m. In the ad, Troy plays the role of “Punxsutawney Polamalu.”