No, I have nothing to say about the Super Bowl. I recorded it on my Tivo and plan to watch the commercials at my convenience, skipping the extraneous football* action.

This morning presented some unusual news, though. Today is Groundhog Day, a holiday the Germans once called Candlemas. If a particular groundhog, one Punxsutawney Phil of Pennsylvania, sees his shadow this morn, six more weeks of winter are assured, or so reads the legend. Since the release of the Bill Murray vehicle, “Groundhog Day,” Punxsutawney has seen huge crowds of visitors flocking to their town to witness the amazing prognostications of this silly woodchuck.

I think the woodchuck — or perhaps his throng of handlers — has finally lost his mind. This morning at 7:25 AM Eastern, Phil apparently declared that under a bright sky, he saw his shadow beside him.

Punxsutawney, according to most authorities including real-time GOES imagery and National Weather Service observations, was under heavy (as in 100%) cloud cover at that time. Unless seeing his shadow from the television lights is somehow sufficient, Phil’s prediction is crap.

Of course, most woodchucks live to be no older than ten years, and according to the Groundhog Club of Punxsutawney’s Inner Circle, Phil is now 123 years old and probably suffers from some sciuridine form of Alzheimer’s disease, if he is not already among the walking undead.

In any case, Phil has clearly outlived his usefulness as a weather forecaster, and in the interest of letting younger, brighter talent take the spotlight, I’d like to suggest a new career for our old friend.

* American Football. They kind they play with their hands.