CHAMPIONS! AMAZING RAMS BEAT TITANS TO CLAIM FIRST SUPER BOWL FOR ST. LOUIS; SUPER BOWL PARTIES THROUGHOUT CITY RING IN 23-16 RAMS' WIN

Whatever the reason, few people in Cape Girardeau strayed from their homes and television sets Sunday. They were preparing to watch the St. Louis Rams capture the Super Bowl XXXIV title.

The Rams defeated the Titans 23-16 in a game that found the Titans on the 1-yard line as time ran out. It was St. Louis Rams' first Super Bowl win.

In preparation for Super Bowl Sunday, area football fans geared up for the game with plenty of food and festivities. Whether they gathered at the local bar or with friends and relatives at home, Super Bowl parties were the place to be.

Eric and Sonya Norman were hosts to a Super Bowl party for about 25 friends and family Sunday evening.

Watching on a big-screen television, the crowd offered cheers and screams during each Rams' score.

At the end, "My heart was pounding and I was pacing around," Eric Norman said. "I was on the edge of the chair. I really get into the game. At one point I was down on one knee."

But there weren't always cheers. Norman admitted throwing a pillow at the TV when referees called another penalty against the Rams.

"During the game it's the most important thing in the world," Norman said. "But after the game, it's just a game."

Sonya Norman, in between trips to and from the kitchen, said the day is "just about having fun."

The group has a feast of food: Chili pie, pasta with carbonara sauce, lasagna, sausage balls, summer sausage, chips and cheese dip, wieners wrapped in crescent rolls, buffalo wings and a table of desserts.

"It's just your basic Super Bowl staples," Sonya said.

For those people who didn't want to prepare their party fare, pizza delivery businesses in the area offered an alternative.

Scott Wright, manager at Papa John's Pizza on North Kingshighway, said the phones had been busy all afternoon Sunday. Usually the store gets busiest between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.

The crew of 17 had the game on, but depending on how busy things got they probably wouldn't watch. "We don't expect to hear it or watch," Wright said.

Across town at Domino's Pizza on North Sprigg Street, delivery drivers and cooks won't even get a chance to watch the Super Bowl game. The television reception for Channel 3, which aired the game, wasn't good enough at Domino's to see any picture.

But the crews probably were too busy to notice much of what's happening at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Most of the pizza delivery orders have been delayed orders, said Bryan LaPlant, assistant manager for the Domino's Pizza. Several college fraternities and sororities planning parties had already placed large orders by 3 p.m.

One group wanted three cases the equivalent of 45 pounds of chicken wings and 20 pizzas, LaPlant said.

Some drivers volunteered for the Super Bowl shift because they can make a lot of money in tips, he said. Others wanted to be off so they could watch the game.

Even though they had to work, police officers and firefighters in Cape Girardeau had access to the football game in their station houses.

Firefighters at Station No. 2 decided to have a Super Bowl party even if they couldn't see the game on a big screen. The four-man crew watched the game on a 25-inch television set at the station house.

Even though he's not been a Rams fan, Mark Starnes was ready for the game. Starnes and firefighters Brad Dillow, Dean Lynn and Jeff Crites mixed up a pot of chili, a platter of nachos and plenty of buffalo wings for game time.

"We've split up the cooking and the eating too," Starnes said. By 3:30 p.m., most of the nachos were already eaten.

Depending on the crew working, firefighters at the station often have a Super Bowl party. Even if they don't have food, there is usually a television to watch. And because Sundays usually mean less calls, there was a good chance the crew would get to see the entire game.

"I'm still hoping the Pittsburgh Steelers will squeak in there," Starnes said. He admitted that he's never been a true Rams fan. "I didn't follow them when they were losing so I don't when they're not."

Seven-year-old Connor Norman dressed for the game as a true Rams fan. He donned an Isaac Bruce jersey and a helmet that he'd colored with permanent markers to match the Rams' team emblem. He completed his football look with a Nerf football he carried around the house.

His older brother, Ethan, decided that Sunday was the day he'd break from family tradition and root for Tennessee.

"How can you break your dad's heart like that?" one guest asked him.

Eric, the die-hard Rams fan in the family, seemed to take it all in stride. After all, in the end it is just a game.