All eyes in America were trained on their TVs yesterday! Or on their coffee tables, groaning under the nation's bounty of guacamole, chex mix, and blood-congealing trans fats. In any case, the action at the game was fast and furious, and there are almost too many highlights to be able to post, but your humble correspondent is on the case!

Everyone was a winner at Puppy Bowl VIII! The eighth matchup in this timeless battle among athletes featured many great competitors, and a lot of stellar performances. You can watch a 45 minute highlight reel here, and Animal Planet often re-runs the game in coming weeks. 10 million viewers can't be wrong! Take that, Pete Rozelle!

With so many great performances, it's tough to pick one, but Aberdeen put up 4 TDs in the third quarter and provided a lot of great hits at midfield throughout the game, only pausing for a couple of naps and staying mostly out of the water bowl. Here she is at midfield, a blondie Australian Shepherd mix ready to make a big play:

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Don't take my word for it, since intrepid SBN's intrepid analyst with the fake name Avinash also criticized the MVP vote that went against Aberdeen. And the spectre of commercialism reared its frightening visage even here, as some unfortunate ads for a Disney movie cropped up during the broadcast. Some might watch for the commercials, but I'm all about the action:

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It's silly fun. Really perfect for a DBD, in other words.

The Puppy Bowl was created as something of a time filler for a network not readily watched on Super Sunday many years ago -- and it grew into a phenomenon. Until his death, Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas -- known for calling Phillies games and his work with NFL Films -- was the voice of the Puppy Bowl.

During the action, look for penalty calls such as "unnecessary ruff, ruff, ruffness," "illegal use of the paws," "illegal retriever downfield" and "excessive cuteness on the field." A look at the action from field level is provided by a water bowl cam.

Since the first bowl, viewership has grown each year, just like the lineup. More importantly, all the rookies featured in the broadcast, which was taped in New York City in October, will not be free agents this season.

"The goal is to have them all adopted by the time the show airs," said Jared Albert of Animal Planet. "Petfinder.com does a great job finding the participants. There are so many shelters that want to be a part of Puppy Bowl."

And really, with great sportsmanship like this on display, we're all winners.

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