SUPER BOWL

Kessler's catch-as-catch-can superbowl game pits the Animal Champs (Turtle, Frog, Rabbit, Raccoon, and Cat, with Dog as player-coach and Worm as cheerleader) against the Super Birds, led by Owl. As the smart money might have predicted, the Animal Champs win 14-7, due largely to the bumbling of Super Bird Duck, who was always late for practice. The only surprise is that there is no surprise, and the Birds only extoller (is expressed in their' rallying cry ""Wait till next year."" Though the animals as drawn are unclothed and sexually indistinguishable, Kessler refers to Duck, Owl, and most of the birds as ""she,"" whereas referee Fox and the Animals' Dog are called ""he."" Perhaps, with Duck's new alarm clock, the hens will right the balance next year. Meanwhile, this is the sort of pickup game that kids might wander into won't miss if they don't.