In the proceeding week, the news had been occupied with a snowstorm that threatened to paralyze the U.S. Northeast; militant attacks, hostage situations, and death threats all involving Islamists; alleged NFL team cheating with soft footballs; chit chat over the upcoming Super Bowl; and, of course, the event itself on Sunday. It drew an unprecedented audience of 114.5 million viewers.

Then, the next day, with little build-up, whamo, the big story was Ukraine. It hit like a bombshell.

What had happened overnight to ramp up all this news furor? Nothing that I could see.

But it was a time for an opportunist to have a field day. The Super Bowl distraction was out of the news. In its wake there was a big vacuum waiting to be filled. And so, bingo, there was an instant, big story about Ukraine.