Super Bowl fuss

Having no intention whatsoever of watching tomorrow night's Super Bowl, I'm still going to weigh in on my favorite. For me, nothing happens in sports between the end of college football (Roll Tide) and the start of baseball season (Go Braves). OK, yeah, the Winter Olympics rears its head every four years, but even the good chance of watching an athlete break a bone or two on ice or ski into a tree doesn't keep me glued to the TV.

Drum roll, please. I'm going against the grain this year and throwing my support (how weak it is!) to the New Orleans Saints. Who dat? Yeah, you got me right. I said it. The Saints. Here's why:

1. The Saints have never been to a Super Bowl. Lovin' the underdog.
2. A win will make Fat Tuesday even sweeter for the Mardi Gras crowds.
3. New Orleans, a city that a lot of mean-spirited folks wanted to see sink into the delta in 2005, deserves a Super Bowl-win boost.
4. Gotta love the ironic team name. The Saints. Yeah, "saints" is the first word that comes to mind when you think of NOLA. (Would love to see them change it to "Sinners." Talk about support!)
5. I'm getting kinda tired of Peyton Manning. I used to like him a lot, but, geez, he's in every TV commercial now. Over-exposure.
6. I can't support a team called the Colts in Indianpolis. The name belongs to Baltimore. Ask Johnny Unitas. (See my treatise on pro-sports team names.)
7. The sheer cheekiness of the Who Dat? Nation. Way to smack down the NFL trademark police!

Yep. I'm making homemade chili and cornbread, but not for a Super Bowl gathering. The DVDs are lined up. Wardrobe malfuctions are intentional. Commercial-free.

Wake me when they throw out the first pitch in April.