Happy Super Bowl, Everyone!

Yes, a Merry Super Bowl Day to you all! Let's gather 'round the glowing box and sing our favorite Super Bowl carols! And eat chips!

(My favorite Super Bowl chips are BBQ Pringles.)

Like last year, I'm going to make a pick and, I'm afraid, like last year I will choose the favorite. I hate to be so boring. It's just that the Colts are better.

I don't think it's impossible that the Saints will win. There are factors in their favor, I suppose. The Colts' best defensive guy, Dwight Freeney, is injured. He'll probably play, but he won't be at 100%. Then there's . . . um . . . lots of people want the Saints to win. Did you know that no New Orleans team has ever won a major championship of any kind, ever? It would be nice if they got that monkey of their back, let alone the Saints-specific being terrible for almost all of their 42-year history. And the Colts have other weaknesses--their run game is practically non-existent, and their coach probably isn't as good as the Saints' coach.

But the Colts are better. Drew Brees is good, but Peyton Manning is better. The Saints' receivers are good, but the Colts' are better. The Colts never lost a game they tried to win; the Saints did. The Colts have looked pretty darn good in both of their previous playoff games; the Saints haven't.

I like this Super Bowl matchup because I have no objections to either of these teams. They've both been very, very good, looking like Super Bowl contenders all season, and they both seem to be made up of a lot of decent dudes. (I'm still so happy every time I realize I don't have to listen to hours of Brett Favre praise in Super Bowl pre-game coverage, I could almost tear up.) So I'm not going to be disappointed unless it's a lame, lopsided game. Unfortunately, since the last two have been good, we're due for a snoozer. That plays into my pick of:

Colts 27, Saints 17