Well, at least there is something to talk about for the next couple of weeks.  At one point, when the Falcons went down to defeat, I thought to myself that the most boring event could take place…a Super Bowl that had very little allure.  If the 49ers had been paired off with the Patriots, then we would have had a team that hadn’t been there in a while, but had won 5 of them against a team that had been there all too often.  Then, something happened in the AFC to make things interesting again.

Now, we have a game between two teams that have been away from the game for a while.  But, we also have two brothers coaching against one another.  Harbaugh versus Harbaugh.  That should be fun, at least for the first 15 minutes.  Also, the story of a Super Bowl that will be Ray Lewis’ last professional game.  Will he go out on a high note or a note of what might have been?  All of this is a decent lineup for those that care to talk about for the next couple of weeks.

All of this makes me just say this:  “When does baseball start again?”  As a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals, I usually don’t have a lot to cheer for anyway.  This year, it was a little different as the team made the playoffs again.  They still didn’t get very far, but there were several other teams that would have loved to have been there, so I’ll take what we got.  Still, this is the time that America is supposed to be paying rapt attention.  Everyone takes sides and everyone picks their winner and for me, I just want it all to be over.

Even the attraction of watching the commercials is something that is going by the wayside.  I have seen many of the commercials and so have you if you have spent anytime online in the last couple of weeks.  The spots are already out there causing a stir, so it does make you wonder why you watch.  Deep down, I really don’t care about the Ravens, truth be told, I really don’t like them.  And, as a Bengals fan, you can imagine how I feel about the 49ers.  This is the team that beat the boys from Cincinnati in the big game twice (see Super Bowl XVI and XXIII).  Both good games, but for me, both heartbreaking, so, no, I will not be pulling for them.  Not at all.

So, let the talk about the big game continue.  Let it get completely out of hand for all I care.  Have at it and have fun, just don’t expect me to applaud.  My season ended a couple of weeks ago when my team decided to knock themselves out of the running.  My next season opens in a few weeks when pitchers and catchers report for spring training.  That is a time of eternal optimism when even fans of the Houston Astros believe that their team has a shot.  You have to love eternal optimists, and believe me, I’m one of them just for being a Bengals fan for all of these years.

So bring on the Super Bowl.  I’ll be thinking long and hard about what happens on the diamond.  I love football, but this particular game will end up being something of a yawner for me.