Afc @ MindSay

Australia is lapping up the extra games that our national football (soccer) team is getting now that we are part of the Asian Football Confederation.

In the last month we have downed African powerhouse Ghana (who at that point were the number 1 in Africa, now supplanted by Cameroon) in a friendly and reigning Asian Champions Iraq  in a World Cup Qualifier.

Now that the World Rankings have been released from last month we now see that Australia has jumped up 8 ranks from 43 to 35 overtaking the former AFC #1 Japan in the process.....

God it feels great to be out of football's back country.

NFC

New Orleans at Chicago:  Saints win, 31-21.

When I try to imagine how this game will go, I cannot help but think of how Steve Smith torched the Bears in the playoffs last year.  The Saints have a better passing attack than the Panthers did, so I'm going with New Orleans.  Rex actually won't play terribly, but mediocre football doesn't get your team to the Super Bowl.

AFC

New England at Indianapolis:  Patriots win, 17-14.

Hopefully this will be a great game.  If it is, this could start to approach the Niner-Cowboy rivalry when they seemed to play in the conference title game every year.  The reason I am picking the Pats is two-fold:  First, all the talking heads seem to be picking the Colts and truthiness (knowledge that comes from the gut) is making me lean toward New England.  The other reason I am picking the Pats is that I want Indy to win.  Each round so far I have picked to Colts to lose and they have won, so I'm trying it again.  Just for fun, I think Vinatieri misses a game-tying opportunity.

phsbum has written a nice, no a GREAT article about our town and the upcoming celebrations.  Please, stop by and leave her some lovin!  ;)

For the STEELER NATION out there, check out our STEELERS wiki page!

Now ... I know there are more important things going on in the world ... in life, but here's my theory:  I think Football, in particular, and sports in general, are designed to be diversions.  The attraction may lie in the appearance of particular players, the affiliation with a particular team, or the individual athletic skill of the participants. 

I enjoy watching football ... NFL (Steelers)  or collegiate (Pitt)... or even my high school alma mater.   I just love to see the skill involved  ...  I do know the game on both sides of the ball.  I also get goose bumps at the sight of a 30 or 40 yard connection!  I like to watch a single player, say Troy Palamalu (Whew!), possibly the best safety in the game.  He literally flies through the air with no thought for his body, his hair flying. 

I love to get caught up in the pre-game excitement, the war of words, the build up of hype and tension.  I love to gather together with close friends ... only close friends ... cause some people can be really annoying! ;)  So ... this coming Sunday, I will gather with a few close friends, a glass or 2 of wine  and I'll watch our STEELERS meet the Seahawks  in the NFC/AFC matchup.  May the best team win! 

How about you?  Any plans?