As much as anybody on the continent, probably more than most, I hate the two-week layoff between the conference championships and the Super Bowl. My gosh, I am so darn sick of hearing about Kurt Warner’s religion and Big Ben and Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald and his father. I am sick of all these Super celebs being on all the radio stations and TV stations and in the newspapers, giving their opinions of who is going to win, and especially their opinions of “why.”

PS, did you see that Antonio Pierce is doing Fox’s Best Damn Sports Show, which is anything but. Also, that David Wells is trying out for a baseball analyst job at ESPN. Gee, that’s a new formula. Hire an athlete who will say anything, who thinks he’s much smarter than he is, who will be outrageous at times, maybe even on the edge of being in trouble (or over that edge). Wow. Revolutionary idea.

Back to the Supe. Enough already. I know, having covered four of them, that tonight and tomorrow are the best parts of Super Bowl week for a writer. No more access to players, no more press conferences—except the Hall of Fame gathering tomorrow—no more early wakeups and long bus rides to remote team hotels. No more hoping and praying that one of the athletes says just one interesting thing, something from which you can make yet another story.

Friday night and Saturday of Super Bowl week are slow. Most of your Sunday stuff has already been written by then. You get to exhale before gameday.

Another PS: How many sportswriters do you think had the best moment of their lives yesterday when the NFL had its annual halftime performer press conference and they actually got to sit in a room with Bruce Springsteen? Answer: A lot.

So, apparently they are planning to play Sunday, finally. Who do you like, and why? You and I certainly can’t do any worse in predicting than the Mike Ditkas or the other “experts” having a lot more fun in Tampa than the teams or the media. I’ll make my pick in a bit. Sam?

10:35 a.m., Sam says:

You know, I don’t hate the two-week layoff as much as everyone. Would I prefer just the usual one week? I guess I would, but football does have unique physical rigors and if the two weeks helps get a star into the game who might have been a little banged up, I think it’s worth it. Plus, you could make the case that the other sports have several days off between their playoff series – three or four, when they normally play every day in baseball, for example – so, proportionally, having a layoff that’s only twice as long as the usual break between games for the NFL is actually very reasonable.

As for the game itself, I can’t say I’m all that excited about it. Steelers-Cardinals just doesn’t give me a whole lot of juice, but I’ll watch – if only for the commercials. I love the Clydesdale commercials – the one from a few years back where the little horse doesn’t make the “team” of pullers and then trains all year and makes it the next season is one of my all-time faves.

In terms of a pick, I’ll take the Steelers. If I were actually betting money, I’d probably bet the Cardinals to win outright because I think there’s good value there and I believe that they’ll either win or lose big. For our purposes though, I’ll stick with the Steelers and (what I think is) giving six points.

Carp, it’s been fun playing with – and beating – you in the picks this year. Let’s do it again next year!

CARP SAYS:

I admit it, my tail has been kicked in the picks department. But not this time. It’s Steelers 29, Cardinals 14.

And, yes the commercials will be better than the game. And maybe, just maybe, the TV cameras can stay on the field instead of panning the crowd for celebrities and fake fans of either team. And, of course, it would be great of Bruce gave a really good halftime show—Tom Petty was pretty good last year, whereas in the past we’ve had lip-synching, wardrobe malfunctions, and I always hate, HATE, those fake concert crowds they trot out—kids hired (probably volunteers) to act as if they’re actual Bruce fans, waving their arms and dancing as if they were actual customers at an actual concert.

A couple of years ago, on a muddy, rainy Super Bowl field, the playing surface was compromised because of all the stages and equipment and farcical people who had to be wheeled out for the halftime show. Imagine. The championship game of the sport, compromised so that TV could have its halftime show and make the sponsors happy. Ugh.

As football games go, this one is usually hard to watch.

11:55 a.m., Sam says:

Geez, Carp – negative much? Tell us what you really think of the Super Bowl next time!

I actually kind of like the crowds at halftime. Sure, it’s not great for the playing surface but the Super Bowl is a show as much as a game. Everyone knows that going in – it’s the reason there’s a 20 minute halftime instead of the 12 that most games have. It’s the reason there’s a 10-hour pregame. It’s the reason why there are so many upsets – it’s just different.

I’m not so against that. If it was “just another game” than it wouldn’t be played at a neutral site. But it is, and so there are concessions that come along with doing it that way. Most of them don’t bother me all that much.

Wings that are too spicy, on the other hand? Those bother me. Same with shrimp that’s not seasoned enough or turkey chili that doesn’t have some grated cheese on top. Those are the things that could potentially bother me on Super Bowl Sunday. The rest of it is just part of the deal.