Wow, what a shootout between the Saints and the Vikings! Saints win in overtime, 31-28, and they’ll meet the Colts in the Super Bowl. Should be a good matchup.
I went 1-1 on today’s predictions, but enjoyed the games. Someone scrape me off this sofa.
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Today is Conference Championship Day in the National Football League, when two ballyhooed games decide which teams will play in the Super Bowl on Feb. 7. Across this great nation of ours, much, much beer will be consumed, and a substantial amount of money will change hands over the outcomes.
I never bet on sports, mostly because I know much less about sports than I pretend. But I follow the NFL, more or less, and I’ll stick my neck out here on the Interwebs and make a couple of predictions.
In the AFC, we have the upstart New York Jets facing the Indianapolis Colts (noon Redding time, CBS). As much as I’ve enjoyed the Jets’ Cinderella run, I can’t see them outscoring the Colts. Peyton Manning has an unearthly talent for picking apart defenses, and he should be rested and on top of his game today. Colts by 10.
In the NFC game (3:30 p.m., Fox), the New Orleans Saints have a huge homefield advantage, playing in the Superdome, but I think the Minnesota Vikings win by 6. Yeah, yeah, Brett Favre, the 40-year-old wonder, blah, blah. The Vikings’ defense is the story in this game. The Saints won’t be able to run the ball, which means QB Drew Brees soon will be running for his life.
I’ve got no dog in this fight (as my favorite teams didn’t make the playoffs), and am quite fond of all four teams in today’s contests, so don’t toilet-paper my lawn if your team chokes. Thank you.
- Fun With Typos: The word “stroking” sounds kind of sexy and fun. “Storking” not so much. Also, I liked the sports headline in Saturday’s local paper that referred to the Cleveland “Cavalivers.”
- Rules for Successful Living #23: It’s important to use the right tool for the job, and that tool is rarely a butter knife.
Tips appreciated: Send news tidbits to steveb.anewscafe@gmail.com.
