Super Bowl 47

I made my pick the other night on "The Press Box."

I repeated it for Tony Savino on Friday morning's NewsCenter.

And, keeping up a tradition that I've had for a few years now, I gave the same info to Ken McMillan, who put in on his blog.

San Francisco 27, Baltimore 23.

I hate the score.  I hate the result.  But I'm just hoping we have a game.

See, here's my logic.  I don't like the 49ers.  They have five Super Bowl wins without a loss.  They epitomized the obnoxious ways of the 80's.  Thanks to them (and a few others, like Tom Landry's Cowboys) the game is more sophisticated.  As a result, gunslingers like, ahem, Terry Bradshaw can't call their own plays.  They're now computerized robots getting plays shipped into their headsets so that they can throw three yard passes to receivers who run the rest of the way.

Yet we revere Saint Joe Montana.  Blech.

Their wine-and-cheese-sucking fans, well, never mind.  I want them all to know defeat.

But...on the other side...are the Baltimore Ravens.  You know, the former (and, yet, not really) Cleveland Browns.  The Steelers' primary rival.  Ray Lewis and his, let's say, questionable background.  His crying.  His "glory to God" approach (yep, because He wants the Ravens to win).

The Niners have snarky Jim Harbaugh as their head coach.  The Ravens have more affable John Harbaugh.

AFC?  NFC?

Now throw in the "Chris Erway" factor.  I hold second place in the Playmakers football poll by one over CJ, while Ryan DeMaria has already won the title.  To me, this matters so...very...little.  I could have picked the Ravens just to screw with things and secure my second place finish.

Did I mention it doesn't matter?  Like I don't care.

So I picked the Niners.  And, yeah, I hope they lose.  The old approach I'm taking is, pick one way, and hope for the other.

But, then again, do I really - REALLY - want to see Ray Lewis win?

Do I really want to see the Ravens win?

Well, as Max Barefoot said, there is normally a drop off after a team wins the Super Bowl, due to the usual "hangover."  We Stillers fans will happily take that.

So, in the end, maybe I'm rooting for Ray Rice, the New Rochelle product.

Yeah.  That works.

Then again, when it's this kind of Super Bowl, with no definitive rooting interest, give me a one-score difference with three minutes to play.  Give me David Akers, lining it up for the 49ers!  Give me Joe Flacco, leading Baltimer on a clutch drive, drilling a pass into the arms of Anquan Boldin - finally in the Super Bowl!  Let's see Randy Moss leave the field as a Super Bowl loser again! 

Jeez, this is hard.

Just give me a good game.

Just give me good commercials.

Just give me a good performance, Beyonce!  Honestly, I don't - DO NOT - care for or need a Destiny's Child reunion.  You can't be worse than Madonna or the Black Eyed Peas (or Prince, for that matter).

You won't be better than Bruce, or U2, or Sir Paul, or Tom Petty.

Besides, to most of us football ended two weeks ago.

Oh, before we run, how - HOW - did Michael Strahan not make the Hall of Fame?  Shameful (and, as a reminder, I'm not a Giants fan per se).  Of course, I'm also bummed that Jerome Bettis also has to continue to wait to enter Canton.  That being said, it's a numbers game, and the seven total selections are worthy (yes, that includes Bill Parcells, who did more than enough to earn his place).