Playing The Spread, Super Bowl XLI

Back in the day (pre-2001), the Super Bowl was always a major event on my calendar. It really didn't matter who was playing. Rarely did I have any stake in the game, and when I did, it was most often financial. I just wanted to take part in the spectacle -- you know, watch the game, see the commercials, have some nachos or buffalo wings. On those rare occasions that the Patriots actually played in the big game, it was a foregone conclusion that they would be smoked by the ever-dominant NFC.

Then, in February 2002, things changed. Once again, the Pats made it to the big game and were double-digit underdogs. But unlike their last two appearance, the pats pulled off the major upset. They would go on to win two more Super Bowls in the next three years. All of a sudden, the Super Bowl went from being this social event featuring two interchangeable teams to an actual football game that I watched intensely, pulling for a very specific outcome. I began to think that every single year, the New England Patriots had a legitimate shot at winning that game. It became much more than a TV show.

Now, it's been two full years since the Pats last played for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. It seems like an eternity. I've been majorly spoiled. If the Pats aren't in the Super Bowl, I really don't care. This year, I was actually considering not even bothering to watch the game. (Then again, that decision might have more to do with the fact that the Pats were so close to making it only to have the Colts do what I had previously thought was impossible.) I came to my senses, and this Sunday, once again, I'll be glued to the tube, at least until the Peyton Manning coronation begins. Then, I will excuse myself to the bathroom and vomit.

For the last time until September, the following picks for entertainment purposes only and should not be the basis for any actual cash wagers.

Last week: 1-1
Season to date: 133-126-7

Bears (+7) over Colts
L-rd, if you exist, the best possible thing you can do to prove it is make sure that Peyton Manning and the Colts do not win the Super Bowl this year. Okay, fine, maybe solving hunger and ensuring world peace might be slightly higher priorities, but is asking for Adam Vinatieri to shank a potential game-winner in the closing seconds too big a request? LOSS