And follow here for semi-live commentary of the ads, which, if we can find a station, will be completely different from the ads you see.

Anyway here's the true story that no one wants to talk about with this game. It's a two-week layoff. Arizona has been blistering throughout the playoffs, but they've had too long to cool down. And Pittsburgh's bumps and bruises against Baltimore have had time to heal. We're going to see two teams that don't look anything like what they played in their last game.

This one will not be pretty. Which is too bad, because, if you can't root for Kurt Warner, you hate the human race.

Pittsburgh 31, Arizona 14.

If you lose any money betting on that, it's your own fault. But if it happens, I get 10 percent of your winnings.

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Soccer is huge over here. Huge. To connect with many friends, you've got to know about soccer. I've been lazy in this regard, content to wait out the season until the next one. The whole thing doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but I'd kind of settled on AC Milan as my team to pull for. Not the local favorite (FC Barcelona), but not the New York Yankees of soccer either. (Manchester United.)

Then I saw this.

Milan wants to pay 4.5 million to bring in Beckham.

Beckham is anti-what I'm looking for in a team. He's a golden boy with lots of flash, but he's past his prime and trading mostly on one golden leg. Not the tough, gritty type of play I want to identify with. (Think Pittsburgh Steelers of soccer.

It's the playoffs now, and I may just have to pull for Chelsea until the end and find a new team next year. Any other suggestions?

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So my friends that were here for the half-marathon this weekend talked me into giving it a shot in training for a run later in the week.

The regret is instantaneous. I ran three miles today for the first time since I've been here, and I feel every one right now.

Anyway, the run is supposed to build up from the three miles into 10 in less than 12 weeks time. I've never run that far. We'll see if I can.

The marathon on Sunday was cool for me though. Saw Forest Gump. One of the guys said that the gag-racers coming to this marathon meant it was growing in stature. I think it meant they realized they didn't have a chance to win.

So, anyway, to summarize, in a few short months, this too could be me.

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To those who think man has the universe figured out.

We are all holograms. No joke. It's the latest theory about the organization of the universe.

Considering we've misplaced about 97 percent of it, we should drop the notion that we understand the universe.

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You may think I haven't written for a while.

I haven't.

But that doesn't mean I don't care. Or that I want anyone to forget about me. Anyway, the New York Times, a still-functional newspaper, listed the Top 44 places to visit in 2009. And we're # 13. And, believe me, we have a lot more than food.

So you should come visit me.

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