Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Talking Super Bowl XLIII

Here is an interesting and fun fact about the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers — during World War II, while the league was struggling, the then Chicago Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers merged into one franchise. The franchise was known as Card-Pitt for one season in 1944.
In ironic fashion, the Cardinals will meet the Steelers in what will be their first Super Bowl (XLIII) appearance this Sunday in Tampa.
Here is another interesting and fun fact about the Cardinals franchise — its stupid and I don't like them.
Before this pathetic 9-7 season where they limped into the playoffs, the Cardinals had not had a truly significant season in the NFL since 1947.
That was before any Super Bowl, before cell phones, Internet and before Cody Pastorella so I don't acknowledge the Cardinals as a legitimate football team.
I'm also still very hostile about the Dallas Cowboys not making the playoffs, while the Cardinals won the NFC West with the same record.
Sure, Arizona deserved it more than the Cowboys based off of the Oct. 12 meeting where the Cardinals beat Dallas 30-24 in overtime because they cheated and injured Dallas punter Mat McBriar for the season.
Tony Romo was also injured in that game and that was pretty much the turning point for Dallas in 2008.
Coincidentally enough, this came 10 years after the Cardinals knocked the Cowboys off 20-7 in the first round of the playoffs, and that was pretty much the end of the "good ole days" with 'The Triplets' Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin.
Looking back, that 20-7 loss pretty much ended my childhood. I think I started shaving a week later.
While I do like a good underdog story, I will not be backing the Cardinals this weekend.
To get right to it, if it were not for my alma mater (Lamar University Cardinals), I would probably be working to rid the world of all cardinals, as in the actual bird.
On top of Arizona wrecking the 1998 and 2008 Cowboys seasons as well as my childhood, the Cardinals once resided in St. Louis where there is another Cardinals team I hate very much in the MLB's St. Louis Cardinals, who are often responsible for wrecking the Houston Astros' seasons and postseasons.
I have been numb to feelings of any kind ever since Albert Pujols hit that Game 5 home run off Brad Lidge at Minute Maid Park in 2005. I realize the Astros advanced to the World Series but that homer never landed and the Astros never fully recovered, which resulted in the Chicago White Sox WS sweep.
While writing this blog, I believe I have decided to never visit Chicago, St. Louis or Arizona.
Moving on to Super Bowl XLIII, I am hoping the Steelers have too much defense for Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and company.
I am not very confident in picking Pittsburgh since it almost lost to Seattle in 2005 after I had the Steelers over the Seahawks 168-4. I am also thinking Arizona's defense might just be the X-factor, as in Arizona's defense is considerably better than Pittsburgh's offense.
Nevertheless, I will pick and root for the Steelers. I will do this knowing that if Pittsburgh wins it will pass Dallas for the most Super Bowl rings (6).
Oh well, I guess.
Steelers 26, Cardinals 16.