I'm Back -- Take 2

Okay, so maybe announcing my return to the blogging world was a little premature last month. We had just gotten back from visiting my family in Florida for Thanksgiving, and the next thing I know we're at the Atlanta airport, flying into the first of many "snow events" in New England this winter. Our two weeks up north were quite eventful, even if we wound up skipping the Patriots-Cardinals game (we didn't want to deal with the freezing rain and ice on the road).

Without being too specific, I'll just say my trip included a visit to the ESPN campus in Bristol, Connecticut. If anything comes of my 3+ hour stay at the "worldwide leader", I'll be sure to let you know.

So, that explains my absence through New Year's... as for what I've been doing since we got back to Georgia on January 2nd, we'll just blame it on a bit of laziness while also getting our house back in order here.

Watching all of the Media Day coverage from Tampa got me thinking today: if there's one thing I haven't done yet in the world of sports reporting that I really want to, it's covering the Super Bowl. I've been close a couple of times, but when your covering the likes of the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons... well, playoff trips are few and far between.

My first taste of the NFL post-season came in Louisiana. I covered the Saints playoff opener in 2001, as they hosted the St. Louis Rams. Near the end of the game, Rams receiver Az Hakim dropped a late 4th quarter punt, New Orleans' Brian Milne recovered the fumble... and the Saints earned their first ever playoff victory. Of all of the professional sports stories I have covered, the emotion at the Superdome that day has never been matched. The fans were overjoyed, the team was ecstatic... it was an awesome experience.

However, there would be no trip to the Super Bowl, as the Minnesota Vikings (led by Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss) blew out New Orleans the following week, ending the Saints season.

January of 2005, I was one game away from going to the Super Bowl. Behind the skills of Michael Vick, the Atlanta Falcons had reached the NFC Championship game. All that stood in their way of Super Bowl 39 were the Philadelphia Eagles. There was talk that I would go to Philly to cover the NFC Championship, but with the Super Bowl just down the road in Jacksonville, the station opted to save the money should Atlanta beat the Eagles. Unfortunately for me, Donovan McNabb and company took out the Falcons... and I was left with no Super Bowl trip.

I think the reason I see the Super Bowl as the ultimate experience for a sports reporter is not for the actual game, but all of the hype surrounding it. Heck, I've heard from those who have covered the "big game" that odds are I would likely be in a tent outside the stadium during the actual contest, due to credential overload. It's the stories around the game... the TONS of media and celebrities, the NFL Experience, the fans who travel to support their team... that would make the trip worthwhile.

I have pretty much lived my dream over the last 8 years... here's hoping I get to live one more down the road.

As for my Super Bowl prediction, I like the Cardinals with the points (they're currently 6.5 point underdogs). As for a final score: Pittsburgh 24, Arizona 21. Lets hope it's a good one!