(Disclaimer: Non-Football Fans, move on. Ditto folks looking for some rah-rah Sparky motivation. None here. That said....)

Greetings once again from the Purple Mountain's Majesty. Lest you have missed the subtle reminders (the media hype, the merchandising, the color of my Spark Page), the Ravens have mauled Manning, bested Brady and made it to the Super Bowl (for the first time within the collective memories of Things 1 and 2).

When I last blogged about this improbable football season, we were playing a weight loss game. Business first, here is where I believe we are (for you players):

ME (6) - Picked Atlanta for some reason. Half-dozen. Looms just this side of impossible.

AHTRAP (6) - You went 0 for 2 on the Conference Championship games, and thus need to have dropped a full half-dozen lbs by next Sunday (retroactive to January 1). Possible?

CMW123 (5) - Nice job on your Har-Bowl pics. Holding steady at 5.

HEARTOFROSE (5) - One correct choice last week brings you to a handful (5) pounds to lose by Sunday, retroactively to January 1.

FRAN533 (4) - Mulligan last week; I'm assessing one more pound.

COOKIEEATS1 (3) - Nice job last week. Holding at a 3 lb obligation.

IAMAGEMLOVER (3) - Your Patriots lost. Brings you to three.

GREENGENES (2) - Good on the Ravens but you blew it on Atlanta. You have until Sunday to drop two lbs, retroactively to the 1st of January. Piece of cake (ugh - bad metaphor!).

TROOPER1961 (2) - Tom Brady is watching the Super Bowl on TV. Just sayin'

*****

The rules, for latecomers:

Pick the team you think will win the Super Bowl. Respond below. Correct guess: 1 lbs weight loss obligation by the following Sunday. Wrong guess: 2 lbs to lose by the following week. Right guess and its the Ravens: 0 lbs (my game; my rules!)

Speaking of which, here is the Super Dome ground crew, prepping one of the end-zones for the game. Which game? The game that Big Ben, the Mannings, and Brady will be watching on TV!