Well, here we are, Conference Championship Sunday. I'd usually be watching the game at my folks place, but we had two feet of snow dumped on us over the past 24 hours, so I'm flying solo today.

I feel good about today's game. Usually my gut is twisted into a hundred knots during the playoffs, but I'm feeling pretty ok. Maybe it was because of the Patriots' stellar performance last week. Maybe it's because I've seen two Super Bowls, so this isn't a "now or never" type of deal. But I feel good.

My predicted score: Pats 28, Steelers 24. I think Corey Dillon runs well enough, and the Pats make one or two big plays and manage to hold off Pittsburgh. I could be wrong.

But here's a good sign: do you know what the title was of Bill Simmons latest cartoon?

A: "The Shoe"

You can't make this stuff up, folks.