We LOVE Being The Underdogs!

My home team, The Seattle Seahawks, are playing in Super Bowl XL in about 4 hours. I grew up with Steve Largent and Jim Zorn going duck hunting with my friend Darla Wylie's dad at the duck hunting grounds near our house in Skagit County.

We were kids with parents who never drove to Seattle for games, so I never saw Largent or Zorn play in person, but we rooted for them a lot anyway, given that they were the closest NFL team to our small farming community.

The Hawks were always lukewarm to cold at playing -- not red-hot like they are today. After 30 years, they've barely made it to the playoffs, a few times as the Wild Card team, but nothing close to Super Bowl heaven.

So this year, it's been an amazing thing to watch them play so well, to finally make it to The Big Game.

My sister sent me a Seahawks t-shirt just in time for today's game, and I'm actually nervous enough that I don't want to watch all the pre-game hype.

I find myself instead trying to find something else to do as Brian has gone out to play disc golf with a friend, perhaps feeling the same way I do.

I've played numerous scenarios out on Ghost Recon 2, cleaned up the dog poops in the back yard, and now I sit here blogging, waiting for the game to start.

There isn't much to say about the game -- the hype over The Steelers "Cinderella Story" this year has reached fever pitch, and I think even The Steelers are believing that they are the heir apparent to win this game.

But I know that is exactly what will give The Seahawks the best advantage -- no expectations of them to win.

In 1997, when the Denver Broncos surprised the Green Bay Packers, the whole world thought the Packers wouldn't, even couldn't lose this game. After a couple of humiliations, the Broncos went to their third that year knowing what it felt like to be spanked at the Super Bowl, so being an underdog was probably the best thing for them too.

I do think being the under-appreciated team going to the big game is the best position to be in. What a great surprise it will be if the Hawks can show up for this game and give Pittsburgh what they need: a ride home on the short bus.

GO HAWKS!