Less than two weeks left before Super Bowl XXXIV, which should be quite an event if only because none of the four remaining teams have ever won a Super Bowl. In terms of who I like, in the NFC it is Tampa Bay. Tony Dungy has taken but a few years to take one of the perennially bad teams in the NFL and make it into one of the better teams and only a win away from the Super Bowl. I like the team because offensively it's limited, with a rookie quaterback and an adequate running attack. This team depends on its defense and on a ball control offense that makes few mistakes. That's why I like them: good defense, well coached, has to really out-think and out-hustle the other team to win.

St Louis is quite a surprise. A great offense powered by Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk. Their defense is capable and they totally overpower opponents. It's great that they're doing so well, but I still like a defense-oriented team, since they do have to work throughout a game to win. So it should be no surprise that I like Tennessee in the AFC. Good defensive team, can be a good offensive team. Squeaks out wins. And they've beaten Jacksonville twice and St Louis once. Mostly I've been rooting for Tennessee throughout this season because Crook and Chase love their hometown team.

Contrasting, Jacksonville is another offensive powerhouse, with a really good defense. When Mark Brunell and Fred Taylor are healthy, they can outscore any other team. But they're fragile, and could easily get hurt, to the detriment of the Jaguars' playoff hopes. It's unlikely that Tennessee can win on the road, just as it's unlikely that Tampa Bay can win on the road. But I have hopes that the defensive-minded underdogs can upset their flashier opponents. So well see this Sunday who goes to the Super Bowl...

On a slightly different note, my hometown basketball team, the Sacramento Kings, are doing quite well this year. They're currently 23-12 and in 6th place in the Western Conference. They score a lot and give a lot of points, but they score more than the other team, which is what's important. Years ago they also had a high scoring up tempo team, back when they had Danny Ainge. But they usually gave up more points than they scored so they lost a lot of games.

Admittedly, I was worried when they traded for Chris Webber. When Webber was with Golden State he was such a prima donna and way too disruptive. Then he went to Washington where he still was a selfish player and not very harmonious. Now he's still a good player, actually even better now that he can shoot free throws and the mid-range jump shots. And his attitude has turned completely around. Maybe it's being on a good team, maybe he's maturing. But he's become someone who can lead a team positively, and not just with his playing.

Jason Williams makes the kind of passes that show up in sports highlights, either for their sheer poetry or horrible decision making. But it's only his second year and he's gotten better and better at running the team at point guard. Still shoots and misses a lot from long range, but when he's hot he's good.

The bench players are also very good. They only get limited time on court and they make good use of it. They go all out and sometimes play better as a team than the starters. And they're a big reason for the success of the team, as they've consistenly been able to outscore and outplay the other team's bench, and sometimes their starters.

So finally, after some sixteen years playing in Sacramento, the city has a team that can end up above .500 after a full season of play. A team that can beat any other team in the NBA on any given night, they can also lose to any other team on any given other night. Sacramento deserves it; they've supported the team, and every other professional and semi-professional team that has played there. The Kings are the only team in a top-tier sport, but there are several B-level sports in Sacramento, and they're all well attended and supported by the people there. Could just be they're starved for entertainment...