If there are any other fellow sports fanatics out there, jump on in the discussion.

Born and raised a hardcore Steelers fan here. Rarely do I miss watching a game. I’ve been to at least one game each year since I was 16. I follow Steelers football more closely than any other team or sport. I admit, a few weeks into the season, I wasn’t convinced that Pittsburgh could make it this far, the way their line had been playing – but the defense picked up the slack and with it helped carry the team. In the meantime, the offensive line turned things around, and Pittsburgh was playing the best football in the league. I’ll spare the excessive gushing over Hines Ward, Polamalu, Fast Willie, Santonio, and gang, but I do want to throw something out there that I have been saying all season, even with his interceptions and stupid decisions he sometimes makes: Ben Roethlisberger is a top 5 quarterback in the league.

As for the opponent, it’s hard not to like the Arizona Cardinals. Larry Fitzgerald is a class act who had one of the greatest playoff performances in wide receiver history. Edgerrin James is proving that he is still more than a relevant running back. Kurt Warner is trying to solidify his legacy, when it doesn’t seem so long ago that he was being booed off his home field, benched, traded, and his career seemed all but over, his legacy seemingly tainted by a bad taste his left in the mouth of St. Louis fans (this being not so long after being MVP and leading them to the Superbowl). When traded to the desert, he was just supposed to fill-in while pretty boy USC alum Matt Leinart was prepping to take over, the great red-and-white hope for the Cardinals. Now, throw in the fact that Arizona is coached by former Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt (a real stand-up guy) and you realize that in any other situation, any, I would be rooting for these guys.

The fact of the matter though is that I bleed black and gold and will feel no pity for Arizona come game time. It was a hell of a feat for them to get to the Super Bowl in the first place and that says quite a bit itself. Still, after those two ridiculously exciting championship games yesterday, I’m really looking forward to seeing this all unfold. We’ve got perhaps the most respected organization in the NFL with the most loyal fans versus an intriguing Cinderella story that played beyond everyone’s expectations.

Make it six, Pittsburgh.