Nick is back, but his computer is dead so until it’s fixed he’s on the phone. The old Don West show is back!

Everyone is talking about the NFL and we’ll get to that. But we wanted to start the show with a very happy birthday to Ernie Harwell who turns 92 today. Harwell is still writing for the Detroit Free Press. And that’s pretty darn awesome.

Football Talk:

We try to run the gamut on the games, from the best storylines and the best stories to what the NFL would have wanted (Indy-Minnesota) and how Favre’s involvement in the Super Bowl to the average viewer differs from his importance to the average sports fan.

And how much of all the Favre hatred is really the announcer’s fault? Joe Buck was all over the Favre storyline yesterday. Is it a conscious thing or does he get wrapped up in the drama?

We also discuss what a great STORY it is for New Orleans to get into the Super Bowl -- especially for the people down there with what they’ve had to go through the last five years. Oh, and of course, who will Archie be rooting for?

Housekeeping:

We touch on the big college basketball upsets to illustrate how the regular season means nothing...and everything...all at once. There is no way Texas would ever go to UConn in football (yes, even UConn they’d be afraid to play on the road), but in basketball it’s no problem because it’s getting battle tested for the tournament. Tonight’s BIG EAST game with Syracuse and Georgetown won’t decide the national championship, but it will go a long way to determining which team is more suited for a deep NCAA run and has the better chance -- perhaps -- at a title.

Thanks for listening, as always.