A week removed from the football season

I don't know about you, but since the Super Bowl ended last week, I've been trying to get back into the sporting spirit, but I'm having a hard time.

This Steeler season was pretty intense with a lot of close games and came all the way down to the last drive of the very last game of the season. I am proud of the Steelers and think they had a great year despite the loss, but it's still a tough act to follow.

The PITT Panthers have won a couple of tough road games and are ranked 4th in the nation and look to be a legit Final Four contender. The Penguins are in the middle of trying times with their top two superstars out with injury (one for the rest of the year, and the other for an indefinite amount of time.) Couple that with one of the most vicious and ugly hockey fights the other night in Long Island that left team owner Mario Lemieux so thoroughly disgusted with the state of hockey, he vaguely threatened to sell the team.

Certainly enough action and news to keep a diehard sports fan such as myself entertained and interested. But it just hasn't been the case.

I'm sure the Super Bowl loss has a lot to do with it. A victory would have surely buoyed my spirits and allowed me to transition quite nicely into the other sports, but now I'll have to slowly phase my way back into it.

It's been a little easier for other people. As soon as the game ended last week, a lot of folks were already looking forward to March Madness, the Stanley Cup playoffs, Pirates baseball, and even the NFL draft.

I've already seen my share of mock drafts on the net, but I'm not really that into the draft these days. Oh, there was a time when I was a real draft junkie. My Mom often reminds me of how I used to get into it so much that she even let me stay home from school one year when it was still held on Tuesdays. It was the year the Steelers drafted Rod Woodson so that was an epic draft, for sure.

Back then, when the Steelers were a pretty mediocre team, the draft was something that really got my juices flowing. In the mid-to-late 80's, it was quite common for Pittsburgh to draft in the top half of each round and players picked in that position came with high hopes for the future.

However, the team has been so successful over the last 18 years-13 playoff appearances, 11 division titles, 4 Super Bowl appearances, and 2 World Championships-the draft just doesn't hold the same appeal for me these days.

And as far as college basketball and hockey, my cable package doesn't include ESPN and FSN so it's really hard for me to get a feel for the Panthers and Pens.

And, of course, there are the Pirates who will be starting their season shortly. I'm always optimistic that they'll finally show us some promise, but it's been so long since they've given us any reason to believe, it's really going to take some effort to get enthusiastic for the boys of Summer in 2011.

So there you have it. A week after Super Bowl XLV and I'm having a hard time getting into sports. I wonder if that's natural. Maybe it's like eating too much cake. Yes, cake is delicious, but if you overindulge, you get sick of it and have to wait a while for cake to taste good again. Bad analogy? Maybe.

I am making progress. The other night when I was out to dinner with my girlfriend, she was trying to have a conversation with me but I was distracted by the exciting finish between the Panthers and Villanova Wildcats. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before I'm back to my old self.

Anyone else having a hard time getting up for sports again after Super Bowl XLV?