Good morning from AZ!

Sorry I haven't shown Blogimore much love lately, but I'll be back next week after the game. Things have been crazy down here in Arizona. I don't have tickets to the game, but after a week of going to bed drunk at 4:30 a.m. and then waking up at 7:30 a.m. -- and then working until nine or ten at night -- I don't have any interest in being inside the stadium. Actually, that has nothing to do with being exhausted. I just know that being inside is a lose-lose proposition. When the clock reads all zeros in the fourth, you're guaranteed to get a thick dose of either arrogant Pats fans or obnoxious New Yorkers.

It's my first Super Bowl experience, and I didn't know what to expect. Plenty of ridiculousness happened. Next week keep an eye out for the stories that aren't off the record. Sorry, I'm a man of my word; some of this stuff I gotta take to my grave. Who am I kidding? After the amount of Hennessey ingested here in the desert, I've already forgotten half of what happened. Probably more like 75 percent. Come to think of it, I'm not even sure I remember my own name right now.

I will give you one tidbit now since it's related to the Ravens: I ran into Kansas CB Aqib Talib last night at the club. Oh, before I get into that, Tigers pitcher Dontrelle Willis thinks the Orioles are really talented. I didn't believe him so I asked him about nine times. He insisted that he was being honest. I guess I believe him. Also, a couple of guys on the A's told me that Bedard is a legitimate top-5 lefty, and they questioned why the O's would want to trade a guy like that. One of the guys was a lefty himself. The other was a righty.

Anyway, the Talib conversation went a bit like this:

Me: Hey, aren't you that cornerback from Kansas?
Talib: Yeah.
Me: I have no idea how to pronounce your name. I probably could tomorrow but right now I'm too drunk. You're really good.
Talib: Thanks, man.
Me: I'm a Ravens fan. I'd be psyched if they drafted you. The secondary there is terrible. Everyone is injured. Plus Samari Rolle has epilepsy.

Talib looks at me like I'm crazy.

Me: Would you want to play in Baltimore?
Talib: Yeah, man. That defense is good.

So there you have it. Our defense is good, apparently.


Fact: Aqib Talib is not Talib Kweli.