2 HOURS TILL KICKOFF.

MIAMI @ PITTSBURGH TONIGHT @ 8:30PM ON NBC

With the Sox season in a sorry state of disrepair and the Noles having recently dispatched the pesky but punchless Hurricanes (sorry for the alliteration, still have V for Vendetta on the brain) I can say with full confidence that yes, I am ready for some football.

But I am not thrilled about this opener- I saw enough stories about the Steelers last January to make me puke, and without Big Ben this game loses a lot of luster. Throw in the fact that I hate the Dolphins, their Little Hitler coach, their hideous unis and their surgically repaired fun-cruisin' fumble machine Daunte Culpepper and you can see why I'm not exactly chomping at the bit to see this matchup.

Except it's not the actual game or the two teams that gets everyone fired up- it's the symbolism that means fall is near and football is here, good times to be had by all. Well not for football fan wives, but they're used to it by now. Unless they're newlyweds, in which case she will be used to it by the end of this season.

Yes it's the mere fact that after 7 months off we will get to see a meaningful NFL football game tonight. Who cares if the NFL's main network is now NBC, which stole the thunder from ABC & ESPN by taking Monday Night Football and this exclusive Thursday night opener? Who cares if Al Michaels and John Madden jumped ship quicker than you can say" when does Madden '08 come out"?

And who cares that the two teams involved bring absolutely no national interest outside of the Monogahela and South Beach?

Because it's NFL season again, and all is right with the world.