The other day, as I was walking up the stairs to my apartment, I missed a step and fell to a knee. It wouldn’t have been a big deal had I not dropped the drink I was carrying from Subway. It fell all the way to the ground and exploded in a rather dramatic fashion.

Root beer flew high into the air and the cup was totally annihilated.

People were around. I was a little embarrassed.

The point is, had there been nobody around, I wouldn’t have been embarrassed.

Lately, though, I’ve proved this theory wrong on several occasions. I’m completely embarrassed of the Seattle Mariners, and there’s nobody around to witness my embarrassment.

Just knowing that I’m a die-hard fan of the Mariners is a bit embarrassing. The group they’re running out there on a daily basis is absolutely ridiculous. One run per game. That’s what you can count on. Pretty much the only way a Seattle pitcher gets a win is if they don’t allow any runs. None at all. And then maybe they might get a win.

And, while I’m on the subject, let’s stop giving nicknames to terrible players. And if they already have a nickname from a time that they were actually good, let’s stop calling them by the nickname until they’re good again.

Every time Seattle closer David Aardsma comes into the game, Mariner’s play-by-play announcer Mike Sims boasts, “The DA is on the case.”

Aardsma is 0-6 with a 4.59 ERA. Enough with the DA gimmick.

OK, I’m done ranting.

I’m stealing that idea.

Here is a tiny portion of the things that I love and the things that I hate.

I love:

Big Town Hero; Watching other people engage in awkward moments or conversations; A meaningful movie – one that after you watch it, you immediately know you watched something special; Sleeping; Tax returns; Cold beer after a long days work; Extremely arrogant people getting humilated; Laughing; Sneezing.

I hate:

Slimy, soggy noddles; Headaches; People who try to prove you wrong about something, even though its apparent they have no idea what they’re talking about; Auto-tune; Rich people who aren’t thankful for what they have; Bills.

Obviously, these lists can continue forever.

Actually, I do want to add one thing to the list of things I love: I love lists.

The most common reason is that all of the players are thugs who arent’ doing justice to the great game of basketball.

And maybe for a couple years around the turn of the century, this might have been the case. Maybe.

But the NBA of 2010 is thriving. You’re ignorant if you think the NBA hasn’t changed since the couple years post-MJ.

This Sunday is the league’s ultimate showcase. The All-Star Game will be played at Dallas Stadium. More than 90,000 people will be in attendance. It’s going to be quite the show.

So instead of giving more praise to the best players in the game, I’m taking a different approach.

Here is a list of my four least favorite players of all-time (really the past 15 years. I was 10 in 1995).

4. Ron Artest (Lakers). I was disappointed when Artest was signed by the Lakers, because I had always disliked him. Artest has always had a high level of arrogance. And I’m under the belief that you have to earn the right to be that arrogant. He hasn’t.

3. Anderson Varejao (Cleveland). This reserve forward is just a royal pain. It’s not fun to watch him flop, throw elbows and just constantly think of new ways to irritate people and slow down the pace of the game.

2. Latrell Spreewell (New York). The fact that he strangled his coach in practice gets him close to this list. His comment during a contract negotiation (”I have a family to feed”), brings him all the way to No. 2.

1. Robert Horry (lots of teams). Big Shot Rob. I have always disliked this guy with a passion. Somehow he has seven championship rings and John Stockton has none. That’s wrong. This sums up everything I feel about Horry.

Oh and this.

It’s been a good season, but it’s been a quick one.

It seems like only yesterday I was researching players for the purpose of fantasy football prior to the season starting. Now it’s three days from Super Bowl Sunday.

The conference championship games went as expected. I picked the Vikings (although it was the first time all season I picked a team that I didn’t really think was going to win).

Brett Favre robbed me of a Brett Favre Super Bowl. It would have been fantastic. But he had to roll to the right side of the field and throw across his body.

It was a prototypical Brett Favre interception. It would be an appropriate way to end his career (he is, after all, the all-time leader in career picks).

But he’s not going to retire. That, however, is another matter altogether.

So we have a Colts-Saints Super Bowl. It should be really entertaining.

I think it comes to down to this: There’s is nothing the Saints are going to be able to do to stop Peyton Manning from winning this game. Period.

Colts 34, Saints 31

Don’t rush out and get the newest exercise machine. And you don’t need to do 1,ooo crunches.

All you need to do is attend a State of the Union speech. President Obama delivered his first one last night.

Whenever he said anything positive, two-thirds of the people in attendance would clap, then stand, then continue to applaud.

Just as they were sitting back down, Obama would say something else that would warrant a standing ovation, and the folks would stand up again.

They had to have been sore following this speech.

Being the inspirational guy that he is, Obama had people standing, sitting, standing, sitting all night.

Here’s my question: Do we really need to give him a standing ovation every time he makes a statement during speeches like this?

I’m a big fan of standing ovations when they’re appropriate. But if you give someone 873 standing O’s throughout one speech, it kind of loses it’s intention.

It made it difficult to watch his speech.

Regular season: 172-84

There he is. The most important person in the NFL. The most talked about and criticized. And he’s one win away from the Super Bowl.

I think a lot of people expected Brett Favre to make the Vikings better. But I don’t think many expected him to do it the way he has.

Instead of a run-first, pass-when-they-have-to approach, the old guy is slingin’ it.

Adrian Peterson has not been the most important person of Minnesota’s offense since the first half of the season. It’s been the 40-year-old, gray-haired quarterback.

What all of this does is make for one of the most anticipated, entertaining NFC Championship Games in a long, long time.

Because the New Orleans Saints are ridiculous. The offense is just about as unstoppable as it comes, and the New Orleans crowd is off their rockers.

I’m expecting a touchdown frenzy. Long bombs all day long.

I picked the Vikings to reach the Super Bowl before the season started, so I’m sticking with it.

I do, however, understand that the Saints are the logical pick. I just want a Brett Favre Super Bowl so bad that I feel like I can will the Vikings to win.

Vikings 41, Saints 37

As for the AFC Championship Game, there shouldn’t be as much excitement. There’s no chance -NO CHANCE!- New York beats Indy. Won’t happen. Can’t happen.

A rookie quarterback just will not beat a Peyton Manning-led team playing as well as the Colts.

The Jets are getting a lot of attention, but just making it this far is way, way, way more than they could have hoped for.

Colts 31, Jets 13

Both games are on Sunday.

As a Seattle Seahawks fan, I’m not sure what to think of the recent coaching change. After just one season, Jim Mora has been replaced by Pete Carroll, who had a good run at the University of Southern California.

Admittedly, I like Carroll, but I also like Mora, and I think it’s unfair to send him packing after one season, especially considering how many key players nursed injuries throughout the year.

Ever since Seattle went to the Super Bowl in 2005, the Seahawks have reverted back to the old Seahawks.

I’m hoping they can get it together under Carroll, but it won’t change my opinion about Mora.

I correctly picked two of the four playoff games last week. I really thought New England was going to win and was just plain unsure about the Cincy-Jets game. Oh well.

Saturday

Cardinals at Saints: I think the crowd in New Orleans is going to be crazy. Just insane. They’ve played a factor in many big home games this season and I think they’ll do so again. Pick: Saints 44, Cardinals 36

Ravens at Colts: Indianapolis is Super Bowl-bound. There you go. Pick: Colts 37, Ravens 27

Sunday

Cowboys at Vikings. Through all the retirements and un-retirements and all the media love and media criticism, I like Brett Favre. I like him. He’s fun to watch. And the media circus that will inevitably follow him around the further he goes in the playoffs will also be fun. Pick: Vikings 33, Cowboys 28

Jets at Chargers: I have family that lives in San Diego. I’ve visited them three times and have had a wonderful time each trip. The only NFL game I’ve ever attended was between the Chargers and the Raiders. So I should like this team. But as long as Phillip Rivers is the quarterback, I just can’t. I don’t like the guy. That being said, there’s really nothing to like about the Jets. Pick: Chargers 34, Jets 13

I did not need to understand the rules or points.

Two young men approached each other on the mat, only one would emerge the victor.

I was able to attend my first wrestling tournament on Jan. 9 in Dallas. My assignment was to spend an hour or so taking pictures.

I arrived at the Dallas High School and found the gym, making my way through the crowds of coaches, parents, friends and athletes until I found some folks from Lebanon.

The air was abuzz with excitement, some wrestling, some waiting for their turn.

Once I was able to watch the action on the mat, I was entranced. The determination of these young athletes was amazing. You could see the exertion of body, mind and spirit.

As I had a chance, I spoke with their coach.

“These guys give 110 percent,” he said. Most people don’t realize how that feels, he added. Some athletes know how 100 percent feels, but to go that little bit extra is crucial to winning in wrestling.

“Sometimes it comes down to whoever wants it the most,” the coach said.

And that makes sense. Here are two young people, evenly matched in all respects. They are categorized into weight classes, and have to make weight to compete.

This means all year they are not only working on their fitness, they are watching their diets and building muscle.

When I mentioned to the coach the uniforms looked like they hadn’t changed in 100 years, the coach told me wrestling is one of the oldest sports. And I can see that, too.

Anyone could understand a wrestling match because of its appeal to a baser human instinct, unlike other sports (and I do love sports in general) where  it helps to know the basic rules: What constitutes a score, what is a foul, who is who, who is winning.

But wrestling is different. It’s mano y mano, man to man. One will win. One will lose. Both will work hard, and it shows as sweat pours from bodies, faces scrunch in determination, noses get bloodied and safety gear slips from heads.

I can definitely say I’m a fan, although I can’t promise I’ll learn the rules and techniques. Go Warriors!

Jason’s second cousin is Oregon’s starting quarterback, Jeremiah Masoli.

According to Jason, the Masoli group and Lavasier Tuinei’s group combined to form the ultimate cheering crowd.

More than 200-250 family members and friends were on hand to cheer on the Ducks.

This is part of the Masoli-Tuinei group tailgating before the game.

A massive member of the USC Marching Band was featured during the Parade of Roses.

Jason and Desiree with Masoli (middle).

Final regular season record: 172-84

I’m satisfied with my regular season record. I correctly picked two-thirds of the games and didn’t have a losing week all season.

In a column I wrote just before the season started, I made predictions for the season.

Let’s re-visit those:

“Kansas City quarterback (and career bench-warmer) Matt Cassel will have a disappointing season.” His 2009 stats: 2,924 yards, 16 TD’s, 16 INT’s, 55 percent passing, 69.9 QB rating for the 4-12 Chiefs. Yeah, I’d consider that disappointing.

“Houston will be this year’s surprise team.” The Texans missed out on the playoffs, but finished with a 9-7 record, their best finish in franchise history. There were several games throughout the season that they could have easily won. They could have finished at 11-5 and proved me 100 percent right. But they didn’t, and I’m just partly right. I’ll take it.

“Brett Favre will make the Minnesota Vikings better.” Although they’ve faltered as of late, the Vikings finished 12-4 and have a bye in the first round of the playoffs. Check.

“Fantasy football will become more important than actual football, at least for me.” My favorite team, the Seattle Seahawks, are in the crapper right now. And I won two of three fantasy leagues. So yeah, I’d say that was a correct prediction.

“New England will beat Minnesota 34-24 in Super Bowl XLIV.” We’ll see. Can’t say I still feel confident about it, but that’s my pick and I’m sticking to it!

Playoff picks:

Saturday

Jets at Bengals: Three of the four first-round playoff games are rematches from last week. That’s quite the coincidence. New York destroyed Cincinatti’s scrubs 37-0 last week and that can’t be any kind of confidence booster for the Bengals. Even so, they’re facing a rookie quarterback at home. Give me the Bengals.

Eagles at Cowboys: Both teams are 11-5, but the Cowboys are obviously the hotter team right now. I’m taking Dallas, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Philly wins either.

Sunday

Ravens at Patriots: New England’s playmaker, Wes Welker, was injured last week and is lost for the playoffs. That’s definitely going to be a factor, but I still see the Patriots getting the job done. I’m taking New England.

Packers at Cardinals: I like both teams. This is a complete guess. I’ll take Arizona, even though they play poorly at home.