Baseball and football both have terrific athletes who orbit in the same athletic universe and become soulmates when the other sport's signature game rolls around.
In a couple of days, the vicarious thrills will be had by baseball players, many of whom will be emotionally wedded to the action in Miami.
As America prepares for Super Sunday -- and to awaken the next day to the sunrise on another Spring Training -- MLB Nation salutes, and takes sides on, Super Bowl XLIV.
Counting down XLIV baseball links to kickoff:
XLIV: LaTroy Hawkins, the Brewers reliever who grew up in Gary, Ind., and has relented to family pressure by adopting the Colts, has a singing telegram for New Orleans:
"Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints? Colts do! Dats who."
XLIII: Baseball, walk-off. Football, Hail Mary.
XLII: This will be the first Super Bowl between cities that have never fielded a Major League team.
Three previous Super Bowls were between cities that did not have an MLB franchise at the time -- VII and XVII (both Washington-Miami) and XXII (Washington-Denver).
XLI: Jamey Carroll, the Dodgers infielder who was born in Evansville, Ind., and attended the University of Evansville, is a Colts season-ticket holder. Big surprise, then, that ...
"It's an exciting time around the Carroll household," Carroll said. "In baseball, I wouldn't say I'm superstitious. But when it comes to the Colts, I can be a little over the top. I've got the whole wardrobe that I wear watching their games, and superstition comes into play."
XL: Baseball, hit-and-run. Football, play-action.
XXXIX: If baseball's showcase event adapted football's convention, the next one would be World Series CVI (106).
XXXVIII: Jarrod Parker, the Fort Wayne, Ind.-born right-hander who was the Arizona Diamondbacks' No. 1 pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, will be joined by brother Justin (also an Arizona Minor Leaguer) in front of the TV.
"It's going to be sweet to have him here [in Tucson]," said Parker. "And he'll probably go crazy just screaming at the TV all game. He's probably twice the Colts fan that I am. Man, he goes nuts. My mom doesn't even sit downstairs when the game is on, because she can't handle him yelling and going crazy. She goes up to her room and watches the game. I'm an intense fan, but I don't scream and yell and go nuts, but I do get into it."
XXXVII: Baseball, pennant race. Football, playoff drive.
XXXVI: Right-hander Tommy Hunter graduated from national football champion Alabama, loves his hometown Colts and pitches for the Rangers. Holy Trinity, anyone?
"Wouldn't that be one of the coolest things ever?" Hunter asked.
"I've been going to [Colts] games since I was four years old, and Jim Harbaugh was Captain Comeback. I like Peyton Manning. I like him a lot. He just seems to be a great person. Peyton Manning Children's Hospital of Indianapolis ... Having a children's hospital named after you shows the kind of guy he is. Maybe one day I'll look like him. He's a good guy to emulate."
XXXV: Hall of Famers born in Indiana: Mordecai Brown, Max Carey, Billy Herman, Chuck Klein, Sam Rice, Edd Roush, Amos Rusie, Sam Thompson
XXXIV: There hasn't been such a wedge driven into the Cubs' front office since they couldn't agree on whether to allow that goat through the gates.
General manager Jim Hendry, who grew up in Florida idolizing Johnny Unitas of the Baltimore-era Colts, is an Indianapolis fan.
Assistant GM Randy Bush, who met his wife, Cathy, while attending the University of New Orleans, is a Saints die-hard.
XXXIII: Hendry (in the Daily Herald): "I told [Bush] I'm still the boss. If he's obnoxious and takes it to a level I'm not comfortable with, he can reside himself in the Dominican Summer League."
XXXII: Hall of Famers born in Louisiana: Willard Brown, Bill Dickey, Ted Lyons, Mel Ott
XXXI: Winning a Super Bowl and a World Series the same year:
1969 -- New York Jets and Mets
1979 -- Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates
2004 -- New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox
XXX: Bush (again, in the Daily Herald): "If you live [in New Orleans], you can't help but pull for a team that in their first 21 of years of existence never had a winning record. I've been pulling for the Saints for 30 years. It's unbelievable."
XXIX: Baseball, seventh-inning stretch. Football, halftime.
XXVIII: Active All-Star born in Indiana: Scott Rolen
XXVII: Tommy Manzella, the Louisiana-born Astros shortstop who is so thoroughly Saints-ly, his cell phone message ends with: "Who Dat!"
"You can't go three steps without seeing someone decked out in Saints stuff," Manzella says. "Everyone. Old men are wearing old Saints hats. Everybody is talking about it. The Who Dat Nation is growing stronger. Everybody's got a lot of pride. America always likes to get behind the underdog, and that's why we're getting a lot of national support right now. I don't think you'll find too many people routing for the Colts outside of Indianapolis."
XXVI: Active All-Stars born in Louisiana: Vernon Wells, Andy Pettitte, Jonathan Papelbon, Gil Meche, Ben Sheets
XXV: Joe Crawford, who coordinates video for the Brewers -- when he isn't fantasizing about his fantasy football team: "For me it's one of those weird Super Bowls where I like both teams. I'm a Peyton Manning fan, and I like everything about the guy. [The Saints] were the "Ain'ts" and everything. So it would be awesome for New Orleans to have the Saints win. Either way it's a stress-free Super Bowl for me."
XXIV: Super Bowls in "baseball" parks:
Los Angeles Coliseum (remember the 1958-61 Dodgers?) -- 1967, 1973
Jack Murphy (and Qualcomm) Stadium (San Diego) -- 1988, 1998, 2003
Joe Robbie (et al) Stadium (Miami) -- 1989, 1995, 1999, 2007
Metrodome (Minneapolis), 1992
XXIII: Cincinnati second baseman Brandon Phillips has no remaining allegiance other than a geographic one.
"I wanted the Vikings since I'm a big Brett Favre fan," says Phillips. "I didn't want the Saints to win. Now that they're in the Super Bowl, I really want the Indianapolis Colts to win. They're the closest to us." (Cincinnati to Indianapolis: 103 miles.)
XXII: The ultimate parlay, suiting up for a World Series and a Super Bowl.
Deion Sanders is the one and only -- the 1992 World Series with the Braves, and in the 1995-96 Super Bowls with the 49ers and Cowboys, respectively.
XXI: Baseball, horsehide. Football, pigskin.
XX: Civic project, civic pride.
"The people of New Orleans are so into this," says Randy Bush. "It's been such a unifying thing, especially between what [quarterback] Drew Brees and [head coach] Sean Payton did. They came in right after Hurricane Katrina. They joined the club and really got legitimately involved in the rebuilding of the community. For them to take this step now and take the team to the Super Bowl, it's just been a wonderful, wonderful thing for that community."
XIX: Number of the 32 NFL teams never in a Super Bowl, now that the Saints will be taken off the list: four (Detroit, Cleveland, Houston, Jacksonville).
XVIII: Number of the 30 MLB teams never in a World Series: three (Texas, Seattle, Washington/Montreal).
XVII: On gameday, Hunter will be TV-side in Phoenix, accompanied by fellow Texas pitcher Derek Holland and wearing one of his five Colts jerseys.
"They are different colors, so I can coordinate with whatever color they're wearing," he says. "But I will be somewhere watching the game."
XVI: Most home runs by players born in the Super Bowl states:
Indiana -- Gil Hodges, 370
Louisiana -- Ott, 511
XV: On gameday, Hendry will be in Sun Life Stadium.
"Honestly, I'm so glad it is [the Saints]," he says. "If it wasn't the Colts, I'd be rooting like heck for them. They've waited 40 years. It's something great for the city. Even if they lose, it's a great thing."
XIV: Most wins by pitchers born in the Super Bowl states:
Indiana -- Tommy John, 288
Louisiana -- Ted Lyons, 260
XIII Gameday for Manzella: "I tried to go to the game but squashed that after talking to a bunch of friends, because we want to be in the city for the game. We're going to want to be here for that kind of energy."
XII Gameday for Carroll: "It will be a Dallas Clark jersey [on Sunday]. That's what I've worn in the playoffs. I even had Reebok make me Colts shoes that I would wear on Sundays when we took batting practice inside."
XI: Gameday for Crawford: "Usually, I'm rooting hard against the Steelers or something like that. This time I get to sit back, enjoy the game and watch the commercials."
X: Dusty Baker has been in blue-and-white heaven and would like to see Cincinnati similarly painted red:
"My heart is with New Orleans and the city, but I'm for Indianapolis," Baker says. "I went to a game while we were at the Winter Meetings. That was the most amazing thing I had ever seen -- the amount of blue-and-white jerseys. Ninety percent of the stands had a jersey on. I'd like to get that here."
IX: "Hide the women, children and defensive coordinators," says Hawkins. "I know it's going to be a shootout. ... If they don't play defense, this might be the highest-scoring Super Bowl in history."
VIII: Parker, ditto: "I think it will be either really high scoring, or the weather will take over and no one will be scoring like expected. I feel like the Colts are going to win, 30-27."
VII: Baseball, painting the corner. Football, threading the needle.
VI: What's "New?" This will the 10th Super Bowl featuring a "New" team. Only once has a "New" team won the World Series in a corresponding year, in 1969, when the Mets followed the Jets.
V: Baseball, small ball. Football, ground game.
IV: The Super Bowl has been in New Orleans nine times, but this is the first time New Orleans is in the Super Bowl.
III: Super Bowls in Florida: 15
II: World Series in New York: 52
I: After the final whistle:
Eleven days to pitchers and catchers.
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