I'm not much of a gambler, although I do like the craps table. Craps is not a game for the meek or timid. It's fast, furious and volatile. I like it because of its pace and because it involves human emotion, unlike the robotics of slot machine play.
I like to play the long shots and high odds, it's the only reason, as far as I'm concerned, to gamble. But unless I have a few hundred dollars to bet on C&E (craps or eleven) I would rather walk away from the table, cash or chips firmly in hand.

This weekend's games must have Vegas odds makers wringing their hands. This season the favorites have been a disappointment and those weird games with ties and scores of 11-10 must have really messed with them.

The final four teams left in the run for a Super Bowl ring were long shots going in to the 2008 season, to be sure. How many really thought these teams would be playing in the Championship games? Perhaps the only exception to that statement is the Steelers who always seem to be contenders in the AFC, especially when the Patriots or Colts aren't standing in their way.

But the Cardinals? The Ravens? The Eagles? Who'd a thunk?

No one expected the Arizona Cardinals to be anywhere within sniffing distance of the Super Bowl, yet here they are, one game away from making a Super Bowl appearance.

The Arizona Cardinals, perennial losers. A team that won the NFC West on the strength of a weak division. The Cardinals who had the worst record of any of the playoff teams. Those same Cardinals have bounced the higher seeds without any problem whatsoever on the arm of Old Man Warner.

The same can be said for the Ravens. They started the season with a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback. The Ravens have always been offensively-challenged, relying on their kick you in the face defense to scare the be-jesus out of their opponents. But who would have bet they would be in the Championship game against the Steelers? I don't think Brian Billick thought they would do this well without him.

And then there's the Eagles. They limped through the season. Drama and scandal seemed to follow them all season long. The calls for the firing of Andy Reid and the calls to jettison Donny McNabb were loud and furious. They were the only playoff team this season to have a tie on their record resulting in hysteria over McNabb's remarks about not knowing a regular season game could end in a tie.
The Iggles were clearly the underdogs in a division dominated by the Giants and with the Cowboys loaded with amazing talent? Yes indeed.

So although I have no vested interest in these four remaining contenders, I feel the thrill of victory will come to one of these underdogs, one of these long shots.
And I am betting that at least one long shot will be left standing at the end of Sunday's contests.

Which one is yet to be determined. But my toss of the dice is going with the NFC West Cardinals. The Cardinals have a potent offense, that's no secret. But the real surprise is how their defense is playing. The Eagles have a better defense, but for some unknown reason they always choke at the end.
My gut is picking the Cardinals as the winner of their game.

The AFC Championship game will be a heavyweight bout with knock out punches being thrown by both teams.
I pick the Steelers in this one.
The NFC Championship should be a shoot out, and I will take the Cardinals in this game.

Longs shots and tequila shots. Fun is what's on tap for all football fans this Sunday.