This week we are proud to welcome two guest editors:

1) the esteemed journalism professor Brian Billick, best known for his groundbreaking reassessment of the MacLuhan Principle and lesser known for his vigorous refusal to employ the shovel pass on third and long, and

2) sociologist and talk-show host Shannon Sharpe, who, along with being a frequent expert panelist on the Jim Lehrer NewsHour, is the author of the timeless study Lay Off My Friend!: Adventures in the New Media Age.

Welcome, gentlemen. One thing we can all agree on as we scurry to inflate all of our blow-up furniture before kickoff is that we are again facing what theoreticians and ethicists call The New York Thing. This phenomenon occurs whenever a New York team reaches the title game of a major sport. (Or, as we saw as recently as October, when two of them get there.) The game becomes more than it really is, and all perspective is immediately lost.

It takes just a casual reading of one edition of the New York Post to see this phenomenon in all its glory. (The Post, by the way, seemed to spend the week running through the Ravens' hotel with a blowtorch, trying to get something started.) For one, Giants linebacker Jessie Armstead was quoted as saying he believes this is the start of a Giants' dynasty. [Ed's. Note: Probably one to rival the Rams' dynasty, or maybe the Chargers' dynasty of '98. -- B.B.] Micheal Barrow put forth the theory that the Giants just might have been chosen by God to win this Super Bowl. And, if they win, who will possess the empirical evidence to dispute it?

A columnist for the Post, irritated with the Ravens' apparent willingness to believe they might win this game, exhorted his troops in print by telling them to "Shut them out, and shut them up." [Ed's. Note: You might get the first, but never the second. I promise. -- S.S.]

This Week's List

There's always some nag out there, ready to take all the fun out of cheating: A French study has found that creatine could cause cancer. [Ed's. Note: So Ray Lewis took creatine a year ago ... are you going to dredge it up forever? That's just wrong, and irresponsible, and shameful. -- B.B.]

A Super Bowl win, an MVP -- getting the beer right is the important part: As Thursday's edition of USA Today reported, "Indianapolis Colts running back Marshall Faulk was honored Wednesday as the Miller Lite NFL Player of the Year."

Now occupying the pole position on the national couch: The Lakers.

As Plato said, it all eventually comes back to balance: Kobe thinks Shaq might want to mix in the occasional salad, and Shaq thinks Kobe might want to mix in the occasional pass.

What Phil Jackson thinks: Well, first he has the find the chapter in Black Elk Speaks that deals with intratribal squabbles.

The NBA is clearly no place for the ACLU, but if you think about it for a second -- what if the man's right?: Mario Elie became the latest to be fined ($75,00) by the NBA for publicly criticizing the officials. [Ed's. Note: Ray Lewis has never been known to publicly criticize an official. -- S.S.]

Jennifer Capriati, John Daly, Kerry Collins: Damn, it's a big week for all 12 of those steps.

Just for the heck of it: Dirt Winston.

Upon reading the news that Michael Vick fired his agent and marketing man, Jim Kelly, one question begged to be asked: Did the kid expect to be playing this weekend or something?

What the Giants have that the Raiders didn't: A big-armed quarterback and wide receivers who can get deep.

What the Ravens have that the Vikings didn't: Pass rush, a secondary, linebackers.

Proof that it doesn't take much to be declared a comic genius during Super Bowl Week: Tony Siragusa.

The Siragusa oeuvre, in handy pocket size: The memorization and repetition of a few lines from Stripes, and the occasional self-deprecating fat joke.

Stop, my sides: Asked if he would appeal the $10,000 fine he received for aggressively channeling his 350 pounds onto Rich Gannon's left shoulder, Siragusa said, "Without a doubt. I might call O.J.'s crew." [Ed's. Note: I guess you're going to toss in a gratuitous Ray Lewis swipe in here, right? Maybe something about Siragusa contacting Ray's legal team? Don't do it. The man is the best football player in the land, and he's one of my best friends. Nothing else matters. -- S.S.]

The Ravens' motto, at least when it comes to Trent Dilfer: Don't lose, baby.

This week's homework assignment: Compare and contrast the different approaches taken by this week's two favorite media targets, Lewis and Collins.

And, finally, the only thing in football worse than being smothered by Tony Siragusa: Hearing your daughter say being an XFL cheerleader is a lifelong dream.

Tim Keown is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail tim.keown@espnmag.com.