6:24 p.m. ET
Now that the coin has been flipped (Bucs win!), it's time to flip the switch on the pregame notebook. Enjoy the game, now that it's finally here!

6:18 p.m. ET
During the National Anthem, there were eight mounted police officers patrolling the deserted main concourse of the stadium. It was an interesting scene, considering Dixie Chicks were singing about the land of the free inside the stadium. The reason that is so true is because of the officers outside. By the way, the horses didn't like the fireworks one bit.

6:11 p.m. ET
The concourses are nearly empty now, which means most people are taking their seats -- except for a few stragglers and those going to get another beer.

6:01 p.m. ET
Somebody spent a lot of money on sky-writing, hiring an airplane to write a message in the sky, but we can't make out what it says. What a waste of advertising! It seems to say, "www.bag1sport.com." But we can't say for sure.

5:49 p.m. ET
With the sound of one bell, almost all the Raiders fans came to their feet when the stadium started playing, AC/DC's "Hells Bells." And now they are playing "Back in Black." Everyone seems to be getting their game faces on.

Also two celebrity sightings: Tiger Woods in a Raiders hat downstairs on the concourse, and Rick Fox in a navy blue suit.

5:40 p.m. ET
Bones, the Raider mascot from 18 years ago, won't be attending the game after all. The tickets he'd expected at the Will Call window weren't there. Bones was upset, but said that he'd go down to San Diego's Gaslamp District and watch the game. And root for the Raiders.

Norbil Shaheen has gone to the last 10 Super Bowls. He's trying to pay $1,000 for a ticket this year, but has thus far been unsuccessful. So he's talking on his cell phone with a popcicle stick him his mouth. The stick says: "I need tickets."

5:39 p.m. ET
Outside the stadium, there are more buyers than sellers -- by about 10 to one. It looks like the $1,500 price that was quoted on Monday by brokers as the minimum price is going to hold.

5:37 p.m. ET
For those of you who have someone bringing you a souvenir from back home, be thankful because the prices aren't cheap. T-shirts range from $29-$43. Sweatshirts are $73. Replica jerseys are $80. And an NFL fleece sweatshirt is $95. And most of the stands are almost sold out.

5:32 p.m. ET
On one of the concourses, there is a tractor trailer from Screenworks in Los Angeles. A door on one side of the trailer lifts and unveils a monstrous, portable Jumbotron.

5:27 p.m. ET
It's 81 degrees in San Diego. And if the temperature holds, it will be the second-hottest Super Bowl in history. The only one hotter was Super Bowl VII (Jan. 14, 1973), when it was 84 degrees at gametime. It couldn't be a better day for football.

5:24 p.m. ET
Cori Ranveen, a 26-year-old Bucs fans, is displaying her pride in her team outside the stadium with a black bikini top, low-slug blue jeans and a "Go Bucs" tattoo on the small of back. "I'm tired of these Raiders fans staring at me," she said. "This is for Bucs fans only."

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Jody Malone of Pleasanton, Calif., has the ultimate case of confidence with Raiders World Champions T-shirt. Her sleeves are ripped off already. Is she get getting ahead of herself? "It's inevitable," she said. "I just got my shirt before everybody else."

5:23 p.m. ET
By the way, here's the list of the inactive players for today's game, hot off the presses. For the Raiders, Barret Robbins, Madre Hill, Keyon Nash, Chad Slaughter, James Jett and Kenyon Coleman. Rick Mirer is designated as the third QB. For the Bucs, it's Tim Wansley, Daniel Wilcox, Justin Smith, Dan Goodspeed, Reggie Barlow, Casey Crawford and Buck Gurley, with Shaun King as the third QB. Obviously, the big name is Robbins. Read more about Robbins' situation in the story on our front page.

5:20 p.m. ET
A marketing company near San Diego says if you give them an e-mail address, they'll give you a Raiders World Champions T-shirt or a Tampa Bay World Champions T-shirt. Ironically, one of the products the company markets is the "Fridge Diet," named for William "The Refrigerator" Perry.

5:19 p.m. ET
Patrick Englert of St. Louis was arrested for selling tickets illegally when the Super Bowl was in Atlanta three years ago and had to post $700 bail. Last year, he entered the NFL lottery for tickets to this year's game and got two, both 22 rows up from the field. The price? $400 each. He sold them today for $1,000 each. Englert says he's been to four Super Bowls and loves the atmosphere, but doesn't know if he'll buy other tickets and get into the game.

5:15 p.m. ET
One of our reporters walking around the stadium found out the lowest lower bowl tickets were $2,000 each, and that was 15 minutes ago.

The National Guard has a strong presence around the nearby refinery, and they are the only military presence visible at Qualcomm.

5:10 p.m. ET
Our intrepid reporter outside the stadium just interviewed the Miller Lite girls, Tonya Ballinger (otherwise known as "Great Taste) and Kitana Baker (she's "Less Filling"). Tonya: "We're very excited about the success of the commercial. We thought it was funny on the set, but we're actually quite surprised with everyone's reaction." When she was asked about the controversial nature of the commercial ("Ya wanna make out?"), she answered, "It's just meant to be a light-hearted spoof on men's fantasies."

5:06 p.m. ET
Security is certainly tight, with every bag and every cell phone scrutinized at each gate. But it doesn't seem to be as tight as it has been the last two seasons. Ticket holders are free to roam about the stadium as opposed to past years when they were limited to just their area. The security also seems friendlier too. Maybe the warm weather has something to do with the warm dispositions.

5 p.m. ET
Perhaps 22-year-old Chad Johnson from San Diego has the best piece of Bucs memorabilia. He's wearing a game-used '95 Hardy Nickerson No. 56, but it's the old colors -- the pewter and icicle that Warren Sapp made fun of this week. "Hardy, har, har, har, he made the Bucs what they are. And today is for him," said Johnson.

4:58 p.m. ET
Both kickers, Sebastian Janikowski and Martin Gramatica, are on the field, practicing field goals. With Al Davis looking on, Janikowski made all six of his attempts. Now that's pressure. Gramatica was eight for eight, including four from beyond 50. And it's perfect weather for kickers.

4:46 p.m. ET
The Raider fan mentioned earlier, Robert Wise, got his bargain price -- $900 a seat for him and his son.

4:43 p.m. ET
Classic rock band Styx is playing a concert outside the front gate of the stadium. People are leaning over the top of the stadium to watch them. For you Styx fans, they just got done playing one of their huge hits, "Renegade." And they are into it big-time, playing their guitars behind their heads, jumping up and down. In other words, they're bringing it. Maybe they can make a stronger comeback after this Super gig.

4:40 p.m. ET
Jeff Francis, who has been a Bucs fan for 27 years, flew from St. Petersburg. Although he got tickets at face value last year, he had bought four club-seat tickets for $2,000 apiece.

4:37 p.m. ET
The biggest business out on the street outside the stadium seems to be the water business. Donald Anderson has sold about 100 bottles of water at $1 apiece. And he's the cheapest of the water sellers. There are about four groups of them. The highest price is $2.

Leeannette Lucero drove all the way from New Mexico to sell her fabric and mylar roses representing both the Bucs and the Raiders. She's been doing this for the past 23 years, and she's selling them for $12 apiece. She expects to sell 1,000 of them today. Gee, maybe we're in the wrong business.

4:35 p.m. ET
Robert Wise, a Raiders fan for 30 years, came to the game from Colorado with his 17-year-old son. They're hoping to pay $1,800 for a pair of tickets; if they can't, they're willing to wait until halftime to try and watch the price go down. They used the same technique at the World Cup final in 1994 in Pasadena, Calif.

4:33 p.m. ET
Nader Maamo, a Raiders PSL ticket holder since '95, is at the game, but he's upset he couldn't buy tickets for face value in the Raiders' season ticket holders' lottery. He finally bought a ticket for $1,500. And, then, he had to check for counterfeits. On each authentic ticket, there's a hologram on top right with a football. Inside of the football, there's an image of a lighthouse. The hologram is virtually impossible to replicate. And most fans know what they're looking for.

4:31 p.m. ET
One of the original Raider mascots, Chuck Albina, is near the stadium on stilts, dressed in the mascot outfit he last wore 18 years ago. He now lives in Kansas City and is at the game courtesy of Al Davis, who gave him tickets.

Tim Anderson, a Los Angeles scalper, says the market isn't great for tickets. Not many are in circulation. So he's taken to selling ticket holders for $5 each. He's sold 70 today.

4:29 p.m. ET
Brice Glenn, a mannequin dressed in silver who usually works at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, is standing near the stadium covered completely in silver. He goes by the name of Silver Dollar. He said his goal isn't to make money; it's to make fans happy.

4:27 p.m. ET
At the corner of Friars Road and Northside Drive, a slew of fans are looking for tickets. The market remains good for sellers -- one fan has been at the corner since 9 a.m. PT with a sign saying he'd take two tickets for $2,400. At 1 p.m. PT, he changed it to $2,700 for two tickets. People looking for tickets have signs, hats -- anything they can to get someone's attention.

Scott Descoteaux, a 31-year-old Bucs fans from Tampa, said he's looking for a ticket for $1,000. He's already spent $500 in hotel and flights; now he's looking to cut his losses with a $1,000 ticket if he can find one.

4:14 p.m. ET
For those traveling to the stadium via trolley, it took 35 minutes to get here from Downtown San Diego. Our reporter on the trolley says his was full of Raider fans. Half the time, they were chanting, "Ray-duz!" "Ray-duz!" -- over and over again. Underneath the expressway, there was a Raider tailgate and they had an entire living room set up, with couches and coffee tables and lamps. There is no parking outside Qualcomm, so every spot is pretty much taken by a bus or limo. There is so much fencing set up, it's like being a rat in a maze trying to get inside.

4:05 p.m. ET
The media workroom is abuzz with activity. There are TVs set up around the room, showing the pregame show on ABC. There is a cacophony of noise coming from outside the tent, both from people talking and from loudspeakers playing music. Reporters are reading newspapers, munching on popcorn, tapping on their keyboards and just plain sweating. It's hot outside (must be around 80 and sunny), but inside the heat seems to be more intense. But hey, who's complaining?