FOOTBALL: Indianapolis at St. Louis

Nothing beats meaningless pre-season football played in a dome no less, right? I was tempted to go with the Yanks-White Sox game on ESPN yet again. So far the series has not disappointed the lofty standards of TOTW. But since tonight's game begins the preseason's first weekend of football, I'm making the Colts-Rams game on FOX the one to watch.

In spite of a combined total of only 1 Super Bowl win, these teams have consistently displayed the NFL's best offenses for a decade. However, they now occupy very different places in the 2006 forecasts. Indy QB Peyton Manning is once again expected to win now. After a near perfect season in 2005 and a record setting season in 2004, the Colts will earn the label of "underachievers" (aka chokers) if they don't reach the Super Bowl this year. It remains to be seen in Indy can overcome the loss of RB Edgerrin James to free agency. Weapons like WR Marvin Harrison and WR Reggie Wayne are still there and Coach Tony Dungy has actually assembled a very good defense. Seemingly only the reputation for being unable to win the big game stands between the Colts and a championship.

On the other hand, not much is expected from the Rams anymore. While WR Torry Holt and RB Steven Jackson are in their prime, aging WR Isaac Bruce and injured RB Marshall Faulk are not. Rams' QB Marc Bulger has shown flashes of brilliance but has also been brittle. He's yet to prove he can lead the Rams to the same heights of their glory years. In the offseason, pass happy Mike Martz was fired as coach and replaced by Dolphins offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. This seems a questionable move since they need help on D mostly. However, former New Orleans coach Jim Haslett was also hired by the Rams as defense coordinator. I wouldn't be surprised if the firey Haslett succeeds here and uses this opportunity to land another head coaching gig.

My pick: St. Louis. Indy won't play Peyton Manning much. Afterall, no single player means more to his team than does the former MVP. The Rams signed headbutter and journeymanGus Frerotte as their backup QB. Look for Gus to do well in ample playing time against 2nd and 3rd string defenses.

Whether it's high school on Friday, college on Saturday, or the pros on Sunday, football means cheerleaders. Here's Lacey, the Rams' 2005 "Pro Bowl Cheerleader" - it's true, you can look it up!