Any sports writer will tell you that one of the biggest drawbacks to this job is you mostly become numb to the teams/sports you cover. Sure you want to see good games, the teams you cover go far and the people you get to know do well, but you never watch a sporting event the same again. No cheering, no stomach-churning sense of anticipation, and no deep-seeded admiration for any player. None of that exists.

Well, watching the Saints-Bears game yesterday I was genuinely sad, disappointed and bummed to see the Saints' storybook run come to an end one victory short of the Super Bowl. It's the first time I can remember feeling like that in a while. Now maybe this was different because I don't cover the team on any sort of basis and I had a personal rooting interest with the Saints (an old high school buddy plays for them), but it was nice to, at least for a while, feel like a fan again.

I rooted for the Saints outwardly. When my friend caught a pass, I woke my wife up and rewound the play on our DVR. And now that they've lost, the Super Bowl won't have a whole lot of meaning for me, despite the otherwise interesting storylines of Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith.

So I head to work today, up to East Lansing for my usual press conference and practice, wondering if this is how Michigan fans felt after the Ohio State game or how Michigan State fans felt after losing to George Mason in the tournament last year. If it is, than one bloodless, heartless sports writer can finally sympathize.