Ah, Super Bowl Sunday - it's finally here. It's the one day every year where it's your patriotic duty as sports-loving Americans to get together with your friends in someone's living room or finished basement, sit in front of the largest television you can find, stuff your face with all sorts of heartburn-inducing junk food, and hope and pray that the thrills of the game will be matched only by the hilarity of the television commercials.

Well, maybe it's not just one day out of the year. For avid football fans, today is the last of a long line of such wonderful Sundays, stretching back over the past few months. But still - the feeling of excitement in the air is always special on Super Bowl Sunday.

It's a day when a split-second action during the halftime show can instantly become national news. It's a day when the national anthem - sung with uncommon beauty and emotion - can be talked about for days afterward. It's a day when a quarterback, or receiver, or running back, or defensive back, or anyone else on the field can make a permanent name for themselves in football history by making a game-changing play.

There are many reasons to enjoy the Super Bowl today. Sure, there's the hopefully high-quality level of play between two teams that are supposedly the best two in the league this season. There's the chance that one of the many commercials we'll see today will be as funny - or even funnier - than my favorite from last year, the hilarious Tide commercial with the talking stain. And there's the chance that everyone will be so focused on the game at a given moment that you'll be able to grab the last two slices of pizza without anyone noticing.

But for me, the number one reason to enjoy this year's Super Bowl is that no matter how many injuries they sustain today, no matter how many last-minute drives and miracle catches they might allow, our beloved Patriots will definitely not lose. The worst that might happen today is that one of our players eats too many cookies and goes home with a tummy ache. Or he might embarrass himself a little by spilling salsa on his brand new shirt. Or maybe - if we're really unlucky - one of our players might sustain a stubbed toe as he dashes into the kitchen to get another beer during a commercial break. Today, we Patriots fans are guaranteed not to suffer the same fate we did last year. We will not be subjected to that feeling of panic and distress that we felt during the closing minutes of last year's big game. We will not be the target of jeers and ridicule from so-called friends who just couldn't wait to see the '07 Patriots lose a game. And we will not have to shake our heads in disbelief and utter sorrow, because we will not have to watch our team walk off the field as losers today.

I have a feeling that this year's Super Bowl Sunday will be very enjoyable.

BILL ZUCK has never spilled salsa on his shirt, and he has also never lied about it. You can reach him at wcz78@yahoo.com.