1. It’s Arizona vs. Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl; thoughts?

Honsen: I love the fact that parity in the NFL allows the Arizona Cardinals to make it to the Super Bowl. That said, I can’t help but feel that the Seahawks were several unfortunate injuries away from having the privilege of being manhandled by the Steelers too.

Nari: It will be interesting to see how the relationship between Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Bouldin pans out, since Bouldin is still having disputes about his contract, and there’s no gurantee he’ll be playing for Arizona next year. The Cards are making their first Super Bowl appearance against an experienced Steelers team boasting 20 players with Super Bowl experience, compared to Arizona’s three. The Cards are the clear underdog, but so were the Giants. Let’s just hope the commercials are entertaining.

Maks: Thoughts? Any thoughts I want? Ben Roethlisberger is an ugly, ugly dude.

Christian: Sure. OK. The one year the Seahawks are down, a division rival and the most pathetic franchise in the history of the NFL waltzes to the Super Bowl. At least we don’t have to watch Seattle lose to the Steelers again, I guess.

2. Rudy Fernandez was voted as the final participant in the NBA Slam Dunk contest field. How do you think the Portland guard will fare against the likes of Dwight Howard, Rudy Gay and Nate Robinson?

Honsen: Nate Rob will dunk over him. Literally.

Nari: Fresh meat for Superman and Co.

Maks: Rudy is a good alley-oop dunker. Rudy even threw down on a bewildered Dwight Howard in the Olympics. But with that said, any time you leave voting up to the fans, stupid decisions get made. This was one of them. Russell Westbrook and Joe Alexander are superior athletes in every way, and anyone who doesn’t believe that A) has not watched any of these guys play or B) is drinking some black and red Kool-Aid.

Christian: I think he’ll finish the highest among all Spanish participants.

3. After facing a minor collapse the last few weeks, the Celtics have returned to their winning ways. To what degree was losing seven of nine games a sign of weakness?

Honsen: It could mean that the competition has discovered how to beat them, or that the Big Three are finally showing their age.

Nari: Weakness? Ha. There are 82 games in a season; the Celtics aren’t worried about those seven.

Maks: After their amazing streak earlier on, the last little stretch makes them look pretty vulnerable. Then again, the best teams traditionally peak come April, not January. See San Antonio.

Christian: Doc Rivers has a raspy voice.

4. Mariners ace Felix Hernandez declined arbitration yesterday and signed a one-year deal worth $3.8 million with the M’s. What is the better move for the M’s and Felix? Long-term or short-term?

Honsen: Short term is the way to go. For the Mariners, King Felix needs to prove that he can be the dominating ace they thought they were getting when they signed him. For Hernandez, if he has a breakout year in 2009, he can test the free agent market and net himself some big bucks.

Nari: When a multi-year contract is signed, then it’ll be something to talk about. Hernandez would’ve been forced to sign with the M’s sooner or later, since they still hold him to 2011. It looks to me that the M’s just have a hard time figuring out what to do with their best players (besides trade them).

Maks: How do the Mariners fork over $48 million dollars over four years to Carlos Silva without flinching, while for two years denying Felix, the supposed ace of the staff and future of the Mariners, a nice long-term deal? What, has he not hit enough grand slams?

Christian: If Felix stays with the Mariners long-term, they may have to invest in about 10 years worth of binkies, as well — though he’s not as big of a wuss as Erik Bedard.

Who do you think won this week's round? Email sports@dailyuw.com with your thoughts.