Welcome to another edition of The Chat House where Post columnist Michael Wilbon was online Monday, Jan. 30, at 1:15 p.m. ET to take your questions and comments about the latest in sports news.

The transcript follows.

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washingtonpost.com: Thanks for being here, Michael Wilbon will be joining us shortly.

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Silver Spring, Md.: I love football. I think a majority of America would agree, it's the greatest sporting every Sunday in which EVERY game matters. With that being said, how come this year's season feels like a Shakespearean play? All of the excitement occurred throughout the season and culminated with the first two weeks of the playoffs. With the Super Bowl, I suspect more people will be paying attention to the commercials than the game actually being played...

Michael Wilbon: Hi everybody...Sorry to start late, but it couldn't be helped...Arrived here in Detroit at 9:30 a.m. from D.C. but rooms aren't ready. The in-room Internet connections don't work...Not a great start here in Detroit...But here I am, and we'll do as much as we can before I have to run off and prepare for PTI...

I don't think the Seahawks and Steelers have to apologize for reaching the Super Bowl. The one thing about the NFL, though, is it's national appeal no matter who is in the thing. The Steelers do have a traditional national appeal, at least since the early 1970s when Chuck Noll's Steelers started winning. Nobody outside of the Pacific Northwest knows much about the Steelers; then again, hardly anybody knew much about the Carolina Panthers two years ago...But we learn quickly. More Americans like pro football than the other sports, but you won't get a majority. Some people are into auto racing, some pro basketball, some only college sports. Everything is available and I don't buy into the old-fashioned logic that "everybody" likes a certain thing. More people watch more sports than ever, and because of satellite and cable they can see more of what they want to watch than 20 years ago.

Do more people like pro football? Yes, absolutely. But I don't think the Super Bowl numbers are going to be down because I think most of those people who like football, who would identify themselves as football fans, like to be, like to have fantasy teams, like to be in weekly pools, and like to sit around a drink with their friends and get into football as much because of those reasons as who's playing in a given game.

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Bethesda, Md.: What would you say the odds of Maryland making the NCAAs is?

Michael Wilbon: Good question...I'd say 60-40...It's going to be hard without Chris McCray, their most polished offensive player. But Gary Williams is very, very good in situations like these. I think Maryland can still make it...

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Bethesda, Md.: Do we really need another receiver in Washington? I mean, nobody knows who Samie Parker is, and Al Saunders made him into a productive No. 2 receiver in Kansas City.

Michael Wilbon: Good point. I think regardless of whether a second receiver is needed, the Redskins will acquire a high-profile receiver because that's the way Danny Snyder likes to do things...Could Al have as much success developing somebody on hand, is what you're asking. And the answer is a definite "maybe." I don't think Trash, at this age, is that player. I don't think Taylor Jacobs is either, but I could be wrong. Saunders really does have an eye and the ability to bring out the best in offensive players, doesn't he? That's certainly something to watch for in these mini-camps.

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Bridgewater, Va.: The rumor is that Tony is up for Monday Night Football. You interested?

Michael Wilbon: The rumor isn't that I'm up for Monday Night Football...it's that Tony is...So why would you care about my interest?

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Springfield, Va.: Do you think history will recognize Roger Federer as the best male tennis player over Pete Sampras?

Michael Wilbon: It's looking more so like that every tournament, isn't it? Federer is now halfway to Pete's total of 14 Grand Slam titles. But crazy things happen in men's tennis. The shelf-life of a tennis player, more than women than the men, isn't particularly long. But it seems Federer is motivated now. If he stays healthy and interested, he could eclipse Pete...It's sure fun to watch, and it's a much-needed story line for men's tennis, which I find completely insignificant these days...And far from a tennis hater, I played competitive tennis growing up, high school and juniors...I love tennis. But what the men's side of the game could also use is at least a threat to Roger...

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Sterling, Va.: Your opinion on how successful each team will continue to be next year after the Super Bowl?

Michael Wilbon: Well, the Steelers have been a successful team for years under Bill Cower. They did have three straight years (1998, '99, 2000) out of the playoffs, but for the other 11 years they've been a threat. I don't think either is going to start some dynasty, if that's what you mean. The Steelers are at somewhat a disadvantage because the Rooneys aren't swimming in money. They run the franchise a certain way, which means sometimes having to let valuable young players go via free agency. But is sure works pretty well, doesn't it? I think it's hard for any team now to stay at the top for four or five years which is why New England's run since 2000 is so impressive. I think both will be good for the foreseeable future...a threat to reach the conference championship game. Do I see one of these two rattling off two of the next three Super Bowl championships? No, not really.

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Silver Spring, Md.: How come Ovechkin hasn't been able to excite this city about hockey as of yet?

Michael Wilbon: Ovechkin already excites the people who care about hockey. If Gretzky couldn't excite L.A. about hockey, what makes you think anybody, even this kid with the golden talent, is going to turn Washington, D.C. into Hockey Town USA? It's not going to happen. I great up with hockey in Chicago, but I don't know anybody among my D.C. friends who grew up with hockey in Washington. It's not their sport. He would excited Detroit, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Boston, Philly, Buffalo, probably NYC to a great degree. And I think if the Capitals get better and surround him with championship-caliber talent people will go if the Caps win and are a threat...But is D.C. going to turn out to watch this kid score for a losing team? Nope. Not going to happen. Will they go to watch him as the centerpiece of a threat to win it all? Yes.

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Silver Spring, Md.: What are the chances we ever see that beautiful hair you keep hidden?

Michael Wilbon: Zero. It ain't hidden, it's 50 percent gone...It could be more gone than that because I've been shaving it since 1995, so I don't even know anymore what would grow...But even if it could grown, I wouldn't let it. I like being shaved. Hair is Tony's obsession, not mine. In general, hair ain't a topic black men care anything about...Must be a cultural thing...None of my black male friends, and it's been this way since five years old, spend any time talking about hair...Few of my white male friends spend much time on it either, but some do. Tony's obsessed with hair, his and everybody else's. But I don't see his obsessions, of which there are many, being reflective of anything but Tony's lunacy.

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Brooklyn, N.Y.: Hey Mike,

Why is the NBA scoring leader determined by average points and not total points? The games are decided by total points, not by averages. T-Mac is 5th in the league in scoring average, a fraction ahead of Dwayne Wade. But Wade has scored 342 more points. Don't those points still count in real live NBA Games? The NFL leading rusher isn't decided by average yards per game. The homerun king isn't decided by average homeruns per game or per at bat.

Michael Wilbon: Why is the batting title decided by batting average and not total hits? Because if a guy misses two games and another guy plays every game there's going to be a discrepancy, but the person who missed those two games shouldn't be penalized. I get your point, but so much is done by average in every sport, not just the NBA. What about E.R.A? It's all over the place. Why should the NBA "scoring leader" be exempt?

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Silver Spring, MD: Saturday's Washington Post demonstrated that none of the high schoolers from last year's NBA Draft have had any success yet. It showed a side of Monta Ellis we would never have discovered elsewhere. Were you impressed by Ellis' maturity at such a young age?

Michael Wilbon: Yes, to a degree...but no more so than some biology major who's a freshman in college.

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Baltimore, Md.: How many more wins until Georgetown is comfortably into the NCAAs? Do they have to get 10 conferences wins to be assured of a spot?

Michael Wilbon: Georgetown is way, way away from "comfortably" in the tournament. When GU gets to 18 wins we can start the debate. Same for Maryland. George Washington isn't even "in" yet. Not yet.

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Washington, D.C.: Have you been able to watch the GW men yet? Is it difficult to evaluate their potential because of their easy schedule? I even find it tough to read too much into the Maryland and NC State games because Maryland is a familiar opponent (plus a favorable matchup with no true PG) and the NC State game was after a 10-day layoff.

Michael Wilbon: I watch GW men's team with fascination. I think they're good. But we're going to have to wait until at least the conference tournament to find out for sure...and that might not tell us either. I agree with you; the Colonials love beating Maryland. It's a backyard rivalry game that may not be the best indicator, and the rest of the schedule is one of the worst in the country according to the strength-of-schedule rankings...So it's hard to tell. I like what Karl Hobbs is doing what that team. Pops seems to be coming to play every night, which he hadn't been earlier...I really may follow GW to the tournament, even if GU and UM also make it.

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Burtonsville, Md.: Who would you vote for, if you had to, for NBA MVP at this point, Kobe Bryant or LeBron James?

Michael Wilbon: Steve Nash, baby. Steve Nash. His team is in first place in its division, despite losing three starters from last year's team: Amare Stoudamire, Quentin Richardson and Joe Johnson...And Nash has played brilliantly anyway, better than last year. Steve Nash is the answer to any question of MVP.

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Columbia, Md.: Is LeBron James the best player in the NBA right now? Did you catch his game against the Suns yesterday? Wicked!

Michael Wilbon: LeBron is fabulous. There's nothing physically he can't do...BUT he hasn't even gotten his team to the playoffs yet. Timing is everything and his team has collapsed in April each of LeBron's first two seasons. Now, I know the kid is just 20, and we need to let him brew a little bit. But getting your team to the playoffs is a sort of bottom-line measure of team success, and he plays in the lousy Eastern Conference...I gotta see him in the post-season before declaring him better than D. Wade or Kobe or Tim Duncan or even Ray Allen. Results, results, results.

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Olney, Md.: When do you leave for Turin?

What are thoughts on Michelle Kwan being named to the Olympic team?

Michael Wilbon: No Turin for me. These seasons run together too closely, or actually overlap. After eight days of this, capping a January of playoff games in Tampa, Seattle and Denver, I'm done for a week or two, then will turn my attention to college basketball. I've covered nine Olympic competitions for The Post (LA, Seoul, Albertville, Barcelona, Atlanta, Nagano, Syndey, Salt Lake City, Athens) but I'm sitting this one out. Sally Jenkins and Mike Wise will be writing columns from Turin. The Post should never have three columnists at the Winter Olympics, in my opinion, when there's college basketball stuff, Redskins stuff potentially, Wizards and Capitals stuff, and national stuff on which to comment.

I love Michelle Kwan. I don't know anything about figure skating and I love to make fun of it and the people who obsess over it, staring with sportswriters...I don't know jack about Michelle Kwan, other than I think she's beautiful and I'd watch her recite the alphabet on TV if it came to that. She's also represented herself very well, and her country, and I hope she wins gold this time around. How's that for gushing.

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Silver Spring, Md.: What's the real explanation for why the Steelers are favored as a No. 6 seed vs. a No. 1 seed? AFC is superior? momentum from road wins? Pittsburgh fans driving to Detroit for the game?

Michael Wilbon: Oddsmakers aren't trying to predict the outcome of games. They're trying to maximize betting. In order to get half the people (or as close as possible) to bet on Seattle as who bet on Pittsburgh, the oddsmakers have to set a line that will inspire betting. I wouldn't be surprised if the line goes up to five because of all the Steelers fanatics who bet on the Steelers. You put it up to five, five and a half and some of the money starts to float toward Seattle. That's it...money. It was nothing to do with predicting the outcome of a game, and I'm surprise so few people know that...even though it does wind up often reflecting what ultimately happens. But that's not the intent.

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Hair Apparent: White guy, bald, but I just can't bring myself to go the rest of the way, so I keep it real close.

I think Mr. Tony's hair obsession is like his Jessica Alba obsession: you gotta want what you can't have.

Michael Wilbon: Don't get your obsessions confused. I'M THE ONE with the Jessica Alba obsession. Tony's probably got closer to a Betty White obsession. He wouldn't know who Jessica Alba was if you showed him her picture and one of Roger Clemens.

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Virginia: Hey M. Wilbon,

Just curious as to which sport is your favorite to cover/write about? And also do you or anybody else in the sports department get excited about the World Cup?

Michael Wilbon: Pro football, Pro basketball, college basketball, golf, college football, tennis...The NFL and NBA are probably tied, and my answer will change depending on when you ask me...and there are plenty of soccer heads in our sports department...Steve Goff, Jason LaCanfora...there are quite a few.

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Silver Spring, Md.: If Eastern Motors offered you a free car to make an ad for them, would you agree the way Taylor, Portis, Rogers and others have?

Michael Wilbon: Uh, no.

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Arlington, Va.: Love your chat! Here's one from the dumb-question file: what does it 'triple-double' mean in basketball? I've heard the term bandied about recently, but I've not heard any sportscaster say what it means (I guess I'm supposed to know, but I don't). Thanks!

Michael Wilbon: A triple-double is recorded when you reach double-figures (10 or more) in three categories. Usually, it's points, rebounds and assists. Though players have recorded triple-doubles in points, rebounds and steals, as well as rebounds, steals and assists...Oscar Robertson, one of the 10 greatest NBA players of all-time and probably still underrated, averaged a triple-double for an entire season...I think it was 1961-'62...It wasn't a big deal when he did it, because Big O did every freakin' night.

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Stafford, Va.: Of course black men don't stress over no hair. Look at all the black guys who are well known: Jabbar, MJ, Lou Gossett...What white guys come to mind: Yul Brenner and Uncle Fester...

Michael Wilbon: What's wrong with Telly Savalas, dude? You forgot Kojak! See, part of the problem could be if white dudes don't shave their heads, it's harder to have famous white dudes with shaved heads. I know an increasing number though, and it works 100 times better than the bozo look of hair on both sides and none in the middle. By the way, if I had know the actual (as opposed to the spoken) reaction from women to a shaved head, I would have taken to the razor when I was 25, not 35...

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New York: NFL rushing leader, TD leader, MLB's HR and RBI title are NOT done by averages.

Michael Wilbon: I didn't saw ALL leaders were done by average; I simply pointed out some areas that ARE determined by average.

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Chicago, Ill.: Hey Michael, Is it just me or is it mind-boggling how Art Monk is not in the Hall of Fame yet, not to mention that there is no way Michael Irving should be inducted before Monk...and I'm not just saying that because I hate the Cowboys. The man led the league in receptions when he retired and won three Superbowls...and yet people still don't give him the credit he deserves!! What is wrong with this picture???

Michael Wilbon: Until the voters in the room feel the way you do, he's not getting in. Look, I'm one of the people who presents the case FOR Art Monk to be in the Hall of Fame, so you're not even preaching to the choir, you're preaching to the PREACHER...But not enough people believe as we do, and while I hope he goes in this year, I really doubt it will happen given the people who will likely be voted in ahead of him this year (Reggie White, Troy Aikman, John Madden). Harry Carson also belongs. So does Richard Dent...So do three or four old Cowboys players...It's a difficult thing...

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Alexandria,Va: Do you think its a good idea for the Nationals to sign Sammy Sosa?

Michael Wilbon: No...Sammy, at this point of his career (what's left of it), needs to be a DH. He couldn't play the outfield very well when he was dumped by the Cubs two years ago. So, it's not like his skills are going to improve afield...Nope, he needs to DH. And last I checked, the Nationals are in the N.L. where he would have to play the outfield.

Okay, gotta run to get into the PTI mode of my day. Enjoy the Super Bowl everybody and we'll discuss it at length on Monday here in Detroit. Thanks. Mike

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