Superbowl

After they were all introduced, Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck shook all their hands.

A few minutes later, the most popular among these Steelers took the field.

Running back Jerome Bettis ran out first all by himself, and the crowd went crazy. The Bus, expected to retire when the season ends, grew up in Detroit and has had the spotlight for the entire week.

Steelers fans easily outnumbered Seahawks fans. Terrible Towels were on sale. One fan made an interesting fashion statement. She had a top and skirt made with Terrible Towels.

Others had black and yellow face paint, masks, even feather boas wrapped around their hats. There were a few Seahawks fans walking around, and two local media outlets in Seattle took out a billboard on the way to Ford Field that announced "Go Hawks!"

Still, Seattle folks were vastly outnumbered. Players were booed constantly, especially tight end Jerramy Stevens during warmups. Steven drew the ire of Steelers linebacker Joey Porter when he said the Seahawks were looking forward to spoiling Bettis' homecoming.

Seahawks fan Todd Gifford shrugged his shoulders when asked about being in the minority.

"I really don't care," said Gifford, who also came from Oregon. "We've been waiting our whole lives for this."

Further proof the Steelers are the widespread favorite, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said in a television interview before the game that she has a small loyalty to the AFC because she is a Cleveland Browns fan.

"I think the Steelers are going to come out on top," she said.

SNOW WHAT?

A blanket of white covered Detroit the day of the Super Bowl. Snow what?

A little bad weather did nothing to deter fans from getting to the game early.

"We're from western Pennsylvania. We've had three feet of snow so far. A little bit of snow here is nothing," said Steelers fan Don Moyer, wearing his No. 36 Jerome Bettis jersey.

Light snow fell Sunday morning, much less than the earlier forecasts of up to 9 inches. All the roads were cleared around Ford Field and in the suburbs around Detroit.

That was a stark contrast to the last time the Super Bowl was in Michigan, at the Pontiac Silverdome in 1982. An ice storm pounded the region the day the San Francisco 49ers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21, and some Bengals got to the stadium less than an hour before they were supposed to take the field for their first warmups.

NICE TO SEE YOU

Seahawks safety Ken Hamlin was on the sideline for pregame warmups wearing his No. 26 jersey. Hamlin has been out of the lineup since he was involved in an early morning bar fight on Oct. 17, His skull was fractured, and Hamlin spent three days in intensive care, six days in all in the hospital.

Hamlin was on the sideline for the home playoff games, but this is his first road game since he was hurt. He has spent most of his time rehabbing at his home in Houston. Hamlin intends to play next year, but doctors have yet to clear him.

BIG FAN

Jim Leyland hasn't totally left Pittsburgh behind.

Leyland, the new Tigers manager, took a peek inside Comerica Park on Sunday -- getting a close-up look at his new ballpark. But baseball wasn't on his mind -- the Pittsburgh resident was dressed nearly head to toe in Steelers' gear for the Super Bowl, attending as a fan. Ford Field is next to Comerica

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