I know how your little minds are working out there. Come on, confess. The second you Seahawks fans heard the allegations of betting and possible game-fixing by NBA ref Tim Donaghy, here’s what you thought: Well, if it can happen in the NBA, it can happen in the NFL. If it can happen in the NFL, it can happen in the Super Bowl. If it can happen in the Super Bowl, it can happen to the Seahawks.

And people accused you of being paranoid … ha! Donaghy, you will point out, is from Pennsylvania … so are the Steelers.

I’ll let you in on a secret that was meant as a joke. We had a zillion people covering Super Bowl XL, and we were spread from the main press box to auxiliary boxes set up in the stands. We communicated via instant messages on the computer. At halftime, I shot this IM to my boss, who was in a remote “aux” box: “Whoa, it looks like the fix is in.” It was a joking comment about the number of calls against the Hawks, but something obviously seemed strange to me. In my column from the game, I wrote that the Hawks certainly faced adversity but in the end didn’t play well enough – with so many drops and blown coverages -- to win. It was one of their worst performances of the season, I felt, even if you could set aside the officiating questions. And for the record, no, I don’t think the game was fixed. I also don’t think it was well-officiated.

Sorry to bring up a sore topic … but you know you were thinking about it, and the Donaghy headlines opened the doors – fairly or unfairly – to a lot of questions in all sports.

--pokey007. I can’t help you with strategies on ticket purchasing, but I think it’s a great topic for you all to discuss … so have at it. I suspect there is a competitive aspect to this, however, and the savvy vets might not want to yield their secrets.

--On the Qwest Experience thread. Whoa, way to go, guys, terrific input … so many lengthy, thoughtful and enlightening reports. Thanks. I mentioned the thread to the PR folks with the suggestion that your thoughts be passed on to management.

On that topic, I don’t like all the ads and promos and games on the big screen, either. They seem to work at baseball games because there’s so much down time. With football, it seems to get in the way of the natural action and the expectations of replays. As somebody whose salary is paid by the ads in the newspaper, I feel a touch hypocritical getting too sanctimonious on the topic.

On the weekday game traffic headaches. Yes, but they’re certainly not going to turn down such games that give them national exposure.

On a Super Bowl at Qwest? The league seems committed to having no games at “cold weather” sites with open stadiums. If they could re-route the Safeco Field roof to come across the street, maybe they’d have something.

On having me rate the Qwest halftime experience … I usually get a hot dog, a coffee, some stats and check the television screens for what’s happening in other games. I never see what’s on the field. The only time I watch is when there’s a Ring of Honor presentation or something like that. I love that at other parks, too, especially when they bring back the old-timers. I love seeing some of the old icons of the game … although it’s often sad to see what the game has done to many of them. The wildest halftime show I can remember was in Miami (can’t remember, either ’96 or ’00). There was a monsoon going on, but it didn’t stop the halftime activities … representatives from local “men’s” clubs engaging in a dance competition wearing skimpy bikinis. I am not kidding you. I’m thinkin’ that wouldn’t go over too well in Seattle?

On placing more of an emphasis on team history … I love the idea of the Steve Largent sculpture at the stadium … particularly if you could have Lester Hayes hanging off him.

--On whether the complimentary weblog entry by “nanomoz” was actually me using a pseudonym … you don’t think I could come up with something better than “nanomoz”? Another secret, the fictional name I use when reserving tables at restaurants or when the lady at the haircut place demands a name … “Buck Rampart.” I think it’s enough of a combination of intergalactic explorer and ‘70s adult-movie actor to create the necessary confusion over my real identity.

--On why I use the term “weblog” in place of “blog.” Frankly, to me the term “blog” sounds too much like a bathroom function.

--On the possible addition of Chris Simms. What I read is that he’s not really healthy yet after that spleen surgery of last season. It looks like he’s expected to be a backup to Jeff Garcia in Tampa Bay, but they’re also looking at Daunte Culpepper, which would make Simms more expendable. I think it’s clear the Hawks would like having a veteran backup aside from Seneca Wallace, but I have no bankable “inside” information regarding the appeal or availability of Simms. The late addition of Trent Dilfer a few years ago shows that such things are sometimes workable.

--On the post by “fender” regarding the terrific play made by Deion Branch at Arrowhead Stadium last season in which he stole back a ball that had been intercepted. I like the way you think “fender.” I thought that was one of the most alert, heads-up hustle plays of the year. That, and the time in Arizona when Matt Hasselbeck raced downfield about 15 yards to pick up a fumble by a receiver. I think it said a great deal about Branch as a player and team guy. But he still needs to have more catches and touchdowns this season.

--A couple other notes. The arrival of rookies and quarterbacks Thursday doesn’t really signal much in the way of on-site coverage. They’ll be taking physicals and having meetings, etc., but we will have no access until the first practice Sunday morning at 8:45 … Also, to clarify, Seahawks officials actually made attempts to open training camp practices to some fan availability, but the City of Kirkland deemed that impossible, reportedly because of issues regarding parking, traffic, access, egress, etc. … The contract situation with fourth-round pick Baraka Atkins is said to be an agreement in principle awaiting an official signing, leaving second-rounder Josh Wilson the only unsigned rookie.