It's that time of year: football season! Fans of the pigskin are lining up, but not for tickets. They're eagerly awaiting the release of Madden NFL 09.

By the time you read this, Madden will be on the shelves (or should I say flying off of them) and a large portion of the U.S. workforce will be calling in sick today (I feel a cough coming on myself).

I, myself, am only putting down my controller long enough to write this article.

Why, you might wonder, would grown, responsible men (and a few women) drop everything for a computerized version of football?

To put it bluntly, Madden is an institution. In fact, it's older than quite a few sporting franchises. This marks the 20th anniversary edition of the longest-running franchise in sports video games.

It has become a pop-culture mainstay, often pitting the best of friends against one another in person and online. It gives year-round couch potatoes the opportunity to relive their glory days as high school and college players, while also giving the never-were players a chance to live out their fantasies.Better yet, according to reviews, this version of Madden is the best one yet. It is visually stunning and providers the player with more action than ever before. What could be better or safer than the real thing?

My advice to you, if you are at work today, look around and see how many people are in your morning staff meeting. If it seems emptier, you now know why.

Ahem, Ahem, I think I feel a cough coming on. Now, if you'll excuse me I have a phone call to make...(wink...wink)