The glory of the win

Now, it’s not that I’ve never won a pool before or won a fantasy league championship, but this one was different. In my first year at an award-winning daily’s sports section, I was able to topple the guy who writes the Pools column to take the L’il Super Bowl. Now, for all of eternity, the name of Coney Island Whitefish will forever be enshrined via a banner hanging from the newsroom ceiling. It was an even more memorable win as after the 4 p.m. games, I was trailing by 6 with only Rod Bironas left to play. When Bironas nailed (what turned out to be) the game-winning, 54-yard field goal to give the Titans a playoff spot, he also clinched the title for me. Emotions ran high for some while dreams were crushed for others.

Now for the playoffs, congratulations to the Titans and Redskins who both earned the wild card spots in their respective divisions while none of the other games really had any relevance. The Titans are sure to run into disappointment with a first round loss to San Diego but the Redskins may have a shot at taking out Seattle. Washington has been hot since Jason Campbell went down and Todd Collins stepped in and wowed everyone by being surprisingly competent. As for the Cowboys and Patriots, the number one seeds, they both have looked shaky coming into playoffs and it’ll be interesting to see how much they can do to remedy their problems with a bye. I’d rather back a two-seed right now than the struggling no. ones.

And as for my picks for this site, well, you can’t win them all; unless you cheat like the Patriots that is.

This week: 8-7
This season: 111-117-10

The battle for mediocrity

There was no possible way this week that I could rest my starters for the playoffs with a record like the one I'm sporting. I need to get ten games right this week to hit the .500 mark but that's without figuring in ties to the equation. As if I'd do the math on that; I got into writing for a reason. Although it is strange that numbers and equations still do play a huge part of my life in sports. As for the picks, let's hope I'm clutch this time around.

Patriots (-13.5) over GIANTS

With the entire world seemingly watching, the Patriots will finish the season with a convincing win over the Giants. It doesn't even matter if New York plays its' starters, Tom and Co. will be playing too, trying to get him the passing TD record as well as make it to 16-0

Bills (+7.5) over EAGLES

How about now? Can we see Kevin Kolb now? Please? For a quarter at least?

BUCS (+2) over Panthers (-2)

The Bucs have nothing to gain but resting their starters and semi-injured guys doesn't mean that Matt Moore will pick them apart.

Bengals (-3) over DOLPHINS

Here's to hoping that Ocho Cinco comes through for me in my fantasy title game.

Cowboys (+9) at REDSKINS

The Redskins are fighting for the last NFC playoff spot and Dallas will be in full-on rest mode but you have to figure in the fierce rivalry between these two teams will keep it competitive.

PACKERS (-4) over Lions

Aaron Rodgers proved he wasn't that bad when he stepped in against Dallas a few Thursdays ago. The Lions are no Cowboys.

Jaguars (-6.5) over TEXANS

Another case of a team resting their players and the line only semi-reflects that. Surprisingly, I have confidence in Quinn Gray and the Jags second-stringers.

Saints (-2) over BEARS

With the playoffs on the line, I would think the Saints would be favoured by a bit more. More importantly, how many of the three current Bears QBs will even have jobs next year. They need to shore up that committee something fierce.

Steelers (-3.5) over RAVENS

I used my last move on Najeh Davenport to start in place of the banged up and resting Joe Addai. Here's hoping it pans out.

FALCONS (-3) over Seahawks

Seattle has nothing to really play for here and aren't as good as anyone could lead you to believe.

Niners (+10) over BROWNS

If the Niners win, they play spoilers and ruin the Browns feel-good season. They also would give the Pats a worse pick in the upcoming draft. And 10 points is a bit much.

COLTS (+6.5) over Titans

I don't care if it's the backups or not. If I see the Titans giving points to the Colts, I'm taking them.

Vikings (-3) over BRONCOS

AP and CT will run rampant over the Broncos D while trying to secure their spot in the big dance.

Chargers (-8) over RAIDERS

Jamarcus Russell playing against the white-hot San Diego Chargers? Sorry kid, but I look forward to seeing you next year.

CARDINALS (+6) over Rams

Kurt Warner is playing for a job somewhere next year. He should continue his fine season against this weak Rams' defence.

Chiefs (+6.5) over JETS

What an ugly match up. Has there every been a least interesting match up? There's no fantasy guys involved, no playoff ramifications; just plain bad football.

Last week: 3-11-1
This season: 103-110-1

Boxing Day shopping

The Padres certainly got a Boxing Day deal when they inked Mark Prior to a one-year, $1 million deal. Prior may be oft (read: always) injured but has a ton of potential that he could tap in a place like San Diego. Seriously though, craptastic pitchers like Josh Towers make more money than a guy with huge upside like Prior? This is a risk/reward deal for sure but at a low price of $1 million in this day and age, there's no loser to be seen. If he hits all of the incentives in the deal, he can make up to $3 million which would be an even better bargain when you consider that he would be pitching well enough to earn that return. That is unless Prior bombs horribly, but then it's just a few games a few dollars lost. In his career, he's 42-29 with an ERA of 3.51; far better than any other pitcher to earn a contract of the little amount Prior signed for. And kudos to the Padres and Prior for giving me something to write about on an otherwise slow day.

Kobe racks up 20,000

Black Mamba is now the youngest player to score 20,000 points in the NBA. Now that's saying something. If you think about it, he has a chance to become the highest scoring player in NBA history if he stays healthy throughout the rest of his career. 20 years down the road, I'm going to look back and remember how dominant Kobe Bryant was. It's not an overstatement to say he's reached legendary status already, before he's even turned 30.

As for the future, it'd be tough to not see Lebron taking the "youngest to 20,000" mantle from Kobe in a few years time. I'd even put money on it if I could.

Merry Christmas!

For Christmas this year I’ve gotten all readers of this site a very special present: a reason to hate the New England Patriots even more. Now, I’m sure we’ve all noticed and heard about the murder of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor and the various tributes around the league. One of these tributes happened to be every team in sporting a number 21 decal on the back of their helmets. Just thought that you should know that the first team to do away with the patch was the Patriots on Sunday. These arrogant jerks are too consumed with themselves and their potential perfect season that they refuse to honour a slain comrade. Shame on you New England Patriots; if I saw any of you in the streets (especially Tom Brady) I would spit in your face.

Thanks to Brett Favre and the Packers falling apart against the Bears, Dallas now has home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and an inside track to a Super Bowl berth. Let’s all remember now that Brett Favre, in his illustrious career, has never won in Texas Stadium. I’m feeling better about this Cowboy season every day.

With only a week left to play, only a few teams have something left to play for. New Orleans, Washington and Minnesota are all still fighting for the last playoff spot in the NFC. In the AFC, Cleveland and Tennessee are the only two teams who don’t know whether to book plane tickets to playoff destinations or to holiday escapes. In the end, it doesn’t really matter who makes it in. Playing against well-rested four seeds on their home turf the week after next doesn’t bode well for teams that struggle to even make it in.

This week: 3-10-1 (with Denver +8.5 tonight)
This season: 103-109-10

Fantasy fall out

What a debacle.

Is there anything worse than having to root against your favourite team? It has to be one of the worst parts of playing fantasy football, especially at this time of year where your fantasy team is in the playoffs and your NFL squad is fighting for a spot or position. Last night's Dallas-Carolina tilt was the first time I've truly had to deal with the possible scenario of routing for the 'Boys not to score. You see, my opponents happened to be the number one ranked team in the league and were standing between me and a date with the finals. This week, he decided to start Tony Romo, Patrick Crayton, Nick Folk and Dallas defence & special teams. While it surely could've been worse, I was happy with the outcomes of the night (Dallas wins 20-13, Whitefish only down 11 with entire lineup playing Sunday).

And also, I'm glad that T.O. will have plenty of time to rest his high ankle sprain before playing a meaningful game any time soon.

Bad break for Pittsburgh

You've got to feel a bit bad for Pittsburgh right now and any who started Willie Parker for their fantasy championship game only have him injured on the first play of the game against St. Louis. Losing the NFL's leading rusher is not going to help the Steelers in the playoffs two weeks from now; especially if they have to face a tough defense like Jacksonville's.

Dallas (-10.5) at CAROLINA

If I actually bet on or even picked Cowboys games, I would take the Panthers in this one. Romo's thumb injury and a line that high seems like a good combination to me. Also, apparently, the Eagles game wasn't the first that Jessica's attended this season meaning that it's just a bad idea for Tony's girlfriend du jour to attend home games against Philly.

Packers (-8.5) over BEARS

With Kyle Orton at the helm again and the Packers fighting for home-field advantage it's hard to pick against Green Bay. It may be a close game just because these two teams are bitter division rivals, but I doubt it.

Browns (-3) over BENGALS

Really? only three points for a possible division winner against a floundering 5-9 team? Would anyone not take the Browns here?

PATRIOTS (-22) over Dolphins

The Pats have had a string of close games recently but since they're playing against the nearly winless Dolphins at home in a cold-weather scenario, it's easy to think that 22 points is too low of a line.

Texans (+7) over COLTS

The Colts should be resting their starters about halfway through this one. The Texans are talented enough to keep it close against the Colts second-stringers.

LIONS (-5) over Chiefs

Two teams that have some serious off-season thinking to do. I wouldn't put money on either team but a pick has to be made. And whatever happened to the Lions team that was leading the league in interceptions a few weeks ago? What happened to that defence?

VIKINGS (-6.5) over Redskins

Interesting fantasy development of the week: I have Chester Taylor starting while my opponent has Adrian Peterson. I'm sure he has an advantage here but this makes for a very interesting carries-oriented subplot. Who gets more and who's in for goal-line TD vulture dives? Please let it be Chester.

SAINTS (-3) over Eagles

The Saints have something to play for, the Eagles don't. It's as simple as that.

BILLS (+3) over Giants

Can you actually believe that the Bills will lose with Kevin Everett in attendance? Any emotional boost like that can do wonders. Also, I'm not so sure that the Bills deserve to be the 'dog in this one; the Giants are choking and Elisha's playing on the road.

JAGUARS (-13) over Raiders

Maybe next year Oakland... Maybe next. And how about the Jags being the best five-seed in recent memory? A 12-4 wild card team is scary for some week division winners like the Browns, Chargers and beaten up Steelers.

Jets (+8.5) over TITANS

When anyone questions why Vince Young isn't performing as well as last year, why is the first and only answer not "the Madden Curse"? All this hub-bub isn't for nothing people.

Bucs (-6) over NINERS

The Niners are a sad, sad team.

CARDINALS (-10) over Falcons

Kurt Warner's playing for a 2008 contract. At least I hope he is for the sake of my beloved Coney Island Whitefish.

SEAHAWKS (-10.5) over Ravens

I will never argue against Seattle at home. These Ravens just keep on finding ways to lose as well.

Broncos (+8.5) over CHARGERS

The Broncos still have some fight left in them and shouldn't be given this many points. As for the playoffs, the Chargers might get that first-round win but they're not even coming close against Indy or New England on the road.

This week: 0-1
Last week: 5-10
This season: 100-99-9

More tough luck for Atlanta

Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse for the Atlanta Falcons, it did. After it was reported on Tuesday that future hall-of-fame coach Bill Parcells was going to sign on to run the lowly Falcons in a VP role, taking over all the football aspects of the organization (and then probably retiring three years in) he blew them off for the even-worse Dolphins, who just picked up their first win of the season. How this makes any sense after retiring from the Cowboys last year? Nobody except the Big Tuna can tell you. But I hope you’re looking forward to a plethora of headlines using the words Big Tuna and some combination of fish, fins, Dolphins of any other marine terms.

As for tonight’s game:

After being battered and bruised in their game against the Jaguars on Sunday, I wouldn’t be too inclined to pick the Steelers in this one except for the fact that they’re facing the lowly Rams. You also have to factor in that Pittsburgh could potentially lose their division to the Browns now and actually have to fight for a better position in the playoffs to avoid a second-round meeting in Foxboro. Then again, home underdogs have been doing well recently. It’s tough to go against a good team like Pittsburgh but they’re a little too banged up for my liking.

RAMS (+7.5) over Steelers

Last week: 5-10
This season: 100-98-9

Popularity Bowl rosters

It's that time of the year when the NFL announces the AFC and NFC rosters for their all-star game, the Pro Bowl. Now, in most sports, fan voting does not account for 100% of the selections for the all star games. In the NBA, MLB and even NHL, only the starting lineup is picked by the fans — often leading to players making the team by name and fan loyalty only. But not in the NFL, where the entire team is picked via fan voting. Sure a few reserves are picked by the league based on performance, but everyone else is there because the fans want them.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? There will be snubs no matter how the team is assembled and fans usually do a reasonably well job, especially this year. Snub columns are dreadfully short and can only really argue for the likes of David Garrard, Fred Taylor and Derek Anderson. But those three are at positions that are nearly impossible to win at considering their opposition. How could Garrard and Anderson ever beat out Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. They were also defeated by Big Ben but he's more deserving than them. Taylor's having a great season and might be the best running back to never make the Pro Bowl. He was beaten out my LDT, Joseph Addai and Willie Parker. I would pick any of those three over Taylor in a heartbeat.

Will the NFC play with ten players on defence for the first snap? The slain Sean Taylor was voted to the NFC team to start at free safety. One can only wonder when he received the majority of his votes. He was a really good player so far this season, but would fans click on his name more after learning the tragic details of his murder? Either way, I think it was a nice touch for the league not to have taken him off the ballot completely — which I'm sure there would've been debate over.

God's Team, the Cowboys led all teams with 11 players named to the squad including seven starters and four backups not to mention a few reserves including Roy Williams, who will most likely get a call to take Sean Taylor's place. It's no surprise to see that many Dallas players on the team considering how well they've played this season, as well as the relatively weak competition of the NFC.

In the AFC, I'm actually surprised to see eight Chargers on the team which ties New England for the most selections from an AFC. The Chargers haven't been living up to their quoted potential this season and I suspect that this may be due to fans voting for names they know instead of selecting the top performers.

Playing drunk

So it’s come out that former NBA player Keon Clark had never played a game sober. In fact he reportedly drank from a half pint to a pint of gin a day. He would also drink during halftime of games.

Now I understand that coaches aren’t in the locker room at halftime but how could this sort of thing go unnoticed? The fact that your centre smells like gin didn’t come up anywhere? Why didn’t anybody try to stage an intervention or get him help?

This does bring up the interesting fact that Keon Clark was better than a lot of players who played the game sober. How bad would you feel about getting schooled by a drunk?

Also, how much could his career numbers - 8.2 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game and a very respectable 1.6 blocks per game – improved if he had been playing sober? Nobody will ever know but you could also argue that he only functioned and played that well because he was intoxicated.

All in all, it’s good that this news has come out and he’s getting help for his problem.

Fins win!

Who would've ever thought a guy named Greg Camarillo would save the Dolphins from achieving the most shameful mark in sports? Dolphins fans and the entire city of Miami must be overjoyed after their team finally notched their first win of the season. And how bad must everyone who routes for Baltimore feel right now? This loss is their eighth in a row and was one the should've and could've won. Now, will the Dolphins win another game this season? There's no hope in New England next week but a win in week 17 against Cincinnati isn't out of the question.

Speaking of the New England Cheaters, they failed horribly in their attempt to embarrass the Jets yesterday. After pointing out that the Pats were cheating in their week two game this season, Belichick has been on a rampage trying to say "F*** you" to the league and every the team they play. Only winning by ten against an inferior opponent that you allegedly hate with a passion doesn't look to good on you. Now that this is done with, how much could the Miami at New England line be next week? My money's on NE giving 30.

I'm blaming the Cowboys' loss not on Tony Romo but on Jessica Simpson. Apparently, when Tony Romo was dating Carrie Underwood last year, she attended a game in Dallas against Philadelphia and Romo had his worst game of his career. Well, until yesterday when he posted a 22.2 QB rating. Do not bring your girlfriend to a game ever again Tony. Please.

How about the conditions in Cleveland for their game against Buffalo? That was the worst snow during an NFL game I can remember since the "Tuck Rule" game in New England for the AFC championship in 2002. I'm not even that surprised that final score was in single-digits. If I had the option (and didn't sleep in) I would've bet the farm on the under for that game.

The elements had a hand in the Pittsburgh-Jacksonville game as well. But you would think that would favour the tough-as-nails Steelers right? Not when Big Ben is playing banged up at least. It's actually possible the Steelers may not even win their division after being touted as one of the top-5 teams in the league earlier this year. And would anyone want to face the Jags in the playoffs? They're scary good.

Brett Favre is now the greatest QB in NFL history. How much can you argue after he passed Dan Marino for the career record in passing yards. He already holds the record for passing touchdowns and has won the Super Bowl, what else is left for Brett? Well, since the Packers clinched a first-round bye with their win over St. Louis, an NFC title game appearance isn't unreasonable at all.


This week: 4-10 (With Minnesota -9 tonight)
This season: 99-98-9

Is it week 15 already?

It seems like time is flying by these days. I can remember opening weekend and all the hope for the new season. I can remember the breaking news of Camera-gate. I can remember people wondering if Tony Romo would bounce back from his playoff butter-fingers. Now, with only three games to go and the playoffs on the line for many teams, we have a matchup between the Browns and Bills that could have big playoff ramifications. Who’d’ve thunk it?

Bengals (-8) over NINERS

The NFL Network really struck gold with this doozie of a game. Unless you're a fan of either team or your fantasy playoffs involve one of the Bengals or Frank Gore, you're probably going to opt to go out tonight.

Cards (+3) over SAINTS

I really need Kurt Warner to have another big day for the sake of the Coney Island Whitefish who are facing a team with a Moss-Owens tandem this week in the fantasy playoffs.

BUCS (-12.5) over Falcons

Jeff Garcia’s back and this is a poor, sad Falcons squad, then again, they do have the potential to rally after the Petrino bailing saga.

Ravens (-3) over DOLPHINS

This feels like the one that the Dolphins could possibly win but I'm still not going to bet on them.

Bills (+5.5) over BROWNS

With a playoff berth on the line possibly? Really? With inclement weather coming in, I see this being settled by a field goal.

Packers (-8.5) over RAMS

Shouldn’t the Packers be giving more points? Sure the Rams are at home and may have Bulger back but come on now. It’s the Rams we’re talking about!

Jaguars (+3) over STEELERS

Game of the week? This is a game that has playoff-style battle written all over it. With Big Ben questionable, I’m reluctant to give the Steelers a vote of confidence.

PATRIOTS (-21) over Jets

The only thing that can possibly save the Jets is the weather, but the Pats are a great cold weather team so this snow storm will only help them. And how come nobody has questioned Randy Moss’s cold weather abilities? He played in a dome in Minnesota, he played in sunny Oakland, he went to college at Marshall which is in West Virginia and nobody questions how well he will play in the cold? I’m a bit wary about how well he’ll perform on the tundra of Foxboro.

Seahawks (-8) over PANTHERS

Sure the Panthers won their last game at home giving them their first victory there in a calendar year, but two weeks in a row? Yeah right. And for the first time, maybe ever, the Seahawks will cover for six straight weeks. And how many teams have ever started four different quarterbacks in one season? If Matt Moore goes instead of hobbled Vinny Testaverde, that would be the case for your 2007 Carolina Panthers.

CHIEFS (+4) over Titans

Winning in Kansas City at this time of year is tough. Playing behind a struggling Vince Young makes the task even tougher.

Colts (-10) over RAIDERS

I don’t think the Colts will run up the score but winning by ten seems completely reasonable. And you have to like the way the Raiders are easing in Jamarcus Russell. Throwing him into the fire too early and often could have spooked him and wrecked his confidence; by easing him in, he gets used to the speed of the game at a comfortable pace. Kudos to the Raiders.

Lions (+10.5) over CHARGERS

Sure the Lions are free-falling and the Chargers are seemingly pulling it together but ten seems too high for me. Also, how about former sack king and ‘roid user Shawne Merriman being picked on the past few weeks? It’s as if teams are trying to make him look bad when he was already doing that by himself.

Eagles (+10.5) at COWBOYS

The first of three meaningless games for both teams. The Cowboys should start resting guys and the Eagles should start prepping for the future and an intriguing offseason. And give Kevin Kolb some playing time will ya!?

GIANTS (-4.5) over Redskins

What? You thought I’d bet on Todd Collins on the road? Sure buddy. But then again, the only reason Eli Manning has a job still is his last name. Welcome to Frank Stallone land. I can’t wait to bet against him in the playoffs.

VIKINGS (-9) over Bears

Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor in prime time! The Bears don’t have a chance with Kyle Orton – who I actually like – behind centre.

This week: 0-1
Last week: 9-6
This season: 95-88-9

The Mitchell Report

It's been analyzed everywhere by everyone who could possibly write about it. I, for one, am not really up for reading 40-plus pages of stuff when I could get the summary everywhere I looked yesterday. People are damning every player, trainer, official etc. that was named in report. That's fair. But should everyone be THIS up at arms over the Mitchell report? I don't think so. I wasn't too shocked about any single name on the list.

The only name close to shocking me is Roger Clemens, a personal hero in fact. But the speculation had already been thrown around before. The old conspiracy theory that Clemens started his ritualistic taking-a-few-months-off thing was actually a secret suspension from the league — trying to cover the ass of one of their greatest players ever. This will tarnish his legacy a la Barry Bonds but Clemens isn't an ass to the public like Bonds is most of the time. How this will play out, we'll see...

One thing I do know for certain is that for a guy on some sort of juice, Gregg Zaun should have a lot better numbers.

I've got the feeling that, while this will hurt the game, some of its' best players and the record books, this is not as bad as people think it is. Even in the last few years, every major North American sport (except the impeccable NFL) has suffered a far worse blow. The NHL lockout, the NBA referee scandal and even WWE's Chris Benoit tragedy are far more crippling than this. The thing is that everyone already suspected a lot of the players named. The confirmation isn't nearly as jarring as the initial accusations to me.

And who would've ever thought that Jose Canseco would come out of all this looking like a good guy? He arguably started this whole snowball effect and could, in a way, be credited with cleaning up the sport now. How delicious is that irony?

Petrino "cowardly" bails

What a week for the Falcons. First their former superstar QB gets sentenced to a stiff 23-month jail term; then they get embarrassed on Monday Night Football later in the day; then, to top it all off, their coach straight up quits — in the middle of the season no less. Bobby Petrino resigned as coach of the Atlanta Falcons and didn't even make it through one of the five seasons he was signed on for. What a bust that move was. Can the Falcons really get lower than this point? I mean they're starting Chris Redman at quarterback because Joey "the boy" Harrington isn't healthy enough to play. This team needs a serious overall and a good coach to help them get back on their feet. The decision of who'll be head coaching the team next is going to be one that will carry the weight of the next four or five years in Atlanta. If they *muck* that one up, they could be toast for a decade. At least Michael Vick could be reinstated by then.

As for tonight's game...

Both teams need this win but I'm becoming less and less sold on the Texans every week. With Denver finally getting healthy, it's not so scary betting on them on this one. And can we please keep football on Sundays and one Monday game please? This Thursday and Saturday mumbo jumbo has no place in my heart. Excluding Thanksgiving day games that is (which there should only be two of by the way).

Broncos (pick 'em) over TEXANS

Last week: 9-6 (and an amazing 15-1 without the spread!)
This season: 95-88-9

MLB movement-mania!

Miguel Tejada to Houston! I'm not so sure that the Astros got the best deal the possibly could've here. Giving up five prospects for a great shortstop is a good move but you have to factor in the Miggy's game is slipping. But, it was also well known that the Orioles' owner was in love with Tejada and wouldn't have shipped him away for anything less than what they got in this deal. This move is a good look into the futures of these teams with Baltimore going into rebuilding mode and Houston possibly making a playoff push in the still weak NL Central.

Fukudome to Cubs! Speaking of the NL Central, the defending division-champ have signed the Japanese star to a four-year, $48 million deal. Apparently he's a mix of Ichiro and Hideki Matsui according to scouts. Hopefully he'll adapt to playing in a big city like Chicago and give them some outfield help.

Aaron Rowand to San Francisco! Would you ever pay a player the calibre of Aaron Rowand $60 million over five years? I wouldn't but then again, we know just how good Giants management is with money after the Barry Zito debacle of last offseason.

Andruw Jones to Los Angeles! I could've written this headline the minute that Jones filed for free agency. That's how predictable this move is. I'm kind of interested to see what the Dodgers do with Juan Pierre, the incumbent center-fielder. He's one of the fastest players in the game but doesn't have much else in way of skills. He'd be a good fit somewhere in the league if it wasn't too bad for his big contract.

Matsui to San Francisco? Unless the Yankees are going to get excellent young pitchers Tim Lincecum or Matt Cain in return, I wouldn't even be talking about dealing Hideki.

A delicious coincidence

How appropriate is it that on the same day that Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison, his former team was on national television for Monday Night Football against the Saints? A cruel twist of irony in my eyes.

And how about the two players (DeAngelo Hall and Roddy White) who actually made tributes to their former teammate? Hall had MV7 written on the shade underneath his eye while White had written "Free Mike Vick" on his undershirt and exposed it during a celebration. While it's nice that they're supporting a comrade who has fallen on hard times, I think that's a little much.

You can tell just how well your season is going when Chris Redman is making his first start since 2002 at quarterback for your team. Poor Falcons fans.

The Saints did play a lot better than I expected but maybe losing Reggie Bush (reports say for the season) helped them. By forcing them to concentrate on passing the ball, they looked strong. Not as strong as last season's incredible offence but strong none-the-less. But then again, they were facing Atlanta.

I really can't believe I picked Atlanta in this one. Maybe if I had known about the Vick schedule and paid some attention to the outside factors, I would've gotten this one right.

Also, facing a fantasy team in next week's playoff match up that feature Terrell Owens vs. Philadelphia and Randy Moss facing the Jets has already got me thinking about clearing my proverbial locker.

This week: 9-6
This season: 95-88-9

Courtroom dramas

Mike Vick gets sentenced. 23 months seems like a lot to me. While I have taken turns arguing for and against Vick in various conversations, I still feel a bit bad for how fast and hard he's fallen from grace.

Pundits are no saying that had Vick accepted more responsibility for his actions and kept his indiscretions to a minimum, his sentence could've been far less and in the range of 12-to-18 months. Now that I would've agreed with.

It's a shame such a gifted athlete and revolutionary quarterback will probably never get the opportunity to play again... Expect in his prison's league that is.

Barry Bonds waits a year for trial? There is some reports speculating that Bonds, after entering a plea of not guilty of his charges, could only be going in front of a judge after the 2008 baseball season.

Now he could potentially sign a one-year deal somewhere and play, but who would want the media circus that will follow him now? And what will be buzzing around in his rather large head? It's never been riskier to take a chance on the home run king and I can't see a single team tendering him an offer.

What happened?

Remember those Ravens who nearly beat the still-undefeated Patriots last week? Well they're nowhere near as good as people might have thought they were. Going into half-time against the Colts, Indianapolis was up 37-7 and had allowed only 8 yards passing. When the playoffs come around and the Pats and Colts have their rematch, it's going to be one hell of a game.

Also, I've come to grips with the fact that New England is more than likely to go 16-0 this season. Anything more than that I'm not sure about though.

The headline on ESPN.com should say enough about why the Dolphins are still without a victory. "Winless Dolphins make Bills look like juggernaut."

In wrapping-up-division-title news, the Packers and Seahawks both earned their playoff tickets with convincing wins yesterday. Green Bay blasted Oakland while downed rival Arizona 42-21. If the Seahawks keep on playing like they are, they could be a hard match-up when the games matter most.

The Cowboys sealed a great comeback win when Jason Witten scored with 18 seconds left against Detroit. These Lions are in serious free-fall mode. At least Detroit natives have the Red Wings to watch and a great season of Tigers baseball coming up.

Brooks Berlin lost in his first NFL start. Are you surprised? I'm sure not.

The Chargers are really starting to come around and play some good football. They got gutsy efforts from Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates in their overtime victory over Tennessee. If the Broncos had lost instead of absolutely crushing Kansas City and the weak Brodie Croyle, the Chargers would've clinched the not-so-hot AFC West.

Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor are one of, if not the best two-headed running-back combo in the world. The only other combo I'd consider is Dallas' Marion Barber-Julius Jones pairing but I'd rather have either Viking than Jones.

This week: 9-5 (With Atlanta +4 tonight)
This season: 95-87-9

The stretch run

These December games are the ones that truly matter. The ones that seperate the pretenders from the contenders. The ones that can push a team over the top and into the playoffs and ones that can ruin seasons. This is the best kind of football. Not the games when it's still t-shirt weather, these are the games that the true fans and players suffer through. This IS football (except if you're watching Miami play, who even knows what they're doing any more.)

Cowboys (-10.5) at LIONS

Without Roy Williams (Lions WR) in Detroit's lineup, we, the public are being deprieved of a possible crippling hit by Roy Williams (Cowboys safety) on Roy Williams (Lions WR). The Lions are free falling right now and have no running game. But I still remember Detroit beating Dallas last year which makes me fret slightly. But on slightly.

BILLS (-7) over Dolphins

The Dolphins are not beating Trent Edwards at home. This guy is only getting better week by week.

Giants (+2.5) over EAGLES

I know I'm picking Elisha Manning on the road but I firmly believe that McNabb has a better chance of being booed off the field then the Giants' QB.

Panthers (+10.5) over JAGUARS

If the Panthers weren't sandwiched in between the Colts and the Steelers on Jacksonville's schedule, I would take the Jags.

Chargers (pick) over TITANS

Still don't like this Titan team and still think Vince Young is due for an injury.

BENGALS (-7) over Rams

Brook Berlin may get some playing time for St. Louis at quarterback. Is that not enough for you? It is for me and this game is featuring two teams of fantasy wash-ups.

Raiders (+10.5) over PACKERS

Favre's going to be playing in a bit of pain and the cold of Lambeau isn't really going to help. The Pack should win but the Raiders should cover.

PATRIOTS (-10.5) over Steelers

I think that after that thrilling win over Baltimore (who basically just kept on shooting themselves in the feet at the end) that the Pats will come out big at home knowing the can relax the next two weeks with the Jets and Dolphins on the schedule.

Bucs (-3) over TEXANS

These Buccaneers just plan win. They probably won't when they face the Vikings in the playoffs but this week they will.

Cardinals (+7) over SEAHAWKS

I really need Kurt Warner to play his heart out this week for my fantasy team. And even though Seattle is really tough to play at, seven points feels like too much.

Vikings (-8.5) over NINERS

The 49ers are awful and the Vikings are peaking at the perfect time.

Browns (-3.5) over JETS

The Jets are all proud of themselves after pounding the Dolphins; the Browns are upset after a tough loss on a tough call to end last week's game. Can you really see the Jets coming out on top in this one?

BRONCOS (-6.5) over Chiefs

With Brandon Stokley and Javon Walker coming back this week, Jay Cutler may actually be able to elevate his game. The Chiefs are still down Larry Johnson but I must say that Kolby Smith is doing better than I expected. There's still Brodie Croyle on the road though...

Colts (-9) over RAVENS

Every one's going to think the Ravens are better than they truly are after challenging New England last week. This will be a huge letdown for any expecting that kind of Raven effort again.

FALCONS (+4) over Saints

How Atlanta gets two Monday Night Football games at home in one season I just don't know. It had to have been something to do with schedules being made before arraignments being made on star quarterbacks. Since Reggie Bush isn't likely to play in this one, it's hard to take this year's Saints, even if the Falcons suck out loud.

This week: 0-1
Last week: 8-7
This season: 86-82-9

Collins saves the 'skins

After watching Jason Campbell getting carted off the field with a leg injury, the ball was put in the hands of Todd Collins. Campbell was hit when he got a pass off and his knee buckled awkwardly under the pressure of the three defenders hitting him. It looked like the type of injury that could ruin a season and it was. After having his leg examined, it's been reported that he dislocated his patella. It isn't incredibly serious, but would the Skins really want to rush him back when they have little to no shot at the playoffs? I wouldn't.

Campbell had previously come out of the game after getting hit in the arm by a defender's helmet while being driven out of bounds as well.

Apparently, Washington were also playing without having held a full practice before the game as well, putting them at a significant disadvantage. Coupled with the funeral of Sean Taylor, this was an improbably win in my eyes.

Oh, and Rex Grossman was injured as well but it doesn't really matter who's quarterbacking the Bears. He and Brian Griese leave a lot to be desired behind center.

This week: 0-1
Last week: 8-7
This season: 86-82-9

Too soon, too soon.

Are the Redskins and Bears really playing today? These Thursday night games are going to start getting preposterous. With what the Redskins went through the over the past week or so with Sean Taylor’s murder then funeral and losing that close game with the Bills, there’s no way they can be up for this tilt.

Bears (+3) over REDSKINS

It’s become fairly apparent that Joe Gibbs doesn’t really know what he’s doing any more as evidenced by his two time outs in row call that ultimately lost the game for his team. If he’s that bad at coaching, are we right to assume he’ll kick the ball right at Devin Hester?

As for Hester, when he was on offence against Buffalo on Sunday, he got the ball twice and came out with a total of minus-three yards. Looks like his abilities are just on special teams.

And I don’t think too many people will be clamouring over not having the NFL network for this tilt.

Last week: 8-7
This Season: 86-81-9

Where the flu happens

Poor Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum, two of the Lakers core guys this season, are both suffering from the flu. Now, while the average man would call in sick for work (like Bynum did, getting IVs at a hospital instead of playing at Minnesota) Kobe Bryant led his team to victory. Who said this guy isn’t dedicated to Los Angeles? After seeing something like that happen, I’m very confident I’ll be seeing him play when he visits in February.

Poor Stephon Marbury. Surrounded by controversy more often than not, he now has to deal with the death of his father. The senior Marbury even died during a Knicks game while his son was on the court, then Stephon was not informed of his death until after the game. I would think you’d have to tell a guy if something like that happened no matter when it did. Also, the Knicks are hoping Starbury’s still going to be in their line up tonight. How about a little down time for mourning?

The Tigers are stacked

The might have dealt a ton of prospects but bringing two young studs — even if one is coming off a poor season — is well worth it. It might not be a deal for Johan Santana (which makes no sense at all for the Twins by the way) but reeling in the arguably two best Marlins is a powerful move. Watch out American League, Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis are now Tigers.

Cabrera, who is only 24 years old, has driven in over 100 runs in each of the past three seasons and is a perennial all-star. He's one of, if not the best young third-basemen in the majors. Incumbent Tigers 3B Brandon Inge should start packing up his stuff right now, there's no way he'll be sitting on the Tigers' bench earning about $6-million per season.

Then there's Willis, who is coming off a bad season but still has great upside as proven by his all-star appearance. While it is harder for pitchers in the American League than the National League with the DH, better opposition and all, Willis could do very well for himself. Why? because his awkward, eccentric delivery style will cause some hitters to be baffled. He may not be a fantasy sleeper because of his past but I would not mind grabbing him a round or two earlier than he perhaps should go.

Going to the Marlins are a bunch of quality young players and prospects who will help Florida down the line. In short, about two or three years from Florida might be playing in the post-season again with some of the guys from this deal in starring roles. Of course, the team could be playing out of Vegas by then but who knows?

If you want the new Marlins names: Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller, Mike Rabelo, Eulogio De La Cruz, Dallas Trehern and Burke Badenhop.

As for the Santana saga, why do the Twins want rid of him so badly? They still have him for another year under contract so why not at least hold onto him until the trade deadline? After letting star CF Torrii Hunter walk away in free agency, why give away the best pitcher in the world? And what the Yankees and Red Sox were offering wasn't anything close to what I would want in return for him. Minnesota is right to demand more than two top prospects and a third "mid-level" one. There has to be more in the deal for a Cy Young winner.

Also, it's been brought up that Minnesota is getting a new stadium in two years time. Why would they want to open up a new ball-park without one of their franchises all-time stars? They should keep on trying to resign him and if there's an impasse in talks, up the asking price for trade suitors.

I'd say the same thing to Oakland over Dan Haren and Baltimore over Eric Bedard: If you're not getting value back, don't even think about moving those arms. It makes no sense to deal a proven all-star game starter (Haren) or a stud lefty (Bedard) for a discount.

Ugh...

Well that was close, but you could tell as soon as the Patriots got the ball back after the Ravens went up that New England would pull out a win. In fact, I wrote that sentence with six minutes left in the game and Brady driving down by four.

It seems like either New England's been figured out by two vastly inferior teams two weeks in a row or something's wrong. It is looking very much like they are beatable now. I'm also not so certain about betting on them and those huge lines they're giving every week any more.

And what a finish. Everyone will be talking about how the Pats two-minute drill went down for at least a week. Let's hope Pittsburgh was watching and taking notes.

Ugh, I feel almost sick writing about this game. In my mind it's a shame it ended how it did. I'd be a lot more up for the entire turn of events if Boller throws the ball three yards further or his receiver twists into the end-zone instead of being tackled. It would also be fun to have an all-caps "PATRIOTS LOSE!" head-line.

Lastly, props to Willis McGahee on his huge game. I've long been a Willis supporter and it makes me proud to say so after having such a good game.

This week: 8-7
This season: 86-82-9

Sean Taylor greatly missed

In perhaps the most oddest, sad and fitting turn of events in the Bills-Redskins game, the first game for Washington after the murder of Sean Taylor, the 'skins D lined up for their first play with only 10 men on the field. In fact, the only position not accounted for was Taylor's free safety spot. It was a touching moment since it was planned but then again, Bills running-back Fred Jackson did run for 22 yards. Reed Doughty, the Redskin's new starting safety came in on the next play and made a tackle.

The end of the game was quite wacky as well. With seconds left on the clock, the Bills lined up for a field goal attempt that was put through by Rian Lindell. But, of course, Washington coach Joe Gibbs called time out at the last second. Lindell lined up again, put it through, but again Gibbs had called timeout, which is actually against the rules. The ball was moved up 15 yards for a 36-yard attempt and yet again, Rian Lindell put it through, winning the game 17-16 for the Bills.

The Colts showed the Jaguars how it's done, beating their division rival 28-25 to take a two-game lead in the AFC South. Manning was great despite the continued absence of his number one target Marvin Harrison. He even connected on four TD passes in the victory. When Harrison does return, this team will be an absolute force. Also, like I said, David Garrard's interception-less streak came to an end in the loss.

In further reverse-jinx news, after bringing up that Carolina hasn't won at home in like a year, they toppled the awful 49ers. Is there anybody left on the "Niners are going to be good this season" band wagon? If there is, they probably just fell asleep while watching the team play.

The Dolphins are still winless. Are you surprised? If I was on that "underdog" Jets team I would've been fired up by having experts giving me point against a winless team, regardless if Miami was at home. And do they give away paper bags for the 'Fins fans at the gates or did everyone just bring their own?

Adrian Peterson's back and he's at his best too. The rookie of the year in waiting scored twice in the Vikings blow out of Lions. What happened to Kitna's crew? Have they just regressed to Detroit standards or has Mike Martz's offence been figured out?

I told you A.J. Feeley wasn't the answer... Maybe Kevin Kolb is...

Is there something wrong with Big Ben? It seemed like every time he threw last night the receivers needed to jump to haul in the passes. It didn't seem to matter though as the Steelers trumped the Bengals.

And finally, LDT is showing why he was the consensus number one fantasy pick at the beginning of the year. It's too bad the Chargers can't play the Chiefs every week of the season. San Diego is now at the top of the AFC west but who really thinks these guys will win a single game in the playoffs? I certainly don't.

This Week: 8-6 (With the Patriots tonight)
This Season: 86-81-9

How bout dem Cowboys!

Great game last night between two of the top-four teams in the league and who would’ve ever thought that Aaron Rodgers could actually keep his team in the game after Favre was hurt? I certainly didn’t but was pleasantly surprised by the former first-round pick.

VIKINGS (-3.5) over Detroit

With Adrian Peterson back at least for part-time duties this week and Detroit fading down the streak, you have to like Minnesota at home.

RAMS (-3) over Falcons

This one is going to be a bad game. Gus Frerote is starting for the Rams and Joey Harrington is starting for Atlanta. You have to think this is a breakout week for Steven Jackson.

TITANS (-4) over Texans

I’m a lot more sold on Vince Young at home than I am for Matt Schaub on the road. And where the hell is the Madden curse? I know Vince hasn’t been playing very well but come on, where’s the ACL tear?!

Jets (+1) over DOLPHINS

So you’re 0-11 and a favourite? How does this happen. The Dolphins are due and could very well beat these sad Jets

REDSKINS (-5.5) over Bills

The ‘Skins have to win for Sean Taylor right? This game will be full of emotion but how will that play out? I wouldn’t put any money on this one.

Chargers (-5.5) over CHIEFS

Kansas City is a rough place for visiting teams but the Brodie Croyle-Kolby Smith combo isn’t good enough for a wager over a very “due” LDT.

Jaguars (+6.5) over COLTS

Does anybody else feel that since David Garrard’s streak without an interception is being so highly touted that he’ll without a doubt throw one on Sunday? This is one of the biggest jinxes I’ve seen in a while. Even with that said, the Colts won’t run away with this game.

Seahawks (+3) over EAGLES

A.J. Feeley working that kind of magic two weeks in a row? Yeah right. Donovan McNabb sticking around in Philly after this season? I wouldn’t put too much money on it. Did you know that Brian Westbrook has the most fantasy points out on any running-back this season? Yet, the Eagles stink. One man can’t do it all.

Niners (+3) over PANTHERS

Vinny Testaverde is questionable. Who else do the Panthers have at quarterback now? Steve Smith and his fantasy owners must be pissed about how this season has turned out in Carolina.

SAINTS (-3) over Bucs

Seeing that Jeff Garcia might play isn’t good enough for me. I need to see him in the starting line up before I’d back this mediocre division-leading Bucs team.

Browns (PK) over CARDINALS

This one is going to be a shootout; bet the over. These Browns are good and the Cardinals seem to have some bad luck as evidenced by last week’s overtime debacle.

Broncos (-3.5) over RAIDERS

Mike Shanahan exacts revenge on his former team for the billionth time!

BEARS (+1.5) over Giants

Do not kick to Devin Hester! How are teams still kicking to him? He’s got to have a kick return rating of 150 in Madden next year. Let’s hope that Rex Grossman doesn’t screw this up more than Elisha Manning will.

STEELERS (-7) over Bengals

You can hope that Ocho Cinco does his thing and scores thrice again this week but I don’t think so against Pittsburgh.

Patriots (-20.5) over RAVENS

...ugh...

Last Week: 11-4
This Season: 78-75-9

Game of the Year!

The Green Bay vs. Dallas match up tonight will be the deciding factor over home-field advantage for the NFC this season. We could very well see the winner of this game finishing 15-1 while the loser finishes 14-2. That's a) how good these two teams are and b) how bad the NFC might be.

Since I don't pick Cowboys games because any pick would be incredibly influenced by personal bias, let's just get this out of the way before some more prattling.

Packers (+6.5) at COWBOYS

When you consider both teams are sitting at 10-1 and aren't coming off of short weeks having played last Thursday for Thanksgiving games, you would think that 6.5 would be a bit high. The three real factors you have to figure in this one are:

1. Darren Woodson is questionable for the Pack. It will be really hard to contain the Cowboys potent passing game without one of the starters, especially with Patrick Crayton back tonight.

2. The Cowboys are playing in Big D. Sure they lost their only game of the season at home but that was against the cheaters and the 'Boys have looked a ton better at home than on the road.

3. The Cowboys have played more quality opponents to get to 10-1. The only team with a winning record that the Pack has faced were the Lions last week and they're sliding.

Still, anything is possible when Brett Favre steps on the field, especially this year. But then again, you can say the same thing about this uber-potent Cowboys offence. Again, it must be said: This should be the game of the year.

R.I.P. Sean Taylor

Tragically, after being shot in the leg late Monday night, Sean Taylor died in hospital yesterday. Taylor, 24, known for having been linked to questionable conduct off the field and hard-hitting play on it, had been at shot in his Florida house after an apparent home-invasion. The bullet that hit Taylor in the leg severed an artery and caused him to loss a significant amount of blood. He had flat-lined twice before finally giving out.

I'll remember him most for pestering me in Madden twice a season with the Redskins, virtually taking away half the field and causing a few too many fumbles when my running-back makes it through the first two levels to him.

Taylor, who has an 18-month old daughter, will be missed by all both on and off the field.

In comparably brighter news...

Apparently Simeon Rice wasn't the answer to Indy's question of "who will replace Dwight Freeney?" Rice, who was brought in after being released by Tampa and Freeney was lost for the season, has been released again. If it's not horribly apparent that you've lost a step or two after being released the first time in a season, you should damn well know it after the second cutting. Might be time to hit the gym and get a little bigger, tougher, faster and stronger for Rice or starting thinking about hanging up his cleats and looking for a coaching or broadcasting gig.

While not everyone in America will be able to watch the Game of Year-calibre match up of the Cowboys and Packers tomorrow night, every one in Canada with TSN will be able to watch it. While the game is on the NFL network in the States, Canadians get to watch it without having to fork over the ridiculous price that the Network is demanding for it's programing. TSN, the Canadian affiliate of ESPN, gets to broadcast a game that ESPN doesn't? How is this making sense? All games, especially ones of this calibre and in prime time. should be broadcast on network television that's accessible to the masses. But then again, this is the NFL we're talking about; the best run sports league in North America if not the world. Who am I to question their business?

As for who will win the big match up? Come back tomorrow.

What the muck?

I'll tell you this much: had I known that the weather and conditions in Pittsburgh would've been as bad as they were, I would never have picked them to cover a 16-point spread. But that's what you get for selecting games days in advance.

An amazing thing did happen though, the game went deep into the fourth quarter scoreless. Thanks largely in part to both team's kickers not being able to get attempts anywhere near the uprights or even end-zone for that matter. How two professional teams can fail to get even close to each other's ends is spectacular. It took until 20 seconds remained in the fourth when Jeff Reed managed to put a short field goal through to give the Steelers a 3-0 victory. I'll be in awe over that score line for at least a week.

Last night's game was outstandingly quick as well. With both teams running the ball, getting sacked and completing a lot of short passes, the first half took roughly an hour while the second wasn't much longer. I was lamenting having to wait for the game to end after it was delayed by the "dangerous weather" but it ended at a remarkably early time.

And how about Ricky Williams' return? In his first game back from a 19-month suspension he didn't play too badly, especially considering the conditions. Yeah, sure he played in the CFL last year for the Toronto Argonauts, but we all know that doesn't count as football. He gained 15 yards on six carries but lost a fumble in the awfully muddy conditions before leaving the game with a shoulder injury.

This week: 11-4-0
This season: 78-75-9

Cowards!

So where was running up the score and saying “F you!” to the league last night? When Brady got down on his knee to run the clock and end the game it was more symbolic than any Patriots fan will realize and hey, they nearly lost at home to AJ Feeley and an under-.500 Eagles team. As for those Eagles, if McNabb isn’t 100% next week, I’d go with starting Feeley again.

How disappointed is Eli Manning right now? Playing against the Vikings at home with his big brother Peyton watching, Elisha tosses an astounding four interceptions into the waiting hands of Minnesota defenders.

Kicking to Devin Hester is a bad idea. Why any team would kick the ball to him is beyond reason after his two big returns against Denver yesterday.

LaDainian Tomlinson hit the 10k mark in his 106th game to make him the fourth fastest running-back to get that many yards, tying him with Emmitt Smith. If LDT can stay healthy and keep getting his touches, it's very feasible that he could retire as the all-time rushing king.

Ocho Cinco was back to his normal self in more ways than one yesterday. He caught 12 passes for over 100 yards and scored three touchdowns. He also celebrated in his old fashion as well, taking over a television camera on the sideline and having some fun. It’s good to see old C.J. back.

The Bay Area teams snapped some nasty streaks yesterday. The Niners won for the first time in nine tries while across the Golden Gate Bridge, Oakland defeated an AFC West division rival to end a 13-game streak. The Niners defeated the Cardinals in a back-and-forth game that went to overtime. The Raiders took down the Chiefs who were sans Larry Johnson and Priest Holmes. K.C. did get a surprisingly good effort of rookie Kolby Smith but ultimately fell short.

And, in tragic news, Redskins star safety Sean Taylor was shot late in the night. Reports are that he was shot in the leg and the bullet severed a major artery. He is currently in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida. Taylor is a great player and a hard-hitting key to Washington’s defence, he will be missed on the field but here’s to hoping for a full recovery.

This week: 11-2-0 with Pittsburgh (-16) tonight
This season: 78-73-9 (Woohoo! Over .500!)

The rest of the week 12 picks

After going 2-0 on Thanksgiving Thursday, I'm looking forward to getting gutted on the rest of my picks for week 12. How about that optimism eh?

BEARS (-1.5) over Broncos

Who's running the ball for these Broncos? That concerns me more than who's throwing the ball for the Bears. Go Sexy Rexy!

Titans (-1.5) over BENGALS

This should be a close one. My guess is that it'll be settled by a Bironas field goal.

JAGUARS (-8) over Bills

I'd be more confident about taking the Bills if they were at home. But in Florida against this deceptive Jaguars team, not a chance. Jacksonville will be fired up trying to keep pace with Indy who's already won this week.

Raiders (+5.5) over CHIEFS

In my fantasy league at work the rule is that you can only make four moves all season. I got a good laugh at the expense of the guy who picked up Priest Holmes a week after he retired.

BROWNS (-3) over Texans

There's a very real chance that Derek Anderson could make the Pro Bowl. Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are shoo-ins while Anderson and Ben Roethlisberger should be battling it out for that third spot on the roster.

Seahawks (-3) over RAMS

Those two Rams wins were against softies. Don't expect them to keep up their streak this week against the Seahawks.

Vikings (+7) over GIANTS

With or without Adrian Peterson the Vikings can run the ball. Chester Taylor is good enough for 100 yards and a TD if AP sits this one out. Either way, the Vikes should cover against this Giants team that's slowly falling to earth.

Saints (-3) over PANTHERS

How sad is David Carr right now? The Panthers have definitively said that 43-year old Vinny Testaverde is their number one guy ahead of him. So much for starting anew after leaving Houston.

BUCS (-3) over Redskins

The Redskins looked good last week against the Cowboys and could've possibly won if they had decided to cover Terrell Owens. But that does not mean they will do the same this week in Tampa Bay.

Niners (+10.5) over CARDINALS

I like the Cardinals and I like Kurt Warner, but I wouldn't bet on them covering this week. You almost have to feel that the Niners are due.

Ravens (+9.5) over CHARGERS

Kyle Boller starting for Baltimore makes this a better bet in my mind. Both teams have not lived up to expectations so far but it is possible they can turn it around and make the playoffs. Also, did we all see Shawne Merriman get jacked by Maurice Jones-Drew last week? You have to feel bad for the big man after that one.

PATRIOTS (-22) over Eagles

You can't really bet against the jerks, especially with Donovan McNabb doubtful and Jay Feeley starting.

STEELERS (-16) over Dolphins

Look for Fast Willie Parker to have a huge game. Then Najeh Davenport possibly coming in to steal some goal-line touchdowns.

Last week: 9-4-1
So far this week: 2-0-0
So far this season: 69-71-9

A happy Thanksgiving to football fans

Every fan who wanted to see some good, one-sided football must've been thankful for yesterday's first two match ups. Starting the day off was old-man Favre and the youngest team in the NFL lighting up Ford Field in Detroit, beating the Lions 37-26. Brett also showed, once again, that this season he's not going to be heaving the ball wherever he wants. Favre completed 20 pass attempts in a row at one point and picked up his seventh 300-yard game of the season.

In Big D, God's team trounced the lowly Jets 34-3 and set up next Thursday's match up of the two one-loss teams in the NFC (Green Bay in Dallas). Kellen Clemens even did his best Chad Pennington weak-arm impression by floating a pass to a receiver running a hook pattern. Needless to say Terrence Newman easily picked the ball and returned it for an easy touchdown.

Then in Atlanta, the Joey Harrington-led (yes, that felt weird to write because really, has Joey Harrington actually led a team before?) jumped out to a surprising 10-0 lead over the Indianapolis Colts. The joy that Falcons fans may have felt didn't last for long though. Peyton and Co. rallied to take the game 31-13. Good try though Joey.

As for next week's de-facto NFC Championship match up, let's just look at it this way: The Cowboys' loss came at home at the hands of the New England Patriots, who've beaten all comers so far, while the Packers lost at home to the Chicago Bears. On that fact alone would you not take the Cowboys?

Also, can we call this the game of the year? I think I will. You have to consider that any contest involving the Patriots should be ruled out considering that all games should involve sportsmanship, something that Bill Belichick and the Pats egregiously lack. So, game of the year! Packers — Cowboys! Nov. 29! Watch it!

So far this week: 2-0-0
This season 69-71-9

Good bye Priest, again

After suffering another injury to his neck, Priest Holmes has retired from the NFL just a few games into his comeback. Holmes will always be remembered as a fantasy juggernaut after posting huge numbers running behind great offensive linemen Willie Roaf and Will Shields for years, not to mention blocking fullback extraordinaire, Tony Richardson — now seen paving the way in Minnesota for Adrian Peterson. Holmes was always seen as an underdog in his early football years, playing back up in both college and with Baltimore. When he got his chances in those situations, he shone, but it wasn't until moving to the Chiefs he truly broke out. You could never count out Priest, even this year, but now his wild ride has come to an end. Cheers to a great career.

And a Happy Thanksgiving to football fans this year! Coming into the season, I figured that Dallas / New York Jets would've been the game to watch but with the surprises of Green Bay and Detroit, a match up I wouldn't have woken up for (so what if I sleep past noon?) turns out to be a pivotal match up with division title hopes possibly riding on the outcome. And then there's that mess in Atlanta...

Packers (-3) over LIONS

All-American Brett Favre losing on Thanksgiving? Yeah right! Unless he reverts to his gunslinging ways against this Detroit defence that leads the league in picks, Green Bay could blow out Detroit.

Jets (+14) at COWBOYS

The Jets didn't beat the Steelers, the Steelers beat themselves. Kellen Clemens did look alright and may put some points on the board today, but you can't seriously think that the Jets can contain the Cowboys offence, even without Patrick Crayton out and Sam Hurd starting. There's still T.O. and Witten catching Romo's passes while Barber and Jones pound the Jets front-seven.

Colts (-11.5) over Falcons

Wow, this should be a dud of a game. Indy might still be banged up but these Falcons are starting Joey Harrington. I don't even see this one being close and it's good that the Colts will have an extended time off between here and their week 13 game.

Last week: 9-4-1
This Season: 67-71-9

Ouch

Fans of the Gilbert Arenas. the Washington Wizards and basketball in general took a blow yesterday when Agent Zero went under the knife and had two different surgeries on his banged up left knee. He's expected to be out for three months.

This leaves the Wizards in a bit of a bind. Even in the weak (not as weak as last year) East, the Wiz are going to have to really push themselves to make it into the playoffs without their star.

Everyone who drafted Gil in their fantasy leagues, expecting him to anchor the point and but up points in bunches will now have to look elsewhere as well.

As for Agent Zero himself, how does this affect his upcoming free agency? Coming off a season in which he missed three months worth of games and wasn't playing too well before sitting isn't going to bode well. But knowing what he can do when he's healthy almost insures that he'll receive a long, max-deal from someone around the league.

The MVPs

So, predictably, Alex Rodriguez took home the American League MVP award on Monday, yet somehow didn't manage to get all 28 first places votes like he rightfully should have. Magglio Ordonez pried the final two votes away from A-Rod and while he did deserve to finish second in voting, there should have been no comparison to how well A-Rod played this season.

Then yesterday, in a much tighter race, Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies took home the National League award, narrowly edging Colorado's stud Matt Holliday by 17 points and 5 first place votes. Rollins nearly led the Phillies into the playoffs while putting up huge, five-tool numbers across the board. Rollins hit 30 and had almost 100 RBIs — which are great numbers for a leadoff man — while hitting .296 and swiping 41 bases.

So congratulations to all the MLB award winners and now the real nitty-gritty of the offseason starts with free agent signings and the winter meetings coming up. I can hardly wait.

The jerks are the back

The headline and this clarifying sentence are all the print that the Patriots deserve.

Adam Vinatieri finally didn't blow a kick and managed to secure a tight win over Kansas City. After watching the game, it's very plain to see that there is something wrong with the Colts' offence. They need Harrison and even Gonzalez back if they want to go somewhere in the playoffs.

Cleveland won a wacky one in which Browns' kicker Phil Dawson nailed a kick through the uprights which then bounced back through onto the field. After the officials huddled up, they decided the long field goal counted and the game would be sent to overtime. Fittingly, Dawson put away the Ravens with a field goal.

T.O. grabbed four touchdowns against the Redskins who hung around with God's team until the very end. Kind of like I said how it would happen...

Michael Strahan got to Jon Kitna several times in the Giants' win but it looks like New York is going to be down two key players for at least a bit. Mathias Kiwanuka broke his left leg meaning his season is more than likely done and Brandon Jacobs left the game with a hamstring injury. And that crunch-time pass to Shaun McDonald that he bumped into the air, only to be picked by New York, was flat out awful. Where's your hands man?

So McNabb was injured and they put in Jay Feeley? What the hell? Where's the future? Where's my Kevin Kolb?

The Packers were able to keep pace with the Cowboys in the NFC hunt for home-field advantage thanks to Brett Favre out-dueling fellow old man Vinny Testaverde. Both the 'boys and the Pack play on Thanksgiving this Thursday and should be a treat to watch.

So with a short week ahead, the Thursday teams won't have much time to prepare. Good thing the schedule makers made it easy for the good teams by pitting the Jets and Dallas while giving Green Bay a surprisingly exciting match up against Detroit which could settle the NFC north race.

Finally, the afformentioned Jets, with Kellen Clemens at the helm, defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers on a late field goal. That's right, the Jets won their second game of the season and it wasn't against a scrub team. Who knows what might happen in the coming New England-Pittsburgh match up.

This week: 9-4-1
This season: 67-71-8

Week 11 picks

It was really nice to have a week with the Patriots doing their “We’re going to be dicks about everything because you called us cheaters when we did in fact cheat” routine. Too bad we’re back to the real world in which jerks apparently have the right to throw it in everyone’s faces that they are, in fact, jerks.

Chargers (+3) over JAGUARS

Well I know that the Chargers were a missed field goal away from losing last week against Indy, but I’m betting on LDT having a huge game here. The Jags still haven’t caught my eye as one of the good teams in the league despite their record. They’ll probably win just because I said that though.

Chiefs (+14.5) over COLTS

The Colts’ loss of Freeney and having to play another week without Harrison, Clark and Gonzalez will catch up to them this week. Despite the fact that they’re at home and the Chiefs will be without Larry Johnson, I don’t think that Indy can win by more than two touchdowns. Maybe by 14, but not more.

Raiders (+5.5) over VIKINGS

No Adrian Peterson, no game. The Raiders may be bad, but have you seen Brooks Bollinger?

Browns (-2.5) over RAVENS

Did anyone call the Browns as a sleeper this season? Can you even call them the sleeper of the season with Detroit playing and winning like they are? There is, shockingly, a possibility that with a lot of lucky breaks in the playoffs, we could see a Cleveland-Detroit Super Bowl. The winner in that game? Certainly not the viewing public.

Steelers (-9.5) over JETS

How is this line not higher? Are you serious? I would still be taking Pittsburgh if you bumped the line up to 13.5, maybe even higher. In fact, where’s my bookie’s number.

Bucs (-3) over FALCONS

The Sports Guy was right, someone can win the NFC south with a 7-9 record. The Bucs looked great until almost every running back they have on the depth chart went out. Jeff Garcia’s keeping them in there and the Falcons are atrocious.

Cards (+3) over BENGALS

Considering I have Ocho Cinco and Kurt Warner on my fantasy football team, I’m seriously hoping for a blow and not one of those seven-field-goals-by-Shayne-Graham games.

Dolphins (+10) over EAGLES

When is it too early to buy a Kevin Kolb jersey? Should I wait until after McNabb loses to the formerly-winless Dolphins, or wait. I think I’ll wait, just in case you know. At the very least, I don’t think the Eagles will cover 10 points.

Patriots (-16) over BILLS

Dear Bill Belichick, you are everything that’s wrong with sports (spitting sound)...

COWBOYS (-10.5) at Redskins

I think the ‘skins can play God’s team close, but missing Sean Taylor in their secondary is seriously going to hurt them. This is Romo’s game to lose (a la Buffalo) in my eyes.

TEXANS (-1) over Saints

Reggie Bush vs. Mario Williams eh? Has the media been alerted to this? Are we sure? I haven’t seen or heard anything yet... (rolls eyes).

PACKERS (-10) over Panthers

Would Vinny vs. Favre be the oldest match up of quarterbacks ever? It has to be very high on that list. Also, now that the Packers seemingly have a running-game, I’m a little worried for my Cowboys now. Their upcoming match-up is shaping up to be a game to decide home-field advantage in the NFC Championship.

LIONS (+3) over Giants

So the team that had a NFL-record minus 18 yards rushing is going up against one of the best front-fours in the league this week? I want in! Yes, that may sound dumb considering I’m taking the Lions, but I’m really routing for a Kitna-Anderson Super Bowl now.

Rams (-3) over NINERS

What an ugly game this is.

SEAHAWKS (-6) over Bears

I’ve always liked the Seahawks at home and always will. That stadium is fantastic.

Titans (+2) over BRONCOS

What was I thinking picking the Broncos to win it all? Ugh, I feel sick a little. And how many night games can Denver play in one season? It seems that they’re playing on either Sunday Night or Monday Night Football every week.

Last week: 5-8
This Season: 58-67-8

A huge day in the MLB

When the least intriguing new of the day is that a pitcher won the NL Cy Young unanimously, you know it was a heavy news day. So, to begin, let's congratulate Jake Peavy for his earning his first Cy Young, probably of many. Now...

Barry Bonds was indicted yesterday! Bonds dared them to indict him all last year, even while chasing and then breaking Hank Aaron's home run record and now it finally happened. Bonds has been indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice sprouting from his testimony, to investigators and in front of the grand jury, that he has never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs.

Wow, so where does this put his record now? He is innocent until proven guilty but it's not like many people in the media and especially the fans are going to look at it that way. The U.S. government has been building their case for years now and you would have to expect that it's strong enough to put away Bonds. Oh, and the extreme part of this whole thing is that Barry faces a 30-year prison sentence. That's right, he would get out of jail after he's turned 73.

How much of a shame is it for baseball and all its' supporters that this has happened. Yet another black eye for a sport that's just really started coming back around again.

On the much lighter side of the big news moves in the baseball world, Alex Rodriguez will be a Yankee next year after all. After screwing the team out of several millions of dollars spouting from the deal that sent him to the Bronx from Texas, he's now agreed to stay in town for the next ten years, if he doesn't negotiate any more opt-out clauses into his new deal that is.

The outline of the deal is reportedly worth $275-million US over ten years and also features a bonus if A-Rod breaks the career home run record while wearing the Yankees' pinstripes.

Also, do you really think that A-Rod can last another 10 seasons in New York? He's been ridden by the fans, the media and sometimes even teammates over the course of his stay so far, does he think that will change now that he's pulled off this flip-flop? Only time will tell and it will be interesting to see what kind of clauses are written into this deal and if Scott Boras will even be around to cash in on it after A-Rod walked into the Yank's office without him.

Here and there...

The Colts have lost all-pro defensive end Dwight Freeney for the season. This is a huge blow for the defending Super Bowl Champions. The official diagnosis is a Lisfranc injury but most people would have to Wikipedia that to know what it is. Anyway, surgery to fix his foot will happen later this week or early next. This gives Denver Broncos cast-off Simeon Rice a chance to prove he can still play after signing on with the Colts this week. Freeney's injury is quite damaging to the team's repeat hopes. I'm not so sure about betting on them to take it all from here on out.

Former-CFLer Ricky Williams has been reinstated by the NFL and it's looking like he may actually get some playing time with the Miami Dolphins. I would imagine he isn't in game shape and will have to get back to an NFL-standard but any warm body could help this 0-9 disaster. Ronnie Brown being out for the year only helps Williams' cause as well.

Stephon Marbury is missing from the Knicks lineup. Looks like he desparately wants to be bought out and leave town, maybe even the country, after Isiah Thomas told him he was going to cut his playing time. Starbury has said he would like to play in Italy but that buy-out is going to be a big one and who knows if the Knicks will be willing to do that. They could trade him but they would need to find a team that a) would want him to play there or b) buy him out. There's also c) would Starbury want to be there? If he's being this testy with the Knicks, who knows how he'd feel about other teams. Apparently he was back practicing last night, but how much has he damaged his report with the team and management?

A-Rod wants to come back to the Yankees? Are you serious? The first thought that comes to my mind is that Scott Boras, with many dollar signs in his eyes, thought of the huge commission he could make off of his favourite client if he signed a new $300 or so million deal instead of the pithy $252-million one he has right now. But if A-Rod really wanted to stay with the Yanks, why did he opt out of his deal and not even listen to New York's offer before walking? By doing so, he even cost the Yanks several millions of dollars that would've come their way from Texas as a result of their trade. This whole situation is just another debacle in this already twisted baseball off-season.

And while nobody probably cares except their teams and families, Eric Wedge and Bob Melvin were named MLB managers of the year for leading the Cleveland Indians and Arizona Diamondbacks respectively. That about as much print I'd like to give that.

MLB awards

I like Major League Baseball's style... Well, sort of. While it's nice to have an award show where all the players and coaches can dress up, bring sexy dates and then after-party the night away, why not spread out the individual awards and soak up as much press as possible? Come to think of it, I've now realized after a quick head-count of the professional sports leagues that only the NHL, the weakest of them all, still throws a gala of sorts.

As for what has been awarded so far in baseball's award season...

C.C. Sabathia finally beat Josh Beckett, too bad it wasn't in the playoffs eh? If you're looking around reading stories about the AL's Cy Young award winner this year, you're going to be seeing that lead A LOT. Cleveland's ace but Boston's clutch performer by a fair margin, picking up 119 points to Beckett's 86. Sabathia also had 19 first place votes while Beckett only managed eight. The other first-place vote getter you might ask? None other than Anaheim's John Lackey. You've gotta love those jackasses who show home-town pride and vote stupidly for these awards.

Sabathia and Beckett both had similar, great numbers but the deciding factor, I would think is that C.C. pitched a whopping 40 more innings than Josh. Maybe that's why Boston was able to comeback against the Indians ace and start their ALCS roll this year...

In rookie of the year voting, Dustin Pedroia easily won the American League award but the NL's race turned out to be the closest ever. Milwaukee's Ryan Braun beat Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki by a mere two points, 128-126. Both Braun and Troy had great seasons and either had a great case for the award. Good thing nobody really cares about the rookies of the year, I mean, look how well Eric Hinske and Angel Berroa are doing now.

Problems in Indy?

So is there something wrong with Peyton Manning, or is it just the lack of talent in Indianapolis due to a staggering amount of injuries? With two of his main targets (Marvin Harrison, Dallas Clark) and another better than decent one (Anthony Gonzalez) out of action against the Chargers on Sunday, Manning threw six interceptions, the most of his career. But get this, he almost won the game. If not for Adam Vinatieri missing the easiest field goal of his career, the Colts would've won an improbably game that was one of the better contests of the season. If Peyton and Colts can barely lose a game with that amount of key injuries and unfortunate miscues, nobody can rule them out of the Championship running yet.

Well look at that; the Cowboys beat their division rival New York Giants quite handily. There should be no doubt that the Cowboys are the best team in the NFC and I wouldn't be surprised if they go 15-1, which while impressive by itself, is even more considering the class of opponent they lost to. It's also good to see that Tony Romo isn't easing up after signing that big contract extension as well.

Super-rookie Adrian Peterson had a sub-par day, just as I predicted, against the Packers before tearing a ligament in his knee. After reading about how Peterson doesn't look around him he's running, instead opting to keep his eyes towards the end-zone, maybe now he'll change his style to avoid tacklers and therefore injuries. He is lucky that it's only his LCL and nothing major, although he will miss next week's game, at the very least. The Packers also asserted their dominance with the huge win, but come on, Brooks Bollinger was starting at QB for Minnesota. The Pack are still second in the NFC, a ways behind Dallas in my books.

So apparently passing the ball works for Seattle; maybe they should've tried that after earlier. After finally realizing that their running game isn't as good as they think it is, the Seahawks decided to go pass-heavier last night and in the process, beat down the 49ers. While it's nice that they might get back on track now, it was just the Niners and should take the win with a grain of salt.

After Damon Huard was knocked around on Sunday by the Denver Broncos, Chiefs coach Herm Edwards has already decided that Brodie Croyal will start next week at QB. Can we all agree that nobody cares and move on?

In the race to 0-16, the Rams have done the unthinkable and won. It's now up to Miami to keep the dream of a win-less season alive. Although, they don't seem too enthused at the idea of it. They fell barely short of beating Buffalo in what was probably their last chance for an easy win this season. They do have the Jets coming up, but with Kellen Clemens at QB, they're a good bet to win that week 13 match up.

I actually thought I still had a chance facing Big Ben in fantasy this week after seeing Cleveland up big after the first of their game; I was sadly mistaken. Big Ben and the Steelers caught fire and scored 22 second half points, then won on a missed 50-something yard field goal attempt with time expiring. What a game that was to watch.

And in what is can be considered both pathetic and good at the same time, the Bengals beat the Ravens 21-7, but did so by kicking seven field goals. How does such a potent offence not make it into the end-zone even once when they can make it into field goal range?

This Week: 5-8
This Season: 58-67-8

The Intern's Hard Wood: Week 1

The beginning to this NBA season has been one rollercoaster ride so far. Who would have predicted that about four games into the season that the Brand-less Clippers would be on top of the Pacific let alone the entire league. Nobody ever thought the Bulls would start out 1-4 and the Heat and Wizards still held winless in the East? But, in Washington’s defense, the NBA must have installed faulty rims over the off season which has contributed to Agent Zero’s dismal 3 for 24 behind the arc. One of the surprise storylines thus far is the New Orleans Hornets starting out the season 4-1. This is largely due to the play from their floor general CP3 who is putting up ungodly stats, 18 points, 12 assists and 5 boards per game.

The Celtics are still undefeated and after witnessing them first hand last Sunday, I can understand why. They have assembled the best big three in the history of the NBA and boy they are a sight to witness. Watching Garnett, Allen and Pierce working in tandem is quite a sight. As a team it really makes you think twice about doubling Garnett with Allen looming behind the arc. As good as the three are, they have little-to-no depth and their point guard situation is still a big question mark. Rajon Rondo is still wet behind ears and not capable of controlling the floor or defending top tier PGs in the NBA.

A Pats-terisk?

Don Shula, who coached the only undefeated in NFL history, brought up a good point this week in regards to a possible undefeated season for the Patriots: There should be an asterisk beside it because they cheated. Why not? It seems fair to me. They were caught cheating and in all fairness, should have been forced to forfeit the game. There was no misunderstanding of a rule. It's very cut and dry. No videotaping the opposing team's sidelines. Barry Bonds was never actually caught cheating yet everyone thinks he deserves an asterisk; why should Belichick and the Patriots be spared that fate?

As for this week's picks:

Jaguars (+4.5) over TITANS

Yes, I realize the Titans are good — surprisingly good — but these Jaguars finally have my vote of confidence, even if we're still unsure if David Garrard or Quinn Gray is starting.

CHIEFS (-3) over Broncos

Larry Johnson may be sitting this one out which gives Priest Holmes the perfect opportunity to prove he can still play. Jay Cutler nearly broke his leg in last week's horrific loss to Detroit which means that Patrick Ramsey looks like he'll start if Cutler's still ailing. Either way, the Broncos QB is going to get beat up by the Chiefs Defense.

DOLPHINS (+3) over Bills

If the Dolphins are going to win a game this season, you'd have to figure it would be against J.P. Losman.

STEELERS (-9.5) over Browns

After the smack-down that the Steelers laid on Monday night, how could you not take them here. They've looked absolutely unstoppable against their division rivals. But, if this game were in Cleveland, I would probably go the other way.

SAINTS (-11.5) over Rams

The Rams might actually surprise a few people and cover this line. The line moving downwards indicates that St. Louis has been favoured by the betting public. But, these Saints are back on track.

PANTHERS (-4) over Falcons

Both of these teams look bad, especially at quarterback. Who would've thought that at some point this season, Byron Leftwich, David Carr, Vinny Testaverde and Joey Harrington would be heavily involved in a game? The Panthers still have Steve Smith and they're at home; that's good enough for me.

REDSKINS (-3) over Eagles

So apparently Andy Reid's called out Donovan McNabb, telling him to step up his play. These guys should have a race out of Philly. The only exciting player left in the City of Brotherly Love is Brian Westbrook and if I were him, I'd want some more money to keep stay on this sinking ship. Maybe Philly should go into all-out rebuilding mode and trade Westbrook to the Packers for some picks and possibly a prospect. Would that not make Green Bay the over-the-top team in the NFC if they could actually run the ball? Oh, the Redskins will kill the Eagles this week.

PACKERS (-6) over Vikings

The last time that Adrian Peterson had a huge game, he faltered the next two weeks in a row gaining only 113 yards total after getting 200. Against this surprisingly strong Packers team, I expect a weak follow up to his record-setting day.

RAVENS (-4.5) over Bengals

The Bengals dynamic receiving duo may be limited against the Ravens due to injuries but Cincy is getting Chris Henry back from suspension. It's not going to help, even if it's just reputation carrying the Ravens defence now.

Bears (-3) over RAIDERS

Raiders coach Lane Kiffin has already said that he's going to be kicking to the supreme Devin Hester. Brian Urlacher basically said something along the lines of "Are you serious, this should be fun," and I say the same thing. That decision alone made me pick the Bears.

Cowboys (-1) at GIANTS

Arguably, two the top three teams in the NFC will do battle at the Meadowlands this Sunday. The Cowboys beat the Giants back in week one and scored 45 points against them. This time around the Giants defense should be better prepared, but will it even matter? Tony Romo looked wonderful against Philly after signing his huge contract extension but then again, it doesn't take much to look good against Philly this season.

Lions (+1) over CARDINALS

How the hell are the Lions an underdog after beating down Denver 44-7? I would've taken them against any NFC West team even if I was giving some points.

Colts (-3.5) over CHARGERS

The Colts are playing in their second huge game in consecutive weeks. I'm looking for them to be fired up after that close loss to New England. San Diego gave up that record-setting game to Peterson last week; will they be able to stop Joseph Addai this week?

SEAHAWKS (-10) over Niners

Well, at least the NFC West's losing streak will come to an end. It's a lot of points but I'm not sure the Niners can keep this remotely close. This could be the worst Monday Night Football game ever.

Last week: 7-6
This season: 53-59-8

Yesterday's news tomorrow! and more!

A few things of note were talked about at the GM meetings in Orlando this week. The big one was the 25-5 vote in favour of allowing video replays to determine if some questionable hits are home runs. An umpire can will now be able to check a video screen to see if a potential home run ball was fair or foul, if it cleared the fence or bounced off the top (which would make it still in play) or if a fan interfered with it.

I like this step forward and embracing of technology but I bet the purists rant about this incessantly for a while.

Also at the meetings, the big name being floated around in trade discussions is the Marlins 3B Miguel Cabrera. Hey aren't the Yankees looking for a third baseman? This could be a dream come true for a Yankees team that's already suffered a hard offseason... and free agency hasn't even started yet. The Bronx Bombers apparently aren't willing to part with some of their talented young arms, Joba, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy mainly, which might put them out of the bidding for Miggy.

The White Sox are also peddling Joe Crede, but he's coming off back surgery and generally bad season in which he lost his job to rookie Josh Fields. One of the two will have to be dealt since Either Paul Konerko or Jim Thome will be at DH and first base. Chicago GM Kenny Williams says there's interest in both of them, but why would he say there isn't?

Roger Clemens might actually retire for real this time. He's signed on as a consultant for the Houston Astros. It looks like he's found a way to make money for the time he waits before actually signing on to pitch. What could he possibly need all this cash for? Does he want to rule the world or something?

News from the nobody cares league

The Ottawa Senators kicked the crap out of their ridiculously bad rivals the Toronto Maple Leafs last night. Did anyone outside of Canada know this or watch this? Probably not. Anyways, with the 5-1 win, the Senators have now beaten Detroit's previous record of 12-1-1 to start a season. So how much play did the Sens having the best start to an NHL season ever on a sports news site like ESPN.com? It was the sixth story in the sidebar right after it happened and didn't even grab the headline of the NHL page itself.

SI.com had no mention of it at all and they routinely play up NHL stories more than its counterpart in Bristol, Connecticut. The Sporting News' site had the story linked to from their front page, but said it was just a franchise-mark.

As for a Canadian sports news website, SLAM! Sports had the story on its front page as soon as the game ended, but didn't even mention the mark that was set.

So if Canadian sports writers don't know these sorts of things and American news sources won't play up semi-significant stories, is it safe to say that nobody cares about the NHL? I think so.

No Body Cares.

Free agency awaits...

Most recently, the Gold Gloves were handed out yesterday but I don't know how much you can really put into this award; they're handed out on reputation mainly. The prime example is the fact that Greg Maddux won his 17th Gold Glove award. How much can you really judge a pitcher on besides his errors? A guy might make one spectacular, bare-handed grab a year unlike what middle-infielders have to do. Sure Maddux is probably one of the best fielding pitchers out there, but how about a little diversity? And by the way, the Rockies — a bunch of no-name players (before the World Series, when voting had ended) — didn't have a single Gold Glover despite breaking the record for team fielding percentage.

Almost 140 players have already filed to become free agents on Nov. 13, many aren't big names like A-Rod and such but many will fill holes around the league and provide much needed services. Nobody can actually talk money yet so that doesn't leave much to ramble about. So what has happened since the Red Sox swept the Rockies?

Joe Torre has taken some of his boys with him to Los Angeles. It only seemed logical for Don Mattingly to leave the Yankees after being somewhat slighted by the hiring of Joe Girardi as the new manager. As for Larry Bowa, who cares? Now the Dodgers just have to put together a better line up than the 4th-in-the-NL-West one they had last year.

In somewhat related news, apparently A-Rod wanted a deal that would bring his total to about $350-million. The Yanks were not prepared to give him anything like that. I mean the guy is good, he could be considered one of the best ever, but that is a LOT of money. One rumour is that he may want to follow Torre to the city of Angels (and Dodgers).

Also from Yankee-land, Andy Pettitte declined his huge option for next season that would've been worth $16-million. He's also said that he's either going to retire or come back to the Yanks, he just hasn't decided yet. Looks like he's taking a page out of his buddy Roger Clemens' play-book.

Paul Byrd's going to be back in Cleveland next year the team has decided. This is amidst his confession of using HGH. It should clear up before next season or he could be suspended, either way he's still a good guy for a third or fourth guy in the rotation.

Free agent Mike Cameron has been suspended for the first 25 games of next season after he signs on somewhere. He does have some talent but he is a bit troubled with the whole substance abuse problem thing.

And finally, where will Barry Bonds sign? The career home run leader will land somewhere, right? He's got to despite the fact he's 43. Filling him into the line up at DH could be a good move for some AL clubs and being a part time outfielder could even seem feasible at the right price. As long as he doesn't get too greedy, he'll find a place to play.

Big Ben strikes

The rain and the Raven's defence both couldn't slow down the Steelers on Monday Night Football yesterday. Amidst a heavy downpour, Big Ben looked as calm as ever in the pocket and scrambling out of it. On his first touchdown pass of the night, he broke through a heavy pass rush, powered his way out a potential sack and then tossed the ball into the endzone for Heath Miller, who was wide open. Then he even took a big hit that resulted in a roughing the passer penalty. This is the Big Ben I remember from the year when Pittsburgh won the Super Bowl. Apparently his injuries after that motorcycle accident.

And then, in an effort to presumably run up the score, Ben, still in the game with a 35-7 lead late in the third quarter — and throwing — was shoved as he got rid of the ball and had to be helped off the field with an apparent leg injury. You see, this is why you don't leave you starters in and risk injuries, especially against a tough defence. Ben did come back in the game but played much more conservatively until being taken out in favour of Charlie Batch.

And how about James Harrison, the somewhat unheard of Pittsburgh linebacker that became the first player since 1982 to record 3.5 sacks, an interception and recover a fumble. He also racked up 9 tackles.

And I knew the Steelers would blow them out...

This week: 7-6
This season: 53-59-8