Failure to Cooperate

What we have here... is a failure to communicate.

Brett Favre was fined $50,000 yesterday for "failing to cooperate" in an NFL investigation. The NFL seems like the bigger failure in issuing this fine though. Favre allegedly sent lewd pictures and sexually harassed Jenn Sterger during the 2008 season. She had photo evidence and her own personal testimony, but that proved little versus the power of the NFL.

The NFL protected its most talked about star by slapping him on the wrist for not cooperating. The NFL fined Favre for not being forthcoming, thus ending the investigation without any answers. Favre is free to send more pictures to more ladies because he is done with the NFL and it only cost him $50,000. I think starting 297 straight games can help cover that cost. The NFL blew it on this one and it could be due to Favre's imminent "retirement". I'll believe it when he's sitting on a couch next season. No one would be surprised if he came back for another season, especially if there is a lockout and he is given that much extra time to recover from this season.

The NFL had a big opportunity here to not only rid themselves of Brett Favre for good, but protect women's rights for those working for the NFL and other organizations surrounding the National Football League. This was the second case of harassment in this season alone - second case of harassment on the same team! And neither involve feet. (So far as we know). The NFL needs to implement strict rules protecting the safety of women, who need to work harder than men to be successful in the business of sports. This was a perfect opportunity and the NFL showed they could careless about their female employees and reporters.

This fine is a cop out by the NFL, according to ESPN, the fine is only 5% of one game's paycheck. Favre will walk away as the winner, but barely. He worked hard to build and then tear down his own legacy. While on the Packers, he was the most beloved player in the NFL. The only fans disliking him were probably Bears, Vikings and Lions, but even they had to respect the talent. Now, after retiring and returning countless times, playing for the Packers' hated rival, the Vikings, this scandal has turned Favre into probably the most hated. He is selfish, and cares nothing for his wife, his family, his peers, or his teammates.

His egotistical behavior is shown in playing this season. He needed to have his teammates beg him to come back, even though it was clear he wasn't retiring. He led a team that underperformed. He played hurt even when the season was lost. While some can commend that, I condemn it. And now, with a concussion, he cares more about playing his last game than giving Joe Webb a shot to prove he can be a starting QB and giving Leslie Frazier a chance to take the interim off from his job title.

Brett Favre probably learned little from this other than to not send pictures of his man parts. I hope Sterger can and does take him to court, if only just to provide an annoyance to Favre because that is all this was. He was not distracted by it during games so it was clearly pushed to the back of his mind and he knew little would come of it. We will all be much happier when Favre finally does retire. Maybe it'll be good if he plays on Sunday so that Ndamukong Suh can officially end his career by adding on to that concussion.

Well Hello, Ladies

The University of Connecticut Lady Huskies won their 89th consecutive game yesterday, solidifying their spot in the record books for what is likely to be eternity. They have eclipsed the men's record set by the UCLA Bruins in the 1970s under legendary coach, John Wooden. The women of UConn deserve immense congratulations, but the question that plagued the double rainbow remains; what does it mean?

The media has written the story of UConn surpassing UCLA for the record of most consecutive college basketball victories, so comparisons must be drawn. To me, the only comparison is that they play basketball. And because of that, it is fair to say UConn holds that record. They have played their heart out for 89 games against the best that D1 NCAAW has to offer. They have not just won all of these games, they have dominated, destroying the average teams and easily beating most of the title contenders.

You can't really compare much after that because you can't even compare the men's game today to John Wooden Era. The Bruins then, like the Lady Huskies now, were stratospheres above everyone else. They were both led by coaches that can seemingly lead any team to the promised land. Now, most men's teams will be great for a couple of years, then drop off while trying to recruit the next best player. The best coaches, Coach K, Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim, etc., are able to recruit the better players, thus they are able to stay near the top on most years. Wooden was able to do that as is Geno Auriemma for UConn.

One big difference between the teams of yesteryear, and today is parity. Just as the New York Yanks and the Boston Celtics dominated; the Bruins dominated and now the Lady Huskies are dominating. It seems every sport goes through a stage of lone dominance, followed by parity. The Bruins won seven straight titles, and now it seems a team can't win two in a row, (though Duke seems like a possible candidate this year). The Yankees won five in a row, and now need to buy baseball just to compete.

Dominance, rivalries, and underdogs are what keeps a sport moving. The dominance of UConn has a formidable rivalry in Tennessee and a growing one in Baylor. UConn will be beaten at some point and while some disagree, I think their streak is fantastic for women's basketball. The streak is great for two reasons. It made women's basketball a headline on ESPN and other news outlets for probably the only time other than to announce national champions. And secondly, their streak has other teams' level of play improving just to match UConn's.

You can't compare yesterday to today. The "old school" athletes may have been more talented, and had more passion, but today's athletes are bigger, stronger, faster, and better. Instead of selling furniture in the offseason, baseball players now play in winter leagues. WNBA players play year round in European Leagues. The training is intensified and thus making the athletes better. Coaches now have learned upon the mistakes of the coaches in the past and due to that, I would take the 2007 Patriots over the 1972 Dolphins. Give me the 2010 Lakers over the Bill Russell Celtics. Sure, Bill Russell would dominate Pau Gasol, but the Lakers still have the Zen Master and the Black Mamba.

If you can't compare a sport to itself, how can you compare records of one sport to another? Men's basketball is different than women's basketball, just like baseball is different than softball and football is different than lingerie football. There is no need to compare until women can match man in height, speed, strength, etc. Men are different than women. Women's basketball is a perimeter game, with skill shooters, while most of the men's game is decided inside the paint. The UConn ladies keep winning because they shut down the opponents' shooting percentage.

As far as records are concerned, they are in the eye of the beholder. You can choose to believe the women's game is meaningless and only consider the Bruins as having consecutive winning streak. You can choose to believe Hank Aaron or Barry Bonds hold the all-time home run title when really it's Sadaharu Oh. There will always be discussion and asterisks because we, the people, can never agree on anything. One year we elect Obama, the Democrat, and two years later, we change our minds and elect a bunch of Republicans in the Senate. No matter what you believe, the University of Connecticut Lady Huskies are amazing. So amazing that they may be saving the game of women's basketball from a possible dismantling due to the NBA's troubles.

Hope

Due to a death in the family, it has not been an easy week for me, which makes sports seem trivial. But being such an avid sports fan, I look to sports for a variety of reasons; entertainment, excitement, joy, and most importantly, hope. I watched "The Road" over the weekend (probably not the best movie to watch when dealing with a loss). I did not enjoy the movie too much because it lacked hope. If you haven't seen it, the film follows Viggo Mortensen and his son, trying to survive after the end of the world. There is little to live for and the situation is completely hopeless. Being a New York fan, this week has seemed pretty hopeless.

Starting with the Jets' loss and Patriots' domination on Sunday, the week just started with gloom. The Jets' sole reason for their good season is swagger. They overloaded on it and have ridden that throughout the season. They then went to Gillette Stadium and were demolished by the Patriots. Rex Ryan buried the game ball, and the team had "moved on". Miami came to town and the Jets, given their Super Bowl aspirations should have easily beaten the Fins. Their defense stepped their game up, but Mark Sanchez gives Jets' fans high blood pressure. Too many turnovers, specifically the early fumbling resulting in a Miami touchdown, cost the Jets a win.

All season I have questioned offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer and his play calling. He has a dominant running game and stellar receivers that are underutilized. Mark Sanchez can become an elite quarterback but Schotty seems to be developing him poorly. Sanchez rarely looks downfield, even in two-minute drills. Instead Sanchez throws screens and check downs to the running backs as if the team is scared to see him throw. You do not trade up in the draft to acquire a QB to manage a game, you draft a QB to win games, as Sanchez has done.

Compound that with the Patriot's sheer domination of "elite" defenses. The Patriots, led by likely MVP, Tom "Bieber" Brady, are playing as well as their undefeated* season. Not only are they the clear favorite to win the Super Bowl (right now), the Patriots are the Jets main rival. It stings that much more. The only thing making it worse is Danny Woodhead. Mr. Entertaining could barely make the Jets' roster and now he is tearing it up for the Pats. And to make matters worse, the Jets are accused of cheating because of their indefinitely suspended, strength and conditioning coach, Sal Alosi. He thought it would be a good idea to make a wall of players on the sideline and intentionally trip an opposing player. This is leading to a season ending collapse by the Jets.

Moving on to phase two of a bad sports week, enter Cliff Lee, the new most hated man in NYC. He clearly was just stringing the Yankees on from the beginning, just as LeBron James did to NY, Cleveland, LA and Chicago. No amount of money could have brought him here as he would rather play in Philadelphia than anywhere in the US. A good few months in the city turned him away from experiencing new things with other teams. The Yanks lost the bid for a much needed lefty ace and most likely lost any chance at the World Series with it. The season is over before the new year began.

It will be a tough season to watch and this year will be Joe Girardi's toughest year. Without new toys, and busted up old ones, what can Girardi and the Yanks accomplish? The Red Sox bolstered their lineup and assuming their pitching can remain less injured than last season, the Sox are clearly the favorite to win the American League pennant. The Yanks will struggle to maintain a winning record.

Meanwhile, in the National League, the Phillies are the clear favorite to win the pennant. On paper, they may have the best rotation ever. Of course they have to actually play and prove they are worthy of that title, but right now, the NL has got to be scared. I said during the season that if Brian Cashman failed to bring Cliff Lee to NY, he should be fired. I don't want to hear the argument that he was able to resign Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera; those were gimme's. He failed to nab the biggest prize and saw the Red Sox nab two. I don't blame the Lee misstep on him though. He could not have foreseen the Phillies swooping in, offer him less money, but still win the lottery. Cashman did all he could, and then some, offering Lee seven years. They still need help though as five of the best six hitters in the Boston lineup are lefties, (Ellsbury, Crawford, Ortiz, Gonzalez, Drew.)

And for the trifecta in the bad NY sports week, enter the New York Knickerbockers. The Knicks, who I gave up on when LeBron went to Miami, were playing the Celtics, the best team in the East, last night in The Garden. Even though the Knicks had won eight in a row, led by 30+ points by Amar'e Stoudemire each night, this game would be the first real test for the Knicks. While I was excited for the game as the team seems to be relevant for the first time since Ewing, I had little hope they would win, and my prediction was true, they lost.

But what a game!

The Celtics were without Jolly Green Shaqtus, Kendrick Perkins and the other O'Neal, Jermaine, Rajan Rondo was hobbling down the court, the Knicks looked sloppy on defense and nowhere near as disciplined overall than the Celtics, but hot damn, what a game. There was a five minute span in the 4th quarter when it seemed no shots would be missed, Paul Pierce made his typical fade away shot with time expiring, that I have never seen him miss, and the game ended with a made 3-pointer by Amar'e that did not count because he did not get it off in time. Even though the Knicks lost, they renewed my hope in NY sports.

Before the game, I was worried that 2011 would be my worst sports year ever. The Eagles and Patriots both have legitamite shots at being in Dallas for the Super Bowl. The Celtics are on top of the East, beating Miami twice and proving the Eastern Conference title goes through Boston. The Flyers are backing their Stanley Cup loss with another good season. The Phillies and Red Sox may meet in the World Series. And to top a Phillies/Red Sox series off, football and basketball may not be played next season. I would get to let that marinate in my head for months.

After that game, the hope was renewed. The Knicks can possibly pull off a 4 or 5 seed and make a decent run into the playoffs. Something that hasn't been seen since Patrick Chewing. The New York Rangers are gaining steam and could make a run at the Stanley Cup. The Jets and Giants, (while you can't trust Eli or Sanchez), are both in line to make the playoffs, where anything can happen. And the Yankees could see a turnaround in AJ Burnett and a quick maturation into an ace by Phil Hughes. Amar'e gave me hope. Championships are not won in the newspaper, and they are not made in the offseason. Games still need to be played and teams need to prove themselves winners.

Thank you Amar'e. Basketball is back in NY!

BCS Mess

Yes, there is still an argument for a playoff in college football. Just because Boise State lost one game last week and knocked themselves out of the BCS Championship running does not mean the system works. They joined the multitude of one loss teams looking up at Auburn, Oregon and TCU; the last of the undefeated teams. The BCS system only works when there are two undefeated teams from the super conferences, SEC, Big 12, etc. If that is not the case, such as this year with three undefeated teams and many one-loss teams, the BCS is a failure and a playoff would remedy that.

TCU is the odd man out in the BCS Championship. Their undefeated season will go unrewarded, and college football needs to change bowl season into playoff season to fix future disappointments.

The biggest obstacle in starting a playoff is money. The current bowl system is a profit machine. Playoffs would reduce the number of teams eligible for bowls and possibly the number of bowls as well. I think you can keep the number of bowls, though getting rid of a few would not be a bad thing. Some teams are just undeserving of playing in a bowl game, just as an NFC West team will be undeserving of hosting a playoff game this year.

A team deserving of a bowl game, but not an automatic BCS game is UConn. They went 8-4 on the season and finished unranked, but because of the current system, all UConn had to accomplish in obtaining a BCS bid was to win the Big East. UConn received a BCS bid over teams with one loss and will receive a massive amount of extra money. They are in a BCS game and Temple, who beat them and finished with the same record, was left out of any bowls.

NCAA has a mess to deal with, both with apologizing to TCU for not allowing them a chance to play for a national championship, and cleaning up the "pay-to-play" controversy. NCAA makes a fortune off collegiate athletes and the athletes are not allowed to make a dime. This does not seem fair. Athletes deserve some type of compensation for the amount of time put in to their practice. Other students are told to get internships or summer jobs pertaining to their major. If football is essentially the athletes' majors, why shouldn't they be paid accordingly.

This opens a "Pandora's Box" that the NCAA is avoiding. To say student athletes should be paid over regular students, also is not fair. Something needs to change though, because there will always be Cam Newton's or Reggie Bush's who have family members trying to get a piece of the pie. A pie that the NCAA is not willing to share.

Team Jeter

I am definitely still Team Jeter and will remain on his side as I remained on Team Revis throughout his holdout. The sentiment is starting to fade for Jeter, just as many people were split on the Revis holdout. The longer this takes, the worse it gets for both Jeter and the Yankees, but if anything can be learned from Revis, it is that winning games will make people forget. Since the dispute ended and Revis returned from injury (probably due to missing so many practices), Revis has been the dominant corner that now seems worthy of his contract.

Jeter has already made bank. The Yankees have already rewarded him with close to $200 million. I have already heard/read stories of the anti-Jeter feelings. "He should realize the economic reality America is struggling with." Derek Jeter's reality is much different than America's. He works for the most financially successful sports franchise in the world. The Yankees were not hit by the recession so Jeter should not be thinking about the American public in negotiating his deal. Just because we do not make millions of dollars does not mean Jeter should be sympathetic to our feelings and take whatever the Yankees offer.

"Jeter will not mean the same to other teams as he does to the Yankees, so essentially they are bidding against themselves." This is true, but Jeter means more to the Yankees than any player does for any other team. Jeter is not only the team's captain, but the driving force pushing the team to succeed. Jeter has said the only accomplishment he is striving for is to match Yogi Berra's ring total, with ten. While that goal is extremely far-fetched given the expansion of talent, teams, and length left in Jeter's career, it just shows Jeter's determination to succeed.

"His skills have diminished as seen in his lower average, and poor fielding." I will not argue that he is an excellent shortstop. He did not deserve that Gold Glove this year, Elvis Andrus did. His range is plenty smaller than during his younger years and there is no denying that. I am more inclined to say that 2010 was an off year for Jeter. It was the "Year of the Pitcher." Many batters saw their stats decline but it was pretty surprising that Jeter could never break out and bring his number back to normal. The Yankees can definitely be viewing this season as the beginning of Jeter's decline, but I think he will come back strong next year.

All that being said, Derek Jeter will be in pinstripes in 2011. Everyone involved wants to see him remain a New York Yankee for his entire career; Jeter, the team, and the fans. He is too valuable to the team to kick to the curb and he has too much respect for the organization to take his talents to Cincinnati. The team needs to start showing a little more respect to him and concede in the negotiations at least a little bit. He wants more than three years. Alex Rodriguez is a Yankee until 2017 and that has to be in Jeter's mind.

From the beginning, I thought the team should offer Jeter a five to six year deal paying at a lower rate than he is currently receiving. I think Jeter would accept a pay decrease if offered a longer contract. The Yankees have to remember that a whole generation of fans revolve around Jeter and no one else on that team. We love Andy Pettitte and were furious when the Yanks let him take his talents to Houston, but if Jeter were to leave, they would see a stark decrease in revenue. Jeter has provided the team with 15 years of countless heroics and deserves more respect than a "take it or leave it" three year offer. Make the right decision Cashman and lengthen the offer. Do that, and then sign Cliff Lee.

Bamboozled

Donovan McNabb is a bamboozler, a trickster, and obviously a genius. He somehow convinced the Washington Redskins to agree to a five year, $78 million extension. Granted, the only team that would agree to such an atrocity would be the Redskins, the team paying $100 million to Albert "Stomp your Face" Haynesworth. Donovan has been riding a roller coaster of a year and is now laughing his way to the bank.

McNabb went from Philadelphia, a city that never appreciated him for what he was - a top 5 quarterback in his prime - to being traded to a divisional rival. That is how little the Eagles thought of his future. They risked trading him to a team they would have to play twice a year. That risk has yet to pay off thus far, as the Eagles lost their first match-up against the Skins but could get revenge tonight. The Eagles let go of McNabb and claimed Kevin Kolb was their QB of the future. Now it seems Michael Vick is their future as he could potentially be MVP and lead them to the postseason in what should have been a rebuilding year.

McNabb plays a normal seven games, losing 3, winning 4 and playing like he typically does, only seeming maybe a tad bit slower. Then in game eight, he is benched. He was given front row seats to see Rex Grossman attempt a two-minute drill and fail miserably. Head coach, Mike Shanahan then devised a new reason for benching McNabb for every new person to ask him. This was probably McNabb at his lowest, benched for "Sexy Rexy."

Then, inexplicably, hours before the rematch and jabber about the QB controversy in the district, news is released about the deal. McNabb certainly does not have five years left as a top five QB. I say this because he no longer is one of the five best QB's right now. He certainly won't be one five years from now. It would have made sense for the Skins to sign him for three years. That would tell the fans that they are preparing for a Super Bowl run within three years. Five years means they may take five years to make that run. Three years sends the message to the team that the time for winning is now, five years is just dramatic.

Honestly, who was going to offer McNabb a deal for five years at $80 million? The Redskins outbid themselves and drastically overpaid. I hope McNabb excels in DC. I hope he gets his ring there instead of Philly winning first. Dan Snyder didn't need to be this dramatic though. I guess that's what happens when a fanatic owns his favorite team.

Donovan McNabb is a bamboozler, a trickster, and obviously a genius. He somehow convinced the Washington Redskins to agree to a five year, $78 million extension. Granted, the only team that would agree to such an atrocity would be the Redskins, the team paying $100 million to Albert "Stomp your Face" Haynesworth. Donovan has been riding a rollercoaster of a year and is now laughing his way to the bank.

McNabb went from Philadelphia, a city that never appreciated him for what he was, a top 5 quarterback in his prime, to being traded to a divisional rival. That is how little the Eagles thought of his future. They risked trading him to a team they would have to play twice a year. That risk has yet to pay off thus far, as the Eagles lost their first matchup against the Skins but could get revenge tonight. The Eagles let go of McNabb and claimed Kevin Kolb was their QB of the future. Now it seems Michael Vick is their future as he could potentially be MVP and lead them to the postseason in what should have been a rebuilding year.

McNabb plays a normal seven games, losing 3, winning 4 and playing like he typically does, only seeming maybe a tad bit slower. Then in game eight, he is benched. He was given front row seats to see Rex Grossman attempt a two-minute drill and fail miserably. Head coach, Mike Shanahan then devised a new reason for benching McNabb for every new person to ask him. This was probably McNabb at his lowest, benched for "Sexy Rexy."

Then, inexplicably, hours before the rematch and jabber about the QB controversy in the district, news is released about the deal. McNabb certainly does not have five years left as a top five QB. I say this because he no longer is one of the five best QB's right now. He certainly won't be one five years from now. It would have made sense for the Skins to sign him for three years. That would tell the fans that they are preparing for a Super Bowl run within three years. Five years means they may take five years to make that run. Three years sends the message to the team that the time for winning is now, five years is just dramatic.

Honestly, who was going to offer McNabb a deal for five years at $80 million. The Redskins outbid themselves and drastically overpaid. I hope McNabb excells in DC. I hope he gets his ring there instead of Philly winning first. Dan Snyder didn't need to be this dramatic though. I guess that's what happens when a fanatic owns his favorite team.

You're Fired

The Dallas Cowboys officially announced the firing of head coach, Wade Phillips yesterday, and it wasn't a moment too soon. Wade Phillips was never impressive as a head coach; he led a good team to the postseason but never to the Super Bowl. A big issue in the past has been that the Cowboys have not been mentally strong, but this year, they just seem lazy. Firing Wade Phillips was necessary, not so they could have a shot at the postseason, but because the Cowboys' play has been embarrassing. This week's decimation by the Packers was the final straw for Jerry Jones.

The Cowboys had gargantuan expectations for this season. The Super Bowl is being held in Dallas, and the team, owner, and fans fully assumed that the Cowboys would be playing in that game. Now it is looking like they could be seeing a division rival play in that game, either the New York Football Giants or Philadelphia Eagles. How bitter would that taste? Given such high expectations, the Cowboys are clearly the most disappointing team of this season, and maybe ever. For a team that many expected to be playing the first home Super Bowl to be battling for the league's worst record instead is ridiculous, especially considering before Tony Romo broke his clavicle, the team was relatively injury free.

Wade Phillips being canned will do nothing for this season. Jason Garret has been the leader of an anemic offense that has a glutton of weapons. Their defense is one of the worst in football. Firing Wade Phillips was inevitable, but the Cowboys will still be the worst, most talent team of the year. Unfortunately for Garret, he will have to convince this team to win to keep his job, but this team doesn't seem to care anymore.

Next year Jerry Jones can sign a real coach to lead the team- Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden are the usual suspects. The Cowboys clearly need a coach that can light a fire under their arses, and Wade Phillips couldn't even light the match. Cowher or Gruden would be perfect for this team. The Cowboys are like the New York Yankees in that the owners expect their teams to win and if that doesn't happen, don't expect to keep your job for too long. If the Yankees were to start their season with a .125 winning percentage, Joe Girardi wouldn't last a month, let alone half the season that Wade Phillips lasted.

Maybe next year, Gruden or Cowher can stop people from jokingly saying "How 'bout them Cowboys?" But for now, they are the laughingstock of football. That is what happens when you're the team everyone loves to hate.

Champions of the World

The Giants made easy work of the Texas Rangers, and yesterday won San Fransisco's first World Series, ever. If you read back, I wrote pitching would win the World Series, and it most certainly did. The Rangers were shut out twice, once at home, and could only muster one run in the knock out game. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathon Sanchez and Madison Bumgarner proved formidable, and Brian Wilson's beard scared away the Rangers.

Twice the Giants proved me wrong. I picked them before the season to make the playoffs, but to lose to the Phillies, and lose to the Rangers. The Phillies and Rangers have stacked lineups with household names like Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth; Vladimir Guerrero, Nelson Cruz, Josh Hamilton. The Giants have a team of misfits, a solid combination of rookies and veterans, but outside of their rotation, no big, scary names.

Their lack of any hitters needing to be pitched around is why I picked against them. Their pitching, I thought, was similar to Philly and Texas, so after that, both of those teams had a better lineup. I was clearly wrong about the Giants' pitching, which is exactly what Ron Washington's mistake was. He underestimated the excellence of the Giants' pitching. This team could be quite a dynasty if their young guys stay around. The pitching staff is scary good, led by Timmy Lincecum, two-time Cy Young winner.

Pitching is what this year was about, and it is why Cliff Lee will be a Yankee next year. Their biggest need is pitching and they possess the fattest wallet. There is no guarantee Andy Pettitte will continue for another season, AJ Burnett needs a pitching intervention, and Phil Hughes needs to step his game up. Cliff Lee needs to be their only focus, and not acquiring him would result in a failed offseason, and possibly Brian Cashman's job. Lee claimed he would love to stay in Texas, but if the Yankees offer a considerably larger contract, Lee will take it.

For now though, congratulations San Fransisco Giants. You ended an unfortunate drought of championship rings. Celebrate and be merry, Spring Training is only 4 months away!

Vi-King, no more

Randy Moss was just put on waivers by the Minnesota Vikings. Assuming he will be claimed, the most electric wide receiver of this generation will play for his third team in just this season. Still one of the best receivers in football, (when he wants to be), Moss incredibly was unwanted by the New England Patriots and Vikings. Now comes the waiting game to see who will sign him next. Who will take the chance on a player that requires the defenses' full attention at all times?

The Indianapolis Colts.

If Moss is still available, how good of a fit does this sound? The Colts are being decimated by injuries this year, specifically at in their receiving corps. Moss would complement Reggie Wayne perfectly as teams would not be able to double both of them. Peyton Manning has a stronghold on that locker room, as Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have in New England. Moss is a competitor and going to a team in the playoff hunt will keep him in check.

There are other teams that take Moss as well, for the same reason. The Tennessee Titans may have lost their playmaker, Kenny Britt for a few games with an injured hammy, and Jeff Fisher is another no-nonsense coach. Because of the "parity" this year, there are plenty of teams that have a legitimate shot to win their divisions. Adding Moss could put them over the hump from "kind of good" to "good".

Randy Moss is the shining example of teams being wary of character issues. Dez Bryant dropped in the draft because of character issues, and he never broke a law, took plays off, or sipped codeine sizzurp. Moss has a history of taking plays off and being a whiner. The Vikings let him go to play in Oakland, where the Raiders could never bring talent around him. The Patriots gave him a shot providing he followed the strict Bill Belichick. They let him go back home to Minnesota, where he has complained that New England was better to play for.

Moss became a hall-of-famer in New England, so if it comes down to the last team on the waiver wire, he may become a Patriot again. They've proven they can not only win without him, but they can beat him, so that is no guarantee. Going into the season, it appeared that the New York Jets would garner the most publicity, but it has been Minnesota; not for winning games, but for Brett Favre and Randy Moss. Two stubborn competitors that trip themselves up more than defenses do.

The Deer-claw vs. The Beardface & The Freak

I was right about the Yankees beating the Twins, the Phillies beating the Reds, and the Giants beating the Braves. I was wrong about the Rays beating the Rangers. I did not post a LCS preview but I picked the Yankees to win in 7 and the Phillies to sweep. I may have been slightly off on those. After seeing the Yanks and Phillies dominate the division series, I thought a rematch was a pretty safe assessment.

The Giants surprised me with their hitting, which sprung to life at just the right time. It wasn't easy, but the Giants did just enough to win 4 games. I thought hitting would win the series, but it was the other way around. Both teams had similar pitching depth, but the Phillies had a stacked lineup, with postseason experience. The Giants have new blood that rose to the occasion, Buster Posey.

The Yankees hoped their break from the division series would be the difference maker. Instead, the lineup and pitching looked rusty. Cliff Lee dominated in his one game, and Colby Lewis looked like a Cy Young. In order to win the series, the Yanks needed to knock Lewis out of the game. They failed, and as always in New York, a season without rings is a failure of a season, regardless of how far the team gets.

(Side note about the Yankees: They are currently in negotiations to re-sign Joe Girardi. While many fans are vehemently opposed to this, as Girardi tries to lose games, I am definitely happy to see the Yanks making the right decision. Girardi was a magician on the Marlins, and has a ring on his finger from managing, in addition to the ones as a player. There was nothing he could do to win that series. The Yankees' bats simply fell flaccid. Changing the manager now would not help the Yankees. Cliff Lee would help them.)

(Note about the Phillies: Imagine you had Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay this season. You would definitely be in the World Series, and the Rangers would not be. It was a bad move to trade him, and even worse given the Yankees will probably be the highest bidder for him this offseason. Maybe then Yankees' fans won't pour any more beer on his wife.)

World Series

The Giants have home field advantage, but that is the only advantage they have. The two teams have excellent starting pitching, led by Timmy Lincecum, "the Freak," on the Giants, and Cliff Lee on the Rangers. The Rangers definitely have the edge in hitting, but so did the Phillies. Both teams have a great bullpen, led by their closers, Neftali Feliz on Texas, and beardfaced, Brian Wilson on San Fransisco. This is definitely a tough one to call, but I am picking the Rangers to win. It will be hard fought as neither city has seen a World Series winner, but the Rangers, in my opinion, have a more complete team. We can only hope that this series goes 7 games, and Brian Wilson pitches in every single one. Brian Wilson, the certified ninja.

I would love for Brian Wilson to be a Yankee, but I will not be selfish. His beard is too glorious to be shaved, which the Yanks would make him do. It would be great to see the interactions between him and Nick Swisher, "Six RBIs, what?!" He deserves to let his crazy flow with the Giants though.

(Side note on the playoffs: MLB wants to expand the postseason because they want more money. The NBA and NHL both have sixteen teams make the playoffs and the NFL has 12, while MLB only has 8. Honestly, the season and the postseason are long enough and there is no need to expand. Bud Selig is prone to being wrong though, so this is bound to happen.)

Side note about me: I have not posted for a while and I am sorry. There are a combination of reasons; no motivation since I am not being paid for this, no time since I am employed, laziness, etc. I will make a better effort to write posts on the regular again and I hope you enjoy.

For your entertainment:

Hunt for Reds October

The MLB postseason starts today, with three games on, beginning at 1. This should be an exciting October, with four teams making the playoffs, who were not there last year; Rangers, Braves, Reds, and Giants. All of the excitement will be moot however, with the World Series being a rematch of last season, pitting the Yankees and Phillies against each other again, resulting in the same outcome.

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Texas Rangers -- The Rangers, as a franchise have never won a playoff series, losing multiple during the Yankees dynasty of the 90s. Their first win will not happen this year. The playoffs is all about pitching, and even with Cliff Lee, the Rangers pitching is subpar to the Rays. But not by much. This series will go the distance. The Rangers may be the most fun team to watch, given their "Claw and Reindeer games," but the Rays are the better team. The Rays finished with the best record in the AL, with the Yankees only finishing a game behind them. The AL East was, by far, the best division in baseball. The Rays and Yankees finished with the 2nd and 3rd best records, and the Red Sox and Blue Jays were 2 of the best 5 teams to not make the playoffs. The Orioles, after signing Buck Showalter, were one of the best teams in baseball. The Rays finished on top of all of them, and will best the Rangers in 5.

New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins -- The Twins get what they wished for, a rematch and chance at vengeance against the Yankees. The Yankees have struggled through September, but still finished with the 2nd best record in the AL. The Twins were not far behind, but as I was saying the AL East was the best division, the AL Central was one of the worst. The Twins were able to play the lowly Royals and Indians, which inflated their record. They are dominant at home, and have played better without Justin Morneau than they have with him. He will miss the entire postseason due to effects from his concussion. Like I said though, pitching wins playoff games, and throwing CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte in 4 of the 5 games (if necessary) will be the difference maker. They won't need 4 or 5 games though, as the Yanks will sweep.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Cincinnati Reds -- The Reds are not supposed to be here. This was the Cardinals year to dominate, and whoever had money on the Reds to win it all, could become very, very rich. The Cardinals faltered, as the Reds went on to dominate all season. It is too bad they have to play the Phillies in the first round. The Phillies have what seems to be a perfect playoff team this year. Pitching is superb and their lineup is dominant. They turned it up a gear in September and their phans are hoping they stay hot through October. There is no reason their hot streak should cool down. The Reds just have to be hotter, and their pitching and hitting has that potential, especially with Aroldis Chapman throwing 100+. It just won't happen for them as the Phillies will win in four.

San Fransisco Giants vs. Atlanta Braves -- This is probably the most intriguing series to watch. The Giants struggled early, but stayed with the Padres, and eventually overtook them in the end. Tim Lincecum is the personification of their season, playing his best towards the stretch. Their hitting was absent for most of their season, but Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval (skadooosh) powered them into the postseason. The Braves played their hearts out this year for the final year of Bobby Cox's managerial career. It really is a feel good story that he was able to make the playoffs in his final year. These teams are very evenly matched up: good pitching, not so good hitting. The Giants have a slight, very slight, edge in pitching, so they'll take it in five. (I hope this one goes five as it will probably be the most entertaining.

Notes about Derek Jeter:

His career is not done, the Yankees season is not done, and he WILL be a Yankee for his entire career. I have been reading way too many freakouts this season about Jeter and the Yankees not playing well. Last I checked, the Yanks finished a game behind Tampa and easily made the playoffs. Derek Jeter struggled through the "year of the pitcher," as did many. I see no reason why he would not be able to rebound next season given how hard working he is. The Yankees are the team that no one wants to play in October given their history. Let things play out before being drama queens and freaking out that everything is going wrong. Until the Yanks lose a playoff series, or Jeter stunningly signs with another team, I will keep hope alive that they will repeat as champions, and Jeter will resign with the Yanks. He is "Captain Clutch" and thrives under the pressure of October, so why should I bet against him, or the Yanks?

Tainted Love

Alberto Contador has tested positive for 40 trillionths of a gram of clenbuterol, a banned substance in cycling. Contador blames the positive test on tainted meat he ate that his chef requested to be brought from Spain. He is suspended and pending further investigation, could be banned for 2 years, losing his 2010 Tour de France crown. Given such a minuscule amount, and that he was apparently told by the testers that "it was a clear case of food contamination," it is doubtful he will be banned.

This is just another case of an athlete disappointment. Anytime an athlete is connected to drugs, whether it is true or not, their name is forever tainted. Fans are tired of excuses, tired of cheaters, tired of press conference apologies. Children are losing their heroes one-by-one. I am happy to have grown up at the start of cheating, idolizing Don Mattingly. There was no testing when he played, and unless he wanted to become a public pariah by admitting to using, we are to believe he never did. And I would like it to stay that way. I will wear his jersey with pride knowing he never cheated.

Now though, it seems a new player is found to be cheating everyday. For baseball there was Clemens, Rodriguez, Ramirez, McGuire, etc. For football, Romanowski, Merriman, Cushing. For track, we have Jones, Montgomery, etc. And for cycling, Lance Armstrong in under a microscope of scrutiny, Floyd Landis was exiled, and now Contador faces the shame that all users face.

The frustration level for sports fans is through the roof. How can parents expect their kids not to cheat when they're learning everyday that athletes make a living off cheating. Not just make a living, but earn millions. Earn is not the right word. Steal? People hold sports, and sports records, to a very high standard. Roger Maris had to deal with an asterisk next to his 61 home runs because he did not complete the feat in as many games as Babe Ruth's 60. Many believe the true home run champion to be Hank Aaron. Records are meant to be broken, as long as corners aren't cut en route to that record.

So maybe the meat was contaminated. I think it was. But I think it was Contador contaminating it. Injecting cows with clenbuterol so that he would be eating such a undetectable amount. Athletes will always be one step ahead of testers, and this was his plan to achieve a small edge while being ahead of the testers. Maybe the meat was property of Lady Gaga, thus clearly being contaminated. Or it could just be the French holding a grudge that they can't win in their own game. Either way, Contador will be fairly (or not) connected to cheating.

Another legend down, who's next?

Crack that Whip

Tom Coughlin and Mike McCarthy seem to have similar issues, and that is discipline. Both coaches saw their teams, the New York Football Giants and Green Bay Packers, lose because of mental errors. Yogi said baseball was "90% mental and the other half, physical." The same can be said of football, as well as any other sport. A offensive lineman can push around the defense all game long, but that will mean nothing if he is penalized for mental errors. Everyone will have a lapse in judgment, but when there are multiple culprits and the team loses because of that, something needs to change.

The Giants game on Sunday was disgraceful. The G-Men had every opportunity to win, but mistakes cost them the game. Eli Manning led the brigade with his ill-advised, left-handed, flip pass to Kevin Boss in the endzone, which resulted in an interception. Ahmad Bradshaw fumbled inside the redzone on a drive that would have kept the Giants within fighting distance. Worse than those though was Kareem McKenzie. He committed two(!) personal foul penalties after the whistle had been blown. It almost seemed as if he had money on the game against the Giants and needed them to lose. Twice he continued shoving Titans' players after the whistle, right in front of the ref. One of the calls occurred with the referee literally standing in front him. Compound that with three other personal fouls committed by the team, and 11 penalties total, and you can't expect to win the game.

The Packers also committed an inordinate amount of penalties with 17. Had they only been penalized 16 times, the Cheeseheads would be celebrating a win. On Da Bears final drive, Jay Cutler threw two(!) interceptions that were called back due to penalties; one being interference, the other being a personal foul. The Packers were dominating the game, especially on offense so you would expect them to finish the contest with a score, and not Da Bears. Though they did come close, you can't win a game with so many yellow flags.

The Packers should be able to rebound from this game. They are too talented, and their coach will whip them back into shape. The desire to win is clearly there with the Vikings and Bears as motivation to succeed.

The Giants, on the other hand are troublesome. The talent is clearly there, but the discipline and desire has been lacking since last season. After being disgraced last year, you would expect them to be playing with a chip on their shoulder. They could be playing under the radar, as the Jets are taking the public eye off of them. Instead they're playing like they were last year, without heart.

Both of these teams came into the season with large expectations. Green Bay having Super Bowl aspirations, and the Giants looking to recapture 2007. Neither will happen unless these teams buckle down and reduce penalties.

Redemption

Plenty of people make mistakes, whether it be breaking the law, or just making the wrong decision. Not everyone can redeem themselves from the mistakes they made, but on Sunday, two footballers took a leap on the road to redemption - Braylon Edwards and Michael Vick.

Braylon Edwards needed less than a week to be given his opportunity at redemption. After being arrested for drunk driving Edwards was punished by the team, and was forced to sit out the first quarter of Sunday's game. Future punishment by the league, and more importantly the law, is yet to be seen. After making this mistake, Braylon went and shaved his beardface. The debate continues as to which mistake was more grievous.

This lesson learned though may have been just what Edwards needed. He had a stellar three quarters on Sunday, and without him, the Jets would have lost that game. Miami took the lead, and less than one minute later, Braylon scores a TD. The Jets needed a long drive to burn minutes, and Braylon make a key catch and forced an interference call that led to a LT TD. Redemption. He will need more than this one game to be fully forgiven by fans, specifically card carrying members of MADD, but for many, Edwards just has to catch TDs and they'll forget about his 5 AM error. Shaving the beardface though is unforgivable.

Michael Vick's road is much longer than Edwards'. Edwards' offense could have been much worse, had he hit anything, or anyone; but if his windows weren't as tinted, he may have been able to make it home safe and sound, none being the wiser. Vick, on the other hand killed dogs, violently. Premeditated acts of violence against innocent animals. America loves most animals, but dogs in particular have a special place in our hearts. Upon learning that Vick was drowning and electrocuting dogs, America was in an uproar. Vick was a monster.

Just because Vick served his time in Leavenworth Penitentiary, does not automatically mean he would be forgiven. He needed to prove himself worthy of our attention and finally, now he is doing that. Had he remained a backup/wildcat, Vick's comeback would not be complete. After the last two games, albeit against the Lions and Jaguars, Vick is on his way to winning people over. Vick maybe playing better than he ever has before. He is not compiling absurd rushing yards, but his passing game is much improved. He threw for 3 TDs yesterday and rushed for 1 with zero interceptions this season. Redemption. He isn't the best, but he is a work in progress, and is progressing quickly.

Vick and Edwards still have work to do to be fully forgiven and feel redemption, but providing they keep excelling at their jobs and keep out of trouble, they will know the feeling. Now if we can just get Plaxico out of jail and back into the league, the NFL can rename itself the 2nd Chance League.

New Carmelo Nets

There is a rumored four-team trade soon to be completed involving the New Jersey Nets, Charlotte Bobcats, Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets. Carmelo Anthony is the key piece of the trade, and NJ would be acquiring him in this trade. Andrei Kirilenko from the Jazz, Derrick Favors from the Nets, and multiple 1st round draft picks would be heading to Denver. Utah would receive Boris Diaw from the Bobcats, and Charlotte would obtain Devin Harris from the Nets.

The big winner is Charlotte. Devin Harris has the talent to be a superstar point guard when playing at his best, and this could be Charlotte's year to leapfrog a few teams in the standings and advance past the 1st round of the playoffs. Harris would definitely help Michael Jordan's team. That is of course, if he plays his best. NJ did not see Harris' best last season and broke records of bad because of it.

The Jazz dump an oft-injured Kirilenko and obtain an inconsistent Diaw. Diaw has the ability to play like a Reggie Miller and nail daggers into team's hearts at the end of games. Problem is that his inconsistency makes him a non-factor in the clutch. Utah will clearly be rebuilding after losing Carlos Boozer and dumping Kirilenko is one step in the right direction. If they lose a 1st round pick in this deal though, the trade is pointless for them.

That leaves the main two teams of this deal. The Nets lost out on the LeBron James sweepstakes and their biggest move of the offseason has been acquiring Travis Outlaw. While having a cool name, Outlaw was not what the Nets' fans were expecting. The Nets wanted LeBron, but will definitely settle for Melo. They are paying a steep price for him though, giving up on Harris, who they traded Jason Kidd for (trade no longer looks good for NJ), and giving up on their 1st round pick of 2010, Favors, as well as future 1st round pick(s).

They absolutely need a Carmelo if they want to hang with the Celtics, Magic, Heat and Hawks. Losing their best point guard, and a beast in the paint, who would complement Brook Lopez perfectly, does not seem worth it. Can Jordan Farmar lead the offense for this team better than Harris can? Doubtful. Melo brings this team to the playoffs easily, but toppling the top four teams will be a vastly more difficult.

The Nuggets are stuck between a rock and last place. With Carmelo on the team, the Nuggets could be the team to take down the Lakers, without him the Nuggets can barely make the playoffs. Personally, I would be quite offended if I was Carmelo's teammates. Basically Carmelo is saying they are not talented enough to have him carry them to a NBA title, whether it be this year, his last under his current contract, or subsequent. The Nuggets are good, and Melo should have told the team, "Let's win this year." Decide where to go for free agency when the season is over.

I think I would like this trade more if the Nets received more than just Carmelo. Maybe throw in Kirilenko. I know I said earlier that he likes to spend his time in a suit instead of his uniform, but find me a player with a cooler nickname than Kirilenko. AK-47. I dare you.

Having Phun in Philly

As a self-professed Philly hater, this seems like an awkward topic for me to write about. It is phinally good to be a Philadelphia phan now though. The Phlyers are coming off a season in which they remarkably survived until overtime in game seven off the Stanley Cup Phinals. The Phillies are good, as usual. The Eagles are a highly discussed team in what is looking like a weak division. And the 76ers...errr...well three out of phour ain't bad, right?

The Phillies are looking to make their 3rd straight World Series appearance, emerging as the team to beat in the NL. The Cincinnati Reds may be the only team that can topple them. The Phils are making easy work of their divisional rival, Atlanta Braves, my choice to win the division. Thanks guys. The Phillies have what the Braves and San Fransisco Giants lack, a decent lineup. It may have taken all season, but the Phillies have put it all together when it really matters. They were hurt by injuries in the dog days, but stayed close, and now, led by their pitching, the Phils are going strong into the postseason.

The Eagles are currently the most talked about team in the NFL. More talked about than the Jets, who can always bring chatter when Braylon Edwards, Darrell Revis, or Rex Ryan's names are brought up. The Eagles are currently controversial because of their quarterback. First it was Kevin Kolb, now it's Michael Vick, and then it will be...? Kolb, their quarterback to replace Donovan McNabb, showed little greatness in preseason (which doesn't count) and in the half game he played this season (not enough time to judge).

Vick showed against the Detroit Lions (not a good team) that he can play like he used to. In his prime, Vick was the best athlete on the field. There was no competition. He may not have been the best QB, but he overcame that with his talent. Andy Reid was definitely wrong to name Vick as their starting QB after just 1.5 games played. To give up and possibly trade Kolb now seems to phanatical. What if Vick drops back to reality, and plays horribly against better teams (not the Lions or Jaguars)? What if he gets concussed given the offensive line issues? The Eagles would be finishing where I picked them to, at the bottom. (Based on the Skins improvement, the Cowboys string of good seasons, the Giants rebounding, and the Eagles rebuilding. OK, and yes, a tad bit of bias.)

So while I can't stand the phact that the Philly phans have a chance to cheer and not live in phutility as they had phrom 1980-2008. Two World Series appearances, one Super Bowl berth, and one Stanley Cup showing this decade prove that Philadelphia is a sports city to be reckoned with. Still not on the level of New York City and Boston (ugh), but growing stronger by the year, Philly is and will be the target of my sports animosity. That is until Boston decides to pull another comeback down 3-0.

Over the Limit, Under Arrest

Braylon Edwards was pulled over yesterday morning for having his windows too darkly tinted. The cops then smelled alcohol on his breath, and flavor-saving beard, breathalyzed, and arrested him. He was driving while his blood alcohol content was double the legal limit. This happened at 5:00 AM.

This is a huge step back for Edwards. After his game on Sunday, in which he actually caught passes (one for a touchdown and another completing a two-point conversion), his glorious beard seemed to be garnering power to improve his play, as well as fans. The beardface had people looking past his stonehands. I really can't say enough about that beard. It is beefy yet perfectly groomed; possibly the best beard I have seen, and I was roommates with a legendary beardface.

Example:

Edwards' will lose some fans because of this, and possibly some games. He was not suspended last year for punching someone in the face, IN THE FACE, at a club. Roger Goodell may look to this as an opportunity to teach Edwards a lesson. Drunk driving is a serious offense, and Edwards should know this, playing with Donte Stallworth, who killed a man while drunk driving. That is the absolute worst outcome when drunk driving, taking the life of another human being.

When will these athletes learn? Edwards is being paid millions; just hire a driver. Plaxico Burress was being paid millions; hire an armed bodyguard. I will gladly be an athlete's driver, and I'd do it for minimum wage, just to be able to hang out with a professional athlete. The NFL has a program for these players to ensure that they are given opportunities to do the right thing and not drink and drive.

So Edwards will, at the very least, be forced to pay a fine. If he catches touchdowns, fans will pretend the DWI never happened.The drunken beardface will continue to be a fan favorite as long as he's got that beard that powers his ability to catch the ball. Though he certainly dropped it this time.

It's on Fire

The playoff races are beyond heating up at this point. They're burning up. The AL Central, West, and the NL Central are locked up at this point, with the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, and the surprisingly still in 1st, Cincinnati Reds holding comfortable leads. The AL Wild Card will be runner-up to whomever wins the AL East. The AL East, NL East, NL West, and NL Wild Card are up for grabs to whomever wants it the most. Today, I make those decisions for them.

AL East -- I am clearly sticking with my preseason pick of the Yankees winning the division/World Series. The Yankees have struggled recently, and will be benching starters to keep them fresh for the postseason. They have to play the Tampa Bay Rays in a four-game series, starting today, and their hated rivals, the Boston Red Sox for six more games. The Rays get to play Seattle, Baltimore, and Kansas City. The Yanks have the tougher road to win the division, but this series, at home against Tampa, could determine the outcome of the season. A sweep for either team would win the division, and a split could swing the ball into Tampa's favor. The Yanks are a tough team for anyone to beat, so I am holding strong with this pick. This could be a case of my heart getting in the way of my brain though.

NL East -- Again, I am sticking with my preseason pick of Atlanta to win the division. I also chose the Florida Marlins to win the Wild Card, so I am not the brightest bulb. Atlanta has six games left versus the Philadelphia Phillies, and the rest against the Washington Nationals and Florida Marlins, while the Phils play the Nationals and New York Mets. Very even schedules cause the games Philly and Atlanta play versus eachother crucial. If Atlanta can take two of the three in Philly, and sneak another one in while the teams play the garbage of the East, the final series in Atlanta will be a playoff series, possibly to make it in the playoffs. Though I do think the runner up in this division will take the Wild Card anyway. Atlanta, like the Yankees have not been playing their best ball when it matters most. Philly can smell the postseason, and the revenge they want against the Yankees, so they'll be a tough mountain to scale. This, like the Yankees pick, is one of heart, not brains, given my stance as a Philly hater, but I have Bobby Cox backing me up.

NL West -- I love the fact that four of the teams I picked to make the playoffs preseason are looking as though they'll do as I said. The Twins and Yanks clearly are, and the Braves and San Fransisco Giants have a strong chance. I picked the Giants before the season started because of their pitching, led by two-time Cy Young Tim Lincecum. Much to my surprise, as well as everyone else's, the San Diego Padres have had the best pitching all season, to go along with their terrible hitting. The Giants have been the tortoise, slowly creeping up the division, to finally being on top. They do play the Colorado Rockies, who decide they want to play baseball mid-August, and go on a spectacular run every season. And the Giants close out the season against the Padres. It'll be disappointing for the Padres, given they've been in 1st place all season, but fans don't go to their games, so only the players will be disappointed.

The Triumphant Return of Michael Vick

Michael Vick fought like a dog to be where he is now. (Harsh). Philadelphia Eagles, your starting quarterback for week two is Michael Dwayne Vick, first black man to be selected first in a draft, ex-con, spectacular athlete. This will not be an article about whether he should be playing. Everyone deserves a second chance, and if the NFL or the Eagles have no issue hiring an ex-con, then he should be allowed to prove himself to the public eye. No, this will be focused on the QB "controversy" in Flip-Flip-Flipadelphia.

Andy Reid has already come out and said that Kevin Kolb is their quarterback once he returns from his concussion. But what if Vick excels this week; throws for 300+ yards, rushes for 100+, scores a few touchdowns and wins the game? Doubtful, yes, but it is Vick's best case, and Philly's worst case scenario. If Vick puts up those types of numbers, fans and even the players will be demanding that he continue to start. I say worst case scenario because Vick will not lead this team to the Super Bowl this year; he will just be a tease. And more importantly, Kolb's maturity would be delayed for one more season.

Kolb is the Eagles' quarterback of the future, and this is his season to mature into a top ranked athlete. Kolb is why they foolishly gave up on Donovan McNabb. McNabb is still a top ten quarterback in this league, and the Eagles would have been much better with him, than without him. Kolb may be a great quarterback someday, but he proved nothing in preseason, and nothing in game one before he got concussed. This is a rebuilding season, maybe a couple of seasons, in Philly. Fans may not appreciate that given their newfound taste for championships after the Phillies winning, but it is true. Kolb needs time to develop.

McNabb is lucky to be out of Philly. I am sure it was a goal of his to bring a title to that city, even though he was vastly under-appreciated. At his peak, McNabb was one of the best QBs in the league, just behind Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. He deserved better than what he got in Philly, both in terms of fan treatment and the talent he was surrounded with. His teams were always missing a little something, whether it be receivers, healthy running backs, better coaching, and McNabb received the brunt of fan frustration. Now in Washington, McNabb has a proven coach who likes to run the ball. McNabb will not have to excel for this team to excel. He just needs to adjust to a new gameplan, and do what he does best, win games.

So Philly gave up McNabb to bring up Kolb, and now they're settling with Vick. And their fans will have to see the Redskins rise above them in the standings and McNabb win games against them instead of for them. How demoralizing would it be for Philly fans to see McNabb bring a Super Bowl win to DC instead of Philly?

Well, they'd be dog fighting mad.

Cheat!

Darren Woodson on Derek Jeter: "It happens in every sport; we all cheat."

This didn't seem like as big a story when it happened, but nothing else must have happened in sports yesterday, because all ESPN is discussing is Derek Jeter. During an at bat yesterday, a pitch inside hit the knob of Jeter's bat for a foul ball. Jeter acted as if the ball hit his hand and was awarded first base. Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon was infuriated and thus ejected from the game.

What is the big deal? Jeter just made use of the the fact that baseball lacks replay. Video replay would have kept Jeter off first base, and Maddon in the dugout. It was clear that Jeter was not hit by the pitch and more clamor is being heard for replay. Expanded replay is definitely necessary and could have been used on that play, as it was late in the game with the Yankees down one run.

To call Jeter a cheater, while fun to say given the rhyme, is just wrong to say. Trying to get on base, down a run, with a couple innings left in the game, versus the team fighting you for first base is most certainly not bush league. As Woodson said, every player cheats. Jeter had to do whatever he could to get on first, and this was not the first time a player used their acting skills. Basketball, soccer, and even football players flop, why can't baseball players do the same?

This is only a story because of who flopped. Jeter is the model of everything that is right in baseball, so to see him do something "morally wrong" surprised many. When players like A-Rod take steroids, Jeter donates to charity. So when Jeter acts his way to first base, people are startled. Jeter really did nothing wrong though. Maddon admitted later that he would expect his own team to act such as Jeter did if given the opportunity. This is not as interesting a story as ESPN would like us to believe it is. They just don't have Favre or LeBron to fawn over, so they'll settle for this.

Awkward Situations

Two NFL athletes were forced into apologizing yesterday for their transgressions. Reggie Bush had to apologize as he forfeit the Heisman Trophy he won in 2005, after it was proven that he illegally accepted money from agents, and thus should have been made ineligible to play that season. Ines Sainz stirred up controversy recently when she came into Jets camp dressed similar to her outfit in the photo above (If your hot, flaunt it). She was allegedly harassed by some players, so Clinton Portis, from another team, just had to put his two cents in....

“You know man, I think you put women reporters in the locker room in positions to see guys walking around naked, and you sit in the locker room with 53 guys, and all of the sudden you see a nice woman in the locker room, I think men are gonna tend to turn and look and want to say something to that woman. For the woman, I think they make it so much that you can’t interact and you can’t be involved with athletes, you can’t talk to these guys, you can’t interact with these guys.

“And I mean, you put a woman and you give her a choice of 53 athletes, somebody got to be appealing to her. You know, somebody got to spark her interest, or she’s gonna want somebody. I don’t know what kind of woman won’t, if you get to go and look at 53 men’s packages. And you’re just sitting here, saying ‘Oh, none of this is attractive to me.’ I know you’re doing a job, but at the same time, the same way I’m gonna cut my eye if I see somebody worth talking to, I’m sure they do the same thing.”

Portis is no stranger to being caught in a storm of controversy because of his words. While having intelligent thoughts, Portis is terrible at phrasing what he means to say. He is right that female reporters have no business being in a male locker room, just as male reporters should not be in female locker rooms. It creates an awkward situation of steamy, naked, lust.

If opposite sex reporters are disallowed from the locker room, to keep fairness, no reporters should be in the locker room. Athletes should be entitled to their privacy, whether they want it or not. They can be interviewed as they're walking out of the locker room and the same answers would be given. The locker room is why there are so few women reporters, and keeping all reporters out of the locker room could solve this problem.

The harder problem to solve is agents in college football. Bush is exiled from USC for now, but he did the right thing by forfeiting rather than have the trophy be snatched from him. Give it 20 years and the Heisman Trust will exonerate Bush and re-award him with the trophy. Vince Young can keep his too, if they decide to award him with Bush's trophy. Young said he would keep it, but he shouldn't. Though he had a great season, and beat Bush in the title game, Bush won the trophy with 784 votes, the 3rd highest total ever.

Bush is taking this opportunity to prevent this from happening to other college athletes. Bush is most certainly not the only collegiate athlete to accept gifts, but he was one that got caught. Something needs to change, and it is in how these collegians are compensated. Schools, the NCAA, the conferences, and the coaches all profit from these athletes. For many of theses footballers, college is just a stepping stone to the NFL. Unfortunately, this is sensitive since the schools can not pay the athletes. How would that be fair for other students?

Most students need a degree to work in their field of choice. Athletes do not. It is wise for them to work to a degree as a backup plan, but their real degree should be in sports, whether it be communications, management, or business. We tend to forget that being a professional athlete is a job and going to college is just training to be a professional.

Reggie Bush should not have accepted the money and hopefully his punishment serves as enough incentive for others to stay away from agents, but collegiate athletes deserve some type of compensation for what they bring to schools, conferences and the NCAA. So much money is made from TV, memorabilia, and advertising that the players are being ripped off, especially the players that could care less about a college education.

How real is that education anyway? Professors aren't going to fail star players when that could take away money from the school. Most athletes' main focuses are on their sports, not studies. With playbooks becoming more extensive, how can athletes be expected to get a job, in addition to passing classes and keeping the coach happy?

This will be solved, but only after it gets worse. And when it is solved, Bush will be welcomed back with open arms. Until then he has to focus on providing me with more fantasy points than week 1.