I'll Bet You About the Coin Flip!

                   

If there is anything more hyped in sports [well, besides this game], it is a football game's coin flip.  Someone walks out there, shakes some hands and then flips a coin.  He gets congratulated as if he did something remarkable.

This year, Dan Marino gets that honor. 

One this is for certain:  whomever wins the coin flip will option to receive the opening kickoff.  Every year since Super Bowl I, the winner of the coin flip wants to receive.

Interesting, since that isn't always the case during the season.  Why now?

Usually, weather isn't a factor.  Most Super Bowl games are played in domes [Atlanta, New Orleans and, now, Arizona] or in weather-friendly places like Miami, Tampa or Jacksonville.  So wind isn't something to grow weary of. 

In the last six Super Bowls, five teams who won the coin toss [and the opening kickoff] ended up losing the Super Bowl.  The only team to win in that time frame was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII. 

In the last 12 Super Bowls....just TWO coin toss winners won the game.  The Buccs are joined by the Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV. 

Of the last 16 Super Bowls....11 teams who called the opening flip ended up being right. 

And what will be called??  It really depends.  Over the past 10 Super Bowls, heads was called 6 times and tails called 4 times.  In the past 17 Super Bowls....heads was called 9 times; tails called 8 times. 

But it does land a certain way.  Of the last 9 Super Bowls.....8 times the coin flip landed tails.  The lone time heads won....Super Bowl XXXVI when the Rams picked heads, it was heads......

.....and they lost the game.

Da Bears

Ich Kenne Nichts

    

Sheldon Williams Cameo On The Simpsons

41 Stops To Super Bowl XLI: Completed Version!!!

                            

#1-WIN THIS GAME, GO TO HALL OF FAME:  This is the 9th Super Bowl played in Miami.  The winning quarterback of the 8 previous Super Bowls played in Miami have gone on to the Hall of Fame.  No kidding.  Bart Starr, Joe Namath, Johnny Unitas, Terry Bradshaw [twice], Joe Montana, Steve Young and John Elway all won Super Bowls in Miami....and all are in the Hall of Fame.

#2-SPORTZ' PREDICTS:  Colts 30-Bears 20.  Super Bowls tend to be high scoring by nature...and despite the feeling that the Bears offense sucks, they did score the 2nd most points in the NFL this season.  This is the rare Super Bowl where I don't have some sort of feeling for either team.  Last year, I wanted the Steelers to lose.  I hate the Eagles, so Super Bowl XXXIX was nice.  The year before that, since I am from Charlotte, I rooted for the Panthers.  I don't hate either team.  I'd like to see Manning get a Super Bowl ring [he's a keeper on my fantasy team, so I am used to rooting for him]...but I picked the Bears in my office's Super Bowl pool. 

#3-SARAH SPAIN:  Go to the AOL's NFL Fanhouse and read about the story of Sarah Spain. 

#4-SOUTH FLORIDA'S LOGO:  Check out the logo above.  The orange represents the sun; the blue represents the ocean.  The Roman numeral "I" is made to look like an endzone pylon that is supposed to signify "the goal is to get to the game".

#5-CBS'S FIRST GO AROUND SINCE NIPPLE-GATE:  This is CBS's first Super Bowl since the Janet Jackson halftime fiasco in Super Bowl XXXVIII.  Something about a pasty, a boob and Justin Timberlake.  On a tangent here, but isn't it odd that Prince is deemed non-threatening??  Didn't dude wear butt-less chaps to the MTV Awards many moons ago? 

#6-WINNING TWO AT HOME:  This is the first Super Bowl since 1996 that both participants won two home playoff games.  The Colts beat the Chiefs and Patriots at the RCA Dome.  The Bears beat the Seahawks and Saints at Solder Field. 

#7-GAME TIDBITS:  Dan Marino will flip the opening coin toss.  Don Shula will hand out the Vince Lombardi trophy.  Jim Nantz and Phil Simms will call the game [this is Nantz' first Super Bowl].  Prince performs the halftime show.  Billy Joel will sing the National Anthem.  The Bears, most likely, will wear their traditional black jerseys...and the Colts will wear white. 

#8-DOLPHINS STADIUM ON A NEW NETWORK:  This is the 4th Super Bowl played in Dolphins Stadium [or whatever name it's been]....and the 4th different network to cover a Super Bowl.  NBC did Super Bowl XXIII; ABC did Super Bowl XXIX;  Fox did Super Bowl XXXIII;  and now CBS is doing Super Bowl XLI. 

#9-AFC LOVES FEBRUARY:  Since the Super Bowl has been played in February, the AFC is 4-0 in those games.  The Patriots beat the Rams [in a Super Bowl that was pushed back into February due to postponment of Week 2 due to the attacks of 9/11], Panthers and Eagles and last year the Steelers beat the Seahawks. 

#10-THE LUCKY NUMBER 8:  Starting QBs who wear the #8 are a combined 5-1 in the Super Bowl.  Troy Aikman won 3 Super Bowls with the Cowboys; Trent Dilfer won with the Ravens; Steve Young won with the 49ers.  However, last year #8 Matt Hasselbeck lost the Super Bowl.  So...is this good news or bad news for Rex Grossman?? 

#11-FIRST BLACK HEAD COACHES IN SUPER BOWL:  Chicago's Lovie Smith and Indianapolis' Tony Dungy are the first black head coaches to lead their teams to the Super Bowl.  Don't know if you've heard that one or not?  And like the time the first black QB started in the Super Bowl [Doug Williams], one of these coaches will win in that first try.

#12-BUT THEY'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE:  However, the two coaches aren't strangers to the Super Bowl.  Tony Dungy was a safety [who forced a fumble] for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIII.  Lovie Smith was the defensive coordinator for the St Louis Rams when they lost to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI.

#13-LITTLE NAMES FOR BIG GAMES:  The Colts and Bears meet up for a Super Bowl that marks the 2nd shortest combined team names in Super Bowl history.  The Colts have five letters in their name....the Bears have five.  That's a combined 10 letters.  The shortestis Super Bowl III, which saw the Colts face the Jets, with just 9 letters. 

#14-WHO WILL BE AT THE GAME??  Here ya go:  Each team is given an allotment of 17.5% of the tickets to the game. The host team [in this case, the Dolphins] gets 5% of the tickets.   The NFL gets 25.2% of the tickets....with each other NFL team to get 1.2% of the tickets.  So...what does that mean?  Well, each team can sell tickets to their fan base [most likely the season ticket holders] and such.  The NFL does several things with their tickets.  They hold a lottery to sell some of the tickets.  Some more get sold in a "package deal" via a tour group that includes a lot more than just the ticket.  The other teams use their tickets for their players, some "special fans" and used in various contests.  The best way to buy a ticket for yourself??  Go somewhere like StubHub.com and pay thru the nose. 

#15-LINGERIE BOWL:  Yep...it's that time of year again.  Lingerie Bowl IV!!!  The Dallas Desire, Los Angeles Temptation, Chicago Bliss and New York Euphoria will do battle on the gridiron!!  Jena Jameson will be there. So will Jim McMahon, The Fridge, The Boz and Kato kaelin.  Go to LINGERIE BOWL IV - Home of the Lingerie Football League (LFL) for more info

         

#16-BEWARE OF THE DARK HORSE:  In a game like this, sometimes someone that nobody planned for has a huge game and becomes the difference maker.  Thisdates all the way back to Super Bowl I....when Max McGee [who spent the previous night partying in LA] of the Packers caught 7 passes.  Weird, since he caught only FOUR all season long!  Or the Redskins' Timmy Smith, who ran for a record 204 yards in Super Bowl XXII.  Or Desmond Howard, who is known for twothings.  His Heismantrophy and Super Bowl XXXI MVP.  Or the Cowboys' Larry Brown, who went from a nobody to Super Bowl XXX MVP.....back to a nobody.  So, who could be the darkhorses in this game??  Well, for Indianapolis, I'll take Aaron Moorehead;  For Chicago, Desmond Clark.

#17-SOMEONE WILL SCORE BEFORE HALFTIME:  There has never been a Super Bowl that was scoreless at halftime.  NEVER.  The closest came in Super Bowl IX when the Steelers took a 2-0 lead into the half over the Vikings.  But the last five Super Bowls have seen NO touchdowns scored in the 1st quarter....with two of them being scoreless in the first quarter.  In fact, only TWICE has the Super Bowl been tied at halftime anyways.  Super Bowl XXIII, the Niners and Bengals weretied at 3-3 at the half.  Then, Super Bowl XXXIX was tied 7-7 at the half. 

#18-PROPOSITION BETS:  These are the other betting scenerios during Super Bowl Sunday.  Bets such as the coin toss, who will score first, who will score last, who will get the first 1st down in the 2nd quarter, the last score of the first half, who will punt first, will there be a missed FG attempt, who committs the first penalty, who uses the coach's challenge first, will that challenge be overturned, first QB sack, first timeout,etc.  Go to Bodog Sportsbook for more betting info. 

#19-SUPER BOWL AND NBA FINALS:  Sort of.  This marks the 2nd straight season that the Super Bowl will be held in a city that also hosted the most recent NBA Finals.  Last year, the Super Bowl was in Detroit....who also saw a Pistons-Spurs NBA Finals.  Now, it's in Miami....which saw the Heat-Mavericks Finals last year. 

#20-SEC QUARTERBACKIN':  Rex Grossman went to Florida; Peyton Manningwent to rival Tennessee.  This is the first time the opposing quarterbacks in the Super Bowl have been from the same colleigate conference since Super Bowl XXXIII...when the Pac-10's John Elway [Stanford] hooked up with Chris Chandler [Washington]. 

#21-NO MORE GRASS:  The Colts have lost their last three games on grass surfaces.  Miami's Dolphins Stadium, where the Super Bowl will be played, has a grass surface.

#22-SUPER BOWL DROUGHT:  The last time the Colts were in the Super Bowl....it was 1971.  It has been 36 years between Super Bowl berths.  That is the longest drought between appearances in Super Bowl history.  The Chiefs [1970] and Jets [1969] can break that record with another trip to the big game. 

#23-THE SUPER BOWL PREGAME GOATS:  There have been many blunders in sports....but there three paramount screw-ups in the history of the Super Bowl.  Stanley Wilson, Eugene Robinson and Barrett Robbins.  Wilson was set to play for the Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII in Miami when the night before he was found by police high of cocaine after a binge.  Ten years later, Robinson, who just won the Bart Starr Award for "high moral character", gets caught by an undercover cop trying to get a hooker toput her mouth on him the night before the big game.  Robbins takes the cake.  He disappeared from the Raiders before Super Bowl XXVII, went to Tijuana on a drinking binge.  The team finally found him......in jail and on suicide watch. 

#24-HEADING TO GLENDALE:  Super Bowl XLII will be held in Glendale, AZ next year....where the awesome new University of Phoenix Stadium now sits.  The UPS held the BCS National Championship game earlier this yearand is a marvel.  Miami will see the Super Bowl back again pretty soon.  Super Bowl XLIV in 2010 will be held there. 

#25-CHAMPIONSHIP BANNERS:  This is only the 2nd time Indianapolis has been on the championship stage....sort of.  Only the 2000 Indiana Pacers of the NBA has made a pro team championship appearance for Indy.  However, Indianapolis is one of the most popular Final Four sites.  As for Chicago, just two years ago the White Sox brought home the World Series.  In 1991-1993 and again in 1996-1998, the Chicago Bulls brought home the NBA Championship.  In fact, Chicago has won their last 6 professional attempts for a championship.  The last failed attempt was the 1992 Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals. 

#26-THE AD GAME:  There are three major themes during the Super Bowl.  The actual game, the halftime entertainment and the commercials.  Whether it is Bud Bowl, the Bud-Weis-Er frogs, those dot-com companies littering our airwaves a few years ago, learning about 4-hour erections for the first time, Michael J Fox running around for a Diet Pepsi, the Apple computer ad in 1984[which didn't feature the product], Jordan and Bird banking shots all over the place in the ultimate game of horse, or the Pepsi or Coke delivery guy trying to get a sip of the competition and getting caught on the security camera spilling all the drinks.  Ya know....YOU KNOW....that there will some some ad that everyone will be rolling on the day after the Super Bowl.  Go to SuperBowl-Ads.com for more on those crazy ads.

#27-SMALL ARENAS:  The Colts and Bears boast the smallest stadiums in the NFL.  The refurbished Soldier Field in Chicago holds63,000 fans....lowest in the NFC and 2nd smallest in the league.   The RCA Dome in Indianapolis, which willbe around just one more season, holds a meager 56,127...smallest in the NFL. 

#28-COLTS DOUBLE DUTY I:  The Colts join the Raiders and Rams as the only franchises to play in the Super Bowl from two seperate cities.  The Raiders have played in Super Bowl as Los Angeles and Oakland.  The Rams have played as Los Angeles and St. Louis.  The Colts have now been to the Super Bowl as both Baltimore and Indianapolis. 

#29-COLTS DOUBLE DUTY II:  The Colts are trying to become the second team to win Super Bowls with in two different cities.  The other is the Raiders, who won Super Bowls in Oakland and Los Angeles. 

#30-COLTS DOUBLE SIDED:  The Colts are the only franchise to have represented both sides of the coin.  In SuperBowl III, the Colts were the NFL/NFC Champion.  In Super Bowls V and now XLI, the Colts were the AFC Champion. 

#31-TEN POINT COMEBACK:  Sure, this is a biased remark...but it seems to be true.  Super Bowl XXII.....Denver goes up 10-0 quickly.  Then came the 2nd quarter.  Doug Williams, Ricky Sanders and Timmy Smith led Redskins onslaught.  Five TDs in an 18-play frame that took up 5:47 off the clock.  35 points.  When halftime came around, Washington was up 35-10....and coasted in the second half for a 42-10 victory.  Timmy Smith ran for 204 yards, still an NFL record.  And the 10 point deficit is still the largest comeback in Super Bowl history. 

#32-WIDE RECEIVING TO AN MVP AWARD:  The last two Super Bowl MVPs have been wide receivers [Deion Branch, Hines Ward] marking only the fourth and fifth times a WR has won the award.  But, it is the 2nd time receivers have went back-to-back.  In Super Bowls X and XI, Lynn Swann and Fred Biletnikoff won the MVP award [the only other WR to win the thing was some dude named Jerry Rice].  Could Reggie Wayne or Marvin Harrison be the next one?

#33-KICK RETURNING:  Much is made about the Bears' Devin Hester returning kicks this year [he has 3 punt returns for TDs]....but no punt has been returned for a TD in Super Bowl history.  None.  In fact, only once has a punt been returned for more than 35 yards [John Taylor's 45-yd puntreturn in Super Bowl XXIII].  And no opening kickoff has been run back for a TD, either. 

#34-BAD QB PLAY:  Many people will wonder how Rex Grossman got his team to a Super Bowl?  He will likely go down with Tony Eason, Kerry Collins, Trent Dilfer, David Woodley, Craig Morton, Joe Kapp, Vince Ferragamo and Neil O'Donnell as one of the worst QBs to ever make the big game.  Of those QBs, only Dilfer won the game.  By the way, Ben Roethlisberger last year set the record for worst QB game rating for a Super Bowl winner.

#35-NO TWO-AND-OHS:  The Bears are makingjust their 2nd Super Bowl appearance.  They won their first trip, back in Super Bowl XX, joining the Ravens, Buccaneers and Jets as the only franchises to win their only trip to the Super Bowl.  However, no franchise is 2-0 in Super Bowls.  None.  The only franchise that has made more than one Super Bowl appearance and is still undefeated is the San Francisco 49ers...who are 5-0. 

#36-AFC DOMINATION:  The AFC has won 7 of the last 9 Super Bowls, including three in a row....just after the NFC ran off 13 straight wins in the 1980s and 1990s.  The NFC still holds the advantage at 21-19.  But take outthe NFC's 13-game win streak....and the AFC has won 19 of 27 games.  The only NFC champions to with the game in the past decade are the 1999 Rams and 2002 Buccaneers.

#37-INDY'S IN THE SUPERBOWL:  Scratch Indianapolis off the list of current NFL cities to never go to the Super Bowl.  The ones left:  Detroit, New Orleans, Phoenix/Glendale, Cleveland, Jacksonville and Houston.  If you break it down to cities who have had nothing to do with the Super Bowl at all....all you had was Indianapolis and Cleveland.  Detroit, New Orleans, Phoenix/Glendale, Jacksonville and Houston have all hosted Super Bowls.  Now, only Cleveland stands alone. 

#38-MIAMI HOSTS 9th SUPER BOWL:  Miami joins New Orleans as hosting their 9th Super Bowl [the 10th will come in 2010]. 

#39-ANIMAL POWER:  This Colts-Bears Super Bowl will only be the 2nd time that both mascots are animals.  The first time was in Super Bowl XXXIII when the Falcons and Broncos matched up.  Technically, this will be the first meeting of mammal mascots. 

#40-CLOSEST SUPER BOWL EVER:  Chicago andIndianapolis are just 159 miles apart.  That is the closest proximity between two Super Bowl cities ever.  Coming in 2nd is Baltimore-New York....which is 173 miles apart.  The odd thing about that is that the Baltimore-New York connection met up twice, yet involved four different teams.  Once, it was the NY Jets and Baltimore Colts....with the NY Giants and Baltimore Ravens being the other matchup. 

#41-TWO LIKE OPPONENTS:  The Colts and Bears have just two like opponents during the regular season:  the Patriots and Giants.  Both teams beat the Giants in New York.  But the Colts beat the Pats [twice] while the Bearslost to them, 17-13, in Foxboro. 

Just 12 More Days

Oh, and some Duke Porn:

Sports TV at 4:45 am

                                

I was reading my newest edition of Entertainment Weekly when I came upon Stephen King's column where he just flips around his TV and says what's on each channel.  Not what show....but what is on during those 10 seconds he flipped there.

So, I want to do the same.  I am a DirecTV customer and have the entire sports lineup that I am paying for.  What can a sports nut at 4:45 am count on?  Below I will answer that with a list of most of the sports channels I have [since many showed the same infomercials, I didn't list them all].

Here we go:

ESPN: Aussie Open.  Two dudes are volleying and making noises of forced man love.  Not to my liking.

ESPNews:  Highlights of the Sixers smacking up the Hornets.

ESPNClassic:  The 2004 World Series of Poker.  I swear, if not for the WSOP and Cheap Seats....would there be an ESPNClassic??

ESPN2:  A promo for Grey's Anatomy.  Don't watch the show...and the term "McDreamy" makes me want to honk.  Dude was the pizza boy in Loverboy.  He ain't "McDreamy"

NFL Network:  A nice chit-chat about the story of the New Orleans Saints this year.  Truly and amazing story.

NBA-TV:  A replay of the Suns-Wizards game from earlier in the day.  Phoenix smacked the Wiz around.

TVG:  That's the horse racing channel.  Ah, a promo for Bowflex.  Right now, I'd be willing to bet that I have 25 channels showing a Bowflex at this moment.

VERSUS:  I see three dudes with all kinds of sponsors on their jackets....fishing.  I don't fish, never wanted to fish, don't eat fish, don't like fish. 

ESPNU:  Northern Iowa v Southern Illinois.  Ya know, there is nothing better at this time of night than a good ol' mid-major game. 

FUEL:  A bunch of burned out neo-hippies in the woods trying to do something with a skateboard or something. 

MSG NETWORK:  Man!  I can make a fortune just sitting at home and selling real estate!  If I buy a ticket to hear someone talk about a "pyramid of success", I will be rich!!!!

YES NETWORK:  The Sleep Number Bed.  Nice.  The best thing to have on TV for people who can't go to sleep. 

NESN:  The Sonic Blade.  Not advised to use when still thinking of that Sleep Number Bed.

SNY:  The folks at Sports New York are worried about my credit card debt. 

MID ATLANTIC SPORTS NETWORK:  No kidding.  They are showing "Washington Nationals Classics".  The team has been around for two seasons and have sucked!!  They have no classics.  I mean, how many games can they have to choose from???

FSN-PITTSBURGH:  Some chick in a bikini wading around in a pool asking people about these sunglasses.  Ah, the Blue Blockers.

COMCAST:  Christie Brinkley and Chuck Norris show up about the Total Gym.  Chuck Norris says it tastes great!

FSN-DETROIT:  Some British dude is telling me how to clean my home by using some sweeper thing.

FSN-ARIZONA:  Apparantly there is a system to making a mint on Ebay.  As if the concept of garage sales hadn't crossed anyone's minds.  Look, the key to Ebay is to buy in-demand items up...duh.

FSN-ROCKY MOUNTAIN:  Wesley Snipes talking about not trusting someone.  Like, your baby's mama?  The IRS?  Oh!  It's another Total Gym.

FSN-WEST an FSN-WEST 2:  Here is the legendary [in his own mind] Van Earl Wright.  The dude who thinks his own voice is funny.  Especially to the people of "Los An-gul-lez"

FSN-BAY AREA:  A commercial for Hooters.  Now, why do I need a Hooters commercial at, now, 5:10am???

FSN-EVERYWHERE ELSE:  Sonic Blades, Total Gyms, Sleep Numbers, Glasses.

ALTITUDE:  Something called the Sled Head.  People racing sleds. 

And there you have it.  Nothing is on.  I guess I'll have to flip over to Nick at Nite and watch another episode of Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

Peace.

 

Another Bengal Arrested!

           

Cincinnati Bengal Arrested For Pot Possession

According to the Boone County Sheriff's Department, Bengals defensive back Johnathan Joseph was a passenger in a vehicle that was weaving around 2:15 Monday morning.

When deputies stopped the vehicle, they said they detected an odor of drugs.

Police said a search turned up a bag of marijuana, and Joseph was charged with possession.

The female driver, Kelsy Glover, of Fairfield, was charged with careless driving and operating on a suspended license.

Joseph was the Bengals' first round draft pick in 2006 and played in every game this past season.

Joseph is the ninth Bengals player to be arrested since 2005.

Bill Parcells Retires As Cowboys Coach

There's a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall
And the bells in the steeple too
And up in the nursery an absurd little bird
Is popping out to say "cuckoo"

Cuckoo, cuckoo

Regretfully they tell us Cuckoo, cuckoo
But firmly they compel us Cuckoo, cuckoo
To say goodbye . . .
Cuckoo!
. . . to you

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night
I hate to go and leave this pretty sight

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu
Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu

So long, farewell, au revoir, auf wiedersehen
I'd like to stay and taste my first champagne

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye -- Goodbye!
I'm glad to go, I cannot tell a lie
I flit, I float, I fleetly flee, I fly
The sun has gone to bed and so must I

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye

Goodbye!

Not that I'm known to put a song from Sound of Music on my site....but it's pretty apropos.  Imagine Bill Parcells at a press conference singing this song.  Just imagine.  It is perfect.  And you can fill in who would qualify as the "cuckoo". 

The NFL Proves We Know Nothing

                       

What a day.  Interesting that both home teams won today's AFC and NFC Championship games, and we're surprised.  Also interesting since midway through the season, these two teams [Bears and Colts] were clearly the best in their conferences.  Still, we don't know a lick about anything.

PEYTON MANNING CAN'T WIN THE BIG ONE:  That was a valid gripe coming into this game....and for 35 minutes, it looked as if Manning was going down in postseason flames again.  But Manning hung tough in the pocket as the Patriots pressured him hard.  He hung tough as he stared at an 18 point deficit.  He hung tough despite hurting the thumb on his throwing hand.  And it was Manning that orchestrated the game winning drive in the AFC Championship game. 

PATRIOTS NEVER FOLD:  Conventional wisdom is that to beat the Patriots, you must jump on them early.  If not, they will slowly kill you.  Today, New England jumped to a 21-3 lead and looked like a buzzsaw.  All of the sudden, their defense looked bad, took too many chances and they choked away that lead. 

TOM BRADY MAKES GOOD ON FINAL DRIVES:  When the Pats took the field with a minute left and down by 4 points, I thought to myself, "can Tom Brady do it again."  Then, I thought to myself, "but, he's never had to do this!"  We all remember the big game winning drives against Oakland in 2002, and in Super Bowls XXXVI and XXXVIII...and even last week against the Chargers.  But in those games, Tom Brady took the ball when the score was tied.  If he failed, no big deal...the game was going to overtime [aside from the Oakland game, which was already in OT].  Brady just had to drive the team into FG range and then the kicker took it over.  Not this time.  Down by 4 points and having to go 80 yards is no easy task for any QB.  But this is Tom Brady...the modern day Joe Montana.  And Montana made the same drive nearly 20 years ago in a Super Bowl.  Brady couldn't do it...and unceremoniously threw an interception to end their season. 

BEARS OFFENSE SUCKS:  They do!  Rex Grossman blows.  The receivers aren't really special.  The running backs are okay, but both have issues.  Oh, and they can put up 39 points in the NFC title game in the freezing cold. 

SAINTS OFFENSE IS UNSTOPPABLE:  I am a Redskins fan, and I know that the Saints offense can be slowed up a bit.  I have no idea how we did that...but we did.  Aside from that long run by Reggie Bush, the Saints really couldn't break up the Bears defense. 

BELIEVE IN FATE:  When anything unpredictable happens in sports, we always say that it was fate.  George Mason getting to the Final Four??  Fate.  That's why many people felt the Saints would go to the Super Bowl.  It was too good of a story and made us feel warm inside to see this bastard team of 2005 blaze a path to the Super Bowl the very next year.  I'll admit that I wanted to see New Orleans in the Super Bowl for a ton of reasons....including the "well, they deserve it."  But sports also tells the tale of scoreboard....meaning that sometimes the good guys who fought so hard don't get the biggest glory. 

YOU CAN'T CROWN A CHAMPION IN OCTOBER:  Last year, the Super Bowl champion Steelers were 7-5 and needed a winning streak just to make the playoffs.  We all know that usually the team that fires out of the gate ends up flaming out before we get to February.  Not this year.  The Bears were 7-0 at one point....and the Colts were 9-0.  Around mid-November, these two were clearly the best teams in their conferences.  Since then, both flamed a bit.  But both are here now to bask in the glory for a couple of weeks.

NFL GAMES DON'T MEAN AS MUCH AS COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES DO:  College football loves to seethat "every week counts".  I think that's a lie.  It only counts for a select few teams.  Once you are out of the BCS loop, it really doesn't matter anymore.  Check out the NFL.  The fact that the Colts beat the Patriots about 4 months ago brought a huge baring on this game, eh?  If New England won that game, this AFC Championship game would've been held in Foxboro.  Heck, if New England had won that game, the Colts would've faced the Jets in the first round....then the Chargers.  The Pats would've had the Chiefs then Ravens.  That AFC Championship game could've been totally different.  And even if that Colts-Pats game stayed the same...how big were those New England losses at home to Miami or NY Jets??  If they won one of those games, the playoff bracket would've been totally flipped around.  Or if San Diego didn't make that great comeback in Seattle in Week 16...Baltimore would've been the #1 seed.  The point is, the games all mean something in a domino effecting way. 

Colts v Bears: I Called It One Year Ago

Last year on Sports Bloggers Live [click the link to hear me say it]....I said that the Colts and Bears would meet in the Super Bowl.

Of course, when I said it....I meant Super Bowl XL.  Still, it ended up happening a year later, and it should be a very good game.  There are stories all over this one.

Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith lead their teams into the Super Bowl.  No black head coaches have ever taken their team to the Super Bowl.  None.  This year, both teams are run by black coaches....meaning that for the first time, a black coach will win the game [just like the first black QB to start a Super Bowl game, Doug Williams, won it]. 

There are many more....and rest assured that SPORTZASSASSIN.COM will be laced with tidbits.  Last year, I rocked the 40 Stops To Super Bowl XL.  This year, I'll do that one better...with 41 stops.  Keep checking out the site for that heading your way!

What Super Bowl Would I Rather See?

                                            

Today is Championship Day.  At the end of the night, we will all know who will be the two participants in Super Bowl XLI.  We'll know the storylines, we'll all know what colors to make our Super Bowl party, we'll all know what squares we got on the ol' Super Bowl pool.

So who do I really want to see?  Each game has some interesting side-stories.

1-COLTS v SAINTS:  This could be the most entertaining Super Bowl.  Both have awesome offenses and, at times, suspect defenses.  This game would have Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Deuce McAllister, Marques Colston, Dwight Freeney and Joseph Addai.  Pretty good.  It also has the Saints, who are the feel-good story of the NFL season.  It would also feature two cities who have never been to the Super Bowl.  Also, Tony Dungy would be the first black coach to take his team to the Super Bowl.  Oh, and something about Peyton Manning facing off against his favorite team growing up.....his dad's team.

2-COLTS v BEARS:  First one will be that both head coaches will be black, quite a memorable feat in an age of trying to get teams to look at minority candidates.  Also, would be the legendary Colts offense against the legendary Bears defense.  Neither is as good as their "legends" suggest....but it still would be cool.  Then, on the other side, you'd have the much maligned Rex Grossman going up against the much maligned Colts defense.  Nice.  There is also the proximity of the teams, who aren't but a few hours apart.

3-PATRIOTS v SAINTS:  The young Sean Payton against the NFL's big game man in Bill Belichick.  Tom Brady in another Super Bowl.  Oh, and Drew Brees against the patchwork New England defense. 

4-PATRIOTS v BEARS:  This game brings the least amount of excitement.  Especially when you think of winter games with the Bears or Pats, who think of freezing, snowy conditions.  Not the heat of South Beach.  Still, it would be interesting to see Belichick up against Lovie Smith....just like in 2002 when the Pats won their first Super Bowl over Lovie's Rams defense.  It ranks 4th on this list because we've already seen this game once...and it wasn't that good.

So....who do I think will make the Super Bowl?

The Bears in the cold beat the offensive Saints.  The offensive Colts run the track on the Pats.  Super Bowl XLI:  Colts v Bears

David Beckham Plays For the Galaxy....and Now You Can Too!!!

                                 

The LA Galaxy of the MLS [that's Major League Soccer to the layperson] are bringing over David Beckham to play for them this season for what could be a whopping $250M deal.

Not too shabby.

Maybe you can help out on the finances of that.  You see, for $130 out of your own pocket, you can try out to be Beckham's next teammate.

Yeah, the Los Angeles Galaxy and holding open tryouts on February 10th and 11th.   Click on the above link for info about applying for the gig. 

The fee is $130.  Type in your preferred position, height, weight, kicking foot, if you are a US Citizen and list your previous soccer experience.  They'll pick a stock of fellas from the pile and give you a call if you made it.  Not too shabby?

I know we all liked that movie INVINCIBLE about Vince Papali and him making the Eagles from an open tryout like that....but c'mon.  Are the Dodgers sending out feelers for pitchers?  Are the Lakers looking to bring in some rec leaguers to fill out their roster?  This is why the MLS is the MLS and no one cares about it.  After Game #1 of the Beckham Era, we will all lose interest just as we always do after soccer does something to "build up the sport in America". 

Kwame Brown, the Cake Snatcher

                                  

Lakers' Brown takes the cake, but won't be prosecuted

HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. -- A man walking down the street at bar-closing time with a $190 cake in his arms claimed Los Angeles Lakers center Kwame Brown swiped his birthday treat.

But authorities said the cake caper won't be prosecuted.

In a police report, Alexander Martinez said he left his 30th birthday celebration at the Shore Restaurant and Lounge at about 1:45 a.m. Saturday with the uneaten 2-by-2-foot cake and walked north toward the Blue 32 nightclub.

Martinez told police he first came upon Lakers forward Ronny Turiaf, who he said agreed to pose for a photograph with him and the chocolate cake.

But outside of Blue 32, the 6-foot-11, 270-pound Brown came along, grabbed the cake and threw it at Martinez, according to the report. Brown got into a white limousine and left, Martinez claimed in the report, although he didn't suggest any reason for the cake toss.

Martinez reported that he then walked up to Lamar Odom as the Lakers forward left Pedone's Pizza and confronted him about the cake, which was splattered on the birthday man's back.

A man believed to be Odom's bodyguard pushed Martinez into the street, yelling at him to get away from Odom, the police report said.

"Calm down,he didn't do anything," Odom told the man believed to be his bodyguard, the report said.

Everyone then went their separate ways and Martinez filed a police report 12 hours later.

Detectives presented a possible "grand theft of a person" case to the city attorney's office, which decided not to prosecute.

Brown wasn't talking, but Lakers spokesman John Black said the team was aware of the alleged incident and had been told prosecutors were not filing charges. Black had no other comment.

The Lakers are on a three-game road trip through Saturday.

Brown, averaging 8.7 points and 6.6 rebounds, has been sidelined since spraining his right ankle on Dec. 31. He is expected back in about two weeks.

R.I.P. Benny Parsons

              

 

 

I'm not a NASCAR fan, but living in Charlotte, you had Benny Parsons in your living room on a near daily basis.  He was always on WCNC's sportscasts talking about NASCAR.  And despite not being interested in his sport, he was interesting.  He made it sound like ballet or something.

 

 

ThatsRacin.com | 01/16/2007 | Former NASCAR champ Benny Parsons dies at 65

 

Baseball's Hall Of Fame is Stupid

                     

I said it...and I meant it:  Baseball's Hall of Fame is stupid.

It's dumb. 

It's full of crap.

Case closed.

In what is supposed to be the mother of all Halls of Fame, the baseball Hall of Fame is both full of itself and wreckless.  Not to mention that the voters of this Hall view themselves as the St Peter's of the baseball world.  The gatekeepers to immortality.

That's fine and dandy until they decide on other's mortality.  Check Mark McGwire's plight.

Now, I'm all for keeping Big Mac out.  His numbers are there....but I think he cheated.  Most baseball followers think he cheated.  And I have no problem with the voters that decided to keep McGwire out....or even the voters that wanted him in.  My thing is WHY voters did either.

If you think he cheated when you voted this year [barring information solidifying the opposite], then you think he cheated next year.  And the year after.  And so on.

Yet, next year, for some reason, McGwire will get more votes.  Why?  Why?  Why????  His numbers won't change in a year.  Neither, most likely, will be the facts around his perceived steroid use.  So why would he get more votes?

Oh, many voters forget to check Big Mac's ballot because they didn't want him to be a "first ballot Hall of Famer".  Whooooo.  A scourge if ever there was one.   As if being a 2nd, 3rd or 4th ballot HOFer means your plaque is near the bathrooms in the basement or something.  Ask Bruce Sutter if being a first time HOFer matters right now.  If you are in....you're in, regardless.

So why the charade?  If the man deserves to be in the Hall of Fame at any point...go ahead and vote for him.  Why vote NO in 2007 and YES in 2008??  Nothing about his candidacy is different.  Nothing!  The fact that these baseball writers who vote on this thing do stuff like this is moronic.  Again, the St. Peter reference. 

How about a new rule for induction....since the Baseball HOF loves rules:  if you don't make the first vote, you're never in.  Heck, make that the rule for all Halls of Fame.

My point is that if you are really, really, really, really a Hall of Famer, there would be no doubt that you should be there.  I think Bruce Sutter is a fine player....but the fact it took his so long to get in [on a ballot where no one else got in] shows that he really wasn't a HOFer, but a guy that got in because they had to elect someone. 

Sutter was elected on his 13th year on the ballot.  THIRTEEN YEARS!!  What all of the sudden made him electable last year, but not the previouse 12 years?  Honestly:  what?  Not that I am picking on him....but he was the most recent addition to the Hall and proves my point.

Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken, Jr were darn near unanimous selections to be in the 2007 class into the Hall of Fame.  Everyone else should be lopped off the list.  Those guys deserve enshrinement and the fact there was no wavering makes them true members.  Bruce Sutter not only was wavered on for 13 years [and still is], but now opened the doors for many other "maybe/maybe nots" who can point to Sutter's status and cry, "why not me?".  If there is any debate about if you should be in or not....you shouldn't be in. 

Roger Maris is more famous that about half the people in the Hall....and he ain't in it. 

My point is that if you are a Hall of Famer ballplayer, there should be no doubt about it.   And baseball writers, stop the fakeness of being stoic against Big Mac's "transgressions" this year only to let him slide next year. 

Some People Just Really Don't Get It

             

Arrests made at prep tourney

THE ENQUIRER

The Enquirer - Arrests made at prep tourney

Cincinnati and Xavier police have responded to a disturbance at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day high school basketball tournament at the Cintas Center on the Xavier University campus in Evanston.

Cincinnati Police said six people have been arrested. No one is permitted to enter the arena. People are allowed to leave.

Xavier spokeswoman Kelly Leon said Xavier police have reported there have been several fights inside the Cintas Center.

There are six teams in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Classic. Clark Montessori played Shroder Padeia at 1 p.m., followed by Hughes and North College Hill at 3 p.m., and Withrow versus Winton Woods at 5 p.m.

The tournament has been held at Xavier for several years, said Xavier spokeswoman Deborah Del Valle.

There was apparently a problem with crowd control on the upper concourse during the North College Hill-Hughes game, the second of three boys' basketball games.

Some spectators would not take their seats, and public address announcer Jamal Walker made an announcement:

"Please come in and take your seats ... Please come in and take your seats."

The game itself was not interrupted, and Hughes went on to win 68-54.

There was another briefly chaotic scene on the court when entertainer Sammie performed between the second and third games of the day at center court.

A few minutes into Sammie's act, numerous young girls rushed onto the court and right at the singer. Police officers and security people charged onto the floor and pushed the girls back, but the youngsters still ringed the lower deck and screamed the singer's name.

Nearly 10 policemen and/or secureity officers ringed the singer as he continued to perform.

It was not immediately clear what happened on the upper concourse earlier, but there were reports of several police cars arriving at the Cintas Center.

"They had to close the concourse up there, I'm not sure why," said Dave Dierker, Cincinnati Public Schools athletic director. "I'm just getting bits and pieces of it ... I'm not a security person."

Colts/Pats and Bears/Saints Will Fight For Super Bowl XLI

The NFC went as planned.  The AFC didn't.

Still, the AFC probably has the the matchup many wanted when the New England Patriots take on the Indianapolis Colts for a Super Bowl berth. 

The Colts were the AFC's top team for the first half of the season, rocketing out to a 9-0 start and beating would-be playoff teams the Giants, Jets and Patriots as well as a good Broncos team.  Oh, and all those games were away from the RCA Dome.  Since then, the Colts have gone 3-4 with only one of those losses coming to a playoff team [Cowboys].  The defense was getting ripped to shreds; Peyton Manning wasn't as sharp; the Colts running game had slowed down. 

When the playoff came around, we all felt that Manning and Co. would be run all over by the Chiefs.  That didn't happen.  But that Ravens defense would shut down the Colts offense enough that Steve McNair and Jamal Lewis will spank that bad defense and make Manning come up short again.  That didn't happen.

The Patriots recent playoff turns have been well documented.  Over the last six years, the Patriots are 12-1 in the postseason.  That one loss was a controversial one against the Broncos last year.  The odd thing is that there is no team that made the playoffs as under the radar as the Pats.  They finished 12-4.  But it was a season that saw the Patriots lose three times at home and were shut out at struggling Miami.  New England beat only two teams who qualified for the playoffs: the Jets and Bears.  The AFC East was bad and their schedule was easy.  That's why they are here.

But beating a tough Jets team wasn't easy.  Neither was going to San Diego and beating a team that hadn't lost a game since October 22. 

The AFC title game will pit the Patriots and Colts in the first AFC Championship game held in a dome.  And don't count out the road Patriots at all:  they won the 2002 and 2005 AFC Championship games on the road. 

In the NFC, it went somewhat to plan.  The #1 seeded Chicago Bears and #2 seeded New Orleans Saints will battle for the NFC title.  Amazing.  Between the two teams, they've been to one Super Bowl.....the unreal 1985 Bears team.  Heck, this is the first NFC title game in Saints history.  In fact, their divisional round win over the Philadelphia Eagles was only their second postseason win in history.  By comparison, the 12-year old Carolina Panthers [who are NFC South division rivals] have played in three NFC Championship games. 

Amazing.  This was a team that played home games in East Rutherford, San Antonio and Baton Rouge last year as the Superdome was unfit for about anything after the horror of Hurricane Katrina.  This team was supposed to be San Antonio's right now.  Or Los Angeles' team.  Or Toronto's.  Or anywhere but N'Awlins. 

The team came back...but who would want to come there?  Perennial hot coaching prospect Sean Payton decided that was the gig he wanted.  Drew Brees made a huge leap of faith to sign as a free agent.  And the team lucked out with the #2 pick in the draft, they could select Reggie Bush.  The draft also gave them a huge surprise in Marques Colston who was Mr Everything for the Saints over the first half of the season. 

Don't think the Bears are vets at this either.  Their overtime win over the Seahawks today was their first playoff win since 1995.  This will be their first NFC Championship game since 1989 when they lost to the 49ers.  This is a team who is quarterbacked by a guy that no one seems to think could start for anyone in the NFL.  Rex Grossman is as maligned as they come.  It's just that we've never, ever, ever, ever seen a team play great defense and great special teams, use a two back system and have a lower tier QB lead them to a Super Bowl title.

Oh, yeah.  We saw that in Super Bowl XXXV with Trent Dilfer and the Baltimore Ravens.

Neither of these teams were supposed to be here.  The Cowboys, Panthers or Giants were supposed to wake up and realize they were supposed to fire up the ladder and take this title.  None did. 

So, this time next week we will start to break down Super Bowl XLI and have a nice 7 or 10 point line favoring the AFC champion and have puff and substance stories about the teams and cities vying for the title.

God....I can't wait.

"__________ Da Eagles"

                                      

If you watched the Eagles-Saints game on Saturday....you were treated to some great football action.

And you were treated to the greatest "wardrobe malfunction" in football since something involving Janet Jackson, a pasty and the dude who's trying to bring sexy back.

That would be this Saints' fans shirt...which reads "F**k da Eagles" [click on the picture above for a bigger view - WARNING, offensive language].  Now, most of you have seen a shirt similar to this in your lifetime...so it isn't a big deal.  But how does a chick with that shirt get a good 5-10 seconds of camera time before someone in the production truck pulls the plug? 

I saw this live.  I was at work, on break, when some buddies and I were like, "uh....did that really say what I thought it said?".  We all figured it must have said "Pluck the Eagles" because, why would it have gotten so much face time?  But my eyes were right.  Check the picture above to see the writing on the wall.

I really don't care.  Again, an adult has seen and said worse [as a Redskins fan....I agree with the shirt].  But with everyone wetting their pants over an exposed boob a few years ago....rest assured this won't go unnoticed by the FCC or whomever decides to moan over this. 

More on this at AOL's The Fanhouse:  AOL's The FanHouse: Fox Shows Naughty Shirt

Bonds Failed Drug Test Last Season

ESPN.com - MLB - Report: Bonds failed amphetamine test last season

NEW YORK -- Barry Bonds failed a test for amphetamines last season and originally blamed it on a teammate, the Daily News reported Thursday.

When first informed of the positive test, Bonds attributed it to a substance he had taken from teammate Mark Sweeney's locker, the New York City newspaper said, citing several unnamed sources.

"I have no comment on that," Bonds' agent Jeff Borris told the Daily News on Wednesday night.

"Mark was made aware of the fact that his name had been brought up," Sweeney's agent Barry Axelrod told the Daily News. "But he did not give Barry Bonds anything, and there was nothing he could have given Barry Bonds."

Bonds, who has always maintained he never has tested positive for illegal drug use, is already under investigation for lying about steroid use.

A federal grand jury is investigating whether the 42-year-old Bonds perjured himself when he testified in 2003 in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative steroid distribution case that he never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs. The San Francisco Giants slugger told a 2003 federal grand jury that he believed his trainer Greg Anderson had provided him flaxseed oil and arthritic balm, not steroids.

Under baseball's amphetamines policy, which went into effect last season, players are not publicly identified for a first positive test. A second positive test for amphetamines results in a 25-game suspension. The first failed steroids test costs a player 50 games.

Bonds did not appeal the positive test, which made him subject to six drug tests by MLB over the next six months, according to the Daily News.

"We're not in a position to confirm or deny, obviously," MLB spokesman Rich Levin told the Daily News.

According to the newspaper, Sweeney learned of the Bonds' positive test from Gene Orza, chief operating officer of the Major League Baseball Players Association. Orza told Sweeney, the paper said, that he should remove any troublesome substances from his locker and should not share said substances. Sweeney said there was nothing of concern in his locker, according to the Daily News' sources.

An AP message for Sweeney was not immediately returned late Wednesday.

The Giants are still working to finalize complicated language in the slugger's $16 million, one-year contract for next season -- a process that has lasted almost a month since he agreed to the deal Dec. 7 on the last day of baseball's winter meetings.

The language still being negotiated concerns the left fielder's compliance with team rules, as well as what would happen if he were to be indicted or have other legal troubles.

Borris has declined to comment on the negotiations. He didn't immediately return a message from the AP on Wednesday night.

The 42-year-old Bonds is set to begin his 15th season with the Giants only 22 home runs shy of surpassing Hank Aaron's career record of 755.

Bonds, considered healthy again following offseason surgery on his troublesome left elbow, has spent 14 of his 21 big-league seasons with San Francisco and helped the Giants draw 3 million fans in all seven seasons at their waterfront ballpark.

After missing all but 14 games in 2005 following three operations on his right knee, Bonds batted .270 with 26 homers and 77 RBIs in 367 at-bats in 2006. He passed Babe Ruth to move into second place on the career home run list May 28.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

Florida Wins Another College Championship

                       

I live right outside Cincinnati, so there are quite a few Ohio State fans in my vicinity.  As a matter of fact, my next door neighbor flies a huge Ohio State flag outside his home on game days.

For the 2nd time in about six weeks....he's taking it down in shame.

The first time was when my UNC Tar Heels smacked down his then-#1 ranked Basketball Buckeyes.  Now comes a spectacular dismantling in the biggest college football game of the year.

Florida beat The Ohio State University, 41-14, in the BCS Championship game. 

Everything about this game was amazing.

Florida was chided since the BCS games were announced for being in this game.  Florida was a pretty good team that navigated through a beast of a schedule with only one loss.   Even then, Michigan fans whined that they should've been in this game - not Florida [needless to say, Michigan was spanked by USC a week ago in the Rose Bowl]. 

Ohio State was one of only two schools to go undefeated this year [Boise State was the other], housed the Heisman Trophy winner, and would be playing in their third #1 v #2 game of the season.  Ohio State already took care of Texas and Michigan in those games....and many felt Florida was the next one to go down.

Oops.

Chris Leak, from my high school, Independence High in Charlotte NC, played about as great as you could ask him to play.  He didn't go Peyton Manning on the Buckeyes....but, then again, how many rings does Peyton have at either Tennessee or Indy?? 

Even more amazing was how ineffective Heisman winner Troy Smith was.  How does the Heisman winner complete just 4-of-14 passes for 35 yds?  No TDs and a pick??  Unreal. 

I was one of the people who claimed that the SEC couldn't win a National Championship because the conference was too tough to allow a team to get into the title game.  If not for USC losing to UCLA at the endof the season, they still wouldn't have.  But Florida made the most of it and went out as victors, dominators and as champions.

Chris Leak, you've done Charlotte proud!

Reveling In Others' [read: Duke, Cowboys] Misfortunes

          

Today was a great sports day for me....considering that NONE of my favorite teams actually played today.

It started off grand as I watched Duke lose, at home, to Virginia Tech.  Now, V-Tech is a veteran squad....especially by current ACC standards....but they aren't in the top half in the conference this year.  Still, it was nice to see that the Hokies "out-Duke'd" the Blue Devils.  Tech outhustled Duke; Tech outplayed Duke; Tech was more poised than Duke.  And all those lucky little moments that the Devils have grown to be accustomed to in that big cigar box known as Cameron Indoor Stadium.....the Hokies got.  A jump shot from the seat of the pants and a layup that left a little bit of junk-sweat on Greg Paulus' head were crack to a Carolina fan.  And, sorry Dook, but no half court shot to bail you out of this one.

Later in the afternoon....word gets to me that UCLA got popped.  Good.  I have nothing against UCLA, but it at least shuts up those honks who were already chatting about the Bruins going undefeated this year.  Sit down, they are a great team but are in the same class as the rest of the top dawgs. 

Oh, but if UCLA lost, then the #2 team should acsend to the top spot.  Who's that team??  My North Carolina Tar Heels.  So don't screw it up and lose to Florida State tomorrow night!!!!

And the capper.  The cream.  The beauty.  The Dallas Cowboys killed themselves and their 2006 season.  If there was any team that was as over-blown as this team....let them stand up.  No one?  Correct.

From the Tuna's kissing and whining....to the bi-weeky Terrell Owens mess....to placing Tony Romo among the greatest things since sliced bread....to their kicking change....to the fact that they were on national TV, seemingly, more than any other franchise this year despite not doing anything.....this team was covered waaaaay too much [and will be for the next few months].

So, the end was great.  A sure-thing field goal to give the 'Boys the lead late in their NFC Wildcard game with the Seattle Seahawks.  Sure fire until Tony Romo fumbled the hold and Dallas choked away a victory.  But, six weeks ago, Romo could do no wrong.  He was the next great thing.  Forget Roger Staubachor Troy Aikman....Romo was going to lap them all!! 

The Redskins fan in me smiled.  And, yeah, go ahead with the "where did your team end up" blasts.  Yeah, my team tanked and stunk up the joint, too....but we weren't the so-called favorites to win the NFC around Thanksgiving.  And, who cares right now: I've known our season has been over for 2 months now.  You just found out yours was, and that your high hopes were trashed on a muffed hold on a 20-yd field goal attempt.  At least we weren't thaaaaaaaaaaat close.

Ah.  It just makes it worthwhile, sometimes!

NFL Coaching Odds

                               

Alright, the NFL season is over which means coaches are ready to be fired.  It happens every year.  But this list isn't about "hot seats"...it's about the likelihood that the coach returns for the 2007 season.  Bill Cowher isn't on any hot seat...but he is low on my list.  Let's check it out.

1-DENNY GREEN, Cardinals.  Well, he's already been canned.  He's been a dead man walking ever since his media blowup.

2-JIM MORA, Falcons.  Same deal.  He's already been shown the door.  He began the season on a short leash....then navigated a team to a worse record than last year and a bad interview in Seattle.

3-BILL COWHER, Steelers.  He's done everything he can do in Pittsburgh, including winning a Super Bowl.  Most likely, he'll just go out to pasture and become an elder statesman for the Steelers or wait for a cherry college job. 

4-TOM COUGHLIN, Giants.  I think that barring a run to the NFC Championship game, Coughlin is gone.  He already was abrasive before...but this season it got out of hand.  The team is out of control and underachieved mightily. 

5-NICK SABAN, Dolphins.  No offense, coach, but take the Alabama job.  It pays well and offers some really good job security that Miami doesn't offer.  If he sticks in out in South Florida, he may get only one more year to turn it around.  With so much promise and an easy schedule, the Phins floundered.  Take the Bama job and cash the check.

6-ART SHELL, Raiders.  Shell should get at least one more year to show what he can do.  He was hired late, out of date and had a horrible offense to work with.  The team will have the #1 pick this spring and Shell can mold this team the way he wants it.  Also, I doubt that Al Davis would fire Shell too soon......again.

7-BRAD CHILDRESS, Vikings.  He was the toast of the league early on, but has become somewhat controversial as the season ended.  The team tanked down the stretch and there are rumblings that he and the players just don't get along.  It's even gotten to the point that some feel Childress gets petty revenge on outspoken players.  He'll get another season, but his job will be on the line, especially if there is a mutiny.

8-ROMEO CRENNEL, Browns.  Cleveland is stuck in limbo and there is nothing to suggest it will turn around soon.  I like Crennel, but this may not work out. 

9-BILL PARCELLS, Cowboys.  Parcells will decide if coaching the Cowboys is worth it or not.  Parcells usually walks around this time period with a team...and that was all without T.O. around.  It will come down to Parcells putting his foot down about Terrell Owens.  If Owens isn't cut, expect the Tuna to walk. 

10-JON GRUDEN, Buccaneers.  This was another awful season in Tampa for Gruden, but he may have bought another year.  His quarterback's spleen blew up, his running back just busted and the once reliable defense broke apart.  Still, the team has alot of avenues [money, draft picks] to turn it around...which should buy Gruden another year. 

11-ROD MARINELLI, Lions.  Nothing went right for the Lions this year....but Matt Millen will get the heat for this mess.  Of course, a new GM could mean a new coach on the way. 

12-JOE GIBBS, Redskins.  Gibbs won't be fired.  Never.  Even Daniel Snyder knows how unpopular that would be.  But he could "resign" at any moment and ride off into the NASCAR sky.  I think that Gibbs is a man of his word and that he'll stick it out in Washington. 

13-JACK DEL RIO, Jaguars.  The season was a disappointment, but there were tons of variables out of Del Rio's control.  His team was killed by injuries to key players and the retirement of Jimmy Smith.  Yet still, he was a win in the finale away from being back in the postseason. 

14-DICK JAURON, Bills.  He deserves another year in Buffalo and I don't think the Bills will make yet another change.  He got the team to a 7-9 record despite injuries and youth all over the team. 

15-MIKE SHANAHAN, Broncos.  It's tought to see him fired, but this franchise has been stuck in neutral since John Elway retired.  The mid-season switch to Jay Cutler will be criticized for years to come and the once steady demeanor of the team fell to pieces as the season ended. 

16-GARY KUBIAK, Texans.  Houston won three times as many games as last year and there are signs the team is getting better.  It isn't Kubiak's fault that they passed on Vince Young and Reggie Bush....nor it is his fault that Domanick Davis missed the entire season.  The one strike against Kubiak is that he was a QB coach and David Carr didn't show that he's the answer for Houston. 

17-MIKE MCCARTHY, Packers.  Hey, this lousy team finished 8-8 and were just barely out of the playoffs. 

18-SCOTT LINEHAN, Rams.  Linehan figured out how to use Steven Jackson correctly and pulled the Rams away from their gunning tendicies.  Once he gets the defense in check, this team could be on it's way to contending for the NFC West. 

19-MIKE NOLAN, Niners.  His team improved mightily this year and it's just a matter of time before Nolan gets his due. 

20-HERM EDWARDS, Chiefs.  Stop me if you heard this one before.  A Herm Edwards' coached team was nip and tuck all year long and barely snuck into the playoffs.  Heard that one, eh?

21-JOHN FOX, Panthers.  He hasn't gotten the kind of heat you would think.  This was a Super Bowl caliber team that failed to make the playoffs.  Usually that means you get a talking to from the owner.  Fox, however, has bought time with his 2004 NFC Championship and 2006 NFC title game appearance. 

22-TONY DUNGY, Colts.  He's not under any direst....but another Colts postseason flake-out and the microscope will be on him more.  He built up Tampa but couldn't seal the deal.  Maybe someone will feel the same thing about him in Indy. 

23-MARVIN LEWIS, Bengals.  They aren't firing him just yet....but he may have his leash shortened a bit.  If this was any other team, another 8-8 season [his third in four years] and no playoff wins with all that talent would mean the seat would be blazing.  Also, add in the fact that the Bengals were the joke of the football world with all their arrests and off the field antics.  However, these are the Bengals...and as long as fans are coming back to the stadium and buying merchandise...no change will be made. 

24-MIKE HOLMGREN, Seahawks.  It's been a bit of a disappointing season in the Pacific Northwest...but it isn't Holmgren's fault that Steve Hutchinson walked and the injuries of Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck. 

25-BRIAN BILLICK, Ravens.  Billick needed a good season to keep his job...and he gave Baltimore the 2nd best record in the AFC.  The team flourished once he took over the play calling duties on offense. 

26-JEFF FISHER, Titans.  His seat was unfairly hot early in the season.  For some reason, people felt that it was just time for him and the team to part.  But Fisher showed why he's the man.  After going 0-5, the Titans won 8 of their next 10 games and were as well coached a team as any in the league.  They are building something nice in Nashville. 

27-MARTY SCHOTTENHEIMER, Chargers.  Marty Ball took on some new gadgets this season.  The transition to Philip Rivers went fairly well and his offense maximized LaDainian Tomlinson.  You're job is pretty secure when he registered the best record in the NFL. 

28-ERIC MANGINI, Jets.  He's one of the favorites for coach of the year.  Everything that Herm Edwards tried to get out of this bunch, Mangini did. 

29-SEAN PAYTON, Saints.  Most likely the coach of the year winner.  He added in Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and Marques Colston to a bad offense and made them one of the NFL's best.  He also helped transition this team back to New Orleans with class. 

30-ANDY REID, Eagles.  The much maligned Reid just did his magic again....pulling out another NFC East title.  This one was the most impressive since it was so hard fought and [mostly] without Donovan McNabb. 

31-LOVIE SMITH, Bears.  If you ask people about the Bears, you'd swear they were a 5-11 team that slushed thru another season.  But these Bears are the top seed in the NFC and Smith keeps his team trucking along with a great defense and great special teams. 

32-BILL BELICHICK, Patriots.  Dude has won three Super Bowls and now four straight AFC East titles.  He helms the only team that could go un-noticed at 12-4.  Yeah, he's going out on his own.

 

 

Again....Why DON'T We Have a Playoff??

I just don't understand how a playoff won't work in college football.  It NEEDS to work.

I just watched Boise State beat Oklahoma in one of the most ballsy and unbelievable finishes to a football game.  Boise led all game long until Oklahoma tied the game with less than 2:00 remaining at 28-28 with a TD and a two-point conversion.  Right after that, Boise throws a pass that gets picked off and returned for a TD.

From there, Boise has a 4th-and-18 near midfield and uses the hook and ladder play to score an unprobably touchdown with :07 left.  In overtime, Oklahoma scores quickly....then Boise scores.  Except, the Broncos don't go for the extra point....they go for two and the win.  They play?  The Statue of Liberty play where the QB fakes a pass, keeps the ball behind him, and the running back takes it from him and runs it in for the win.  Amazing.

Amazing.

Amazing.

How great could a Boise-Ohio State game be??  I mean, these are the only two undefeated teams remaining. 

The NCAA helms the basketball tournament and knows what kind of intensity and drama that creates: why can't they see it in a football playoff?

We saw Michigan, who whined that they were robbed of a chance to get a rematch with Ohio State, get mauled by USC in the Rose Bowl.  The same USC team that was beaten by UCLA the last time they took the field.  Anything can happen. 

Imagine the celebration of advancing in the playoff than just winning a trophy to a game that isn't a championship. 

We need this people!!!

Sportz Assassin's Predictions For 2007

                                                  

If you've read my blog over the past three years....you know that I have no problems making predictions.  I also have no delusions of grandure that I'll be right all [or even most] of the time. 

So, in honor of that....I'm going to do my best to predict the sporting world of 2007.

-Ohio State beats Florida in the BCS Championship game.  It will be closer than many people feel....but Ohio State will have the Gators at arms distance all game long.  Buckeyes 27-16.

-Super Bowl XLI:  New Orleans Saints v San Diego Chargers.  Why not?  There are some fantastic storylines with Drew Brees facing his former mates; Reggie Bush going up against his hometown Chargers; the old school Marty Schottenheimer against the newbie Sean Peyton.  Should be a great game....that the Saints win, 27-21.

-The Cinderellas of this year's NCAA tournament will be Butler and Western Kentucky.  Butler seems to be a no-brainer....but WKU will make a little run, too.

-March Madness will end with North Carolina beating Ohio State for the title.  Hey, I gotta dream. 

-Buffalo beats Nashville in the Stanley Cup Finals.  I guess.

-The NBA Finals will see the Spurs beat the Pistons in 6 games.  The Spurs "dynasty" takes a season or two off before winning again.

-The Atlantic Division champion in the NBA will be 38-44.

-The National League will win the All Star Game.

-An American will not win the Tour de France this year.

-When Barry Bonds hits home run #756....there will be quite a scene at AT&T Park in San Francisco.  But there will not be day of rememberance from Major League Baseball or no major ceremonies unless the Giants arrange them. 

-The World Series will have a different winner for the 8th straight year.  This year, it will be....let's see....the Twins over the Mets.  Why not?

-Tiger Woods wins two of the majors this year.

-This year's Nextel Cup Champion will be Tony Stewart.

-AOL will give the Mottrams and crew another internet radio show to helm....giving us bloggers a voice again.

 

Broncos' Darrent Williams Shot and Killed

                                           

 

DenverPost.com - Broncos' Darrent Williams gunned down in limo

By Bill Williamson
Denver Post Staff Writer

Article Last Updated: 01/01/2007 05:36:46 AM MST

Broncos right cornerback Darrent Williams was shot and killed this morning after leaving a nightclub near 11th and Grant in a limousine. The team confirmed the death of Williams.

A female passenger also was shot, according to a source familiar with Williams.

Williams was 24.

"I learned from the Denver Police Deprtment that this incident has occured," Williams' agent, Jeff Griffin said early Monday morning. "No other details have been released. I sincerely offer my condolences and feelings to his family."

Williams was the Broncos' starting right cornerback and played his final game for the team in a 26-23 overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers that eliminated Denver from the playoffs on New Year's Eve.

Goodbye NFL Season

This just goes to show you how wild the NFL season can be. 

Did you have the Chargers, Ravens, Bears and Saints as the teams with first round byes in the playoffs??

This weekend is the wildcard round of the playoffs.  Hosting those games will be the Colts, Patriots, Eagles and Seahawks.  Three of those teams have played in the last two Super Bowls.  The other, the Colts, have had one of the NFL's top records in that time frame. 

Amazing. 

Here are some Sportz Awards to end the NFL season:

SPORTZ MVP [AFC]:  LaDainian Tomlinson, Chargers.  When you score more points than anyone ever has in the history of the league....you are kind of valuable. 

SPORTZ MVP [NFC]:  Drew Brees, Saints.  Not only did Brees have a great year personally....but his performance helped build up a team that helped heal a city.  There are so many things you can point to about Brees' 2006.  The mere fact that he signed in New Orleans was epic, since it showed the city and the league that free agents weren't scared at all to head to the Katrina-ravaged city.  But his performance on the field that had a team who was the #2 pick in the draft last year into the NFC's #2 seed.  Amazing. 

SPORTZ ROOKIE OF THE YEAR [AFC]:  Vince Young, Titans.  What scares me is that Young is going to improve his passing skills which will further his running abilities to unfair levels.  Or that he will do a Michael Vick and stall out.  With Jeff Fisher around, I don't see that happening.  What Young has is the ability to lead his team to victory...and when teammates believe they can win any game at any time....they'll always bust their rump for you.

SPORTZ ROOKIE OF THE YEAR [NFC]:  Reggie Bush, Saints.  I know it isn't the 1,800 yd/20 TD season everyone predicted.  But he fit in nicely with the Saints and had a great season nonetheless.  He didn't have to be the workhorse back this year with Deuce McAllister still around.  Bush worked out of the backfield, was split out as a receiver and received some kicks.  As the season went along, he grew more confident and stronger in his game. 

SPORTZ SURPRISE OF THE YEAR [AFC]:  New York Jets.  The AFC was full of pleasant surprises.  I could easily put the Titans up here....or the Ravens.  But I killed the Jets before the season began and now they are a playoff team.  Unreal!

SPORTZ SURPRISE OF THE YEAR [NFC]:  New Orleans Saints.  Just read about my glowing praises of Bush, Brees and Peyton.

SPORTZ MOST DISAPPOINTING TEAM [AFC]:  Cincinnati Bengals.  This team was supposed to take the next step to a Super Bowl.  Starting off 3-0, it was all but a lock that the Bengals would be in the playoffs....especially with the Steelers struggling.  But this team has showed too many character flaws.  Their off-field problems mixed with some ego trippin' and bad luck killed them off.  Still, at 8-5, all the Bengals had to do was win once and they were in the playoffs.  They laid an egg in Indy, botched a game-tying extra point in Denver, and missed a playoff-sending/game-winning chip shot field goal against Pittsburgh. 

SPORTZ MOST DISAPPOINTING TEAM [NFC]:  Carolina Panthers.  The Panthers were the trendy pick to win the Super Bowl this year....and they didn't even get to the playoffs.  It makes no sense.  In a year where the NFC was down, the Panthers just couldn't put anything together.  They struggled running the football, which is the base of their offense.  From there, the passing game was sketchy, with Jake Delhomme very erratic and Steve Smith fighting injuries and the flu during the season.  They were exposed defensively and were just plain outplayed. 

SPORTZ COACH OF THE YEAR [AFC]:  Eric Mangini, Jets.  I had the Jets as the worst team in the NFL in my preseason preview.  Oops.  Mangini managed to work his team into the playoffs despite having to use a mediocre stable of backs.  Sure, the schedule was light, but this team wasn't supposed to be anywhere near the postseason.  And his beef with Bill Belichick is awesome. 

SPORTZ COACH OF THE YEAR [NFC]:  Sean Payton, Saints.  Peyton tooka new QB, a new star RB and a bevy of no-name receivers and created one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL.  He also managed to run this team despite the unknown of the Saints return to New Orleans after a season of being in limbo. 

SPORTZ UN-COACH OF THE YEAR [AFC]:  Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati.  Sorry, but Lewis is overrated to me.  Yeah, he's a good coach....but he lost this team this year.  In his 4th season with the Bengals, he finished with his 3rd 8-8 season.  And while this is the rebirth of the Bengals franchise, the talent on this team should have a better record.  Two things point me into picking him for this:  First was his ostrich style handling of the off-field issues with the team.  Bengals kept getting arrested and Marvin just let things go on.  Now, players screwing up is their own problem....but the coaching staff needs to send a message that they aren't putting up with distractions.  It even got to the point where players were complaining about the direction of the team.  Was it addressed??  And, two, Lewis' media face didn't cut it.  When things are bad, Lewis just smiles and says "we just got to work harder."  Well, if working harder is all it takes to win football games, then everyone would be 16-0, eh?  They players get a ton of blame here...but the guy running the show has to put his foot down sometimes. 

SPORTZ UN-COACH OF THE YEAR [NFC]:  Jim Mora, Falcons.  Sorry, but going ga-ga for a college job that isn't even available while you are in an NFL playoff chase is stupid.  Mora just doesn't seem to know how to run his team.  He tried his best to try to get Michael Vick to fit into his offense....and then flipped it up this year to try to fit the offense around Vick.  Neither seemed to work...all the time.  Now Mora may be looking for a new job out of necessity.

TREND OF THE YEAR:  New quarterbacks.  It's amazing how the QB position has had so much changeover this year.  Drew Brees, Steve McNair, Philip Rivers, Jon Kitna took over starting roles for teams this year.  For a myriad of reasons....Vince Young replaced Kerry Collins in Tennessee; Joey Harrington replaced Daunte Culpepper in Miami; David Garrard replaced Byron Leftwich in Jacksonville; Jay Cutler replaced Jake Plummer in Denver; Jeff Garcia replaced Donovan McNabb in Philly; Tony Romo replaced Drew Bledsoe in Dallas; Jason Campbell replaced Mark Brunell in Washingon;  Matt Leinart replaced Kurt Warner in Arizona; and Tim Rattay replaced Bruce Gradkowski who replaced Chris Simms in Tampa; Damon Huard played a big chunk of the season for Trent Green...as did Senecca Wallace for Matt Hasselbeck  And look for a flood of quarterbacks to enter in the picture in '07..