Call it a Hunch...

...but I think the Huskies have a chance tonight. In fact, I am going to go out on a limb and predict a Holiday Bowl win.

My reasons are simple:

• Momentum. The Huskies have some after three straight wins to become bowl eligible. Sure there has been roughly 3 weeks since they played their last game, but I think something like this can certainly carry over.
• Health. Jake has had 3 weeks to fully recover from the rig injuries that side tracked him late in the year. Meanwhile, Taylor Martinez is a little banged up and whispers out of Lincoln say that he is not getting along with head coach Bo Pelini. In the Big 12 championship game, he threw 1 INT, was sacked 7 times and fumbled 3 times.
• Hunger. The Huskies are clearly the hungrier team of the two. I think this will be a classic let-down game for Nebraska. Had they beaten longtime rival Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game, they would be playing in the Fiesta Bowl. However, with the loss they were passed on by two bowls (Alamo and Insight) and had to settle for the Holiday bowl which gets the 5th pick of Big 12 teams. Some suggest it is punishment for leaving the conference. I don't care what you call it, I call it a letdown. No such thing for the Huskies who are excited to be in San Diego.
• Pride. Being a Husky football fan has been painful the past 5 years. A win in the Holiday Bowl won't erase those memories, but it will help lay the foundation for the future. Look, you can say what you want about the BCS and the bowl system, but what you can't say is that there is no appeal to the lower bowls. To teams that finish the season with 6-8 wins, bowl games are their BCS title game. This is important not only to the psyche of those involved, but to the Husky fans and future Husky recruits. If we can come out and beat Nebraska it will have huge ripple effects in the future. And of course, the Seniors can go out with their first and only bowl win.
• Finally, Hope. I'm a Mets fan. Our motto has always been "Ya Gotta Believe". When you go against a bully that has already beaten ya down (ok, really it was classified as an ass-whooping), sometimes you just gotta believe that you can get the win.

Bow Down.

Tebow is Growing on Me

I have never been a Tim Tebow fan. Being a University of Georgia football fan, he has tortured me for years. Sure he didn't do much in either game against the Dawgs in 2006 or 2007, but 55 total TD's led him to the Heisman in 2007 as a Sophomore. Every where you turned, he was constantly in the headlines, but not for the normal reasons that surround college athletes. No, Tim Tebow in fact was perfect in every way. We learned that prior to college he spent three summers volunteering in the Philippines with his dad's orphanage. We learned that he was a virgin. We learned that he single-handedly could cure disease in those that were sick.

In 2008 he finished 3rd in the Heisman but led the 7th ranked Gators to a 49-10 rout over the 8th ranked Dawgs. Then in 2009 the Gators piled it on the Dawgs again, winning 41-17 on way to a 13-1 season. In the two games, he would complete 25 of 34 passes for 318 yards and 4TD's and he would run for 124 yards and 5TD's. Let me do the math for you-that's 9 TD's in two games. And if that wasn't enough, we learned that he actually spent his spring break traveling to the Philippines again. And when the Gators got stomped in the SEC Championship, we saw him break down in tears. No, Tim Tebow was not a robot, he was a perfect human.

I for one was so happy to have him gone. Call me jealous. Call me bitter, but I just couldn't stand the guy. He may be every father's dream for their daughter, but my daughter is still in diapers. And I am still young enough to remember people like this from college. We all know a person that is without fault. Everything they touch turns to gold. You either love them or you hate them. For some reason I am the latter.

So when scouts ripped him for not having the necessary tools for the NFL I was feeling pretty good about myself. Something about his failure made the world seem right. But then something happened. When he was down, he continued to work hard. He continued to say the right things. He started to change how I felt about him (cue Rocky IV speech). Maybe it was that I wanted him to taste defeat. Maybe I wanted to see how he responded to difficult situations. I'm not sure what it is, but for some reason I find myself pulling for Tebow to succeed in the NFL. How could someone called the 'Greatest College Football QB of All-Time' be an underdog in the NFL? How could no one believe in him? How come we are surprised that he has been successful in his first two NFL starts? It seems crazy but he has turned around how I think of him. It's crazier than how I am openly rooting for Michael Vick (well, that is easier -he is on my fantasy football team).

What is happening to me? First LeBron and the Heat. Then Michael Vick. Now Tim Tebow. I wish my head would stop playing tricks on me.

LeBron is Right

So LeBron is directly trying to test my faith in him. I have defended him, not for how he handled leaving Cleveland but for the decision itself. I have enjoyed being one of the few non-Miami residents to be openly rooting for him. I have enjoyed his increasing comfort with being a villain. So with the latest news that LeBron suggested the NBA contract teams like Minnesota and New Jersey, one would think that I finally was pushed over the edge. I mean, this is my Nets he is talking about. After all the defending of LeBron I have done, this is finally the straw to break the camels back, right?

Well, guess again. I'm here to say that I happen to agree with LeBron in principle. Yeah, I think the NBA should contract just like I think MLB and the NHL (the latter which I don't even want to get started on as there are at least 10 teams that need to be contracted/relocated). In their quest to expand the game and bring in more revenue from different parts of the country all three leagues have watered down their product. Everyone is pissed at the Heat for acquiring all that talent, but if you think about it, the Lakers and Celtics of the 80's were just, if not more, talented than this bunch. The difference was that they didn't buy their teams through free agency, which somehow made it acceptable. The league was smaller, the teams were more stacked and the quality of play was through the roof. I know that the league currently in the first few years of another golden age, but imagine if their was more talent on each team? It would be spectacular.

The only problem is that LeBron was stupid in who he attacked. The NBA shouldn't get rid of the Nets. The have a long and storied history - Dr J, Drazen Petrovic, Jason Kidd and um...a lot of terrible years. Actually, it doesn't matter how many bad years they had, they still have a history (1976 ABA Champions!). If the NBA is going to get rid of teams, they should get rid of teams like Toronto, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Charlotte, New Orleans, and hell, maybe even Orlando and Minnesota.

I know, I know. This seems a little hypocritical coming from a guy who was slightly mad when the Sonics left Seattle, but Seattle had history and could support the team. The move to OKC actually angered fan bases from around the country. You're telling me anyone outside of the home cities would be mad if Memphis and Toronto were suddenly erased from the NBA landscape, thus effectively burying the stupid 1995 expansion decision? Not a chance. It sounds cold-hearted to suggest that fans from these amazing cities lose their NBA teams, but they shouldn't have teams in the first place. Think of it another way - there are thousands of cities in this great land of ours that have never had an NBA team. These cities should be blessed to have had one for as many years as they did.

LeBron, you continue being the man. It is going to take a lot more than this to make me mad at you.

Go Away Seahawks

I know that most of my readers are Seahawks' fans so you probably won't like what I have to say, but I just with the Seahawks would go away. I'm not talking about moving, I'm simply saying, please stop playing football this year. Please don't make the nation endure another week of you. Please don't make a mockery of this league by hosting a first round playoff game. Just stop.

I'm not here to complain about how a more deserving team - two of them in fact - with shots of 10 wins may stay home. The NFL rules are what they are. We have divisions to allow for regional rivalries. With this set-up you must ensure that the best team gets a place in the playoffs. Otherwise why not just rank the teams in each conference 1-16 and award playoff spots to the top 6? So yeah, I'm not going to complain about the putrid NFC West getting playoff spot.

What I am complaining about is the possibility that the Seahawks could get that spot. Let's look at some stats objectively.

• The Seahawks are tied for the 29th toughest schedule in the NFL.
  
• They are 6-9 and have been outscored by 106 points. In fact only 3 teams have given up more points on the season than the Seahawks.
• They have beaten only two teams with winning records - San Diego and Chicago.
  
• Their leading rushed has less than 500 yards on the season.
  
• Their leading receiver has less than 800 yards on the season.
  
• Their backup QB Charlie Whitehurst is starting at QB this week because their longtime starter hurt himself running into the endzone last week.

Now I know that St Louis isn't exactly blowing the league away, but if they win this week they will at least finish with an 8-8 record. With the 30th ranked schedule in the league they will have been outscored by no more than 25 points on the season. What makes them more appealing is that they have a rookie QB with huge upside and an above average back. They also have some talent sprinkled along the line and the defense. In short, they actually have talent.

I have no idea how the ChickenHawks (my dad's name for them, not mine and he actually LOVES the team for some reason now) have a shot at the playoffs. I think they are putrid and should be staying home. Sure Pete Carroll may have brought some energy back to the playoffs, but the best move for them would be to miss the playoffs, improve their draft position and not be fooled by unrealistic assessments of how good they are. They still have a ways to go. Both the front office and the fans need to realize this.

Holy crap the Devils are awful...

...but all storm clouds can hide a sliver lining. Allow me to bore you for a while.

I think that I'm not too surprised at the Devils’ abysmal performance this season, largely due to their recent playoff failures. They are the damned weiner devils, so what can I really expect? As a Devils fan, actually, I’ve come to expect a certain degree of success, and for that it is both fortunate and unfortunate. Everything short of raising the Stanley Cup is a failure, but at least I root for a team that has all the pieces to make a strong run for it EVERY year. Of course they crap out by mid-April and the whole thing reverts very quickly to failure, but still… I don’t feel like researching it now, but Parise was the highest draft pick of theirs that I can remember at 17 (2003 – who was a steal and in hindsight would have gone top 3) since becoming a fan of the team in high school. Success runs deep in this organization. I’ve been to 2 parking lot celebrations and know where I was for 2 Cup-clinching goals in the 13 or so years I’ve been a fan. Many people can’t say that.

The team has been a mess since April (early playoff exit, Lemaire "resigning," after the team quit on him, the whole Kovalchuk saga, playing shorthanded earlier in the season due to capfuckupery) so it's not hard to see the mess that things are now. I didn't expect things to be this bad, though.

And it’s also important to understand now that while we’re bad, currently as bad as the Islanders (whom we battle tonight on the NHL Game of the Weak), we’re not really as bad as the Islanders. I tried to stay positive about this season, but that just ain’t happening anymore. This season is done. D-U-N done. The team, as currently constructed, sucks. But while the Islanders, like the Royals in baseball or the Clippers in basketball, are in a constant scheme of rebuilding, the Devils are not. This debacle of a season is what they need to get back on track (he says with his fingers crossed).

I was at the Devils’ game vs. the Predators of Nashville last week and the one word that I can use to describe the team is Uninspired. The only player on the ice that night that seemed to give a crap was Matthias Tedenby (the real Matty Ice). This team has clearly given up on the season. And I can’t say it’s a bad thing.

Let’s start with the obvious: we have the potential right now to wind up with a top 5 draft pick, which would get us one of 2 things: a stud center to play with Kovy or, [fingers crossed for] one of the 2 seemingly awesome puck-moving defensemen currently ranked in the top 6 by the scouting people. I don’t think you have franchise-changing talent in this draft. No Crosby or Ovechkin or Miller. But they don’t need that. They have Parise and Kovy, and to a far lesser extent, Adam Mair. What more could you ask for than those 3?

So let’s say they get that Swedish defenseman Larsson. In 3 years the team should have Parise, Zajac, Kovalchuk, Tedenby, Josefson, Larsson, Urbom, Volchenkov (I don’t understand why he’s so great, but his contract probably ensures he stays with the Devs for a time), Taormina and some others (like Adam Henrique who was tearing it up in the OHL, possibly due to centering Taylor Hall, but nonetheless).

I’m worried about the goaltending situation. Not that Brodeur will have retired, rather that he will still be here. His is the face of our franchise and I will always support him because he is the greatest goalie of all time. All I’m saying is that you don’t need to build around a stud goalie to find success anymore and if it were his decision to hang up his skates, then I would support that as well. You can build an awesome team from a good goaltender (I really like Cam Ward and Pekka Rinne - neither great but both really good. Rinne would also be cheaper than Brodeur by at least 1.5 million).

Side note, I know a Rangers fan that thinks the same way about Queen Henrik; he thinks they should have traded him 2 years ago rather than being stuck with his ridiculous cap hit (7 million) because they’re just not contenders with that on the roster. In fact, they’re good enough to play themselves out of a high draft pick, which is my biggest concern for the Devils. I would absolutely support them tanking the rest of the season (except against the phags and homos) for that pick. This isn’t about rebuilding, it’s about a brief restructuring.

They will trade Langenbrunner in a month or 2 (he’s worth a 2nd round pick to a younger team lacking a veteran leader – St. Louis? Colorado? LA?). While I would like to keep Clarkson, he would fetch a 2nd rounder. Maybe they can convince someone to take Salvador (not nearly as bad a player or cap hit as everyone else seems to think but could possibly garner a 3rd rounder) or Zubrus (worse of a player and cap hit as everyone else seems to think and isn’t worth a tray of sandwiches for the locker room). They will recoup some picks this way. I really think that Rolston will get picked up on re-entry waivers and half his hit will go away (I just hope Lemaire doesn’t block that from happening due to his man-crush on Brian). Cap space will exist to resign Parise. We will jettison some older players/contracts. And most importantly, and completely forgotten in all of this, is that we will regain some measure of health. A lot of young guys have made nhl debuts this season because of injuries.

So again, we’re not the Isles. There is a lot of room for hope and this kind of disaster could be just what the franchise needs to get really good for another 15 years. Again.

A few final thoughts:

I hate Henrik Tallinder. As in I get angry every time I see him on the ice. He’s just terrible. I thought he was good with Buffalo and my only concern in signing him was injuries, but after watching him… wow he’s just fucking bad. That said, I still don't miss Paul Martin. I still think he should have been traded for Kovalchuk instead of Oduya. Loved that guy.

Now that Bill Guerin is officially retired, I’m not sure which I’m more worried about: LL drawing him out of retirement with a 3 year/$11 million contract or using him as John Maclean’s replacement behind the bench. Wait, they rehired a coach that the team gave up on as recently as April (lemaire)? Ok, well I guess now I only have to worry about Guerin returning to play.

Ok, time to go home and enjoy the Game of the Weak tonight. Philly can blow me. That is all.

Top 10 Moments of 2010

With the holidays knocking on our door and our personal PC on the frits, I'm not sure how much I will be posting over the next week. If possible, I definitely want to talk about the firing of Devils Coach John MacLean and the rumors coming out of Columbus. If not possible, I did want to at the very least provide a list of my top 10 sports moments of the year.

1. Landon Donovan's Goal vs Algeria. Most of you know how this went down. Tied 0-0 late in the game with Algeria in the final game of the Group Stage, Tim Howard makes a save, throws the ball 35 yards to a running Landon Donovan. To Altidore. To Dempsey. Shot. Save. Rebound. Donovannnnn GOOOAL. I can honestly say I haven't yelled that much at a sporting event on tv in years. Postgame, I was thrilled to see so many Americans who up to that point hated soccer be proud of what the Nats did. Now hopefully that can translate to an uptick in the sports popularity here in the states.
2. Sounders Win US Open Cup. This obviously doesn't have the mainstream appeal as some of the other on the list, but this was definitely a special night for me. It's not often that you have the opportunity to watch your team win a championship at home. The crowd was as electric as I have ever seen it and we went bonker-shit when Nyassi scored his two goals.
3. US-Canada Ice Hockey Gold Medal game. Some may question this being so high since the US didn't win, but no hockey fan can argue that it wasn't the best way for it to end. I mean, Canada is hockey. Hockey is Canada. The US beating Canada in hockey in Vancouver would have been like Argentina beating the US in basketball in Atlanta. The best thing about the final, besides my boy Parise's goal with 24 seconds left in regulation, was the week leading up to it, where the country once again realized how cool a sport ice hockey is. As with the World Cup though, it remains to be seen if the excitement remains.
   
4. Duke-Butler NCAA Final. I try not to buy into hyperbole, but we were two inches away from the most amazing college basketball moment in history. It was David vs Goliath as Duke faced tiny Butler in Indianapolis. Down two with 1.4 seconds left, Gordon Hayword threw up a prayer of a shot for a win and the title. It may have missed, but damn was it exciting.
   
5. Clint Dempsey's Goal vs England. The opening game of the 2010 World Cup started off horribly when Steven Gerrard put England ahead in the 4th minute. I honestly thought there was no way we could come back. Then in the blink of an eye, England keeper Robert Green let us back into the game. Sure the goal was ultra-lucky, but sometimes teams need to create their own luck. This was the first in a long line of up and down moments for the US team in South Africa. It felt really good.
6. Clint Dempsey's Goal vs Juventus. Some say it was luck. Clint says he meant to do it. Whatever the real story, this is the biggest (and prettiest??) goal an American-born player has ever scored in Europe. The goal capped Fulham's incredible comeback from down 2-0 in aggregate in their Europa League Semi-final, but in the grand scheme of things, the Europa League isn't quite the World Cup. Thus the reason for being one spot down.
   
7. Armando Gallaraga. Most of you know this story by now. Tigers Pitcher Armando Galarraga was denied a perfect game when 1st Base Umpire Jim Joyce blew a seemingly easy call. There was a lot of public outrage over a simple mistake and it definitely was one of the lower points of the season. For me though, the lasting image was the sportsmanship displayed by Galarraga and the sorrow expressed by Joyce. They helped us realize that we are all imperfect creatures and that we can bitch when we are wronged, or we can forgive and move on. Definitely a rare moment of sportsmanship in professional sports.
8. Mets Dominate Marlins on Opening Day. The Mets always win on opening day. In doing so, they always get our hopes up. 2010 was no different as Johan Santana went 6 strong, K-Rod got the save and David Wright erased all fears that he had lost his power with a first inning HR. It sadly was one of the few highlights of an otherwise forgettable year.
   
9. UW beats USC Again. Hopes were high for UW football in 2010. After improving their win total by 5 games in 2009, the Huskies received great news when Heisman candidate Jake Locker decided to come back for another year. However, the season got off to a rough start thanks to a 1-2 record, which included a HUGE 56-21 loss to Nebraska. A trip to LA to take on a pissed off USC team surely was not what the doctor ordered. And yet somehow the Dawgs pulled off another amazing upset, once again setting up high expectations for the remainder of the season.
10. Ok, I could only come up with 9 definite ones. There may be something I am missing (please let me know if there is), but for now here are the other possible candidates: Luis Suarez handball vs Ghana, South Africa's first WC Goal vs Mexico, UW Hoops beating Marquette, Stephen Strasburg's debut, Devils trading for Ilya Kovalchuk, Northampton Town FC beating Liverpool.

Housewives of the Nets

By now, some of you may have heard about the impressive list of WAG's (Wives And Girlfriends) that the Nets are assembling. Their is the first lady of Nets bball, Beyonce who is married to part-owner Jay-Z. Then, in trading Terrence Williams for Sasha Vujacic, the Nets acquired his girlfriend Maria Sharapova (a JerseySounder favorite who is definitely dating below her standards). And of course there is the news of Kim Kardashian (a huge JerseySounder favorite) dating Kris Humphries.

Look, this team is 9-20, but damn do they have an impressive arsenal of off-the-court talent. These three fine ladies are reason enough to buy season tickets. And if you can't afford season tickets, they definitely would be worth watching on tv (Oxygen, Bravo, Fox??) Of course, to make it a smash hit, I think we need one more piece. While I'm sure Beyonce, Maria and Kim are divas in their own right, they need a touch of crazy. Enter LaLa Vasquez, wife of Carmelo Anthony. She would be the final piece of what would become entertaining tv. Billy King, I'm not convinced that Carmelo would make us a contender, but at the very least, adding LaLa would make us tabloid fodder for a long time. And hey, as I'm sure Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov will tell you, that is never a bad thing.

An MLS Christmas Present

We are 4 days away from Christmas and low and behold, MLS actually got it's fan a gift - they announced the 2011 home openers for each club. For the third year in a row the MLS season will start in Seattle as the Sounders host the LA Galaxy on Tuesday March 15. That means I can officially start counting down the days til I see the boys in rave and blue on the pitch once again - 84 days to be exact.

It makes sense to me that MLS is using this game as it's showpiece. No offense to Colorado and FC Dallas but the 2010 MLS Cup wasn't really what the network had in mind. In having LA play at Seattle, you have the two most famous soccer players currently playing in the US - Landon Donovan and David Beckham - facing off against the most talked about team. It will be an electric night and one that MLS hopes will draw casual fans.

The one weird thing is that the game will be on a Tuesday night. Now I fully understand the reason behind this was to avoid going against the NCAA Tournament, but I wonder how a prime-time Tuesday night slot is going to work. It could be great or it could be a disaster. But at the very least it shows that MLS is finally getting it - that entire week in March is chock full of sports and trying to go head-to-head with many of them is a losing proposition. I know that the 'First Four' bball games will be going on, but honestly, who wants to watch two 16 seeds play (besides Bucknell who the entire country MUST watch)?

So yeah, thanks MLS for this nice surprise. It has given me the opportunity to write some Sounders related stuff again. While I'm on it, after LA on Tuesday we then turn around and play at Red Bull Arena on Saturday. Talk about being bent over in the first week. Avoiding an 0-2 mark will be really difficult but really crucial. I hope we can get it done.

Here is a complete list of home openers including those of the hated Timbers and Whitecaps.

Poor Steve Nash

Over the course of 24 hours the Orlando Magic ripped apart their team and sewed it back together with new parts. First came word of the Magic's trade with Phoenix: out were Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat and Mikael Petrius. In were Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Earl Clark. Then came word of a deal sending Rashard Lewis to Washington for Gilbert Arenas. Both trades were bold and unlike most trades in the NBA, actually will have huge effects on all parties involved.

First, let's start with Orlando. In getting rid of Vince Carter, who remains my most hated basketball player, they instantly got better. With Vince it's always addition by subtraction (and yes I know the trade with the Nets for Courtney Lee, Tony Battie and Rafer Alston was very responsible for their 12-70 season) so of course I loved the deal. We all know what Jason Richardson will bring but the wild card is Hedo Turkoglu. If he can be rejuvenated playing with Dwight Howard (Hedo hasn't been the same since he left the Magic) again then this suddenly becomes a very potent offense. Adding Arenas should then will turn a potent offense into a ridiculously scary offense. The problem will remain their defense - I'm not sure they improved their chances at beating Boston or Miami in the playoffs, but at the very least GM Otis Smith gave them more weapons in which to attack. You have to appreciate these moves even if you (like me) don't think Gilbert Arenas can be trusted.

As for Washington, I'm not sure in a basketball sense this deal does anything, as Rashard Lewis has been a zombie since leaving the Sonics, but it wasn't about the on-court product. No, this trade was all about getting rid of Gilbert Arenas, his HUGE contract and his off the court distractions. It may be that Gilbert is misunderstood. It may be that he has turned a corner. It may be that he is a good teammate. They all may be true. The problem is that his legacy in Washington will always be about the gun incident and his silly contract. He needed a new opportunity to turn things around. Washington needed the opportunity to move on without him and make John Wall the unrivaled leader of the team. All the needed was someone to take on his contract and they found a partner in Orlando who had an equally terrible contract. It was a match made in heaven.

Finally, let's talk about the Phoenix Suns. This is a team that is now just so disapponting to me. The Suns were the reason I started watching the NBA again. The 2004-05 Suns, led by Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Shawn Marion, Quentin Richardson and Leandro Barbosa, scored a league high 110.4 points a game and were amazing to watch. Over the years, the pieces have changed, but the result was always the same -up tempo, creative basketball. Then when it came time to re-sign Amare, they decided to go another direction and import Hakim Warrick and Josh Childress to replace him. It has been a disaster as the Suns have limped out to a 12-13 record. Many critics have talked about them getting ready to rebuild and this is the first sign of what is about to happen. After this trade, there is no doubt in my mind that Steve Nash will be traded. I mean, why would you take on Vince Carter when in Jason Richardson you have a more skilled, less baggage version of him? Why would you become more of a front court dominated team when you have Steve Nash leading fast breaks? To me it's all about Vince's expiring contract and the desire to change the image of the team. Nash is the face of the franchise, but he is 36 years old. While he won't kill the management in the press you know he would love to go to NY and play with Amare and for D'Antoni again.

I don't know when Nash will leave town, but I do know this - I feel soooo sorry for him. Even a half season of Vince Carter is enough to drain out all the energy from one's body and one's team. This is the start of some terrible years in Phoenix. Poor Steve Nash.

Friday Night Five Pack

It's Friday night and I got a five pack of thoughts to pound. So let's get to it.

• 2010 has to go down as my worst sports year since 1993. The Nets finished up a 12-70 campaign and are now 7-20. The Devils got bounced in the first round of the playoffs again and now sit in second to last place in the East. UW and Georgia football were down. Bucknell hoops lost to Holy Crap in the 1st round of the PL tournament. The only shining lights were Sounders soccer and Husky hoops. Here's hoping that things turn around. UPDATE: And somehow I forgot about the Mets and their suck-ass season.
• It looks like we may have seen the last of Yao Ming on an NBA court as it was determined that he will miss the rest of the year with a stress fracture in his ankle. This injury is good for no one - not the Rockets, not Yao and not the NBA. He was responsible to turning more people on to the NBA than any other player and he served as an unofficial ambassador of his home country. At 7'7 he never had the odds in his corner. Men that big have never had long careers in the NBA because their bodies just break down. We don't know when it will happen or what will be the cause, but it always happens. With a skill set like none other, he will be missed.
• Well, LeBron did it again. Tonight in front of a packed house at MSG (that included my boys 'Buns and Gorman), LeBron silenced the crowd in the 3rd quarter with 14 points on his way to another triple double. The game was tied at halftime and the crowd was going apeshit. Surely the NYC fans could help propel the Knicks to a win...or maybe not. LeBron was an assassin again. He was unguardable again. He led the Heat on one of their patented runs, outscoring the Knicks 33-17 in the third. I am really liking this.
• College Bowl Week season starts Saturday. I can honestly say that it is my favorite week of the year. Yes the first four days of the NCAA bball tournament are great, but there is a 3 day break in between the 2nd and 3rd round. During college bowl week we are without a game on only 2 days between Dec 22 and Jan 4. If it was mid-November there would be 0% chance that I would watch a game between Northern Illinois and Fresno St, but during bowl week, I'll watch the whole thing if given the opportunity. I really don't know what it is, but I am a pig in shit until the New Years.
• On the day that Kasey Keller re-signed with the Sounders (for what I am hearing will be a significant paycut), Portland traded for former MLS Keeper of the Year Troy Perkins. Time will tell if it is a good move as Perkins was horrible last year, losing his job to a guy not even old enough to drink. To me, the most interesting thing was that they traded away Steve Cronin, who was thought to be the incumbent starter. I can't help but feel for Cronin. He was good enough to play in MLS last year, but stayed in Portland because he wanted to be a part of the new MLS team in 2011. He loved the city and was committed to the organization. When the time came, he was one of the first three players signed. And less than a month later he is gone. Not exactly I would want my front office to work.

That's all I got for now. Enjoy the weekend.

The New Mr Kim Kardashian..

...is actually on the Nets. His name is Kris Humphries and he is a 7 year veteran of the NBA who has never averaged more than 8 points or 7 rebounds a year.

He was the 14th overall pick out of the University of Minnesota but appeared to be a bust during his first 5 years in Utah. Then last year after he was traded to NJ from Dallas he quietly averaged 8.1 points and 6.5 boards. I really liked what he brought to the table - he wasn't a scoring machine but it appeared that he worked hard and was pretty good at grabbing rebounds. When the Nets were in the market for a PF I actually entertained the idea that he should be the guy for the job. However, when the Nets traded for Troy Murphy I quickly pushed that idea aside. I mean, Humphries might have been good for a 12 win team, but certainly not a team that is aspiring to win 30-35 games.

Well, it turns out that my initial feeling may have been right as Humphries has been a pleasant surprise again this year. When Murphy got hurt in the pre-season many wondered if it would be Humphries, old as dirt Joe Smith or rookie Derrick Favors that would step in. Originally they all split minutes, but as time wore on, Avery Johnson realized Humphries was the guy to help them win now and Favors would the guy for the future. Humphries started to see his minutes rise and with it came a rise in productivity.

In 26 games this year, Humphries is averaging 25 minutes, 7.8 points, 9.1 boards, 1.1 blocks and is shooting .531 from the field. However, when you look at his splits, he is averaging 7.9 points and 10.8 boards in December and 8.8 points and 11.1 boards when he starts. Obviously the Nets would like to see a little more offense out of him, but with Brook Lopez suddenly disappearing on the boards, Humphries' role is critical to the success of the team.

So the obvious question is this: Is Humphries finally ready to use the talent that he was given or is he just benefitting from the Kardashian Karma? The two have been seen together for about a month now and we all know the success the Kardashian women has had in the past. Khloe married Lamar Odom and he won his second NBA title. Kim dated Reggie Bush and he won the Super Bowl last year. Kourtney had a kid with some d-bag Scott and the world got dumber. Ok, so the trend didn't hold in the last example, but overall their is some good evidence that the Nets might be able to dig themselves out of last place is she sticks around. (I know they had a 8 game losing streak before last night's game, but hey she can't turn this mess around over night).

Anyways, even if the team doesn't get better, I will at least be loving every minute of the Humphries-Kardashian union because it will translate into non-stop shots of Kim in the stands. Thank you, Kris.

********
Ok, this has nothing to do with Kris Humphries, but wanted to show this dunk by JR Smith last night.

Sounders Get Keeper of the Future

UPDATED: Seitz traded to FC Dallas for a 4th Round Draft Pick (that's it?). Read the following if you like, but know that it no longer stands. I should have waited.
**************
As expected their was a lot of movement in the second phase of the MLS Re-Entry Draft. Josh Wolff, Jimmy Conrad, Juan Pablo Angel, Frankie Hejduk and Jeff Cunningham were the biggest names to change their address. I certainly was not surprised to see them selected, however I was very surprised by what the Sounders did with the 9th pick. I assumed they would be looking for depth in the midfield or defense, but instead they selected Chris Seitz, a 23 year old goalie formerly of Salt Lake and Philadelphia.

My initial reaction is one of excitement. I know Seitz had some really down moments this year, but I am convinced that he is going to be a quality goalie in this league. After being selected 4th overall in the 2007 draft, he sat behind Nick Rimando for his first three years in the league. I always assumed that Rimando was simply going to give way to Seitz, but a funny thing happened along the way -Rimando regained his form and became one of the top 3 goalies in the league, leading RSL to the 2009 MLS Cup. As a result, Seitz was expendable and traded to expansion Philly where he was to battle against another young keeper, Brad Knighton for the starting position. He definitely had some growing pains (you may have seen this gaffe) this past year but I am really shocked to see the Union give up on him so quickly. Physically he is as gifted as any keeper in the league, but I really think that having to be the man for an expansion team messed with his head. Philly may have thought they built a strong backline, but I'm not convinced that a team can succeed with Danny Califf leading the way. Seitz faced a ton of shots and when things started to go wrong, he only had another young player to talk to. Imagine if he had Kasey Keller to turn to when things went south. Imagine if he had Jeff Parke, Pat Ianni, and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado in front of him. There is no way he self destructs.

It is no secret that Kasey Keller is coming back for one more year. He has publicly stated his desire to be a part of the Portland and Vancouver rivalries, but has also given indication that it will be his last year. I assumed that we would go out and sign Marcus Hahnemann when he left England, but this is even better. No disrespect to Marcus, but he is in his late 30's. If Seitz can gain back his confidence and go into 2012 as the starter there is no reason why he can't be in Seattle for a long time. Sure I feel bad for Terry Boss, who I like and think can continue to be a serviceable backup, but his ceiling is not that of a starter. He is a back-up plain and simple. Seitz is a potential all-star and he is coming into a great situation in Seattle where he will not be relied on to make 10 saves a game. I think this was a coupe on our part.

However, I can't overlook the way in which we got Seitz. He was left unprotected in the Expansion Draft and then pulled back from Philly lost their first player. When you're a 23year old goalie who is supposed to be one of the leaders on your team and you a left unprotected, you have to sense that something isn't quite right. When you are then pulled back you have to assume that either the team gambled by leaving you unprotected or they had no idea what they were doing. Coach Peter Nowak assured everyone that Seitz was a key part of the Union, but then they made him eligible for the Re-Entry Draft. I have to imagine that they thought no one would pick him and that they could then renegotiate with him for a lower salary (he was getting paid $155k) in 2010. Either that or they simply wanted to let Seitz move on (after all they are being linked with 39-year old Colombian keeper Faryd Mondragon). Obviously this doesn't instill the utmost confidence in Seitz, but I have seen him with my two eyes and think his talent is too great not to be good. So I am going believe that this was a great signing.

The one other selection of note was Tyrone Marshall being picked by the Colorado Rapids. My boy J-Will and I had two goals for this off-season - to make sure Pete Vagenas and Tyrone Marshall were not in rave green come 2011. We have been granted our wish. It's not that I didn't Tyrone (I actually didn't like Pete) it's just for $169k he was way too expensive considering his diminished role. I would be ok with him sticking around at say $75k, but we can pay a rookie out of college 3 times less to kick the ball as far and as long as Marshall does with every touch. I thank him for his service to the Sounders (I am not sure everyone remembers how our defense was thought to be our week point before the 2009 season). He was tossed aside by Toronto and stepped in to lead the stingiest defense in the league in 2009. For that he deserves much praise. With the emergence of Jeff Parke however, he became expendable. I wish him the best of luck in Colorado and hope that come 2011 Fredy Montero can get under his skin and cause a proto-typical Tyrone Marshall retaliation yellow card.

[UPDATE: Josh Meyers of the Seattle Times is suggesting that Seitz may still be on the move after Seitz tweeted "Its not all over yet!!" So let's stay tuned as the above may all become a moot point if he is traded for what I would expect to be cap space.]

Cliff Lee is the New LeBron

Before I begin I want to make sure that I give full credit to ESPN's Colin Cowherd for most of the thoughts you are about to hear. They might not be original to me, but they speak exactly to my thoughts on the whole LeBron saga (I know, another LeBron post? Give me a break - the Devils and Nets suck so I need something to talk about).

Anyways, I had the rare chance to listen to some ESPN Radio yesterday and heard Cowherd compare the Cliff Lee signing to the LeBron signing. Both were the prize free agent in their respective sports. Both ended up leaving a lot of money on the table. Both went to teams with established stars rather than stay with their former teams of no-stars. Both are getting hammered by the media for their decision. Oh wait, my bad. Cliff Lee is actually getting hailed as a moral savior. He spurned the Yankees and Rangers money to sign with a team where he doesn't have to be the #1 guy; in a city that he loved previously playing in; and with an organization he feels comfortable with. I suppose the only difference between what he and LeBron did was that LeBron was a local savior who 'turned his back on his city'. Oh, and of course the way LeBron handled the whole Decision.

Even the most fervent LeBron haters can't really disagree with the above paragraph. Cowherd is exactly right. And he even took it a step further in noting that what Lee and LeBron did is no different than what all of us non-sports-playing-average-joes do on a daily basis. Think about it- we all make decisions for the good of our own well-being. Doctors, lawyers and financial planners want to be involved in the best practices with the best people in their field. And why? Because the best firms get the best clients. The worst firms get little to no clients and don't succeed. Teachers want to be involved with other highly motivated, creative and skilled teachers in an environment that helps them and their students reach their fullest potential. They don't want to teach with people who don't care. And what about you, one of the many readers of this blog? I bet you are no different. If given the opportunity to move out of a dead end job to a company that is considered the finest in your field, I bet you would have to seriously consider it.

LeBron and Cliff Lee did the same thing - they moved to a team with other star players. They realized that Cleveland and Texas were dead-ends. Sure they would have been the man, but they wouldn't have won titles. They wouldn't have to elevate their game to match their teammates. They did what you and I would do - only difference, their is no such thing as loyalty in the real world. If I was to leave my job today for a higher paying pharmaceutical company because my family needs the money, the Seattle Times would not be at my door. Obviously it's because I'm not a star, but the point is - no one would care. In sports, we do care. And so LeBron is made a villain.

I will try to stay off this topic for a bit (although I will be watching Miami-NY this Friday so who knows what he will do in the Garden), but ask next time you kill LeBron make sure you kill Cliff Lee too. And next time you get excited about Melo and Chris Paul forcing trades to the Knicks, make sure you kill them too. It's only fair.

Re-Entry Draft 2nd Round

Last Wednesday there was little action in the first round of the MLS Re-Entry Draft (Those who missed out can read about it here). Tomorrow however should be a little different as eligible players no longer have to be paid at or above their 2010 salary. For the past week, teams have been given access to negotiate contracts with eligible players, a sort of feeling out process. If the desired player is available when the team is on the board, they are free to select him. If not, then they are out of luck. If they do select a player but then cannot come to an agreement then I believe the player is a true free agent.

Like all MLS rules, it's a little hard to wrap your head around. All I know is that tomorrow we will see players like Juan Pablo Angel, Jimmy Conrad, Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Freddie Hejduk changing addresses for the 2011 season. The Sounders have the 9th pick out of 18 teams. Seeing that they are involved again in Champions League, I expect them to pick someone for depth. I don't see them going after one of the big names, but if they can get someone Luke Sassano, Carey Talley, Duncan Oughton or Ciaran O'Brien to take less money it might be worth it. I am simply throwing out names - I really have no idea - but figure those guys are good as any. I mean, I can't see them throwing money at the likes of Jeff Cunningham, Fred, Jimmy Conrad or Jaime Moreno.

Who is poised to benefit the most? It has to be a team like DC United who could really use the veteran leadership of Jimmy Conrad or Philly who could certainly find a spot for Schelotto in their midfield (regardless of how much they love Roger Torres) or Chivas USA who certainly could use Angel or Josh Wolff to help jump start their anemic offense.

Whatever happens, I'm sure it will be unexpected and of course I'll be back to cover it.

Flashback: The Pre-Favre Era

For those who missed it, Brett Favre had his consecutive start streak broken at 297 games last night. It was an amazing streak that probably should have ended a few years ago, but didn't because Favre was too stubborn and coaches to weak to make the decision to sit him. This week was a little different than the rest - he was simply too beat up to play. And at age 41, he appears to be finally done. No more guessing games. He is done.

Say what you want about Favre, but you must acknowledge how amazing his streak was. Think back to 1992 to see how much you have changed. I am 30 with a kid, a wife, a mortgage and a college education. In 1992 I was 12 years old, big into Starter caps and baseball cards and a huge Don Majkowski fan. I can't even think of anything else besides that. So much has happened in 18 years.

So I would like to take this opportunity to briefly touch on what my favorite sports teams looked like when Brett Favre took the field in 1992:

• The Mets were just finishing up a 72 win season and were about to suffer through a 59-103 season in 1993. The everyday starting line-up consisted of C Todd Hundley, 1b Eddie Murray, 2b Willie Randolph, SS Dick Schoefield, 3b Dave Magadan, LF Darly Boston, CF Howard Johnson, RF Bobby Bonilla. Their rotation was made up of David Cone, Doc Gooden, Sid Fernandez, Bret Saberhagen and Pete Schourek.
• The Devils had yet to win any of their 3 Stanley Cups and were just coming off an 87 point season in which they lost to the Rangers in the first round of the playoffs. The team's leading goal scorer was Claude Lemieux (41 goals), followed by Stephane Richer (29), Peter Stastny (24) and Kevin Todd (21). The starting goaltender was Chris Terreri. Scott Stevens was 28 years old and a 19 year old rookie named Martin Brodeur made his NHL debut.
• The Giants (as you may recall I was a Giants fan until the Dave Brown era) had just started what would turn out to be a 6-10 season. Jeff Hostetler, Phil Simms and Kent Graham each started at least 2 games. Rodney Hampton, a third year back out of the University of Georgia, ran for 1141 yards. Ed McCaffrey led the team with 610 receiving yards and LT led the team with 5 sacks. Ray Handley was sacked after the year in favor of Dan Reeves.
• The Nets were just beginning a nice 3 year span where they averaged 43 wins, but were still 10 years away from relevancy. Their starting 5 consisted of PG Mookie Blaylock, SG Drazen Petrovic, SF Chris Morris, PF Derrick Coleman and C Sam Bowie with Kenny Anderson, Terry Mills and Chris Dudley the first 3 off the bench.
• The US Men's National Team was 2 years removed from World Cup 1990, where they were outscored 10-1 and in three games. The country was still two years away from hosting the 1994 World Cup. MLS was not even a pipe dream. Jozy Altidore was 3 years old.
  

Totally Numb

I went to bed last night with the news of Clif Lee signing with the Phillies fresh in my mind. It was a shocking turn of events that no one saw coming. I think we all expected Lee to take either the Yankees or the Rangers money. Heck, I expected him to go the Nats before the Phillies. After all, no one had a clue that the Phils were in the chase AND the Phils were the team that traded Lee to Seattle to make room for Roy Halladay, a pitcher they had valued more highly than Lee, just a year ago.

Lee signed with the Phils for what is being reported as a 5 year, $120 million deal with an incentive clause for the 6th year. He left a longer contract and more total money (~$30 m) from the Yanks and Rangers on the table. I amazingly won't have the opportunity to interview Lee on why he is going back to Philly, but I have to assume it has something to do with how he was treated by Yankees fans, how much he disliked living in Texas, how much easier pitching in the NL is and ultimately how he wanted to have a chance to go to the World Series every year. When you think about it, taking the Yankees money would have been easy, but it would not have guaranteed him anything because the Yanks have to fight off the Red Sox every year. The Phils aren't going to have that problem. No disrespect to the Giants, but there is no NL team that comes even close to the Phils now. From Lee's perspective, I think he made the correct choice. There is no doubt about it.

Now obviously the Lee signing means more to me than just the shock value. As a Mets fans, Lee signing with the Yankees would have pissed me off. Seeing him put on the pinstripes after leading the Rangers over the Yanks in the playoffs would have been too reminiscent of trader Giambi cutting his hair and shaving his facial hair to sign with the Evil Empire. Eventually though I would have gotten over it because we would only have to face him once a year. In signing with the Phils, it means that in any 4-game series against the Phils, the Mets will have to face Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. Combined, the quartet has won 3 Cy Young Awards and 63% of their starts (481 total wins). It is downright frightening.

And still, I can't seem to bring myself to be angry. It's not that I secretly respect Lee for excluding money from his decision. It's not that I like the Phillies or the city of Philadelphia anymore. Nope, it's simply because I am numb right now. The Mets are not close to contending. Omar Minaya has left this team in such a mess that the current administration is preparing to burn the house down in order to rebuild it with a stronger foundation. The Phils are clearly the team to beat. We are clearly a 4th place team. So in a way, why not have Lee on the Phils for the next 5 years? Whats the difference between a 95 win team and a 105 win team? When you're a Mets fan, there is no difference. We still are going to stink. But maybe in 4 years time we will be ready to contend again. And if the Phils don't get any younger, Halladay, Oswalt and Lee will all be over the age of 36. And maybe they will have been worn down from throwing half their games at the sandbox known as Citizen Bank Park.

In addition to the numbness over how bad the Mets are going to be in comparison to the Phils comes the numbness I feel knowing that the City of Philadelphia may finally be on par with (if not better than) the NY with respect to its sports teams. Growing up I always hated Philly, but at the end of the day I knew they couldn't carry NY's jock strap. The Phils were a laughingstock. The Eagles and Flyers always underachieved and the 76ers were just an afterthought. It was fun to hate on Philly because their fans couldn't do anything about it. Since 2008, the Phils have been to 2 World Series (winning 1), the Eagles have won the NFC East twice and the Flyers were one game from winning the Stanely Cup. It has been an unprecedented run of success; one that I think finally needs to be discussed. Philadelphia isn't the same. It actually has good sports teams. And that is simply depressing. I have no other words to describe it. I am depressed and numb.

Loving LeBron the Villain

Another Friday night at home and another LeBron master piece. I am really starting to enjoy this. As you all know by now, I am firmly in LeBron's corner. I know that he could have handled things a little better, but he's young and he doesn't have a great support staff behind him. I can forgive him. I am loving being on the other side. I am enjoying the idea that LeBron is the villain. That people don't like him makes me want to like him even more. I'm not sure what it is but I am taking special delight at watching him silence crowds and then ever so suddenly stare the place down.

Friday night the Heat were in San Francisco to take on the Warriors. I remarked to my buddy that it was amazing to see the Heat struggle on offense in the first half. It honestly is ridiculous to think that the Big 3 can't score at will w. It's like they somehow become statues when they don't have the ball. The struggled through the first half and were up by only 2 against a vastly inferior team at halftime. Then the third quarter started and the Heat went on a HUGE run to put the game out of reach. As with last time I talked about this team, I know their big win came against a bad team, but I am convinced that they don't need to play a great 48 minutes to win ballgames. I think they can get away with playing 30 mediocre minutes and only 18 great minutes. When they get things going in the open court and when their confidence starts to soar, there is no stopping them. They can easily go on 10-0 runs in the span of 90 seconds.

The crazy thing is that both LeBron and Wade appear to play better when the other is not on the court. I know it's not a new idea as the Sports Guy, who was actually providing color commentary on Friday, has been saying it since Game 1 of the season. Both appear to be more confident as the alpha male. Neither knows how to play second fiddle. I don't think it's on purpose (I really do think they are trying to play with each other) and I don't know if it will last all season (I mean, they have to learn, right?) but the team looks stronger with one of them off the court. MAYBE what Spoelstra should do create a subbing pattern that minimizes the time on the court together. Both could play 32 minutes and they could be on the court alone for 8 minutes each. For them, that might spell a huge run.

Afterall, look at what LeBron did on Friday. 15 points in the 3rd quarter alone, including 3 three's on consecutive possessions. They weren't of the "Hey, look at me, I'm open" variety. They were the "Ok, I have the ball 3 feet behind the 3-point line. You are in my face, but I don't care. I'm LeBron James and I can score at will, so I'm going to bury this jumper" variety. I think those are my favorite shots to watch - but only when they go in. They are infuriating players shoot and miss them because they are bad shots. But when they count, oh boy, are they magnificent. Besides Kobe (and Durant in a year or two), I don't think anyone does this better than LeBron.

So yeah, I'm having a lot of fun watching this team. I tried to play amateur psychologist the other day and think I have pinpointed why I like them. Individually, I really like them both over the past 7 years. They are two of the top 5 players in the game AND you never hear any bad stuff about them off the court (I'm talking drugs, violence, not how spoiled they may be). I can understand wanting to play together. I don't have a problem with it, possibly because when I think about it, I see it in terms of playing again with my Bucknell boys. I would have to give it serious consideration if I was offered the opportunity to be paid to play in work leagues with them, even if that meant leaving Seattle. I realize that I will NEVER be an alpha-male or or the best player in my own zip code so it's difficult to know how I would think if I was the best in the universe. And that's the thing - I can continue to think of this arrangement as good friends playing together in South Beach in their mid-20's. I don't necessarily like the Heat, but I like LeBron and Wade. If it had been Kobe and Melo who decided to join up then I would have had different feelings, but I like these two guys. So I will continue to do so and I will continue to be a villain because of it.

Hillbilly Hand Fishing

My dad doesn't like any shows with 'killing' in it. And overall, he kind of dislikes most people. So when it comes time to watch tv, he loves to watch networks like the Animal Planet, Discovery, TLC, Speed and Outdoor Life. In doing so, he is always watching the strangest programs. Last night was no different.

I walked in to the tv room to see him watching a show called Hillbilly Hand Fishing on Animal Planet. I am not making up what I am about to say. It is a show about two guys who made a business out of catfish noodling. Basically, they go into lakes or swamps in Oklahoma, find holes where catfish live and stick one of their limbs in the hole in order to get bit by the catfish. The object is to hook them with some rope (through the gills, out the mouth) and catch them - the bait is their feet. I don't know much about fishing, but catfish definitely have teeth, definitely bite hard and definitely will break your skin. The whole process is amazing to think about.

Now these two dudes not only do this for fun, but they have made a business out of it AND there are people who actually sign up to do this. The show chronicles three sets of people in their attempt to 'try something new' and 'face their fears'. Two surfer dudes caught a 70 pound catfish - the thing was huge. I think it was at that point that I decided that this was a brilliant show because it feels too much like fantasy. It's the same way I feel about the Jersey Shore -surely the people are cartoons because no one does this. And that made me feel better about myself.

No Re-Entry Movement

Most expected their to be very little, if any, movement in the first round of the MLS Re-Entry Draft and right they were. But instead of big names like Juan Pablo Angel and Jimmy Conrad going to LA and DC (as I predicted), Houston F Joseph Ngwenya and Crew D Aaron Hohlbein were the only two players selected.

What does this mean? Well, first those two players must be paid at or above their 2010 salary. Second, teams now have until Monday to re-negotiate deals with players eligible for the Re-Entry Draft that they have the rights to (that means the Sounders can re-negotiate with Tyrone Marshall and hope that he will take a huge pay cut).

If eligible players are unable to come to terms with their teams at new rates they will then be available to all teams via the second round of the draft. I think we will see some players renegotiate (Nick Garcia and Chris Seitz are two rumored), but the majority will probably value themselves higher than what their former team is willing to play.

Unless Marshall is willing to sign for about 85k, I doubt he will be back in rave green next year. I just have that feeling. I also tend to think that they won't be participating in selecting other players either. As first I was hoping for Schelotto, but with Montero back on the board with DP money and the acquisitions of both O'Brien White and Julien Baudet for Marshall-like money, I just don't see where the cap flexibility will be. And I think this is a similar situation for many teams. Let's face it - these players did not have their contract renewed for a reason - they were overpriced and unlike baseball where the Nationals can spend $126m on Jason Werth and have no side effects, MLS has a strick salary cap. Again, it all comes down to how low the teams can get the players to go with their contracts (Angel, Schelotto and Conrad excluded).

I Know I am Old

...and I know that what I am about to say will make me seem even older.

But seriously, since when was it cool to keep stickers on clothing? I just don't understand this fad of not removing stickers from hats. Does this mean that Minnie Pearl is all of a sudden cool??? While I'm at it, I also don't understand not curving the brim of your hat. Oh, and as is a long standing opinion, I really don't appreciate wearing sports hats or jerseys as fashion. Wear them to support your team - not to look cool. Ugggh

Ok, done acting/sounding old. Next week I'll try to tackle why the Rose Bowl should be Pac-10 vs Big-10, defend my choice to have the Cowboys and Lions remain on Thanksgiving, pontificate on why the NHL should not be South of Washington DC, discuss the merit of short basketball shorts and of course rail against the use of instant replay in any sport.

MLS and It's Crazy Rules

Anyone who knows anything about MLS will be the first to admit that it's a strange league. Unlike the four major sports, the Commissioner seems to have full reign to change rules as he sees fit. Normally the rules he alters deal with how foreign or returning players are allocated to teams. You see, unlike the other sports, MLS is a single entity: players sign with the league and then are dispersed to clubs in an attempt to avoid Cosmos v2.0. The one area that has long been a problem is what happens to players when their contracts are up. Again, unlike the other leagues, there is no such thing as free agency in MLS. When players are out of contract, their options are limited because their team still hold negotiating rights to them.

This resulted in many players being squeezed out of the league with the most notably situation that of Kevin Hartman. Hartman was a 12 year pro whose contract was not renewed by KC after the 2009 season, yet KC still owned his rights (for what I think is 5 years, but I could be wrong). Hartman wanted to stay in MLS, but if KC didn't trade his rights, then he would either have to move to Europe, go to the USL or simply retire. He had no leverage.

Luckily Hartman got a trade to FC Dallas (who he led to the 2010 MLS Cup Final), but not every player gets that lucky. So in the recent round of contract negotiations, the players and the league came up with a system to give the players more flexibility. The league was still unwilling to give full free agency. Instead, they opted for something called a Re-Entry Draft. It's a complicated thing, but here are the rules in a nutshell:

If your contract is not renewed by your current team, you are eligible for the Re-Entry Draft. The Re-Entry Draft has two rounds. In the first round, teams can pick players and must pay them comparably to their current wage. The scale is sliding, but basically if you are picked in the first round and you are an 8 year veteran, you have to get at least a 5% raise. If you are not selected in the first round, you are eligible for the second round in which you must negotiate a new salary with the team that picks you. The team has exclusive negotiating rights but is not required to sign you.

When you look at the list of players available for today's Re-Entry Draft, you get the sense that their won't be a lot of movement in the first round. Besides Juan Pablo Angel, Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Jimmy Conrad most of the guys are available because they get paid too much already (case in point: Tyrone Marshall and Nick Garcia) and I doubt that other teams would want to give them a raise. While I expect Conrad to go to DC to help sure up their defense and Angel to go to LA to make their offense even more potent (and I would have said Schelotto to Seattle prior to the Montero DP signing), I don't really expect to see any movement until next week. I'm not necessarily saying there aren't any quality players available, it's just good business to wait until you can sign them for less. This Draft is a step, albeit a crooked one, in the right direction, but with the strict salary cap it is going to prove to be killer to a lot of veteran players who will have to take a salary cut.

I will be back later today or tomorrow with the earth-shattering results, if there are any. In the mean time, if you understood this post, what with all the head-scratching rules and overabundance of parenthesis, give yourself a pat on the back.

Jimmy V Lives On

If you have 11 minutes to spare, please watch Jimmy Valvano's speech at the 1993 ESPY's. I was only 13 at the time, but I specifically remember being moved when I watched it live. Something about it just got to me. Still, 17 years later, his speech chokes me up.

Every year during the Jimmy V Classic, ESPN shows the clip in between its doubleheader. I was fortunate enough to turn on the Kansas-Memphis with 2 minutes left tonight. My daughter was in the room with me and I got a little emotional. I'm not sure how many of you may have seen this before, so I wanted to share. All I do is ask you to watch. If you want to learn more, check out www.jimmyv.org, www.cancer.org or any of the other great organizations that are fighting to help eliminate cancer.

Cold Stove in Flushing

I am normally a huge fan of the baseball Hot Stove, as it is always fun to imagine big name players switching teams. As a Mets fan I have become accustomed to big bucks being thrown around to free agents, so this year feels a lot different.

We all know the sorry state the Mets are in right now. For the 2011 season, without signing another player, they have about $130 million tied up with - with most of the money coming from the huge salaries paid to Johan Santana ($24m), Carlos Beltran($19m), Frankie Rodriguez($12m), Jason Bay($8m), Oliver Perez($12m), David Wright($10m) and Jose Reyes($11m). For most teams, a large payroll equals success as they don't need to be creative with their business plan- they just overspend in order to get the best players. Well, as we all know, the Mets aren't like most teams. They spend money on the wrong guys and of course never have any luck.

New GM Sandy Alderson has a plan to rebuild this team. He will not spend this offseason to fill the holes. He feels that in order for the team to be successful moving forward that they must shed some of the bad weight and rebuild their core. (Also, I'm not sure how much money Wilpon is letting him spend after the whole Madoff fiasco).

Alderson is dedicated to evaluating all potential trades or signings but appears right now to be disciplined enough to know that 95% of them aren't in the best interest of the team. Realizing that the team won't be making a huge splash in free agency this year, the only way to change the team before most of the contracts come off the books in 2012 is through trade. The problem we are finding is that we won't be able to get even 60cents on the dollar for any trade until June when we are well out of the playoff hunt. I truly believe that Beltran and Reyes could both be moved, but their recent injuries are enough to scare off any potential buyers. It's not that buyers don't exist, it's just that they don't exist for what the Mets want. So Alderson and the organization is going to have to keep Beltran in Flushing for now, hope that he plays injury free and then trade him at the deadline. Same goes for Reyes, who because of Wilmer Flores I think is expendable. I don't think Wright, Bay or Santana are going anywhere. As for Ollie Perez and Luis Castillo - unless we take on an equally terrible contract like Carlos Zambrano, sort of like last year's Carlos Silva-Milton Bradley trade, they are not going anywhere.

When I look at the current roster I can pencil in starters at most position. It may not be the best lineup in the league (or the division, or the city or the East Coast), but on any given day I think it can win. With a limited budget the only place I see us spending money on is pitching. It looks like we might sign a veteran pitcher coming off surgery or a down year to a short-term contract (ala Kevin Millwood, Jeff Francis, Chris Young) to help offset the loss of Johan. After that I then look for Sandy to work feverishly to bring in some pieces for the bullpen. The principle behind Moneyball is not to spend no money; but rather it's to find areas that are being under utilized and make them your strength: be good at something others are not. While most people around the game know the importance of a bullpen, few do anything about it. I see this as an area where the Mets can spend minimal money and get maximum return. I know it won't be the difference between 75 and 85 wins this year, but it might be the difference in 85 and 88 wins a few years down the line.

I will continue to go to metsblog.com on a daily basis to read the rumors, but I do not expect to be blown away by anything I read. After all, here is the list of rumored players on the first page of metsblog.com this morning: Ronny Paulino, Freddy Garcia, Russel Martin, Fred Lewis, Chris Young, Jeff Francis and DJ Carrasco. Not exactly Murderers Row, but something that bodes well for the long-term future of the team.

My First Wrestling Post

You may have noticed by now that one of the links on the right is for Ring Posts, a Baltimore Sun based wrestling blog. This was my way of very sneakily admitting my love for professional wrestling. The thing is, I'm a 30-year old man with a daughter and a wife. While I don't consider myself to be a typical wrestling bloke, I'm still always a little embarrassed that I still watch Monday Night Raw.

Well, today ends my ban on blogging about wrestling. For the past few years it has felt that the WWE has skated along with a lot of uninteresting storylines. We continued to see the same old names main-eventing Wrestlemania and SummerSlam: I'm talking John Cena, HHH, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, Edge, Undertaker. Not saying they aren't great at what they do, but seeing them wrestle each other every week gets boring after a while. Luckily, every once in a while we get some new characters - CM Punk, Kofi Kingston, John Morrison, Jack Swagger that I get up for. These guys are always the highlights of the show for me.

I sit here today, totally excited by the newest 'big' name wrestler - The Miz. Now, The Miz isn't exactly new - he has been in the WWE for 3 years now, but over the past year he has gone from undercard to WWE Champion. His story is an amazing. In 2001 he was on the Real World New Orleans where he was an outcast. I vaguely remember not liking him in the least. Then he went on to Real World/Road Rules Challenge and I still didn't like him. However, it was then that we found out that he was a WWE-freak. I never thought he would stand a chance in the ring, but thought he definitely had the knowledge and charisma to be successful. A few years later, he was given that chance as a contestant on the reality show Tough Enough. He didn't win, but was given a WWE contract. The Miz went from 19-year old college student to reality star to wrestler in less than a decade.

NO ONE and I mean NO ONE could have predicted The Miz as WWE Champion. He was terrible at first. I mean terrible. But he worked his butt off and has improved so much that WWE decided to make him the current champion. While his ring work is above average, it's on the mic where he excels. He is just one of those guys people hate. Not "I'm going to turn the channel" hate, but "I can't wait to see him get his ass kicked" hate, which is exactly what makes him great (Here is a line from his victory celebration: "The next time someone tells you that you can't live your dreams....know that you can't. It takes an extraordinary man to live his dreams and that man is The Miz"). He is one of the few true heels that I can remember being behind in a long while.

The Miz's feud with Randy Orton is really really exciting to me. It's refreshing not to have to see John Cena and his 14- year old girl legion in the title hunt. Cena is a great performer but I get so tired of his cheery attitude. Orton and Miz bring some definite edge to the title picture. Miz is so overbearing as a heel and Orton is so good in his current role of villain-good guy that for the first time in a long while, their matches actually feel real. They are not throwing around the humor; not making me feel like WWE is meant for 12 year olds. I thank them for that.

Qatar? Really?

For those who are living under a rock, the nation of Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup. It was a hugely disappointing for all soccer fans in this country as it was assumed that we were the front runners. My initial reaction was one of shock. I mean, given the current situation in the Middle East, how can spectators and teams feel completely safe? I want to make sure to tread lightly here because I don't want to say anything remotely offensive, but I think security has to be discussed. Placing the world's biggest sporting event in the Middle East is a huge risk. Period.

So what was FIFA thinking when they selected Qatar? A lot of reports are suggesting that the voting was corrupt and that FIFA was blinded by the money. I am going be naive and pretend that this isn't the case. I am going to believe that FIFA really is sincere in wanting to expand the sport globally. Upon being winning the bid, Qatar bid chair Sheikh Mohammad bin Hamad Al-Thani said, "Thank you for believing in us, thank you for having such bold vision...Thank you also for acknowledging this is the right time for the Middle East". When asked about whether Israel would be allowed to participate if the qualifying he then added, "We are a very, very hospitable place that welcomes people from all parts of the world. Bringing the World Cup to the Middle East now ... will showcase to the world that the Middle East is home to a lot of people, it's opening its arms to the rest of the world. In doing so, such misconceptions will be dissolved." When you read those comments, you really see what FIFA was thinking -it is all about the perceived social impact. They realize what a huge success the World Cup in South Africa was and they are hoping to repeat it. Now we all know that South Africa still has huge problems, but the World Cup definitely showed the world what the nation is capable of. FIFA is hoping that the Qatar World Cup will help improve relations between the Middle East and other parts of the world. They honestly believe in the power of sport. And it isn't lost on me that Qatar beat out the United States, a country that many in the region hate.

FIFA Sepp Blatter said that they were interested in expanding the game to the final frontiers (Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022). This got me thinking that the US was in the same situation when they were awarded the 1994 World Cup. We were not a soccer nation, having only qualified for one World Cup wince 1950. Since then we have made major strides and are quickly becoming a world power. Having the World Cup in the Unites States would not only have made a crap-ton of money for FIFA in the short-term, but it also would have continued to grow the game in the largest and most powerful economy in the world. The World Cup in Qatar is not going to grow the game in the nation. It might help socially, but it won't make the sport any more popular (even if the Qatarese are saying that this will help form a women's league). Want some evidence? While it is a great idea, dismantling the stadiums and donating parts to developing nations certainly does not instill confidence that the game will continue to grow. While Russia's World Cup may have been about money, sport and society, the Qatar World Cup is simply going to be about money and society.

I just don't think it makes much sense (oh, and I forgot to mention that the average temperature in June in Qatar is 106F- I know they are promising AC in all stadiums, but what about when you're not in the stadium? That is going to be brutal). However, there is nothing we can do about it, so hopefully this will be the last time I mention it. On a selfish note,it would have been awesome to bring my 13-year old daughter to watch the World Cup. My parents did not get tickets to the 1994 World Cup when I was 14 so it would have been nice to give her that opportunity.

Return of LeKing

I'm not sure what is happening to me. I know that I should hate LeBron. I know that I should be appalled by his decision to go to Miami. I know that I should feel sorry for Cleveland. The strange thing is that from the start I have not been bothered by the situation. I know LeBron could have handled things better. I know that he is spoiled. I know that he isn't sincere in anything he does. For some reason though, I enjoyed watching LeBron walk into QuickenLoans Arena and crush Cleveland last night. I won't claim to have watched the whole game (in fact all I saw was his first foul shots in the first quarter, the first half of the third quarter and all of the fourth quarter), but what I did see I liked. A lot. The Cavs were down by 19 at halftime. The fans really tried to get into the game at the start of the three, but every time LeBron was booed and every time the fans chanted "Scottie Pippen" or "Akron Hates You", he stepped up and drained shots. I was studying LeBron's body language. He was definitely feeling it, but he wasn't outwardly rubbing it in. He was confident, not cocky. I know it was against a really bad team and that he still has to do it against the likes of the Celtics, but he couldn't be stopped and he knew it. I loved watching him kill the crowd the way he did.

Here is what I would love even more. I would really love for LeBron would embrace his inner villain. You know, act like a professional wrestler. Throw the chalk in the air. Have a cocky strut during warm-ups. After the game, get on the microphone. Make it seem like an apology is coming for a second, before sticking a knife in their back. Talk about how he never cared for the fans. How Cleveland is not Akron. Talk about them not deserving his talents. The fans would go apeshit. Beer and chairs would be thrown. The NBA would officially have a villain again for the first time since the Bad Boy Pistons. NBA ratings would go through the roof. If the league wants proof, look no further than the nWo in WCW. The ratings were never higher. Fans want to see the bad guys lose. It's in our nature. If the LeBron and the Heat truly embraced their role, it would be dynamite.

12/3/10 11:44AM UPDATE - Ok, I am just watching the LeBron-nWo viral video for the first time. I had NO idea this was going around when I suggested he go nWo style. I am happy that the comparison has legs, but not a big fan that others thought of it before me...damn

Introducing Our Newest DP...

...Fredy Montero.

Ok, so it wasn't a huge shock, but it is a very nice development. Ever since MLS instituted the Designated Player Rule, teams have been shooting to sign over-the-hill European stars simply because of their name. The thinking was that David Beckham would be the pioneer. He would tell others about MLS. They would decide to retire by signing with MLS. Then gradually, more and more players would come from across the Atlantic. Each time they would get younger until it reached a point where MLS was competing with the likes of United and Chelsea for prime talent.

It was a plan that would take, oh I don't know...30 years. Luckily, somewhere along the way, certain teams decided that signing aging superstars wasn't the best business model. They said to themselves, "Hmm...what can sell soccer in my city? Oh, I know - a winning franchise!" So they started looking for other avenues to gain talent.

I want to give credit to the likes of RSL and Seattle for looking south to Latin America for their talent. On the same day that Seattle made Montero a DP, RSL locked up their 28 year old Costa Rican star Alvaro Saborio to a DP contract. Combined with Javier Morales, Fabio Espindola and Jamison Olave, they have built a championship contender out of little known Latin American stars. It's a blueprint that other teams would be wise to take. RSL knows that living in Salt Lake doesn't appeal to soccer players the way NY or LA does, so they went another route. If they can do it, so can NE, KC and Columbus.

Back to Fredy: His signing is a little different than Saborio in that he is still only 23 years old and has a bright future ahead of him in Europe (whereas Saborio is just finishing a stint in the Swiss league). No one in Seattle thought he would be around for Year 3. Hell, after his first year and his weird loan from Deportivo Cali, most thought he would be gone to Spain after Year 1.

In retaining his services, Seattle not only solidified themselves as contenders, but they also helped the league. While MLS has indeed seen its share of young international talent over the years, the league has always just been a stepping stone to something bigger. This might be the first step towards changing the philosophy on what a DP should be. Instead of signing an overpriced Euro star whose best days are behind them, teams should start investing in not only local (ie- homegrown) talent, but international as well. I'm talking from Central and South America, Africa and maybe even Europe. If the talent pans out, then teams can use their DP to keep them in the system for a few years. Sign players whose best days are ahead of them - just make sure those days are on American soil and not European. That is what the DP Rule should be about.

With the introduction of academies and the Homegrown player rule, we are certainly seeing a new direction from the league. To me, the next logical step would be to change the DP rule slightly and require one of the possible 3 DP slots be used on a player under the age of 25. That might be a pipe dream, but for now, I am super excited to have our own young talent locked up for a few more years.

Sounders Player Announcement Today

The Sounders have a player announcement scheduled for today at noon. By the time most of you read this it will have already passed. Still, I wanted to speculate on it. There seem to be four rumors going around- Keller re-signing for another year, Montero becoming a DP, zakuani to Everton, Homegrown player signing. In terms of excitement level, I think Montero would make me the happiest. I know I am hard on him at times - it's just that I see his potential and don't want him getting into bad habits. He can go down as one of the best this league has ever seen, or he can continue to go into week long funks that leave me asking whether he is worth it. (I think will probably be the option - he just bought a house in Seattle and got a green card so it seems too perfect). None of the other options are bad, but nothing gets me excited. So what would raise my excitement? Well here are a three...Tyrone Marshall traded to Portland for a draft pick. Signing of a David Ferriera type midfielder. Alonso somehow qualifying for the US National Team

Anyways, only a few hours before we find out.

Tuesday Night 8-Pack

I apologize for all the bullet point lists lately, but there has been a lot of things going on in the world of sports lately. Since I don't have enough time to write long posts on each, this is the next best option. So let's celebrate the season with a holiday 8-pack to help with that hangover.

• This Thursday is we are all going to Witness (see what I did there?) something the likes we have never seen before. LeBron and the Heat travel to Cleveland. It is a day all Cavs fans having been waiting for as venom will be spewing from the stands. It's going to be amazing. Sideshows aside, the game itself should be interesting as the Cavs continue to overachieve while the Heat are woefully underachieving. I haven't seen any of their games this season so I look to Simmons for most of my information on them. He reports that LBJ and Wade are having a hard time playing together and that he thinks LeBron regrets his decision to sign with Miami. He says the chemistry is terrible and that the team was put together all wrong. I am not going to write them off as contenders, but they do have a lot of work to do. Right now it seems like their are at least 3 teams in the East and 5 in the West who are better.
• Not sure how many of you have heard about this, but the Nets made an unprecedented move by sending Terrence Williams to the D-League's Springfield Armor for disciplinary reasons. A lot of critics are railing the move, but I like it. Critics are somehow making out the D-League to be this utopia where everyone gets along and no one has alterior motives. Fact is, Antoine Walker is about to sign with the league. I ask those same critics if that is what the D-League is about?? Bottom line: Nets run the Armor and are using it to send a message. T-Will either responds or he doesn't. But what do they have to lose?
• Some are raising an eyebrow at the development of TCU joining the Big East. How can Fort Worth, Texas be considered East Coast? Well, if you think about it, Fort Worth is not exactly in the mountains or in the West either. The trip from Fort Worth to Colorado St is no further than to Syracuse. Football wise the move makes sense - now the Horned Frogs have the ability to qualify for the BCS on a yearly basis (same with Utah moving to the Pac-10), but I questoin the need for them joining the conference in all sports. In terms of basketball alone, the conference will now have 17 teams. Sixteen is ridiculous enough. Seventeen is ricoculous.
• Ok, the Devils stink this year. We all know it. But here's the thing - they are only 8 points out of playoff spot. If they can somehow continue to win 3 out of 4 games a week, they will be back in the hunt by January. I am not naive enough to say a team with a 8-14-2 record (who just lost to the Isles!) will instantly win 4 games in a row, but I'm just saying - if they can get on a little role, they'll be right back in it. I feel worse about the Nets playoffs chances than I do the Devs.
• The most exciting team in the NFL right now are the KC Chiefs. Dwayne Bowe has 14 TD's. Matt Cassell has thrown only 4 INT's and has a 99.7 QB Rating. Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones have combined for 1733 yards. Their offense is amazing right now and I think I have talked myself into them being a serious contender in the AFC.
• On Thursday FIFA will announce the hosts of both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. The USA had been candidates for both but bowed out of 2018 when it became clear that FIFA wanted it back in Europe after a 12 year hiatus. The 2022 Cup is looking to be a contest between the US, Australia and Qatar. From what I hear, Qatar has a boatload of money to spend and is willing to build not only state of the art stadiums, but air-conditioned stadiums to boot. To be honest, I am shocked that they are even a contender. I mean, it's Qatar. It's a small country in the Middle East that has no where near the potential that the US does. FIFA needs soccer to continue to grow in the States. They need the exposure. They need the revenue. They need the US to be a powerhouse. Take advantage of the boom that is currently ongoing in the country and award the US the 2022 World Cup. It will be the biggest event in the history of hte beautiful game.
• Besides Bowl Week, Rivalry Week is always my favorite time in the college football season. This year, Rivalry Week in the NW is about more than just beating your rivals. In Oregon, it means a chance at an undefeated season and a National Championship Game birth. In Washington, it means a chance to go to a bowl game for the first time in 8 years. While the Apple Cup cannot compete with the Civil War in terms of importance this year, it is really important to Husky Nation. I will be the first to tell you that a 6-6 record is still an underachievement for this team, but that doesn't mean a Holiday Bowl trip is not important. Success breeds more success. Get to a bowl and set a good tone for the 2011 season.
• Is there a more improved player in the country Justin Holiday? Just two years ago I was lamenting how we got the worse of the brothers. Justin didn't even belong on the court. Now he is averaging 12 points, 7 boards and is a reigning member of the All-Defensive Team. On last night's FSN broadcast, Francis Williams suggested that he might be one of the best players in the country by the end of the year. That is an amazing prospect.
  

One and Only NASCAR post

This is hopefully the one and only time that I will talk Nascar in this blog. I wanted to take this opportunity to discuss their championship format. Basically, Nascar has 36 races a year. After 26 races, the top twelve drivers, with respect to points, are eligible for something called the Chase for the Cup. Points are reset and the eligible driver with the most points after the final 10 races wins the championship.

Ok, so Jimmie Johnson (not the penis enhancer, one time football coach) has now won an unprecedented 5 straight championships. I read somewhere the other day that some people think this years victory was controversial because second place finisher Denny Hamlin won more races (8) than Johnson (6).

Car racing is a little different than other sports. Yes winning is important, but results are not binary. The season is 36 weeks long and the rules are set up to reward consistency; to reward the best drivers over the course of the season. If the championship was simply about who won the most races, then a driver who wins 5 races but finishes in the bottom 5 in every other race would be rewarded compared to a driver who finishes in the top 10 consistently, but only won 2 races. Drivers would go for broke - they would take more chances which would result in more crashes simply to get a win. Not only do the current rules reward consistent driving, but they take away any incentive to race recklessly.

The underlying sentiment is that Johnson is on top and there are tons of haters out there. They are looking for a reason to dismiss his greatness. The thing is that he played within the rules. He did what so many great teams do in other sports - coast through the regular season and turn it on in the playoffs. He played within in the rules and won. Period. End of paragraph. Haters get over it.

Editors Note: Here are the stats for the two. Johnson: 6 wins, 17 top-5, 23 top-10. Hamlin 8 wins, 14 top-5, 18 top-10. Over the course of the year, Johnson was more consistent. Period.

I'm an NFL Atheist

Let me tell you a story. My first sports memory was watching Phil Simms achieve near-perfection in Super Bowl XXI. I loved those late 80's Giants teams - Simms, Little Joe Morris, Phil McConkey, Mark Bavaro, LT, Carl Banks, Leonard Marshall, Jim Burt, Raul Allegre, Sean Landeta. In 1990 Phil Simms got injured and a relatively unknown QB named Jeff Hostetler jumped in and led the Giants to another Super Bowl win. For the next few years, the Giants had a QB carousel with Simms and Hostetler rotating in and out of the starters job. Then in 1993, the Giants decided to let Hostetler walk and after an offseason injury, released Simms in 1994. My favorite team had severely botched the QB situation and my favorite football player, now 40, was out of the league.

Anticipating that the end of the era was approaching them, in 1992 the G-Men drafted a QB named Dave Brown out of Duke University. He replaced Simms as the team's starting QB and over the course of three years won a total of 20 games (with a career passer rating of 67.9). He was clearly one of the worst QB's in league history, something I noticed as early as his first full season. I was dumbfounded with how the team was willing to make a guy from Duke the most important player on the field. I mean, this is the same Duke program that had been to only 1 Bowl Game and won an average of 4 games per year since 1971. I really tried to give him the benefit of the doubt - I really did.

I was so disenfranchised by this whole era that I decided to switch teams. I know, I know - that is the worst thing a so-called hardcore fan can do. Hardcore fans don't give up on their team just because they are experiencing tough of times. If this was someone else I would be all over them. Unfortunately this is the path I decided to take - all I can say is that I was young and stupid.

In picking a new team, I didn't want to be labeled a front-runner on top of a traitor so I decided to support the Carolina Panthers, an expansion team in the 1995 season. I knew it would be years before they were good and I could grow with them. No one could call me a bandwagon fan and it would make for interesting conversation in the future. Since then I have seen some really really bad teams (1-15 in 2001 and probably 2010) as well as some really good teams (4 NFC Championship games). It has been an interesting ride.

When I was back in LI last month, my buddy Gorman tried to convince me to come back to the Giants. He was willing to give me a pass even with my history. I'm a Giants fan, he tried to convince me. The thing is, I can't stand Tom Coughlin and I can't stand Eli Manning. I don't want to be a Giants fan. The problem is that I'm not sure I want to be a Carolina fan anymore, either. Carolina is the worst team in the league and they are no fun. Now I have been in this position before, but what makes this season different is that I hate their new franchise QB - Jimmy Claussen. I like DeAngelo Williams and I like Steve Smith, but really I have no connection to the team anymore.

What I am finding more and more every week is that winning in fantasy football makes me much happier than the Panthers winning their game. I have no conflict like most fans do. You know what I'm talking about: your fantasy football team is down 15 points but you still have player X going on Monday night. The only thing is that player X is playing against your favorite team. You feel torn.

I don't have that anymore. Hell, I even root for Mike Vick right now as long as it helps my fantasy team win. I'm not attached to any specific football team, but I am attached to Vick, Aaron Rodgers, Darren McFadden, Jamaal Charles, Roddy White, Percy Harvin and Antonio Gates. There are some teams in the league that I find really interesting; some teams that would be fun to support. I'm really into the Packers, Chiefs, Rams, Jets, Browns, and the Saints this year. From what I can tell they are fun to watch.

So this brings me to the following sentence: Starting today, I am a NFL atheist. Just like my boy Chuck Klosterman, I no longer support one team. Instead, I am going to root for the teams that tell good stories. I am going to watch games that feature interesting teams. I am denouncing any NFL attachment.

I know that this is ridiculous. I know it is ironic that someone who loves sports so much doesn't have a favorite NFL team. How can my words not be hollow when I talk about loyalty in sports? How can anyone take me seriously when I rail on Seattle fans when they don't show up to support the M's or the Hawks during down times? The answer: you can't. This is a hit to my credibility, but I don't care anymore. I can't help my feelings - I am a fantasy football guy plain and simple.