ESPN’s Page 2 is running another one of its hottest athlete polls.  I have no problem with these polls; I find them entertaining.  I can even appreciate the majority of the picks in the women’s top 10, which you can see for yourself here.  In fact, I find it refreshing when guys focus on healthy-looking athletic girls like Tanith Belbin rather than your typical anorexic-looking actresses.

But my friends and I agreed that the men’s list, which you can check out here, is in need of some editing.  Who selected the finalists?  We thought we shoudl chime in.  So without further ado, and in no particular order, our picks for the hottest male athletes …

Jeremy Bloom (Freestyle Skier/NFL Prospect) – The reigning World Cup champion failed to medal in Torino but his dating life isn’t likely to be impacted with abs like that.

Jason Taylor (DE, Miami Dolphins) – MMMMMMMMmmmmmmmm, sorry, we lost our train of thought just staring at him.

Henrik Lundqvist (Goalie, NY Rangers) – What is it with Swedish hockey players?  There must be something in the water up there.  Swats away 100 mph pucks like they’re flies and plays in a rock band in his spare time. 

Brady Quinn (QB, University of Notre Dame) – Adorable, Irish and can throw for over 330 yards per game.   Makes us wish we were undergrads again.

Kelly Slater (Pro surfer) – The undisputed king of the waves.  Only gets better with age … just ask Giselle Bundchen.

Hines Ward (WR, Pittsburgh Steelers) – Best smile in professional sports, hands down.  And yes gentleman, a great smile goes a long way.

Michael Owen (Striker, Newcastle United) – Keep your David Beckhams, give us clean cut good looks over Mohawks and peroxide any day.

Dhani Jones (LB, Philadelphia Eagles) – He writes poetry, he paints, he designs bowties and, oh yeah, crushes quarterbacks.  What girl doesn’t love that?

Jim Jackson (Guard/Forward, Phoenix Suns) – This 6’6” swingman can do it all; smooth moves and amazing arms.

Giorgio Rocca (Alpine Skiier) – What woman can resist a rugged Italian man who likes life in the fast lane?

This represents the opinions of just a few of us girls.  Anyone else have thoughts?

Much thanks to my girls – Katy, Chrissy, Nga, Rachel and Laura – for their input.

A great story came out of the Olympics yesterday.  Unfortunately it hasn't gotten nearly the amount of play that Michelle Kwan's withdrawl or Bode Miller's failure to medal have.

U.S. speedskater Joey Cheek won gold in the 500m event.  While the win was impressive, it wasn't the biggest story.  At the post-race press conference, Cheek announced he would be donating the entire $25,000 bonus he would receive from the U.S. Olympic Committee to Right to Play, a non-profit organization founded by former speedskating champion Johan Olav Koss that seeks to help children throughout the world through sports.  Cheek specifically requested that the money go to sponsor work in the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan and called on corporate sponsors to match the gift. 

Cheek explained, "If I retired yesterday, I'd have gotten everything in the world from speedskating and from competing in the Olympics. So for me, to walk away today with the gold medal is just amazing. And the best way I can say thanks that I can think of is to try and help somebody else."

And with that Cheek personified what the Olympics are supposed to be about.

Every four years I seem to fall in love with some non-mainstream sport during the Winter Olympics.  It is usually something I would never sit down and watch at any other time; but once in four years I find it irresistable.

In 2002 it was the biathalon.  It combines cross country skiing and target shooting.  The best part is, if you miss a target you have to do a penalty lap.  We need more penalty laps in sports.  Who could dislike this sport? 

This year I have succumbed to snowboarding, specifically the halfpipe competition.  Let me state for the record that I am a  wanna be surfer/snowboarder girl.  But growing up in Maryland my opportunities for both have been limited to occassional trips to California and Colorado.  In short, I suck; I can barely make it down the mountain.  But that hasn't kept me from developing a strong affection for both the men's and women's U.S. snowboarding teams this Olympics.  These kids (and I do mean kids, they all should have endorsement deals with Clearasil) have unbelievable skills.  Watching the competition the last two nights I was blown away, despite the NBC announcer's annoying habit of using the phrase "throw down" after every run.  The kids can fly, twist, spin and otherwise contort themselves.

AS impressive as their tricks were, the best part was their attitude.  They were completely relaxed in their New York Yankees-esque pinstripes, hugging each other and mugging for the camera.  I half expected a dogpile or snowball fight at any moment.

And frankly the post-event interviews were the most honest I've heard in a long time.  There was no guile, no attempt at image manipulation, no savvy really.  They were just kids doing the thing they loved most and amazed at the fact that they'd won Olympic medals for it.  It showed on their faces, in their actions, and through their answers.

My only disappointment -- no one asked what they were all listening to during their turns on their iPods.

According to the AP, the new ESPN Monday Night Football crew will be Joe Theismann, Mike Tirico and Tony Kornheiser.  Yes folks, you heard that correctly, Tony Kornheiser.

Tirico did an excellent job filling in for Mike Patrick early on this season, while he recuperated from ehart surgery, and should be a welcome addition to the booth, but Kornheiser?!?!?!

This is going to be interesting.  Part of me says this could rival the Dennis Miller experiment for biggest booth debacle of all time, and part of me thinks it could be brilliant.  We shall see.

Either way, I will miss hearing Theismann and Paul Maguire kibbitz like old ladies.

Thoughts?  Will this be a bust or a boon for ESPN?

Let's take it from the top:

Condi Rice on ESPN pre-game show -- I would just love to see her dress down a bit.  Who wears a suit to a football game?  I saw her at a U2 show this fall, same thing.  Loosen up.  You've got style, use it. 

Opening montage -- Ummm, why is Harrison Ford reciting Dr. Seuess?  And furthermore, why does he look like a pirate?  And WHY, when they started the really cool Road to Forty ads with Don Cheadle this season, did they not finish with an opening montage based on that?

National anthem -- Why is Aaron Neville there?  Just let Aretha in her chinchilla coat belt the hell out of the song.  Neville's talent was completely wasted.

MVP introductions -- Tom Brady, what were you thinking with that jacket?!?!?!  Velvet is for little girls under the age of 10 and drunken secretaries at the office Christmas party. 

Coin toss -- Note the absence of Bettis.  No way Cowher was going to let him mess that up again.

Burger King commerical -- What the ..?

80,000 beer commercials -- Why do they all suck?

Half-time show -- Men should never wear sequins.  Especially 65-year-old men.  Same goes for spandex pants.  Did anyone find this entertaining?  Even Charlie Watts looks embarassed to be there.

MI-3 movie trailer -- Suprisingly, I find myself wanting to see this.  I hate Tom Cruise but I'll watch Phillip Seymour Hoffman in anything.

The game itself -- I was actually finding it hard to concentrate on the game.  Too busy making sure my husband wasn't puking or alternately passing out from the stress of watching the Steelers largely play like #### but maintain a lead.

I have to admit that the NGS judges’ first assignment this week rubbed me the wrong way.  And I was surprised after reading the finalists’ submissions that no one else seemed to feel the same.  See, the notion of one team “deserving” to win a game in any sport, let alone the Super Bowl, strikes me as ridiculous.

The beauty of sports is that winner is decided on the field.  Two teams or competitors duke it out for an allotted period of time, and, in the end, one emerges victorious.  Each team is provided the same opportunity to prove itself – the same rules apply, hence the term, “level playing field.”

Sure some things might not be completely even – a key player may be injured, calls may get blown, etc. – but that’s the way life is.  We all have different levels of skill and ability and obstacles that we must overcome to succeed, and so do athletic teams. 

The team that “deserves” to win is the one that puts it together on the field in the course of competition.  Each game is a clean slate.  It doesn’t matter what you did last week, or the week before, or 10 games ago.  It doesn’t matter whose home town the game is played in or whose fans are rowdier.  What matters is how, at that precise moment, each team plays.  Worthiness is decided on the field. 

To paraphrase Kirsten Dunst in what is possibly my favorite guilty pleasure movie, you've got to bring it.  The person or team that does "deserves" to win, plain and simple.

I have to admit I got a kick out of seeing several of the Steelers arrive in Detroit wearing Jerome Bettis'  No. 6 Notre Dame jersey.  Of course, I saw Hines Ward in one and thought, "Oh, if only..." but then realized, knowing how ND managed talent at the time, we probably would have tried to turn him into an option quarterback.  Oh well.

But the best line goes to my husband, who upon seeing his team in the green jerseys on ESPN, yelled, "Those damn green jerseys better not jinx us!"

I just clicked on FoxSports.com and saw this headline:

Redskins' Taylor faces 46 years in prison

Unfortunately, this has become commonplace.  In the last few years, it has been difficult to open the Sports page of the Washington Post without seeing that some Redskin or Raven is facing charges for an assault, robbery or drug-related incident.

I understand that many of these guys come from rough beginnings, and that it is difficult to leave your past behind – and even if you try, it sometimes comes looking for you – but the proliferation of arrests in sports has more to do with the fact that athletes are treated as if they live by a different moral code than the rest of us than where they are coming from.  The rules for athletes are simply different, and they are taught that from the moment their athletic talent is identified.

Very few teams, at the professional and collegiate level, are willing to come down on a superstar for any infraction, unless it is so egregious that it cannot be ignored, meaning there will be a public outcry.  But what does that say?  The message it sends is that it’s okay to do anything, as long as it won’t cause a backlash that could hurt our ticket sales.

What’s really sad is the scale of an infraction has to be pretty damn large to generate a public outcry. 

St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little killed a woman while driving under the influence of alcohol.  He served three months in jail and was suspended for half a season.  He has since been arrested on su####ion of drunk driving after failing a field sobriety test.  He admitted he’d had a few beers, but did not take a breathalyzer test, and a jury exonerated him.  I understand that accidents happen, but a woman is dead as a direct result of his behavior, and events demonstrate that behavior may be continuing.  Yet the league and the team do nothing to alter that behavior. 

And neither have the fans.  There was more outcry and airtime give to Kurt Warner’s wife being pushy.

Fans can talk with their wallets.  Unfortunately, most fans are willing to put up with anything to see their team win and elect to ignore outlandish behavior from professional athletes as long as they keep winning.  Kind of demonstrates the state of our morals as a society.

Forget the fact that the “big name” teams are no longer left in the NFL playoffs.  This year’s playoffs are producing the kind of heart-stopping “will they or won’t they?” moments usually reserved for March Madness.  I, for one, can’t wait to see what happens on Sunday.  My money is on the Steelers and Seattle.  The Steelers have the “Win one for the Bus” thing going for them, and Polamalu should feast on Plummer’s mistakes if the blitz works like it did in Indy.  In the other game, the loss of Foster may be too much for Carolina to overcome, despite the un-human play of Steve Smith …

Paris Hilton never ceases to amaze.  From her deposition this week:  “I meet so many people. I don't even know some of my friends' names.”  She also apparently doesn’t know that London is in the U.K. and thinks all of Europe speaks French …

The NFL is also full of surprises.  By all accounts Joey Porter was headed for the mother of all fines for saying he thought the referees in last week’s game were trying to hand the win over to the Colts.  Instead, they chose to do nothing and made no comment.  How very unlike them …

Is it just me, or does Bode Miller seem like a good time? …

I’m so glad my tennis career never panned out.  Jelena Dokic, who lost her opening match this week at the Australian Open, was the target of kidnapping threats by her estranged father.  He also threatened to detonate a nuclear bomb in Sydney.  It used to be tennis dads were just overbearing …

Only eight months until college football season starts.  Notre Dame has signed some of the best talent in the nation on the offensive line; one kid is 360 lbs.  Three hundred and sixty pounds, people!!!  But what I love most is that they’ve signed a TE named Paddy Mullen.  I’ll drink a Guinness to that …

I said it months ago, and now, thanks to the shot seen around the world, everyone can finally see it, Alex Ovechkin is the next big thing in the NHL.  The scary thing is the kid’s only getting better every game …

If Peyton Manning was “trying to be a good teammate” when calling out his linemen, I would never want to play with him, or live with him for that matter.  Can you imagine?  “Well I’m not trying to name names, but someone didn’t replace the toilet paper”…

And in all sincerity, congratulations to Pat Summitt on her 900^th career win.  She’s 900-172 over 32 seasons at Tennessee.  Think about that for a minute.  If she were a man, the hype around this would be unbelievable.

The NFL Network's "Sounds of the Game" puts viewers on the sidelines where they can hear players and coaches react as plays are happening on the field.  It also features audio and video from inside teams' locker rooms both before and after the game.  Last night's edition spanned all four of the weekend's playoff games. 

The segment on the Colts-Steelers game was up first.  It featured player and announcer reactions to the interception that wasn't, Jerome Bettis' fumble on the two-yard line, and Mike Vanderjagt's missed field goal as time expired.  It also followed the Steelers into the locker room after their win and showed Bettis trying to rally the troops for next week's game in Denver against the Broncos.  The Bus' speech was full of typical underdog talk and ended with him trying to lead the team in a chant of "Let's ride."  Joey Porter obviously caught the fever and felt the need to chime in, screaming at the top of his lungs, "They shot me in Denver!"  Amazingly, no one missed a beat and kept on chanting as the segment cut away.

Now if that's not motivation, I don't know what is.

All too often broadcasters, sports writers and pundits use the word “courage” to describe petty, everyday accomplishments such as stepping back in the box after a brush back or standing in the pocket knowing a blitz is coming.  True courage, when exhibited at a crucial moment, is transcendent.  It is impossible to escape its pull, even if at that very moment its significance is unclear.  In fact, sometimes it may not be appreciated until decades later.

Real courage enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain without fear.  The following 10 moments in sports history truly deserve to be called courageous.  In each instance, an athlete demonstrated the quality of character that stopped us in our tracks and made us take notice.  In some cases, the effects can still be felt today. 

10.  Super Mario overcomes Hodgkin’s to win the NHL scoring title:  During the 1992 season, Pittsburgh Penguins center Mario Lemieux was on a streak like none other.  Through the season’s first 40 games, he recorded 104 points.  But in the middle of the frenzy, Lemieux was sidelined; not by an on-ice opponent, but by a much more menacing foe:  Hodgkin’s disease.  In January of 1993, doctors removed a malignant lump from Lemieux’s neck and recommended radiation to eradicate the threat.  Lemieux took two months off to undergo treatment before returning to the ice on the day of his final radiation session to score a goal and an assist.  He then led the Penguins on a 17-game win streak while racking up 160 points in only 60 games to win the scoring title.

9.  Texas Western wins the 1966 NCAA men's final:  It seemed a forgone conclusion:  four-time NCAA champion Kentucky would again win the title.  But in the Midwest Region, Texas Western was making a run for the title.  Led by five African-American starters, Don Haskins’ Texas Western (now the University of Texas at El Paso) team, which had faced not only taunts but threats throughout its 28-1 season, defeated Adolph Rupp’s all-white Kentucky lineup 72-65.  It marked the first time an all-black team had played in the championship game and changed the complexion of NCAA basketball forever.  Soon after their win, other NCAA coaches began recruiting African-American players, leading to the integrated game we know today.

8.  Muhammad Ali lights the Olympic flame:  In 1996, the U.S. Olympic Organizing Committee viciously guarded the identity of the individual who would light the official cauldron to declare the Atlanta games open. That night spectators gasped, then applauded wildly to see former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali atop the stadium bearing the Olympic torch.  Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 12 years earlier and quietly withdrew from the public spotlight.  The man who floated like a butterfly and was never without a witty quote could no longer control his finely tuned muscles and found it difficult to speak.  But for that one night, he stepped back into the spotlight to remind the world that, though debilitated by disease, he was still the greatest and the consummate Olympic champion.

7.  Joe Louis defeats the darling of #### Germany:  On June 22, 1938 as Europe stood on the precipice of war, it took American Joe Louis less than three minutes to knock out German heavyweight Max Schmeling in a fight that resonated far beyond the New York ring where it took place.  Schmeling, a favorite athlete of Adolf ####’s, had defeated the previously unbeaten Louis just two years earlier in a 12 round fight.  As a rematch loomed, the world paused and held its collective breath, waiting to see whether the German would again triumph as #### propaganda promised or the “Brown Bomber” would deal the ####s a literal and figurative blow.  They didn’t have to wait long; Louis delivered a knockout punch in two minutes and four seconds, striking another blow against ####’s social theories and, many believe, laying the ground work for the American Civil Rights Movement.  At a time when boxing was the preeminent sport in America, Louis became a hero to whites and blacks.

6.  USA men’s basketball team refuses silver medals:  It was a game for the ages.  The 1972 U.S. men’s basketball team, undefeated in Olympic play, had easily skated through the qualifying rounds and medal competition, setting up a showdown with a formidable USSR team in the championship game.  At the half the USSR was up 26-21.  Mid-way through the second half American Dwight Jones and Soviet forward Dvorni Edeshko were ejected from the game after a tussle over a loose ball. Without their top player, the U.S. team battled back, coming within one point with just 40 seconds remaining on the game clock.  After a steal, guard Doug Collins sank two free throws to put the U.S. up 51-49 with three seconds remaining.  The Soviets then failed to score and the U.S. team celebrated.  The Soviets argued that they had called a time out, and time was added to the clock.  They again failed to score.  However, an official ordered another three seconds placed on the clock.  This time, the Soviets managed a layup.  The U.S. team was stunned.  It immediately filed a protest but no relief was given.  The Americans composed themselves and took a vote.  They unanimously decided to refuse the silver medal in protest and did not participate in the medal ceremony.  To this day, their medals sit in a bank vault in Munich.

5.  Track stars give black power salute:  American television audiences gasped in shock in October 1968 to see two African-American athletes, Tommy Smith and John Carlos, raise their fists on the Olympic medal stand in a gesture of black power.  In addition, they wore no shoes to protest the poverty facing most African-Americans and beads to protest lynching.  Smith and Carlos were demonstrating their support for the Olympic Project for Human Rights, an organization founded the year before with three demands:  that the heavyweight boxing title stripped from Muhammad Ali for his refusal to enter the Vietnam draft be restored; that Avery Brundage, whom they believed to be racist, step down as the head of the U.S. Olympic Committee; and that South Africa and Rhodesia be uninvited from the games for their government’s apartheid policies.  Both men were stripped of their medals and dismissed from the games for their actions.  However, the image they crafted on the medal stand lives on today.

4.  Magic Johnson announces he's HIV-positive:  On Nov. 7, 1991 Magic Johnson made the announcement that stunned the world.  The LA Laker superstar publicly revealed that he is HIV-positive.  Although the AIDS epidemic had been walking among us for nearly a decade, it was still thought of as a #### man’s and drug addict’s disease, not something that could strike down a heterosexual professional athlete at the height of his career.  Johnson, who had been revered by sports fans and his fellow players alike for years, understood the stigma and fear attached to the disease but decided that going public was the responsible thing to do, not only for the safety of those he may have come into contact with ,but to raise overall public awareness.  Old teammates and foes rushed to be tested, and some attempted to block him from playing again out of fear that the disease could be spread from incidental contact.  Nearing the end of his career, Johnson eventually decided to retire rather than sustain further controversy.  By publicly revealing his HIV status, Johnson gave a new face and brought fresh attention to a disease that had already started making inroads in the African-American community.  HIV/AIDS could no longer be thought of as a ####, white man’s disease, but one that could affect anyone, anywhere, at any time.

3.  Jesse Owens wins gold in Berlin:  The year was 1936.  Adolf ####’s #### party had consolidated power in Germany.  Civil war had erupted in Spain.  Mussolini had entered Ethiopia, and Europe was beginning to fear the growing military power of Germany.  Believing fully in his Aryan “master race” theory, #### saw the 1936 Olympics as an opportunity to prove the superiority of white Europeans.  He viciously chastised the United States for letting Jesse Owens, an African-American, and “non-humans” represent it in the Track & Field competition and openly rooted for his downfall.  In a stadium festooned with swastikas, Owens, the son of sharecroppers and descendent of slaves, competed and disproved ####’s racial theories, winning gold medals in the 100 meter dash, the 200 meter dash, the long jump and the 4x100 relay and becoming a hero to the German public along the way.

2.  Pat Tillman foregoes a multimillion dollar contract and the NFL to enlist in the U.S. Army:  Pat Tillman had what many American men can only dream of – good looks, an adoring wife, unbelievable athletic ability and a $3.6 million contract to play in the NFL.  But the Arizona Cardinals safety gave up his career to become an Army Ranger after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, DC.  Tillman, whose brother enlisted at the same time, refused all interviews about his decision, preferring to let his actions speak for themselves.  He was killed in Afghanistan, an apparent victim of friendly fire, on April 22, 2004.

1.  Jackie Robinson breaks baseball's color line:  By putting on a uniform and stepping onto the field in 1947, Jackie Robinson struck a blow to segregationists across the United States.  Baseball, that most-American of pastimes, had until that moment existed with one foot in two separate worlds; whites had the Major League and blacks had the Negro League, just as whites had their restaurants and schools and blacks had theirs.  But in joining the Brooklyn Dodgers that year, Robinson made those worlds collide.  Americans could no longer pretend that the existence of two separate worlds was anything but a political construct, not the natural law as some would have them believe.  Robinson proved that African-Americans could not only play with whites, but compete with them.  Many other African-Americans had tried to break the color barrier and had suffered greatly for their efforts.  Robinson knew what awaited him – the hostility from fans, from opposing players and even his own teammates – but took up the burden anyway.  He wasn’t the best player in the Negro League but he had speed, and as his .311 lifetime batting average attests, a good and consistent swing.  More than that, he had the patience, drive and character to be the torchbearer for future generations of African-American athletes.

San Diego Chargers GM A.J. Smith has a big decision to make, and few GMs around the league envy him the task – what to do about QB Drew Brees?

The Chargers selected Brees, a Heisman finalist out of Purdue, with their first pick in the second round of the 2001 draft.  Brees played only one game his rookie season, overcoming a 19-0 score to nearly pull off a come from behind win at Kansas City before falling 25-20.  San Diego fans glimpsed the team’s future and liked what they saw.  However, Brees struggled over the next two years as the Chargers posted a .500 record in 2002 and a 4-12 record in 2003.  Brees played erratically and split time with journeyman Doug Flutie.  Suddenly, his future in San Diego was uncertain, as critics chimed in that at 6-0 and 209 lbs. he was too small and his arm strength wasn’t there.  The Chargers front office seemed to agree, selecting Eli Manning with the first pick of the 2004 draft before trading him to the Giants for another top QB prospect, N.C. State’s Philip Rivers, the fourth pick overall.  It appeared the Brees’ days were numbered.

But a funny thing happened; Rivers held out claiming he was the de facto number-one pick and, as such, should make number-one pick money.  He reported to camp late and by that time, Brees was already stating his case for retaining the starting job.  And with little time to learn how to play Marty-ball, Rivers got the clip board and Brees received the nod.

What followed was one of the great turnaround stories in the NFL in recent years.  The Chargers went from last place to winning their division and a spot in the playoffs.  Likewise, Brees went from near has-been to Comeback Player of the Year and Chargers MVP.

This season, Brees continued to play well, but late-season injuries to key players and a tough road schedule that had the Chargers logging more air miles than a traveling salesman combined to leave the Bolts with a 9-7 record, missing the playoffs.  Coupled with that, Brees tore his labrum in the final game against Denver.  The surgery was a success and no rotator cuff damage was sustained, but he will reportedly need four months of rehab.

All of this adds up to leave Smith with a very interesting decision to make.  For the 2005 season, Brees was the team’s designated franchise player.  He played with a one-year, $8 million contract.  Smith must decide by Feb. 23 whether to again slap the franchise tag on Brees and a nearly $10 million payday to go with it, to negotiate a long-term deal as he appeared ready to do prior to the injury, or to put a transition label on him, leaving open the possibility that he could go to another team.  Under the transition designation, Brees could negotiate with other club, and the Chargers would retain the right to match any offers.  But if Brees were to leave, the Bolts wouldn’t be compensated in the draft.

With a first round pick waiting in the wings and also draining the coffers, it’s understandable that Smith would be conflicted about Brees’ future, even tempted to let him, and his salary, go elsewhere.  But Rivers is an unknown quantity.  He’s thrown only 30 passes in his two-year career and hasn’t played a full game since N.C. State’s Tangerine Bowl win over Kansas in the 2003 season.

Letting Brees go would be a mistake.  He’s proven he is a quality NFL-caliber quarterback.  But more than that, it’s the intangibles that loom large in this situation.  Brees understands Schottenheimer’s system, no easy task.  He and the coach have developed a rapport and good working relationship.  Again, with Marty, no easy task.  But more than that, Brees, LaDanian Tomlinson, Keenan McCardell and Antonio Gates have a chemistry that would be wrecked if one of them were to leave.  It’s rare to find such a balanced offense attack – the Chargers can hurt you on the ground and in the air – and with the exception of McCardell, all of the key players are just entering their prime.  This group could form the core of a powerful San Diego offense for the next few years, an eternity in today’s NFL.  Eliminating Brees from the equation and replacing him with Rivers could possibly work, but it’s a big gamble.  One not worth taking.  Slap the franchise tag on Brees and deal Rivers.

I’d love to hear others’ thoughts on this situation.

I realize my bio is a bit short and really doesn’t say much about me or why I entered this contest.  That’s largely because I thought only my friends would read it and have been writing mostly to entertain them and myself with really no hope of moving on in the contest.  But low and behold, some of you out there found me and I guess you liked what you read and here I am.  Talk about pressure. 

I really can’t believe I made the finals, especially after reading the other finalists’ blogs.  I’m honored to be in their company and happy to be representing for the ladies.  So in the spirit of getting to know each other better …

I’m 27 years old and live in the Northern Virginia suburbs of DC.  I’m originally from Memphis – from which I got an appreciation of pork BBQ, a love for college hoops, and my sass – but was raised in Baltimore.  I currently work in strategic communications, which basically means I’m the second-most hated thing in DC next to a lobbyist – a spin doctor.  But I work for a not-for-profit group so I can live with myself and sleep at night.  I have an admitted weakness for hockey players; that’s why I married one.  Apparently missing teeth is not such an issue for me, and if my dear husband were no longer, you’d find me in Philly stalking Peter Forsberg.  More than I already am.  My dream job would be doing profile pieces and interviews for a pre-game show or sports-magazine/Web site.  I love the human drama inherent in sports, and I know my talent lies more in storytelling than reporting.  Of course, there is a fine line between drama and sappiness.  The world doesn’t need another Bud Collins.

These are the beliefs I hold sacred:

• I believe in a QB named Joe, a receiver named Rocket, and a back called the Bus.
• I believe Peter Angelos is the worst thing to ever happen to the Orioles.
• I believe Gretzky really was the greatest.
• I believe Bobby Bowden is the anti-Christ, and his sons are his evil minions.
• I believe lacrosse is one of the greatest sports on earth, but I won’t bore the 99.9% of you who’ve never seen a face-off with talking about it.
• I believe football was meant to be played outdoors, regardless of the weather, and not in a dome.
• I believe Nike is the evil empire.
• I believe the ground can’t cause a fumble.  If you can’t hold on to the ball, you can’t hold on to the ball.
• I believe Mike Krzyzewski is the best coach in Division I basketball history.
• I believe the guy yelling the loudest at the game actually knows the least about it.
• I believe in going into mourning the day after the college football season ends.
• I believe if you’re going to drink beer, make it one that actually tastes like beer and not yellow-tinted water.
• I believe throwing like a girl is a compliment..
• I believe the hook shot is a thing of beauty and Kareem was Michelangelo.
• I believe Indy’s failure to win the Big One is not on Peyton Manning’s head but Bob Irsay’s.  He cursed the team when he snuck out of Baltimore in the dead of night like the weasel that he was.
• I believe all you really need in life is someone you love and who loves you in return, great friends, family you can count on, and the love of a hound dog.