The NBA season is just around the corner, with games starting in less than two weeks (October 30th), so I figured I better get on my horse and start throwin' out some knowledge. These are my top eight-category players coming into the year.

Some of these guys may not be Top 10 overall fantasy players, but what they WILL do for you is make sure you have all your bases covered every night. Sure, Dwyane Wade and Dwight Howard will dominate in about 4 or 5 categories, but they won't hit you any threes.

Get a couple of these guys on your roster, and you'll be just fine.

1. Kobe Bryant - The obvious No. 1 in just about every league right now. He's the top scorer in the league, dishes out plenty of assists, rebounds and the shooting percentages won't kill you, either. He's the total package.

2. LeBron James - Does almost everything Kobe does, yet just a tad below him. Can't imagine him going any lower than third in most drafts.

3. Dirk Nowitzki - If he scored more or dished out a few more assists, he'd be the No. 1 fantasy player in the league. He hits way more threes than Kobe and LeBron, he shoots FTs better, rebounds better and blocks more shots. Super stud, no question.

4. Shawn Marion - After skipping guys like Gilbert Arenas or Kevin Garnett, who are seven-category-only dudes, you have to love Marion. He's been in the Top 5 on this list ever since joining the league. Percentages are solid, as are the threes.

5. Gerald Wallace - His lowest categories is three (0.5 a game), but he still gives you some of those. His FT% needs to go up a bit, but otherwise he's a beast across the board.

6. Josh Howard - Dallas' unsung hero does everything. If he didn't have Dirk or Jason Terry on the same team, he'd be scoring 22 or 23 points a game too.

7. Lamar Odom - He only shoots 70% from the FT line, but that's not ugly enough to keep him off this list, since he's the glue that keeps the Lakers together, seemingly hitting a different category every night for big numbers.

8. Antawn Jamison - This may shock some of you, but even with just a half a block a game, he gets it done across the statsheet. It was that way WITH Arenas in the lineup and even moreso when he wasn't there.

9. Jason Richardson - Needs to get his FT% up, but he'll be a big scorer this year, be counted on for a lot of defensive numbers (steals, blocks), dishes out a good number of assists and hit threes as well. A solid play this year.

10. Ron Artest - The most controversial player in the league rounds out my Top 10, thanks to his focus on all the dirty work. Leads the league in steals and scores when it's needed. When he decides he enjoys playing, every fantasy owner out there would kill to have him on their roster.

-G-

With everyone's fantasy drafts happening these days, I'm often being asked which pick I'd want and which I wouldn't.

Sure, it's easy to say I'd like to own the first overall pick, but I don't know if that's exactly true this year. In fact, I'd probably like to have the 10th or 11th pick, which would give me two strong running backs. I had the 11th in a recent experts draft and was able to pick Reggie Bush with that selection and then get Cedric Benson on the rebound with the 14th.

I'd much rather have two strong guys like that than going with LaDainian Tomlinson and a guy like Marshawn #### or Marion Barber with the 24th pick.

That being said, the first overall pick still is better than most options. The primary one being the third pick.

Obviously, the top two guys in almost every draft this year are LT and Steven Jackson. After that, any of the next 5-6 guys have issues.

Do you go with Larry Johnson, who will have an entirely new line in front of him in Kansas City? How about Joseph Addai? He has all the makings of a stud back this year, but he's never carried the load by himself, even in his college days. Frank Gore has a number of injury problems, Shaun Alexander had to sit out half of last season with a knee injury and Brian Westbrook had a career year last season, but he's yet to play all 16 games in his five years in the NFL.

Who do you go with? Or would you rather just have the eighth or ninth pick and let Willie Parker, Laurence Maroney or Rudi Johnson fall in your lap.

There's virtually no winning with No. 3, since the chances are high he'll disappoint you. If not, it's probably just a matter of luck rather than skill. Of course, now I'll obviously be strickened with that choice in my big league tomorrow night. I'm sure of it. The jinx factor is way too high.

I'll be sure to let you know how it goes, though I may lie about it - just to save face later on.

-G-

So, Texas puts up a major league record 30 runs in a game AND Garret Anderson goes off for 10 RBI in a game. One day apart?!

Huh, you don't say?

I see those stats and what do I do? Well, I head straight to my fantasy scoreboard to make sure I'm not playing against any of those guys. That's what I do.

Because, just like a hurricane in Legoland, those kind of stats can wreak all KINDS of havoc. Depending on what kind of league you're in, it can ruin seasons.

No joke.

In my head-to-head league, I'm battling for the last playoff spot right now, and I have two weeks to get there. I just happen to be playing against Texas second baseman Ian Kinsler. Luckily, he ONLY went 3-for-7 on me, but he scored three times and drove in two. I felt compelled to pray to God and say a couple dozen Hail Marys. And I'm not even Catholic.

Fortunately for me, I think I was one of the lucky ones.

Several of you out there may very well be facing off against Jarrod Saltalamacchia (4-for-6, 5 runs, 7 RBI) this week. Obviously, that would not be good. There are only so many categories you can win in a week, and you just took a major hit in three of them (RBI, runs and average).

Or perhaps you started Daniel Cabrera (5 IP, 9 hits, BB, 6 ER). That would kill you, too. Your ERA is immediately over 9.00, and your WHIP took an even bigger hit.

The average numbers of RBI and runs a team in my league scores each week is about 25. With one player in one game, I've already had to deal with a quarter of that total. That's some serious ground I'll have to make up. The same goes for the ERA and WHIP. One pitcher can ruin an entire week sometimes, and I don't have that kind of time if I'm to make up enough ground to make the playoffs.

And don't even get me started on Garret Anderson. Two home runs (one was a grand slam), two doubles, three runs scored and 10 ribbies. That's the stuff of legends. If you had him on your team, you're a genius, and you probably already locked up your RBI category by Tuesday night.

Hence, against the wrong player at the wrong time, ONE game or ONE player could very well have cost me some serious coin. Just consider yourselves fortunate this happened courtesy of a bunch of no-names in a usually terrible Rangers lineup and an aging, oft-injured outfielder who is still available on many of your waiver wired out there. If this came at the hands of the Yankees, Brewers, Phillies, Mets or Red Sox, there would likely be some serious carnage to sift through.

In a roto-style league, however, it's not quite as crushing. But it still stings a bit. How can't it? Getting that kind of production out of a lesser player - like any of the four I named before - is a big boost no matter how you slice it.

See, I bet one outburst like the Rangers' or like Anderson's can single-handedly make up two or three games in a head-to-head league. However, it probably does no more than give you an extra point or two in roto leagues, which reward owners for 162-game consistency moreso than record-setting nights at the dish.

In the end, making up ground in fantasy leagues is a heck of a lot easier to do in the weekly head-to-head scenario than it is in a season-long roto league. Especially this late in the year. It's science.

-G-

NFL Draftees need to sign NOW!

There are a few things in sports that just get my goat.

I hate it that the guys in the bullpens feel they have to run all the way out from their homes in the outfield when there's a bench-clearing brawl. What good can you possibly be doing, fellas? Sit the hell down.

I hate that you can't give NFL coaches technical fouls or kick them out of the game for complaining to the refs. NBA and MLB coaches have to worry about it. Why shouldn't NFL coaches? It seems only fair.

I hate it when soccer players go down yelling and screaming like a baby in order to get a call, then all of a sudden are up and running again 30 seconds later. Give that piece of garbage a red card and get him off the field. That #### doesn't belong in the game.

I hate watching Antoine Walker doing the ugliest dance in the history of mankind whenever he hits a three pointer, and I hate the fact that every player in the NBA feels they have to shake his teammate's hand after making a free throw. The guy's 15 feet away from the hoop with nobody doing anything to stop him and he makes that shot 85 to 90 percent of the time. There's no reason to shake his hand after each of the 500 of them he makes over the course of a season. Please stop.

But the one thing I can't stand more than anything else at this time of year is NFL draft picks not signing their damn contracts until the day before, or several days into, training camp.

To give you a quick example of what I'm talking about, NBA No. 1 pick Greg Oden has already signed his contract. In fact, he signed it about a week after being picked by the Trailblazers. And the NBA Draft took place exactly two months after the NFL Draft! Two months!! Can someone please explain to me why NFL first rounders STILL haven't signed their deals?

And telling me an NFL contract is more difficult or complicated to sign is a cop out. I'm not buying it. The NBA has a set system already, you might say? Too bad. The NFL knows what last year's picks made at each slot, and they know the guys in those slots the year before that, and the year before that, and so on. There's no mystery here. That's just as weak a system as the NBA's. Figure it out.

In my mind, it's all about laziness. Every single NFL agent thinks he can get more money for his guy if he waits for the first patsy to sign a week before training camp - then and only then will they even begin talks. And that's total and complete ####. That's two months of nothingness. You people just sat there! I've never witnessed a more futile waste of time in my life - besides spending three hours watching the ESPYs, of course.

What it does is hurt your player more than it helps him. JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn could be competing for starting jobs right now. Instead, they're sitting back on their barco loungers while their agents play chicken with the GMs. They'll both get into their first NFL training camp weeks late, be so behind that they're automatically the third stringer coming in, thereby losing almost a full year of playing time they could have had if they just sucked it up and signed the damn thing a month ago.

How much more are they going to get for waiting? If you say anything more than five bucks, I'll call BS right here and now, because it won't solve a thing. They would've signed the exact same contract in June as they're signing now. Waiting until the last second - or later - just makes them feel better about themselves. That's all it does. And in the process, it kills the teams and kills the fans that once were rooting for you when you were drafted, but are now pissed off at you for holding out.

It's a lose-lose situation, and I can't see why these people can't see that.

I dare anyone to explain it to me, because it can't be done. Get off your friggin' XBox boys, tell your agent you want to sign NOW and the fans won't have to worry about whether or not you plan on gracing us with your presence this season. All of you who hold out this season are ridiculous, and I hope you get exactly what you deserve - a view from the bench.

-G-

The fellas over here at FOX just had their first NFL Experts Draft. It involved such fantasy illuminaries as Michael Fabiano from NFL.com, two of the pros from over at RotoWire, some dudes from KFFL.com, FantasyGuru.com and FantasyDiehards.com, Paul Bessire from WhatIfSports.com and five of us from FOXSports.com.

Unfortunately for me, I was stuck with the 11th pick, which meant I'd be picking again three spots later in the 14th slot. Wasn't too excited about the prospects available in that range, but let's break it down and see how I did. I'll try to explain why I did what I did, or apologize for it, whatever I think the situation calls for!

#11 - Reggie Bush, RB - Even though this isn't a points-per-reception league, I thought he was the best player left on the board here. He had 742 receiving yards to go with his 565 on the ground (1,307 total yards), and he didn't even score a TD from scrimmage until Week 10! After that, the floodgates opened, as he scored nine times in the season's last eight games. Laurence Maroney was taken just before me at #10, and the only possible picks left for me were McGahee, Portis, Edge and Travis Henry, since I made my mind up I wouldn't be picking any QBs or WRs this early. With Reggie's upside, I think this is as good as I could have done this late.

#14 - Cedric Benson, RB - Thomas Jones would have been a solid pick here if he was still the Bears No. 1 back, but now that he's with the Jets, Benson's all alone in Chicago's backfield. He's a former No. 4 overall draft pick and now he's the No. 1 back for a Super Bowl team. That's all I need. Sign me up.

#35 - Donald Driver, WR - There had just been a run on WRs, so instead of going for a third RB right away, I collected Driver, who's been a stud in GB for years now. He was huge last year and Favre will want to go out guns a blazin' this season, which means Driver will be as busy as ever.

#38 - Marques Colston, WR - I could have had Anquan Boldin, Lee Evans or Javon Walker here, but decided to go with an unquestioned No. 1 guy with an established QB on a team that's gonna be throwing consistently all year. Colston could be a beast.

#62 - LaMont Jordan, OAK - Not tremendously excited about this one, but the No. 1 RBs were all but gone and if he can come back from his injury, he could be an incredible steal. He IS a No. 1 guy, and geting those in the 62 slot isn't easy to do. Could easily be a bust though, too. I understand that. Julius Jones, Warrick Dunn and Chester Taylor were all still available, but they're all spiltting carries, so this was my last shot to have someone who's the lone wolf on their team, especially with Dominic Rhodes being suspended.

#66 - Darrell Jackson, WR - I liked this pick a lot. I could have had Reggie Brown, Joey Galloway or Laveranues Coles, but Jackson's gonna be the go to guy on a rising Niners team that could some nice points on the board this season. You'll see my backup plan to this pick take effect later on too.

#90 - Jon Kitna, QB - I was determined to get my starting QB here and had Hasselbeck all ready to go. He got taken five picks before me. So, I cued up Matt Leinart. Mike Harmon chose him with the pick directly in front of me! Damnit! So, Kitna was my third choice this deep, but still not a bad one with all the weapons they have at wideout this year.

#94 - Bernard Berrian, WR - Getting a No. 1 receiver this low in the draft is rare, so I took advantage. I feel I have a sweet lineup off WRs now, with Driver, Colston, Jackson and Berrian. Vincent Jackson may have been one fo the few other No. 1's out there and he went just a couple picks later.

#118 - Ben Watson, TE - I love this guy and have no problems with him as my starting TE in any league.

#122 - Alex Smith, QB - He could EASILY be my starter most of the season. He could end up being just as good as Kitna, if not better. A former No. 1 overall pick with two years under him leading a young and talented offense .. I like my chances.

#146 - Jacksonville DST - With Mike Peterson and Marcus Stroud both back from injury, this defense could be one of the best in the NFL. I think I got a steal here.

#150 - Jerry Porter, WR - Yeah, he sat out the whole '06 season, but he could very well be a No. 1 guy this year too. I DO love my No. 1 receivers, even if they ARE on the Raiders.

 -G-

I know what you're thinking ... Fantasy Bowling?!!? Come on, Gerrit. Are you serious? Ya, I'm dead serious. It's for real. And it's free.

Fantasy geeks will obviously think of anything, and now they've gotten into bowling. Has this been out there somewhere before now? I have no idea. Probably. But a friend of mine, who's on the PBA Tour, recently made me aware of it.

Mike Haugen has been a poker buddy for some time, and he also just happened to be 30th on the PBA points leaderboard last season. He and the rest of the players all have Fantasy Bowling teams, and now you can too. Get in there now, since the season starts in less than two months - before the NFL!

http://www.pbafantasygame.com/PBA2/Support/rul
es.php

This page has all the rules, but it also has everything else you need to know to get yourself. I don't know about you, but when I was growing up, bowling was huge on TV. Wide World of Sports (I'm dating myself here, I know) showed it just about every Sunday. It was always on after coming home from church, so that was the early afternoon entertainment. I think it can be again.

There are millions of bowlers out there. I know this, because I go to my local alley every now and then and I can NEVER get a lane! There are always leagues going on, which means you people are bowlers. Don't hide it. Embrace it, and then embrace Fantasy Bowling. Find me there. I'll take you all on .....

GMadness - Average: 154 - Deal with it.

-G-

The MLB season more than a third of the way done now, so I figured it would be a good time to look at some over and underachieving players around the league and get your thoughts.

OVERACHIEVERS

Magglio Ordonez, DET - OK, I've always been an Ordonez fan, back to his days with the White Sox, but there's just no way on Earth he continues to hit .367. His power numbers are actually on par with what he was doing in Chicago between the 1999 and 2002 seasons, but doing that in the stadium this team plays in is just ridiculous. He's bound to level out and end the year somewhere in the 28-HR, 115-RBI, .305 area. Still a great season, but not the 33/140 he's on pace for.

Jorge Posada, NYY - For someone who's never hit higher than .287 in 10 major league seasons, Posada's .358 is WAY out of whack. Again, the 7 HR and 40 RBI seem about right, but as soon as the average comes back down, so will they. I'm seeing something like 16-HR, 85-RBI, .313, instead of his current 18-HR, 100-RBI, .358 pace.

Victor Martinez, CLE - Do YOU see Martinez ending the year hitting .325 with 30 HR and 135 RBI? I know I sure don't. Something like 24 HR, 92 RBI and .295 seems a bit closer to reality.

J.J. Hardy, MIL - I like this kid too. In fact, he was one of the 10 players I named in my comeback players of the year list before the season began. However, he's on pace to hit 40 HR with 118 RBI. That simply is not going to happen. I'd love it to, since he's on my team this year, but I would be shocked if he ended the year any better than 30 HR and 105 RBI.

Josh Beckett, BOS - This isn't saying too much here, but his 9-0 record is going to die sooner rather than later. He's on pace to go undefeated, at 23-0. Uh, no. I won't put 20 wins past him, but I'm looking at 19-5. His 165 strikeout pace actually seems a bit low, and his 2.88 ERA is a bit too much to expect as well. If he comes in under 3.25, I'd be happy.

Matt Morris, SF - There's no way in hell this guy ends the season 18-8 with the sixth-best ERA in baseball, like he's on pace to do. He'll hit the wall soon enough and come in at 15-11 with an ERA closer to 3.60 rather than the 2.56 he's sporting now.

UNDERACHIEVERS

Manny Ramirez, BOS - With just 8 HR, 33 RBI and a .292 average to date, he's on pace for just 20 and 83 RBI for the year. You know as well as I do that won't happen. When it's all said and done, Manny will be Manny once again and finish with 34 HR, 120 RBI and something closer to .315.

Robinson Cano, NYY - You just have to believe this kid will kick it in at some point. He showed signs of it recently, but you don't average .320 with 15 HR and 70 RBI your first two seasons in the bigs, then fall off to just 8-HR pace and a .269 average. He'll straighten out and end the season over .300 with about 16 HR and 80 RBI.

Vernon Wells, TOR - This guy is a stud. So why does he have just 5 HR, 30 RBI and a .250 average? I have not a clue in the world. He's too good not to end the year with 26 HR, 110 RBI and hitting more than .290. Just wait for it, because it'll come.

Jermaine Dye, CWS - 25 HR, 75 RBI and a .216 average for Jermaine Dye?! This is Jermaine Dye we're talking about here, people! That's insanity! If he doesn't turn things around and finish with stats closer to 32 HR, 110 RBI and .280, I'll be completely shocked and dismayed.

Howie Kendrick, LAA - He was injured for a lot of season thus far, and now that he's come back, many are forgetting about him. Well, he'#### .400 the past six games and his numbers are sure to climb throughout the remainder of the year. He'll pay off for you in the long run.

Derrek Lee, CHC - The .329 average seems about right, but his 6 HR and 35 RBI have him on pace for just 15 and 88. That is NOT right - at all. He's too good a hitter in too good a stadium for that to hold up. He's a 30-HR, 120-RBI guy each and every year.

Lance Berkman, HOU - Just like Lee, Berkman is too good a hitter to be slumbering at a 20-HR, 93-RBI, .252 average pace. He'll go on a tear at some point and get his numbers back up to where they belong - 32 HR, 118 RBI, .297 is my prediction.

Garrett Atkins, COL - One of the best hitting third baseball is letting down the Garrett name this year - and that's unacceptable! He's only on pace for 10 HR, 58 RBI and a .237 average. I think he had already surpassed those numbers at this point last season, so you HAVE to believe he's on the verge of an explosion. Look for him to end with about 23 HR, 95 RBI and an average closer to .285.

I'll skip the pitchers for now, since there are too many to name. We'll get to them another time. Hopefully this gives us enough to work with for now anyway!

-G-

I've never hidden my love for my Cubbies, but most of the time as a sports writer, we're taught to be as objective as possible.

Well, that changes this weekend, as my beloved Cubs come into L.A. for their one series a year against the Dodgers. I have nothing at all against the Dodgers. I surely haven't adopted them as a second team or anything, but they DO give me an outlet to see several major league games a year, and I appreciate them for that. I haven't lived this close to a major league team my whole life, having been close to only minor league parks in Charlotte and Kinston, North Carolina as well as Burlington, Vermont.

I love going to watch minor league games, but there's nothing like the real thing. So, for that, I thank the Dodgers.

Unfortunately for them, though, I will be amongst 40,000 of their fans this weekend rooting against them as loudly as I can in my most unabashed display on fandom this year. That poor left fielder, who will probably be former Cub Luis Gonzalez, probably won't enjoy a few of things my group of 30 fellow Cub fans will be saying to him throughout the game, but I can't be totally blamed for that, now can I?

Ya see, for 363 days this year, I attempt to be as professional as I can. But on Saturday and Sunday, I get to be a fan just like all of you - and I can't freakin' wait. Thank God this is indeed Los Angeles and the chances of my two-day Get Out of Jail (Work) Free Weekend getting rained out are slim to none.

It's finally my turn to have some fun, so let the games begin!

-G-

Am I the only blind one here, or is it the rest of the NBA writers?

Whichever it is, I just can't see how Steve Nash was not given the NBA MVP trophy this season.

I like Dirk Nowitzki, don't get me wrong, but Nash is clearly more valuable to his team than any other player in the NBA today. In fact, Dirk had a great season, but I think both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James mean more to their teams than Dirk does, not to mention guys like Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan, Dwyane Wade, Carlos Boozer and Jason Kidd. But that's neither here nor there.

The point here is that Nash had the better season than Nowitzki. I really don't think there's any question about it either. The only way you can truly justify giving Dirk the MVP this season is because you just didn't want to give it to Nash three years in a row. That's hallowed territory there, and Nash just doesn't excite you like Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell or Larry Bird, the only three guys in the history of the game to acheive that feat.

Look at it this way: Nash had career-highs in assists, FG% and 3PT% while putting up his second-highest totals in points (18.6) and rebounds (3.5). His team also looked lost in the six games he wasn't able to play.

Nowitzki's points (24.6) and rebounds (8.9) were his lowest totals in four years, and his three pointers, steals and blocks were his lowest numbers in his career if you take out his rookie season in which he only played 47 games.

I know the people that voted for Dirk will tell you he's the best player on the best team, so that was the clincher. OK, that argument is bogus too. The Mavs had the best record in the NBA, sure. But the second-best record? The Suns. How many games back were they? Six. And how many games did Nash miss? Wait a minute ... let the tention build a bit ... yes, that's right ... six games!

Coincidence? Ha! I think not. Explain yourselves again voters. And this time try to back it up with some real reasons. You won't, though, because you can't.

(This has been a message brought to you by the Gerrit Ritt for Steve Nash for MVP committee.)

So, Britney Spears is playing 15 minute shows all across the West Coast, huh?

I don't know if I'm alone here, but that's just about the perfect amount of Britney for me. That's all I needed when I was listening to "Kiss Me Baby One More Time" back in '99 and that's all I need now, with or without the wig.

Any more than that and my mind will become one oversized pile of goo. (Talk about your "fantasy" sports, huh? Sorry, that was lame, yet all too easy as well.)

Well, that's pretty much how I feel about several people in the sports world right now too.

Roger Mayweather for one. Larry Merchant falls in right behind him. (By the way, for those of you who watched the fight, how bad was HE Saturday night? Good GOD! Just roll up in a corner somewhere and don't ever come back, Larry.)

Anyway, Brady Quinn, Keyshawn Johnson, Lance Briggs, Pacman Jones, Mel Kiper, Kobe, the Spurs, the apparent brilliance of Dirk Nowitzki, Dice-K, Alex Rodriguez, the Brewers, Barry Bonds and talk of steroids also make the list.

But Roger Clemens is getting pretty damn close to Britney status right now. I hear his name on TV and I immediately look for something else.

I mean, how sick are all of you of having to wait two months into the season to see who Mr. Baseball decides who exactly it is who will pay him $28 million to end up pitching five innings a night the next four months? It's ridiculous. It's National enquirer #### baseball doesn't need. Brett Favre, YOU know what I'm talking about.

No other athlete in the history of sports has ever had it so good. Has someone with the status of even Roger Clemens earned the right to be so cavalier with the lives of fans and other players over this time? There are a lot of great players who have come and gone throughout time and across all sports lines who would never consider playing half seasons.

I think David Wells actually has a point when he wonders whether players on the Yankees can actually respect a guy who's using all of them like he is.

I had friends of mine drive all the way to Las Vegas this weekend to watch Britney do her thing. She played for all of 15 minutes and lipsynched the entire thing. They paid more than $50 a piece for the tickets and spent 10 times that on their hotel and gas. Well, that's what baseball fans are going to get out of Clemens too. Five innings, one or two runs, four to six strikeouts, then bring in Scott Proctor or Kyle Farnsworth to blow it. is that what you paid him that money for? Is that what your fans paid $50 a ticket to watch?

Hey, I like Clemens personally. He seems like a fun guy who has always been available to the media and open to making fun of himself publicly, which is a big plus in my book. But come on, Rocket. Play the whole year out or don't play at all. No matter how well you do or however many rings you win at this point, fans will just say you came along for the ride and weren't a true part of the team. Is that what you really want? Come on Roger, you're better than that, man.

-G-

Am I the bad guy if I say I'd glad the NFL Draft is finally out of the way?

Am I the bad guy when I tell you I began turning the channel when draft preview segments would come on TV more than two weeks before the draft happened?

Am I the bad guy if I could give a damn who my Panthers took this past weekend?

Well, I don't think so.

I love my team as much as any one of you out there does, but it almost got to the point where I didn't want to hear anymore about football. I know that might be blasphemy to most of you - me included - but this whole "NFL Draft is as important as the season" thing has got to stop, people.

I'm WELL aware that successful teams are built through the draft, but none of us - and I repeat NONE of us - has any idea whether or not these guys are going to pan out until they do. I'm sure Charger fans thought they had the draft of the year when Ryan leaf fell into their laps a few years back. And Lions fans must have though Charles Rogers was God on Earth after his breakout rookie season. And Eagles fans thought their GM had officially checked into the looney bin when the team selected Donovan McNabb over Ricky Williams with the No. 2 overall pick in 1999.

Well, ya know what, everyone? It's a waste of freakin' time!

NOW your team actually has players. NOW we know what holes we realy need to fill. NOW we can actually talk about it, because NOW that wide receiver with the 4.4 speed you took with your sixth round pick out of Nobody Knows Where University is wearing your jersey.

See, you all cared about Brady Quinn last week, but not a damn one of you cares about him now. What is that all about? Wake up, folks. It's the exact opposite of what football is really about, where the tailgating is the most fun and the game is an event. Well, in the world of the draft, the tailgating is pointless, while the game once again matters.

So, let the games begin. Thank God.

-G-

The playoffs start this Saturday, and now is as good a time as any to say that the Suns are going to take home the trophy this year.

My quick hits predictions on the playoffs:

Steve Nash will be seriously pumped up after he and his Suns both take home the big prize this season. (Noah Graham / Getty Images)

WEST

#1 Mavericks over #8 Warriors 4-1
#2 Suns over # 7 Lakers 4-1
#3 Spurs over #6 Nuggets 4-1
#5 Rockets over #4 Jazz 4-2

#1 Mavericks over #5 Rockets 4-3
#2 Suns over #3 Spurs 4-2

#2 Suns over #1 Mavericks 4-2

EAST

#1 Pistons over #8 Magic 4-0
#2 Cavaliers over #7 Wizards 4-1
#6 Nets over #3 Raptors 4-3
#5 Bulls over #4 Heat 4-2

#1 Pistons over #5 Bulls 4-3
#6 Nets over #2 Cavaliers 4-3

#1 Pistons over #6 Nets 4-1

Prediction No. 1 - Steve Nash is the Finals MVP, then wins the League MVP for the third straight year.
Prediction No. 2 – Kevin Willis plays in one game and one game only for the Mavs in the playoffs

-G-

OK, please let me first say that I have absolutely NO interest in anything Don Imus has ever said or ever will say, and I obviously don't agree with him calling any female a "nappy-headed ####" as he did last week.

That being said, should anyone really give a rip what Don Imus says about the Rutgers womens basketball players on his radio show? Do I have to watch every single sports channel simultaneously air a boring #### press conference at the same time to talk about it? I mean, come on gang, what's the big deal anyway?

Imus is a 66-year-old aging hipster whose job it is to stir up controversy and create phone calls into his show. I think the only real problem we have here is that Imus is on a free nationally syndicated show. If Howard Stern said the exact same thing on his show (which he, himself owns, by the way of 34 million shares of Sirius Satellite Radio), we wouldn't be having this discussion.

People say things like this everyday on pay-per-view channels like HBO or XM Radio or in comedy clubs around the country, but we pay for the right to hear those things, so we have no right to complain, right? But if it's free, it's apparently wrong, and I'm not buyin' it.

Yes, there's a major difference between what Don Rickles does and what Michael Richards did in his recent rant against blacks at the Laugh Factory in L.A., but I don't think that's what Imus did here. 

Imus was trying to make an off-color joke that went awry. Does that make him a racist? Of course not. You mean to tell me any one of us hasn't made a racist joke of some sort in our life? Come on! I guarantee you Al Sharpton has, as have every single one of you out there. If you say you haven't, you're a hypocrite.

It doesn't mean anything, gang. It's your actions that make you who you are, not your words. Words are just that, people ... words. It always has, and it always will, amaze me that so many people want to take what people say so seriously.

I cannot begin to tell you the things I've been called playing basketball on the public courts I've played on the past 20 years. Being white, I'm the minority out there more often than not. The things I get called blow away anything Don Imus could ever imagine saying on his radio show. But so what? Do I care? Not at all. Why? It's wasted energy.

I get called all sorts of names on this very blog just for how high I believe Miguel Cabrera or Travis Hafner should go in a fantasy draft. Develop some thick skin, because these debates are tired and boring. Every week there's a new story about someone calling someone something that doesn't amount to jackola. It's forgotten as soon as the next person says something.

So what if Don freakin' Imus says "nappy-headed ####". Does Imus and his over-the-hill audience even have any relevance anymore? What can he do to you? How does what he says effect your life? Does he matter whatsoever?

The answer to all those things is "no".

So, I ask you all again ... Who gives a rip?

Let it go please. I'm getting bored here. What's the score of the game, for cryin' out loud?!

-G-

I've said it before and I'll say it again - the first week of April is the greatest sports week of the entire year.

The Final Four concludes and baseball's Opening Day starts off the best six months of my year. Well, for us Cub fans, that's usually the best two months of our year, then the worst two months of our year, then the most forgetable two months of our year.

But this year will be different my friends! Oh yes, it WILL be different.

Anyways, my thoughts after the first three-plus days ...

-- Grady Sizemore will be in the Top 5 of AL MVP voting at the end of the year

-- We won't even remember the ugly slump Ryan Howard is going through a month from now.

-- Felix Hernandez has turned the corner. This is the year he finally becomes special, as almost everyone had predicted two years ago.

--Cole Hamels is the real deal too. You'll be wishing you drafted him throughout the entire year.

-- Mark Prior will come back to win 12 games for the Cubs this season, and Carlos Zambrano will rebound from his ugly Opening Day effort to put up 18 of them.

-- Dice-K is good, but not THAT good. Remember, people, those 10 strikeouts came against the Royals.

-- Barry Bonds looks as good as he has in more than two years. He'll pass Aaron this year for sure.

-- I'll suffer my first heart attack this year if the Cubs bullpen keeps blowing saves like they did to the Reds today. Absolutely disgusting.

That is all.

-G-

This is my official challenge to YOU!

You think you can take me? Huh? Well, I don't think so, holmes. But I'm gonna give you a chance anyway. Why? Because I like to humiliate people who think they're better than me, that's why.

Call it a hobby.

FOXSports.com is giving 20 lucky readers a chance to be in an experts baseball draft with FOX Experts Roger Rotter, John Juhasz, John Halpin and yours truly. Just tell us in 100 words or less why you believe you should be chosen over the rest of the schmucks out there. Send your responses!

So, I ask you again ... do you think you got what it takes ... mere mortal?!

It's game time!

-G-