To make the situation any worse for the Toronto Blue Jays would be seemingly impossible.  Last night they achieved the impossible after a report that J.P. Ricciardi claimed to have talked to Adam Dunn over the telephone to squash any hard feelings stemming from comments they have made towards one another.  Dunn claims he never made a phone call to Ricciardi.

The situation reminds me of a politician who decides to make up a story which would have no real effect in his or her political campaign.  Regardless of what story you believe, whether Ricciardi was tricked or whether he made the story up, J.P. should have been the one to go out of his way to make the phone call.  He did start the fire.

Here in Toronto it has been difficult to give Ricciardi the benefit of the doubt.  We have seen some baffling changes over his 7 years as General Manager of the Blue Jays - considering he is in year 7 of a 5-year plan.  Here are a few quick points...

- What was once a proud franchise that use to have one of the best minor league systems around has now become one of the worst.  That comes to no surprise when Ricciardi got rid of most of the scouting department that had ties with the organization dating back to Pat Gillick.  Since the changes, few of Ricciardi's draft picks have made any kind of impact at the major league level.  The 3 faces of the Blue Jays organization, Vernon Wells, Alex Rios and Roy Halladay, were all drafted by Gord Ash.

- Ricciardi was specifically hired to make a contender out of a team that was not going to spend a lot of money.  Coming from the Oakland Athletics organization, Ricciardi was brought in to be the next Billy Beane, his close buddy.  After the 2005 season, the Blue Jays decided to boost payroll since they had brought in more revenue after the franchise successfully purchased Skydome - now Rogers Center.  The problem is, Ricciardi was brought in to win without a huge payroll and he still can't win WITH the boost in spending options.

- Ed Wade, the GM of the Houston Astros, offered Ricciardi Ryan Howard in exchange for Ted Lilly back in 2005 when Wade was GM for Philadelphia.  It was a deal that should have been made; Howard was ready for the big leagues after tearing up AAA for a couple of years and Lilly was just an above average pitcher at best.  Lilly was Ricciardi's guy, he liked Lilly from his Oakland days and felt he was going to accomplish big things.  Lilly walked after 2006 and signed with the Cubs while Howard won an MVP and hit nearly 60 home runs.

- In 2002 the New York Mets were interested in Jose Cruz Jr., then an outfielder and soon-to-be free agent for the Blue Jays.  Ricciardi was looking to deal Cruz and the Mets could only offer a Single-A player by the name of David Wright.  Cruz was not traded and signed with San Francisco after the season.

- That same year, Orlando Hudson called Ricciardi a "pimp", which Ricciardi did not take kindly.  He sent down Hudson who had a great spring training.  In AAA, Hudson was having a great year but as punishment, Ricciardi did not call him up to the big club.  Meanwhile, Homer Bush was battling injuries, Felipe Lopez was not adjusting to the major league level and Ricciardi decided to call up 1st round draft bust Joel Lawrence, who couldn't hit in the minors, let alone the majors.  Lawrence batted a cool .180 in 150 at bats while Hudson continued to abuse pitchers in Syracuse.  Hudson deserved a shot months earlier.

- 2005 draft.  The Blue Jays looked up and down the list and Ricciardi felt the need to draft a pitcher Ricky Romero.  Although the next best prospect on that list was Troy Tulowitzki, Ricciardi felt no need to draft another shortstop.  Unlike basketball or football, you have to draft the best available player in baseball because they will take a couple years before they are ready to play in the big leagues.  Therefore, not drafting the best player in the draft was a mistake.  Tulowitzki helped Colorado get to the World Series in 2007 while Romero may not ever make it to Toronto.  Other notable players that were passed over by the Blue Jays: Cameron Maybin, Jay Bruce, Michael Pelfrey and Jacoby Ellisbury.

- After the 2006 season Ricciardi had agreed to a deal with catcher Rod Barajas - or so he thought.  Barajas apparently backed out of the deal and signed with Philadelphia.  Ricciardi was enraged and spoke out about how Barajas had given him his word on signing with Toronto.  A year later, Ricciardi signs Barajas.  Funny considering the way he laid Barajas out just a year earlier. 

- If Ricciardi does his homework on guys like Adam Dunn, why did he sign Shea Hillenbrand?

There have been other things during his 7-year tenure as GM of the Jays (calling out A.J. Burnett through the media, lying about B.J. Ryan's injury last year, etc.).  What baffles me is how he still has his job.  He is down to his last few bullets after firing his friend John Gibbons, so he may be on the clock.  He has, however, established a great relationship with the media.  There have been very few people in Toronto that has taken a run at Ricciardi.  Whether it's the newspapers, television or the pre-game and post-game radio host, Ricciardi seems to have been given a pass within the media.  From now until his run as GM is over, he'll maintain a positive relationship with the media. 

Otherwise his days are numbered.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling announced he will be having a second shoulder surgery that will end his season and possibly his career. 

This, if you can recall, is the same man who has pitched through considerable pain more than once during his career.  I was reminded of this when watching Tiger Woods fight through the pain in his knee to win the U.S. Open - only to have season-ending surgery after the tournament.  Like Schilling, certain people felt Woods' injury was fake or some bogus story.  Perhaps these people have never played through pain, or perhaps these people cannot stand these two athletes so much that they will say anything to tick them off.

Regardless, these 'people' don't have a clue nor should they be taken seriously.

In fact, a lot of these people are here on this site on Foxsports blogging about it.  The same people who can't get an All-Star vote right.  The same people who recently crapped on Ken Rosenthal for questioning the New York Mets decision to fire Willie Randolph in the middle of the night on the west coast.  The same people who hailed Kobe Bryant as the most clutch player in the NBA - who proved once again that he's no more clutch than the next superstar.  The same people that call Chad Johnson selfish for celebrating a touchdown but applaud Brett Favre for throwing snowballs at teammates on the field.

So when I read about your comments regarding Curt Schilling as a (bleep) or a (bleep), my head shakes as I wonder how people can be angry at a man who's played the game the right way, kept his integrity off the field intact and has come through in some of the most pressure-packed games of our time.  We are a culture that supposedly embraces athletes with guts, yet people seem so eager to cut Schilling's guts out whenever they get the chance.  In case you haven't noticed, he is the anti-Jose Canseco, the anti-Barry Bonds, the anti-Rafael Palmiero and the anti-Roger Clemens.  

He may go into the Hall of Fame.  He may not.  He may wear his heart on his sleeve.  Is there a problem with that?  No.

And I would not call pitching with 1 leg in the 2004 World Series selfish either.  I doubt Schilling cares about the self-glory more than he cares about beating New York and winning championships.  The guy is a true winner, a true bulldog, and a type of human we may not see from the new crop of pitchers coming up. 

Appreciate what he has done for this game and the memories he has brought on the field.  Although I am a fan of most of the things he says off the field, people seem to complain about it more than people complain about Ozzie Guillen. 

In a world where athletes get arrested, cheat the game, cheat on their wives, we've actually been able to put a guy like Curt Schilling in that category of an athlete that fans can hate so much.  Goes to show why organizations, sports talk shows and paid-writers on this particular site do not take you seriously.

Curt Schilling deserves better.

On April 25th 2006, Frank Thomas was batting .162.  He went on to hit .270 with 39 homeruns, 114 RBI's and was 4th in MVP voting while helping the Oakland A's get to the ALCS. 

On April 21, 2007, Frank Thomas was batting .197.  He went on to hit .277 with 26 homeruns and 95 RBI's, leading the team in both power categories.

Earlier today, the Toronto Blue Jays announced they released the future Hall of Famer after they said Thomas would see his playing time reduced.  This marks the second starting player to be released by the Blue Jays in a matter of weeks.  The other was Reed Johnson. 

For a team that ranks 4th last in the AL in homeruns, this move makes no sense.  The move also does not justify how a team would quit on the player who led their team in homeruns and RBI's the previous year.  It also makes you wonder why the team decided to announce Thomas' reduced playing time, yet continue to play Marco Scutaro everyday when he's batting .188 with 0 homeruns and 4 RBI's.  Unlike The Big Hurt, Scutaro does not have the track record of being a feared player offensively or defensively. 

Although the Blue Jays claim Thomas' reduced playing time was not about money, the real reason was money.  The release of Reed Johnson allowed the team to save over 2 million dollars in a cost-cutting move.  The team led people to believe Reed was not ready to play due to his previous back problems.  Reed sits with a .354 batting average for the 1st place Chicago Cubs and is becoming a fan-favorite in Chicago for his hustle, hard-work and ability to play all 3 outfield positions - the same way he was beloved in Toronto. 

What is also disheartening about this situation is how Thomas got to where he is now from 3 short years ago.  The consensus around baseball was that Thomas' injuries were too much to overcome and his career was deemed to be over.  He threw out the first pitch at Cellular Field in the 2005 World Series - which was won by the team he starred on for over a decade.  They won the title without the face of the franchise.  Then he gets one last opportunity to play when Oakland knocks on his door.  By mid-May the Athletics could have released him and nobody looking from the outside would have disagreed with the decision.  But they stuck with the man, and he delivered in a way none of us could have dreamed. 

In fact, someone asked me in May of 2006 if Frank was finished and I boldly said, "No, he's a hot streak away from having respectable numbers.  He has done this during his injury-riddled years." 

Frank proved me right, and without him Oakland would not have reached the playoffs.  He proved all his critics wrong and he showed that not only could he still perform, but that he also had a heart of a lion.  Although Toronto has lost sight of this.

You would think people would learn their lesson about doubting a man who has proved people wrong over and over again.  There is a very good chance that, if given the opportunity, he will turn it on again and prove Toronto wrong for letting him go.  Perhaps a team like Minnesota takes a chance on Frank the Tank and helps the team he use to destroy when he was in a White Sox uniform.  Or perhaps Frank realizes that he has nothing left to prove (which he has proved to be one of the greatest hitters of our generation), retires and begins working on his Hall of Fame speech early.  Regardless, he is a legend who deserved a better sendoff than this.

This should also stand as a wake-up call to Toronto Blue Jays fans and baseball fans in general that the Blue Jays organization needs a significant shake-up, starting from the top all the way down.   

It was an interesting scene in Toronto tonight as I arrived to the Air Canada Centre just an hour after news broke of the big trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies.  Over the last couple seasons we have waited to see if the Lake-show could pull the trigger on a deal - or if they had the players to deal for an impact player.

With Kwame Brown's contract about to expire and Memphis's intent to rebuild it made sense to make a deal.  Memphis grabs a young kid, a relatively young guy in Brown and 2 draft picks that need lots of prayer to become impactful.  This allows the Grizz to start over amd they will have some cash to show for it.

The Lakers grab a guy who can make an immediate impact.  This move allows them some breathing room as Andrew Bynum recovers from injury, and it gives them a blanket if Bynum does not return to form.  If he does return to form it allows Lamar Odom to slide to the small forward position while Pau plays the 4.  And, it gives them a deeper bench when Luke Walton slides beside some of the other contributors like Ronny Turiaf and Jordan Farmar.

This is a win-win for both teams without a doubt.  The need to crash the boards is imperative in the West and Los Angeles has more weapons than they know what to do with.  I should know; I watched a depleted Laker team roll over the Toronto Raptors.  Kobe Bryant was on tonight and unlike last night he got some help offensively.  Tonight's game proved that Toronto may be able to score but can't hold it together defensively on a consistent basis.  But with L.A. playing their 2nd game in as many nights they should have been stronger out of the gate.  Lakers got momentum and never looked back.

Last point on the Lakers: Prior to this deal I was still not on-board with putting them into the serious contender category despite their strong record.  Now, my view has changed.  They are absolutely a team that should be a factor in April.  This is a team built to go past round 1.  If they don't there is a problem.  They now have a great starting 5 (with Bynum back) and the forward position was a bigger need than point guard.  Derek Fisher can run the show because he won't try to do too much.  He knows the offense, he knows his limitations, he can still hit shots and knows how to play in big games.  Specifically speaking, Paul Gasol is a better acquisition than Jason Kidd.

Other stuff....

- I just realized Fox used the "Pau-er" line.  I'm pissed.

- After his 13.5 million is up in 2008, Johan Santana will pull in 137.5 million over 6 years.  That is phenomenal.  Hope the kid can hit.

All seriousness, the guy is one of the best pitchers in baseball and barring any setback or injury he should contend for a Cy Young.  Being able to avoid a big bopping DH and getting the opportunity to face pitchers with 1 or 2 out and runners on base will pay off for Johan.  It is a different ballgame with different scenarios when you play in the National League in comparison to the American League.

As for the contract itself, a lot of bad pitchers get paid a ton, so this is not a surprise and not out of this world in comparison to the #3 pitchers who make 8 figures per year.

- When Bill Belichick says his team is "ready to roll", I tend to believe him.  Some may feel the New York Giants can beat New England and they may be right, but I don't see it.  Yes, they played the Pats tight IN New York IN the cold IN front of their hometown.  In Arizona it will be warm and it is a neutral site.  The way I see it, the conditions favour the New England passing attack.  Passes that went through the hands of receivers will be easier to catch, and nobody is as accurate or precise as Tom Brady - even if he is disrupted in the pocket.

The real question should be if Eli Manning can continue his excellent play.  In my mind, he's grown as a player over the last month or so.  And he should be proud of the way he has battled throughout the playoffs.  He has beaten two teams he wasn't suppose to beat, outplay both quarterbacks and has defied expectations, which brings me to this...

- Tiki Barber is trying to protect himself now that his former team has made it to the Super Bowl the year after he reitres.  Tiki came with baggage and now that the baggage is gone the team can re-focus.  He had his quarrels with Eli Manning, Tom Coughlin and Michael Strahan.  This isn't a coincidence.  Somewhere down the line we have to look and say that maybe New York really IS better off without him.  I think they are.

- Who are we kidding when Pat Riley says Shaquille O'Neal should be in the All-Star game?  Should Magic be playing as well?

- Again, I realize nobody really cares about hockey but I will say it again: Alexander Ovechkin is THE best hockey player on the planet.  He is one of the very few players who has to single-handedly carry his team to victories.  I wonder how long he can keep this up.  Eventually he will need a stud playing alongside him.

Time to unwind.  And get ready for the Super Bowl.  I hope to witness history this Sunday.  It will be nice to explain how I got to watch a Football team go undefeated in one season.  Doesn't come around often folks.

The countdown has begun for...

- ...The Super Bowl, as New England and New York square off on Sunday.  What I'm not sure about is whether Bill Parcells or Dave Meggett will be cheering for the Giants or Patriots.  Perhaps Tiki Barber will put on a throwback Drew Bledsoe jersey and pray New York doesn't win.  If he says he's happy for his ex-teammates he's lying - he's wanted a ring so badly and it stings that the team has come together without him or his ego in that locker room.

Speaking of Bledsoe, it would have been interesting if Robert Kraft were to have called him for this game in case Tom Brady's foot fell off during a drive.  Kid you not, I was thinking about it.

What I do know is this is New England's game to win and to lose.  The New York Giants have fought hard to get here and should be credited for coming together and growing as a team through the pains they have shared together.  Nobody expected the week 17 matchup of these two teams to be the Super Bowl preview.  We'd be in for a great game if this was the case.  But instead of the game being played in New York we watch this in Arizona, a neutral site game.

That said, Arizona's warm weather plays into New England's passing attack and if their O-line stays one step ahead of the Giants defensive front it will be a long game for that Giant defense that has a very suspect secondary as is.

My call is New England will win and cap off one of the greatest seasons in sports history.

-...Jason Kidd sweepstakes have begun as the disgruntled point guard wants out of New Jersey.  The backboard and basketball rims inside the area breathe a sigh of relief.

Let's remember how he showed up; he left a deep West Conference and a checkered past with Phoenix to a depleted East with virtually no dominant point guard left (A.I. had moved to the 2 spot by then).  Though he couldn't shake off the rusty jump shot or his wife's makeup from his knuckles he gave New Jersey a lift into the NBA finals twice and quickly helped himself to becoming the best point guard on the planet - facing nobody in the East to get there.

Since then he helped Byron Scott get fired and he still dents rims with regularity.  He also went through a messy divorce and hasn't been that leader New Jersey can depend on.  Perhaps he will head back West to help a decent team get better, but he will quickly find out that there are point guards - LOTS OF THEM - that will shread him to pieces every night.  If he goes to the West he isn't a top 4 point guard in that conference.  Good luck with that trade.

-...Johan Santana is looking to get PAID by the New York Mets.  Is it just me or are these prospects not what they seem?  If I'm giving up potentially the best pitcher in baseball why would I want a mid-20's pitcher with a losing record and a 22 year old who makes Richie Sexson a batting champ?  I suppose the Mets needed this one as they held onto Lastings Milledge so long that they got, well, nothing in return.  Unless this 22 year old becomes legit overnight and learns to hit at least .260 in the major leagues this trade will be a success for the Mets - unless Santana goes Francisco Liriano in two months.  God forbid.

-...Tiger Woods attempt at the Grand Slam.  We say this every year and we see him fall short.  No slight on the guy - it's not like he sucks or anything.

But Tiger is entering his golf prime, or at least according to history as guys in their early 30's find their best success on the golf course, Seve Ballasteros excluded.  So if there was a shot at it we could see the best attempts over the next couple of years.  After that, we may not see another male golfer bring the kind of game or intensity or desire to win like Tiger Woods. 

It's sad, but wait and see when Tiger hits 45; we'll watch Tiger past his prime and obviously not the golfer he once was KILLING himself on the golf course for another major championship and he'll be playing with a young stud who just doesn't have the same will, focus or guts Tiger brings to the golf course.  It's great now that we see the guy who wants it the most winning the most - but how will we react when we see that same man unable to beat random Joe's who luck out a major victory? 

We'll probably be cheering for the fallen hero to return to glory one last time the way we rooted for Jack Nicklaus in 1986 and, for me, 1998.

The countdown has begun.  Tick tock, tick tock.

Break out the hometown flag as this writer is playing the role of homer. 

It couldn't be further from the truth as the Toronto Raptors shocked the Boston Celtics Wednesday night in Beantown.  The game-winning basket was scored by the man who began the year as the second-fiddle to starting point guard T.J. Ford, who suffered a career-threatening injury when he was accidentally hit in the head by Al Hortford that triggered a neck/spinal cord injury that has plagued his young career.

What Calderon has done in place of Ford has not only been remarkable, it comes to no surprise to this writer who has watched a young man with a lot of talent find himself and his abilities to be a very effective point guard in the NBA.  In fact so effective that he should be going to the NBA All-Star game this year.

My gut feeling is he won't.

Heading into the game against Boston, Calderon was scoring just under 12 per game and roughly 8.5 assists per game to go with a shooting percentage of over 50%, free throw percentage over 91% and a 3-point shot at 42% - a significant increase from last season.  Let's also remember that his assist-to-turnover ratio is over 5.5 to 1 - best in the NBA.

But you must remember that he was the backup at the beginning of the season which will naturally keep his averages low for an All-Star calibre player.  That said, Calderon has averaged 14 per game, 9.5 assists per game, 50% shooting with over 96% at the free throw line and a 41% 3-point shot over the last month.  His assist-to-turnover ratio?  It dropped to 4.7 to 1 - still incredible.  It's also incredible to watch a guy adjust to the significant increase in playing time and having to be the man in crunch time which he has done gracefully.

Despite having a much better year than Jason Kidd, Kidd will represent the East at the point guard position.  That comes to no surprise as Calderon was not on the ballot and even if he was the All-Star selection process is a popularity vote and the best player does not always get voted in.  The next spot (or two) will be filled by Chauncey Billups who is having another solid season.  If a 3rd point guard is selected it gets tricky; Joe Johnson could be asked to slide to the point guard position if he is picked to go (as could Dwyane Wade), and the other true point guard candidate that could take that last spot is Mo Williams of Milwaukee, who's having a very good year in his own right.  Jamaal Tinsley would have gotten consideration before the new year but he has begun to fade.  Honourable mention to another guy who is having a solid year is Andre Miller.  However, I don't know if he would be producing like this with a team that was going somewhere.

If there were no ballots and they stuck the vote in my hands, Billups and Calderon would be the two point guards going out of the East.  Then again, I'd probably ask to move one of the stud guards from the West into the East.  I want to run down the loaded guns they have: Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Baron Davis, Tony Parker, Jason Terry and Steve Nash.  Not too shabby.  Nash, Paul and Williams would be my first 3 picks out of the bunch.

Perhaps the late opportunity to start and the lack of publicity for Jose Calderon will be the reason he sits at home during this year's All-Star festivities.  Make no mistake about this young man because he has come a long way since his rookie year with the Toronto Raptors.  If his improvement in his game continues he will be an All-Star next year - unless we witness an incredible comeback from T.J. Ford that would spark discussion as one of the best feel-good comeback stories of 2008.

 

Supposedly the evening NFC Championship was a ratings success.  Apparently a lot of people tuned in to watch the New York Giants seal the victory over the Green Bay Packers in their 1700th attempt to end the game victorious. 

Problem is, I bet people just had their TV set on and was doing something else, because few people, if any, showed any guts to tell us how things went down in that game.

Brett Favre choked again.  The legend and Two-Time MVP (his co-MVP is fraudulent and a slap in the face to Barry Sanders' amazing season), proved he couldn't carry the load the way he use to back in the 1990's.  Don't take that as a sign that he should retire.  Not once have I ever said he should retire.  But, as usual, nobody call him out for that interception that ended Green Bay's season.  Nobody called him out for allowing New York to have numerous chances to win the game.  Nobody said he was outplayed by Eli Manning - because he was.

Did you watch the game? 

Or do you have to be Chad Johnson, Randy Moss, or Terrell Owens to draw attention to themselves and be ridiculed for it.  So much for throwing snowballs and "having a great time".  We watched Favre do what he has done several times in playoff games and that's crumble down the stretch.  Excessive celebrating with officials is "having fun" yet anyone else gets fined for that. 

At least Tom Brady clutched up when he had to.

We talked about Green Bay's defense and running game being the reason why they could get to the Super Bowl.  The running game stopped and their team became pass-oriented in the second half.  Big mistake - but they had to do it since the running game was shut down, right?  So they had to start gunslinging.  And they lost because of it.  Had Peyton Manning did what Favre did in overtime you'd be crushing him right now.  But Favre slides under the radar again.  Total hypocrisy. 

OTHER BULLCRAP

- If I haven't done enough to ruffle a few feathers (not that I'm trying to), this might do the trick.  A writer on Fox Sports decided to be cute with a blog post and certainly got some attention:

"I believe there should be rules for booing. One, you never boo amateur athletes on the team you support. Two, you boo professionals on the team you support only for a visible lack of effort. Booing because they screw up is for sub-morons"

- If I find out an amateur had beat his girlfriend, played while academically ineligible or started a fight on the playing surface would you like me to applaud?  You didn't think of all the angles, which makes me wonder who the real sub-#### really is.  You get your ticket punched and as long as you obey the stadium rules you can boo whoever you want.  You can boo an amateur athlete who has 3 kids with 3 different women.  Or I can just ask him politely to wrap up.  An amateur athlete will be ragged on if they absolutely deserve it.

"I don’t believe all Patriots fans are worthless cobags; I believe most Patriots fans are worthless cobags"

- This coming from a guy who wanted Green Bay to badly make the Super Bowl?  For what?  So that New England could slap them around with their junk?  I've been to Buffalo games and find New England fans to be a LOT better than other fans I have encountered over the years.  Whatever, I shouldn't bother critiquing this ####.  I will move on.

- The Miami Heat find ways to lose and they are suddenly doing it with flare.  It's as if they script this.  Put them on the clock for a nice draft position.

- Sidney Crosby is out 6-8 weeks and nobody noticed.  I guess they are the same people who watch Packer games.

- Roger Clemens gets an invite to Houston's pitching camp.  Maybe he can get back into pitching shape on Houston's clock so he can bolt for New York like he did last year.  Very smooth.

- Golf season begins this week.  Different year, same old storyline.  Let's see what Tiger does this season.

- The New England Patriots will complete the perfect season.  The venting is over, and so is this incredible post. 

Let's begin chronologically...

Seattle v. Green Bay

- Everything was going right for Seattle as they got two turnovers early in the game.  They convert two touchdowns right away and you could hear a pin drop at Lambeau.

(cue Inspirational Music)

And then "The Great" Brett Favre leads the team to victory.  Well, that's what you all want to believe but all he did was manage the game and minimize mistakes.  When he plays within the Joey Harrington rules he is very effective.

First off, Green Bay's D stood up to Seattle and gave up 6 points.  I don't count the first 14 in which the offense created by a lack of ball control.  The Packers D has not been given the credit they deserve.

Second, Ryan Grant bounced back after two fumbles to rush for over 200 yards.  In case you don't know this, rushing for 200 yards is a landmark.  It's like throwing for 400 yards in a football game.  He has to be credited for his performance.  By the way, that first fumble was all Favre.  He threw the ball low and behind Grant and it allowed Grant to get smoked.  Second fumble was just Grant.

Lastly, Favre was able to contain himself yesterday.  He loves to gunsling and loves to be the hero.  Yesterday's game was big for him because it showed that if he doesn't play selfishly, the way he did against Dallas, his team will be put into a great position to win.  If he wants to go downtown and be superman his team will lose.  It shows that when a selfish player puts his team first they will give themselves a better opportunity to go further.

New England v. Jacksonville

- The Jags played the Pats tough and all the people who wanted to be bold and pick the underdog got burned.  You seem to forget that Tom Brady has never, NEVER lost a playoff home game.  He's also the best quarterback in the game.  For good measure, he's the greatest quarterback to have ever played the game, period.  So if he's going to lose a playoff game in the prime of his career with a team that went 16-0 its not going to happen against Jacksonville.

However, New England's defense was suspect again.  It is sad to watch a guy like Junior Seau be outrun by offensive lineman and quarterbacks because at one time this guy was a beast on the football field.  As was Tedy Brusci, who has looked old as well.  The Patriots will need their offense to continue clicking because they cannot rely on their defense to save the day the way they once did during their championship runs earlier this decade.

Did I mention Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time?

Indianapolis v. San Diego

- Peyton Manning's team has had another deflating playoff loss yet again.   Their defense didn't show up when they needed to the most.  Of course, maybe Bob Sanders getting hurt proved how valuable he is to that team. 

But San Diego got dinged as well.  It wasn't bad enough to have Antonio Gates hurt but Ladainian Tomlinson?  Damn.  But, what was so impressive was watching Michael Turner play himself into an extra couple million dollars from another team for next year's contract.  And then, the 3rd string running back Darren Sproles grabs a screen pass and blew by EVERYONE.  That was impressive.  Its like the Chargers have a neverending supply of running backs who can perform at will.

Is Philip Rivers a tool or what?  He has to shut the hell up.  Billy Volek stepped in and it didn't even matter.  Rivers isn't that good and should show some humility on the field before New England welcomes him with a dose of shut-up juice.

New York Giants v. Dallas

- I'm watching this game as we speak.  Don't really care about this game.  This is New England's Super Bowl to lose.

OTHER STUFF

- What the hell is wrong with Joakim Noah?  Who does he think he is, Barry Bonds?  How can a player be benched by his teammates?  This means he must have done something worse than just say bad words to an assistant coach. 

I've always felt uneasy about him and I couldn't put my finger on it.  At first I thought his teammates at Florida were better, but then I thought he was a Richard when he would make appearances for press conferences.  Or it could have been that 'too good to be true' story with that guy.  Regardless, he has to be professional.  Otherwise he'll just be ####  He had a promising future in the NBA and we all thought by being drafted by the Chicago Bulls he could put them over the top.  Maybe he's just a cancer on a team full of question marks.

- Scott Rolen for Troy Glaus; whatever.

- Had to drop this on you since I have no affiliation with US Politics.  Is your country actually serious with voting for a weak President?  Hillary Clinton shows her vulnerability and Americans repay her with a nice victory in New Hampshire.  You kidding me?  Are you ready for someone who will break down when things are not going so well? 

Granted, over 80% of American media is liberal and I expect everyone to give poor Hillary a break but I never expected USA to embrace weakness.  But I'm not American, so good luck with that.  It's like allowing a weak NFL team to win the Super Bowl - it doesn't happen in sports. 

That's why sports is better than Politics.