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.

"I was shocked when I was informed about the positive "A" sample," she said. "I have requested that the testing of my 'B' sample be expedited and done as soon as possible."

Translation: "Im pissed off that I am the only female sprinter caught cheating because the other ####es are all over the same stuff I am.  Hopefully someone will rig the B test to clear my name for me".

Typical.  All Marion Jones had to do was retire after 2000 with her name, dignity and reputation still intact.  Now she looks like a cheater and a liar.  Guess we now know what she saw in C.J. Hunter.

...

People are talking about Tiger Woods destroying Jack Nicklaus's major championships record and proclaiming him as the best ever.  All this while two-thirds of the way there and at only 30 years old.  For Tiger's sake, he has done an incredible job so far in his career and he has had a knack for making other players fold whenever he took a lead after 3 rounds in a major.  He certainly knows how to go for the heart or the throat, something very few have been able to do.  But a couple of factors must come into play:

1) Although his career has been spectacular Tiger Woods would not be the best ever if he stopped winning championships today.  He is still too short of Jack to be called the best ever.

2) The top competitors Tiger has faced are: David Duval, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh.  Jack's competitors: Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Lee Trevino and Tom Watson.  Advantage?  Nicklaus's era by a longshot.  Jack's era was much more competitive and much tougher.

3) A lot of sports fans neglect the past and that is simply not fair.  No clearer evidence of that fact speaks more volumes than the debate between Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds.  The game of golf has changed since the Golden Bear was doing his thing, but don't belittle what he and everyone else had to accomplish.  If you take one of the talented players away from Jack's era he would have won over 20 majors and still would have had a tougher battle with competitors than Tiger. 

I am one person who respects Tiger Woods's game and what he has accomplished.  But the whole comparison to Jack Nicklaus should be put to rest for now.

...

After dropping 47 runs in 4 games, New York drops 2 against Boston and still wins.  This was an embarrassment for the Red Sox who got swept in 5 games but lost Manny Ramirez as well.  ManRam should be back in a day or two but out of everyone in the Sox lineup, he was the best hitter during the series.  

Love him or hate him, Curt Schilling was once again correct about what his team needed to do to be successful.  He said the pitchers had to pitch better (not in those precise words), and they did not do that this weekend with the exception of maybe Curt himself and David Wells.  People might find Schilling arrogant and opinionated, but you can be both if you are right in what you say.

...

Lonny Baxter certainly did not shoot as well in Toronto as he did last week near The White House.

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Blog Contest is still taking recepients from now until Thursday at 11:05 AM EST.  Check my last Blog Contest posting and you'll find the question underneath last week's winners.  Hopefully soon my radio station will be giving stuff away for things like that.  Keyword: Hopefully.  You can tune in to www.chevradioam.com every weekday from 9AM-Noon EST, and this Thursday at 11:05 to find out the contest winners.  Cheers.