There has been a disturbing trend lately here in the hood. The influx of soccer---I won't call it football---blogs. There is a window on FOX blogs main page for soccer blogs. Why am I seeing so many soccer posts under the NFL category then? That category is for a real sport. Not something that fourth grade girls do during reccess. I remember back in the 70s when soccer was to be the next big thing. Yeah, so was the decimal system, and I've drank thousands of mililiters of beer waiting on both.

This past year David 'has been' Beckham was going to turn the U.S. on to soccer. Once again America sniffed and said "eh."  Is soccer even on a major, english speaking, cable TV channel? Poker, bull riding, bass fishing are all on multiple networks. I don't see any posts from these major sports clogging up the NFL category though. Just soccer.

Save your breath, don't tell me that it's the most popular sport in the world. BFD. You know why? Because it doesn't cost any money to play. Anyone from a deodorant intolerant Frenchman to a North Korean dictator can get up a soccer game. All they need is a realitively mine free patch of dirt, and a goat's head or a camel bladder for the ball. We citizens of the USA like scoring and being scored on. Any game that has a goalie ---you to hockey---doesn't have enough scoring to keep us entertained.  Unlike Akbar, Yin,  and Kunta we have other entertainment options.

I'm putting this in the NFL category so all you soccer posters will get the message

Hello sports fans and welcome to the Monday Mailbag where we try to answer the most pressing sports and entertainment questions from the interweb. Please feel free to ask anything yourself, either in the comments, or by email for a future Mailbag.

Q.    Now that my 'brother' is out of rehab can I please get my job back?................Michael

A.    We here at the four letter network wish you all the best, but you have been replaced by another semi-cool, junior pimp dressing, loud, ex wide receiver who laughs at his own material.

Q.    Since the TV writers are still on strike, I'm trying to recycle some old SNL bits by using new actors in the old skits. Any ideas?...............................Lorne M.

A.    A great bit from the 90s was about adult diapers. Al Davis would be perfect as the spokesman giving the catchphrase......'Whoops I Crapped my Pants...I'm wearing them....and I just did.' Might be too realistic to be funny.

Q,    Who's gonna win da Super Bowl. And Carm is looking for something new to put out at her Super Bowl party. How bout it?...............................Tony S.

A.    Gulp. I, I, I'm glad to see you're still alive, T. I can't give you the winner until later in the week. I don't want to end up like Big ####. No, not Paris Hilton. The guy used to be in your crew. Now sleeping with the fishes. Tell the wife to start with the best onion rings in Jersey. They're at................

Q.    Yo, me and my boys are going to Arizona this week. Any sights to see out there?.............Chowd

A.    Well there's always the Grand Canyon. No, once again not her.

Q.    What can I watch on Sunday nights now that Madden isn't putting me to sleep?...Al M.

A.    'The Wire' is very good. A little slow on plot resolution. I prefer 'The Shield' on Sunday nights. Sadly it won't start until this summer.   

USA Today is reporting that ESPN 2 will air a five part program focusing on Lil E's move to Hendrick. The title is 'Dale Jr.--Shifting Gears'. It will tell how Jr. decided to leave DEI and go to HMS.

The first episode will air on Feb. 8. The next two eps will air sometime prior to the Daytona 500. The last two eps will air the week of July 27. These final two eps will bring Jr's 2008 season at HMS up to date so far.