It's official:  My little sister has magic powers.

    Now, I know what you're thinking:  No she doesn't, and how does this have anything to do with the NFL playoffs?  Well gentle readers, I shall tell you.

    As I watched astonished as the Pittburgh Steelers racked up a 21-3 lead over the favored Indianapolis Colts, my little sister was off doing her own thing.  She entered in and decided to watch the game, though she has very little interest in football.  I asked her who she was rooting for, and she decided to pick the Steelers.  Of course, Peyton Manning proceeded to throw a strike to Dallas Clark, who made a nifty move and outran the secondary for a touchdown.  She decided to leave.  Upon hearing that the Steelers intercepted a Manning pass on their next drive she reentered.  We all figured the game was over, the Colts challenge was one of desperation.  Mystifyingly, the referee overturned the call, handing the ball back to Indianapolis.  My sister fumed, vowing to root even harder for the Steelers, who of course proceeded to immediately give up another touchdown and a two point conversion, narrowing the score to 21-18. 

    My sister figured this was probably her fault, so she left the room.  From outside the room she heard Manning be sacked on fourth down on the next Colts drive, and I exclaimed the game was over, and she re-entered joyfully.  After all, there only was 1:20 on the clock and the Steelers had the ball near the goal line, what could go wrong? My sister's sixth sense was well aware that all was not right though, so she immediately was nervous.

    "Wait, Noah, if the game's over, why are they still playing?"

    Jerome Bettis then received the handoff and promply fumbled.  My sister and I screamed at the screen as the Colts returned the ball to the forty yard line.  My sister was stunned and after the Colts drove to the Steeler's thirty, she left once more.   The Colts, despite having timeouts, proceeded to go for homerun balls on 2nd and 2 and 3rd and 2 rather than go for a makeable first down, setting up a long Mike Vanderjagt field goal.  The announcers of course set him up for failure, calling him the most accurate kicker in the history of the NFL and noting he hadn't missed at home all year.

    Wide right.

    With 17 seconds left, the game was over.  All the Steelers had to do was take knees.  Yet the Colts called a timeout with 11 seconds left.  They must have realized my sister had re-entered the room.  Needless to say, she shuffled out, and the Colts, realizing their only hope of victory was gone, let the clock run out.

    The result leaves me with mixed emotions.  Clearly, the Steelers deserved to win, as only a terrible overturned call allowed them back in the game in the first place.  But although I've never been a Colts fan, part of me was really rooting for Tony Dungy's squad, considering all he's been through.  On the whole I'm glad though, because it would've been a terrible way for Bettis to go out, fumbling on his final carry and costing the Steeler's the game.  With retirement talk swirling about him, it really would've been a shame for his legacy to end this way.  But the Steelers now have a date at Denver and chance to go to Superbowl XL.   All I can say is my sister will be rooting heavily.

    Outside the room.

    I've held off on making playoff predictions because I thought the outcome was so inevitable that everyone would see it.  But since no one has managed to see what is obviously the truth, I'm here to tell you.

    Chicago's defense is going to put together a great performance against Carolina and will shut them out.  But the Bear offense will only manage to put up -3 points, so the Panthers advance.  They will face the Seattle Seahawks for the NFC crown, as the Washington Redskins blow their chance at victory in the final minutes when a stoned LaVar Arrington intercepts a pass with a clear opportunity to get a pick-6 but stops midfield and just keeps saying "Wow" repeatedly.  Still, Washington will manage to move the ball into field goal range, but will be pushed back by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty due to Sean Taylor running down the Seattle sideline spitting on every player.   In the NFC championship game, Carolina will try for a desperation hail mary to Steve Smith in the final seconds, but the pass will be broken up by the Philadelphia Eagles, who thought they were supposed to be in this game.  Undeterred by the referees and the booing crowd, the Eagles will take the field and promptly lose.

    In the AFC, the Pittsburgh Steelers will hold an impressive halftime lead over the favored Indianapolis Colts.  However as he comes back onto the field for the second half, Ben Roethlisberger will be dismayed to find out he can't fit his Fathead (tm) into his helmet, and Tommy Maddox will proceed to blow the game.   But it's the Patriots that once more win the AFC title, as they beat both the Denver Broncos and Colts on controversial tuck rulings.  And so the showdown is set for a Seahawks-Patriots matchup in Superbowl XL.  The score will be tied at halftime when during a promotion, Peyton Manning will be selected to throw a football through a cardboard Nokia cellphone for a million dollars.  He'll nail all 10 practice throws, but will choke on the one that counts.  All would've been fine if a sideline reporter didn't proceed to ask him why the Manning family always seemed to buckle under pressure, causing Manning to go insane and detonate a thermo-nuclear warhead that people will forever speculate how and why he had that at the game.

    And thus rather than predicting a Superbowl champion, I'm predicting the worst terrorist attack in our nation's history will be perpetrated by Peyton Manning.  Since the Patriots will have won a share of their 4th Superbowl title in 5 years, sports columnists will confirm once and for all that this is a dynasty but will openly predict that next year it will finally come to an end, probably due to the untimely deaths of the entire team and head coach Bill Belichick.  Seahawks fans will complain about an east coast bias, arguing that their team's destruction is just as tragic and that they are just as much of champions as the Pats and probably would've won the game in the second half.  While most Americans debate this, lost in the shuffle is the destruction of Detroit, because, well, no one cares.  Except the Japanese, who rejoice over finally taking over the last 5% of marketshare of the American automobile market.

    You heard it here first.

    As most of you are aware by now, the competition has fallen into controversy as The_Doc has been caught plagiarizing.  Meanwhile, Arabchickencurry turned out to be underage.  To that I have to say is...bravo.  After all, one of my favorite movies is Almost Famous, so I really don't have a problem with 15 year old writers posing to be older than they are in order to gain success.  Though I must warn you - if Patrick Fugit's example proves anything, it's that journalism is a crazy world of drugs and sex, and you probably shouldn't enter it before you're ready.  Or maybe that's just the rock and roll part.  But I digress.

    The real issue is The_Doc's plagiarism.  Now I've read his stuff, and I've always thought it was great analysis.  I actually considered him to be the favorite to win the competition.  But this is just absurd.  I read the original article, and when I heard the allegations I naturally thought they weren't true.  But I looked up the article at AskMen.com, and sure enough, it was word for word the same as what The_Doc originally posted.  I say originally since the article has of course been changed.  Some of the entries are different and they are all reworded, though you can still see the framework of the original article and its idea in there.  I think it would be easy to do quality analysis if I just found existing articles and rewrote them.

    Of course once news of this broke out there's been tons of conspiracy theories.  My favorite has to be that the judges of the competition brought The_Doc in as a ringer to win, as people point to the fact that his article was originally written by Dave Golokhov at AskMen.com,  a site where NGS judge Peter Schrager has contributed articles.  Now that's just entertaining.  Though, apparently Dave Golokhov has a blog under the name VegasDave, and says he has contacted Fox Sports about the issue.

   I've not been one to criticize during this competition.  I've tried to take the high road in almost everything, and there's part of me that regrets this even as I write this.  But I've got to call out to The_Doc...can you please just admit this, or at least come up with a better explanation than "this is bull"?   Or claiming that people hacked into your computer.   Because, honestly, that would be a farfetched explanation enough even without your rewritten article still resembling the old one.   And the judges...you claim to read the blogs everyday, so clearly you've got to have noticed that something is going on here.  I recommend doing something.

     Even as this competition has gotten more ridiculous, I've stuck with it, and seeing as how I said I'd compete alongside the finalists doing their assignments, I figure what the hell, might as well kill two birds with one stone.  So despite already having written four paragraphs, I shall now turn a complete 180 and make this a Top 10 list.   I present...the top ten ridiculous things from this competition:

1) The_Doc caught guilty of plagiarism

I think I may have covered this one already.  He has now denied it on this blog, and that's just sad.  I guess like Pete Rose he figures that even when blatantly caught it's better to stick to your guns, because once you admit it you lose any supporters you have.  A shame.  I really want to believe him too, it's not like he's been a jerk this competition, he even complemented my blog which makes me feel even worse.  If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it.

2) Reaction to Arabchickencurry's age admission

To all the people that say he took a finalist's spot away, chill.  It would be one thing if he made the final 2, but he made the final 16.  I also enjoy the fact that multiple blogs have stated that a particular blogger (it has varied from NorthSideFan to socalsportsfan) has a special right to be upset since they were the likely next choice.  Now that just cracks me up.  I don't think there's one person out there that would've predicted 10 of the finalists correctly if they had to make a list of 16, but now some people are sure who was next in line.  That's just plain funny.  That's not taking anything away from those two, both great blogs on my favorites.  But still, people crack me up.

 3) The Voting process

Let's put aside the fact that we don't know how the votes are counted and instead move to the idea that the voters in the competition are the fellow bloggers and how easy it is to sign up for a blogging account.  I'll openly admit it: I have two accounts here.  Now before people accuse me of being a cheat, I'll explain.  After reading the rules, I realized we were supposed to submit our name, age, address, phone number, etc.  However, I didn't remember doing any of this when I signed up, so I signed up for another account just to see if I was prompted for any of this information, because I don't remember being asked for any of it.  Check it out, it's downwiththeboss (I never did like Steinbrenner, but I don't think that's a secret).   So, I've never used this second account for anything, never written any posts, never commented, never voted...though it occurs to me that I could.  I could easily create tons of accounts and rig the voting.   I have no inclination to, but perhaps a finalist might.   Do any of you?  Do YOU?

4) The way the judges let finalists know they had lost

jdeppa has a legitimate right to be upset considering he was notified like this:

Subject: You got the boot!

Hey Joseph,

Hate to be the bearer of bad news... but we are about to bear some.  You didn't make it into the final round to be the Next Great Sportswriter.  Now, this doesn't mean you aren't a great person... you just aren't a Great Sportswriter.  Just kidding, we appreciate your submissions and wish you lots of sportswriting luck down the road!

- The Next Great Sportswriter Judges

5) Professional writers in the contest

Now don't get me wrong, GerbilSportsNetwork, I love your blog.  Tons of funny stuff, and if this contest were decided by merit, you certainly should've been one of the finalists.  But I think part of the whole point of the competition is that it's for amateurs trying to win a shot.  Would ESPN's Dream Job been as fun if Stuart Scott could also have been a contestant rather than host?  Or American Idol if you were competing against singers that already had record deals?  I think that's one of the reasons people are so upset about this The_Doc thing is that even if he was Dave Golokhov, it would cheapen the contest.

6) FooFoo4You

Self explanatory.

7) NGS judqes' blog

A little prank is pulled where a blog post leads people to believe there are 4 more finalists.  Many people were taken in, not realizing the blog was off by a letter.  I caught it right away.  I'm sure you're all very proud of me.

8) Sore losers

I'm not going to criticize the judges for their selections, because I'm sure it was a difficult process.  Sure, I would've made some different decisions, but everyone is entitled to their opinion.  But it's still disappointing to see how many bloggers complained about the finalists choices and then just up and quit.  No, I'm not going to name names.

9) The "Most Popular Blogs" section

Wouldn't it be nice if you could rate a blog post 1 to 10 and a combination of high score and number of votes factored into being on the most popular list rather than just the number of comments?  And if it's going to be comments, can't we at least make it number of comments from unique users?  Cause how many times have you seen a post reach the Most Popular list when it's just been an ongoing dialog between two people?  Or worse, when someone does something like...

sportsdudeguy: I

sportsdudeguy: love

sportsdudeguy: this

sportsdudeguy: blog 

sportsdudeguy: you

sportsdudeguy: rock

sportsdudeguy: man 

...and then it gets on the list.  Heck, you can get on this list if you comment enough times just yourself.  I'm not complaining that people do that, it's understandable that in this community with hundreds of bloggers you need to do what you need to do in order to just get some attention, but the situation certainly could be improved if the system was tweaked a bit.

10) Posts of ridiculous lengths

 I'm talking about both long and short here.  If you're going to write a post that's one sentence, don't even bother.  You're not saying anything interesting and you're just taking up a spot on the recently updated blogs that could go to someone who actually posted something interesting.  At the same time, who wants to read 10,000 word theses?  Of course, I'm being a bit hypocritical, as I realize this post has passed 1400 words....oh well.  I don't like being a hypocrite, so, I'll refrain from complaining about people that post to multiple categories when your blog has nothing to do with those sports.  Though, it would be nice to have an "other" category, since I have no idea where to put this one.

Anyway, that's my list, though I'm sure I missed a ton of things, so as always, feel free to comment with your own suggestions.  To the judges, I'd just like to say that I don't think you've run a bad competition, problems are inevitable and really I just mean to make suggestions on how to this for the future.  Though if you think I've crossed the line, let me know.  That way I can switch to a new account when I enter NGS 2....

    Miguel Tejada is frustrated and he's letting the world know.   As he looks over and sees the Toronto Blue Jays making deals left and right, the Baltimore Orioles shortstop wonders why his team doesn't appear to have the same (somewhat foolish) commitment to winning.  Who knew that signing Jeff Conine and Ramon Hernandez wouldn't impress?  And in a purported deal that has died spawned many variations and died many supposed deaths but somehow still is hanging around, Manny might be on the move for Miguel.

    As a Red Sox fan, I've dealt with Manny Ramirez rumors for years.  I've seen him placed on waivers.  I've seen him nearly dealt for Alex Rodriguez.  I've seen the Red Sox go crazy and nearly trade him for Mike Cameron and Aubrey Huff...and actually give away prospects and cash to try to complete the deal.

    That deal would've been insane, and I'm glad the Sox have realized that Manny should only be traded if equal value can be gotten in return.  Well, as much as you can for a talent like Manny.   For all Manny's complaints and quirks, he has always produced on the field, and any team that could get him and afford him, particularly if they can get Boston to eat some salary, should take him.  If they can shift him to DH, all the better.

    The latest incarnation had Boston offering Matt Clement and Manny Ramirez for Miguel Tejada, Baltimore's excellent but recently disgruntled shortstop.  I thought that would've been a good trade for both teams, as it gives Baltimore a superior bat and a quality pitcher that Leo Mazzone could no doubt improve, and the Red Sox would finally be rid of "Manny Being Manny" and would gain a premier shortstop.   Boston also has a pitching surplus, but dealing Clement would probably mean they'd have to sign another starter, as David Wells figures to be traded somewhere out west, and Bronson Arroyo probably would be part of any deal for a centerfielder.

    But of course Baltimore nixed the idea, wanting more talent and money.  Seems the only way Boston is going to get a shortstop on the trade market is if they're totally fleeced in the deal.  Tampa Bay wants Andy Marte, Jonathan Papelbon or Jon Leister (all future All Stars) for one year of Julio Lugo?  Please.  And including any of them as a throw in for a deal for Tejada would be absurd.  So of course Baltimore is looking elsewhere, such as the Phillies and the Cubs.

    Seeing as how the deal for Manny has been put on the backburner, Manny has come forth and said he's going to return to Boston next year.  Or he hasn't if you listen to his agent, who denies he made such remarks.  Meanwhile the Mets remain interested, and a crazy rumor going around of a 4 way deal that would send Manny to New York that team officials called "bogus."  I even think I may have heard a Ramirez-for-Artest rumor out there....

    Well you know what?  I'm done.  All this speculating, gossiping, questioning stops now as far as I'm concerned.  Until the day comes I see Manny Ramirez in another uniform, I shall ignore these rumors and not comment on them, because the whole act is getting more tired than Manny disappearing into the Green Monster.

The World Baseball Classic is in danger of being cancelled and the headlines today about the event?

Why, rumors that Alex Rodriguez is going to play for Team USA!

For those of you that haven't heard the International Baseball Federation is considering not sanctioning the WBC.  If they do that, nations will drop out of the event as the IBF can ban them from participating in other international events for playing in the non-sanctioned tournament.  Why is the IBF considering this?

Because of the refusal of the United States to allow Cuba to participate in the event.  Major League Baseballreasury has been working hard to convince the Bush administration to reverse the decision, but as of now they have had no luck.  U.S. law on the continuing embargo against Cuba requires a permit be granted to any Cuban individual or organization regarding a financial transation with the USA.  That permit was denied by the Treasury Department.

In a shrewd political move, Cuba announced that if they were allowed to play, all proceeds gained in the tournament would be donated to Katrina disaster relief.  If there's no money changing hands, it now more than ever seems like the USA is being a bully to a smaller nation.   It's a move that stinks of politics, as Bush no doubt wants to appease the heavily conservative Cuban American exile community in Florida.  Ignoring the fact that Venezuela is probably more openly anti-US than Cuba now but is being allowed to play, I'll instead point out the Cuba obviously has been allowed to play in the US before, as they won the gold medal in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. 

Since the IBF is a member of the International Olympic Committee, they follow by the Olympic charter, part of which states: "Any form of discrimination to a country or person on grounds of race, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with the Olympic movement."  So MLB is under the ball here.  They wanted to host and organize this tournament, and now it's on the verge of being cancelled because of the U.S. government.  Just another reason why the IBF should've organized this tournament from the beginning.

To me the bizarre thing was that I had to read about this in the Toronto Sun.  I just happened to notice it on a link from a Corie Koskie trade rumor article.  It's not at FoxSports.com, ESPN.com, Sportsline.com, or Sportingnews.com.  I did a Google News search and just found it in another Canadian paper.  Is American news blackballing this story, waiting to confirm its legitmacy or am I just missing it?  Feel free to point me to some place covering this, because I think it's an important story.

Now part of me is thinking that's a good thing, because more publicity of this could lead to a lack of confidence and legitamacy in the tournament, and I very much want the WBC to succeed.  But then again, I want the WBC to succeed the right way, and that's with Cuba in the tourament and politics out of it.  If the WBC can't manage that, I'd rather the IBF withdraw support and see the tournament fail.  It's been a long wait for a baseball "World Cup" but I'd be willing to wait longer and see it done right.  It would be a shame though.

EDIT: The story is now being covered by ESPN.com, SI.com and Sportsline.com

Ok, so it wasn't the best played game ever. Both teams were undiciplined, couldn't produce anything on offense and missed key kicks. But in the end the favored Lions were victorious on the strength of their defense. In a scoreless 3rd quarter, Penn State incredibly gave up zero first downs to an FSU team that spent almost the entire quarter in Penn State territory. One offense, Michael Robinson ended his Penn State career much as he started it, with flashes of brilliance but maddening inconsistency. One major down note has to be Butkus award winner Paul Posluszny's injury in the fourth quarter. It's not known how serious it is, but of course I wish him the best and hope it's not serious.

Florida State was able to stay in the game through big plays, as a 84 yard punt return, a 57 yard touchdown pass and a 39 yard pass that set up a field goal pretty much accounted for all their offensive production. Penn State meanwhile fumbled within the 5 yard line with a chance to close the game out and missed a kick to win the game with under a minute left. When it was all said and done, a game that featured 4 missed field goals and a missed extra points ended finally with Kevin Kelly making a 29 yard field goal in triple OT for a 26-23 win in this instant "classic." Interestingly, after the game Paterno admitted the kick, which came on 2nd down, was supposed to be a fake.

This isn't a big loss for Florida State, as they certainly will rebound next year as they recover from injuries and gain experience. They are a young team who lost several games to mediocre bowl teams, but let's not forget this team beat Miami, Virginia Tech and almost topped Penn State tonight. They'll be national championship contenders next year, mark my words. As Bowden said following the game, "I'm not concerned about our record, I'm concerned with our direction. And I think we're headed in the right direction."

This is a big win for Penn State though, as it caps a great 11-1 season. However, 13 starters for the Lions are 5th year seniors though, including QB Michael Robinson, so the Lions figure to enter rebuilding mode. I think Morelli has real potential at QB though, so while next year might be rough, I think the Lions could be ready to contend again in 2007. What this win does in help Penn State have momentum going into recruiting season. A top class following the year after all the great playmakers Penn State got this year will help the Lions be good for years to come.

Congrats to Florida State, you certainly put up a great fight when few gave you much chance to win. And congrats to Penn State, the 2006 Orange Bowl Champions.

    If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.  Although not one of the finalists for the NGS competition, I've decided to play along.   With the first assignment being to preview a game of your choice, I have chosen the Orange Bowl. I'll be the first to admit that my bowl predictions have hardly gone according to plan.  After starting 8-0, I thought I was invincible.  Clearly I had the Midas Touch, and everyone would soon be bowing to me as I went for an unprecedented undefeated bowl prediction season.  Yeah.  That didn't happen.  Instead, I've been a dismal 4-14 since, meaning Penn State and USC have to win for me to merely reach .500.  And don't even bring up my record versus the spread. Now that I've completely ruined any credibility I have as a bowl prognosticator, I present my Orange Bowl preview.

Penn State (10-1) vs. Florida State (8-4)

    If there's ever been a game that lends more credence to the idea that conference championship games are stupid, feel free to let me know.  Florida State has no business belonging in a BCS bowl.  That being said, it's a great opportunity to see two legendary coaches face off.
    Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno are 1 and 2 on the list for all time wins, with 359 and 353 respectively.  And with both coaches in their upper 70s, this very well may be the last chance they get to face off.  Both programs have taken a hit recently though, as Penn State has suffered suffered 4 losing seasons since the millennium, while Florida State has seen its dominance of the ACC snapped.
    Penn State was considered a sleeper team coming into the season.  Though they suffered an abysmal 4-7 record last year, the worst in JoePa's history, they did have the distinction of being the only team in the nation not to give up more than 21 points in any game.  Their main issues were poor offensive line play which shut down the running game, a complete lack of playmakers at wide receiver, and disappointing play from QB Zack Mills.
    Everything came into place this year though, as versatile QB Michael Robinson stepped into the starting spot, instantly changing the dynamic of the Penn State offense.  The offensive line, previously plagued with injuries, gelled behind the stellar play of Levi Brown.  Freshman wideouts Derrick Williams, Justin King, Deon Butler and Jordan Norwood gave Robinson a plethora of speedy, though raw, targets to choose from.  Junior tailback Tony Hunt emerged as Penn State's first 1000 yard rusher since Larry Johnson's record setting 2002 season.  And of course the defense was stellar in all regards, with a linebacking corp led by All American and defensive player of the year Paul Posluszny, a entirely senior secondary led by Alan Zemaitis, and a defensive line anchored by All American Tamba Hali.
    Florida State meanwhile has struggled with freshman QB Drew Weatherford having an inconsistent year.  Injuries to the offensive line caused the team to fall apart in 3 consecutive late season losses, but one stellar quarter against Virginia Tech was able to let them squeak by with a 27-22 win.   The hits keep on coming for FSU as leading tackler A.J. Nicholson was suspended for the game due to sexual assault allegations.
    Everything seems ripe for a Penn State victory, so for this preview, I'll focus on what Florida State needs to do to win.

KEYS FOR FSU TO WIN:

1) Win the turnover battle

Simply put,  Florida State needs to win the turnover battle to beat Penn State.  Despite being outgained by 100 yards by Virginia Tech, FSU was able to win because they won the turnover battle 2-0.  They have their work cut out for them though, as QB Drew Weatherford has been an interception machine, tossing 17 picks on the year, including 10 in FSU's four losses.   However they do face against Michael Robinson, Penn State's talented by wildly inconsistent QB.  Robinson throws the ball hard, and as such many of his interceptions have come on deflections.  He also has a maddening habit of not protecting the ball when he runs, leading to frequent fumbles.  One of the reasons Penn State wasn't ranked following its 4-0 start was that they had committed an astonishing 13 turnovers in those games (The other reason was of course that they'd beaten nobodies).   Robinson accounted for the vast majority of those turnovers, but after he entered Big 10 play, he only threw 3 picks.  For FSU to win, they need the reckless Robinson to show up.

2) Shut down Robinson's running game

Michael Robinson isn't going to beat you with the pass.  He completes only 52% of his throws, and his most explosive receiver, Derrick Williams, is still out with a broken arm.   What he will do is beat you with his legs.  Now there are those that think that Florida State, which shut down Marcus Vick in the ACC championship game, can do the same against Robinson.  Make no mistake though: Robinson is now Marcus Vick.  Vick only had 280 yards rushing on the year, whereas Robinson has racked up 785.  Robinson has both wide receiver speed and running back size and instincts, and the Seminoles will have their hands full stopping him.  

3) Play disciplined football

Florida State has been atrocious all year when it comes to committing penalties, and have been able to get away with it because many of the other ACC teams lack discipline as well (Virginia Tech had an astounding 143 yards of penalties in the ACC title game).  FSU has racked up 101 penalties for 889 yards, and face a Nittany Lion team that has only committed 49 penalties for 379 yards.   Considering that the Lions have zero games of committing 7 penalties and the Seminoles have committed at least that many in all but one, it's a fair bet to presume that Penn State will have the edge in tonight's game.  Florida State must limit the damage though as the last thing they can afford is to hand a better Penn State team free real estate.

4) Keep the pressure off Weatherford

Facing a talented defensive line like Penn State's is hard enough without also facing a talented linebacking corps and a experienced secondary.  If I were Penn State, I would blitz early and often, as I bet the secondary can handle one on one coverage and I'm sure Penn State would be able to get to Weatherford and rack up some sacks or force him into some turnovers.    Weatherford is not a mobile quarterback, and for that reason, I wouldn't be surprised if the Seminoles turn to speedier backup Xavier Lee at some point.  Double teaming Tamba Hali is a must, and Florida State must have clever playcalling to keep the Lion's off their toes.  Lorenzo Booker and Leon Washington will have to step up and make some plays at the running back position, because odds are they won't be given huge holes.  However, if by some miracly the Seminoles are able to control the line of scrimmage and put together some long drives, they may be able to expose Penn State's one defensive weakness, their lack of depth on the line.  That's extremely unlikely though.

Final Prediction:  Penn State has the superior team, and will only lose if Robinson gets bottled up and makes mistakes....which very well could happen, as he is maddeningly inconsistent.  Still, nobody has more bowl victories than JoePa, and I think his team will come ready to play.

Penn State 31
Florida State 13

    Fox Sports has picked the 16 finalists for the NGS competition, and congratulations are in order for each and every one of them.  There are many blogs I'm sad didn't make it to the sweet 16, but such is the nature of the competition.  Kudos to all that competed in this event and I hope you all stick around.  I know I'm going to, and should the competition come back around, I'm more than prepared to take another shot.

    Perhaps my mistake was writing how I preferred college football to NFL, forgetting that the judges said the next round would likely be related to the NFL playoffs.   But no, I prefer to I think I went wrong when I endorsed Firefox in one of my earlier posts.  What was meant as a comedic commentary on the frustrations of using Internet Explorer probably reached Microsoft executive's ears, a company I stupidly forgot was affiliated with this website.  No doubt Bill Gates himself rode up to the judges and vetoed their selection of me for the sweet 16.  At least, that's how I've chosen to rationalize it.  Let me live in my fantasy world.

::breaks down and cries::

    Nonetheless, I'm going to carry on like Happy Gilmore, noting there's only 364 more days until the end of next year's first round (should it return).  Maybe along the way I'll discover golf or something...

    But no, this isn't about me, it's about the 16 that do have a chance of moving on.  I'll be sure to keep close tabs on your articles, and while some of your work I already know, all bets are off.  May the best blog win, and good luck to you all.

    We're in the middle of bowl season, and we've already seen a lot of great games with thrilling finishes.  Last night was a particular treat, as Boston College topped Boise State and Nebraska upset Michigan, with both games coming down to red zone defensive stands, and in Michigan's case, the greatest lateral play in history.   Yes, even greater than Stanford-Cal with the band on the field. Even though Michigan didn't score.   If you haven't seen it, go download it.  It's incredible.

    As much as watching these games is enjoyable, there are 28 of them, which means 28 teams end their seasons like champions rather than just one.  For those of you that think this is going to become another anti-BCS rant, you are mistaken.  Sadly mistaken.  In fact, get a Kleenex and go cry about it.

    Rather, what I note is that with 28 games come 28 champions which in turn leads to up to 28 coaches getting Gatorade Baths.  That's right, the tired old tradition of dousing your coaches head with a cooler full of the most abundantly marketed of sports drinks.   I had almost forgotten about the phenomenon when Memphis coach Tommy West brought it to my attention.

    "I didn't want to be the only coach in the country to get a Gatorade bath -- then lose the game," he said after his Tigers closed out a 38-31 victory over the Akron.  Memphis had looked in total control after scoring a touchdown to go up 38-17 with 3:09 on the clock in the 4th quarter, and a shower seemed in order.  But nobody told the Zips, who proceeded to score a touchdown, recover an onside kick and score again.

    Anyway, the whole thing got me thinking about the history of this oh so stupid of traditions, and after an arduous 2 minute Google search, I had discovered my answer.  Turns out an author Darren Rovell has an entire blog about Gatorade, and has written a book about the product (weird).  He notes that the tradition started 20 years ago, when New York Giants coach Bill Parcells was first splashed by linebacker Harry Carson.

    My first experience with the concept was back in 1994 when I witnessed an illfated attempt to shower Joe Paterno as Penn State closed out their undefeated regular season against Michigan State with a 59-31 win.  Man that team's offense was good - the nation's best offensive line coupled with QB Kerry Collins, RB Ki-Jana Carter, TE Kyle Brady, and WR Bobby Engram.   Heck, the case could be made that Penn State had the top skill position players at all 4 spots. (Ok, so there was also Rashaad Salaam and Steve McNair to consider, but whatever.)   I digress.   Anyway, JoePa was wiley enough to avoid the getting more than a splash down the back of his waterproof jacket, though as I recall, it was water and not Gatorade.  Perhaps my memory is incorrect, but it was an assumption that I had, and when I first personally saw Gatorade used, I was aghast. 

    Finally the time has come to speak out, and as such, I list my reasons for being against Gatorade Baths:

1) It shows the coach no respect

I'm sorry, but aren't football coaches supposed to be team leaders and disciplinarians?  I always saw coaches as being kind of inspirational drill sergeants, and frankly, I can never see a drill seagent tolerating being pranked on national TV.

2) It's sticky and unsanitary

Why can't you just dump water on their heads?  I shudder at the thought of Gatorade in my hair and along my back.  To quote my little sister, whose brevity on such matters is usually demonstrated as such: "Eww.  Gross."

3) It's not a suitable reward

Theoretically it's suposed to be in celebration of a coach's victory, but come on, when a theater director puts on  a good show, they're given flowers as a reward, not a sports drink a la tet.  Hmm, now I have the image of the celebrations reversed, and man that is an entertaining image.

4) It's disrespectful to your opponent

Yes, celebration is in order whenever you have a big win, but most baths happen while the game is still going on, and I think it's just rubbing it in.  Futhermore, your head coach has to go and shake the other coach's hand, and he shouldn't go while looking like a rowdy frat boy.  Also as the Memphis-Akron game proves, it ain't over till it's over.   Nebraska's Bill Callahan was doused during the final play, as most Nebraska players thought the play was over.

5) It could kill your coach

Seriously.  You may think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not.  I have real concern for whoever wins the Orange Bowl this year, because I think JoePa or Bobby Bowden really might have a heart attack if caught offguard.  And let's not forget about celebrations in cold weather climates.  You try to pull this stunt at Lambeau Field and you might have a coach popsicle.

Note:  Alert reader Ray_Fitzgerald informed me that this actually has happened.  Another Google search reveals George Allen died of pneumonia a few weeks after being doused with ice water in 1990 while coaching for Long Beach State.  While not conclusively linked as contributing to the death, it certainly gives you pause.

6) The novelty has worn off

Bill Parcells has now been showered 17 times in his career.  It's not original anymore, no one is surprised when it happens.  It's time to retire it.

7) Bryant Gumbel is against it 

Do I really need to say anything more?  His word is solid gold.  Everyone knows that.

(photo courtesy of Darren Rovell's Gatorade Blog)

    I wanted to thank FoxSports for hosting this competition, as I really think it has helped bring out more than just the inner armchair quarterback in a lot of us.

    I think many of us have discovered a hidden passion for sportswriting, and I know that regardless of whether I'm selected to the final 16, it's something I want to pursue.  After all, while winning this competition would be great, there are many traditional ways to enter a career in sports journalism.

    Even for those of us without such ambitions, it has been empowering just to have the opportunity to have our voices heard.  While that opportunity already did exist given there are many great sports blogs run independently on the internet, this competition gave the less technologically inclined the chance to do so easily, while handing them a built in audience of other competitors.

    I think a fundamental human desire is the desire to be heard and understood, and bringing together thousands of likeminded people in the spirit of friendly competition has done that.  Bloggers have shared their thoughts, opinions, analysis, humor and in many cases their lives, using their blogs as their forum. 

    And for the most part, the competition has been remarkably friendly.  Having read the occasional internet message board, it always amazed me how vitriolic and disrespectful posters could be in their comments, and I feared I was entering that world when I signed up for the NGS competition.  The cynical side of me thinks that many bloggers are merely on their best behavior since they're trying to win, but I prefer to believe that a good crowd of people entered this competition, and I'm glad.

    I've read a lot of great blogs, and as each day has gone by, I've realized my chances of reaching the final 16 have decreased.   This is not because I've disliked the quality of my work, but because there are just so many great bloggers that deserve to be recognized.  As with any subjectively judged competition, I'm sure many worthy candidates will not make it, but no one should feel the worse for it.   The judges face a momentously difficult task in sorting through all the blogs, and it would not surprise me to learn many good blogs were not viewed with enough consideration, though just to let the judges know, there won't be any hard feelings from this corner.

    My wish is that FoxSports will make an increased effort to integrate bloggers to the rest of their site, because there's a lot of quality work being done.   Even if it's something as simple as a sidebar of selected quality blog posts, like there is on the NGS sign up screen, it would mean a lot to know that we'd consistently have the opportunity to reach a wider audience if we produce quality material, even if it's just a single post.  I think many of us have at least one great post in us, and while it will be great for the eventually champion to have an opportunity to write 20 articles, there's plenty of good posts with unique input that should be highlighted.

    I give my best of luck to the many worth contestants out there, and to the judges in making their decision.  I hope most of you stick around, whether you advance or not.

     Rutgers, you let me down.  But I forgive you, because you gave it your all.  Up 33-31 in the fourth quarter, victory seemed within the Scarlet Knight's grasp, and I was hopeful my unblemished record of bowl predictions this year would move to 9-0 (see earlier post).   But Rudy Carpenter and the Arizona State offensive juggernaut wasn't going to be denied, and Rutgers fell 45-40 in the Insight Bowl.  Here's some insight for Rutgers: turns out it's hard to win when you give up 679 yards of offense.

    I've been a New Jersey guy my whole life, but always a Penn State fan.  Rutgers was a joke, an automatic win on our schedule.  My most memorable moment watching a Rutgers game was seeing JoePa mouthing off whoever the Rutgers head coach was at the time for accusing him of running up the score (I could look his name up, but does it matter?).    Not that I wished Rutgers ill - in fact I hoped better for them, if simply for Jersey pride.

    New Jersey is always disrespected, simply because most people that experience it are on their way to New York and just pass by Newark and the gas refineries, which is not a pleasant experience for your nose.  This  leads everyone to think we're a polluted cesspool, when much of the state is very nice.  Believe it or not, "Garden State" is not supposed to be ironic.  Contrary to popular belief, the people of New Jersey are not all Italian mobsters.  In fact Jersey is #1 in median household income, and our people are very well educated.

    But they're also usually very well educated elsewhere.  No state in the country exports a greater percentage of its college bound seniors to other states.  Sadly, Rutgers and The College of New Jersey just don't get any respect, despite being on best buy lists year in and year out.  Sure New Jersey has Princeton, but that's only for an elite few.  College bound seniors in California, Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia and a whole host of other states have state universities people are proud of, but that's just never been as much the case in Jersey.  Cries of "Rutgers Rah!" are rarely heard except from Mr. Magoo.

    I do think at least part of that has to do with the historically inept Rutgers football team.  While I'm not one to say that sports should trump education - they shouldn't - there's no questioning that teams with strong programs have been able to benefit academically from the increased exposure and prestige that comes from having a well recognized and respected sports program.  Think about it - 20 years ago what would you have thought about if someone told you they went to Virginia Tech?   Success can lead to increasing the quality of the brand name, more revenue and more applicants coming in to your school. 

    Furthermore, Rutgers as a name should be built to be synomymous with football pride, not shame.  This isn't just some random school, Rutgers is the birthplace of college football, where the first game was played against Princeton in 1869.    The school had to do something to improve their football program.  And they did.

    When Greg Schiano arrived at Rutgers, I thought it was a great hire.  He had previously been defensive coordinator of the Miami Hurricanes, and he had a plan to resurrect Rutgers football.    It largely revolved around improved recruiting.  New Jersey has never been a football hotbed, but what quality players it did produce traditionally went to Penn State.  Schiano has done a remarkably good job in convincing the state's top athletes to stay home.   He's developed good contacts with the top high school coaches in the state, been more aggressive in pursuing athletes and his staff has let it be known Rutgers considers Jersey its turf.  As a former coach at Miami, he also knows Florida very well, and knows that to be successful you need the great athletes the state consistently produces.  Rutgers now has 25 players from Florida on its roster through Schiano's efforts.

    But even with all the hope, on the field progress was nonexistent until this year.  Schiano's record in his first four seasons was a paltry 12-34.  For all his success in putting together a competitive team, I wasn't convinced Schiano was a good game day coach.  I'm still not actually.  Rutgers should've won against Illinois, managing to blow a 27-10 lead to lose 33-30.  They also managed to nearly blow a 27-0 halftime lead against Pittsburgh, eventually winning 37-29.  There's still some work to be done, granted, but to have seven wins and a bowl game is almost unheard of for Rutgers, whose last appearance in a bowl game was the inaugural Garden State Bowl, which lasted four years and was created by New Jersey state legislators to give Rutgers a chance to play in a bowl.  That game, also against Arizona State, ended as a less competitive 34-18 loss.  Bearing all this in mind, Rutgers' season definitely can be considered a success, and I support the school for giving Schiano a 7 year extension.

    That's not to say things will be easy for the Scarlet Knights.  Connecticut and South Florida are programs on the rise, and Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Louisville will always present a challenge.  One can't expect Syracuse to stay as bad as they were this year either, and Cincinnati has had its moments (Anyone remember them losing 23-19 to eventual national champ Ohio State?  That Bearcats team was good).  Things also might be a struggle with senior quarterback and team leader Ryan Hart graduating.   I think Rutgers may have to pull a Kansas State and keep scheduling patsies out of conference in order to keep going to bowl games, because I think that's more important for the team's long term health than gunning for a marquee win out of conference.  I know, beating Buffalo every year isn't really that impressive. But it beats being Penn State's whipping boy.

(photo courtesy of Michael York, AP)

1) Has boxing become utterly irrelevant?  Boxers used to be cultural icons and household names, like Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.  Now the world's old great champions are respectively reduced to Parkinson's Disease and the selling of mufflers and grills.  I'm not sure which is worse.  Perhaps boxing's last gasp as being truly part of our culture died with Evander Holyfield's right ear, bitten off my crazy ex-champ Mike Tyson, who thankfully has finally retired.  Who is the heavyweight champion of the world now?  Can you name him?  Nicolay Valuev, who recently won the WBA title, is a 7 foot tall Russian.  Wait, is this the plot of Rocky 6? Will Rocky Balboa show up to tame the Beast from the East once more?  Speaking of Rocky 6...am I the only that thinks this has gone on for far too long?  Of course not, I don't even need to ask that question.  Everyone knew it had gone on far too long by Rocky 5, if not sooner.   Sylvester Stallone is going to be 60 years old by the time the film is released.  60!  Who is he going to fight, his grandkids? Is he going have a mouthpiece or dentures? I'm sorry, but watching this film is of no interest to me.  I would rather have seen a fight between the late Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, finally settling once and for all who is the best blind black musician.

2) The new rules in hockey have made the game much more bearable to watch, but I am coming out against them.   Mainly because they have ruined my New Jersey Devil's ability to play their famous defense, the trap.  Sure people criticized the trap for being boring, but it brought home championships, so I was okay with that.  Now I'm wondering when are the Devils going to sell their souls to themselves to get a good hockey team.

3) Reaction to the Four Point Line concept for basketball was sufficient that I've decided to rip myself off and transplant it to another sport: football.  My thought is about the two point conversion.  What if you could elect to have the ball moved back, to say the 10 yard line, and go for 3?  Or perhaps chuck a hail mary from the 40 yard line and go for 5?  Obviously you'd never choose to do that unless you needed to tie the game, but just having the option might make comebacks more exciting.  All too often in the fourth quarter the game is all but over once it becomes the dreaded two possession lead, with futile onside kicks being the only way to come back.  Just a thought.

4) I honestly thought I was hallucinating the first time I saw Nike's new "The LeBrons" ad campaign.  No joke.

5) I have to give props to Wikipedia.  The other day I found myself suddenly and inexplicably wondering about Kordell Stewart.  I thought back to The Catch back in 1994, when Stewart's 64 yard Hail Mary landed in the arms of Michael Westbrook to give Colorado a dramatic 27-26 victory over Michigan.  I thought back to his memorable days as Slash, when he played running back, receiver and quarterback in his open years in the NFL.  I thought of his struggles upon becoming a full time quarterback.  I even remembered him leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers for one ill fated season as starting quarterback of the Chicago Bears.  But after that...nothing.  I didn't remember what happened to him, if he retired, if he was in the CFl or if he was benchwarming somewhere in the NFL - and I needed to know.  Thank you Wikipedia, which let me know he's currently the 1000th string QB for the Baltimore Ravens, where he has yet to throw a pass this season.

(photo courtesy of the film 'Rocky', the first and only good one) 

    I was extremely disappointed to learn that the new franchise of the WNBA has been named the Chicago Sky.  Sure this actually happened more than two months ago, but I just found out about it now, and I am upset.  A devout WNBA fan like me sure has had to put up with a lot lately, including the revelation that league legend Sheryl Swoops is a lesbian (oh no! Hide the children!), but this is the last straw.   Most WNBA teams are named after their equivalent NBA team, and it hit me the other day that would potentially make the new team the Chicago Cows.  But the uppity women's team, whose franchise isn't affiIiated with the Chicago Bulls, nixed that brilliant idea, opting instead to come up with...an original team name.   Now I liked the whole vaguely named after NBA teams concept, though this latest rebellion show the WNBA needs to be more consistent.

    You have the San Antonio Silver Stars, Detroit Shock, Washington Mystics, Sacramento Monarchs, Houston Comets, Phoenix Mercury, and the Minnesota Lynx all sticking with the system, but there are plenty of teams that don't. Granted there's no NBA team in Connecticut, so there's not much the Sun can do, but that alone is a problem to me. I don't think your league is going to get much legitimacy when one of your teams is a side attraction at an American Indian Casino (Is that the politically correct phrasing these days? I've lost track).

    The Seattle Storm at least has alliteration. The Indiana Fever could just as easily be the Indiana Racers. Sure rhyming is corny, but no one complains about it in the New York area (Mets, Jets, Nets). Though there is a pesky minor league baseball team of the same name, but hey, this is the mighty WNBA! Surely a deal could be struck.

    But the biggest problem has to be that the two biggest markets in the country don't stick with the plan. Los Angeles Spark? New York Liberty? Why not the Los Angeles Ponds and the New York Skirts? And don't even get me started on the Charlotte Sting. If they don't relocate then become homeless and end up tentatively in Oklahoma this season, I'm writing a letter to complain. After all, having non-corresponding team names and locations makes it seem like the WNBA is actually, shocker of shockers, trying to act as an independent league! Clearly they should just acknowledge they are the NBA's little sisters and act accordingly, content to be relegated to the summer months and the back pages in the paper until they die of obscurity.

(logo courtesy of the Chicago Sky)

       One of the things Alexis de Tocqueville's classic work "Democracy in America" focused on is Americans' incredible geographic mobility.    Americans moved at will across the country for better opportunities, while back in 19th century Europe where he was raised, people usually lived in the same town from birth, frequently taking over their father's business.  It shouldn't be surprising that Americans would be willing to move to build a better life - afterall, that's why most people came to America in the first place.   A restless travelling spirit is in our blood.

    Because of this it shouldn't be surprising that free agents in sports are willing to join their rivals for more money, a la Johnny Damon.  It shouldn't be surprising that so many fans move across the country, necessitating rooting for new teams or holding onto their old ones like Socalsportsfan.  And it shouldn't be surprising that entire franchises are willing to move for greener pastures, as the Indianapolis Colts did when they left Baltimore. 

    One of the main things that makes a fan is his loyalty.  Afterall, it comes from fanatic - " A person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm, as for a cause."  (Having a dictionary is great.)  Sure it's great to watch great athletes compete, but it's so much greater when you have a personal stake in it.  Especially when it's a great personal stake.  (But I lost my thesaurus.)  It's what makes the Olympics so, dare I say, great.   Afterall, nationalism can inspire the greatest of fanatics, and everyone has a nation. 

    Well, almost everyone.  Take for instance my sister's old college roommate.  Born in Kenya, her parents were both United Nations diplomats, and Kenyan law requires one parent to be Kenyan to gain citizenship.  Her father was born on the border of Spain to a Spanish father and a French mother.   When Francisco Franco took over, he fled to Mexico, which gave citizenship to anyone leaving because of the Spanish Civil War.  Her mother is from Argentina, but in the end they decided to give her Mexican citizenship because they felt it had more weight internationally.  So, she's a Mexican, despite having no Mexican blood and having spent more of her life living in Kenya, Switzerland, and United States, while having Argentinian, French and Spanish blood.   All of which is to say that I have no idea who she's going to root for in the World Cup in 2006.  But I digress.

    Nationality gives a sense of loyalty that regionality just can't, though I'm sure many southerners might disagree with me.  (You lost, get  over it.)  As a result, I've rarely been struck as hard to be a fan of pro-franchises.  I fell in love with the Red Sox when my favorite player from my hometown Trenton Thunder, a shortstop named Nomar Garciaparra, made it to the big leagues.  Having a roommate and great friend from Boston years later certainly helped seal the deal.  This was a franchise where there were true fanatics - the people of Boston lived and breathed the Red Sox, and to tap into that - even when it was mostly tapping into their pain as they toiled in futility - was something that magical.   For many people, the Sox transcend sport, it's their lives.  It's the only American professional experience that compares to the spirit and loyalty that soccer teams engender in their fans in Europe.

    But there also is a place where loyalty is ironclad, and that's college sports.  You can leave your town, but you never leave your alma mater, and there's a sense of community in the fans that's just superior to pro-teams.  Now I love New York City, don't get me wrong, but a lot of people in that city don't give each other the time of day, and on Giants gameday suddenly 80,000 of them become family?  Please.

    In college sports I also get the sense that the competiveness is greater.   This struck me as I was watching the aforementioned Colts play the Seahawks today.  Yes I know there's inherent injury risks in football that are greater than in most others sports, and yes I know that teams like the Colts are resting and preparing for the playoffs.  That being said, these players are paid to be competitors and are paid good money to put on a show for the fans.  Without the fans and their money, there is no NFL, and I doubt people are shelling out upwards of $80 a ticket to watch Jim Sorgi play quarterback. 

    One of the reason that many people oppose a college football playoff is that they cherish that every game in college football matters.  A team can have a narrow loss in September and be out of the national championship hunt, meaning that every game is like a playoff of sorts.  But I think that even with a playoff college teams would fight hard for every game.  Even if they were already guaranteed to get a spot in the playoffs, do you think USC would've benched Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush against UCLA if they were trailing?

    Players in college play because they love the game, and they've only got four years to make their mark.  Players are recruited to schools to get an education, to become part of a tradition.  In sports it's a paycheck.  Players on losing teams in college fight for every win, as every victory leads to more respectability and more recruits coming to their school.  Pro franchises meanwhile have had history of tanking in order to get better position in the draft, suffiently such the NBA instituted a lottery to remove some of the incentive from being the worst team.

    When it comes down to it, professional sports is a business, and I'll always prefer to root for something more substantial than money and big business.  I go to the local coffeehouse Cup of Joe rather than the nearby Starbucks(es).  I use non-profit Mozilla's Firefox instead of Microsoft Internet Explorer.  And I prefer college sports to the pros.

    Now that a day has passed, I can sit back and be a bit more objective about Johnny Damon's defection.  I can even dispense some advice to the Yankees on how best to use their new acquisition.  One of the main reasons Damon was considered so desirable was he's a rare commodity in today's baseball world: a prototypical leadoff hitter.  He hits for high average, draws walks, doesn't strike out much, is a speedy baserunner who is a threat to steal and has some pop too.

    After Chuck Knoblach left, the Yankees have lacked a true leadoff man.  They tried speedster Alfonso Soriano, who had too much power and too few walks for leadoff anyway, something Texas soon discovered.  They signed Kenny Lofton and Tony Womack, but neither could even keep hold of their starting jobs for a season, let alone the leadoff position.  As such they have experimented with their lineup, notably shifting longtime two hole hitter and team captain Derek Jeter to the top of the order.  Many analyists are already hailing the Damon signing as the solution to this problem, noting his status as the most feared leadoff hitter in the game, which finally will allow Jeter to shift back to his natural lineup spot.  But a simple look at the data suggests that Jeter would actually be the superior leadoff hitter.  More surprisingly, Damon would be the superior two hitter.

    Damon and Jeter have had remarkably similar careers offensively.  Both broke into the big leagues in 1995, and only 10 at bats separate their career totals.  They have similar power numbers, as Jeter has 524 career extra-base hits to Damon's 536.  They both have stolen over 200 bases and both pretty much always score at least 100 runs.  But even if their numbers were identical, this would just prove they could play either spot in the lineup equally well.  (Defensively they are different, as Damon actually can move to his left, though Jeter has him beat since he doesn't throw like a girl.  But I digress.)

    Similarities aside, there are many reasons Damon would make the better two hitter and Jeter would be better leading off.   On base percentage is highly valued in a leadoff hitter, as it maximizes the chances for the hitters behind you to drive in runs.  One area where Jeter has consistently beaten Damon is in this category.  In every year but 2004, the Yankee shortstop has had the higher OBP, with a career .386 to Damon's .353.

    Also, the perception is that Damon would be a better leadoff hitter due to his superior basestealing abilities.  While this may have once marginally been the case, over the past two years the two stars actually have the exact same success rate: 37 steals in 46 chances.  Jeter is also known for being an extremely heads up, aggressive and smart baserunner, sufficiently such that ESPN.com named him the best in baseball.  So there's no reason to think Damon would be better at leadoff for that reason.

    One reason Jeter would definitely be better suited for the top of the order is his tendency to strike out.  He whiffed 117 times last season versus only 69 K's by Damon.   When you lead off, it doesn't really matter how you get out.   Because there's no one on base to advance, an out is an out.  When batting second, it's good to have someone fast who will put the ball in play.  Damon fits this much better than Jeter.   Hitting behind Jeter, he'd have many more productive outs, advancing Jeter while using his speed to avoid hitting into double plays.   Don't get me wrong, Jeter is fast, but Damon is faster to first.  As a lefty, he's closer to the bag, and as such has ground into only 62 in his career, versus 137 for Jeter.  This past year Jeter was virtually exclusively hitting leadoff, and hit into 15 double plays versus only 5 for Damon.

    Now I know what you're saying, hitting two is much different than leading off.  Damon is used to setting the table, whereas Jeter has proved he can handle the higher pressure of being a run producer, right?  Interestingly, over the past 3 years, Damon has excelled with runners in scoring position, batting .320, whereas he's only hit .287 when no one is on.   Jeter on the other hand has hit .304 with no one on and just .288 with runners in scoring position.  Futhermore, Damon's power numbers figure to increase in Yankee Stadium, where his lefthanded bat should drive plenty of balls over the short rightfield fence.

    In a vacuum all this data holds true, but there's also the rest of the lineup to factor in.  But when you consider that righthanded hitters Alex Rodriguez and Gary Sheffield are the most likely choices to hit 3 and 4, and lefty Robinson Cano is the