As a diehard Broncofan, I was shocked when a text came to my cell phone stating that Mike Shanahan had been fired from the Denver Broncos.  After 14 years, owner Pat Bowlen decided it was time for a change and needed a new direction.  After 3 years of picture perfect mediocre football (24-24 in those 3 years) it makes sense to make a change.  After watching the press conference earlier today, Bowlen looked like a fool.  I lost count on how many times he said that "it was time for a new direction" and refused to elaborate why.  His press conference was nothing more than another owner taking time and really saying nothing. 

I was troubled by Bowlen's message for a few reasons.  The first one is that he didn't clarify what was wrong with the direction the Broncos were going in.  Granted, as we Bronco fans know, mediocrity doesn't get it done.  Putting a defense on the field that gave up 152 points in its final 3 games is far from acceptable.  Why not just come out and say that?  Did he not want to throw his good friend Shanahan under the bus, and sugar coat the truth?  Does he think Bronco nation is full of idiots?  Just come out and say that you haven't liked what you've seen on the field for the past 3 seasons.  We can accept that.  Heck, even Shanahan admitted he didn't get the job done. 

The second, and maybe more troubling, is that he hasn't started any kind of coaching search, or settled on how the front office will be structured.  Are you kidding?  You make this decision less than 48 hours after the Chargers embarrassed your franchise and haven't thought about who the next coach would be?  This is beyond troubling for an organization that has had 3 coaches in 25 years.  I'm not saying to name your guy, but you decide to terminate a legendary figure in your organization and Bowlen came across as if he had no clue what direction he was going to take the search for a head coach, or a GM/VP of Player Personnel. 

Third, he mentioned that Jay Cutler told him he was not upset with the decision, which contradicts Cutler's quote in the Rocky Mountain News, that he doesn't like the decision at all.  Frankly, I believe what he said in the paper, and was paying lip service to the boss and telling him what he wants to hear. 

Overall, I think this is a decision that had to be made if Shanahan would not have given up the player personnel duties.  To borrow from Bill Parcells, he can cook, but isn't all that great at shopping for the groceries.  See drafts from 2001-2005 and 2007 is all the proof needed.  I don't see Shanahan giving that up, so the move was made. 

Bronco fans, we had better hope that Bowlen puts together an extensive search for the right coach.  If it's as bad as he looked today, we may become bottomfeeders in the NFL. 

The most misleading pitching statistic is a pitcher's record.  Often times, pitchers will be saddled for losses when they pitched well enough to deserve a win.  The opposite is also true, where a pitcher can give up 5 runs in 5 innings and still get a win. 

A good example for this season is Johan Santana.  If you looked solely at his record, which is 7-7, you would say that he's had a down year.  And by the standards he's held up to, especially in NY, that is true.  But dig deeper into his numbers. 

His ERA is 2.96, which puts him 5th in the NL, and his 121.2 innings pitched puts him 3rd in the NL.  In reviewing his seven losses, the following has occurred:

Three of his losses have come when he's allowed one earned run (Atlanta, San Diego and Seattle), although he did give up a granny to a pitcher in the Seattle loss, but all those runs were unearned.   His last 3 no decisions, he has pitched 21 innings and gave up a combined 3 runs.  Not 3 runs per start, 3 runs total.  No doubt in each of those 3 starts, he deserved a W, and it's not his fault that the offensive offense put together by the "genius" Omar Minaya hasn't done squat for him.  In five of his past six starts, the Mets have scored two runs or less.  It's nearly impossible for a pitcher to pick up wins when your offense belongs in the minors.

Now, to take the opposite, let's look at Steve Trachsel from 2006.  His record in 2006 was 15-8.  Just looking at that record alone, it's a solid year.  We Mets fans who followed the run to the NLCS in 2006 know better.  His ERA that year...4.97.  Yes, an ERA of nearly 5 runs.  Now, is that a good year, or a byproduct of getting a lot of love from the first eight hitters of the lineup everytime he took to the hill?   His strikeout to walk ratio was nearly 1 to 1 (79 K's with 78 BBs) and 185 hits over 164.2 innings.  Digging deeper into Trachsel's numbers shows you that the record hardly shows what type of year he had.  And the Mets properly awarded him with nothing once the 2006 season concluded. 

The point is that records cannot be the sole gauge of how a pitcher is performing in a season, and the wins and losses are typically the first thing that is mentioned by broadcasters or the anchors on Baseball Tonight or whatever baseball show you may be watching. 

It's a common sight to see superstar athletes with a God complex that have no clue what goes on around them.  They can't see the forest from the trees in regards to their actions.  Carmelo Anthony epitomizes this. 

This comes from an article on the Denver Post (www.denverpost.com) website.  Melo was was asked if he needs to mature more.  This is how Melo was quoted in the Denver Post:  "Mature more, meaning what?  I don't feel like I did anything wrong." 

Melo, newsflash, drinking and driving is WRONG.  Then Melo just three weeks later was pulled over for speeding.  Forget setting an example to the community, but what about to your own son?  If he doesn't feel drinking and driving is wrong, then he's a complete ####.  If he feels like he did nothing wrong, then why did the Nuggets suspend him for the first two games of the regular season?  Guys who do something wrong get suspended. 

Melo goes on to say, "The (DUI) incident I had, I didn't blame anybody.  As far as being more mature, how can somebody say that? I don't understand when they say that.  What can I do?"

How can someone say that Melo?  Simple, you got behind the wheel drunk, put other people's lives in danger and thankfully got caught by Denver police before you injured an innocent party.  Then, after getting busted for it, just a few short weeks later, while most people who get a ticket are far more careful, you get busted for a 60 in a 45 zone.  Other brilliant incidents include the DVD made several years ago in Baltimore, getting caught with weed trying to board a plane, the 15 game suspension for the brawl in Madison Square Garden to name a few incidents in your brief NBA career.  I don't recall other big names in your draft class in this much trouble. 

Melo, you are the most recognizable athlete the Nuggets have ever had.  No one has joined the Nuggets franchise with more fanfare than you.  In fact, no one, with the exception of John Elway, joined any franchise in Denver with more fanfare than you.  You have a higher expectation to live up to. 

Melo asked what more can he do.  It's simple.  Don't drink and drive.  If you get hammered, call a cab, a limo, whatever...you can afford it.  Be responsible.  That's what more you can do.  Not only are you a role model to many kids in the Denver area, most importantly, you're a role model to your son. 

Melo, ask yourself this question...would your son be proud of his father's behavior?

While the Mets are free falling and Wilie Randolph is unfairly twisting in the wind, the man behind the aging unproductive roster, Omar Minaya, has failed his manager in putting pieces in place for a successful roster in the short and long term.  It's not on Willie that his penciled in starting left fielder on opening day just needs to sneeze to land of the DL (Moises Alou).  It's not Willie that signed an aging Luis Castillo, or pulled the trigger on boneheaded moves that I mention in my last post.  So, Omar, it's time to take a page from the Boston Red Sox, and the best GM in baseball, Theo Epstein.  Look at the Red Sox roster. 

Farm System.  A key to success.  Developing players on the farm allows you to either deal blue chip talent (as the Red Sox traded Hanley Ramirez, the best SS in the NL,  to Florida for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell), or keep the talent and let them be a big part of the team's success (Jonathan Papelbon, Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, among many others).  To say the Mets farm system is a disaster is too high of a compliment.  It's a disgrace.  All you have to do is look at the Mets roster to see 3 catchers on the roster (Casanova, Castro & Schneider) because there isn't any talent in New Orleans Zephyrs' outfield that would make any difference. 

Free agent signings.  It's important to spend your money wisely.  Just because there is a lot of money in the coffers doesn't guarantee success.  The Red Sox spent money wisely on Dice-K and Okajima.  The Mets spent cash on Moises Alou and Matt Wise, each spent more time on the DL than on the active roster...enough said. 

Ultimately, the key to success is a smart guy pulling the trigger.  Theo Epstein has done a remarkable job in shaping that roster with a great mix of bringing guys along in the farm system and good free agent signings.  His Mets counterpart, on the other hand, found great value in bringing in old guys like Moises Alou and Luis Castillo.  It's time for Minaya to follow the Bo Sox blueprint of building a major league roster, and history tells us Minaya is incapable of doing so.  He's just not as smart as Theo. 

I'm a die hard Mets fan, and for myself and all my fellow Mets fans, to say we are disappointed is an understatement.  It's beyond disappointment.  It's anger.  It's frustration.  With a $140 million payroll comes $140 million expectations and reality is far from the expectations.  Willie Randolph is on the hot seat, as he should be.  This team is underachieving, and fails to have any kind of fire when they'r e out there, this according to David Wright.  We've heard Billy Wagner pop off to the media wondering why he's being talked to when he didn't play.  Willie stirring up a controversy with his comments regarding how he's portrayed on SNY, which is owned by the Mets. 

I want to say on record that Willie should be fired.  From June 1st of last season on, the Mets are a below .500 team.  They had a historic collapse blowing a 7 game lead with 17 games to go, and while he claims they've gotten over it, results seem to prove otherwise. 

This Mets mess is far from the manager's fault.  It's not like the GM, Omar Minaya has done WIllie any favors in giving him the parts he needs to be successful.  Too many of Minaya's trades not only haven't worked out, but have been downright disastrous.  Let's take a look at some of the deals that Omar Minaya has made since taking over the reigns as GM. 

1.  Trading Brian Bannister to Kansas City for Ambiorix Burgos.  In 2007, Bannister went 12-9 with a 3.87 ERA in 27 starts.  This year, he has slipped to a 4-6 record with an ERA of 4.94 in 10 starts.  Burgos in that same time frame hasn't thrown a pitch in 2008, and he was 0-1 with a 3.42 ERA in 17 appearances.  I'd rather have Bannister in the five spot than the enigma that is Mike Pelfrey right now. 

2.  After the 2006 season, Minaya sent Royce Ring and Heath Bell to San Diego for Ben Johnson and Jon Adkins.  Ring is now in Atlanta and hasn't been effective for the Braves in 2008 with an ERA of 6.43.  His only year in San Diego, he went 0-1 in with a 3.60 ERA in 15 appearances.  Heath Bell has become the Joba Chamberlin of the Padres.  In 2007, Bell went 6-4 with 2 saves and an ERA of 2.02 ERA in 81 appearances.  He allowed only 60 hits in 93 2/3 innings in 2007, truly an amazing figure.  His ERA in 2008 skyrocketed to a still miniscule 2.77 ERA in 23 appearances in 2008.  Now, let's take a look at the parts the Mets got back in that deal.  Ben Johnson hit a whopping .185 in 27 at bats for the Mets in 2007, and has not been in a game this year.  He never made the roster out of spring training in 2008.  Jon Adkins is now in the Cincinnati Reds organization.  With the mess the Mets bullpen is right now, Bell would be a welcome sight in that Mets bullpen. 

3.  Also after the 2006 season, the Mets sent Matt Lindstrom and Henry Owens to Florida for Jason Vargas and Adam Bostick.  Lindstrom in 2007 had a solid season with a 3-4 record with an ERA of 3.09 in 71 apperances.  He has also been solid in 2008 with an 0-1 record with an ERA of 3.18 in 20 appearances.  Owens has been injured for much of his tenure with the Marlins.  Jason Vargas (not to be confused with Claudio Vargas who is keeping Pedro Martinez's spot in the rotation warm until Pedro returns) is currently on the DL and appeared in all of two games for the Mets in 2007 with an ERA of 12.19.  Bostick is currently in the rotation of the Mets AAA affiliate in New Orleans. 

Minaya has made some good deals, maybe the best of the bunch being acquiring John Maine and Jorge Julio for Kris Benson (Julio turned into Orlando Hernandez in a separate deal with Arizona).  Also, trading for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider for Lastings Milledge has paid dividends this year as Church has been the most consistent performer in the Mets lineup this year, and Schneider is very solid behind the plate, and has been a surprise swinging the stick.  I do think the Santana trade is a good one.  Santana may not be as dominant as we Met fans would like, but he hasn't been horrible either.

I also look at the farm system the Mets have, and a move the Mets just made tells you all you need to know.  The Mets put Moises Alou on the DL, and logic dictates calling up an outfielder, but the Mets think so poorly of their outfield at AAA right now, they brought Raul Casanova back from New Orleans.  Casanova is a CATCHER.  The Mets now have 3 catchers on the roster.  Baseball America's top 100 prospects list released at the start of the season has one prospect on that list, Fernando Martinez (#20).  Their minor league affiliates aren't exactly lighting it up.  Here are the records of the Mets minor league affiliates so far this season...

New Orleans (AAA) 21-25

Binghamton (AA) 22-23

St. Lucie (High A) 9-38

Savannah (A) 19-28

The bottom line is that this organization has a lot of issues, and it's more than just Willie.  If Minaya isn't on the hot seat, he should be. 

Also, according to the radio broadcast of the Mets, Minaya is in Denver and will address the media sometime during the game. 

Wednesday was national letter of intent day.  College kids all over the country faxing their letters of intent while college football goobers such as myself are excited.  I'm a Colorado fan, and I'm excited about what coach Hawk did with this class, with the big prize being Darrell Scott, one of the top running backs in the country, as well as some stud linebackers.

So, who is #1?  Various recruiting services ranked the top 25 class, and they were pretty much all over the map.  For example, Colorado was rated #16 by rivals.com and not rated in the top 25 in scout.com.    Here's what I did.  I took the top 25 classes from rivals.com, scout.com, espn.com and cstv.com and then assigned point values from 1 to 25 with the 1 team getting 25 points and the number 2 team getting 24 points and so on.  Based on this, here's a consenus top 25 (first place votes in parenthesis)

1. Alabama (3)
2. Notre Dame
3. Miami (1)
4. Georgia
5. Florida
6. Ohio State
7. USC
8. Oklahoma
9. Clemson
10. Florida State
11. LSU
12. Michigan
13. Texas
14. UCLA
15. Virginia Tech
16. Texas A&M
17. Illinois
18. Arizona State
19. Auburn
20. Minnesota
21. Washington
22. Colorado
23. Pitt
24. Arkansas
25. Nebraska & Oregon

The others receiving votes in order are NC State, Boston College, South Carolina, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss & Missouri. 

These of course will be changing once Terelle Pryor makes a decision on where to go to school.  I give him a lot of credit for not making a decision on the national signing day.  If he doesn't know, there's no reason to sign the paper right now.   It worked out fine for Noel Devine, and had a great freshman season at West Virginia.  Good luck Terelle in your decision. 

So, props to the tide led by that "no good" Nick Saban (as referred by Jim Mandich on a radio show last year).  If these hold true, the ACC & SEC will sure have some tough teams, with each conference landing 3 schools in the top 10. 

Can't wait for spring ball...now GO BUFFS!

There's a fine line between confidence and arrogance.  Athletes should be confident.  They should be confident that they're going shoulder to shoulder with, confidence in their coaches to put them in the right place and the right time with the right play called.  Most of all, they should be confident in themselves in anything they can achieve. 

Then, there's overconfidence.  Call it arrogance, call it cockieness, whatever you call it, it can be dangerous.  The first sign of the Patriot Arrogance comes from their leader, the face of the franchise, Tom Brady.  When informed about Plaxico Burress' prediction of a 23-17 win over the Patriots, Brady's comment was only 17 points?  Well Mr. Brady, seems that Plaxico gave you too much credit. 

Then comes 4th and 13 from the Giants 31.  Conventional wisdom would say kick the field goal.  Not the arrogant Patroits.  No problem getting 13 on a 4th down and forego the field goal.  Once the offense took the field, I made a comment to those at my super bowl party saying how cocky that was.  Sure enough, Brady's pass falls incomplete and this "unstoppable" offense was stopped. 

If I were a Pats fan, I'd be disturbed.  They seemed to have far too much confidence in their ability to do what they want and when they want to, as well as showing a lack of respect for the Giants defense, who by the way, led the NFL in sacks.  On the outside, it seems like they felt invincible, nothing could stop them.  This is dangerous.  Thinking you are untouchable or unbeatable makes you suseptible to something unforseen in your eyes.

I wonder if the Pats had truly lost this game prior to kickoff.  Their arrogance was apparent, and coming from their leader, isn't what should be shown.  Also, with the coaches backing up this arrogance by passing on a field goal that was makeable and in ideal conditions and going for a very long 4th down, 

Arrogance bit the Pats in the rear, and coincidentally, that's where Brady spent a lot of time on Sunday. 

Congrats to the New York Giants...the better team won on Sunday. 

As college football fans, now that the bowl season is over, we as fans turn to recruiting.  Do we get that coveted player that our team desperately needs?  How strong is our class?  Top 20?  Top 10?  And how do we rate these?  Simple...we check out sites such as rivals.com. 

How accurate are their player assessments?  I say this among the news that Xavier Lee, a five star QB, who we all would agree was a bust, made the foolish decision to go pro.  After starting all of six games, and relief in a handful of others, he went 155 for 402 for 2,323 yards, 15 TDs and 11 INTs.  On rivals.com, he was rated #10 overall and the second QB, behind Rhett Bomar.  Out of that top 10, here's how they fared...

1.  Adrian Peterson RB Oklahoma...stud RB without question and offensive rookie of the year this past season for Minnesota.  They didn't miss there.

2.  Ted Ginn, Jr.  Ohio State...electrifying playmaker, great college WR, but drafted far too high by the Dolphins.

3.  Early Doucet WR LSU...led LSU with 57 receptions for 525 yds and 4 TDs, including a TD catch in the BCS title game.

4.  Rhett Bomar QB - Oklahoma.  Poor decision got him a one way ticket to Sam Houston State. 

5.  Keith Rivers LB USC 73 tackles no sacks in his senior season, a drop in production from 2006.

6.  Willie Williams LB Miami-Plenty of legal troubles, ended up at Louisville where he was kicked off the team for possession of marijuana.

7.  Brandon Miller DE Georgia Started 7 of the 11 games he appeared in.

8.  Derrick Harvey DE Florida 18.5 sacks and 76 tackles in his college career.  Declared for the NFL draft.

9.  Jeff Schweiger Jr. DE USC transferred after 2006 season

10.  Xavier Lee QB Florida State.  Enough said, and beaten out by Drew Weatherford, #88 on Rivals list.

Even in the top 10, you see some big time home runs, and big time busts...it's not an exact science.  There are plenty of great players who may not be a five star recruit, so if your school isn't in the top 10 (and I'm a Colorado fan, and they won't be), don't think your team is bad off.  What this does do is give fans like us an idea of what kind of talent our team is bringing in. 

One more thing, to Xavier Lee...transfer instead of going pro...you're simply a Maurice Clarett without the rap sheet.

It's been reported that nearly 25 Florida State Seminoles will be suspended for the bowl game and the first 3 games of the following season.  President T.K. Wetherell blamed lack of oversight by atheltic department officials, a rogue tutor, and lack of attention to detail by a faculty member. 

I wonder if Bobby Bowden, who is the face of FSU athletics, would have survived if his name wasn't a legend at that university.  How do you not know, as head of the football program, that approximately two dozen of his players were cheating?  If there is lack of athletic department oversight, is it simply due to the former AD?  Utlimately, coach Bowden is responsible.  Had this happened at any other university, would the football coach survive? 

Somehow, I doubt it. 

We're just a few days before the holidays, and here are some gifts I wish for those in the sports world this Christmas...

1.  Pat Bowlen, Denver Broncos owner.  The common sense to let Mike Shanahan, VP of football ops go and get someone who has a better eye for talent.  Shanahan the VP of ops has let Shanahan the coach down big time. 

2.  Colorado Buffaloes.  A verbal commitment from Darrell Scott, the top RB prospect in the country.

3.  Atlanta Falcons.  Anybody who wants to be there.  I feel for Arthur Blank.

4.  Jamal Tinsley.  Common sense not to be out at 2 a.m. anymore.  Dude, wake up and realize nothing good happens at 2 a.m.

5.  Roger Clemens.  The guts to put actions behind words and start dropping lawsuits if you're truly innocent.  As John Smoltz said...if that were me and I'm innocent, I'd come out swinging (from the Jim Rome show about a week ago)

6.  NY Mets.  A front line starter.  Without one, the Mets are doomed for another year like last year. 

7.  Oliver Perez.  Some control.  Stuff of a #1, control of a #4.

8.  The NBA.  Anybody but the Sprus winning the west...too dull for me to watch.  Phoenix, Denver, Dallas...HELLO???

9.  The NHL.  Relevence, and common sense to beg ESPN to show your product again.

10.  Florida Marlins Ownership.  Realization that you'll never succeed in south Florida and get out of there.  The fans couldn't care less.  Besides, you can't watch baseball in Florida in the summer outside...it's unbearable. 

11.  Steve Moore.  Justice in your lawsuit.  No player has been wronged by a peer anymore than you have been. 

12.  NY Knicks...Isiah hitting the streets and taking that god awful owner James Dolan with him.  Together they've ruined the Knicks and make them  more of a soap opera than pro wrestling.

13.  College football fans.  Show enough outrage to demand a playoff system so this great sport gets a true national championship

14.  To all of you that you get everything on your list to Santa. 

Happy Holidays everyone!

With the departure of Rich Rodriguez from West Virginia to Michigan, it's very easy to compare how Rodriguez handled his departure compared to how the cowardly Petrino handled his change of scenery.  Let's take a look...

Addressing his players.

Rodriguez was a man.  He faced his team, looked them in the eye this past Sunday and informed them of his decision.  Petrino left a letter in each player's locker letting them know he was leaving town. 

Player reaction.

While it may be unfair to compare between college kids and pros, you don't hear words like coward or disloyal coming from West Virginia players.  You don't hear anger in the tones of voices of the Mountaineers.  Falcon players were irate, and when Warrick Dunn calls out the coach, you know something is wrong.  One of the Mountaineers said that he was a man about it. 

Being straight up

Rodriguez was grilled by the media regarding the reports.  Instead of going Nick Saban and saying he won't be the head coach at Michigan, he simply refused to talk about it.  Despite the constant prodding during that press conference, Rodriguez simply refused to comment.  Petrino, reportedly told his owner in the recent days prior to going Bob Irsay on the Falcons said he was in it for the long haul.  He looked his boss in the face, and lied. 

I think Michigan made an excellent choice.  They are bringing in a guy who will put in a type of offense you don't see in the Big 10, and you've seen Big 10 teams struggle with the spread offense.  Simply look at last year's BCS title game and Michigan's first two games.  Ohio State simply couldn't handle the spread, and Oregon simply beat on Michigan like a rented mule, not to mention the App State upset.  Once Rodriguez gets his guys in there, they could very well have the speed to simply dominate the Big 10, and bring that conference into the 21st century.

I live in the Fort Myers, Florida area, spring training home of the Boston Red Sox. 

Ever since I've been here, I've been amazed at the fact that chowd fans camp out overnight for...SPRING TRAINING TICKETS.  Are you kidding me?  This isn't camping out for a hot concert ticket like Beyonce...you know what you get with her, but to watch a game where the stars may play 3 innings, and I bet that you won't know the roster by the time the game is winding down. 

This year is no exception.  The first fan, Brian Griffiths, according to a story in the Bonita Daily News (www.bonitanews.com), started camping out Thursday.  Tickets went on sale today.  That's two days parking your can outside a ticket window for games that don't count.  What am I missing here?  I don't get it.  Is it passion, or do you chowd fans not have a life?  Mr. Griffiths wasn't the only one.  Reportedly, there are dozens of you pathetic no life Chowd fans just waiting for the chance to see one Manny Ramirez at bat, Jonathan Papelbon pitch one inning, or Jacoby Ellsbury make a play in center field. 

One fan was quoted as saying this is no different than those who waited all night for Harry Potter books.  He's right...they're just as pathetic. 

A firiend of mine told me this week that this is as exciting as the baseball season.  I have to agree.  Rumors flying around like snowflakes in a blizzard, and things you don't see coming hit you like a ton of bricks.

For example, did anyone know that the Tigers would land BOTH Cabrera and Dontrelle from the Marlins?  WOW.  It's no surprise that they traded both of them, but to the same team.  I give a lot of credit to the Tigers front office for pulling this coup off.  For their sake, I hope the Dontrelle of a couple of years ago is the Dontrelle they get, not the Dontrelle of last year.  As a Mets fan, I'm glad to see Dontrelle out of the NL East.  He's a Mets killer...

Now for the big prize in Johan Santana.  It appears that this is now a one-team race with the self imposed Hank deadline come and gone, but those deadlines don't mean anything...just ask Pay-Rod.  What I don't understand is why Boston is going so hard after Santana.  The package rumored including Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Bucholz, Jon Lester, Coco Crisp and others for a luxury more than a need.  The rotation is still very solid.  Beckett may be the best in the game right now, Schilling is very crafty, Dice-K and the two young arms I mentioned earlier provide a very good rotation.  Both NY teams need Santana far worse than the Sox do.  The Mets need to make a harder push for Johan, although they may not have all the chips the Twins want.  The Yankees need him badly as well.  Assuming the pinstripes hold steady, and the rocket stays on the launchpad, include Wang, Pettite, Hughes, Joba (assuming he starts) and Kennedy?  Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm not all that impressed, although the back end has potential, and I think Pettite is very overrated.  Just another aging overpaid ballplayer in the Yankee rotation.

The Mets also lack any depth in the rotation.  As of now, the boys from Shea are looking at Pedro, El Duque, Maine, Perez and either Pelfrey or Humber.  Two you can't count on for a full season for health reasons, Perez has issues finding the strike zone, and the 5th spot would be going to a pretty young guy.  As it sits now, this rotation won't win any pennants, and didn't win an NL East crown this year.  Omar Minaya must find a way to get a front line starter, whether it's Santana, Bedard or Haren.

Boston showed how pitching wins...and having a stud at the front of the rotation is a huge advantage.  The Mets need to make this move.

I want lots of input on this.  I'm giving my favorite hosts and hosts who frankly don't deserve any airtime what so ever.  Here goes...

1.  Jim Rome.  Van Smack, Pimp in the Box, call him whatever, but he's the best in the business.  His takes are solid, and expects callers to know their stuff.  The humor provided by the clones and Rome is hilarious.  Clone on clone crime just cracks me up.  He also has solid guests as well, usually 3-4 per day, and had one of the members of five for fighting on today talking about a project for the troops...completely off the sports map, but a great interview.

2.  Colin Cowherd.  I enjoy the Herd a lot.  There isn't a sports talk show host who knows his college football like Colin.  He does his homework, and it shows.  His show is a sports show, but definitely football focused.  He gives you a peek into his personal life, which makes him feel like he's just another one of the guys.  He also takes far more callers than any other ESPN radio show...and I like that a lot.  Interaction with the callers is solid. 

3.  Eric Kuselias (pardon my spelling).  I enjoy his takes, certainly doesn't have the humor of the Herd or Rome, but I like his opinions, and does a great job filling in on ESPN, especially when either of the Mikes is out (which is very often). 

Some I don't like...

1.  Dan Patrick.  His ego is enormous, and it shows.  He tries way too hard to be funny and fails miserably and when him and Olbermann had the one hour big show, it was some of the worst radio ever.  While I get the feeling he felt like they were just as good as when they were together on SportsCenter many years ago, talk radio is far different than being an anchor.  As an anchor, I like Patrick, as a talk show host, he leaves a lot to be desired.  He did ESPN a huge favor by quitting.

2.  Mike and Mike.  This may draw a lot of ire from anyone who loves these guys, but I'm not overly impressed.  I think they're OK as a team when they're on the air, which isn't as often as it should be, but these guys are way overexposed.  I don't find them all that funny, the picking on the metrosexual Greenie and the fat man Golic is a bit of an old schtick.  I do love the stone cold locks...great segment.

I'd love to hear some feedback...what are some other great hosts, or hosts that simply suck?

What a fine mess this wild and wacky college football season has given us.  Two teams, who frankly may not be the best teams in college football will meet in New Orleans for the holy grail of college football...the crystal trophy and the right to be called champion. 

To all Missorui fans:  You should be furious.  I'm not a Missouri fan, but I'm mad for you guys.  You beat Illinois and Kansas on neutral fields, and lost to a very good Oklahoma football team, and your reward...the cotton bowl?  While the team you defeated to get to the Big 12 title game gets the pleasure of spending the new year on South Beach?  Where's the justice there?  I'd love to hear someone explain the logic of Kansas over Missouri in the Orange Bowl, when Kansas played only one ranked team, and were dominated.  Kansas played a joke of a schedule, and avoided both Oklahoma and Texas in Big 12 play.  Va Tech will expose the fraud that is Kansas football in the Orange Bowl. 

I'm also highly disapponted in Mark Richt.  I like Richt.  I like what he stands for.  On this issue, he's off base.  He said, " They said we we're out because we didn't win the conference championship, which I thought was wrong because the rules don't say that."  What Richt must fail to realize is that you cannot be the best team in the country if you're not the best team in your conference.  Nebraska pulled this feat off in 2001 when my beloved Buffaloes put down the beating of a lifetime in Bounder 62-36, yet despite being embarrassed that day in Boulder, they were rewarded with a trip to Pasadena to get beat up by Miami.  Keep in mind that Colorado won the Big 12 that year, yet Nebraska ended up with the shot at the national title.  That year, both Oregon and Colorado were crying foul, and plenty of reason to do so. 

Also, Tennessee has a reason to gripe.  They beat Georgia this year, they won the SEC East, and they get left out of the BCS party, but a trip to Tampa on New Years Day to beat up on a so-so Wisconsin team isn't such a bad consolation prize.  Why Georgia over Tennessee?  Georgia better not overlook Hawaii...a few years back a little known school from West Virginia faced Georgia...and took care of business.

The great thing about the BCS is simple.  It gives nerds like me something interesting to listen to during the day on sports talk radio and blog about.  The bad thing is that we really don't know if the best team is #1, and until some playoff or plus one system is put in place, we won't know the answer, but the money is flowing in every so nicely...and while that is happening, changes aren't likely to come.

Do we have the best two teams?  Based on how the system works, yes, based on what my eyes have seen...no.  I don't think Ohio State is the best team in the country.  I don't think they're better than USC, LSU, or Oklahoma just to name 3 schools.  I'm not sure they're better than Missouri. 

Tigers and Vols fans...you deserved better.