First off I would just like to say that I hate the NBA.  There are a variety of reasons as to why I despise this so called sport. 

Reason #1: It is no longer a team sport.  Come to think of it, was it ever really a team sport?   For instance when the Lakers lose a game, they almost always talk to Kobe and ask him why his team lost.  He'll come back with something along the lines of, Oh my shots just weren't falling (so nobody else on the team is allowed to shoot the ball??) or I was on fire and they did a good job of slowing me down (again, is anybody else allowed to shoot?).  I mean there are 4 other players on the court with you. 

Reason #2:  Fouls.  Yeah I know the refs are about half blind when it comes to some players.  Mainly the superstars.  I know the refs 'hate to impact the outcome of the game' but a foul is a foul.  Just because Dwayne Wade or Kobe Bryant was the one who hacked the guy doesn't mean that it still isn't a foul.  I don't mind if the refs call the 'ticky-tacky' fouls as long as they are consistant.  They'll call it a foul whether it's on Team A or Team B and whether it's on Superstar A or Role Player B.  Then you'll have the people who complain that the Superstars deserve the benefit of the doubt.  Why is that?  You mean to tell me that a superstar is allowed to bend the rules more than a role player?  Just because he is good?  Please.

Reason #3:  Travelling.  Look the rule up refs.  It just seems like to me that players are being allowed to take however many steps as they want to.  Not to mention spin, hop and jump (by that I mean, hop and then jump towards the basket) of course that's only if you do it in the same motion, or even run the entire length of the court.  Ok so that last one was a bit of a stretch.  But as the refs continue to let the players get away with more and more in terms of travelling, that might not be too far off.  Heck while we're at it, let's just take out the fact that you even need to dribble at all.

Reason #4:  Arguing.  Just about everytime you hear a whistle because of a foul, the guilty party will jump up in the refs face and argue.  Ok, so maybe not everyone, but watch Tim Duncan.  The way he reacts you swear he thinks he is perfect at playing basketball and never commits a foul. If the ref whistles you for a foul, deal with it.  If you don't like the call, go up to the ref and ask him.  But stop acting like you can't believe you got caught.  You know you fouled the guy, the guy knows you fouled him, and the ref knows you fouled him.

finally Reason #5:  Boring/showboating.  Don't get me wrong, once in a while you'll see an exciting game (Spurs/Mavs series is an exception).  I just don't seem to be able to pump myself up for a game.  Then you get the showboaters.  Why do you feel the need to do a 360 slam dunk on a fast break?  Did they start giving out points for style dunks?  I thought that was only in the joke that is the slam dunk contest. 

Man I can't wait till NBA season is over.

This goes out to Peter Angelos.  For those that don't know, he is the owner of the Baltimore Orioles and a complete #### when it comes to running a team.  Where do I get off saying that?  Well it's actually quite simple.

I'll stick with just the rather recent occurances, as it still pains me too much to talk about Albert Belle.  That one hurts almost as much as when New York 1. Beat the O's on a BS call thanks to fan interference and then 2. Proceeded to treat said fan as a hero, even getting the key to the city (if I remember correctly).  But I digress.

Just a few years after the 'incident', the O's found themselves out of contention for a Playoff berth.  So like most teams, they start trading away their name players for younger guys who they believe will be stars.  Now I have no problem in doing so, but you should at least get something in return for said players.    In the year 2000 they had 7 different trades, netting them 16 new players.  Granted they did get Melvin Mora, but other than him, the other 15 guys are horrible.

Then a couple of years later (2004 season), Angelos actually goes out and starts offering up contracts to good players.  I'm talking legit contracts, not those stupid contracts that you know the player isn't going to sign just so you can say, 'hey, I tried.'  Things for once start to actually look good.  Tejada and Javy Lopez come into the mix and there was even talk that Vlad might have even been signed by the O's.  Times are good.  The pitching still needs a little work, but at least they now have one of the best offenses in the league.

The following year, no big name free agent pitching signings.  That's ok, the depth was quite thin and the guys that were there, now have inflated contracts.  Besides, the O's pitching did show some promise, lets give them another year to see how they develop.  At the start of the season, things are looking great.  In first place through May.  The Red Sox are on fire, but that's ok, worst case scenerio the O's get the Wild Card.  Nope, they completely crumble the last half of the season.  The pitching staff just falls apart.

Now entering this year, clearly the O's need some pitching help.  Several mistakes happen. 1. You let go probably THE best young closer in baseball (BJ Ryan).  Ok that's not as terrible as it might seem as Chris Ray has done a great job closing.  But can you imagine them at the end of the game?  Those two would be the best 1-2 punch to close at a game in baseball.  Serious, can you name a better 1-2 punch??  Mistake #2.  Not going out and signing anybody.  I mean obviously they don't quite have what it takes to get to the playoffs.  A top pitcher is all that you need.  Josh Beckett was available for trade, AJ Burnett was there (I know he's hurt now), Kevin Millwood (coming off a career year), Matt Morris (not great, but for some reason I've always liked the guy), Kenny Rogers (anger issues I know, but who doesn't), Brett Tomko (ok, so who thought he would be this good), Jarrod Washburn, Jeff Weaver, Tony Armas, and the list goes on.  I know they aren't all top of the line great starters.  But I mean most of them are better than what you have.  At least make an honest attempt to sign one or a couple of them. 

Maybe it's time I start looking for another team.  Who's close.  The Nationals.  No, can't cheer for them, hate them almost as much as the Yankees.  Plus all these National fans that say they finally have a team they can cheer for really annoy me.  Where have you been all these years, the O's are just right around the corner.  Of course with Angelos as the owner I can see why. 

Who else?  Well the Phillies are just right around the corner from Baltimore, what about them?  I just can't see myself cheering for an NL team.  No offense, but I'm an AL guy.  The only time you see me cheering for a team from the NL is when they are playing the Yankees (congrats Diamondbacks). 

I guess there is Boston.  They have a good owner that is willing to spend money, they already hate the Yankees, sounds like a good fit.  I just can't do it.  I still have a special place in my heart for the O's and I can't cheer for another AL East team.

Well, it looks like I'm just going to have to remain an O's fan.  What can I say, I love my O's, always will.  Now if only they can get a new owner.

Now should be one of the best times to be a sports fan.  Just look at everything going on. You have baseball starting up.  I already touched on baseball once, so I'll make this one short.  Nascar is starting to get into mid-season form.  The NFL draft is just around the corner.  Plus you have two sports seasons in the playoffs.

I'm still a few weeks away from going to my first game, but I'm pumped up.  The injuries to some of the stars are starting to pile up, including: Todd Helton, AJ Burnett, Derek Lee, Bartolo Colon, Ken Griffey (no surprise there), Eric Gagne, Coco Crisp, Aubrey Huff and Chipper Jones.  I know injuries happen every year, but is it just me or are more and more of the stars getting hurt??  Could it be conditioning, just bad luck, or, dare I say, 'roids? 

I don't think I've been this excited about a draft in a while.  Heck, I even did my own 'mock draft' which I guess is a sign that either a. you have way too much free time, b. you are officially a football fanatic, c. you are trying to show off you're football knowledge, or d. all of the above.  Where do I fall in?  I guess you could say D, though I don't really have all that much free time.  What happened to Yahoo and the fantasy draft that they usually have?  Or was I just dreaming that I did one of those last year?

Ahhh, NASCAR.  The wonderful sport where a guy drives around in circles.  Ok, so that's just the watered down version.  I mean, that takes guts to do.  I can't imagine driving at 180 MPH with about 6 inches between you and the guy in front of you.  Besides, I've seen that Gatorade commercial, and it gets hot in there.  Spending 2+ hours driving around with all that gear on you and it's 130 degrees.  Matt Kenseth is your current leader, taking over from Jimmie Johnson after his 3rd place finish at the Subway 500.  It's amazing all of the different companies that sponsor these races.   I'm not sure if I agree with the Race for the Cup, but it does add some excitement to the last 10 races.  It's a shame that they don't have different race track types there at the end, instead of almost all being the same type.  Maybe some day they'll get some more variety in there.

Next up you have the NHL playoffs.  For some reason this year I just never got into hockey.  I only watched a couple of games.  I'm not sure if the lockout had anything to do with it or what.  Of course last year during the lockout I was craving some hockey.  And living in the 'south' there really isn't a demand for it.  The Red Wings are the top team this year and unless they pick it up, they might very well find themselves watching the Stanley Cup at home.  I say Ottawa vs. Dallas with the Sens winning in 6. 

There is also another sport with its playoffs going on.  That's right, its the NBA.  I really hate the NBA and as long as it's not the Lakers winning it all, which I doubt will happen, I could really care less who wins.  But since I must, I'll say its the Heat and the Suns playing for it all.  If Amare hadn't tried to come back too soon, he would be the difference here.  The Heat are better at spreading the ball around and working it inside, Heat in 7.

Wow, it's hard to believe that it's been over a month since my last entry.  Man how time flies, but don't worry I'm not going to turn this into a 'back in my day' rant or anything like that.

Well the baseball season is well underway.  There have been a few surprises, the Tigers for one.  Well at least they started out red hot, but have since cooled down dramatically only winning 1 game since starting the season out 6-0.  The Brewers also started out 6-0 but they have faced the same fate as the Tigers, winning only 1 more game since then.  The Yankees are currently in the BASEMENT of the AL East.  Meanwhile my Orioles are only a game and a half out of first.  I know it's only a few weeks into the season and that will all change.  It'll be just like last year, the Orioles will stand at the top of the East for a few weeks before falling.  But hey, I can at least dream that it will be different this year!!

Another surprise is the offensive output.  Games are averaging over 10 runs scored per game.  Now I'll be the first to admit that I'm too lazy to actually do my research and see if it's higher than last year, but I'm willing to throw down some cash and say that this year is at least .5 run higher than last year at this time.  Does this mean that the pitchers were using steriods as much as the position players?  Who knows, but suprisingly nobody has even mentioned that fact.  Looks like you'll have a better chance of winning the ERA with a 5.00 this year over last.

Ahhh, fantasy baseball.   I love fantasy baseball, from the first pitch in April to the final pitch in October.  It takes a different breed to stay active through all 6 months of baseball.  With things happening every day, players slumping, getting injured, and catching fire (not literally of course).  In most leagues you only have to stay active about 90% of the time in order to win the league.  However, there are those few occasions when it takes every once of baseball knowledge in order to win or even compete.  Those are the leagues I crave.  Who cares if you win a league where everybody else had given up by the All-Star break.  That's like laying claim to winning a marathon when everyone else stopped by the local diner for a meal.  You're hurting if you couldn't win that.  Sure every once in a while it's nice to win the league, give your confidence and ego a little boost.  Me, I'd rather finish 5th in a league where I worked my butt off then finish 1st in a league that I only checked in on every few days.  I'm sure there are quite a few of you out there that would rather finish 1st no matter what.

Wow, what a huge week we've had in what's just the start of Free Agency.  This is one of the best times to be a sports fan.  You have Spring Training starting up, as well as the WBC, March Madness and the upsets, and the start of free agency in football along with the draft next month.  I'm sure by now everyone has shown their own draft board.  Well, I guess it's about time I got mine done.  Will it be right, doubtful.  So far their have been a few surprises that throw the whole draft out of whack.  Couple that with a bunch of uncertainties, and you have one of the most wide open drafts in recent memory. 

1. Houston Texans - Reggie Bush RB - About the only thing certain this draft.  Of course which team has the first pick is a bit questionable.  I still think that the Texans should trade, but you just aren't going to get enough to pry this spot away from them.

2. New Orleans Saints - Mario Williams DE - They need an end to take the place of Howard who fled to Philly. Mario is clearly the best defensive end in the draft.

3. Tennessee Titans - Matt Leinhart QB - Steve McNair is getting old and can no longer stay healthy.  I should say, unhealthy enough that he actually misses games.  Leinhart is NFL ready, and should be able to learn a lot behind McNair.  Plus he's insurance for when Air McNair goes down with an injury.

4. New York Jets  - D'Brickashaw Ferguson OT - The Jets have quite a few holes that they need to fill. Everything starts with the line, if you have a bad line, no QB/RB will look good, outside of Barry Sanders.  Just look at what is going on in Houston.  The stud OT guys don't come around that often and shouldn't be passed on.

5. Green Bay Packers - AJ Hawk LB - The Packers defense needs some help, though Hawk can't do it all by himself, he sure will help out.  He is the best player out there that fills a need.

6. San Francisco 49ers - Jimmy Williams CB - The 49ers have quite a few holes that need to be filled. Their secondary was horrible last year and they gave up the most yards and the second most passing TDs.  Williams will help, but they'll still need more.

7. Oakland Raiders - Vince Young QB - Though Vince might not have the ability to pass a simple test, he still has the athletic ability to be a great QB.  Of course this puts more pressure on Lamont Jordan, but at least Vince won't have a problem airing the ball out for Moss, ala Culpeper.

8. Buffalo Bills - Haloti Ngata DT - Add to the fact that they picked up Larry Tripplett, and this gives them a very strong inside force., teams sure will think twice about trying to ram the ball down thier throats.

9. Detroit Lions - Micheal Huff CB - They need a guy to replace McQuarters. He should be able to fill in nicely.  As an added bonus, he can play Safety.

10. Arizona Cardinals - Vernon Davis TE - WIth the signing of Edge, the next biggest hole on offense is TE.  Vernon Davis has the potential to be a top TE.  Plus the Cardinals already have two very good WRs, and Davis will be a huge threat.

11. St. Louis Rams - Brodrick Bunkley DT - The Rams have a few needs, mainly on defense. Bunkley was the best defensive player available.  They really need a defensive back, but it's too early to draft the next best back.

12. Cleveland Browns - Winston Justice OT - The Browns need to help shore up the line. With the addition of Justice and FA pick up Kevin Shaffer, the line is much improved.  Which will benefit Droughens and 2nd year QB Charlie Frye.

13. Baltimore Ravens - Jay Cutler QB - The Ravens don't seem to be satisfied with Boller as thier QB.  With Cutler basically falling in their laps, how can they refuse?

14. Philadelphia Eagles - Santonio Holmes WR - With the loss of Owens, the only decent WR the Eagles have, they are in desperate need for a WR.  Holmes is a speedy wideout that can stretch defenses.

15. Atlanta Falcons - Tamba Hali DE - Unless the Falcons make a trade for John Abraham, they need some defensive end help.  Hali is the best available, and will be a very solid defensive end.

16. Miami Dolphins - Tye Hill CB - The biggest need that the Dolphins have yet to fill is CB, Tye Hill will be a perfect fit.  He has blazing speed, and his high vertical makes up for his small size.

17. Minnesota Vikings - Donte Whitner S - His workout at the combine vaults him to one of the top safties available this year.  After the Vikings failed to re-sign Corey Chavous, there was a huge hole that needed to be filled.

18. Dallas Cowboys - Chad Greenway LB - The cowboys have a need for a safety and a linebacker.  Greenway's poor showing at the combine caused him to slip.  He'll still be a very good linebacker. 

19. San Diego Chargers - Jason Allen DB - His showing at the combine really helped him out.  Being injured last year, he needed a good showing to re-showcase his talent. 

20. Kansas City Chiefs - Johnathan Joseph CB - The Chiefs are in desperate need for a defensive back.  He had a great showing at the combine.  He should be able to help out the Chiefs this season.

21. New England Patriots - LenDale White RB - Dillon is getting old fast, as we all saw this past season.  White is the same type of runner as Dillon, so he should have no trouble stepping in and filling the shoes.

22. Denver Broncos - Chad Jackson WR - Yes they also need a RB, but Denver has the tradition of getting a late pick on the RB and turning them into a stud.  They need a WR as Rod Smith is getting old.  They can't pass on Jackson.

23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Ernie Sims LB - He had one of the best combines for a LB.  They don't have any other holes that could be filled with a player with 1st round ability.

24. Cincinnati Bengals - Leonard Pope TE - They have no viable threat at TE.  With Palmer being questionable to start the season and no clear backup, the TE is a key safety valve.  Plus this will take some pressure off the WRs.

25. New York Giants - Demeco Ryan LB - The Giants have a huge void at linebacker.  Ryans is the best LB available.

26. Chicago Bears - Sinorice Moss WR - After missing out on Randle El, the Bears need a WR that they can lineup opposite Mushin to take pressure off of him. His speed and hands will help to keep defenses a little more honest.

27. Carolina Panthers - Bobby Carpenter LB - When Will Witherspoon left to go to St. Louis, he also left a huge hole at LB.  He should be able to take some of the bite out of the loss.

28. Jacksonville Jaguars - Kelley Jennings CB - The Jags need two things on defense, a LB and a CB.  Jennings is the best player available at those two positions.

29. Denver Broncos - DeAngelo Williams RB - They let him pass once, but they won't make it twice.

30. Indianapolis Colts - Anotnio Cromartie CB - One of the few places that the Colts could use to upgrade is CB.  Rhodes should be fine as a starter, as he has shown that he can be a good RB in limited appearances.

31. Seattle Seahawks - Marcedes Lewis TE - The Seahawks could use a better TE.  However, if the Seahawks don't match the offer for Hutchinson, look for them to get some OL help to take his place.

32. Pittsburgh Steelers - Laurence Maroney RB - They need a RB to fill the void left when 'the bus' retired.  Maroney can be that kind of back.  He has the ability to run between the tackles and grind out the tough yards.

I'm sure you all are wondering, 'What in the world happened to this guy?  DId he fall off the face of the earth or what?'  I've just been busy with work, what's that, nobody noticed?  Guess I need to work on that part.  Enough with the talk, time to get down to business.

NL EAST

Atlanta Braves - I know everyone keeps expecting them to falter, yet they still manage to find ways to win.  Yes they'll still finish first, even with the improvements the Mets made.

NY Mets - Yes they are getting better and they are fairly well loaded with talent, yet they still are lacking a little in the SP department, plus with all the new pieces, they haven't had time to gel together.  I know in a short series that doesn't really matter, but in 162 game marathon, it will show.

Philadelphia Phillies - The loss of Wagner will hurt.  Bringing in a young Rowand (who I think will be a star, just not this year) in exchange for Thome doesn't help this season.

Washington Nationals - Yes DC finally came to an agreement with MLB over the new baseball stadium.  That will be one of the few bright spots this season for them.  The whole Soriano mess is going to be one huge headache, unless Vidro moves or is traded.

Florida Marlins - Do I really need to say anything?  It'll be a miracle if they don't finish here.

NL CENTRAL

St. Louis Cardinals - I really don't think that the Cards will finish first, but at the same time I don't think that the Astros or the Brewers have done enough to jump them.  Plus if Clemons decides not to return to Houston that's a huge blow to the Astros.  The Cardinals are starting to get a bit stagnet, they are used to being at the top and therefore think that they don't need to make improvements.  Edmonds is getting older and is starting to lose a step.

Milwaukee Brewers - I can't be serious, right?  Yep, sure am.  As of right now I don't see 'the Rocket' playing for the Astros next season.  Hey, I could be wrong.  If that's the case, the Brewers will jump the Astros for second.  The Brewers have good starting pitching, the middle infielders have about a full season under their belts of playing with each other, and they have some good young bats (Prince).

Houston Astros - The 'Bs' in thier bats are starting to dwindle, Bags can't stay healthy, Biggio is getting old, which just leaves Berkman.  Of course they still have Ensberg, who showed us last year what he is capable of.  They had very good pitching last year, they just couldn't score.  Without Clemens I don't think they have any shot at making second place.

Chicago Cubs - They still have one of the best Starting 5, if they can stay healthy.  That's the problem with them, they can never seem to get a full season out of their starters.  If Kerry Wood stays in the bullpen, that'll help shore up that weakness.

Pittsburgh Pirates - Yes they are young, but they still have a fairly decent bullpen.  Jason Bay is turning into a stud player.  And if the starting pitching can pitch they way they are capable of, they may even push the Cubs for 4th.

Cinciniatti Reds - For whatever reason, up and down SP, the Reds can never seem to get on track during the season.  They've got some major SP problems, outside of Aaron Harang.

NL WEST

San Francisco Giants - With a healthy Barry Bonds, who I don't think will play every game, but will still play 125, a healthy Armando Benitez, and a little improvement from the starters, and they will win the west.

Los Angeles Dodgers - They have a few health issues with some of thier pitchers (Gagne and Penny) otherwise I would have them first.  The addition of Furcal at the top of the lineup will be huge.  Plus Nomar has something to prove to the other 31 teams out there.  Jeff Kent will finally have some protection in the lineup.

San Diego Padres - They improved a little bit over the off season.  They were able to keep some key free agents, but they didn't do enough to keep up with the Dodgers and Giants.  The starting pitching is a bit of a question mark outside of Peavy, but they have one of the better bullpens in the majors, all they have to do is get there.

Arizona Diamondbacks - The loss of Troy Glaus leaves a gaping hole in the power department, with nobody really looking like they can pick up the power numbers.  They have one of the better young closers, if he can stay healthy. 

Colorado Rockies - They have some very good, although young, guys on this team.  Helton should be able to bounce back from a very poor season last year, plus the young guys should be able to be a bit more consistent.  Their bullpen is about average.  Things are starting to look up for the Rockies.

Pitchers and catchers have reported, with the position players coming in soon.  We have the WBC still to go, and yet here I find myself throwing out my predictions for who will do what in the AL.  Who knows what will happen in a month during the WBC, not to mention during Spring Training.  We still have a long ways to go before the start of the season.  However, I have a taste for those grilled hotdogs served at Camden Yards.  I keep telling myself, just a few more weeks to go.  I hope I can keep my craving down.  Maybe this will help. 

AL East

1st Boston Red Sox  Still the team to beat in the East, Toronto made some HUGE strides, but fall just short. Even after all the drama surrounding the 'Golden Boy'. Besides can you argue with that offense, even without Damon. They bring in Josh Beckett, one of the better young pitchers.

2nd Toronto Blue Jays  With the offseason acquisitions that they have made, they deserve to be placed here.  BJ Ryan will be one of the best closers in baseball.  Lyle Overbay is one of the better young 1B.  Add that to a healthy Roy Holladay and the addition of AJ Burnett and they could even make a run at the Sox. And I didn't even mention Bengie Molina.

3rd Baltimore Orioles  They got some starting pitching help in Benson (and his wife), still have one of the best offenses in the league, and though they lost closer BJ Ryan, they have some young guns that should help ease the pain.  And don't worry, Tejada will be ready to play for the Orioles.  Don't listen to the media.

4th New York Yankees  Though they had a good offense last year, I think there are too many stars that will eventually start to form a ridge. They got some bullpen help, but getting there is still a major question mark.  The Starting Pitching is now a year older and can the young unknowns repeat what they did last year?

5th Tampa Bay Devil Rays They could surprise this year, they have a TON of young talent that is getting the ability to play together and develop some team chemistry. Scott Kazmir will have a break out season, its a shame they play in the East.

AL Central

1st Chicago White Sox  Its hard to believe, but I think that this team is better than the World Champion White Sox.  With the addition of Thome at DH/1st, they are by far the cream of the division.

2nd Cleveland Indians  Wait, did I just say that?  I say that last year was not a fluke. They have some very good young arms that made some strides last year.  They shored up thier bullpen with Mota.

3rd Minnesota Twins  They haven't done much this offseason.  What about Hunter you say, well they were only 5 games over .500 before he got hurt.  Yes Liriano will be playing, but he's someone to look for after the break. They'll still fall a few games short

4th Detroit Tigers  Another team that has had a relatively quiet offseason.  Dimitri Young had a roller coaster type season last year, if he can settle it down and perform close to what he did at the start or end of the season, he'll be good.  Too many holes elsewhere that didn't get filled.

5th Kansas City Royals  Will they ever get out of the basement?  They have some decent young talent, they should be better than last year, but they won't make it out of the basement this year.  Always next season, though.

AL West

1st Texas Rangers  Excuse me?!?!  Yes the Rangers will win the West.  They still have one, if not the best, offense in the majors.  They finally brought in some starting pitching to help out.  They better hope that pitching in a hitters park doesn't get to them, i.e. Adam Eaton.

2nd Oakland Athletics  They added a little bit, not that they needed much to overtake the Angels. How well will Frank Thomas do?  He can be huge as he has something to prove, but can he stay healthy.  Zito still sports the A's emblem on his cap.  And the young arms in Harden and Haren looked pretty good.

3rd Los Angeles Angels  The lose of Bengie Molina left a huge hole at the catcher position. They still have one of the better bullpens and with the addition of Jeff Weaver, have a good starting 5. Kotchman looks primed for a break out season.  But with only 7 games between the A's and Angels, the A's have it by a game.

 4th Seattle Mariners  It's not looking good for the team from Seattle.  Yes they do have Felix Hernandez, who looked steller late last year.  But they still have a ways to go to compete in this division.  The offense has tons of potential, especially with Ichiro leading off.  But they just can't seem to put it all together.

First off, do I really want to be known as Z-man?  Well, I guess if I can get only people with thick French accents to say it, then it will sound like they are saying Zhee man, which could be taken for the man?  Of course it could also be taken as she man, that wouldn't be good.  Yes I'm crazy to talk about myself for the first part rather than sports.  Well, on to the sports.

As you can see, I'm from the East Coast, Northern Virginia to be exact.  I guess that means that I have the dreaded East Coast bias that everyone talks about.  Isn't that where I'm supposed to think that all West Coast teams are way overrated and are actually horrible teams that shouldn't even grace us with their presence.  Ok so maybe that's taking it a bit too far.  I do think that USC was overrated, as was Texas.  Since both were overrated by about the same amount, the Rose Bowl actually turned into a pretty good game.  Granted both of them blew away thier opponents, but when you don't play anyone, it's quite easy. (See West Virginia next season).

I'm sure you are asking yourselves, why am I talking about something that happened a month and a half ago??  Well what other sports are there to talk about?  Baseball is still a few months out, so I think it's a bit too early to talk about that. 

Basketball has it's All-star game coming up.  Blech, one of the few sports I don't really watch.  Basketball is all about the me (i.e. Kobe Bryant).  All I care about is how well my guy on my fantasy team performed the other night.  Start slumping and you are gone.  They are even going so far to have their own skills competition, point guard style.  Yes they still have the slam dunk and 3-pt shootout.  Does anyone out there still watch this?

We've got the Winter Olympics going on.  They are in a place that nobody as ever heard of before now.  Is it just me, or do the Winter Olympics not seem to matter that much?  Outside of NBC, you really don't here anyone talking about it.  Yeah it was great that Legity came out of nowhere to take the Gold in Men's Alpine Skiing (the 1st American to do so).  Usually I'm filled with American spirit going into the Olympics.  Maybe it's because it's in Torino, but for some reason I'm just not feeling it.

Well I guess there was this thing called the Pro Bowl this past weekend.  For first time I actually watched it.  Well, parts of it anyways.  Both of the offenses looked down right horrible.  I'm not sure if it had to do with the defenses, the play calling, or just the execution.  Maybe it was a mix of all three.  I do ususally try to watch the skills competition.  I love the QB challenge, I can never seem to find out when it's airing till about half way through the show.

And of course we have the Daytona 500 this weekend.  The Granddaddy of them all.  The Super Bowl of racing.  Guys flying 180 miles around a track, mere inches away from another guy doing the same thing.  You want to talk about crazy.  So who is this years favorite to win the biggest race of them all?  Ask around and you'll get all sorts of different answers, from Jimmie Johnson to Greg Biffle to Jeff Gordon, the rainbow warrior himself, to 'Little' E.  My thoughts?  Greg Biffle.  Take it easy on me race fans, I'm just starting to get into the sport.  Watched my first race live last year and now I think I'm hooked.