I love sports. I always have and I'm sure I always will. There are just some things that I just can't stand about them and the advertisements that are played during them aimed at sports fans. Here are a few of mine-I'd be interested in knowing some of yours.

1. The "Get In The Hole" yell after every golf shot. This may have been funny the first time someone did it, but now it's just stupid. If you get caught saying it, they should throw you off the course.

2. Baseball hitters going through a dance after every pitch. I know that people have a routine, but this is just utterly ridiculous. Nomar Garciaparra was the worst-I haven't seen him play in a while, but I'm sure he still does it. Get in the box and stay there!

3. Sideline/courtside reporters. There are two that I like-Paul McGuire and Tony Siragusa, and the reason I think I like them is because they are constantly making fun of themselves for being on the field. They are actually watching what is going on in the game instead of trying to find a "scoop". The interviews are terrible and why do they always shake their heads up and down when the other person is talking?

4. NFL contracts. I hope when they do their new labor agreement that they get someone in there that knows something about how contracts work. The current NFL contracts may as well be written in crayon because other than the guaranteed signing bonus, it means NOTHING!

5. Stadiums and arenas playing the YMCA song. The dance is even more annoying than the song. If the government ever needs to torture someone, they should make someone sit with a headset on with this song on loop.

6. The wave. This is just so 1983. It's just not fun to do anymore.

7. Under Armour commercials. They are THE worst. First you had to protect your house. Now you're a prototype. That knucklehead yelling at the top of his lungs. It's just dumb.

8. The Coors Light "code blue" commercial. OK, big whoop-you have a cold beer. One guy jumps off  golf cart (where there should be beer anyway), one gets his right side of his head shaved because he jumps out of a barber's chair, one jumps off a boat (which should have beer anyway), others leave work, all for a cold beer? It's just not funny.

9. Planter's "Unibrow Beauty" commercial. I just don't like this commercial because she is so hideous and it reminds me of a blind date that my friends tried to set me up with. Some friends, huh?

10. Text messaging. OK, it has nothing to do with sports, but why do people go through the trouble-either make a call or send an email-I just don't get it.

 

It's way to early to do this, but I'm bored. Here are my picks for the 2008 season.

AFC EAST            W    L

New England        12    4

Buffalo                  9    7

N.Y. Jets               7    9

Miami                    5   11

AFC NORTH          W    L

Pittsburgh              9    7

Cleveland               7    9

Baltimore               6   10

Cincinnati               5   11

AFC SOUTH           W    L

Jacksonville            12    4

Indianapolis            11    5

Tennessee             10   6

Houston                 5   11

AFC WEST              W    L

San Diego               10    6

Oakland                   7    9

Kansas City               6   10

Denver                    5   11

NFC EAST               W    L

Dallas                      13    3

N.Y. Giants              11    5

Philadelphia               8    8

Washington              7    9

NFC NORTH             W    L

Detroit                    10    6

Chicago                    8    8

Green Bay                 7    9

Minnesota                 6   10

NFC SOUTH              W    L

Tampa Bay               10    6

Carolina                     9    7

New Orleans              8    8

Atlanta                     3   13

NFC WEST                W    L

Seattle                     10    6

Arizona                       9    7

San Francisco              6   10

St. Louis                     5   11

AFC CHAMP-JACKSONVILLE

NFC CHAMP-DALLAS

SUPER BOWL- DALLAS 31, JACKSONVILLE 21

This is part 2 of a two part series. Yesterday I graded the AFC, today I'm grading the NFC. Let me recap what and how I'm grading.

Based on 5 things, I'm going to grade each franchise. If they are strong in one area, they will get a point. If they are so-so, they will get a half point, and if they are weak, they get no points. The categories are:

1) History

2) Winning % last 10 years

3) Championships (includes division, conference, and Super Bowl)

4) Stadium/Deal with stadium/Ownership

5) Attendance/Fan Base

Here is my grading scale:

F     0-1 points

D    1.5-2 points

C    2.5-3 points

B    3.5-4 points

A    4.5-5 points

Here we go:

NFC EAST

Dallas-A. One of the model franchises in the NFL. The only negative they have going for them is not winning a playoff game in 12 years.

Philadelphia-A. This franchise is on solid ground. Their biggest negative is lack of a Super Bowl win.

Washington-A. Another model franchise with a solid fan base and an owner willing to throw money around to win.

N.Y. Giants-A. Another of the model franchises. The NFC East is a division full of history and with these 4 teams, the future is bright.

NFC NORTH

Green Bay-B. Lambeau Field is a great place to visit-but the fact is that the stadium is old and it puts the Packers behind the rest of the league in that category. With the retirement of Favre, it will be interesting to see if the Pack will remain competitive for years to come.

Minnesota-C. I'm going to start off by saying that if they are getting a new stadium and I just don't know about it, then change this grade to a B. The Metrodome is awful-I went there for a week a few years ago and saw a Twins and a Vikings game. That building is falling apart and the lighting for games is terrible.

Chicago-A. The Bears didn't need to get a new stadium-they renovated old Soldier Field and it's now one of the best venues to watch a game. They are solid in every category on this list. Now if they could just find a quarterback....

Detroit-C. They get killed in the last ten years and the championships category. I just hope Detroit fans hang in there with this underachieving team.

NFC SOUTH

Tampa Bay-B. The history is more of a losing history than of winning. Also, Tampa fans can be fickle.

Carolina-B. They haven't developed a great history yet, but this franchise is solid.

New Orleans-D. I know people in The Big Easy don't want to hear this, but you were about 30 seconds away from being the San Antonio Saints. Now L.A. is on the horizon, scoping out to see if they can come in and pull the team out to the west coast. This story is to be continued....

Atlanta-D. Atlanta never has been a football hotbed. When I think of the history of the Falcons, I think of Steve Bartkowski and Deion Sanders-yet when I think of Deion, I think of the Cowboys. The whole Michael Vick thing has brought this franchise down to this level-but they are headed in the right direction.

NFC WEST

Seattle-B. Their history isn't as glorious as many teams, but this franchise is one of the premier franchises in the NFL today. They have been winning and made an appearance in the Super Bowl. Their fans are the loudest in the league and that strange looking stadium is a hit in the Pacific Northwest.

San Francisco-C. This is another team that needs a stadium-if one is coming and I just don't know about it, than change this grade to a B. This once proud franchise has been hurting for the last decade and the ownership hasn't exactly won over the fans. It will be interesting to see how the next 10 years go in the bay area.

St. Louis-B. This grade was hard to make. They went from awful to great to awful in about 10 years. Their history is mostly in L.A., but they have won a Super Bowl in St. Louis. They sell out every game, and their stadium seems adequate. I'll be interested to see what people say about this one.

Arizona-C. Before the Cards got their new stadium, they would have gotten an F. However, they have a shiny palace that the world got to see last year during the Super Bowl and they sold out every game last year-I think that's the first time in Arizona. If they could only start winning, this franchise would be in great shape.