It's sad to say goodbye to the NFL, which has become the best sport to watch over the last few years. It was another eventful season, and it's too bad everyone has to wait seven months for another meaningful game. From team drama to the wacky playoffs, the season had its ups and downs. Miami was a swamp for the Super Bowl, which was a pretty decent game. So for now people will have to settle for a spring training countdown or the NBA season (In some cases, the NBA lottery). Does anyone count on the NHL for entertainment anymore?  

 The regular season was full of memorable moments from Week One to 17. The Season Opener had Charlie Batch go up against Daunte Culpepper. Batch was the better of the two, ending any hope in Miami their team would be home in February. The highlight to start the season was Trent Green getting demolished by Robert Geathers of the Bengals. Green was unconscious for awhile and went on to miss half the season. Speaking of the Bengals, nine of their players were arrested throughout the season. (Insert your own joke here, they've all been said) There was also the ruckus caused by TO and his suicide attempt. What a zoo that made the NFL for a few weeks. Everyone forgot about it once he started to drop balls at an alarming rate. Patriot fans got to go through the Deion Branch hold out, and then get used to the fact Reche Caldwell's eyes are always bugged out. Ladainian Tomlinson also put on a pretty good show en route to his MVP award. Then of course he blew it in the playoffs.  

 The playoffs were great,l featuring exciting AFC games and Reggie Bush opening eyes. Those Texans must feel great now. The Colts suddenly became a defensive team, and the Pats played three great games despite coming up short of another Super Bowl. Belichick had the highlight in a blowout win over the Jets, shoving a camera man out of his way to give Eric Mangini a man hug. The Divisional Playoff against the Chargers was a hard fought battle, and Troy Brown stripping the Marlon McCree interception was probably the best play of the season. Drama that followed with some of the Pats imitating Shawne Merriman's dance was entertaining, but just ridiculously silly on the Chargers part. It's a good thing LT and Belichick are now getting along so they can each focus on the Pro Bowl now (phew). The AFC Championship was the Super Bowl, but a tough subject to talk about again as a Pats fan. Of course looking back on the whole Tony Romo debacle doesn't make it sting so much. But let's just move on.

The Super Bowl started off with a great play by Devin Hester, and those that took the Bears getting seven points felt hopeful. There were a few moments in the first quarter that Peyton Manning had his losing look on, but as soon as the Colts took their first lead on Dominic Rhodes' 1 yard touchdown the fate of Super Bowl 41 was sealed. Rex Grossman was actually worse than everyone had hyped him to be for two weeks. Unfortunately, the Bears were who everyone thought they were, and the Colts are hanging a banner in September. Peyton now has a ring, and something tells me that Dan Marino wasn't as happy as he was showing. Joseph Addai should have been named the games MVP, but Peyton played well enough to win it. It was fun to finally watch a game that had terrible weather. Just another thing to add to all the drama of it all. It's just a damn shame the commercials were terrible.  

So with the Pro Bowl the only thing left of the 2007 NFL season, it's time to put away the Sunday outfit and start doing housework again. It feels worse then having to go back to school after summer vacation and the first Monday back to work after vacation combined. The game people morph into super fans for once every week is taking it's own break, leaving everyone without an excuse to skip out on a Sunday family dinner. So Farwell for now football, but please hurry back...

It feels like Bizarro world in Patriots Land. Peyton Manning pulled a Tom Brady and staged a come from behind victory against the Pats. For the first time, Tom Brady was the one walking off the field for the last time of the season. Brady couldn't lead his team to a last second come back, something that's become the equivalent of David Ortiz with a big hit in the ninth or Robert Horry hitting a big shot. In other words, a sure thing. It's a strange feeling, but right now there is too much disbelief to be angry. To hold back the anger, I had to come up with excuses. The patriots should have won this game but they were playing against themselves during the second half.

It would have helped if the running game showed up for four quarters. After some vintage Corey Dillon in the first which included a touchdown that gave the Pats an early 14-3 lead, the rush attack disappeared. Laurence Maroney lost yards on six of his eight carries and finished with a total of 13. Had the team managed more than 3.9 yards per carry, they could have run out the clock with 3:22 left in the fourth. Instead, they had to throw it three times, and went three and out. The worst part is it's the first time this year the Colts terrible run defense held an opponent under 100 yards.

The Pats also made four penalties in the fourth quarter. That isn't the discipline you would expect out a team fighting for a spot in the Super Bowl.  Heath Evans wanted to be in the huddle too much and his too many men in the huddle penalty backed the offense up when they could have run out the clock. Then Tully Banta-Cain's roughing the passer moved Peyton and Crew closer before Joseph Addai's game winning score. The penalties happened so quick and right in the middle of all the action, they were kind of lost in it all. But I don't expect Bill Belichick to overlook them as much as Jim Nantze did.

Peyton wanted this win and needed it to validate his career. My hat is off to him and the Colts for winning this game. They completely took over the game after halftime, and their first drive that ate up nearly seven minutes set the tone. Peyton finally won the big game over the Patriots, and gets to go the Graceland now. You could still see how worried he was on that last drive by Brady and Co. though. His head was down, and he wouldn't even watch. What would he have done if the Pats pulled one of their patented last second wins? Tears? Violence? Homicide? Something tells me he'll be able to watch his defense go against Rex Grossman in two weeks (yes, Rex Grossman is a Super Bowl quarterback. Move over Trent Dilfer).

There is no reason to hang your head as a Patriots fan. For one thing, Brady and Belichick will be back next year, and they'll have to quench their Super Bowl thirst soon. The defense will get Rodney Harrison back, and I doubt the thoughts of a Tedy Bruschi retirement will become anything more than just thoughts. The Pats also have two late first rounders and a lot of cap room next season (just to make everyone feel better, next year the Colts are going to be over the cap, and Dwight Freeney and Cato June are free agents. Feel better?). Any questions about Stephen Gostkowski and if he can kick were answered with an eight for eight playoff performance. And don't worry about offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels jetting for the Raiders. No one is that desperate to be a head coach.

So as the sting sets in the morning after, Pats fans just have to move on. The Colts played better, and showed up when it mattered. Usually it's the other way around, but for now we'll have to suffer in Bizzaro World. Did anyone have faith this team could get as far as they did in mid-November? They overachieved this year, but their past success bit everyone with February Fever. It's still a good sign to see the Pats are there every year competing for a championship. That is a trend I don't see ending anytime soon.

• One more thing that gets me excited about the Pats. David Thomas had a pretty solid rookie year. He didn't play too much this season, but his diving touchdown catch against the Jaguars and impressive play on special teams gives reason the think highly of him. Daniel Graham is a free agent and could bolt for more money and playing time. Thomas is quick and maybe his tackling on special teams will improve his blocking.

• My recent disappearance is actually due to me writing for www.redsarmy.com, a Celtic fan-site. So don't let the fact they are letting me write for them scare you, it's a pretty fun page for Celtic/Basketball fans. You'll be able to tell where my stuff is pretty easily.  

For some reason, I can't get into hockey. I have no experience with the sport, unless you include floor hockey in the fifth grade. Skating never worked for me, so any chance of me lacing them up more than once every five years is remote. Early mornings would have been an issue as well. I never really cared much for hockey, minus the week and a half after I saw the first "Mighty Ducks" movie.

I only watch hockey at work (read my profile). Sitting down and watching a Bruins game just isn't something I plan ahead for. The only thing is, when I do watch, the sport is pretty good. There as good a chance for a nasty goal as an eye popping NBA dunk, even shutouts are interesting if done by the right goalie. The best part is the fights, even if they are rare. Hockey is the only sport that can have a fight that does not cause mass hysteria (hence the previous blog). This may sound kind of strange, but the injuries are pretty interesting too. Tonight the Bruins Andrew Alperts took a stick to the face, and had a pretty cool cut afterwards. I heard he lost vision for awhile, so I felt bad. But don't tell me he won't have a cool scar for awhile.

So why can't I get into hockey? It could be the fact the Bruins don't compare to the other Boston teams I (something have to) follow. There are some fun players on the team. Zdeno Chara is a solid as captain, Glen Murray a savvy vet, and Patrice Bergeron an up and coming youngster. They are a very streaky team, going on three different three game win streaks and one four gamer. That is 13 of their 18 wins, which sounds impressive. But I only knew that because I looked five minutes ago.

There are a bunch of reasons the NHL is boring. There are too many teams, and a lot of them are mediocre at best. There are a lot of hard names and the hardcore fans can be weird (certain mullets are ok). There is no drama either, so it's boring to talk about. When was the last time anyone talked about a good rivalry?

For now, I'll keep a distant eye on the NHL. I can only watch at work and know enough to keep me happy. Maybe over time I can consider it a sport I somewhat follow, but for now I'm set on the extremely long distant relationship. After a little time, let's see where it goes. No promises though...    

I was a little surprised that the first violent act to come out of the NBA this season wasn't from Ron Artest. But then when I realized Isiah Thomas was behind it all, well I wasn't surprised at all. Saturday Night's fight had some highlights, but the true drama of it all is still unfolding. Did everyone see Isiah telling Carmello "not to go into the lane" before the whole ruckus happened? It was fine television. That leaves little doubt that Isiah Soprano ordered the hit that started the whole thing.

Ok, before I get to all that, I want to say the fight was rather entertaining. The good thing was it never really got out of hand, and no fans were involved. I liked JR Smith tackling Nate Robinson, who stands nine inches shorter then he does. Robinson was a huge procrastinator during the whole thing, and has a lot of bark in him. But he did back down when someone threw a notepad at him.*

Carmello Anthony would be the headline boxer of this match. He is seen as a huge wuss for hitting Mardy Collins and then running off. It kind of looks like he went to punch, but tried to turn it into a slap. That didn't work, and now he has 15 less games this season, and any chance of getting an MVP. David Stern really dropped the hammer hard on Melo, but one should expect that. Stern won't put up with any Shenanigans (can't wait until that All-Star game in Vegas).

And then there's Isiah. In his post game after the whole thing, he pretty much said Denver's starters shouldn't have been playing and were embarrassing his embarrassment of a team. Now that everyone has seen his smiley faces to Melo (did anyone else notice the chick right behind him?), it's pretty obvious this was another one of his bad ideas. It's insane he escaped without a slap on the wrist. Stern says there are ongoing investigations, so let's hope Isiah finds a big bag of coal with his name on it soon.

Overall it was a pretty solid fight, followed by Isiah shooting his mouth. George Karl is throwing some more gas on the flames by calling Isiah a "Jerk" and a few other names that will get bleeped. The story is far from over, and could end with Isiah losing his job. That should happen anyway, so it looks like the Nuggets are the biggest losers in this one. Actually, Isiah wasn't suspended, so maybe it's the Knicks.

*I had a discussion tonight with someone at work about people that wear a button downed collar shirt. It doesn't work people. Little Nate wore it in his press conference, Theo Epstein has tried it, and I'm noticing it more and more. Please stop. (The More You Know)

There are some reasons for Celtic fans to get excited again. It looks like the team has finally matured from Paul Pierce and his kindergarten class, to a legit team. Al Jefferson may be living up to all his hype, and Gerald Green always seems to raise people's blood pressure any time he plays. There are those that have shown their flashes, and of course Ryan Gomes. But then again this excitement in the air could just be the team has won five straight games...

...after losing five straight. Confused? You are not alone. But you can only suspect the emergence of the youngsters has its fingerprints all over the current streak.

It finally looks like Al Jefferson has become Big Al. He has put together some good streaks in the past, but this time he looks a lot more comfortable, and a lot more confident. When he has that little mini-hook on his side, can you blame him? He is on pace to set a new career high in points by nearly 200. Even when he hasn't put up the points, he is consistently rebounding the ball. He's had double digit rebounds during the last five wins, and a double double in four. Impressive, and it could mean he is breaking out of his shell. Unless he gets hurt, again...

No one can argue that Gerald Green is not a scorer. That is all he does, and in exciting ways. He has a very mature jump shot, and has a pretty good shot from behind the arc. If that can develop a little more, imagine his scoring average. And there is no doubt he is always hovering around the rim. That's where his dunking ability comes in. It's more of a bonus to the fans. If he can learn to play defense, it might not hurt the team when Wally gets hurt. If only Doc would play him more than once a week.

There are those players that always show some flashes, like Delonte West and his streaky shooting. If he could make a jump shot consistently, and stay 100% healthy, he could be a legitimate, wait what's his position? The fact he doesn't know whether he is a point guard or a shooter could have something to do with his streakiness. Tony Allen has also opened some eyes in the last few games, so maybe he is returning to his rookie year form. There is still hope.

Then of course, there is Ryan Gomes. He is a stud in his second year. A legitimate scoring threat now that he has that long jumper, and is always around the rim on both ends. He also understands the game extremely well for a sophomore. That could be four years of college at work. Or it could just be that I'm crazy about Ryan Gomes. In a manly way, not a weird way.

So the young guys are finally looking good. Once Gomes gets healthy, he can pair with Big Al for a pretty good combo down low. It's fun to watch games when someone other than Paul Pierce takes over. Big Al can do it, Gomes has done it, and Gerald Green could do it if he plays (another shot at Doc). It would help if Telfair would wake up from his sleep walk mode, but if Pierce can hold up, and these guys can mesh together like Danny Ainge has been saying for the last five years, there is a pretty good chance of making the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. It is possible the Atlantic Division Champ could be under .500. And if they do suck, they may get Greg Oden. Right?

I'll explain the recent hiatis tomorrow, as well as some extra thoughts.