During my last round of golf for the year, I got to thinking about the changing seasons in weather and also in sports. In the middle of two double bogeys, I had a lot of time to think about something other than how poorly I was playing or else I would have went crazy. With every change of season comes a different variety of sports. As we say “goodbye” to baseball, golf and soccer (yeah, I know, most of us never said “hello” to soccer and thus are not in need of telling it “goodbye”), we have welcomed football and basketball. I would put hockey in there, but just like soccer, it’s just one of those sports that still can’t get better ratings during it’s playoffs than reruns of “Full House.”

The 2008 World Series was wet and wild.

The most recent World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays left a lot of fans feeling short changed. Mother Nature changed things quite a bit, as Philadelphia was hit with hard rain and snow storms. Game 5, which proved to be the series clincher, was suspended in the 6th inning for two days. You have to wonder how the series would have been different if the weather would have cooperated more. For a sport that starts it’s Spring training in February, it seems rather odd that is stretches it’s season into October. The weather conditions through the regular season stay fairly consistent, but their off-season is vastly different. There should be more controversy in the timetable the league has than the size of the strike zone every game.

While football has been in our midst since September, now is when we get into the nitty-gritty of both the NFL and college football. For the NFL, we start looking at the Playoffs and who is emerging as the teams to beat. For college football, the BCS standings continue to get shook up and Conference Championships start inching closer and closer. With every week that passes we weep that we are one more week closer to the end of football, it is truly America’s sport. The NBA, which also has a long season, can do as they please because they play indoors. NBA Commissioner David Stern did experiment with playing an outdoor game during the preseason at a tennis venue, but it was a little too chilly for some players. A few traded their Powerade for a cup of hot cocoa.

College basketball is also right around the corner, which really doesn’t pick up until after Christmas. With exception to the Inter-conference tournaments to start the season, you won’t see many competitive games until the beginning of January. Only a little over 100 schools compete in NCAA college football, well over 300 compete in NCAA basketball. There are enough cupcake college teams for every larger school to have their share of and rack up an easy 10 wins to start their season. You could conceivably not pay attention to college basketball until the Conference Tournaments in March and know enough to fill out a decent Final Four bracket. In the end though, it seems the secretary or office idiot who knows nothing about college basketball will always win.

In week 8, London hosted it’s second NFL game in as many years. The New Orleans Saints (who were technically the home team) beat the San Diego Chargers. Besides the few fans who looked like they were from the States (they had ridiculous outfits and face paint), there were a lot of confused spectators in the stadium. I guess Americans watching a squash match would draw a similar comparison, or Americans watching an Arena Football game. After week 8, we know two more things for certain in this topsy turvy NFL season:

Long Snappers Do Make a Difference

Giants WR Amani Toomer picked up a key first down en route to the Giants 21-14 victory over the Steelers on Sunday.

Whenever someone scans an injury roster for each game, the focus goes to the skill position players (the “Fantasy” players, if you may). I highly doubt anyone looked at the injury roster for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday and noticed that their starting long snapper Greg Warren was listed. Steelers fans for certain will take notice after what happened on Sunday when their team was holding onto a 14-12 lead over the New York Giants. Steelers replacement long snapper James Harrison flung the football 5 yards over the head of punter Mitch Berger and into the end zone for a safety, tying the game at 14 and opening the door for the Giants to win the game. The long snapper is kind of like the holder on field goals, it’s a thankless position. They are kind of like the janitor that replaces the urinal cakes, his job is very vital and nobody notices the good work he does until he messes up. A couple more thankless positions in the NFL include the kid that runs out on the field to grab the kicker’s tee after a kickoff and the guys that squirt water into the players mouths, as if football players can’t squirt water into their own mouths. I guess it’s just one of those luxuries that few people will ever understand, similar to how NBA players have to have grade school towel boys put their warm up jackets on their shoulders when they go to the bench. You never know, someone might forget how to wear one and try to put their feet through the arm holes. Those towel boys have saved Shaquille O’Neal a lot of public embarrassment and shame. 

Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco was giddy after the game and he got a juice box.

Lions Have a New Challenger

Just when you thought that things couldn’t get worse for the Cincinnati Bengals it does. Right now it’s to the point that you can almost see that the Bengals aren’t trying very hard. They almost look like elementary aged pee-wee football players, I think I saw Chad Ochocinco sitting on the ground and picking grass. He was pouting because he didn’t want to wait until the end of the game to get his treat and juice box. WIth so much talent on the offensive side of the ball, the Bengals are a disgrace. The Bengals rank last in scoring (13 points/game) and yards per game (229). All of a sudden the Detroit Lions aren’t looking like the supreme candidate to go winless and match the ‘76 Buccaneers. It’s amazing that Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis isn’t on the hot seat. I guess that the people and management in Cincinnati are so used to losing that they’ve become pacified to the thought of winning. It’s too bad that the Detroit Lions don’t play the Bengals this year, that game might have had more emotion than the Super Bowl. I wonder how much advertisers would have paid to air a 30-second commercial during that game…

Forget about the 6-0 Tennessee Titans being the last unbeaten and potentially running the tables toward a 16-0 season. The New England Patriots did that last year, and I’m sure the ‘72 Dolphins (who went 13-0) still pop the champagne when the last unbeaten team loses, all while claiming they are still the only unbeaten team because the ‘07 Patriots didn’t win the Super Bowl. I am more interested to see if the Detroit Lions will break the ‘76 Buccaneers record of going winless all year. We still have 10 more weeks of anticipation, here is what we know after week 7:

Nobody Wants to Carry the Torch

Titans QB Kerry Collins has more than filled the void left by Vince Young.

Never has the NFL had such a collective bunch of teams that just don’t look that impressive from week to week. The way things are panning out, just about anybody has a shot to win the Super Bowl and we are almost half way through the season. Some people may argue that the Tennessee Titans are undefeated, but their quarterback is Grandpa Collins, who’s statistics almost mirror quarterbacks at Air Force and Navy. I wouldn’t call Titans a clear cut contender, but they are a dark horse. The Baltimore Ravens were able to win a Super Bowl with an old n’ busted Trent Dilfer, but their defense was a alot more tough than the one the Titans put on the field (probably because they had more arrests collectively than the Titans). Right behind the Titans are the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants, who play this Sunday and are predicted by many to go to the Super Bowl (so much for “America’s Team“). For every team in the upper part of the league, there are just as many teams in the middle part that could beat them on any given Sunday. Perhaps we will see some more separation in the next 4-5 weeks. It’s almost like the Olympic torch relay to Beijing this past summer. Everybody is afraid of carrying the torch because angry people protesting the exploitation of Malaysian children in the fashion industry might tackle them. Actually, that’s on “Zoolander,” whoops…and any NFL player, for that matter, afraid of being tackled by a beanpole, wimpy protestor should be kicked out of the league (except for place kickers and punters).

Mike Nolan is the latest head coach to be given the pink slip.

NFL Coaches Are on Shorter Leashes 

People just aren’t as patient as they used to be. Just this morning someone blazed past me and cut me off, only to slam on his brakes and almost ram the car in front of him. If there ever was a race to the stop light, he won it. Owners and General Managers in the NFL are no different, they want wins and they want them now. If a coach can’t get them wins, then they will find one that can. There are only so many wins to be dished out a year and everybody wants a piece of that pie. The San Francisco 49ers fired head coach Mike Nolan on Monday, making him the third coach to be fired this year (Scott Linehan and Lane Kiffin being the first two). It doesn’t seem that Nolan will be the last one fired before the season’s end, grumbling is also coming from Cincinnati, Kansas City, Cleveland, and Detroit. Might as well throw Dallas in there too, there’s nothing Jerry Jones likes more than to fire people and sign felons when he isn’t getting a Botox.

For the first time in many years, we’re almost to the half-point of the season and there are well over 10 teams that could possibly make it to the Super Bowl. America’s Team is struggling, the Patriots are Brady-less and the Colts are just old. We saw a shift in powers in the late 90s when teams like Denver, San Francisco, Green Bay, and Dallas went from relevant to mediocre. Maybe it’s about that time again when the winds of power are swirling and a lot of teams that have been relevant the past 5+ years are being left behind. 

Two Flew Over the Crappy Nest

Falcons QB Matt Ryan is not playing his age.

There are two birds in the NFC that are flying high and exceeding expectations this year, the Falcons and the Cardinals. Both teams were uncertain at quarterback heading into the season, which is usually not an ingredient for success. On top of that, when the Falcons donned Matt Ryan as their starting quarterback, he was the youngest in the league. When the Cardinals tapped Kurt Warner as their starting quarterback, he was the oldest (at the time, now he rivals old farts Kerry Collins and Gus Frerotte). In what is shaping up to be a crazy season in the NFL, the Falcons and Cardinals are both sitting at 4-2 and are playing with a great deal of confidence. Many people are already crowning Matt Ryan the rookie of the year and their coach Mike Smith the Coach of the Year. Wait a second, do the Falcons know they still have to play 10 more games? If they were the Cardinals they might have a little more hope to make such lofty predictions so early, the Cardinals are in the worst conference in the NFL. On a side note, with so many aging quarterbacks getting so much playing time, how much longer will it be until the NFL allows quarterbacks to have Jazzys? 

Browns QB Derek Anderson brought his team back into the AFC picture on Monday night.

Giants Still the Team to Beat; Panthers, Bucs, and Saints Close Behind

So the Giants got embarrassed on Monday night. What was at first thought to be a bad game scheduled by Monday Night Football turned out to be quite the opposite. Many thought the Browns would have been better, so the game was turning into a runway for the Giants to show off they are still the champs. The Browns stole the runway, they were the big angry dogs with something to prove, and the Giants stood there like scared little kids with damp pants. It wasn’t even close, but just about every team can afford a slip once or twice during the season. The Giants will take a mulligan for that game and pick up where they left off next week when San Francisco visits them. Washington, Dallas, and Philadelphia are all showing signs that they may not be able to go deep. Right now the only three teams that might be able to hang with the Giants are Tampa Bay, Carolina, and New Orleans. Tampa Bay is still showing some signs of deficiency on offense, but you know what they say, “The best offense is a good defense.” Carolina has a consistent veteran (Jake Delhomme) running the offense and a surprisingly good defense ranked in the NFLs top 10. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees is much better than last year (which isn’t saying much, he was horrible last year) and Reggie Bush is starting to feel more comfortable running in between the tackles. “So your telling me that Reggie Bush is turning into a real running back?” “Well, sort of!”

As we get deeper and deeper into the 2008 NFL season, it’s interesting to see just how long some people will hold on to their pre-season predictions. “The Chargers and Jaguars will turn it around,” “The Packers really will be okay without and Favre,” and “Kyle Orton will be the the MVP.” Okay, so that last one was a little far fetched, but I’m sure some delusional bum on the streets of Chicago or Kyle Orton’s mom could have made that prediction. Here’s just a few more things we know going forward this season: 

Saints kicker Martin Gramatica was a "goat" on Monday Night Football.

Hurricane Gramática Wreaks Havoc on New Orleans

We laugh at how they wear wear single bar helmets that are too big for their small heads, strap on shoulder pads even though they don’t have to, and always have mismatching shoes. We applaud their abilities to flop like soccer players when anyone touches them and praise them when they are the last person to beat and just get in the way. How quickly the tide changes when our lovable kickers miss a field goal and are demoted to a “goat” as quickly as he was acclamated. Aside from the quarterback, the kicker has to be the most vital part to a team’s ability to score. It can dare be said that New Orleans Saints kicker Martin Gramatica can now be pinned with two of the Saints’ three losses this year. A couple weeks ago the Saints lost to the Denver Broncos by two after Gramatica missed a field goal and last night he didn’t fair much better. On Monday Night Football, Gramatica had a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown by the Minnesota Vikings and then missed the go ahead 43-yard field goal with under two minutes left in regulation. The Saints better get their kicking in order or they stand to be another forgotten team in a forgettable season. Case and point, the 1999 NFC Championship Game, Atlanta Falcons at the Minnesota Vikings. Led by Randall Cunningham, the Vikings were the shoe-in for the Super Bowl and also the favorites to win. Vikings kicker Gary Anderson, who had not missed a field goal all year, missed a 38 yarder with under two minutes left. Atlanta drove the ball, made a field goal, and won. Consequently, the Vikings lost and their incredible season is now forgotten by most. Come on Gramatica, we want to see more of your days of old when you were “automatica.”

Miami Dolphins Out of #1 Draft Pick Contention

The Miami Wildphins are turning things around this year.

Nobody would have believed the Miami Dolphins could win during the off-season, but then the Dolphins landed Chad Pennington and there was a glimmer of hope they might win at least a couple games. The Dolphins got pummeled at home in week one and embarrassed the next week by the Arizona Cardinals. Fans in south Florida thought they were staring at another #1 offensive lineman draft pick next year right in the face. The Dolphins were a gloomy bunch heading into Foxborough to face the New England Patriots. They looked like little kids who just couldn’t pull off a win in “Chutes and Ladders,” devastation was seeping in. “I always land on the chutes, it’s no fair,” Ricky Williams whined on the team bus before he slipped into daydreams about “Puff the Magic Dragon.” Then something miraculous happened, the Dolphins pulled off a win against the Patriots! The Dolphins introduced their “Wildcat” offense, a scheme of trick plays and direct snaps to the running back, which seemed unstoppable. The Dolphins flew back to Miami elated, thinking that maybe this season did hold some success for them in the future. Then last week, the Dolphins beat the Chargers using that same “Wildcat” offense and now the Dolphins have equalled their win total for last year and we’re only in week 5! I wonder if the excitement will fade now that fans are kind of expecting to win and will be disappointed after they lose. The high ground is always better, but the Dolphins are more on the middle ground, they aren’t seen as big of underdogs as they were a couple weeks ago, but they aren’t king of the hill either. Needless to say, they are on a roll and should keep rolling next week at Houston. It’s intriguing to think how the Dolphins will do against the tough Baltimore Ravens defense in two weeks. From this day forward, JIB Sports will refer to the Dolphins offense as the “Wildphin” offense, wildcats and dolphins don’t mesh, but if they did they would be “wildphins.”

Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell is quietly leading with no turnovers so far this year.

Redskins Won’t Fade This Year

The Washington Redskins started the year by getting run down by Brandon Jacobs and the New York Giants. Nobody expected those teams to be heading into week 6 as the two of the top teams in the league. The Giants are still undefeated and the Redskins are coming off of convincing road wins at Dallas and Philadelphia. What’s even more head-turning about the Redskins’ start to the season is that their quarterback Jason Campbell has not committed a single turnover all season. Also just as interesting is that running back Clinton Portis has run over 120 yards the past two weeks, averaging over 5 yards per carry. The Redskins defense has not been phenomenal but it has been good enough to win, they run a true “bend but don’t break” defense. Besides the casual Redskins fan, everyone doubts this team because they have to. Really, the Redskins have proven for many years that they are nothing more than a mediocre team, we are forced to doubt  based on previous years’ results. One thing that may be hard to doubt is that the Redskins will be 7-1 at the halfway mark. The Redskins play the St. Louis Rams, the Cleveland Browns, and the Detroit Lions the next three weeks. If there was a separation between teams like in college football, those next three opponents for the Redskins would be 1-AA teams. Throw the Kansas City Chiefs in there and they would have their own division!

This past week, the Pedowitz Report was released, which was an intensive look at refereeing in the NBA. Commissioner David Stern was desperate to renew the faith of his fans in the NBA after the Tim Donaghy betting scandal, so he hired a bunch of overpaid lawyers and paid them millions to do a report on the refereeing in the NBA. There are just a couple problems with Stern’s thinking on this one: the majority of basketball fans are already convinced that there are biases with refereeing in the NBA, and the minority are not going to waste time reading a 133 page report from some people paid by Stern to say what he wanted them to. What the Tim Donaghy scandal did was only validate what thousands of fans had already been thinking. The simple matter of fact is that whenever there is a questionable call that impacts a game, Tim Donaghy will pop into our heads kind of like E.T. does when we see Reese’s Pieces. (What? That doesn’t happen to you? Me neither…) 

Referees, often compared with zebras, are people too.

The problems in officiating are universal and run through all sports. We see shoddy officiating in the NFL, college sports, and even the Olympics. What always gets us is when after a game where a questionable call has been made we’re told that “the rules are open for interpretation.” I hate that! I want to throw my shoe at the T.V. when I here that! Rules are rules, aren’t they? So the rules are open for interpretation, which I’ve grown to be fine with, as long as their interpretation is consistent throughout the game. Right now, game 3 of the ALDS between the Los Angeles-Anaheim Angels and Boston Red Sox is on in the background and I heard the announcers say, “the strike zone seems bigger in this game then in the first two.” Okay, I’m fine with that, as long as that strike zone stays consistent. When watching basketball games and football games you can pretty much decide in the first few minutes whether the referees will let the players be more physical and let more things go. I’m fine with that too, a little street ball never hurt anyone. But, the problem we run into is that every referee is human, and humans have emotion. You think that when you yell profanities at referees that they aren’t affected emotionally by that. Referees have feelings too. We almost see referees as a by-standard to the game, just a zebra standing there, but they are every much a part of the game as the players and coaches.

Next time you watch a a college basketball game take notice to the team fouls. In college basketball there are two halves, after 7 team fouls in a half the other team gets to shoot “one-and-one,” meaning if they make the first free throw they get to attempt a second. After 10 team fouls in a half the other team gets two free throws. Since the fairness in college basketball is largely based on foul count and foul shots, you’ll see an interesting paradox once one team inches closer to 7 team fouls. The interesting paradox is that the other team all of a sudden will start fouling more to even it up so both teams get one-and-one at about the same time. Wait a second, or do the referees jut start calling more fouls on the other team? Think about it, it’s deep. I was attending a college basketball game when the team fouls were 7 on one team and 2 on the other. In the matter of minutes they were even at 7 and 7. In football you can see much of the same with holding calls. Honestly, holding can be called on about every play, so if the penalty yard disparity becomes too much, expect a few of those to be thrown in. After the NBA’s 133 page report on refereeing I can give you a two-word report on refereeing that will solve our problems, ‘USE ROBOTS!’ Think about it, robots have no emotion and if they can make video game so true to form than surely robots can do the job. There would be no biases or prejudices, unless the robots revolted and combined against us. Let’s just stick with what we have now, take the bad with the good, and accept the fact that referees are people like me and you…almost.

Last week we were talking about quarterbacks in trouble of riding the pine, this week there are now two coaches riding no pine. On Monday the St. Louis Rams fired head coach Scott Linehan and on Tuesday the Oakland Raiders fired head coach Lane Kiffin. The Linehan firing made a bit more sense than the Kiffin firing, the Rams actually had some talent on the offensive side of the ball. The Raiders defense was sometimes mentioned as being good, but that was in major part because there was really nothing good to say about their offense. You all remember what your mothers said to your growing up right? “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” The first quarter of the season is done for many teams, add these few key points to your football psyche heading into week 5:

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger needs to get his offense rolling sooner.

Defense Wins Championships, but Definitely Not TV Ratings

Last year when the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted a Monday Night Football game  against the Miami Dolphins, it was fun to watch. There was hardly any scoring, the final score was 3-0, but fun because they were playing in the rain and the field was a soaked sponge full of mud. While watching the game I thought the old NFL Films voice would chime in, “It was a rainy Monday night, and their was one thing that was for certain, this contest between the Steelers and Dolphins would be a muddy affair.” There was one time when the Dolphins punted and the ball stuck right in the ground when it landed! Now look me straight faced in the eye and tell me that’s not entertainment. This year was a little different story for the Steelers hosting the Baltimore Ravens, no mud and no rain, just a lot of ‘ugh’ from the Steelers offense. Midway through the third quarter the Steelers had amassed 69 total yards on offense, they had more punts than first downs. While most fans were about to poke their own eyes out, fans in SEC country were yelling “Now that’s real SEC football!” to their television sets. It was ugly, the fans were booing, and some were waving their ‘terrible towels‘ with the Steelers offense on the field in hopes that they would help their team. I think it did, the Steelers pushed on the gas and sent the game into overtime where place kicker Jeff Reed made the game winning field goal. After the game Reed said he gets too much credit and that his foot is the one that did it. Hmm, why do we give any quarterback credit? It’s just their arm. By that same principle, Michael Jordan deserves absolutely  ZERO credit, it was all his tongue.

Bengals WR Chad Ocho Cinco might look into changing his name to "Ohno Cinco"

Cleveland is Bad, but Cincinnati is Worse

This year’s battle of Ohio wasn’t for supremacy, but rather respectability. Both teams were 0-3, struggling, and needing to reroute themselves. The fact that Carson Palmer was out did not help the Bengals, who’s now horrible season is about imminent with an 0-4 start. Chad Whoever has been a silent guy so far this season, he really has nothing to pop his mouth off about. I doubt you’ll hear  ”Yeah, we may have lost, but nobody loses like we do, we lose in style!” coming from the Bengals locker room anytime soon. You know he wants to say something, but nobody would take him serious. Instead of clipping his comments up to their lockers for motivation, I’m sure opponents would read what he has to say and laugh it off like one of those silly Beetle Bailey comics. Maybe to add a little more spice we can throw Ohio State into the mix, no, that wouldn’t be fair. The Bengals and Browns would walk all over those little nuts. Here is another headline we could have used, “Kansas City is Bad, but Oakland is Worse.” The Chiefs broke an 11-game losing streak against the Denver Broncos and are eyeing November 20, their next game against the Raiders. That game may be the Chiefs only other in in 2008, these two teams will once compete for the battle of the #1 pick in next year’s draft. After the Dolphins coming out party last week, they are looking more at a pick #3-5.   

Titans/Jets QB Favre showed on Sunday he is still old but not broken.

Titan Favre Not Dead Yet

Why exactly do teams wear old uniforms from when their team had a different name? Beats me, can’t wait for the Oklahoma City Thunder (who might now have the most boring uniforms and logo in NBA history) to have retro-night and don those old Seattle Supersonics jerseys. Brett Favre had a career day against the Arizona Cardinals as a Titan. Not a Packer, not a Jet, a New York Titan (slightly different from a Tennessee Titan). Favre capitalized on 6 turnovers by Cardinals QB Kurt Warner and threw for 6 touchdown passes. On the same day the Green Bay Packers has a horrendous day against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Next Brett Favre to be Aaron Rodgers had his worst game yet, some were now calling out Green Bay management for not retaining Favre. Rodgers went down with a strained shoulder, with only rookies Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn to back him up, that’s not good for Packers fans. Favre would have been a lot nicer, but if they would have kept Favre then the Packers would have delayed their rebuilding process towards making a legitimate shot at a Super Bowl by one more year. There are two things that need be pointed out from this predicament. First, Rodgers played in “The Bay of Pigs” against a tough Tampa Bay defense, which Favre always struggled against. Second, Favre threw his 6 touchdown passes against the Cardinals…the Cardinals! Even largely criticized and banished Chicago Bears QB Rex Grossman could have had a hayday on them.

We’ve seen it in a variety of sports, their star player goes down and we all think that hard times are ahead for that sport. Michael Jordan left the NBA, then came back, then left again, the came back and all that time the NBA did not lose a step. Wayne Gretzky left the NHL, but hockey was just as unpopular as it was before he left. The NFL has always had a health pleothora of hall-of-famers and great players being reared in the league, so it has never had to worry about losing fan appeal. With every Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky that leaves, there is always the constant comparison of current players being the heir to the “throne.” The PGA Tour is currently experiencing that growing pain as Tiger Woods put up his clubs after winning the U.S. Open and re-aggravating his knee injury. For those that love healthy competition and the game of golf, the game has not changed. With Tiger out, other golfers are stealing the spotlight.  While the PGA Tour is no doubt worse off financially without Tiger, it is not lacking the least bit in drama.

Anthony Kim looks prepared to have a great career on the PGA Tour.

The Ryder Cup has always been a fun and exciting event to watch, the Revolutionary War of golf. International play always brings out more passion, please refer to the Olympics. What made the United States’ victory this year so sweet is that the team was expected to put up little fight against the name-worthy Europeans. For those that aren’t regular viewers of the PGA, they may have looked at the US roster and though, “who in the heck is that?” The US looked destined to lose yet again, dating their last win to 1999 when Justin Leonard sinked the Cup clinching putt. I remember that moment in golf history very distinctly, only because of what my mother said after Leonard sinked the putt and pranced around the green, “My, that guy has a shapely butt.” Further proof that you don’t have to be a hard-core golf fan to enjoy watching it. This year’s Ryder Cup was accompanied by Boo Weekley riding his driver like a bull, something I saw in “Happy Gilmore” but never thought I’d actually see on the PGA Tour. I’m still waiting for the day when people brings beach balls to a tour event. There might have been some at the Ryder Cup, but e never saw them on TV. European team member Lee Westwood did complain, along with other players, that the Kentucky crowd at Valhalla C.C. was a little ruckus and distracting. I believe Westwood was greeted in the clubhouse with a handkerchief to wipe his eyes with a big American flag on it. What made the victory just as sweet was how hard the Europeans took it, some were blaming it entirely on captain Nick Faldo (just as an FYI for those who aren’t aware, captains do not play in the Ryder Cup, they are more of a coach). I’ve never understood how a person that never took a golf shot all weekend can be blamed for the loss…

With the Ryder Cup out of the way, many PGA players focused on the the concluding tournament for the FedEx Cup. The FedEx Cup is much like NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, where points are earned throughout the year toward the Cup, and the winner is the one with the most cumulative points. The underlying drama with this one was seeing if Tiger could win it having sat out half the year (which he almost did last year without playing in a number of events), but it was Fijian Vijay Singh that ended up hoisting the Cup. For those of you looking for a reason to watch golf in the absence of Tiger, look no further then second year pro Anthony Kim. He’s going to be good, mark my words.

While  a few teams started digging their way out of holes, a couple more just kept digging deeper hoping they’ll come out on the other end. While week 2 was bliss for the New England Patriots as life after Brady began, week 3 was a slap back to reality. Picture a dolphin winding up and smacking you across the face with it’s flipper, it was that kind of slap for the Patriots. Quarterbacks continued to be replaced as often as those cheap light bulbs you pay for at the thrift store thinking you’ll get more out of four crappy ones than one good one. Marc Bulger, Tarvaris Jackson, Jeff Garcia, and soon Derek Anderson will all be riding the pine. At least they have the luxury of fans when it’s hot, coats when it’s cold, no dirty laundry (those grass stains are a pain to get out), and a teenager making minimum wage to squeeze a bottle of gatorade in their mouth when they become hydrated. Now that’s the life! I’d taking a million dollar paycheck to do that every Sunday, don’t feel bad for them, they are as happy as an elementary kid that’s “sick” and can’t go to school. Heading into week 4, keep the following three thoughts in your mind:

Eli Manning is on the positive side of comparisons with his brother this year.

Eli is at the Top of Manning Mountain

The time has come that Eli has dreamed about every night since becoming a starting quarterback in the NFL, he is better than his brother. The little guy who I believe has never used a comb in his life and wasn’t seen as an average quarterback until he won last year’s Super Bowl is now considered by many to be the superior Manning. Right about now, the only things Peyton has on his resume that Eli doesn’t is a few better commercials, a league MVP trophy, and couple hundred more touchdown passes, a few thousand more passing yard, and he hosted Saturday Night Live. Okay, so Peyton has a lot over Eli, but this year him and his Colts are staggering to start the season while Eli and his Giants are looking very capable of defending their Super Bowl title. You have to believe that ever since Brett Favre landed in New York that a lot of stress and media attention have been diverted away from Eli and allowed him to be more confident. Eli also has the luxury of talented targets around him on offense and a steady running game while Peyton is struggling with a depleted offensive line, an aging Marvin Harrison, and a pathetic running game. Colts running back Joseph Addai has looked very uninterested and has been very ineffective running the ball for the Colts, putting all the weight on Peyton. Maybe the Colts newly opened Lucas Oil Stadium is the source of their misfortunes. Maybe the Colts are receiving bad karma from the oil companies ruining all of our lives, ah, yet another travesty related to high oil prices.

Gus Frerotte will be fine as long as he doesn't score a running touchdown.

Gus Frerotte Could be the Next Randall Cunningham

The Vikings love to bring in oldies and hope they are still goodies. With the exception of Daunte Culpepper (who is now retired from the NFL at the ripe age of 31), most of the Vikings exceptional quarterbacks have been ones nearing the end of their careers. There was Warren Moon, Brad Johnson, and Randall Cunningham. Cunningham had the most success though. After retiring in 1995, Cunningham restarted his playing career again with the Vikings in 1997 and led the 1998 Vikings to a 15-1 record. Vikings coach Brad Childress is hoping to find that same success with Gus Frerotte, who surprised many when they heard he would be the starting quarterback in favor of Tarvaris Jackson. I’m sure the thought going through many people’s heads was “Gus Frerotte? That guy hasn’t retired or been cut from a team yet?” While Frerotte didn’t do anything to lose the game, he did enough to keep the running game healthy and help the Vikings win. Every time I think about Frerotte though, I equate him with “bone-head.” Does anybody else remember in 1997 when he had the most awkward and painful touchdown celebrations in NFL History? After scoring a touchdown on a 1-yard run, Frerotte starting running toward the walls surrounding the field. Thinking that the stands were a little too high to successfully attempt a “Lambeau Leap,” Frerotte head-butted the wall. He ended up going to the hospital with a sprained neck…

Randy Moss heads for the endzone in a Madden '08 screen shot. If only it was that easy for the Patriots on Sunday.

Madden Video Games are Practical

For all of you who have ever played Madden video games on the game consul of your choice, you have your “bread and butter” play. It’s the play that you go to when you are in a pinch, your never fail. As wonderful as it was to always call that play and have success, we all know that it is not like that in the NFL, right? Wrong! Well, at least for Sunday’s game between the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots it couldn’t have been more wrong. The Dolphins’ never fail play was the direct snap to running back Ronnie Brown, they ran the play five times and were successful in every try. The Dolphins made the Patriots look downright silly and even invoked some moaning and complaining from the cocky and arrogant Belichick defense. Rodney Harrison, renowned aroung the league as the “dirtiest player” as voted by the coaches and players for the last few years was calling the Dolphins dirty. That’s as ludicrous as Michael Vick calling out a dog owner for using a shock collar. Whatever positive affirmations Patriots fans were reciting to themselves daily to mask their insecurities about not being able to win without Brady were replaced with profanity and despair. Here’s to hoping the Red Sox do something in the post season so that the greater Boston area doesn’t crack the top ten of “Most Depressing Cities in America.” 

In week 2, the NFL could very well have stolen the slogan for TNT and gotten away with it, “We Know Drama.” Week 2 included seven come from behind wins in the waning moments of each game. Week 2 also included an interesting shift in power as the NFC emerged as perhaps the stronger conference. There has been an interesting parody in the NFL and NBA in the past two seasons and that is their champion at the end of year was not the representative from the “tougher” conference. In the NBA we all gabbed about how tough the competition in the Western Conference was, but it was the Eastern Conference Boston Celtics that took home the Title. In the NFL last year we saw the New England Patriots represent the tough AFC (no surprise really, but the AFC was the tougher of the two conferences) but the NFC representative New York Giants were the ones that hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy. It’s a little early to be talking about the Super Bowl, but I’m going to side with whoever comes out of the AFC. Think about these three revelations heading into week 3:

A healthy McNabb has the Eagles flying again. The Super Bowl is not out of sight.

So a Healthy Donovan McNabb WAS the Eagles Problem

Since 2005, when they went to the Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles have went through quite an identity crisis. QB Jeff Garcia backed up an injured Donovan McNabb and filled in well, leading the Eagles to the playoffs in 2006. In 2007 though, nobody filled those shoes and the Eagles struggled with McNabb on the sideline dedicating his time to rehabbing and making Campbell’s Chunky Soup commercials with his mother. All that time however; next to nobody supposed the reason for the Eagles struggles was an unhealthy McNabb. Although the Eagles lost to the Dallas Cowboys in a back and forth game on Monday Night Football, I think we are all in agreeance that the Eagles are back. The NFC East (Eagles, Cowboys, Redskins, Giants) is looking to be the toughest division in the NFL and will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Just about everyone is jumping on the Cowboys bandwagon, reminiscent of other recent fads like Hannah Montana and brightly colored patches of hair. I, on the other hand, will stick with the either the Eagles or Giants, whom have actually won a playoff game the past 10 years (keep in mind you have to win multiple playoff games to get to the Super Bowl).

Ed Hochuli sporting his tight shirt in sunny Miami.

The Chargers Start Slow

For the second year in a row, San Diego has started 0-2. The Chargers ended last season pretty well, playing in the AFC Championship Game, so I’m not too concerned for them. The one thing that is concerning about this year’s start is that it should have never happened, the Chargers got screwed in Denver last week. The Chargers were up 7 in the last minute of the fourth quarter. The Broncos were driving and were almost in the end zone when quarterback Jay Cutler fumbled. Head official Ed Hochuli blew his whistle, making the play dead and non-reviewable. Upon review it was confirmed that Cutler did fumble the ball but because Hochuli blew his whistle, Denver was awarded the ball. It’s not often that you can really say a team lost on a bad call from the official, but this is one of them. Hochuli really blew it(the call, and the whistle as a matter of fact), haven’t the officials learned to always assume it was a fumble? You can always review and overturn a fumble that in fact was not; however; when the whistle blows the discussion is over. I think if Hochuli focused more on the game than showboating how good he looks in a tight shirt then bad calls like that wouldn’t happen. I swear Hochuli sees what size of shirt fits and then puts on one two sizes smaller. If you look at him closely while he signals holding calls, you might see him flex his pectoral muscles.

Are the Panthers really better without Steve Smith?

The Punkless Panthers are Pretty…Good

In training camp, Pro Bowl wide receiver Steve Smith got into a playground scuffle with teammate Ken Lucas. The scuffle ended with Lucas’ nose being misshaped (or broken, however you look at it) and Steve Smith being dealt a two game suspension. John Fox looked like a suicide assassin suspending his best player, it was almost guaranteeing a 0-2 start. However; things couldn’t be more opposite, the Panthers are 2-0 and looking like the team that went to the Super Bowl, which seems like forever ago. In both victories the Panthers had to come from behind, first at San Diego and the next at home against a confident Bears team that had just knocked off the Colts in Indianapolis. John Fox is beginning to look like a genius. Could it be the absence of Steve Smith is actually helping? If I were a cornerback or defensive back for the Panthers I’d be practicing my “yo’ mama” jokes so that Steve Smith will break my nose in practice this week and pray John Fox will suspend him for the rest of the season. I don’t think any other team has a better or easier formula for success at this time. Then again, maybe Steve Smith will make them that much more better. Let’s hold off on the “yo’ mama” jokes until next week.