Which No-Chance Team Has the Best Chance of Winning Super Bowl VL?

You could do worse than putting few bucks on the Browns to lift this thing in 2011. Like putting it on the Bills

I guess there are two broad schools of sports thought on this day after the Super Bowl. You can either be ready to get away from football or miss it so much that thoughts of the long seven months between now and the 2010 season haunt your dreams.

If you’re like me, you’re prepared carry on without football. I’ll long for it again in August, but I want to concentrate on the games at hand. I am salivating over the upcoming week of college basketball games and we are just four weeks away from the conference championships. Pitchers and catchers are about a week away from reporting to spring training, with plenty of intrigue surrounding many teams and plenty of usable players still available. To help bridge that gap between football and baseball season, we have the Winter Olympics this year.

And yeah, I guess we have the NBA to watch as well. I guess. I’ll be more interested once the two-month playoffs come along.

But if you can’t let go of the NFL, there is always next year. And there are already odds on which teams we will be talking about at this time, 2011.

All of the usual names have the best odds. The Colts are favored. The Chargers are second, which basically just means that they are slated to be a disappointment yet again. The Saints and Patriots are at 10/1 and the Steelers have 11/1 odds.

But who cares about betting on the Colts? Way to go out on a limb there, rebel.

I’m interested in those teams at the bottom of the barrel. The Bills, Browns, Buccaneers, Chiefs, Lions, Raiders and Rams are up on the board with 100/1 odds. So which of these teams has the best chance to win next year’s Super Bowl, even if that chance is somewhere between impossible and ridiculous.

Running Blog of Super Bowl XLIV — Saints vs. Colts

America’s biggest unofficial party day has finally arrived! Seriously, this day really isn’t about football. I’m excited for the game, but the game is just an excuse. Whatever happens, happens. But what are you eating? Where/with whom are you partying with? Are you ready for the certain letdown that will be presented from another year of multi-million-dollar commercials? Oh, who cares. We’ll all be wasted and full of 10 kinds of meats by the third quarter. Let’s just get to it already!

2:35 p.m. About one hour away and the drinking has begun. Remember, kids: No counting.

2:36 p.m. I’m not out at a bar. There are a ton in my area that have advertised Super Bowl party buffets, but I just don’t get the point. Why would I want to hang out with a bunch of people I don’t know to watch a game that is on network television and pay for drinks that I can get at home for free? It’s just my father and I chilling at home this year. We’ve got a couple of trays of pepperoni, cheese, crackers, grapes, two plates of kielbasa and about 25 deviled eggs.  The eggs are always the best.

Oh, an I’ve got about two handles of rum in the freezer. Um, I shouldn’t need all of it. If it is gone by the end of today, I’ve got a serious problem:

What will I drink tomorrow?

2:43 p.m. I am so sick of this pregame hype. I watched hardly any of it in the past two weeks and I didn’t watch any of the shows leading up to today’s game.

2:44 p.m. Well, that’s not true. I turned on CBS a few hours ago, but as soon as I heard James Brown say, “Now, here’s Daughtry performing ….” (Click!)

2:45 p.m. I also watched Bill Cowher’s rather lame interview with Plaxico Burress. You can tell he’s not a newsman. Plaxico plays football. That was more like softball.

2:47 p.m. I spent most of the morning watching the Caribbean World Series and the Orlando Magic vs. the Boston Celtics. What a third quarter by the Magic on their way to a big win.

2:49 p.m. Spoiler alert!!! Here is Tim Tebow’s/pro-life ad that will air during this game. I like it, even if I don’t agree with the cause.

2:58 p.m. I’ve already picked the Colts to win by a healthy margin, 38-27. But I don’t feel all that great about it.

2:59 p.m. Dwight Freeney will start in this game. In my mind, it wouldn’t matter either way in the end result. The Colts are still the better team. But obviously, his presence helps. I’m sure the Saints have planned for him.

3:02 p.m. It’s false advertising for CBS to use five clips of Gus Johnson’s voice during that Jay-Z intro. If CBS really wanted to create a great viewing experience, Gus would be calling this game. Not Jim Nantz. Travesty.

3:03 p.m. Only … 30 … minutes … left! We are crawling to the start!

3:09 p.m. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND WITH THAT … the CBS apologies have begun! There has to be an explanation as to why we couldn’t hear any of the Saints players in that intro. More disrespect for fans who think their team is already being disrespected.

3:11 p.m. Well, you can’t hear the Colts either. CBS network is an equal-opportunity retard.

3:13 p.m. That wouldn’t have happened if Gus Johnson was running the show. Hell, just tell Gus to start speaking over the players. Peyton Manning’s voice would have never been so compelling.

3:18 p.m. London Fletcher got robbed. If the Walter Payton Award couples on-field performance with community service, how can he not win it? He made it to a Pro Bowl!

3:19 p.m. I don’t remember “God Bless America” being such a jazzy, upbeat ditty. That was a little too much there, Queen.

3:21 p.m. The over-under for the length of the “Star-Spangled Banner” was 1:54, I believe. I would have bet the under.

3:23 p.m. Carrie clocks in at 1:48. Although, there should be a five-second penalty for that last note. She hit that like Pedro Cerrano hits a curveball.

3:26 p.m. That LeBron-Howard commercial was cute. Still doesn’t top the original.

3:28 p.m. WHAT?!?!?! Jerry Rice made it to the Hall of Fame!! AND EMMITT SMITH??? Unbelievable.

3:29 p.m. “Thanks for watching the Hyundai pregame show.”

Thanks for ending the Hyundai pregame show. Let’s get this thing started! Saints get the ball first. Here we go!!!!!

Running Off At The Electronic Mouth, No. VIII

I don't think the gorilla has thought this through. Does she realize the Saints' linebackers can't cover Dallas Clark? She needs to do more research

I guess I should open with my Super Bowl prediction since every pundit, casual fan and gorilla has already made theirs.

• Dwight Freeney’s status — he didn’t practice all week, including Friday — doesn’t factor into my decision. Much like when Florida Gator Carlos Dunlap was suspended prior to the SEC title game, the  better team is still going to win. And the better team is still the Colts. The Saints don’t have enough in their back seven to cover the likes of Dallas Clark and Austin Collie, not to mention Wayne, Garcon, Addai. And don’t forget about Donald Brown. This should be a very fun game to watch, but I think the Colts win fairly easily.

• Last year, I thought the Steelers would handle the Cardinals. Two years ago, I thought the Patriots would crush the Giants. I am expecting another double-digit margin Sunday. So if you are betting on the game, you should know which way to go. This is why I can’t buy nice things.

• Speaking of bets, I’ve heard many call the game’s line a sucker bet. Well, show me a sucker and I’ll show you a photograph of me in a mirror. With clothes on, thankfully. I say, Colts win, 38-27.

• You know what the best thing is about that first link? Read that second paragraph:

“Zookeepers gave her the option of two papier-mâché footballs filled with peanuts, popcorn, grapes and other gorilla treats.”

Yes, I am very unfamiliar of these peanuts and grapes you speak of. Oh, those gorillas and their wacky primate snacks.

• Last Saturday, I was watching Game 1 of the 1998 NLCS between the Braves and the Padres because any baseball is good baseball. Hell, I am having a great time with the Caribbean World Series, even though nobody can play and the most notable name is 42-year-old Vinny Castilla. Anyway, I don’t know why, but I got to thinking about Javy Lopez. The Fox broadcast put up his numbers from that season and they had steroids potential written all over them. Then you look at Lopez’s career stats and his run-production trend and you get your answer!

HELL YEAH!!

Suddenly, we find out today that he admitted as much in a podcast interview last weekend. Good for him.

There Is No Debate On Kobe — He Will Be LA’s Best

Let me start this with some shameless bragging. I’ve met Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant.

OK, not really. I met Magic Johnson (photographic evidence after the jump). Kobe Bryant bumped into my left arm in a knife and sword store at a mall in Santa Ana, Calif. But for that slight second, there was no doubt that we were connected.

I met Magic when I was six years old while he was still on the Lakers, before the HIV diagnosis. I got to go into the team’s locker room after a game against the Utah Jazz and will always remember two things about that visit:

1. Seeing Vlade Divac scared the hell out of me. I had never seen a man so tall in person. He leaned down to greet me outside the locker room and I just gazed at him with wide eyes and a wider mouth. I think he said “Hello”, but I don’t remember. I was too busy wishing this giant would just go away and not eat me.
2. As I waited for my photo-op with Magic, I watched him talk to some reporters very casually. And very, very naked. I spent a few minutes just staring at his dangling member. What is THAT??? Again, I’m 6. I don’t really have a good idea of what a penis is. But I remember seeing Magic’s and seriously, he could give Greg Oden a run for his money. When I came out of the locker room, my mother and my aunt, who set up my meeting with the Lakers, asked me how it went. I gleefully declared, “Mom, I saw Magic Johnson naked!” I think I have matured since.

Running Blog Of The 2010 Australian Open Final — Roger Federer vs. Andy Murray

On the East Coast, it’s 3:30 a.m. and you’re watching Perspectives Australian Open tennis.

As we’ve reached the finals of this first major of the year, I wouldn’t say that this is a matchup I expected or even wanted. Hell, I could say that about the semifinals, too. Of course, it’s a bummer that Rafael Nadal’s knee is still giving him problems. And I think Marin Cilic’s strength and power would have been fun to watch against Federer. But this is still a very interesting pairing. Roger Federer and Andy Murray. Very similar, smart players. This could be a long match, not only because both have similar strengths and weaknesses, but because both play long points. So, since I’ve got nothing better to do at 12:30 a.m. here on the West Coast, how about a running blog?

12:35 a.m. I mean, c’mon. You’ve got important live sports going on in the middle of the night. It’s one of the finer things in life.

12:37 a.m. Federer has won the past two meetings against Murray, but that was after Murray won the previous four. As far as majors are concerned, Federer beat Murray in straight sets at the 2008 U.S. Open.

12:41 a.m. As we get underway here with Murray winning the first point, I have to admit that I am not doing this because I am a lover of tennis. I am not. (Although, I am currently reading Andre Agassi’s autobiography and it is phenomenal) This is just one of the cooler events in sports. A major being aired live in the middle of the night in America. It’s an insomniac’s dream.

12:45 a.m. First game, and you can see the players just kidding of feeling around right now. Federer holds.

12:46 a.m. Also, I didn’t give a prediction. I say Federer wins in five sets. Two extremely skilled and even players battle it out, but I’m not betting against Roger.

12:47 a.m. Murray has traditionally had a problem with his second serve and that’s something we see early on in this match.

12:49 a.m. Murray’s backhand is a strength of his, but Federer’s forehand was unbeatable to end that second game.

12:50 a.m. The first highlight point of the match comes as Federer tries to drop one in and Murray sends a great winner down his near-side line.

12:52 a.m. Murray breaks back with two fabulous points and we get our first “C’mon!” of the night. Or day. Wherever you are, it’s some time.

12:56 a.m. I wouldn’t say both players are nervous, which is resulting in some mistakes. But as we’ve learned from quotes, they may not like each other too much. They are eager to beat one another. Eager.

12:58 a.m. There is talk about how much pressure is on Murray from the British people. That’s probably one reason why he is playing so well in this tourney. This isn’t Wimbledon.

Who Doesn’t Want A Little Man Crunch? Um, CBS. That’s Who.

Just playin' some football here, boys

Man crunch. It’s a pretty nice duo of words. Not to be confused with man crush, which would describe my fondness for Matt Schaub. Man crunch sounds like something that could make its way onto Urban Dictionary as to define a threesome with two fat women. Or, if you think about it in another way, it sounds kind of gay.

Hey, whadayano?

Mancrunch.com wants to be a part of the Super Bowl commercial circus, but CBS has denied its 30-second spot, which looks like a very tame version of a classic SNL sketch.

Obviously, those at mancrunch.com are claiming discrimination because plenty of ad space remains for the Super Bowl.

From CBS’ point of view, I understand the decision. Upwards of 130-140 million people in the U.S. will be watching this game. A large majority of them will be men. So, CBS wants the ads aimed at young men who watch football so that it interests them … and then they keep watching football. So simple! And — going out on a limb here — not a lot men who love football are all that comfortable with the idea of two men dating. So, yeah, mancrunch.com gets the shaft. (Hypothetically)

Steven Jackson Accused Of Beating Pregnant Girlfriend

Rams running back Steven Jackson has the reputation of being a beast on the playing field. Few backs run harder than him. But off of it, he is seen as extremely intelligent — he got offers to play in the Ivy League — and giving. On his own Web site, you can read about The Steven Jackson Foundation, his personal community service organization, and how he is an active contributor to charities for breast cancer awareness and childhood health.

But today, Jackson’s image is taking quite a hit as he is being accused of a very hideous crime — beating up a woman who was nine months pregnant. According to TMZ, Jackson’s former girlfriend is claiming that he beat her during an argument in March 2009. And the details can make you cringe a little.

So When Will Brett Favre Retire … And Then Return?

When will something like this scene be replaced ...

Now that the season is over for Brett Favre, there is one thing we know for sure: Favre will announce his retirement soon.

Actually, make that two things we know for sure: Favre will announce his retirement soon and then will back out of retirement this summer.

Everyone is speculating when all this will happen, so let’s play a little game of pin the date on the quarterback! Here are the facts:

Running Off At The Electronic Mouth, No. VII

How you see Vegas after more than 40 hours of continuous movement

Well, I guess I haven’t written here in a while, eh? Part of that absence is due to a Las Vegas trip I took this past weekend. Good times, good times. I spent only a little more than a day in the city, but I was very ready to go home at the end. That’s when you know you’ve done Vegas right.

I don’t want to be so nonchalant about my lack of writing at More Talk. It’s just that, well … not much had happened before this weekend. Look what we had to put up with in the first two weeks of January: Gilbert Arenas’ showdown at the Verizon Center, Pete Carroll leaving what may be the most high-profile head coaching job in football for the cloudy skies of Seattle, the Tennessee-Kiffin riots of ‘10, Mark McGwire’s admission and subsequent arrogant non-admissions. Not to forget some interesting NFL playoffs and the untimely fall of Colt McCoy. Every day brought about more breaking news that could have filled up two months, much less two weeks.

The sports world needed to calm down. Just get back to the games. Even out the ratio between sports stories on the field and off it. I feel like that’s what we’ve gotten in the past couple of weeks. Now for someone like me, who isn’t a huge NBA fan, flatly ignores hockey and can’t seem to keep up with all the happenings in college basketball despite much effort, that leads to a few less posts. I don’t want to come on here and express opinions to something I’m not paying attention.

But here are some things I wanted to talk about quickly:

NFL’s Championship Sunday

If not for Vegas, I would have written a full Sunday running blog over the course of both games. Alas, Vegas limited me to seeing just a quarter of the Jets-Colts game and having to listen to the Vikings-Saints game on the radio during the drive back. I hate listening to games on the radio. I’m a visual person. I need to see things develop. I don’t trust someone to tell me what’s happening because usually they are wrong or miss the small details that I need to see. But one thing I did take away from the Westwood One broadcast was James Lofton. While he is a football HOF’er, he is not cut out to be a nation-wide NFL broadcaster. He tries to be funny, but he doesn’t realize he’s just an analyst. James, stop the shtick. Analyze the game. That’s what you get paid for. Not lines such as this one during the middle of the Vikings-Saints slopfest:

“You’ve heard of “Pants on the Ground.” This game is balls on the ground.”

Without further ado …

Divisional Round Sunday: San Diego Super Chokers

He shouldn't get complete blame. Maybe just 50 percent or so. Like his playoff accuracy

Typical Chargers. Great regular season. High expectations.  But once again, they find a way to lose a home playoff game. That’s three in six years. Two of them would have put the team into the conference championship game. But there is something about success that this franchise just can’t handle. It’s 17 weeks of a tease that raises the hopes. Then the playoffs come and you find out it was all for naught. And now it’s trend. If there wasn’t a five-day rain system on the way, I’m fairly confident that San Diego would be burned to the ground tonight. The fans would be to blame for it. But I wouldn’t blame them for doing it.

Jets vs. Chargers

• Nate Kaeding misses three more field goals in January. Now, you can’t expect him to make a 57-yarder, but all three were never on course. He is just 8-for-15 in the playoffs. Just to let you know, Kaeding still has two seasons remaining on a six-year deal.

• Norv Turner is a lot less safe than Kaeding. The Chargers fired a 14-2 head coach after the 2006 season. I don’t think it will have a problem firing a 13-3 head coach after this massive disappointment.

• Is Shawne Merriman hurt or out of the league or was he traded or did he quit? I didn’t hear his name once today. Turner said earlier in the week that he expects Merriman to be as healthy as he’s been all season for the Jets game. If that was the case, what a quick fall from the top for him. I doubt he’ll be back.

Divisional Round Saturday: Unforgettable, That’s What You’re Not

I guess good things come to those who wait while watching the NFL playoffs this year. Another playoff Saturday, two more matchups that looked good on paper and six more hours of my life, forever wasted. There wasn’t even some good college basketball on to distract me. I just ended up watching “From Dusk ‘Til Dawn” for the majority of the Ravens-Colts second half. With the low expectations I already have for Sunday’s Jets-Chargers game, it looks like we are now depending on Dallas and Minnesota to put on the classic that some expect. We’ll see in a few hours. Here’s what I took away from today’s bombs.

Cardinals vs. Saints

• The Cardinals spent extra time this week concentrating on tackling after getting scorched by the Packers. Good to see how that practice paid off.

• It was great to see Reggie Bush just go nuts for a couple of reasons. First, no matter how big of a draft bust he is — because he will go down as a big one due to that insane hype — he’s still fun to watch. He has the smoothest hips of any running back and just makes some crazy cuts. He’s an athletic freak and it’s fun to watch him when he’s healthy and on his game.

• But this performance also gave Bush’s supporters more reason to overrate him. This is still a running back who has never run for more than 600 yards in any season and who has missed 12 games due to injury over the past three years. This game alone raised his fantasy stock in the minds of many. But let’s not forget who Reggie Bush really is: An electrifying and fragile running back who shares carries with at least two other guys and is not a consistent producer. He’ll be drafted too high in almost all standard leagues next year. Bush’s potential always tantalizes fantasy players. The Saints’ offense and his body will always hold him back.

Gilbert Arenas’ Case Is Not One Of Racism

This isn't about racism. This is about stupidity

Before we enter the finest football weekend of the year, I wanted to quickly comment on something I heard on TV today. Now, just to show you how great of a reporter I am, I can only say that I heard this during Friday’s episode of Jim Rome is Burning and that it happened during his forum segment. But I’m missing other important facts such as who said it or for what publication he works (I think his named was Vince, so that’s what I’ll call him. See, I’m an awesome reporter). I can’t find any news articles or video of what was said, but enough qualifying — here’s the gist:

“Vince” said that the Gilbert Arenas case is all about racism. The jail time, the indefinite NBA suspension, the public backlash is all geared toward racism. Not only because Arenas is just a black man, but a young, black athlete. “Vince”, who is also black, said that if Brett Favre had brought three shotguns into a locker room — and yes, he said shotguns — Favre’s judicial, professional and social penalty wouldn’t have been nearly as harsh.

Right when that Favre sentenced finished, this is what I looked like, just without the papal vestments and 60 years younger.

The Void Inside Pete Carroll

Dead man coaching

It was a surprise in how quickly and unexpectedly it happened, but USC needed Lane Kiffin. He understands that there is no job in college football quite like being the head coach of the Trojans and when the position becomes available, you go for it.

It was a surprise in how quickly and unexpectedly it happened, but Pete Carroll needed the Seattle Seahawks. He knew that there was no job in college football that could quite fill the void that rested in his heart. So when the position became available, he jumped at it.

Carroll’s departure from USC had more to do with himself than any NCAA investigation or local pressure. He had to get back to the NFL to satisfy himself, to become the winner that he wasn’t as an NFL head coach previously. He compiled just a 33-31 record in four seasons as a head coach and lost two of three playoff games in the 1990s. I think that lack of tremendous success created an inch in Carroll that he couldn’t scratch in the college game. He hopes that the Seattle job is the ointment, but he will soon know that he never should have left Southern Cal.

LANE KIFFIN LEAVES FOR USC; TENNESSEE DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY!!

At about 7:45 Central time tonight, news broke that football coach Lane Kiffin decided to leave the University of Tennessee after one season in a six-year deal to take over as head coach at at the University of Southern California. By 9 p.m., Tennessee was under a state of emergency. People were told  to clear the streets immediately and return to their homes. Here is a scene from some of the panic.

Quick Reactions To Mark McGwire’s Statement On Steroid Use

Like most everyone else, I was not surprised by the statement Mark McGwire issued a few hours ago to the Associated Press. We all basically assumed McGwire took steroids. This admission is just a conclusion.

“It’s time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected. I used steroids during my playing career and I apologize. … I wish I had never touched steroids. It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize.“

It’s nice to finally see some contrition and to see McGwire actually mention steroids. That’s all we ever wanted. We knew about it; we just wanted to hear it from him. All will not be forgiven because he tainted one of the most prominent records in sport. But I think that he is at least on the road to getting into the Baseball Hall of Fame. It would have been interesting to see how the BBWAA would have voted on McGwire for the Hall had he said this about three weeks ago. Some writers will always hold this against him. Other will vote for him, but not for a few more years because they want to make him wait — just as how he made us wait for an admission when he could have done it five years ago on Capitol Hill. But in the end, I now think Mark McGwire will end up in the Hall of Fame one day. This needed to be said first.

Wild Card Sunday: Defense Stranded In The Desert

Not reviewable, so it's not a foul

After 210 NFL minutes that were relatively void of suspense, the Cardinals and Packers made up for the entire weekend with 30 minutes of AFL-like ecstasy. It wasn’t a great game, but at least it was competitive and I think that’s all we could ask for.

Cardinals vs. Packers

• It had the most points in any NFL playoff game, but I wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that the Packers-Cardinals game was one of the best I’ve seen. It was certainly a fun game, extremely enjoyable to watch. Great games need to have quality play on both sides of the ball and defense was clearly optional in the second half. You knew a touchdown was going to be the result at the end of each possession. The only question was how long it would take to get there.

• Of course, this game ended with a defensive touchdown, but it probably shouldn’t have. Cardinals defensive back Michael Adams forced the game-deciding fumble, but grabbed Aaron Rodgers’ face mask in doing so. A penalty should have been called, but it wasn’t (which is something you could say about four or five plays in this game). That kind of penalty can’t be reviewed for some reason.

• The end was quite a redemption for Adams. Troy Aikman kept saying that Adams was having a “tough day.” Does Aikman know the meaning of “understatement”? Adams actually had a horrible day. He got picked on often and when passes weren’t being completed against him, he was called for three blatant holding or pass interference penalties. He was also whistled for going out of the back of the end zone as a means to leave the playing surface. That earned him a mindless illegal substitution penalty. I’ve never seen that before. I didn’t even know that rule existed! Apparently, Adams didn’t either.

Wild Card Saturday: Who Needs Ambien When You’ve Got Football?

Saturday was one of those days when being a massive sports fan made you feel really depressed. Even with a pair of NFL playoff games on, you would have felt better about yourself by doing something other than watching two coma-inducing sludgefests.  The matchups looked good on paper, but one team was clearly better than the other. But at least the outcomes should mean some good news for us viewers in the very near future. I’ll get to that at the end. Here are just some thoughts on Saturday’s playoff “action.”

Jets vs. Bengals

• The less-surprising result today was the Jets handling the Bengals. The Bengals just have too many flaws. Most glaring is that Carson Palmer is no longer an elite quarterback (By the way, he needs surgery). It doesn’t help that his options are also less than elite. With Darrelle Revis locking down Chad Johnson — he doesn’t deserve the other name, even if it is his actual name — Palmer had to depend on Andre Caldwell and 56-year-old Laveranues Coles. Cedric Benson isn’t a good receiving back and the team doesn’t have a dependable pass-catching tight end. Most people would agree the Jets’ defense is better. But it’s hard to ignore the fact that the Bengals didn’t have the personnel to keep up  the Jets offensively.

Running Off At The Electronic Mouth, No. VI

Ugh. The game's been over for only five hours and I can't take any more

In the early morning after the BCS Championship game, that’s the last thing I want to talk about. Everybody will have their say. Mine is no different (Why not just take a knee before halftime; Texas would have had a great chance to win with McCoy; Saban coached rather mindlessly, Garrett Gilbert has potential).

So here are some other topics that I wanted to bring up.

First off, HOLY SH!T!!!!

This has nothing to do with sports, but has everyone seen this? No, it’s not Arenas versus Crittenton. Some guy just leaving the courthouse catches this drama with his cell phone. It’s probably the most compelling video we’ll see all year. But though all the shots you hear, I don’t understand how only the gunman and one other person died in all of that. It’s obviously distressing that death was the result of someone being upset with their social security, but this reminds me of a cheap 1980s action flick. Fifty gunshots and hardly anyone gets hit. The only thing missing was the “peh-TWING” sound effect as the errant bullets ricocheted around the lobby.

The Pac-9 basketball tournament

As if the potential of this year’s Pac-10 basketball tournament couldn’t be any worse, it won’t contain the defending champion and arguably the conference’s best team, USC. I’m still going to the tourney for a second year — if only because Thursday’s four-game slate means 10 hours of drinking college basketball. But my question here is: Why does USC always get caught? Reggie Bush, Joe McKnight, Dwayne Jarrett, O.J. Mayo. It seems as if the school has some athlete under investigation for an NCAA violation every year. And let’s not act naïve here. This kind of stuff happens everywhere. At many high-profile schools, athletes are given gifts and money and “favors” in return for their word to compete athletically at a university. But those universities apparently know how to cover it up. Is USC just too dumb? Is Will Ferrell the director of athletics? Or do we just hear about these violations so often because it is USC? Just wonderin’.

Running Blog Of BCS Championship: No. 1 Alabama Vs. No. 2 Texas

I wasn’t going to do this initially. I share the majority opinion that Alabama is just too good for Texas and that this should be a should be  a double-digit win for the Tide. But 33 days can be quite the equalizer. We’ve seen that throughout this (lackluster) bowl season. Plus, if this turns out to be another title game like the last one that was held in the Rose Bowl, I would regret not doing a running blog on it. So, better to be safe than sorry, let’s see what happens.

5:29 p.m. Vegas likes ‘Bama. The nation likes ‘Bama. But it’s all about the orangutan. That’s a big equalizer!

5:30 p.m. I feel the need to predict a close score. The long lay-off makes both teams even, no matter how badly Texas played in the Big XII title game. And Texas is still extremely talented. But I always side with teams with better running game and stronger defense — although the stats say that is too close to call. Alabama, 31-23.

5:31 p.m. I have no ground-breaking analysis. Colt McCoy needs to do everything well for Texas to win. Everyone knows that. Mark Ingram needs to run effectively for Alabama to win. Everyone knows that. Just like every other game, it’ll come down to turnovers. I just want to see if Texas can prove all of us wrong.

5:32 p.m. Flea and Josh Groban on way stage, performing the national anthem? I don’t get it. Which drunk producer thought that one up?

5:33 p.m. What I want to know is who the hell that happy drummer is in the background. He looks like he had a smile surgically plastered to his face.

5:35 p.m. Keith Jackson tosses the coin, then makes a direct route for Brent Musberger, hits him in the back of the head, steals the mic and, like Deion Sanders, says “This is MY house!”

5:37 p.m. Keith probably should have known that he was not mic’ed up. I would have loved to hear to what he said, but instead, no one can hear him and he is just looks senile.

5:39 p.m. Texas keeps the ball away from Arenas, keeps the kickoff short and Alabama will start at it’s own 34. HERE WE GO!

2009 Fantasy Football Superlatives: 4 Out Of 5 People Owe Chris Johnson

With the help of 316 yards and five touchdowns rushing, Aaron Rodgers was the most productive fantasy QB. But he wasn't the most valuable

A few days ago, I was asked to put together my list of fantasy football MVPs, busts, surprises, etc, for a fantasy podcast. As one of my final fantasy-based posts for quite a while, I thought I would show those picks here.

Most valuable player

Quarterback: When I think most valuable, I take that value word literally. Aaron Rodgers scored the most points, but my pick is someone you could have taken 3-4 rounds later. I’m going to go with Matt Schaub. I know Brett Favre was drafted much later and put up slightly better stats. But more was expected of Schaub and he delivered. He led the league in passing yards. He shook off the injury-prone tag, even playing through the pain of a separated shoulder for the final five weeks. He was more consistently productive than Favre, especially in the weeks most important to fantasy owners (14-16). In standard leagues, Schaub outscored Favre in those weeks, 51-36. For a seventh-round draft pick in many deep leagues, Schaub ended up as the fourth-best fantasy QB. And with a full season from Owen Daniels and Steve Slaton next year to go along with Andre Johnson and all of the other weapons, I think an argument can be made that Schaub is a top-3 fantasy QB next season.

Running back: No question, it’s Chris Johnson and this stat sums it up: I play in Yahoo! fantasy football and of the top 500 fantasy football teams in Yahoo!, 79.8 percent of those them own Chris Johnson. Second on that list is Aaron Rodgers at 49.6 percent. That’s your most valuable player. And to think there were questions regarding his workload coming into this season. Most total yards from scrimmage of any running back in a single season ever? This is an easy pick.