Bleacher Report - Articles by Jeffrey Santon

Dallas Cowboys to play in "the Pound"

Jeffrey Santon — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:47:07 -0400

The Cleveland Browns begin their much-anticipated season against the Super Bowl favorite Dallas Cowboys. This game is loaded with talent on both sidelines and could certainly go either way, though Dallas is the early five-and-a-half-point favorite. One of the biggest questions on Sunday will be health for Cleveland.

Health

Braylon Edwards suffered an injury to his foot, requiring an undisclosed amount of stitches after being cleated by teammate Donte Stallworth. Edwards seems pretty confident it won't be a problem. "Everybody knows what time it is," Edwards said. "I will be going on Sunday." Also said to be ready with no real concern is Cleveland's quarterback, Derek Anderson.

Braylon and Anderson being out there is certainly a plus. Unfortunately, there are many others who have been limited in practice and not quite as confident about being ready to perform at 100 percent Week One.

Jamal Lewis is a big part of this team. An issue with his hamstring has Lewis unsure of his Sunday status. Before Wednesday's practice, Lewis said he was anxious to test the hamstring and see how it felt.

"With a hamstring, it's a muscle," Lewis said. "Nothing heals a muscle but time. Time and rest. I've had a lot of time and rest. Hopefully it feels good today when I go out there and put it to the test." If Lewis is not fully healed, Cleveland will hopefully remember that this is only Week One, and the importance of having Lewis over the long haul is imperative.

Joshua Cribbs is still fighting an ankle injury as well. "I'm doing everything I can. It will probably be a game-time decision," Cribbs said Monday as he addressed the media for the first time since getting hurt Aug. 18 against the New York Giants in the second preseason game.

"My competitive side is that I want to play. It would be real hard not to play against the Cowboys. That's why I'm doing everything I can to get out on the field. If I'm ready to go, then I'm ready to go. And if I'm not, I'm not."

Other questionable Browns: Brodney Pool (concussion), Beau Bell (knee), Ryan Tucker (hip), Sean Jones (knee), and Antwan Peek (knee). While these may not be names as big as Braylon, Cribbs, or Lewis, Cleveland could use some of these guys healthy Week One.

Key Matchups

Safety Roy Williams and Kellen Winslow

Roy Williams has spoken this offseason on covering elite tight ends. "I will admit at times, when I had one-on-one situations, and you're head up on a tight end or a receiver that can go left or right, it's tough...Sometimes you just hope they don't throw the ball your way."

You can bet Winslow will be getting some looks, and Cleveland will be exploiting the Cowboys' defense anyway they can.

Other key matchups to look at:

Browns OT Joe Thomas vs. Cowboys LB DeMarcus Ware

Browns NT Shaun Rogers vs. Cowboys C Andre Gurode

Browns LB Andra Davis vs. Cowboys RB Marion Barber

Browns CB's Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald vs. Cowboys WR Terrell Owens and Patrick Crayton

History

The Cowboys have yet to play at Cleveland Browns' stadium since the rebirth of Cleveland football in 1999. In their single meeting, the Cowboys won 19-12, and if you remember that game, you probably remember that the Browns lost far more then just the contest that day.

That game on Sept. 19, 2004 was when rookie Kellen Winslow suffered a season-ending injury to his knee attempting to recover an onside kick.

Overall, the head-to-head advantage goes to Cleveland, 17-11.

AFC North Forecast: Sunshine in Cleveland

Jeffrey Santon — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:08:40 -0400

For the first time since the Cleveland Browns' re-birth into the NFL in 1999, it's conceivable to claim the Cleveland Browns as the favorite to take the AFC North.

The Browns narrowly missed the playoffs, going 10-6, tying for the best record in the AFC North. But Cleveland's nemesis, the Pittsburgh Steelers, held the tiebreaker in head-to-head competition, beating Cleveland in both of their divisional showdowns.

This year, one of Cleveland's top priorities will be defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers. Obviously, beating Baltimore and Cincinnati are games Cleveland will have to take as well, but Pittsburgh is definitely in the center of the dartboard for '08.

Baltimore and Cincinnati could both prove to be sleepers in the division. The Ravens' Achilles last year was the quarterback position. Baltimore hopes it addressed this need by drafting Joe Flacco, a 6'6" rookie out of Delaware, with their first-round pick.

Troy Smith will get a chance this year to show that he is a viable option to lead Baltimore as well. Smith has a history of winning, as many of us in northeast Ohio know from watching him notch win after win with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Boller may also get consideration at QB, but more then likely will be the odd-man out when the season begins.

Baltimore is returning 20 of 22 starters. One huge starter, both literally and figuratively, who won't be back though is retired Pro-Bowl tackle, Jonathan Ogden. Over the years, Baltimore quarterbacks could count on Ogden to have their back, blocking the QB's blind side on pass plays. Ogden has retired, and Baltimore will have to try and become an AFC North contender without him.

Cincinnati will attempt to compete for this division, and they have an outside chance of doing so. With all the talent the Bengals possess at the skill positions, their lack of defense, and their weakness at offensive line could keep the skill guys from playoff contention again in '08.

A lot of people still think of the 2005 Bengals when considering what type of Bengals team we will see. Those 2005 Bengals are still the only team to have a winning season since 1991.

This offseason, Chad Johnson has demanded most of the attention, coming into '08 with a contract dispute. I personally don't believe money is the major factor behind Chad's antics. He wants to win so badly, and he is watching the Bengals digress from their 2005 playoff appearance. Unfortunately for Chad, I feel they will continue to do so, and they won't be a major contender for the division in '08.

The Pittsburgh Steelers may have a hard time mirroring Steelers teams of the past decade. With the loss of Alan Faneca, Pittsburgh no longer has a Pro-Bowl caliber offensive lineman. Yes, Pittsburgh made some moves this offseason, increasing their firepower by obtaining Limas Sweed out of Texas and Mendenhall from Illinois. They expect Mendenhall to be a one-two combo with Willie Parker. But Pittsburgh football is pounding the ball down your throat, and allowing the pass to be there when needed.

Pittsburgh has legitimate concern on their hands. Even with all the talent at the skill positions, their season will be as successful as their offensive line is. Pittsburgh's best returning offensive lineman, LT Marvel Smith is coming off of back problems.

Sure, Ben's got a big ol' smile on his face tossing the football with his brand new contract, but if they have trouble establishing the run, he may be on his on back too often, and Pittsburgh could have a tough time taking this division.

That being said, Pittsburgh is going to be the toughest team in this division for the Browns. Browns fans know all to well of the tough schedule they have.

But wait!

As tough as Cleveland's schedule is this year, Pittsburgh's is even rougher. They play all the same teams, with the exception of two.

The games?

Cleveland plays Denver and Buffalo.

Pittsburgh has to play San Diego and New England.

Advantage Browns.

The Cleveland Browns have question marks as well in '08, and they're all on the defensive side. The obvious one being at cornerback. Right now, on the depth chart, both starting cornerbacks are second-year guys: Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald. Both played exceptionally well last year, but this year, they are in for a big challenge. Teams are aware of Cleveland's weakness in the secondary, and they will not be shy trying to exploit it. These kids better be ready.

The Browns also struggled to stop the run in '07. Phil Savage brought in two quality defensive lineman in Corey Williams from Green Bay and Shaun Rogers from Detroit. But as good as that looks on paper, it will be interesting to see on the field.

Rumors about Shaun Rogers are spreading around the NFL. Some are saying that he is tipping the scales at 400lbs. Plus, Rod Marinelli, who coached Rogers in Detroit, is said to be one of the best line-coaches in football. If he couldn't get Rogers to perform well, what makes the Cleveland Browns so confident they will get 16 solid games from him?

In the NFL, there are no certainties. Baltimore or Cincinnati could explode this year and win this division. Highly unlikely, but possible. The Steelers and Cleveland Browns are clearly the AFC North front-runners.

I think Cleveland will prevail though. The Steelers' offensive line will make the Steelers get away from Pittsburgh football in to many of their games this year, causing them to come up short to the Cleveland Browns, who pre-training camp, I am predicting to win the division.

Final standings

Cleveland 10-6

Pittsburgh 9-7

Cincinnati 7-9

Baltimore 6-10

How to Play the 300-Pound Ace in Your Pocket

Jeffrey Santon — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:05:39 -0400

We're sixty-five games into the Cleveland Indians' season, and things haven't exactly gone as planned.

After falling one game short of the World Series last year, the Indians were picked by many to win it all this year. Their start doesn't exactly have those same prognosticators patting themselves on the back thus far.

The Cleveland Indians are 30-35 and 8.5 games out of first place. Starting pitching has been one of the Indians' only strong suits. The offense has been dismal, and last year's lights-out bullpen hasn't been much better.

The Indians' bullpen has a 4.81 ERA, second-worst in the American League. Their batting average is only .240, which is the lowest overall in the AL and second worst in all of baseball.

The question now for the Cleveland Indians (and most notably general manager Mark Shapiro) is: Where do we go from here?

One could make the argument that it is still early in the season, which it is. The White Sox also might not strike one as an unstoppable force that will be impossible to catch, which may also be true.

But the way the Indians are struggling so far, they may not have to be. Someone may simply take this division, once thought to be best in baseball this year, by default.

Mark Shapiro is going to have to earn his paycheck. Over the next month, he must carefully consider what the plan of attack is going to be. Does he tear the team apart and build for next year, or does he attempt to make the moves to right the ship this year and contend in a surprisingly weak AL Central?

A lot of that will depend on the players and how they perform before the July 31 trade deadline. Based on how the Indians play, and Shapiro's confidence in his ballclub's ability to excel in the second half, he must make the decision of how and when to use the 6'7", 300-pound ace in his pocket: C.C. Sabathia.

If the Tribe's woes continue, Sabathia will most likely be the Indians' ticket to a few new prospects, which Shapiro values more than your average GM. Maybe he could add a few affordable sticks that he could hang onto for the long term.

Regardless of the name on the jersey, Shapiro will stay true to form and continue to obtain cheaper, 'more-bang-for-your-buck', long-term probability guys.

This is not breaking news.

But the 2007 Cy Young winner may not be as easy to trade for value as many think he is.

One has to think Sabathia is going to want to test the waters of free agency, and if a team can only be assured that Sabathia will be playing for them the second half of this season, they won't be trading the farm to get him.

Also, Sabathia isn't exactly the most limber of men, so GMs may be afraid to sign him to a big money, seven-year contract. Sabathia's weight makes him injury-prone in a lot of GMs' minds, and it is sure to scare some from offering long-term deals.

According to some clubs, the Indians are floating Sabathia's name out there. They are making it known that they aren't interested in pulling the trigger as of yet, but may be a few losing streaks from doing so.

According to Jason Stark, "The Indians are heavily scouting the Boston Red Sox." So obviously, Shapiro has grasped it may be time to consider planning for 2009.

On the other hand, if the Indians can muster up a few wins and the bullpen and bats come alive, the Indians will begin to resemble the team from a year ago. Shapiro would then hold his ace and use it for battle in the second half of the season.

The Indians could then try and look around for some plug-in pieces for the home stretch. Unfortunately, Adam Miller, who was on every MLB team's wish list, has continued to be unreliable in the health department, and with another injury, he will not be traded this year.

Aaron Laffey is another guy with huge trade value, but with a season-ending injury to Jake Westbrook and Laffey pitching the way he is, the club needs him. Shapiro has never been one to sacrifice the future either.

Others, such as Kelly Shoppach, could be bargaining tools. The Pirates showed a lot of interest this past offseason, and maybe if the right guy was tossed in, (Aubrey, Sowers, Marte) the Tribe could land a Jason Bay-type player to throw in the outfield.

Honestly though, we could talk trade rumors all day, but unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view), I don't believe any major deals will be done.

Minus a Sabathia deal in a lost season, the only move I see getting done will be a Ryan Garko lock-up for long-term. Some have given him a hard time this year, but let's remember: It is only his second season in the bigs.

All that being said, only time will tell. A lot could happen between now and July 31. Hopefully for those of us who are Tribe fans, it will be a lot of wins, and instead of speculating whether or not to rebuild, we can start getting ready for a competitive AL Central race to the playoffs.

NBA MVP: Why I'm Right and You're Wrong!

Jeffrey Santon — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 03:30:48 -0400

YOU know who the MVP is. Get fired up bloggers and start the assault for your choice.

The NBA is genius for making the MVP a vague, baseless, unclear award. The passion that erupts into blogs and message boards provides sparks of conversation with overwhelming passion and sometimes even rage.

This is a debate that is similar to religion and politics. Fans from virtually every city with a contender have their MVP and aren't budging. The MVP has come to be a prestigious award, and regardless of fans' frustration with it's criteria or lack thereof, all eyes remain focused on the NBA's Most Valuable Player award.

The Fact of the matter is, you mold your opinion to fit the player of your choice. A consensus simply can't be made. The phrase "Most Valuable Player" allows the fan to make a compelling case for such a wide range of players.

If a player scores a lot of points, it's because he is a ball-hog, or plays in a weak conference, or plays a position that is more offense-friendly, or has teammates that give them good looks.

One may be a great defensive player that doesn't get stats that show in the book, or maybe he isn't inspirational enough or motivating guys around him enough. If "so-and-so" had that team, he would have more wins.

"My guy has more rebounds", yes, because he's a forward. "More assists", he's a point guard. "My guy inspires his teammates to play better," how do you know that? "My guy has a team with a great record," yes, and better teammates - which to some decreases his value.

How do you determine a player's true value to a team? If you were able to see the player's team for significant time without them - to understand the value he brings, that player is injury prone or wasn't there when his team needed them. This decreases the player's value.

The bottom line is that the MVP is an award that centers around speculation. Don't think the NBA doesn't know it frustrates us. That frustration turns to passion, and everyone has his own criteria - which usually just happens to fit the player he likes best.

The MVP award can be summed up and decided very simply. Seven simple words speak to most arguments made for their MVP. 'My dad can beat up your dad!'

MLB: Validating Optimism in Cleveland

Jeffrey Santon — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 04:33:17 -0400

Baseball has begun and the Cleveland Indians are nine games into the summer marathon that is Major league baseball's regular season.

The Tribe was one win short of a trip to the world series last year, and the bar has been set pretty high for the young club. Anything short of a World Series would be considered a failure.

Many things went right last year for the Cleveland Indians to accomplish what they did. In the city of Cleveland fans are generally happy with the last year, but now a World Series Championship is where the bar is sitting and it's been said many things would need to happen for Cleveland to get back into October.

First off, the Indians pitching—which was the Tribes strength last year—would have to repeat a year of excellence. A few factors played a major role in the pitching staff's success.

While many would point to C.C. Sabathia's Cy Young season, the everyday tribe fan knows that a few of the tribes unknown's showed up. Fausto Carmona came back from national scrutiny after a string of blown saves after the tribes closer Bob Wickman was traded away in a season that ended with the tribe out of contention.

Carmona returned last year in the starting rotation and finished in the top five for the coveted Cy Young with a 19-8 record, 3.06 ERA, and 137 strike outs to 61 walks.

Boston fan's became some of Carmona's biggest fans paying homage to his "Wicked Slida" as pointed out by Cleveland's number one sports station AM 850 WKNR on-air personalities who have a cult like following around the city.

Other arms from the Tribe stepped up big last year, both starters and relievers alike, and had years that even the most optimistic fan would be surprised by.

Both Rafael Perez, and Rafael Betancourt were lights out all season out of the pen, and even the unknown Jensen Lewis came to be a valuable piece of the pen coming on late spelling the Rafael's in a season in which they were asked to throw a lot of innings.

Joe Borowski, who served as the Tribe's closer in 2007, made Cleveland fan's nervous with his uncanny ability to make every appearance interesting similarly to the Indians last closer Bob Wickman, but the bottom line was he was getting the job done.

Starter Paul Byrd also provided a solid season, while not dominating, he gave the Tribe a good chance at wins every time he toed the rubber.

While many people have the Indians as the World Series favorites this year, many of the things that came together last year are unlikely to all happen again the same way this year, especially with production from the mound.

Many question whether Byrd can have another solid season and if you have even drove through Cleveland you can see the Tribes fans continually growing grey hairs with Joe Borowski closing games.

Here's the good news for Cleveland. Things don't have to be like last year.

If Joe Borowski doesn't work Rafael Betancourt will be waiting with a third closer option of Kobayashi behind him. Paul Byrd may not bring the game he did last year either but Cliff Lee who was injured and a non-factor in the Indians success last year is off to a solid start.

Hall of fame radio personality Greg Brinda has been proclaiming a 16 win season for Lee this year since spring training. Jake Westbrook is looking to be a huge factor in the rotation in this young season as well.

The Indians are also loaded with arms in their farm system. If an injury or less then average play comes about, options are available. The

Cleveland Indians can also expect a few sticks to show up this year that many feel didn't play up to their potential last year. Most notably Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore.

So in closing, while we are only nine games into this young season, the Cleveland Indians are going to have to wait and see which player's are going to show up this year to help the Indians get to where they want to be.

While your everyday pessimist can "glass half empty" you to death with concerns of Travis Hafner, Paul Byrd, and Joe Borowski, the optimist can fire right back with a Cliff Lee, Kobayoshi, and possibly by the all-star break Ben Francisco to help with a platoon system that thus far looks to be less then desirable.

Options, options, options!!

The Tribe is loaded with them. If the standard in Cleveland is a World Series this year and certain guys aren't playing up to it, somebody is going to be nipping at their heels starving for the chance to bring the playoff caliber play desired at that position to return deep into the playoffs, and maybe even finally reach the plateau that the city of Cleveland has been starving to achieve since 1964, a World Champion.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade: Franchise Faces for the Brooklyn Nets?

Jeffrey Santon — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 03:28:09 -0500

Many national media honks seem fairly convinced that LeBron James will be departing from the Cleveland Cavaliers when his contract expires three years from now.

Hometown honks in Cleveland, on the other hand, seem to be putting their faith in LeBron staying. After all, he is semi-hometown boy—James grew up in Akron roughly 45 minutes south of Cleveland.

James made a statement after the draft that made some nervous. When he was asked how it felt to be playing in his hometown, he responded, "It’s not my hometown. I'm from Akron."

Well, like most Akron natives, he's at least grown up a Cavs fan, right?

Wrong.

LBJ grew up rooting for the Chicago Bulls and his hero Michael Jordan—the Cavaliers’ nemesis who, in all probability, cost a few great Cavs’ teams shots at titles.

For that matter, LBJ was not a fan of any Cleveland teams. His football team was Dallas.

Many will also remember the spectacle when, during the playoffs, LBJ showed up at an Indians’ game against the Yankees, sporting one of the evil empire's lids. That’s right, he is also a Yankees fan.

Okay, so this hometown theory is complete garbage and is simply wishful thinking, right?

Not completely.

He just had a custom built home constructed in Bath, Ohio, equipped with bowling alleys and studios. He has a couple of children now, and he may not be interested in shipping them off to a new city.

His family and friends can attend virtually every game. Plus, James has made it no secret that he wants to become a billionaire one day, and Cleveland can pay him more money than any other team.

I’m also not so sure that LBJ is going to be quick to become the most hated man in the state of Ohio, in which he was born and raised. Make no mistake about it, if he were to leave he would become the most hated athlete in Cleveland history, regardless of what he accomplishes while there.

That is not a possibility. It's a fact.

Now, all that being said, it's also no secret that LeBron James and rapper Jay-Z are extremely tight. Jay-Z is a partial owner of the Nets.

The Nets will be in Brooklyn when James becomes a free agent, and there will be some serious buzz supporting the big New York market behind the team.

Another one of James’ good friends, Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade, will be a free agent as well that year.

Just imagine what kind of team Brooklyn could have immediately. With those two acquisitions, any team in the NBA would become a instant contender.

It seems to be a perfect storm. Brooklyn Nets jerseys would instantly become number one selling items.

Being a Cleveland native myself, I would never think of sporting an LBJ jersey if my city’s name did not appear across the front. A Wade jersey, though, might sneak its way into my closet.

In theory, those two playing together for the Brooklyn Nets could become the greatest tandem ever.

Yes, ever.

I see the blogs beneath this soon-to-be-completed article reminding me of the famous Jordan-Pippen duo. But I unfortunately feel these two together could spell longtime doom for the NBA's other participating teams.

LBJ and Wade originally agreed to only sign three year contracts with their teams because the new bargaining agreement would be agreed upon that season, causing the two to reap the benefits of free agency with a brand new max cap.

It was said to be a great business move on their parts, but was there more to the decision than appeared on the surface?

Are Jay-Z, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade planning to build a franchise in Brooklyn and an instant empire?

The record-breaking revenue, records, and worldwide recognition would truly be one heck of a way for a franchise to begin.

I suppose there is no way to know for certain if this is simply a cool new rumor or the future of the NBA.

But I do know this: I personally will be paying pretty close attention to the Nets’ cap in the next few years to see if they will be making room for two max contracts in the year 2011.

Brett Favre Hold Out: Is He Football's Roger Clemens?

Jeffrey Santon — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 02:18:16 -0500

Once again, NFL offseason fun begins. Tonight will open the free agency and die-hard fans abroad will be waiting to see their team stream across ESPN with a new acquisition.

Many teams will have to make very important decisions about resigning the players they already have, and find brand new pieces to fit the puzzle. If successful in this, they might have a chance to bring a championship to their city.

Most of the talk thus far has replicated that of the last couple of years—it’s all about Brett Favre and whether or not he will be partaking in another season with the Packers.

Much like baseball’s Roger Clemens, many people feel Favre’s inability—or refusal—to give the team a definitive answer one way or another is selfish, putting himself above the team.

In Clemens’ case you could even say that he is putting himself above the whole game more so than a single team. We have seen it time and time again with both players, and if Brett Favre weren't Brett Favre this kind of behavior would not fly.

Clemens and Favre are similar in this respect. They are able to hold out much longer than anyone else because of who they are. The difference between them, though, is that a starting pitcher only plays every five games while the quarterback is usually the most important player on the field in every game.

Also, Clemens was not on a roster. He was simply floating around and any team that wanted him late was making the decision to sign him. No one’s hand was being forced.

The argument many make is that Favre is hurting his team because delaying a decision makes it difficult for the Packers to fill their roster appropriately. I disagree.

No matter what, there are next to no quarterbacks available in free agency. Derek Anderson is at the top of the list this year and he is restricted. Plus, Cleveland made a fairly solid offer yesterday and most agree that he will accept.

So whether Favre decides against play now or in two months, Aaron Rodgers would be the man in Green Bay.

If Favre were to say now that he is coming back for another season it would probably help the team sign some free agents. So think about this: Brett Favre would actually be helping the Green Bay Packers by holding out in announcing his retirement, if that’s what he decides.

Free agents are more likely to sign with the Packers if they are 75 percent convinced Brett will be back. A wide receiver like Moss—the fun free agent linked to the Packers thus far—certainly wouldn't rush to Green Bay for an Aaron Rodgers’ led franchise.

The thought of a magical season with Brett Favre, who had the Packers at the doorstep of the Super Bowl last year, is much more appealing.

If the Packers hadn't spent a first round pick in 2005 on Rodgers and if a Doug Peterson-type quarterback were the only option given a late Favre retirement, it’s true that he would be hindering the team greatly. But the bottom line is, this year that is not the case.

Packers fans should also be pleased that Favre is, in a sense, holding team management's feet to the fire. They were close to real victory last year, and Favre’s holding out just may be his way of forcing management to obtain the key players the team needs to get to—and win—the big one this year.

Folks, if it were already the halfway point in training camp and Favre was still undecided, he would be holding the Packers hostage and it would be hurting the team.

But as of now, I say the delay is not really hurting them. Plus, if he is retiring and waits to announce that decision, it would probably prove beneficial for the Packers.

The Real Truth Behind Shaq's New Youth

Jeffrey Santon — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 01:54:07 -0500

Shaquille O'Neal has been moved back to the West and will be contending for another title there with the Phoenix Suns.

Many speculated whether the move by Sun's GM Steve Kerr was appropriate due to Shaq's bouts with injuries and lack of speed. The Sun's run up and down the floor with the best of 'em and their game plan revolves around it.

To many, the image of Shaq's lethargic, injured, slow-moving 300+ pound frame in a Sun's jersey, high-flying up and down the court was inconceivable. The media wire began buzzing off the charts with perplexity, trying to rationalize the initial move.

Steve Kerr is held in high regards by man around the league and his basketball IQ is said to be excellent, disabling the majority of analysts to definitively choose a side once they stepped back from the initial shock of the move.

Bottom line is,without knowing what Shaq you were going to get, you can't truly evaluate the move. Overwhelmingly,like so many other moves made in all of professional sports,you simply must wait and see.

Thus far, Shaq has played two games with the Phoenix Sun's, and while its early yet, Shaq looks to have new found youth.

Playing for Miami this entire year, the only part of Shaq's body I have ever seen make contact with the hardwood was the bottom of his size twenty three sneakers. In two games with the Sun's, he's been diving for loose balls and making life tough for both the camera man under the hoop and floor seat spectators alike.

Heart rates tend to rise like an adjustable mortgage when a man of that size is heading for your lap. One must ask where this surge of hustle and heart came from.

There are a few factors possibly contributing to Shaq's newfound zest. The first being that players often have a new found motivation on a new team. Let's face it: He wants to earn his new hometown fans' respect as well as that of his teammates. One has to wonder if Shaq quit bringing a full effort to Miami games due to a lack of inspiration, understandably driven when your team is obviously out of contention.

From day one of the season, however, Shaq never showed me the inspiration that he seems to have obtained in this change of scenery. Even when your name is Shaq, a $22 million salary should give you some drive and, whether you have to fake it or not, some effort as well.

While Shaq had nagging injuries all season in Miami, it's somewhat amazing how the "healing of a dealing" can work.

A nagging hip injury that began right around the time the Heat looked to be finished had plagued him for a couple months. A nagging quad was causing problems before that. Sure, the rest of the all star break had to help a bit, but can anyone say for certain that Shaq wasn't robbing Miami blind?

D. Wade, who has been the leader of the Miami Heat, and Shaq appeared pretty chummy to the naked eye prior to this year. One could have classified them as friends, whether they were simply public relation buddies or whether it was a genuine friendship.

That being said, a friend would not call you out publicly if he believed you were truly suffering the misfortune of being sidelined with an injury. Wade called Shaq out publicly for his dismal play in an attempt to either get Shaq playing to the ability Wade knew he was capable of or in an attempt to call the media police to ensure justice to the extraditing of millions of dollars from the team.

Wade was attempting to revive some respectability.Shaq missed most of the following games and, let's be honest, if his injury was not, in fact, legit, then he may be eligible for an academy award for playing a washed up, injured basketball player well past his prime limping to the finish line of his career.

But, if Shaq continues to play at the level he has been playing in these two games with Phoenix, there's no absolute certain way to assert that Shaq was truly injured enough to miss all those games to exhibit that level of underperformance.

Not from the perspective of the stats, but from the questionable effort level. The stats thus far do not demonstrate that Shaq was depriving Miami effort that he's now offering Phoenix, however; if you have watched the difference in play, it's overwhelming.

Highlights of Shaquille O'Neal diving for loose balls in a Miami jersey certainly weren't flooding my television set. Shaq's new found youth brings some question to his character.

Does he simply play when he feels like playing? Will he suffer another hip or quad injury if the Sun's are not a top contender in following years?

In no way can anyone know with certainty whether Shaq's injuries and lackluster play in Miami was a choice. The more he dives and screeches across the hardwood with the Sun's, the more viewers are persuaded to wonder.

Cleveland Cavaliers: The New Beasts Of The East?

Jeffrey Santon — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 01:54:44 -0500

As everyone knows, the Cleveland Cavs made most of the noise in trade deadline day.

The 11-player blockbuster deal that sent six Cavaliers to Chicago and Seattle,and Cleveland brings in four new guys.

The new members, mostly likely, will need to be heard from come postseason.

Most people you talk to think this will greatly improve the Cavs, while a select few view it as a panic trade. I am a fan of the move, and the Cavs succeeded in making LeBron happy. In no way did GM Danny Ferry pull that trigger without getting LeBron's take on it.

The Cavaliers have needed a few components to get there and have a rising mega superstar, of James Caliber,is key. In a borderline all or nothing deal, they addressed two of the Cavaliers' biggest needs over the past couple years. They acquired a tough down low in Ben Wallace, a true point guard in Delonte West, and another shooter in Wally Szczerbiak. Szczerbiak will be one of the best true shooters on the team.

This trade obviously did not favor Seattle. The team improvement on the floor with Donyell Marshall and Ira Newble hasn't helped much but cap room is the sole motive.

Szczerbiak could play a vital role with Cleveland, especially with LeBron's uncanny ability to get guys good looks. Plugging him in correctly may be the challenge. LeBron is at the third spot for the Cavs, but with his versatility ways to get Szczerbiak in will be explored over the final 30 games of the year.

Many feel Szczerbiak's contract is what makes this deal all or nothing. He could very well be dished as soon as next year for a straight up trade for another team. A team searching for cap relief, like so many do in this day in age in the NBA.

Thinking entirely too far ahead, a player like Michael Redd from Milwaukee, could be talked about a time or two next year. Not too many would see the Bucks being legitimate contenders one year from now, and may be looking to head in another direction.

Other big pieces were added in Ben Wallace and Delonte West. West is more of a wild card in this deal because it will take time to see how his play will fit. The Cavs certainly do need players at that position, and Ferry is rumored to have been attempting to obtain him for the last few years.

West brings sneaky speed to the Cavs at point, but in a new system with a player like LeBron, who often controls the ball, the success of West cannot yet be determined.

Wallace on the other hand is going to bring the Cavs a toughness that they have longed for since the LeBron James era began. The Tony Parkers and Chauncy Billups of the NBA are going to think twice before kamikaze crashes into the lane.

One may argue that the Cavs lost crucial scoring pieces in Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Shannon Brown, and Cedric Simmons heading over to Chicago. I will explain why Danny Ferry feels confident that this move was well thought out. As far as Shannon Brown and Cedric Simmons, they were not going to have any relevance come post-season, having rarely seeing minutes in the regular season.

Drew Gooden was simply replaced by Joe Smith. The Cavs gave up youth in Gooden, but brought experience to the team with Smith.

Hughes' contract has been widely regarded as one of the Cavs' biggest blunders in franchise history. Hughes and Wallace are very similar in the sense that they came to teams (Hughes to Cleveland, Wallace to Chicago) in which they didn't fit in. Hughes made it clear to anyone who would listen, that offensively he never got comfortable in Cleveland. Wallace, from day one in Chicago, did not hit it off with Bulls coach Scott Skyles. In Cleveland Wallace can get back to his natural power forward spot.

Cavaliers coach Mike Brown, is going to have to tinker with the line-up until he finds something he's comfortable with. The thoughts of Wallace-Ilgauskas-Verejao combination would make them tough down low. The Cavs arguably have the toughest combos down low in all of basketball now.

All of the new acquisitions must have physicals and will not be participating tonight against the Wizards. Tonight we may see a new career high for LeBron James with only six players of the Cavs roster able to play. Guards Sasha Pavlovic and Daniel Gibson are out with injuries, as well as Andy Varejao who may dress tonight but will not play.

A few call ups from the developmental league is an almost certainty, but expect LeBron to go insane tonight. It may not be in a winning effort, but LeBron will be putting up crazy statistics come game time.

Bottom line when analyzing a trade; any trade is a risk. Danny Ferry acknowledged that yesterday stating, "We took some risks today. But I think they're good risks. I think we brought in good players, who fit what we think is important to us—the defensive mentality and shooting."

Throwing hindsight out the door for now, this trade is huge. The East leaders, like Detroit and Boston, better take notice.

The Cavs may have made the move needed to make them the new beast of the East.

Why LeBron James Is Midseason MVP

Jeffrey Santon — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 03:44:21 -0500

The NBA’s most prestigious award honoring an individual’s excellent season performance is the MVP. Unfortunately the criteria seems to change each year, making it tough to identify the front-runner.

Sometimes the award goes to the player with the freakish stats from an average team, other times the league chooses to recognize the greatest team’s best player.

All in all, there doesn’t often seem to be a clear cut favorite for the MVP. And even when there is, some see the prospect as open to question as a BCS midseason ranking.

The season is technically just past the halfway point and the MVP debate is starting to gain momentum. Personally I believe LeBron James is the front-runner. That said, let’s sort through some of this year’s top names and see if we can come up with a solid opponent to challenge LeBron for the award.

Steve Nash is known for his amazing ability to take his team down the court with perfect passes and shrewd looks. He is the unmistakable leader of his squad. Nash has very good numbers averaging 17.4 points and 11.7 assists per game. But while his leadership is notable, his defense is probably average.

Honestly, there are a couple factors precluding Nash from real MVP contention. First, his stats barely rank him at the top of his own team (Stoudemire has 23.2 points 9.3 rebounds per game). And while a 17-point, 11-assist game would be seen as consistent for Nash, this kind of game would qualify as an off-night for LeBron.

With 30.3 points, 7.8 assists, and 7.3 rebounds per game along with better defensive play, James outranks Nash. Plus, there is a significant gap between James and the second best Cavalier, while the performances of Nash’s squad are a bit more uniform.

Next let’s take a look at Kobe Bryant—one of the more legitimate contenders. Kobe is a very complete player, and like LeBron and others he is undoubtedly the leader of his squad.

First off, defensively the edge goes to Kobe—though I’ll bet LeBron will be in the thick of things when the NBA's all defensive team is announced.

Kobe is a great scorer, and supports his teammates with intuitive looks. But James’ averages top Bryant’s: 30.3 points as opposed to 28; 7.8 assists as opposed to 5.3. James also beats Bryant in boards, with 7.3 as opposed to 6.1.

Their supporting casts are fairly similar, but overall the advantage goes to LeBron.

Now here’s where the questionable criteria used to decide upon an MVP is similar to the data used to compile a BCS ranking.

Dwight Howard is developing as the true dominant force of the NBA's big men down low, and we’ve all seen how this kind of presence benefits a team (e.g. Shaq in his prime).

A big man you can’t control, and can only pray to contain, truly defines dominance—and truly defines Howard. He’s the toughest down low right now and he has his team back in the thick of the playoffs as well.

So how do you choose which player is more valuable? I think the best way to determine worth is to picture a team without that one player. Then gauge just how much that one player's absence would affect the team negatively.

With James and Howard I see a virtual tie.

Reviewing the stats, it’s also tough to choose. Howard has a significant edge in rebounds, but LBJ's significant margin in points (8.6 more per game) and his ability to make the perfect pass in traffic (creating 7.8 assists a game) still gives him the arguable advantage over Howard.

Other players are in consideration, such as Chris Paul who is leading New Orleans to an unbelievable season in the West. But again the stats don't compare. Paul at 20.5, 10.9, 2.6 is impressive. But it’s not LBJ.

Ming: 22.2, 2.4, 10.8. Great, but not LBJ.

Dirk: 22.8, 4.0, 8.8. Good, but not LBJ.

Garnett: 19.2, 3.8, 9.9. Okay, but far from LBJ.

The bottom line is, if you were to compile all the possible data thought to factor into the MVP decision, you’d find the winner in LeBron James. Kobe comes close in individual play and Howard is right there, too. But it’s just got to be LeBron.

Now I’ll leave you with my ranking, No. 1 through No. 5.

1. LeBron James

2. Dwight Howard

3. Kobe Bryant

4. Chris Paul

5. Steve Nash

MLB Hearings: Has Roger Clemens Dug His Own Grave?

Jeffrey Santon — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 02:16:28 -0500

Roger Clemens is a seven-time Cy Young Award Winner. Over the last two decades, he has been one of baseball’s most recognized faces, a kind of representative.

Maintaining stats worthy of the Hall of Fame and now with a newfound youth, this 45–year-old still ranks among the top tier pitchers in the game.

But, as have blighted the careers of so many, allegations of the use of performance enhancing drugs stopped Clemens in his tracks. The much-anticipated Mitchell Report detailed the charges.

So Clemens had a big decision to make. This iconic would-be-legend-of-the-game had to choose his words carefully in either defense of innocence or concession of guilt, knowing full well that to admit wrongdoing would mean throwing away everything he had ever worked for, everything he’s earned.

Guilty or innocent, Roger chose to fight.

He has vehemently denied use of performance enhancing substances. Senator Mitchell, however, did include Clemens in his report of a personal investigation into the level of use of such drugs in the game.

Mitchell's source: Brian McNamee, former strength and conditioning coach of Clemens.

When Clemens first came out and denied use he made the decision that he would deny all allegations and never turn back. But if he thought this battle would simply pit McNamee’s word against his own, well he was mistaken. In such a case, it would be almost impossible to prove guilt, and of course that’s what the bigwigs are after.

Trying to understand what I might do were I in Clemens’ shoes, I figured that as long as the accused party denies, denies, denies, and as long as all tests come back negative, McNamee’s claims could never amount to anything.

But the plot thickens.

McNamee has reportedly saved physical evidence to bolster his credibility— from vials with traces of steroids and HGH to blood-stained syringes and gauze pads supposedly used by Clemens.

A rational person immediately questions just why someone would keep such self-incriminating evidence. McNamee claims his being a "former police officer" and says he preserved evidence from 2000 and 2001 out of fear they would get busted and Clemens would deny use.

Obviously Clemens’ defense team has plenty of angles to work here. His attorney issued a statement already, stating that "Brian McNamee is obviously a troubled man who is obsessed with doing everything possible to destroy Roger Clemens."

That’s one angle that nobody is surprised to see played. However, I don’t think it would have been in McNamee's best interest to falsely out a player like Clemens, especially when he already was dropping Pettitte and he didn't put up any fight at all.

Mr. Breuer, Clemens’ attorney, continues to speak to McNamee’s "manufactured evidence.” This situation will get ugly if Roger indeed lied.

Clemens spoke with a federal committee on the issue to prepare for a public session scheduled for next week. He commented on this, saying "I just want to thank the committee, the staff that I just met with. They were very courteous…It was great to be able to tell them what I've been saying all along. That I never used steroids or growth hormones."

For your sake, Mr. Clemens, I hope you understand the motive behind the committee’s courtesy. They are going to be nothing but nice in preparing for the hearing. Your comfort is imperative. They’re hoping you’ll incriminate yourself, Mr. Clemens, and possibly under oath.

I promise, the volume will be turned up significantly next Wednesday and your comfort will no longer be their concern; you’ll be walking into the lion’s den.

If Roger is guilty he knows that he could have a very rough battle in store, and it's just too late to turn back now. Who knows what Andy Pettitte said under oath? If he is aware of any use by Clemens, would he have divulged? Will McNamee's evidence turn out to be worthy of backing Federal charges of perjury? Will that thought scare Pettitte into squealing? What if McNamee once shot them up in the same room?

Pettitte could be bitter that he took his lumps to avoid this process and Clemens is forcing him into it.

Basically, if Clemens is truly innocent he will in all probability escape this matter unscathed. But if he is indeed guilty he’s gotten himself into quite a mess. He’ll try to dance his way out of it, only to be slammed with Federal charges.

Bottom line, next Wednesday could be the most interesting hearing of the steroid era yet.

For Roger Clemens, it's the fight of his life.

New England Patriots: From Perfection to In-Question

Jeffrey Santon — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 02:51:07 -0500

One of the great Super Bowls of our era is over.

Goliath has been slain and a season of butt-kissing (which was earned, pending cheating allegation validity) will be followed with an offseason of scrutiny and questions.

New spying alligations have been raised, and sportsmanship and character issues are a hot topic, along with critics already questioning player and coach’s abilities alike.

Yes, that fast. A one-game 180.

The biggest game was not won, and the achievement of perfection was lost. In all probability, with the NFL's parity, nobody will be this close to perfection for generations to come. This one hurt bad for the Patriots.

For the players, speaking after the defeat looked to be about as enjoyable as stabbing oneself in the face with an ice pick. Coach Belichick has never been a man of many words and almost at times seemed to enjoy the stigma that he has earned with brief responses. He even seemed to force himself to crack smile at times, looking to be amused by his own comments, or lack thereof.

Coach wasn't much different in his post-Super Bowl interviews but Vegas odds on Belichick cracking a smile weren't very favorable on the side of a cheese or two.

When asked about the game, he said, "Congratulations to the Giants. They made plays, we didn't, it's disappointing."

Very Belichick.

He was hit with a question in regards to rumors he had someone tape the Rams' final walk-through before a game.

"I haven't heard them" said Belichick.

Yeah, I bet you haven't. Can't wait to slip into the offseason and dodge that one for a while, huh?

I think reporters should have kept hammering away on that. I doubt you would get much out of him, but he should be forced to squirm a bit on that issue—especially if it's true.

That is a big time no-no, and the timing allows him to avoid answering questions on it for some time.

Three different questions were asked in regards to what the Giants did on defense, the Giants did on offense, and the Giants' ability to have an effective pass rush—nothing earth-shattering in response.

"They are a good team, they played well," was really the gist of all three answers.

Tom Brady was asked a few questions, although his answers being much longer only really translated into more of the same, "they played well, good team, they deserve it." Blah, blah, blah.

Seau was asked what he was thinking when laying on the field after the Giants go-ahead score, "It was disappointing and it was something I didn't want to feel." Yes, we know.

I ask my pessimistic self sometimes about Junior. He is an older player that is still performing at a rather high level for his age. I don't know that it's my fault in this day in age that I question the reasons.

Unfortunately, whether guilty or innocent I doubt I am the only one who wonders if older players are getting a little "shot" of youth at times (if you know what I mean).

Obviously, there's no factual information, nor has there even been speculation, but I wonder. I think we've seen that the organization isn't very concerned about bending the rules a bit now and then, and again I just wonder.

In the wake of baseball's discoveries that it's a fairly common thing—I can't see football being much better. Better at hiding it and keeping alum from snitching—yes, but using, I would bet no.

Again, speculation. And as Bleacher Report's Ryan Alberti would put it: "Just saying, is all."

But I have been thinking about something in this tricky world of performance enhancing, and I think a have a way to help detour it a little, at least.

No grown man's feet or head should be growing. HGH is a performance enhancer that is known to cause this to happen, yet this substance is next to untraceable. I think shoe and hat or helmet sizes should be documented and watched over. If a guy wants to squeeze his head into a helmet or shoes that don't fit anymore to hide use, he will be taking away from his game by playing in equipment that is too small.

In essence, this make a guy cut down on whatever's causing himself to be comparable to a circus freak. It's not unreasonable to make a guy wear the same shoe or hat size. I mean, flat out—once grown, your head should be grown with you. Not inflating in size year by year because you put "extra time in."

Patriots have never been accused of having players that used HGH anymore than any other team. But with a leader that allegedly cheats, it's not out of the realm of possibility.

So in closing, when you're the Patriots, and you win like you do (running up scores) and lose like you do (running off the field early) and now allegedly cheat like you do; you can expect a rough offseason. Whether it be an aspiring writer questioning how far your cheating goes, or others turning up the volume in obtaining dirt on you, eyes will remain.

Now in one loss, there's a lot more negative than positive.

All the discussions of greatest team ever and genius coaching turn to speculation of cheating and poor sportsmanship in one quick modern-day immaculate reception and fade route.

No question they will be back next year ready to play, but by that first kickoff I find myself wondering how much mud they will have been dragged through, and how much more villainized they will be after this offseason.

'Twas the Night Before the Super Bowl...

Jeffrey Santon — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 03:03:59 -0500

Twas the night before the Super Bowl, the next champ in the house.

No room for mistakes, except those from Strahan's mouth.

The pocket for Brady will be protected with care.

The difference will be if New York's front four can get in there.

On both sides players are nestled, all snug in their beds.

Finally—two teams without players who are wanted by feds.

Even mothers of players during breaks can catch fame.

For their son's NFL-sized hunger, Ma and Campbell's will tame.

Tomorrow at 6:30, nothing else will really matter.

Except what's more important—a good seat or your bladder?

You might be at a friend's, and the party will begin.

But unfortunately, those people who don't care are let in.

You will drink lots of beer and eat food you probably shouldn't...

But be happy you aren't that guy who made a bet, and pay couldn't.

Funny commercials and halftime shows are sure to excite,

As will guys who brought their girlfriends and all game are forced to fight.

Validated predictions will be proclaimed with pride,

While those who were wrong swear they never picked a side.

Someone will call them out, claiming they heard a bet played,

But they'll be met with excuses, like "the spread was never made."

Regardless of the party, whether it be fun or lame,

History is upon us, and will be made in this game.

The Patriots have one left until perfection they taste,

But the Giants too have an opportunity they don't want to waste.

In closing, let's go—the game is almost here.

So go sleep, wake up, tune in,and crack a beer.

How LeBron James Spoils the Cleveland Cavaliers

Jeffrey Santon — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 02:53:26 -0500

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been riding high as of late.

A once seemingly insurmountable deficit to be considered one of the top teams in the East, has been chipped away at a slow and steady pace. Now, the Cavs have been finding ways to win, sneaking their way up to the fourth seed in the eastern conference.

LeBron James has been instrumental, cancel that, LeBron James with the exception of a bucket here and there from a teammate, has BEEN the fourth quarter for the Cavaliers.

The "killer instinct" that was last year's popular knock on LeBron has developed in front of our very eyes, and it's scary.

With his speed and size, he is forcing his way to the basket and he's next to impossible to stop with momentum in the lane. Late in games, the mid-range jump shots and even contested 3s manage to find their way down, when it seems as if he gets in his 'late game zone'.

LeBron undoubtedly finds ways to make the guys around him better when he's on the court as well. But, the negative effect it seems to have when he's out of the line-up is starting to be blatantly obvious.

The Cavaliers are 0-6 without LeBron's presence on the court and their lack of a second leader on the court is glaringly apparent. While on the positive side they feed off his play and ability to find them buckets off his own double and triple teams, they are also so spoiled by his presence that when he isn't in the game, each individual is challenged to a higher degree individually, as their defenders are not watching LeBron out of the corner of their eye and can man up without anyone commanding secondary help to contain.

In last night's game against the Supersonics the Cavaliers looked lackadaisical and slow to the ball the entire first half and defensively it looked like a pick-up game at the YMCA. Uncontested shots and defensive miscues under the bucket led to a 40-point first quarter for Seattle.

To coach Mike Brown's credit, he had just about every different Cavalier on the floor, but nobody was stepping up and defensively were uninspired and out-hustled.

Eric Snow even made an apperance, dusting himself off to try and provide a spark defensively with his strength being disciplined veteran defense, but to no avail.

Shannon Brown finally peeled off the warm-ups as well as Donyell Marshall who was coming back for the first time in two months since suffering a wrist injury. Snow, Marshall and Brown combined for five points, two rebounds, and no assists.

The bench who, with LeBron playing a spark as of late, simply jumped into the game to take their turn playing un-enthused and painfully hesitant, waiting for the next guy to take control of the game, just like LeBron does when he is in the game.

Larry Hughes finally stepped up and finished the game with 28 points. But without LeBron in the line-up they came up a few buckets short of a fourth quarter comeback which they lead the NBA in doing.

On LeBron's absence Larry Hughes said, "We basically run everything through him, so when he's not out there, it takes us awhile to figure out where we are most effective."

Unfortunately for Cleveland, that has been painfully true in all six games he has missed. What was disappointing is the effort that was put forth early into the game. A now 11-35 Sonics team was scoring at will and nobody in red and gold looked to be interested in putting a stop to it.

The Cavaliers' record is now 25-20 and 0-6 minus LeBron. LeBron is day-to-day with an ankle sprain in which he played the second half against Portland, and scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to the Trail Blazers' 15 as a team. The Cavaliers' play without him undoubtedly shows they count on James to be a superstar for them every night, which he more often then not does.

Ilgauskas added to the discussion of the Cavaliers' play minus LeBron saying, "Sometimes we do rely on him so much especially at the end of games, it's hard for guys to switch it mentally".

Also blatantly obvious.

Thus far, if the MVP award is truly what its letters stand for the most VALUABLE player to his team, then I think you would have a hard time making a case for anyone else right now.

LeBron's all-around ability truly has spoiled his supporting cast into incompetence. In essence, the Cavaliers wouldn't have a prayer without LeBron anyway, but when he can't play, it would be nice for the Cavs to win a game they should win here and there.

LeBron, in all probability, would have played had the Supersonics not been the second game of a back-to-back West Coast road trip, considering he played on the ankle for a half and looked great on it.

The Cavaliers have a day off to get LeBron healthy and get ready for the Clippers Saturday night.

Super Bowl Media Day: Breaking Down the Headlines

Jeffrey Santon — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 03:37:20 -0500

Media day has come and gone and the home stretch for the Sunday everyone is waiting for has arrived.

As usual, it produced a Nostradamus-wannabe that's proved to mean a lot of nothing year in and out.

Plaxico Burress is this year's Super Bowl loud mouth, predicting a final score of 23-17, with the Giants as victors.

On one side, what's so wrong with throwing a prediction out there? If you don't think you can win the game you shouldn't be playing in it and, quite frankly, it provides entertainment and something for fans to talk about.

On the other hand, I don't think giving "the Hoodie" or Tom Brady or anyone else on this New England team any more motivation than they already have is a great idea.

Two previous players have done so...and we all know those outcomes. In the other 16 games in which predictions weren't made, the outcome was the same as well so who's to say it makes any difference?

It was obvious that Tom Brady especially took offense to Anthony Smith's guarantee that the Steelers would be the team to put a stop to the season of perfection when Brady went to seek out Smith and let him know what he thought about it in the end zone following a Pats score.

Brady says all the right things and even had a smirk when he was asked of the prediction Burress made. When told of the prediction, Brady responded, "What was the score? We're only going to score 17 points? Is Plax playing defense? I wish he would have given us a little more credit for scoring points."

Following that—a slew of politically correct responses.

Tom Brady is a very competitive player. I promise you, regardless of what he says further on the subject, like "the Giants are a great team" and "they should be confident being the NFC champs"—those comments are simply lip service.

To me, Brady's initial remarks seemed to be a taste of what he really thought about it. But with the way Belichik runs that team that's about as far as a Patriot can go with a response.

Burress has since attempted to downplay the prediction as no big deal—simply entertainment. Truly, that's really all it is to some, but I can promise you the Patriots don't find it entertaining in the least.

There is a lot of pride in that squad and for anyone to disregard the records they've broken offensively is simply giving them more reason to prove themselves. I can promise you Mr. Caughlin is far from ecstatic over his wide receiver's need to entertain—regardless of how many times we have to hear about how much he has changed and what a players' coach he is now.

What was truly entertaining on media day however, was hearing Strahan address his own mouth. Obviously he knows what's going on in there and someone actually asked him about it.

"It fits me," said Strahan. "I went to the dentist and had x-rays and everything, but it just wouldn't be me [to fix them]."

I will say this: I'm glad it's you and not me that those things "fit."

Randy Moss spoke of his Green Bay considerations in the beginning of the year and I found it to be one of the more interesting interviews of the day.

Moss stated that Green Bay had made it clear they were taking a chance on him and that Moss needed to know that Driver was still their number one guy, so don't think about it being himself. He also stated that while Brett Favre seemed interested in acquiring him, the team clearly did not seem to be and were more or less appeasing Farve.

Looks like Green Bay got what they wanted in keeping Moss away while attempting to show Favre they were putting forth their best effort. Green Bay clearly would have been a better team with Moss and, while they proved their loyalty to Donald Driver, they should probably think of re-evaluating their priorities.

Even without Moss it is still arguable whether Driver was Green Bay's best wide receiver this year. Greg Jennings proved to be a force to be reckoned with for defensive coordinators perhaps more so then Driver, whose age seems to be catching up to him to a degree.

Then Eli Manning commented on comparisons to his brother and said it was "a compliment." He also said, "I feel like I'm in grammar school." I won't argue with him there.

Following the field goal that sent the Giants to the Super Bowl he was running around the field and truly looked like a child on his last day of school before summer vacation. Eli does at times look like he would be a perfect cast as a young Peyton in some bad television movie.

They both seem to have that "gee golly" type of personality, which in a way makes them likable to the public.

I, personally, am glad that media day has passed and this game is one day closer to being played. One way or another, this Super Bowl is going to be special in comparison to most. It will be remembered for a long time to come, but the question right now is: Why?

Will it be remembered for David beating Goliath or will it be remembered for the New England Patriots accomplishing perfection in a time where parity in the NFL isn't expected to allow it?

Either way, eyes across the globe will be watching and decades from now—fans of the two participants or not—when this game and season are spoken of you will remember where you were when you watched this game.

Whether it be at home on your couch or at a Super Bowl party that one of your buddies threw together—you will remember. ESPN Classic and teams that begin seasons 6-0 or 7-0 for a long time to come will make you think back to this Super Bowl.

How to Turn the Super Bowl Into the Humor Bowl

Jeffrey Santon — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 08:10:41 -0500

If you want a Super Bowl that everyone will remember, I have it for you.

This is more of a Surreal Life meets circus freak show meets all-time Pro-Bowlers, but this my friends truly would be a bowl in which the word Super is appropriate.

Let's start by casting a man for the position everybody knows to be of the most importance: quarterback. I'm going to pencil in John Elway. Not for his remarkable play over his career, nor "the drive," nor his leaving the game following two consecutive Super Bowl championships.

We are placing him there for being the face of the Denver Broncos for all those years and literally having the face of a Bronco as well. Yes that's right, our quarterback is named our starter for having horse-sized chops and facial features that look just like the horse on the side of his helmet. That's a taste of how this is going to work.

Shannon Sharpe will also be named at tight end for the very same reason.

Now we need a running back who will kill any opposing defense he goes up against. Yes, you guessed it, who better then "the juice" OJ Simpson. We all know the resume speaks for itself and he definitely seems to be qualified.

If we were going to need a second hit man for hire, Ray Carruth (also known as "Da-troof," which almost got him in by itself) will be named as a reserve to come off the bench at wide receiver.

Our starter at the wide receiver position though will be Terrell Owens. Anybody who can create a media frenzy for doing some sit-ups in his driveway, as well as questioning the sexuality of the quarterback who tosses him the pigskin regularly gets points in the surreal life category. The recent crying in regards to people "blaming his quarterback" gives him some extra credit, not to mention a possible diagnosis of being bipolar as well.

We are only going to name one lineman outright to start on our offensive and defensive lines. They will be the leaders of whatever degenerates we choose to name at a later date.

Our leader of the offensive line will be Tank Johnson. Mr. Johnson was arrested three times in an 18 month period involving weapons charges and one nightclub scuffle ended in his bodyguard's demise. We could find nobody better to lead the task of protecting our horse faced gunslinger.

Now on the defensive side of the ball our team certainly doesn't lack the worthiness of participating in this game. Starting with the leader of our big boys up front we have Alonzo Spellman. Once with the Detroit Lions, Spellman, according to officials, single-handily caused a plane to make an emergency landing after yelling about the possibility of a crash, threatening to smash a flight attendant's head with the stud of his boot and told the pilot he was going to "Rip his throat out" causing him to be admitted into a psychiatric hospital upon landing. Peel that straight jacket off pal, we got the perfect game for you.

At Linebacker we are rolling with a couple guys who surely won't disappoint. Lawrence Taylor has agreed to quit blazing down rocks long enough to get this game in and Ray Lewis almost guarantee's "killer" play to stop the run, or a pulse if need be.

Pacman Jones will be our boy "raining" (the way he makes it) on the parade of any wide receivers who line up against him. If somehow he gets beat on the long ball we got a safety who is sure to step up as our savior in the scumbag department if "rainman" cannot.

Eugene Robinson, who played for the Falcons in the '99 Super Bowl at safety, was granted the Bart Starr award for his "high moral character" the same year. How did that do-gooder make our team you may ask? Well the very night he was given this award by a well known Christian group he was arrested for offering a female police officer 40 bucks for sex. That a boy big spender! Welcome to the team!

Last but not least we searched high and low for a kicker worthy of playing in a game of this magnitude and we found him. Sebastian Janikowski was convicted of drunk-driving and bar room brawls, which is what began considerations, but that's not how he firmly planted himself into the starting role. It was discovered that he was acquitted of the charge of attempting to bribe a police officer and possession of the date-rape drug GHB. No other kicker seemed worthy to kick in this game after we learned that. Welcome Sebastian,glad to have you.

We have some time until kickoff so if anybody has a player they feel worthy of participation in this game feel free to throw them out there for consideration. Make sure you include why this player is worthy and they just may get there name called in this special game.

Super Bowl Media Week: Wake Me When It's Over

Jeffrey Santon — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 02:48:15 -0500

Media week has arrived for this year's Super Bowl and thus far, it doesn't seem to be any different from all the others.

Boring questions and boring politically correct answers.

Fortunately we have Bill Belicheck involved again to add some spice. Personally, when the man speaks I'm on the edge of my seat. He's already next to impossible to shut up.

He was asked about Tom Brady's participation at practice. His response: "He was out there with everyone else." That was it. What colorful insight.

His recruiting of free agent talents like Junior Seau proved to be equally action-packed. Seau was asked what the Patriots did to acquire him. With the Patriots ability to reload year in and out with top free agents one would think the answer could actually be interesting.

Get this: Seau said Belichek called him early on and stated: "We have a position for you."

Wait, there's more. Then, two weeks before the season began, Belicheck made it nearly impossible for Seau to say no. He told him: "We have a position for you." Again.

Genius.

How can anyone question Belichek's personality and pizazz after hearing that? It's no longer a mystery how he gets it done. This man could sell water to a whale. Thank God for media week.

Seau was soon asked more questions we were dying for the answers to.

Like the ever-pressing: "How many hats do you own?" To which Junior responded, "I probably have 350 hats, I'm pretty sick with hats."

No, what's sick is what the inside of your hats probably look like after you wear them. With an amount of jheri-curl juice that would make Eazy-E blush, chances are he can only wear them once before they're destroyed.

I mean, even as he was answering the question you could see little drips of this sparkly perm party attempting to escape the hat and make their way down his face.

Michael Jackson called, and thanks to a life lesson following a small blaze in his party perm during a Coke commercial a while back, is advising Seau to cut back a bit on the product. But, I digress.

Seau is reportedly a good friend of this year's Super Bowl foe, Mike Strahan. One of the fun topics seems to be both of their aspirations of a Super Bowl ring—which neither has won in their long hall of fame-worthy careers.

Anyone who has ever seen Strahan knows that that if the man had his jaw wired shut he wouldn't have a problem finding a gaping route to sneak solid foods in. But, that giant mouth does carry one positive (as impossible as that might be to believe).

In a week starving for quotes, Michael will always provide us with something. Thus far, he has already spoken on a few topics.

He spoke of a text message he received from Tiki Barber immediately following the win over Green Bay. Tiki hung up the jersey, choosing a full-time career in television—thus missing the Super Bowl in the first season following his retirement. His text to Strahan was one that stated how proud of them he was and his congratulations were offered. Tiki (who might be the only man on the planet with that name) allegedly claims no regret.

He can claim what he wants to, but if answers nowadays weren't so politically guarded, the answer would probably be more along the lines of: "If someone finds me swinging from my basement ceiling, don't be surprised."

Stahan also reportedly addressed the team once they arrived in Arizona and told the guys "there's a lot of hoopla and distractions, so don't think about parties and these other things."

If the team could actually hear the words and not be completely distracted by the disaster area that is Strahan's mouth, then they will probably fair okay as far as avoiding other distractions. Then again, this is the week of the Super Bowl, and the media will be in full force doing everything they can to create them.

Whether it be Strahan's mouth, Junior Seau's party perm, or what type of footwear the players have on throughout the week—something will be created to distract them in some way. Journalism won't be easy, nor will television.

There's really nothing that new or interesting coming out of either camp, but the coverage is extensive. This creates idiocracy.

Whether it be an aspiring journalist speaking on repulsive hair styles, mouths that should get consideration for being one of the wonders of the world, or follow-up questions on how many hats a man owns—there just isn't much that interesting to work with.

The game being what it is requires attention and media week is for trying to make water into wine until this world-watched event begins.

So take a deep breath, prepare to endure it, and get ready for what it's really all about in the end. A game that will determine the world champion of football—the Super Bowl.

Jose Canseco Outs Magglio Ordonez

Jeffrey Santon — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 02:58:12 -0500

Here we go again...

Baseball, steroids, slander, and extortion all in one sentence leads to one person: Jose Canseco. He once again has shown no regard for the unwritten code of silence, calling out names of others for steroid use. Regardless of his motives, Canseco has thrown out allegations and most have held validity to a degree.

A new story has surfaced over the last 24 hrs and seems to be no different in regards to Canseco's motive—money. But this time there's something extra. The New York Times broke a story recently that has Jose Canseco allegedly extorting former teammate from the 2001 White Sox, Magglio Ordonez. It is said that through a third party Canseco offered to clear Ordonez of mention in a new book he is writing if Ordonez invested money into a movie project promoted by Canseco. The motive again is again fairly black and white, but like Canseco's past outings the question is the validity.

One would assume, from what we know thus far, that this is true. If Canseco's allegations of steroid usage by Ordonez were absolutely false he would be facing some probable repercussion from a legal standpoint, namely slander.

Any player could have worked a slander defense if they knew they hadn't used. Most players have not gone this route for the simple reason that more digging would be done and in most cases the allegations were true. The new allegations on Ordonez add a new aspect to this though: extortion.

The Hobb's act defines extortion as "the obtaining of property from another, with his consent, induced by wrongful use of actual or threatened force, violence, or fear, or under color of official right." (18 U.S.C.S. 1951(b)(2)) The penalty of extortion varies and is usually determined on a case by case basis, but it can be heavy.

Having said that, you have to ask yourself why Canseco would take a risk like this if he did not know with some degree of certainty that his allegation was valid. Another question that has been asked of the accused is, if your're innocent, why not file a case for slander, or in this case slander and extortion? Ordonez apparently had done so, but then called off any investigation.

Allegedly Ordonez asked the FBI to open an informal investigation, but when the time came to go after Conseco he declined. Declined? A man is going after you character and any type of legacy and you are going to decline? Ordonez was quoted as saying, "I didn't want to press charges against him. I don't want anymore problems. I don't understand why he is trying to put me down." Conseco was asked of the allegations and replied "absolutly not" in regards to requesting money.

Hmmm...this looks pretty familiar.

As in cases from before, Canseco's morals and motives appear to be just as they are. I think the accusations on Ordonez look to be equally obvious. As mentioned earlier, standing on roof tops proclaiming innocence and filing charges brings on further digging for truth. Ordonez not choosing to continue probably closes the case in the court of public opinion...Guilty.

"I don't want anymore problems." Yes, I bet you don't and further digging in all probability will bring just that.

So once again with Canseco's complete disregard for the brotherhood of former teammates it seems the newest name has dropped. In this steroid era you simply do not need to be proven guilty in a court of law. If you decline to seek a court of law in fear of what may be discovered it appears obvious who is telling the truth.

Ninety-nine percent of the time, if it looks like a rat and smells like a rat it is one. Canseco may be defined as just that by many in a society that tends to look down on snitches. Even as a young child you are taught that you should never tattle-tale on others.

Unfortunately for any teammate of Canseco's, tattling doesn't seem to be a concern if the price is right.

Eli Manning: Can He Be a Legend?

Jeffrey Santon — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 08:51:33 -0500

Eli Manning has silenced the critics...or has he?

He has quarterbacked his team to the largest stage in all of football. Shouldn't that count for something?

Perhaps, but it doesn't.

Many joke that NFL stands for "Not For Long" in a "What have you done for me lately" business. If Eli Manning doesn't win this game and play well is he right back where he was before? Will the New York media attack him again?

Eli faces almost-impossible odds, but that's nothing new. He is facing what is probably the greatest team in the history of football and he is going to have to play out of his mind to pull it off. New York quarterbacks have gotten them to the big game in the past, but finished unsuccessfully.

Kerry Collins got them to the big game in 2001 where they lost 34-7 to the Baltimore Ravens. Collins was not built a statue and fans weren't lined up around any block to pat him on the back for a job well done. As far as I know they have yet to name any holidays after Kerry Collins either.

In New York, if you don't win it all, you didn't win anything.

Once upon a time (last year) there was a quarterback who faced constant scrutiny from the press and fans in his own town similar to Manning's. He managed to get his team into the Super Bowl with the Chicago Bears, but lost. His name, as you know, was Rex Grossman and he didn't make it six weeks into this season following his Super Bowl appearance as a starter.

The stats of the two seasons are FREAKISHLY close. Grossman and Eli have an identical passer rating of 73.9, 23 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions. The passing yards are fairly close as well with Eli having the slight edge (3,336 to Grossman's 3,193).

If the Giants get blown up and Eli performs poorly, the national stage may hurt him worse then if they didn't make the playoffs at all. Ask the Ohio State Buckeyes how their offseason is going.

All that being said, do you have to be a remarkable quarterback and have a remarkable performance to win in the big game? Not necessarily.

Plenty of average quarterbacks have gotten through the big game by not making mistakes and simply playing within themselves. Trent Dilfer managed to pull it off against the New York Giants in that 2001 Super Bowl that was won with freakishly good defense. I don't think that applies with the circumstances of this particular game.

First off, it's going to take great play from Eli to win. The Giants, nor anyone else for that matter, have a defense that will shut down the Patriots. Second, it's New York. Eli was a number one pick overall. Third, they are playing a team one game away from perfection.

Eli hasn't done enough to win over the people yet. He simply must perform well in this game and win it. If he can somehow manage to do this, Eli will finally be able to quiet the critics. If he could play a great game and get some help on the defensive side of the ball to at least humanize the Pats he will be a proven quarterback who got it done and ended this amazing run the Patriots have had.

To beat the Patriots this year would be a typical David and Goliath story. It would be a feat that would be talked about for years to come and rank as one of the all-time upsets. Eli would become a big-game quarterback overnight. He is in a position to, in one game, be known for greatness or failure. If he's anything less then remarkable, Eli will simply be this year's Rex, plain and simple.

So in essence absolutely nothing has changed. He's still a Manning, he still plays in New York, and he still faces unfairly high expectations. This will just be one more enormously tall task that takes on an all or nothing approach.

The good news: He should be used to it.

Is Dwayne Wade Finally Feeling LeBron's Pain?

Jeffrey Santon — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:00:16 -0500

Dwyane Wade and LeBron James have forced their way to the forefront of what may be referred to as "THE Draft" for a long time to come—namely the 2003 NBA Draft that produced the NBA's future including LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade. Other worthy notables were TJ Ford, Chris Kamon, Kirk Hindrich, and Josh Howard.

This draft was impossible for a GM to miss.

In most people's minds the homerun picks were at one and five (with all due respect to No. 3 Carmelo and No. 4 Bosh). LeBron made a impact that had the Cleveland Cavs fighting for a playoff birth following a season in which they were one of the worst teams in basketball. Nobody could argue LeBron's scary size combined with his speed and basketball IQ at such a young age. The bar was immediately set sky high with talks of him possibly developing into the greatest player ever.

Dwyane Wade was solid all of his rookie season and his team made the playoffs. His hype went into overdrive after leading his team in the playoffs and making a run at the NBA finals. Talk of Wade being true rookie of the year due to his performance in the playoffs ensued.

Soon the Miami Heat would make a few Blockbuster trades and Big Daddy Shaq would compliment the young talented Wade. An NBA Championship followed. Things were looking up in Miami and Wade had something LeBron did not: a World Championship.

LeBron continued to make noise though, even reaching the NBA finals last year, but some critics still blast him with every chance they get, with what seem to be at times impossible expectations.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been unable to get over the hump due to some lingering contracts that are eating up cap space, as well as some key acquisitions over this period not working out as planned. Many nights for the Cavs since the LeBron era began have looked like a one on five match with LeBron dribbling around, virtually having to get through all five defenders to force-feed buckets. Cleveland fans often question which Cavs team is going to take the floor, but they can always count on LeBron.

An up-and-down team that can go from unbeatable one night to average at best the next is currently riding a hot streak that has seen a Cleveland bench awaken with Damon Jones reemerging to hit critical late buckets, and Anderson Varejao finally looking to be himself after a contract dispute that had him missing a good portion of the season's start.

LeBron is beginning to acquire the hunger late in games that many wondered if he would ever have. This might be in part due to his recent NBA finals experience.

LeBron currently leads the NBA in fourth quarter scoring with Dwyane Wade right behind him. Both have had a few fourth quarters in which they battled back and forth with playoff intensity, trading bucket for bucket. The situation for Wade though is beginning to take on that of LeBron's early in his career, with a lack of a supporting cast. Shaq appears to finally be wearing down and at times looks to be lethargic and helpless defensively...and teams are taking notice.

At times in last night's contest, Wade's double and triple teams looked eerily similar to the ones LeBron has been fighting throughout his career. Wade, being the fantastic player he is, put up 42 points in another losing effort, bringing the Heat's losing streak to 14 straight and a league worst 8-32. Miami coach Pat Riley is struggling to find answers and without Shaq being Shaq it doesn't look like it will get any better in the near future.

Can Wade carry a team without the resources to significantly help them back to respectability?

So far it doesn't seem promising. Last night Wade's teammates watched him attempt to single-handily mount a comeback through an entire team of defenders. His team at times looked like paying customers watching him. This is something LeBron has been dealing with year in and year out.

Wade was attempting to put the team on his shoulders to end this losing streak, but to no avail. He was being worked way too hard for buckets. His ability to continue to carry a losing team while avoiding injury and fatigue is doubtful.

Can Wade find a way to make average players excel the way LeBron can? The true definition of a superstar around the NBA is a player with the ability to do so. In a NBA season that is virtually halfway over, only time will tell.

Playoffs for the Heat are unlikely with Shaq down and Pat Riley historically running his game plans through a big man. In my humble opinion, if Dwyane Wade wants to be mentioned in the same breath as LeBron James he is going to have to find a way to win games and bring this Heat back to respectability whether it be by freakish individual play or finding a way to get the boys in Heat jerseys back into it.

Wade and LeBron are known to be pretty good friends and if I were a betting man I would bet that LeBron is challenging Wade in a time that seems to be for no real significance to many.

The challenge: Welcome to my world in the NBA Dwyane, watcha got?

We'll find out in the remaining 42 games.

To Be, or Not to Be in the BCS National Championship: That's the Question for Ohio State

Jeffrey Santon — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 04:55:40 -0500

After a second straight collapse on the biggest stage in college football, the Ohio State Buckeyes have a long offseason in front of them.

After last year's beating by an underdog Florida team, the only thing the Buckeyes couldn't afford to do this season was lose another big game on another grand stage—but as we all know, they did.

OSU fans knew the scrutiny was going to pour in, and has it ever. People everywhere are letting their voices be heard—and every voice outside of the state of Ohio is taking it to them.

The Buckeyes reached the title game in a season in which they started only two seniors and had a less then challenging schedule. To most fans of OSU, this would seem to be a positive development in a re-building year. The young players could gain confidence in their abilities on the field. and make a run at redemption in the process.

This created the perfect storm for what was to come. The Buckeyes' inexperience greatly hindered their chances with senseless personal foul after foul, making the Bucks look foolish on both sides of the ball.

The LSU coaching staff had OSU players and coaches looking perplexed with glazed expressions of confusion and heartbreak. Everyone watching the game nationwide became a mind reader for two quarters. You could visibly see into the mind of every Ohio State player through their expressions, which screamed, "Here we go again," and
"This can't be happening—again."

LSU's DBs had OSUs WR's locked down in man-to-man coverage, allowing LSU's defense to bring the house repeatedly. OSU coaches did not have an answer. It seemed as if the Buckeyes had a Rubik's Cube from hell, and Helen Keller trying to figure it out.

The magical upsets that came in—one after the other, all season long—put OSU into a National Championship game that they were not ready to play. Had they performed respectably in the Rose Bowl, they would have been able to dodge an offseason of scrutiny. Plain and simple—they would have benefited from not being on the grand stage before they were ready to perform on it again.

But the grand scheme of riding an easy schedule to get a shot at the big dance proved to be a self-inflicted shot in the foot.

That being said, people should take a long, hard look at the team they root for and boast about before they jump onto their keyboards and begin to bash. OSU is still one of the premier college football programs in all of college football. Other than the two games that everybody in the nation saw, they have only lost one regular-season game in the past two seasons. In recent history as well as over the generations, the Buckeyes' resume is quite impressive.

Unfortunately, the way college football is set up a lot of jealousy ensues when teams aren't playing where they want to be at the end of the season. Fans tend to pile on the team they thought their school should have replaced in the game. Take any team in all of college football and look at their entire body of work, game by game, and you won't find many that compare—this year, or over the last five—to OSU's.

Unfortunately, the BCS is like a sadistic uncle that constantly inflicts wedgies and Indian burns. They enjoy the fact that blogs and boards everywhere continue to buzz over who has the greatest team and force us to simply argue with what ifs. When it's all settled on the field—or should I say, "if"—with a playoff system a lot of this can be put to rest.

The Big Ten is down—there is no doubt about that. The SEC is beginning to separate themselves from the rest, so let the best teams have it out on the field. If an eight-team playoff has six SEC teams, so be it. Then, instead of opinion-based arguments that sometimes seem to border on the equivalent of arguing over religion or politics, these issues can be settled the way they should be—on the field.

Even this year in a championship game that was somewhat lopsided you have Georgia—who got beat up by Tennessee, and lost to a mediocre South Carolina; USC—Stanford, enough said; and probably some others who think they should be the ones playing for that trophy.

What if Georgia or USC had lost to teams like those in playoff games? Would OSU still be everyone's punching bag?

In closing, the Ohio State Buckeyes got in a game that they deserved to be in with the BCS set-up being what it is. However, I highly doubt they were the second best team in football this year.

But, if you are of the majority that's going kick the Bucks while they are down (or rebuilding, or reloading, or however else you want to word it) be careful how loud you proclaim their demise: OSU continues to recruit some of the highest-touted prospects in the nation. and are bringing back virtually their entire starting team from last season.

As I said before, it's almost impossible to agree across the board on any take on college football, but one thing I think the majority of us can agree on is the need for a playoff.

To who it may concern with the BCS, as divided as fans can be about their teams, we don't seem to be so divided on our opinions of you. Let em play.

Sports Stories of the Year Become Daytime TV

Jeffrey Santon — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 04:09:52 -0500

For one day we are going to go ahead and take the riveting world of daytime television programing and dedicate it to sports.

Same shows, same hosts, same content, with the simple concept of incorporating this year in sports stories to the the TV programs you just can't live without.

Move over Tracy, you'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out which one of the twelve men you tested is your baby's daddy; today we have some other issues to address.

In our 11 to 12 o'clock time slot we have a great show planned.

Mr. Maury Povich will be speaking with players from Major League Baseball in regard to the Mitchell report. One by one, players will be brought on stage to hear the results of the lie detector tests. We asked each athlete whether they had or had not used performance enhancing substances.

Here we go: "Yes MLBers, we asked you if you have ever taken performance enhancers to improve your play on the field or extend the amount of playing time in your career. You said no...the lie detector determined that was a lie. You ARE a cheater!"

Next up on today's Jerry Springer Show, we will address several topics, from rain and the men who make it, to strip clubs and the men who can't stay away.

Our guest will be a man that goes by the name "Pacman." He was involved in a strip club scuffle after "making it rain" (a phrase referring to someone throwing money into the air causing dollar bills to fall from the sky as if they were raindrops.) The end result of said rainstorm was a paralyzed employee of the gentleman's club due to a gunshot wound. "Pacman" was also recently involved in second strip club scuffle that this time involved a female who is at this time serving as his divorce attorney.

Jerry! Jerry!

And don't miss an all new episode of Dr. Phil featuring Terrell Owens, in an emotional heart-wrenching story. He will profess his love for his quarterback and beg the people to "not blame his quarterback" for their recent playoff loss to the New York Giants.

This tear-jerking tale stemmed from many fans' belief that quarterback Tony Romo was responsible for the team's loss. All because of a recent vacation he took to Mexico with newly-acquired girlfriend Jessica Simpson.

Dr. Phil's tough love will really set these people straight, if they'll only read his books and buy his tapes. I challenge you to watch it and not cry.

Next up, on Judge Judy we have some great cases. On today's docket we have quarterback Mike Vick, the man accused of funding a large dog fighting ring as well as allegedly torturing and killing dogs who didn't fight well enough.

Other cases lined up to face the judge herself are a crooked NBA referee, Randy Moss restraining orders, the Juice, our friend Pacman (seen today in earlier programming), the Cincinnati Bengals and much, much more! Watch the good judge hand down some tough sentences with humor and sarcasm.

Attention: There's been a slight change in our regularly scheduled programming. Today's episode of Seinfeld will be seen at a later date due to the fact that we're messing with Eli Manning.

Instead, we have a very special episode of Supernanny. Today, our special nanny will be helping Isiah Thomas regain control of his New York Knicks.

She finds them to be unruly brats that throw frequent temper tantrums and threaten Isiah when he doesn't let them play when and where they want to. Supernanny suggests just giving up for the first time ever on the show.

Finally, our lineup of great television will come to end with an episode of the show you can't get enough of: Cheaters. On this episode, in partnership with Bill Belicheck, (codename: "the hoodie") we will be secretly following NFL coaches. We will be taping their every move hoping to uncover what all those crazy hand signs and gestures really mean.

A followup episode is planned to show you those signs' true meanings and how the knowledge of them can lead to undefeated seasons.

With the direction that sports news is going between arrests, allegations, conspiracies, nothing better to report on between Sundays, and just plain good old-fashioned gossip, we should have a day of this very special action-packed programming available to you again soon.

We are actively working on a great piece that uncovers the modern day marvels of grown men with gigantic heads that won't stop growing. It takes place at a baseball field and is drawing similar interests to that of the famous bearded lady that you can see at your local circus.

Be sure to tune in.

Cleveland Browns: Dawg Pound Divided Over QB...But Why?

Jeffrey Santon — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 08:58:49 -0500

The Cleveland Browns had a season nobody could have seen coming.

Week One started with Cleveland taking a beating from the Steelers that had fans throughout Cleveland ready to begin draft talks. Sometimes, draft talk truly seems to be many Browns fans’ favorite part of the season.

Then the unthinkable happened.

The Browns offense exploded against the Bengals in a duel that looked more like a video game than an NFL divisional showdown. Slowly but surely, the city began to believe. The year dubbed "The Season of Dreams" by local Cleveland radio host Tony Rizzo began to unfold.

Cleveland has starved for a quarterback since its re-emergence in 1999. To the rescue came a 24-year old, six and a half foot tall, former Ravens’ sixth-round draft pick.

Derek Anderson was less then stellar in training camp and had a rather unimpressive stint at quarterback in 2006, playing in five games while starting three and throwing only five touchdown passes against eight picks.

Anderson appeared to be nothing more then a lame duck quarterback who was simply keeping Brady Quinn off the field until he could reach competence at the NFL level after missing almost all of training camp.

At the very least, Anderson could save Quinn from enduring the almost certain weekly beating that was expected due to the Browns’ schedule.

After Anderson's nationally acclaimed debut in Week Two, people began taking notice of the quarterback who was once expected to be a high draft pick out of Oregon State.

With Anderson’s remarkable performances against the Bengals and the rival Baltimore Ravens, who at the time were still many peoples’ pick to take the division, the Dawg Pound began to bark as it did once upon a time decades ago.

Since the team’s re-emergence into the NFL, the barks have been few and far between.

Now that the Browns are back and have a quarterback that was in the mix to break all-time Cleveland records at quarterback and threw for the fifth most touchdowns in the league with 29 tosses into the end zone, as well as being named an alternate for the Pro-Bowl, Cleveland finally has a quarterback they can put some faith in right?

Not so fast.

Among Cleveland's passionate fans, sometimes seemingly infatuated with the unknown, you will find what appears to be a virtually even split in terms of wanting Anderson to wear a Cleveland Browns jersey next year. While I personally have been a die hard fan of the Browns since I was a young child, I am still often perplexed with the average Joe Browns fans’ take on how to handle the situation at quarterback.

The most common move people seem to want the Browns to make is to trade the best Browns’ quarterback in almost two decades for a first and third round draft pick. The argument that the Browns need to trade him while his stock is high, in my humble opinion, is ludicrous.

Obviously, the Browns have some issues on the defensive side of the ball that need to be addressed this off-season. Tell me who they are going to get in this draft that is going to make an immediate impact on either side of the ball?

I think everyone can agree that Phil Savage is an excellent evaluator of talent. He has two young quarterbacks with much potential. Why would you not let the man who has yet to make a bad decision further evaluate them both and make a decision in the future?

If the reason is because you want those picks in the draft to fix the defense, maybe you should consider the fact the Browns have thirty million dollars to invest in free agency this off-season.

For the past few years, Phil Savage has addressed the offensive line, which has been the Browns biggest need. He managed to yank the best offensive lineman available in each off-season. This year, the objective is to improve the defense.

I can promise you, given all the talent on defense this year in free agency, and with a significant amount of money to spend, Savage will bring in some guys on that side of the ball who will make an immediate impact.                                                                                                        Browns fans; I am one of you. I know your hearts are in the right place, but the 2008 season is in no way going to be determined by this year’s draft. However,trade Anderson and your one injury away from a Dorsey led offense that I'm sure anyone would agree would be anything but a "season of dreams"

If the glass-half-empty pessimism will not allow you to put any of your faith in Anderson, who had one heck of a year for his first full season, and you insist on being that guy or girl chanting for the unproven Quinn when Anderson takes the field, at least put some faith in Savage.

Give him time to watch both of these young talented quarterbacks a little longer. Quarterback is by leaps and bounds the most important position in the NFL, and trading a guy that had a season like Anderson’s would be a mistake.

I understand it’s nice to be in the mix on draft day, but seldom does one draft pick take a team to that next level like a quarterback can. Browns fans that lived through the Butch Davis era should know that better then anyone.
Obviously, you can keep your phone lines open for a GM that wants to make the next ‘Ditka trade’, offering every pick for the next Ricky Williams, but if that call doesn't come, then you leave things be.

Simply put, when it comes to football, or anything else in life, you should never put all your eggs in one basket or, in this case, the next five seasons or so of a franchise on an unproven quarterback. GO BROWNS!!