Touching on a bit of everything

- I found it rather amusing that New York Jets special teams coach Mike Westoff couldn't help but take a dig at "that pretty good team up north" after Thigh-Gate. Jets strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi was suspended for the rest of the season and fined $25,000 for intentionally tripping a Miami player on a punt return.

Said Westoff, "Well, if you watch (the Patriots), their defense when the opponents' punt team is out there. They’re up there pretty close to the line so it looks like they are trying to do it. Now are they doing anything illegal? Are they tripping anybody, heck no. I’m not saying that. That’s not the point. But, yeah, they’re lined up there. Is it making a difference? I don’t know."

A sure sign of a team unraveling.

- As New Englanders, we're treated to a number of big sports stories throughout the year. The Patriots are the best team in the NFL, the Celtics are streaking and the Red Sox just made a number of big offseason moves.

So I apologize that nobody cares about the UConn women's basketball team, which is approaching UCLA's 88-game win streak. Women's college basketball is tough enough to watch, but I'm guessing the reason the Lady Huskies aren't getting their props is that the field is so weak. Rarely are they challenged, which kind of diminishes the accomplishment.

- In college, I roomed with a New York Yankees fan, and he's not happy right now. I wouldn't be, either. Yankees fans must feel as though they're in bizzaro world. Their biggest rival went out, spent tons of cash and put together the fiercest lineup in the majors. Add to that a player actually turned down the chance to play in pinstripes, instead taking less money to go to Philadelphia. Ouch.

- I'm not ready to call the New York Knicks relevant. One game in December doesn't turn around a franchise. Yes, the Knicks are playing better, but only when they finish above .500 (something they haven't done since 2001) will I consider them a relevant team.

"Experts" will tell you the NBA is much better when the Knicks are contenders. I disagree. Call me a cynic, but I take a little joy in the fact that the team that plays in the Mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden, is a perennial lottery team.