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2011-09-28T13:41:00.001-04:00

42-0, come on Manny, ‘Let’s go’

2011-09-28T13:39:00.001-04:00

Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. won yet another fight, knocking out a dirty boxer by the name of Victor Ortiz.

Apparently, nobody taught Ortiz the first rule in boxing, which is to protect yourself at all times. Mayweather now has a record of 42-0. If he wins seven more fights without losing, he will have the same record as legendary boxer Rocky Marciano (49-0-0).

Nobody in boxing can even come close to Floyd right now. Many people will say Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2) can beat him. If Manny can beat Floyd, which he can’t do, then what is he waiting for? If Pacquiao is truly better, why won’t he agree to the drug test just before the fight?

Maybe Pacquiao is taking performance-enhancing drugs? Like Mayweather said, “If you want to be the best, take the test.”

Until somebody can beat Floyd, he is the best. So, if Pacquiao is the best and can supposedly beat Floyd, in which case Manny would be the best, he needs to take the drug test. Many Pacquiao should just stay a politician, because if he fights Floyd, he will get knocked out.

One final note: why does Pacquiao, who is scheduled to fight Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12, keep fighting Floyd’s leftovers?

Eagles are going to fly

2011-08-15T12:33:00.001-04:00

Intern Cheyenne quickly has grown to be a fan of the Eagles, who have had quite the offseason. Here's his take on how Philadelphia will fare this year:

The Philadelphia Eagles advanced to the playoffs last season with a 10-6 record, and this season is going to be even better.

In fact, the Eagles are going to be so good I can guarantee they will win the Super Bowl. The Green Bay Packers may have beaten the Eagles during Wild Card Weekend last season, but they won’t this year.
Who is the quarterback for the Packers? It’s not Michael Vick, so who really cares? Vick will be the MVP of the NFL this coming season, not Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady.

Why? Think about it. When was the last time you saw Brady run for a first down? Vick is great when running, not to mention throwing on the run. He’s the most exciting player in the NFL, and the spotlight is on the Eagles — not the Packers or Patriots.

Enough about the soon-to-be league MVP. The Eagles are really having a terrible off-season (that’s sarcasm). I mean, all they did was sign Nnamdi Asomugha — the most prized free agent during the offseason — Jason Babin, Vince Young, Cullen Jenkins and Ronnie Brown. They dumped the dead weight known as Kevin Kolb and, in return, acquired Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Vince Young called the Eagles a “Dream Team.” And he’s right. Young, though didn’t promise seven championships like that guy on the Miami Heat — I seemed to have forgotten his name. Actually Vince Young didn’t say they were going to win anything.

They’ll simply let their play do the talking.

LeBron doesn't perform under Heat

2011-07-11T13:18:00.001-04:00

The Miami Heat were the favorite to win the NBA championship this year. LeBron James, who made his “Decision last summer,” promised at least seven champions when he was introduced, saying, “It’s gonna be easy.”

Firstly, how can LeBron and the Heat win more than seven championships when LeBron, Wade and Bosh are only under contract for six years? If it will be easy for the Heat to win seven championships, Year 1 must have been a mulligan. When LeBron said the fans (those who rooted against him) all will wake up with the same life the day after the Heat lost, he was right. LeBron woke up without a championship ring, and so did the rest of us.

One of the main reasons the Heat lost in the finals was because LeBron can’t finish a game. In the fourth quarter of the six finals games, LeBron scored a grand total of 21 points while making 7 of 23 shots. That’s 30.4 percent if you’re counting at home.

LeBron might not get a chance to win that coveted ring next season unless the NBA lockout ends. Even if there is basketball, the Heat will not win a championship. All the other teams will get better, but Miami won’t. They don’t have enough money to add better players.

In my opinion, the Heat will not win a championship with LeBron, Wade and Bosh. Even the Celtics’ Big 3 was able to win a championship. and they are all past their prime. LeBron, Wade and Bosh are in their prime and they didn’t win.

Bulls To-Do List

2011-06-15T13:49:00.000-04:00

Intern Cheyenne, the biggest Chicago Bulls fan we know, has a plan for the Bulls to get past the Eastern Conference finals, where they lost 4-1 to the Miami Heat:

"The Chicago Bulls ended the 2010-11 regular season with the best record in the NBA at 62-20. Chicago’s defense was solid, allowing the second-fewest points per game, the lowest opponent field goal percentage and the lowest opponent 3-point field goal percentage.

Unfortunately, the Bulls’ season game to an end when the Miami Heat beat them 4-1 in the Eastern Conference finals. In that series, Chicago allowed just 87.6 points per game but averaged just 85.4.

Therefore, changes must be made.

The Chicago Bulls need another scorer; MVP point guard Derrick Rose can’t do it alone. Judging by the numbers, the Bulls’ defense doesn’t really need any work. Chicago needs a good starting shooting guard.

Who is a scoring shooting guard on the free-agent market this summer? Unrestricted free agent Jamal Crawford is a scoring shooting guard. Crawford averaged 14.2 points per game while coming off the bench for Atlanta. The Chicago Bulls also need someone to defend LeBron James, should they meet up with the Heat in the playoffs again. Small forward Luol Deng is a good player but is not physical enough to effectively defend LeBron.

If the Bulls could get Jamal Crawford, or a good scoring shooting guard and someone more physical to guard LeBron, they could be in line to win an NBA Championship."

NBA's newest competition: 1 on 1

2011-06-01T13:03:00.001-04:00

I’m sure we all know about the NFL lockout and how there may not be football come September. This is due to the fact that players and owners can’t agree to a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which expired on March 3.

What you may not know is that the NBA’s current CBA expires June 30. If owners and players can’t come to an agreement, there won’t be basketball in November. If and when the NBA gets an agreement in place, they should create a new All-Star Weekend competition.

They should have a 1-on-1 competition where the best players play against each other. For example, Derrick Rose vs. Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony vs. LeBron James, Amare Stoudemire vs. Chris Bosh, etc.

This would be very interesting and prove who the best player in the NBA really is. As of right now, everybody merely looks at stats, or win-loss records rather than trying top figure out who the best player is.

The only way to truly learn the NBA’s top player is make them play each other, 1 on 1. The player’s might not care who the best player is, but fans definitely want to know. Many people, including myself, would watch this.

Heat are hot, but Nowitzki is on fire

2011-05-25T13:01:00.001-04:00

Cheyenne the intern has pretty much conceded the fact that his Bulls will lose to the Miami Heat in the Eastern conference finals. But he's quickly become a fan of a new team:

"Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks look like they’re going to the NBA finals, and as much as I hate to say it, it looks like they will be playing the Heat, and not the Bulls.

Luckily, for all of us who hate the Heat, Dirk Nowitzki is unstoppable right now. Against the Thunder, Dirk is averaging 34 points a game while shooting 51 percent from the field. He has two games with at least 40 points (and in those games, Dirk has shot at least 60 percent).

Everybody is talking about how good the Heat’s defense is, but a great offense is better than a great defense. I’m not saying the Mavericks will win, but Dirk will give LeBron and company a run for their money."

A tiny bit of credit for Mike Vick

2011-04-26T11:01:00.000-04:00

While I’ve never been a Michael Vick fan, and almost certainly never will be, he deserves a bit of credit for speaking out against an appalling dogfighting video game that rednecks can download to their cell phones.

In what likely has more to do with the continued rebuilding of his image than his genuine concern about the issue, Vick urged that we “not glorify this form of animal cruelty,” in a statement posted on the Humane Society website.

Apparently, “Dog Wars” involves raising and training a dog for the ring, then entering it in fights. Granted, this is a video game and not nearly as disgusting as actual dogfighting, but the premise sickens me, nonetheless. The game’s developers have opined online that people are overreacting. After all, it’s only a game, they say.

That part is true, but anyone dumb enough to download such a piece of trash is probably dumb enough to think there’s nothing wrong with real-life dogfighting.

Violent video games are big sellers, and I must admit I’m a big fan of shooting people in the “Call of Duty” games on PlayStation 3. It’s difficult to explain, but dog lovers tend to take much more offense to fake violence against animals than fake violence against people.

So while I still doubt Vick truly has seen the error of his dogfighting ways, I appreciate the fact that he’s publicly decrying this awful excuse for a game.

Red Sox sure look overrated

2011-04-06T13:44:00.002-04:00

It's baseball season, which means time for intern Cheyenne to pump his beloved Yankees:

Although the season just started and there are a lot of games left, the Boston Red Sox look very overrated. Boston has started the season 0-4. Its pitching has given up 29 runs, and the offense had scored just 12 runs.

The rival Yankees, on the other hand, have scored 31 runs and yielded 27. So, tell me again which team has better hitting and pitching? The Yankees do. The Red Sox, the favorites to win the AL East? It may already be time to reconsider.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a better record and have scored more runs than the Red Sox. In case you didn’t know, the Pirates had the worst record in all of baseball last season.

That’s like the Cleveland Cavaliers beating the Miami Heat. Oh wait, that actually happened. I meant to say that’s like Rajon Rondo of the Celtics winning the NBA MVP award over Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose.

"We Are All Witnesses" … of LeBron getting burned

2011-03-30T13:50:00.001-04:00

Last night, Miami Heat forward LeBron James went back to Cleveland — the team that drafted him first overall in 2003 — for the second time this season. The first time, he went back he scored 38 points and his team won by 28 points.

The second time he went back, he scored 27 points and his team lost by 12 points. Wait… What!?! The WORST team in the NBA just beat the team with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference? Yes, they did. The Cleveland Cavaliers (15-58) beat the Miami Heat (51-23) by 12 points.

The Cavs leading scorer was J.J. Hickson who had 21 points and was also the leading rebounder for the Cavs with 12. Hickson outscored and outrebounded the Heat's power forward (Chris Bosh) and center (Erick Dampier) combined. Together, Bosh and Dampier combined for 10 points and five rebounds.

LeBron may have had better stats, but Hickson definitely stepped up last night; his season average is 13.1 points and 8.3 rebounds. Dwayne Wade had 24 points and four rebounds, but Anthony Parker had 20 points and seven rebounds. Hey, LeBron I guess you don’t have much of a supporting cast in Miami either … great "Decision."

Thanks to guard, Bulls coming up Roses

2011-03-23T13:41:00.000-04:00

The Chicago Bulls (51-19) as you may or may not know are a half-game ahead of the Boston Celtics for first in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls have the best record in the East even though they’ve had to play much of the season without Carlos Boozer (two stints with injuries) and spent significant time sans center Joakim Noah.

So, how do the Bulls currently have the top spot in the East? Because of DERRICK ROSE! Before the season, Rose asked, “Why can’t I be the MVP of the league?" At this stage, it sure looks like he is the MVP. D-Rose is the only player in the NBA to be in the top 10 in scoring and assists. He averages 24.9 points per game, 7.8 assists per game and 4.2 rebounds per game.

Derrick means everything to the Bulls. Without him the Bulls would lose. He wins without his team being fully healthy. If that’s not an MVP, what is?

Coventry beats Portsmouth for Division II hockey state title

2011-03-19T16:58:00.001-04:00

Coventry's hockey team beat Portsmouth 4-2 on Saturday afternoon to sweep the Patriots in the Division II best-of-three state championship series at Providence College's Schneider Arena.
Nick Paiva of the Knotty Oakers, the tournament MVP, scored a goal each in the second and third period after the Oakers led 2-0 after the first period.
With the Patriots down 4-0 with less than 12 minutes remaining, Matt Abraham and Henry Lang scored for Portsmouth, but the Patriots couldn't add to their rally to successfully defend their 2010 D-II title.

Coventry leads Portsmouth 3-0 after two periods

2011-03-19T15:49:00.003-04:00

After two periods in the second game in the Division II championship hockey best-of-three series between No. 1 seed Coventry and No. 2 seed Portsmouth, Coventry leads 3-0 at Providence College's Schneider Arena.
The Knotty Oakers, who beat Portsmouth 4-2 in the series opener, scored twice in the first period and once in the second period againt the Patriots, the defending champions.

Open season a success

2011-03-15T10:25:00.002-04:00

Trying something new can be risky, especially when the old standby was reliable. But the Rhode Island Interscholastic League deserves some credit for implementing an open state tournament for boys basketball this year.

Like any tournament, this one had a few blowouts. But of the 15 games played, 11 were decided by 12 points or fewer. And the fan support at every game showed that people cared. Even at the cavernous Providence Career & Technical Academy, fans came out in big numbers and made for an electric atmosphere.

As I mentioned in today’s Daily News, there needs to be some fine-tuning. The regular season was far too compacted, and this winter’s weather only made it worse as teams were forced to play three and four games a week. Getting rid of the Division I, II and III tournaments could be the solution.

But overall, the RIIL has a solid foundation on which to build. One can only hope future tournaments generate the same level of competition and excitement that this year’s did.

What did you think?

Oh, Canada

2011-03-11T10:22:00.002-05:00

So it appears the entire country of Canada is up in arms about the hit Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara put on Montreal forward Max Pacioretty. Yes, it looks pretty vicious (in slow motion, after dozens of viewings) but in no way was a hit like that malicious.

Immediately following the game, Chara said the hit was incidental and he felt bad for Pacioretty, who suffered a sever concussion and a cracked vertebra. The NHL agreed, saying it would not punish Chara any more than the interference call he received on the ice.

That sent Canada into a fit. Pacioretty was “disgusted” the NHL took no further action, Air Canada, a major sponsor of the league, threatened to pull out and the Montreal Police Department opened an investigation into Chara and the hit.

Ridiculous? Yes.

Firstly, I find hockey to be one of the most hypocritical sports out there. Let me get this straight: you can punch a guy in the face, fracturing his cheek bone that forces him to sit out 4-6 weeks, and that’s fine. But you hit a guy in an awkward spot on the ice so he caroms into the partition of the glass, and you’re a potential criminal?

My stepdad, a big Canadiens fan, said, “His injuries are too serious to do nothing.” If that’s the case, the Massachusetts State Police should have opened a case against the guy who checked Travis Roy into the boards during a college hockey game nearly two decades ago.

Look, hockey is a rough and tumble sport meant for guys who can take a beating. It’s almost a border war: if you live below it, the hit was incidental. If you live above it, it was done with purpose. I don’t really have a dog in this fight, so I personally believe the Canadians are doing more feeling with their heads than they are thinking with their heads.

Oil prices are high, so turn off the Heat

2011-03-09T13:46:00.001-05:00

From our trusty intern Cheyenne, hater of all things Miami Heat:

The Miami HEAT are on a five-game losing streak and have to play the Lakers tomorrow. The HEAT can’t beat the upper echelon, evidenced by their 1-9 record against the five top teams.

If the HEAT can’t beat the good teams, they can not win an NBA championship — simple as that. Against the top five teams, Miami gives up 97.3 points per game and only score just 92.2 PPG. What a great “Decision” by LeBron James. He went to Miami to win a championship, but now his record is not even as good as it was in Cleveland.

I think that is hilarious. I love watching the HEAT suffer. Poor, poor HEAT … go right ahead and cry. Surely it won’t be the last time.

Hoop it up

2011-03-08T11:24:00.001-05:00

NFL training camp can’t come soon enough. Of course, there’s a chance it won’t come when scheduled as the threat of a lockout continues to loom. But the fact that the NFL has extended the current collective bargaining agreement twice already is cause for optimism. Hopefully a deal gets done soon, because college basketball will be over before we know it, and baseball doesn’t have the capability to hold my attention for 162 games plus playoffs.

Speaking of basketball, we could be in for one of the more interesting NCAA tournaments in recent memory this season. There are a lot of very good teams, but no great teams, which means we could see more upsets than usual, and those are always fun. I’m also curious to see how the 68-team format will work. Letting 65 teams in was dumb, so 68 seems even more extraneous, but we’ll see how it goes. It seems like only a matter of time before the Big Dance undergoes a major expansion, to 72 or 128 teams. There’s too much money to be made and it will be hard to convince the NCAA that more is not always better.

The “more is better” philosophy is quite prevalent in high school sports in Rhode Island. The mantra of the Rhode Island Interscholastic League seems to be: Win, or move down until you do win. There are entirely too many divisions, but apparently the goal is for every team to be able to compete for a “championship” every single season. If you can’t do that for a couple years, move down a division. If there isn’t a lower division, one will be created.
Success is cyclical. Some years will be good, others will not. Other than private schools that can recruit top players year after year, every team goes through ups and downs. And some schools just don’t have the talent pool in certain sports at certain times. There’s no shame in that, it’s just life. We’re all good at some things and not so much at others. Being bad at something doesn’t mean you deserve special treatment.

Take, for instance, the Miami Heat. They’re great at smacking around lousy teams (i.e. Wizards, Kings, etc.), but can’t cut it when playing with the big boys (i.e. Bulls, Celtics, Spurs). But the NBA isn’t going to create a Division II for the Heat to compete in. They might as well go cry to their moms.

Eastern Conference playoffs will be must-see TV

2011-03-02T11:32:00.003-05:00

When the NBA season started, the consensus was that the Miami Heat would meet the Boston Celtics the Eastern Conference finals. And while that matchup may hold true, there are plenty of variables.

Trades and injuries have muddled the previously clear playoff picture in the East. With more than two-thirds of the season gone, the Celtics are the current No. 1 seed, one game ahead of the Heat.

But both teams could face serious challenges from the Bulls (No. 3 in the standings, 2 games back), the Magic (No. 4, 5.5 games back) and the new-look New York Knicks. All three teams have superstar players, and it will be interesting to see how the jockeying for position goes down as the playoffs loom.

Normally, I would say the Celtics would be best suited to play the Magic in the second round, given their recent history against Orlando, but now I'm not so sure after trading away defensive stalwart Kendrick Perkins.

Perhaps Boston would best benefit from playing the Heat. While Miami might have the most talent at the top, it doesn't go very deep and the Heat have nobody in the middle to contend with.

The Knicks seem a little scary, with the 1-2 punch of Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, but the one team Boston needs to avoid are the Bulls. Even when they were at their pinnacle (during the 2008 postseason), the Celtics struggled with Chicago in a 7-game series. Since then, point guard Derrick Rose and forward Joakim Noah have only gotten better, and the Bulls have some added punch in forward Carlos Boozer.

Still, the Celtics are the best team in the East and barring any serious injuries, should squeak back into the NBA finals for the third time in four years.

Tough way to lose

2011-03-01T10:03:00.001-05:00

On the basketball court, there are few things as irritating as losing a game on a garbage shot — whether it’s a pickup game, or a high school championship.

The Rogers boys team knows exactly what I mean. On Sunday night, the Vikings were storming back against North Providence in the Division II title game. Then North Providence hit a 3-pointer off the glass from several feet behind the 3-point line.

It wasn’t a game-winning shot at the buzzer, but it might as well have been. Rogers kept it close, but ultimately lost 66-63. After the game, Rogers coach Jim Psaras and senior guard Christian Cancel were diplomatic when talking about the fluky shot, but both seemed a little miffed, and I can’t blame them.

I play a lot of basketball, and I get seriously annoyed any time the opposing team makes a shot that has no business going in, even if it’s not on game point. It’s infuriating, as the Vikings are well aware, to play solid defense only to have a guy make a ridiculous shot that no coach would condone.

As a person who is more than capable of making 3-pointers without the use of the backboard, the shot that for all intents and purposes beat Rogers drove me nuts. And I wasn’t even playing. I wouldn’t be surprised if some Rogers players still were fuming about it.

Hitting to all fields

2011-02-22T15:45:00.004-05:00

I might be a little late to the party, but add me to the list of people who think the slam dunk contest has gotten ridiculous. When I was a kid, that's what I lived for. I would love to watch Michael Jordan compete, and then when he became too big for the event, role players like Dee Brown and Kenny Walker won with impressive dunks.

The concensus seems to be that bigger names will make for a better show. I couldn't disagree more. While players like Kobe and LeBron would make for out-of-this-world TV ratings, it might not be the best show. I want the best athletes, the highest flyers and the best dunkers.

And personally, I think we got that last Saturday night. Besides, the final result, which is in the hands of fans with text message packages, is a complete joke, a popularity contest. Is anyone really surprised that Blake Griffin won?

Another thing I didn't like was the props. I understand that guys are running out of ideas, but bringing a Kia (product placement) and a full choir really just cheapens the event. If you can't think of anything new to do, just wow the judges with your athleticism.

Also, while the judges are probably instructed to rate on the dunk itself, it can lose its luster when it takes nine attempts. I'm sure some of these elaborate moves are difficult to pull off on the first try, but attempt No. 13 on an alley-oop can really make you look silly.

- Just how much do sportswriters love controversy? Try this: a male wrestler in Iowa refused to wrestle a female in the first round of the state championships, saying it was against his religious beliefs.

He lost by forfeit, she won and they both moved on. Fair enough.

But no, writers from across the country landed in the Midwest to interview the girl, asking her how it felt to be "disrespected" like that. The girl's anwer?

"He had the right to make his own choice, and he made his choice," Cassy Herkelman, one of two girls in this year's tournament said of Joel Northup. "It's not like he did what he didn't want to do."

Sorry guys, no story here, and kudos to both kids for keeping things in perspective.

- Between Carmelo Anthony trade rumors, NFL labor talks and no spring training games, this has to be the most dismal time of the year for a sports fan.

Not Miller's time?

2011-02-19T13:52:00.002-05:00

The list of finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame recently was announced. It's not a list that's going to blow anyone away. There are no iconic names, like Jordan, Barkley, Malone or Robinson. And it is that fact that makes Reggie Miller's omission all the more puzzling.

Reggie Miller, who until a week or so ago was the all-time leading 3-point shooter in NBA history, Spike Lee's nemesis, one of the best ice-water-in-his-veins shooters the game has known, is not a Hall of Famer?

Most agree that Miller's time eventually will come, which is one of my many issues with halls of fame (if you're not a Hall of Famer when you're first eligible, why are you a Hall of Famer two or three or 14 years later?). Had guys like Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone or David Robinson been on the ballot this year, Miller being left out would make a bit of sense.

But these are the guys who were deemed more worthy than Miller (followed by some commentary): Dennis Rodman (did one thing, rebound; couldn't score unless it was a putback; averaged 7 points a game in his career), Chris Mullin (can't argue with it; this has more to do with his collegiate accomplishments at St. John's than his long and respectable NBA career, although he was on the original Dream Team), Ralph Sampson (again, college-based induction as he was a three-time national player of the year), Jamaal Wilkes (four-time NBA champion and former UCLA star with whom I'm not too familiar).

It's true that Miller never won a title, or an MVP award. But this is the Hall of Fame, and Miller is more famous than any of the guys who were named finalists. It's not that they don't deserve to be in, but Miller should be in with them. Not next year or in a few years, but now.

Poison oak

2011-02-18T11:27:00.002-05:00

There are times, and they’re becoming all too common, when rivalries take a turn for the worse. Off the top of my head, I can think of at least two instances when fans of the Red Sox and Yankees have taken things a little too far.

One involves a stabbing, the other a vehicular homicide. I shudder to think what made these people engage in such horrible acts? Oh, that’s right, sports. I always shake my head when I hear these stories because they are so avoidable.

The most recent occurrence of rivalry hate has reared its ugly head, and this one is a doozy. Harvey Almorn Updyke, 62, of Dadeville, Ala., called into a radio show in late January saying he poisoned the oak trees at Toomer’s Corner on the campus of Auburn University.

These trees have been there for generations, and students throw toilet paper into the branches upon big victories for the football team. And no victory was bigger than winning the national championship over Oregon on Jan. 10.

This, apparently, enraged Updyke, a Crimson Tide backer whose team had won the national title the season before. But things didn’t go too well for Alabama this year, and Updyke simply wasn’t going to sit idly while the trees at Toomer’s Corner were dressed in toilet tissue.

No, he was going to kill them dadgum trees, then brag about it on sports talk radio. Updyke was arrested, charged with criminal mischief and released on $50,000 bond. The damage to the 130-year-old trees, which likely will die, the school said, is $2,500.

I’m not sure what the penalty is for one count of criminal mischief, and I know the punishment has to fit the crime, but these trees are more about sentimental value than monetary value. Besides, the trees didn't have anything to do with the Tigers' victory. Perhaps Updyke should have poisoned 'Bama running back and 2009 Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram after a less-than-stellar 2010?

I wouldn’t be surprised if the statue of good ol' Bear Bryant, which was being protected by police earlier this week, gets decorated in the orange and navy blue of Auburn. Roll Tide.

Pacquiao is scared of Mayweather

2011-02-16T13:51:00.001-05:00

The Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao mega-fight was scheduled for last March 13, but because of Pacquiao’s unwillingness, it did not happen. And who is to say if, or when, it will. The fight was cancelled because the fighters could not agree on a blood-testing policy.

Mayweather wanted random blood testing up until the night of the fight. Pacquiao recently has said, “As long as the drug test is not done close to the match, I’ll agree. Because if they get blood from me close to the match, it will be a disadvantage for me because I’m smaller and he’s big.’’
Well, that is not much of a disadvantage because if Pacquiao is weakened by blood testing, so will Mayweather. They both are taking the same test.

Also, Travis Tygart, CEO of United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has said, “We don’t do anything that can potentially impact an athlete’s performance,” so there is no weakness caused by this test. This shows that Pacquiao is making excuses, because he is scared to fight Mayweather.

If Manny is not scared to fight the undefeated Mayweather, who is 41-0 lifetime, could it be he is taking performance-enhancing drugs? If the fight were to happen, not only would Floyd “Money” Mayweather beat Pacquiao, he would knock him out. There would be no need to look at the scorecard.

Former Rogers football coach Toppa dies

2011-02-15T12:23:00.001-05:00

Legendary Rogers High School football coach John Toppa, who won 11 state championships from 1958-90, died Monday night, according to a family friend. Read Wednesday's edition of The Daily News for full coverage and reaction.

Football withdrawal

2011-02-15T11:48:00.001-05:00

The end of football season is always a little depressing. The 17 weeks of the regular season fly by, and the playoffs are over before you know it. Then we’re left with nothing until August.

I thought this year might be different, with my team winning the Super Bowl. But as elated as I remain about that (still get chills when I see highlights or the post-game celebration), the end of the season left a void. Having my Sundays back has been nice, but I do miss playing basketball in the morning and then setting up shop on the couch for several hours that afternoon.

Some people salivate at the mention of pitchers and catchers. I couldn’t care less. Baseball’s regular season is too long, and the postseason wraps up just before Thanksgiving. So why do we need to start obsessing about it right after the Super Bowl, two months before anything matters?

Basketball, both NBA and college, is all well and good, but it just doesn’t compare to football season. NCAA tournament time comes close, but we have a while to wait for that.

The threat of work stoppages in other sports isn’t terribly troubling. Baseball strike? Meh. NBA lockout? Unfortunate, but I’d be OK.

But if the NFL continues down its current path toward a lockout, I’ll be crestfallen. I can’t bear the thought of Aaron Rodgers losing a year of his career while in his prime. I don’t want the Green Bay Packers to miss out on defending their Super Bowl title. I want to be able to get excited about games between teams I wouldn’t give a damn about if I didn’t have some of their players on my fantasy team.

My only source of optimism in this labor dispute is the belief that neither side — neither the owners, nor players — is dumb enough to let this go on long enough that it affects next season. Hopefully I’m right. I’m already jonesing for some football.

Spitting image

2011-02-14T14:35:00.004-05:00

Golf is a game for gentlemen, but this is taking it a few steps too far.

During the final round of the Dubai Classic on Sunday, a round in which he plummeted down the leaderboard with a 75, Tiger Woods was caught spitting on the 12th green. To say the commentator in the video overreacted would be a gross understatement, but Woods was fined an undisclosed amount by the European Tour for the incident.

Via his Twitter account, Woods apologized for the incident, writing, “Just wasn’t thinking and want to say I’m sorry.”

For a guy who used to be deadly on Sunday, Woods is a shell of his former self. So forgive me if I cut him a little slack for spitting on the green while he shoots his way out of contention. Was it a dumb move, knowing the cameras rarely pan away from him? Of course. But maybe his head was somewhere else as his winless streak continued.

It just seems that this guy can’t catch a break, and even the smallest details turn into worldwide stories. Do a Google search for Dubai Classic, and you'll have to rummage through five pages before you find out who actually won the tournament.

(It was Alvaro Quiros).

Hitting to all fields ...

2011-02-10T11:24:00.005-05:00

.. but sticking mostly with football:

- From what I can tell, New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has done nothing wrong other than make a small mistake in judgment, and even still, I’m not one to evaluate him on the moral barometer.

Assuming you live under a rock, Sanchez allegedly got together with a 17-year-old high school senior, the daughter of an extremely rich Connecticut man. According to reports, the girl worked her way into a New York City nightclub, then proceeded to work her way into the home of Sanchez.

After a number of encounters, the young lady went to Deadspin — the TMZ of sports journalism — with her story and pictures to back it up. Then, like any 17-year-old girl, she changed her mind, didn’t want the story to be on the record and hired a lawyer. Oops.

This has turned into a bit of a PR disaster for Sanchez and the Jets, who have stated they will not discuss the personal life of a player. But the bottom line is this: the legal consenting age in New York and New Jersey is 16, so Sanchez really doesn’t have explain anything to anyone.

Still, the next time he comes together with a young lady, he should make sure she doesn’t have to be in homeroom at 7 a.m., the next morning.

- The Newport Daily News ran a story today about quarterbacks from Northern California. Of course I knew Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady — the MVP of the Super Bowl and the NFL, respectively — are from that area, but I didn’t know just how many signal callers have hailed from NoCal.

Here’s just some of the many from past and present: Jim Plunkett, Jeff Garcia, Trent Dilfer, Gino Toretta, Ken Dorsey, Josh Johnson, Trent Edwards, Matt Gutierrez, J.T. O’Sullivan and Dennis Dixon.

Not bad for a small pocket in a big country.

- Congratulations to Rodgers for winning the biggest game of his life, earning the MVP award of said game and claiming the new Chevy car that comes with collecting said award. But I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again — stop giving brand new cars to professional athletes.

The MVP of any professional championship likely is paid quite handsomely and, therefore, likely has no use for a new car. But it’s a way for Chevrolet to get its name into the forefront of the biggest television draw of the year. Here’s an idea: Make a donation to a local Green Bay charity on behalf of Aaron Rodgers.

- Last night, I watched my first hockey game since Boston’s epic playoff collapse last season, and I wasn’t disappointed. The Bruins beat rival Montreal 8-6 in a back-and-forth game that included a ton of scoring and plenty of end-to-end action.

Just like old times, there was a lot of fighting (which I don’t really care for, but I can understand why hockey fans would be drawn to it) and 182 penalty minutes. I’ll be the first to say that I’m not a huge hockey fan, but if all games were like that, I’d tune in a lot more often.

D-Rose will Bull is way to victory

2011-02-09T13:38:00.003-05:00

Intern Cheyenne, the biggest Chicago Bulls fan I know, is at it again, spreading the word about how great All-Star point guard Derrick Rose is and how he'll win the skills challenge during All-Star weekend:

Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls is the best point guard in the NBA. He is the strongest, fastest and most elusive, and therefore, he will win the skills challenge during the league’s All-Star weekend on Feb. 19-20 in Los Angles.

The only way Rose will not win is if the event is canceled. Rose, who undoubtedly will be the league’s Most Valuable Player, is going to destroy the field, including Hornets point guard Chris Paul. Rajon Rondo of the Celtics is not competing, probably because he knows Rose, who is getting the start at point guard in the game, is going to win.

Rose competed in this event his rookie year in 2008-09 and won. Last year he didn’t compete because of an injury. Judging by past results, Rose is bound to win this year because he’s even better now.

Brady, Rodgers not yet comparable

2011-02-08T11:12:00.003-05:00

Aaron Rodgers began his career as a starting quarterback with much anticipation. Three years into said career, he lived up to the hype by leading the Green Bay Packers to a championship, and Rodgers took MVP honors in the Super Bowl.

With that success arose the inevitable discussions about where he ranks among active quarterbacks. Does Sunday’s victory vault him ahead of the likes of Drew Brees or Super Bowl counterpart Ben Roethlisberger? Is Rodgers now as good as Peyton Manning? Is he entering Tom Brady territory?

The answers to those questions, in order, are: yes, yes (strange as it seems) and not yet.

As much as I’d love to proclaim that the Packers’ No. 12 is better than the Patriots’ No. 12, until Rodgers wins at least one more Super Bowl, that’s simply not the case. Don’t get me wrong, if faced with the popular question of “If you were starting an NFL team from scratch …” I’d pick Rodgers as my quarterback, partly because I’m a biased Packers fan, but mostly because he’s six years younger than Brady.

Right now, though, Brady gets the edge over A-Rodg. I’m not a Brady fan by any stretch (quite the opposite), but he deserves credit for putting up the numbers he did with the Patriots’ sorry excuse for a receiving corps. I know I wasn’t alone in thinking the departure of Randy Moss would be the downfall of the New England offense, and we all were dead wrong. Brady made Deion Branch look like Jerry Rice and would have turned Aaron Hernandez or Rob Gronkowski into a Rookie of the Year candidate if they hadn’t shared the tight end receiving load.

Give Brady the Packers receivers and he would have exceeded the 36-touchdown, four-interception performance that was his 2010 season and been an even easier choice for league MVP.

Super Bowl wins aren’t the only stat that matters when it comes to quarterback greatness. The notion that, if the Steelers had won on Sunday, Roethlisberger should be mentioned in the same breath as Brady is absurd. But Rodgers needs more titles (and some MVP awards) to enter the “Who’s better than Brady?” discussion.

Pack mentality

2011-02-07T10:28:00.002-05:00

Just got done watching Super Bowl XLV for the second and not necessarily the last time. It’s much less nerve-racking when you know the outcome. But I still found myself pumping my fist after big plays and cursing Jordy Nelson’s name when he dropped passes.

Upon further review, the Green Bay Packers still are Super Bowl champions. Here are several random thoughts on the game and the other junk that has become part of the game.

• Aaron Rodgers, deservedly, was named MVP after completing 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns. So much for any notion that he might have Super Bowl jitters. Rodgers was surgical, and his numbers would have been even more impressive had his receivers (mostly Nelson) not dropped so many of his perfect throws. He did miss on a few attempts, but the rest of his throws were right on target.
• Speaking of those drops, Nelson had nine catches for 140 yards and a touchdown. If he hadn’t dropped a few balls, he might have had close to 200 receiving yards, which could have given him MVP honors over Rodgers. But you have to give Rodgers credit for sticking with Nelson and continuing to find him despite his butter fingers.
• The injury bug that’s plagued the Packers all season showed up again. At the end of the first half, Donald Driver, Sam Shields, Nick Collins and Charles Woodson all went to the locker room early with injuries. When we learned Woodson was out and saw that Driver wasn’t going to get back in, I feared the worst. But as they’ve done all season, the Packers overcame.
• Now that my team won the Super Bowl, I’m trying not to be too bitter about the Defensive Player of the Year award. But who had the bigger impact on the biggest game, Troy Polamalu or Clay Matthews? It wasn’t close.

Now some off-the-field stuff:

Joe Buck is the most overrated broadcaster in sports. Fox’s No. 1 guy is borderline awful. His tone drives me nuts and he’s way too opinionated. The one thing I will give him credit for is shutting up occasionally and letting a big moment speak for itself. Troy Aikman is growing on me as a color commentator, but he needs a new partner.

Much is made of Super Bowl commercials, and more often than not, they disappoint. Some of them were amusing (the car commercial with the kid dressed up like Darth Vader and the Pepsi Max spots were my personal favorites), but it seemed like a lot of companies wasted a lot of money.

Speaking of money, while watching a couple hours of post-game coverage, I felt I had no choice to be to online and spend more than I ever have on a hat. My Super Bowl XLV Champions lid should be here within a week.

Bigger and better things

2011-02-03T12:15:00.005-05:00

While national signing day seems larger than life these days, with football and basketball players calling press conferences to announce their schools of choice, it's not always as depicted. Local athletes also sign letters of intent with little fanfare.

Middletown High School senior Rico McCray is one of those players. A four-year starter at tailback, McCray has chosen to play his college football at Bryant University, which made the switch from Division II to the Football Championship Subdivision three years ago.

Mike Casey, a Wakefield resident who played boys soccer at St. George's School, will head to the University of Rhode Island next season on a scholarship, and Middletown softball players Lauren Paiva and Grace Eng are bound for Providence College and Elon University in North Carolina, respectively.

Super Bowl stupidness

2011-02-01T12:48:00.002-05:00

Every year, the extra week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl seems worse and worse. There's only so much to analyze, and so the national media picks up on any hint of a story and runs wild.

When else but Super Bowl week would "news" of a disagreement over a team photo get so much air time?

The Packers have handled about as well as a team could the so-called controversy about who will and will not be in the team's Super Bowl photo. Sometime last week, the earth-shattering story broke that the 16 players Green Bay has on injured reserve wouldn't be in said photo because they'll arrive too late to the Dallas area. Angry Twitter posts from some of those injured players caused a big-time hubbub that actually had some opining that this kind of distraction would be detrimental to the Packers' chances of winning the game (yes, there is a game at the end of all this nonsense).

Luckily, with some intervention from players who aren't on IR, this potential catastrophe was averted. Yet somehow, it remains the most talked-about team photo shoot in the history of team photos.

If it's not the Packers team photo, it's whether Troy Polamalu or Clay Matthews has the better hair. If it's not hair, it's Ben Roethlisberger dodging questions about his sordid offseason or assertions that the Steelers' wealth of Super Bowl experience gives them a decided edge. As if 45 professional football players are going to curl up in the fetal position and start crying in terror when they take the field.

In the unlikely event that those non-issues die, we'll probably have to listen to how Aaron Rodgers shaving his beard before the Super Bowl spells doom for the Packers, because Steelers defensive lineman Brett Keisel didn't shave his and that somehow gives him an advantage. Perhaps James Harrison got new contact lenses and will better be able to locate Rodgers. What if Greg Jennings bumps his arm on the podium during media day? What ramifications might that have? Unnamed sources within the Steelers organization indicate that Mike Tomlin and Hines Ward got into a heated discussion about which Dallas-area restaurant has the best mashed potatoes.

Sunday night can't come soon enough.

To rush, or not to rush

2011-01-31T11:03:00.003-05:00

It's a phenomenon that started long, long ago but is getting a little out of hand: college students rushing the court after their men's (or women's, but not really) basketball team upsets a ranked opponent.

Two years ago, I was courtside when Providence College knocked off No. 1 Pittsburgh at the Dunkin' Donuts Center and the students quickly made their way to center court to celebrate. It was one of the few times a floor rushing was justified. Last week, the Friars defeated No. 8 Villanova and the students again couldn't wait to get out of their seats to jump up and down with the team.

One night later, Indiana, a once-proud program, defeated No. 21 Illinois 52-49. Lo and behold, the Hoosiers went nuts and the student body joined them. Bobby Knight would be rolling over in his grave if he were dead. No. 21? Is that even an upset? Not really, when you consider the Hoosiers are now 2-6 in conference play and the Illini are 4-4.

There needs to be rules implemented on when, and when not, to rush the floor. If you can answer any of these questions with a "Yes," then go ahead and go nuts:

-Is the team your team just beat ranked in the top five, and are you unranked?
-Does the team your team just beat have at least twice as many wins as your team?
-Has it been more than a season since your team won a game?
-Was this victory in the national championship game?

If you answered "No" to all of these questions, stay on the sidelines because you’re embarrassing yourselves … and your team.

Cheers!

2011-01-28T11:04:00.002-05:00

Don’t even bother turning on the Super Bowl this year. The people who make football worth watching won’t be at Cowboys Stadium next Sunday.

No, Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger aren’t injured. Clay Matthews and Troy Polamalu, in all their long-haired splendor, will be in uniform.

The Black Eyed Peas haven’t pulled out of the halftime show, and as far as I know, Christina Aguilera is still going to sing the national anthem before the game.

Brace yourselves, fans, because this is a tough one to swallow. There will be no cheerleaders shouting like idiots or dancing around like strippers at Super Bowl XLV.

If you were looking for another reason to like this old-school matchup between the Packers and Steelers, look no further. Neither team employs cheerleaders, so neither will bring a squad of bouncing nitwits to the game.

The Bears, Lions, Browns and Giants are the only other teams that don’t have cheerleaders. So even if the Bears hadn’t choked in the NFC championship game, we’d still have a cheerleader-free Super Bowl.

Cheerleaders really bring nothing to sporting events, but they become increasingly extraneous the higher the level of play of the athletes on the field or court. It gives high school girls an extracurricular activity. One could argue that, like marching bands, they’re part of what makes college sports so innocent and fun.

At the pro level, they’re completely useless, especially in the NFL. Other than the obligatory cheerleader-smiling-at-the-camera shot when Fox comes back from commercial, when have you ever noticed them at a pro football game? Thankfully, you can’t hear them, whether you’re in the stands or on your couch. And it’s not like the network is going to leave $2.5 million (the cost of a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl) on the table to show cheerleaders doing some routine during a timeout or between quarters.

So what is their purpose? They have none.

To be fair, there are cheerleaders at Packers home games, but they’re volunteers from nearby St. Norbert College and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. And honestly, I’d consider doing it if it meant I got to watch games from the sideline.

But their services are no longer needed, and they won’t be in Texas. And that’s something to cheer about.

Big Ben is no Brady

2011-01-25T11:00:00.002-05:00

Should the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Green Bay Packers, and Ben Roethlisberger claims his third Super Bowl ring, the comparisons to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will be swift.

Well, I’m here to nip that in the bud.

Don’t get me wrong, Ben has had some signature moments in his career, including the game-winning drive against the Cardinals a few years ago in the Super Bowl, but my contention is that Big Ben is merely a game manager who makes the occasional great play.

He’s had two breakout seasons since he came into the league as a first-round draft choice in 2004. In ’07, he threw 32 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions, and he had 26 TDs and 12 picks last year. In his other years, Roethlisberger averaged 17.2 touchdowns and 12.6 interceptions.

The bottom line is that Big Ben’s success is a product of a stout running game and an unflappable defense. Need more proof? In Sunday’s AFC championship game, Roethlisberger went 10-for-19 passing for 133 yards and two interceptions. That breaks down to a 35.5 passer rating.

Not coincidentally, in the first half, when the Steelers did all of their scoring, Rashard Mendenhall ran for nearly 100 of his 121 yards. When it became apparent that the Jets weren’t about to let Mendenhall beat them in the second half, Roethlisberger was shut out.

So let’s be very clear about what Big Ben is during this fortnight before the big game: an above-average quarterback that occasionally makes some big plays at big times and has his teammates to thank for his heavy hand.

Pack is back

2011-01-24T11:04:00.001-05:00

It had finally started to sink in. The Green Bay Packers are back in the Super Bowl for the first time since 1997.

When I woke up this morning, I was looking forward to turning on ESPN, as I do every morning, and hearing all the reaction from the team I’ve supported my entire football-watching life. Instead, I’ve heard only about the team the Packers beat, the Chicago Bears.

The biggest news from the NFC championship game seemingly isn’t the victor, it’s that the losing quarterback didn’t finish the game. I can only hope that the Jay Cutler story dies a quick death, but knowing how ESPN likes to kick a dead horse whenever there’s a so-called controversy, I doubt this one will go away anytime soon.

But rather than lambaste Cutler, like everyone else has done, I’d prefer to focus on the winning team. Strange, I know.

It wasn’t the prettiest effort of Green Bay’s playoff run, but it’s obviously worth a whole lot more than the more impressive wins over the Eagles and Falcons. Just like those previous two games, I was literally on the edge of my seat (or on my feet) for all 60 minutes. Super Bowls maybe old hat for Patriots fans, but it’s been a while for Packers fans, and I didn’t feel legitimately confident until Aaron Rodgers took a knee on the final play.

The Packers are the NFC’s No. 6 seed. They needed to win in the final week of the regular season just to make the playoffs. And now they’re the early 2½-point favorite to win Super Bowl XLV. It’s been quite a journey, and with Green Bay’s scary-good defense and Rodgers, a young QB coming into his own, my preseason Super Bowl pick looks pretty good.

Of course, I picked the Packers to lose the Super Bowl to Baltimore. I already was wrong on the opponent, so hopefully I’ll be wrong about the result, too.

Oh, right, there was another game on Sunday. Check the blog tomorrow, because I know Scott has some choice words about Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (one of the more overrated players in recent NFL history).

Personally, I was still trying to wrap my head around the Packers’ win, and with the euphoria of watching your team earn a spot in the Super Bowl, I really didn’t care who won the AFC game. I rooted for the Jets, only because a New York win would have allowed me to tie Rick McGowan for the season in our Daily News football picks. But finishing dead last in “The Showdown” means little to me now that, for the first time in 13 years, the Packers will play for the NFL title.

Agassi gets Hall of Fame nod

2011-01-20T17:09:00.003-05:00

Andre Agassi, who won eight Grand Slam tournaments, including four Australian Opens, will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame this summer. Daily News sportswriter Josh Krueger was on a conference call with Agassi on Thursday, so check out Friday's edition to get his reaction.

Who's the MVP?

2011-01-20T12:47:00.003-05:00

In a few weeks, it will be announced that Tom Brady won the 2010 NFL MVP award. But should Brady be the MVP? Sure, if you only count the first 16 games.

The Patriots' untimely demise in the playoffs is further proof that the NFL needs to revamp its annual awards and consider postseason accomplishments. Yes, I'm aware that MVP, Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and every other award is based on the regular season. But why?

Wouldn't playoff success go a long way in determining who is the league's Most Valuable Player? I'm not trying to rub salt in the wounds of Patriots fans, but how can a guy be considered the most valuable when he was unable to lead his team to a home playoff win against a team it smacked around a few weeks prior?

Of course, Brady can't do everything himself, but the very notion of an MVP suggests that player does a lot of it by himself, or with little help. For 17 weeks of the regular season, Brady was that guy, without question. Take him off the Patriots and maybe they get a wild card spot, but there's no way the Patriots finish 14-2.

Hence, I submit for your ridicule and hostility, the man who is the league MVP (so far): Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Despite losing his starting running back, tight end and right tackle, Rodgers passed for 3,922 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions during the regular season. Sure, those numbers don't compare to Brady's 36 touchdowns and four picks (although Rodgers did have 22 more yards). But in the playoffs, Rodgers has thrown for six touchdowns (and run for one) with no interceptions.

There are plenty of reasons why the Packers are a No. 6 seed competing for a Super Bowl berth, but Rodgers is a huge one.

Sorry, Patriots fans, but this postseason, Rodgers has been much more valuable to his team than Brady was to his. Fortunately for Brady, playoffs don't factor in the award, so while some team other than New England will win the Super Bowl, shortly before the big game, Brady will be named league MVP.

Go ahead and cry, Patriots fans

2011-01-19T11:45:00.001-05:00

After a wintry week in which our valued intern Cheyenne wasn't able to make it to The Daily News, he really brings it this week:

The New England Patriots have been knocked out of the playoffs by the New York Jets. As I have said before, the Patriots will not go to the Super Bowl. Hey, Brady OVERRATED much? What happened?

I am so happy I don’t have to watch the Patriots anymore. Brady definitely is not as good as Ben Roethlisberger, who could win a third ring next month. Not to mention, Brady was outshined by Mark Sanchez.

Bill Belichick won’t win another ring unless he again cheats. I hope this loss shows Patriot fans that their team was overrated, fans who made the stupid mistake of thinking their team was the best.

As for the Jets, why aren’t you talking trash about the Steelers? What are you scared your going to get beat?

Playoff panic?

2011-01-18T11:07:00.004-05:00

When Tom Brady and the New England Patriots culminated the 2004 season with a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles for a third championship in four seasons, the sky was the limit for the star quarterback. Brady and Patriots coach Bill Belichick comprised the most-feared duo in the NFL, the pair nobody could beat, a modern-day Bill Walsh and Joe Montana.

The win over the Eagles was Brady’s ninth straight playoff victory to start his career. Since then, though, he’s just 5-5 in the postseason, looking more like Jim Kelly than Montana. That record includes a 27-13 setback against the Denver Broncos in 2005 and a 38-34 loss against the Indianapolis Colts in the 2006 AFC championship game, a contest in which the Patriots led 21-3.

Of course, it also includes the 17-14 loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, which could have completed the league’s first 19-game perfect season. The other two losses came in the last two seasons, Brady’s first two home playoff losses. In 2009, it was a 33-14 drubbing at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, and on Sunday, the New York Jets, nine-point underdogs entering the game, claimed a 28-21 win at Gillette Stadium.

In these five losses, Brady hasn’t been overwhelming. He has completed just 59.5 percent (122-for-205) of his passes for an average of 258 yards with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Sure, Brady will go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history and one of the league’s all-time great winners. But after this latest postseason defeat, that win over the Eagles seems oh so long ago.

- Like many of you, I watched the game from the comfort of my own home, meaning I couldn’t really get a grasp of what Brady was seeing. But I noticed that with the exception of an overthrown ball to Brandon Tate, who was facing double coverage, the Patriots didn’t really attack the Jets downfield. Most of Brady’s passes were intermediate, or screens. Yes, the dink-and-dunk method is how they got to this point, but I was just waiting for the time when that compact offense would allow for a game-changing play.

It never happened. There were too many times when New England was lined up in a two-tight end set, too many times when Brady was under center. I kept screaming at the television, “Spread them out! No backs and five receivers!” But no, instead, they ran the ball and took time off the clock, even when they were facing a double-digit deficit.

Let’s face it, Rex Ryan talked the talked and from a coaching standpoint, he walked all over Belichick in this one.

Coping with a loss

2011-01-17T10:36:00.002-05:00

Has everyone picked up his or her jaw off the floor by now? If so, you’ve probably moved on to the second stage of grief: pain. Once the sting of the Patriots’ 28-21 loss to the Jets on Sunday wears off, you may feel anger that your team’s once-promising season is over.

Then comes depression, which unfortunately likely will be enhanced by watching the Steelers and Jets in the AFC championship game on Sunday. But stay strong, there is light at the end of the tunnel. You’ll begin to come to grips with the fact that the Patriots won’t play again until September (unless you count the few of them who will play in the Pro Bowl). You’ll work through the loss and eventually accept reality.

I share this information to poke fun, but not just at Patriots fans, at all of us. Most sports fans have been there at some point or another. The last time Patriots fans likely were there was the same season I was. A couple weeks before the Giants pulled off the upset of all upsets and ruined New England’s bid for a perfect season, those same Giants (with some help from Brett Favre) ruined a couple of days for me.

The Packers loss in the 2007 NFC title game was, by far, the most devastating of my life as a Green Bay fan. And I’m embarrassed to say a football game sent me into a funk that lasted far too long. I promised my wife that won’t happen if the Packers lose again this season, but if they do, there’s no denying I’ll experience at least some of what you’re going through right now.

Taking one for The Daily News sports team, I missed most of the Patriots-Jets game to cover the University of Rhode Island basketball game. But, working under the assumption that Scott is too wrought with grief to comment right now, I figured I'd get the ball rolling.

Certainly some things I did see late in the game struck me as odd — a 2-point conversion to make it a three-point game after a third-quarter touchdown, going for it on fourth and 13 instead of trying a field goal. But I suppose you have to trust your future Hall of Fame coach on those decisions.

Overall, though, cliched as it is, it just seemed like the Jets wanted it more.

What’s your take?

Let the game begin ... and the yapping stop

2011-01-12T12:34:00.006-05:00

Sunday can't come soon enough, and not just because I'm a football junkie. When the New York Jets and New England Patriots finally kick off at 4:30, the talking will be done the action can begin.

I'm very much sick and tired of reading about what certain players say about other players. In the grand scheme of things, it means very little, and I'm surprised fans get into it so much. I'm an X's and O's kind of guy, so I don't really care if Jets defensive back Antonio Cromartie calls Tom Brady an "A--hole," or if New York coach Rex Ryan thinks Brady relies more on his coach than Peyton Manning.

I find none of it to be newsworthy, still, writers can't seem to help themselves when a juicy quote is blurted out. Instead of a number of "he said-he said" stories, could we maybe get some kind of analysis of the game? Or is that too much to ask from the beat writers? Yet another example of how good sports journalism is going down the tubes.

Also, I don't really agree with the idea of bulletin board material. Do you really believe that Tom Brady is saying, "I wasn't really going to play that hard before, but now that he called me names, I'm fuming and will give it everything I have."

Come on. These guys are professionals, technically. Just go about your business and resist the urge to take that verbal jab. Because in the long run, talk is cheap.

Talkin' about playoffs

2011-01-11T10:50:00.000-05:00

The marathon that is the college football season is over. Teams probably start spring practices in a couple weeks. Yet a playoff, some opponents say, would drag out the season and keep the student-athletes on the teams involved away from school for too long. As if they could spend any more time on the football field than they already do.

Auburn and Oregon had five weeks (and change) off between their respective conference championship games and the BCS national championship game. Seems to me they could squeeze in an eight-team playoff in about three weeks.

Those who claim the BCS works are either delusional or lying. As painful as the Rose Bowl outcome was — being a Wisconsin fan — a small, stupid part of me thought TCU’s victory could be the final straw in the razing of the BCS and the implementation of a playoff. But it won’t be. Auburn probably is the best team in the nation, but TCU taking down the Big Ten co-champ in Pasadena told me that the Horned Frogs — the seventh team in the 12-year history of the BCS to finish undefeated but without a national championship — can compete with the major conferences and deserve a shot at the title.

The playoffs (and NCAA tournament) are the best parts of every sports season. I don’t pay too much attention to baseball, basketball and hockey regular seasons, but playoffs are a different story. Same with college hoops. The regular season is cool, but I’m glued to the TV come tournament time.
The NFL season is great, start to finish, but there’s something magical about the playoffs. I’m not yet giving up hope that college football learns this at some point.

Speaking of playoffs …

Is it possible, with the Eagles’ elimination from the playoffs, that the 2010 Michael Vick love fest can finally come to a merciful end? I sure hope so. I’m so tired of hearing about what a great season Vick had, resurrecting his career and going from inmate to MVP candidate.
But his season is done, thanks in part to a stupid pass he made at the end of Philly’s loss to Green Bay. Vick is tremendously overrated and (I can’t believe I’m typing this) not only should he not win the MVP over Tom Brady, anyone who casts a first-place vote for Vick should have his or her voting rights revoked.

Two of the four first-round games didn’t turn out as I’d expected (damn you, Colts and Saints), but my Super Bowl picks remain alive, and I’m not wavering. The Ravens and Packers will meet in Cowboys Stadium on Feb. 6.

Noah's injury good for the rest of the NBA

2011-01-05T12:06:00.000-05:00

Our intern Cheyenne is at it again, touting his beloved Chicago Bulls:

The Chicago Bulls have lost forward Joakim Noah for 8 to 10 weeks because of an injury to his thumb that needed surgery.

If the Bulls had Noah in the lineup throughout the regular season, they could’ve had the best record in the NBA. But without him, point guard Derrick Rose and forward Carlos Boozer won’t be able to build chemistry, and Noah won’t be in top form when he comes back.

Chicago’s Big 3 should be familiar with each other come playoff time, but the Bulls won’t have the first or second seed in the Eastern Conference. The rest of the NBA is lucky, because the Bulls would beat any team on any night had the Big 3 gotten the chance to mesh. Just wait till next year if you don’t believe me.

I know the Bulls will prove me right, but maybe not this year. We don’t need LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire. To Carmelo Anthony: if you now what’s good for you, go to Chicago and get a ring.

If the Bulls got ’Melo, the NBA would be done — the Bulls would dominate every team. That being said, the Chicago Bulls still will be a very talented team come April, and probably will make it past the first round of the playoffs.

Why root for Rex?

2011-01-03T12:57:00.003-05:00

It's safe to say the New England Patriots, who are on an eight-game winning streak entering the playoffs and own the league's best record, are the favorites to win the Super Bowl. But the Pats would benefit from certain matchups after the bye week, and, as tough as it may be, fans should be rooting for the enemy this weekend.

Should the New York Jets, the No. 6 seed in the AFC, beat the Colts, that would help the Patriots greatly. Peyton Manning is too dangerous this time of the year, and the 45-3 whipping Tom Brady and company put on Rex Ryan's team proves that New England holds a distinct advantage in that pairing.

Furthermore, if Baltimore takes down Kansas City (and I believe it will), and the Colts protect their home-field advantage against the Jets, the Pats will get a date with Baltimore at Gillette Stadium. And the last thing any Pats fan wants is another home playoff loss to the Ravens.

So as tough as this is to type ... J-E-T-S, Jets! Jets! Jets!

Historic throw for Hoyer

2011-01-02T15:07:00.002-05:00

Brian Hoyer, Brady's backup, throws his first touchdown pass in the NFL, connecting with Tate for a 42-yard score.
It's 38-0.

Brady catches Krieg

2011-01-02T14:47:00.003-05:00

Brady's 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Alge Crumpler to start the second half helps push the lead to 31-0.
What to Brady and Dave Krieg have in common? Both have thrown 261 touchdown passes in their NFL career, tied for 10th all time.
Krieg took 19 seasons, with numerous teams, but mostly with Seattle. Brady's done in 11 - and any more hopefully with New England.

Edelman ...could...go...all...the..way..... and does !

2011-01-02T14:22:00.002-05:00

Edelman goes 94 yards into the New England records books - the longest punt return in Patriots' history in the final seconds of the first half for a 24-0 score.
I was thinking about talking with Miami special teams coach Darren Rizzi, the former URI tight end and Rams coach, after the game about McCourty, who was at Rutgers when Rizzi was there.
Then again I don't think Darren's going to be in a friendly frame of mind discussing Devin.

Tate's route true?

2011-01-02T14:10:00.003-05:00

Patriots settle for a 28-yard field goal by Shayne Graham for a 17-0 lead with less than two minutes remaining in the half.
But it could have been 21-0. On second and 10 from the Miami 14, wide receiver Brandon Tate ran a route on the left side where he looked inside and stepped back. Brady's pass zipped past the goal-line pylon. Was that where Tate was supposed to be instead of a yard away, inside?
I'm sure if he was a bit off, Brady and Bill Belichick will let him know at halftime.

Brady out and in

2011-01-02T13:54:00.003-05:00

New England gets a first down and Brady goes to the sideline 9:45 before halftime, his playing time in all probability finished on this field for a few weeks.
Strike that! Brady's back at 8:18, relishing a third and 10 from his 38.
But his short pass under pressure for Sammy Morris is incomplete.

Patriots' secondary sparkles

2011-01-02T13:49:00.003-05:00

New England's young secondary sparkles on the latest Miami three-and-out. Safety Patrick Chung blankets Moore on a long incomplete and on third down corner Darius Butler on the same left side knocks down a pass.

New England mantains two-touchdown lead

2011-01-02T13:42:00.003-05:00

Maimi can't hold the Mayo (Maybe it should. Inside linebacker Jerod Mayo gets a 7-yard sack to force another Miami punt.
New England starts from its 12, doesn't pick up a first down and punts.
Green-Ellis gained 23 yards in the first half. At that rate he'll get the yards he'll need to enter the playoffs as a 1,000-yard rusher.

Pats up 14-0

2011-01-02T13:28:00.002-05:00

Brady's getting Julian Edelman into the mix with two big pass completions on the left side down to the Miami 1, where BenJarvus Green-Ellis goes in to put the Pats up two touchdowns.

McCourty continues to sparkle

2011-01-02T13:21:00.003-05:00

McCourty comes up big again after a rare Danny Woodhead fumble in New England territory. On third and 11 McCourty matches strides with wide receiver Marlon Moore and bats the ball away for an incomplete in the right corner of the end zone - and the Dolphins are wide left on a 40-yard field goal try.

Good start for New England against Miami

2011-01-02T13:04:00.003-05:00

Greetings from Gillette. The weather is more like Miami's than New England's. It's warm here and just got hotter as Devin McCourty kills Miami's first series with a pick, his seventh of the season. Speaking of picks, not a bad one, getting him in the 2010 draft and seeing him making the soon-to-be pro bowl.
Speaking of rookies, Rob Gronkowski puts NE on top with a 13-yard touchdown reception from Tom Brady.
The Pats made it look easy.

Snow way

2010-12-28T11:02:00.000-05:00

The long-awaited, not-really-anticipated Vikings-Eagles game finally will be played tonight at Lincoln Financial Field. The game was postponed from Sunday because of forecasted heavy snow. The decision to move the game has been met with some criticism.

Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell went off on a bit of a rant on a Philly radio station on Monday.

“My biggest beef is that this is part of what’s happened in this country,” Rendell said on the air. “I think we’ve become wussies.”

Normally, I don’t approve of politics and sports intermingling, but in this case, Governor Ed is absolutely right. Postponing football because of snow is ridiculous. Snow has provided NFL fans with some pretty memorable moments and games (Ice Bowl, Tuck Rule, Leon Lett bungling a blocked kick at the Cowboys’ old stadium).

Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe had a good point, too, when he said there’s no way snow would postpone a game in the Midwest. Imagine if the Packers or Bears did this. They’d be the laughingstock of the league.

Although perhaps the Bears should have tried to postpone their game against the Patriots a couple weeks ago.

Second-guessing the NFL playoffs

2010-12-27T11:08:00.006-05:00

At this point in the football season, all any fan can ask for is a shot at the playoffs. Truth be told, I had assumed, when the season began, that the Green Bay Packers would have a playoff spot wrapped up by now — if not the NFC North title and a first-round bye. But things seldom work out the way we think they will in the NFL (as evidenced by the preseason predictions Scott and I made ndnsports.blogspot.com/2010/09/nfl-prognostications.html).

One of the beautiful things about the NFL playoffs, though, is that it doesn’t matter how you get in. It just matters that you’re in. Since 2000, three wild card teams have won the Super Bowl (2000 Ravens, 2005 Steelers and, sorry, Patriots fans, the 2007 Giants).

So while this season hasn’t lived up to my August optimism, my Super Bowl picks of Ravens-Packers still is alive. That’s more than I can say for Scott’s pick of Ravens-Cowboys.

Green Bay’s playoff picture is pretty simple. A win at Lambeau Field on Sunday against the Bears and they secure a wild card. And I like my team’s chances against the Eagles, Bears or Rams in the first round of the playoffs.

As for the AFC, the Patriots officially ascended to the throne of “team to beat” with their win over the Bills. Now any team in the conference with Super Bowl aspirations will have to win in Foxboro, which is no easy task when Tom Brady is in uniform. The AFC, though, is much stronger and deeper than the NFC, so even home games against the likes of the Jets, Steelers and Ravens are no lock. Even the injury-riddled Colts and upstart Chiefs are no walk in the park.

Sticking to my preseason Super Bowl prediction, here are my revised playoff guesses:

AFC wild card: Chiefs over Jets, Ravens over Colts
AFC divisional: Ravens over Patriots, Steelers over Chiefs
AFC championship: Ravens over Steelers

NFC Wild card: Packers over Bears, Saints over Rams
NFC Divisional: Packers over Falcons, Saints over Eagles
NFC championship: Packers over Saints

Super Bowl XLV: Ravens over Packers

The Eagles will win the Super Bowl

2010-12-22T20:58:00.002-05:00

Our very-opinionated intern, Cheyenne, weighs in on who will be (and won't be) in the Super Bowl, and takes a swipe at Daily News sportswriter Josh Krueger:

The Philadelphia Eagles are 10-4 and most likely will end the season 12-4, going into the playoffs on a five-game win streak. Quarterback Michael Vick is a strong candidate for the NFL MVP

DeSean Jackson is a top-five wide receiver with the ability to run back a kick or punt for a touchdown any time (the Giants are well aware of that), and he’s also one of Vick’s top targets.

Daily News sportswriter Josh Krueger wrote a blog post entitled “Vick, Eagles are unlikable” and called DeSean Jackson an “idiot receiver.” Well, that “idiot” is arguably the best receiver in the NFL. Many people probably think DeSean is an idiot, but people tend to hate on top players. So if you want to diss DeSean, go ahead, but you’re basically saying he is great.

In addition to these superstars, the Eagles also have receiver Jeremy Maclin, running back LeSean McCoy and tight end Brent Celek all on their offense. The Eagles have an amazing offense and a pretty good defense. They can go toe to toe with any team and win. The Eagles are so good, in fact, they got a Dolphins fan talking like it is his favorite team (although they are my second favorite).

I wish the Eagles could play the Patriots in the playoffs, and that can only happen if they both reach the Super Bowl. And the Patriots won’t make it that far. I hate New England so I don’t want it to be in the Super Bowl.

If the Patriots did make it, the Eagles definitely would win. I strongly believe people hate the Patriots more than they hate the Eagles, unless your name is Josh Krueger.

Black & blue Brett

2010-12-21T11:06:00.003-05:00

Does taking pleasure in another’s pain make someone a bad person? Even if it does, I’ve decided I don’t care. Seeing Brett Favre take yet another brutal hit that left him face down on the frozen field at the University of Minnesota’s stadium made me laugh. Still does.

Perhaps we finally have seen the last of No. 4. If that’s the case, good riddance.

At the risk of kicking a proverbial dead horse (or, more accurately, an almost-dead quarterback), and stating the obvious, he should have stayed retired. Maybe this time he actually will.

He could have called it quits after the 2007 season and he would have done so as a legend, talked about in the same breath as the all-time greats.

He could have made his second retirement, after the 2008 season, his final goodbye. It was so-so year with the Jets that really did nothing to change anyone’s perception of him. If it had been anyone but Brett Favre, few would remember it.

He came within a game of a third Super Bowl last season after one of the best statistical seasons of his career last year. He enraged an entire fan base and turned countless former supporters against him, but it was almost worth it.

Then, like a card player down to his last few chips, Favre refused to walk away. Instead, he threw those chips into the pot for one last chance at a winner. Not surprisingly, he lost.

Despite the fact that this season became meaningless for the Vikings a couple weeks ago, Favre couldn’t resist the temptation to suit up Monday night against the Bears. Quite possibly his last NFL game ended rather predictably — with Favre injured and on the sideline.

Let’s hope this year’s edition of Favre’s farewell is the real deal, for his sake and ours.

Wrapping up Week 15

2010-12-20T14:48:00.003-05:00

- A friend of mine said to me the other day, "I'm looking into plane tickets for Dallas," obviously thinking the Patriots are a lock for Super Bowl XLV. On a side note, when is the NFL going to dump these annoying Roman numerals?

Yes, I think the Patriots are the best team in the league, but games like Sunday night prove that anything can happen on any given Sunday. The Packers, with their backup quarterback at the controls, gave New England all it could handle. During their loss to the Cleveland Browns, their last defeat, the Patriots admitted that a bad week of practice led to the loss. I wonder what happened at this last week of practice.

Especially with the Jets' victory over the Steelers, Tom Brady and company should be very happy they snuck out of Gillette Stadium with a win. More importantly, it gave me bragging rights over Daily News sportswriter Josh Krueger, who really believed his Packers could pull this one out.

Sorry, Josh.

- Ever since Super Bowl XLII, I've hated the Giants. So a little smirk came across my face when DeSean Jackson returned a punt for a game-winning touchdown on the final play of the game.

- You have to wonder what the future holds for Randy Moss. For the second straight game, the former New England Patriots receiver wasn't targeted, and furthermore, it proved the Titans can win without him.

- The Ravens, who defeated the defending champion Saints, will be a tough out in the playoffs.

- Brett Favre has been updated to questionable for tonight's game against the Bears. Why do I have this sneaking suspicion he'll play?

Patriots survive the Pack 31-27

2010-12-19T23:26:00.003-05:00

Tully Banta-Cain goes from goat to hero as Pats hold on for 31-27 win.
The backup outside linebacker gets called for illegal use of the hands on a pass rush as Flynn is picked off by Meriweather, thus keeping a Packers' drive alive in New England territory.
Then on the final play of the game with the ball on the 15, Banta-Cain lunges back to tackle Flynn heading forward.
The ball pops loose and New England escapes with a 31-27 win.

Pats lead 31-27 with less than five minutes remaining

2010-12-19T22:58:00.003-05:00

Brady comes through. Danny Woodhead, Branch and Hernandez, too. All figure in Patriots going 63 yards on six plays, with Hernandez catching a 10-yard touchdown pass as Pats go ahead 31-27.
Green Bay drives, but has to punt. Pats have ball at their 11 with 4:52 to go. A sustained drive is needed.

New England gets field goal to close within 27-24

2010-12-19T22:51:00.003-05:00

Patriots can't convert on a third down play with Brady throwing to Julian Edelman over the middle, but Shayne Graham kicks a 38-yard field goal.
Green Bay's three and out as McCourty gets a sack.

Pack extends lead to 27-21.

2010-12-19T22:33:00.003-05:00

New England goes nowhere on its next series as Raji takes down Brady for a 10-yard sack, so a three and out for the Pats.
Now Green Bay's moving again behind Flynn's passing and gets all the way to a first down at the New England 2. But the Pack has to settle for a 19-yard field, thus the Patriots keep it a one-possession game trailing 27-21 instead of 31-21.
But the Pats can't keep Green Bay from controlling the ball. This time for 11 plays for 53 yards and for 5:05.
After three quarters Green Bay has has the ball for 32:42 to 13:34 for New England.

Green Bay goes ahead 24-21

2010-12-19T22:18:00.002-05:00

The Pats can't keep Green Bay from marching off another long drive. This time they get into the end zone on a 6-yard pass from Flynn to running back John Kuhn. The series lasts 6:56. Brady's going to get his first snap in the second half with a bit more than five minutes remaining in the third quarter.

New England takes 21-17 lead

2010-12-19T22:13:00.002-05:00

The Patriots continue to get a big play from a variety of unheralded players. Cornerback Kyle Arrington picks off Flynn and breaks three tackles en route to a 36-touchdown return as Patriots overtake the Pack for a 21-17 lead.
Not bad for a second-year player from a school that dropped football: Hofstra.

New England closes within 17-14

2010-12-19T21:52:00.002-05:00

Sometimes big plays come from the strangest places. New England's the latest recipient of that, what with lineman Dan Connolly rumbling 71 yards with the ball on a Green Bay kickoff to the Packers' 4-yard line.
Brady soon has plenty of time on third and goal and hits tight end Aaron Hernandez in the end zone with about a minute remaining in the half.
Thus, the Pats are trail the Pack by just three points at 17-14, and should take the momentum provided by Connolly into the third quarter.

Green Bay increases lead

2010-12-19T21:44:00.004-05:00

Green Bay's more than keeping pace. Flynn's throws his second touchdown pass, a 1-yarder to wide receiver Greg Jennings.
Flynn's got a 143-76 edge in passing yards. Green Bay's got a 17-7 lead.

Green Bay answers for 10-7 lead

2010-12-19T21:12:00.002-05:00

The Pack's keeping pace. Green Bay takes its second lead, going the Route 66 way down the right sideline: a 66-yard touchdown pass from Flynn to James Jones, a step behind colliding safety Brandon Meriweather and cornerback Devin McCourty.
Aaron Rodgers couldn't have put the ball in there any better.

Patriots take 7-3 lead

2010-12-19T20:44:00.003-05:00

New England's responds with no trickery, just a 73-yard drive on seven plays for a 7-3 lead.
Things look bleak when former Boston College star B.J. Raji sacks Brady for a loss of seven yards at midfield and Green Bay standout cornerback Charles Woodson has an excellent chance for an interception but can't hold on.
On But on third and 17 Brady finds old friend Deion Branch for the exact amount of yards needed on the left sideline for a first down. Then the ever-improving BenJarvus Green-Ellis shows he's becoming more of just a short-yardage given with a 33-yard run that starts to the right and ends in the left side of the end zone.
Can Green Bay match this pace?

Packers pull a fast one

2010-12-19T20:29:00.002-05:00

Green Bay recovers an onside kick at its 49. Shades of the Saints starting the second half of last season's Super Bowl.
Packers quarterback Matt Flynn gets Green Bay within the red zone, but the Pack has to settle for a 31-yard field goal.
Green Bay only gains 40 yards on 11 plays, but takes a 3-0 lead and 6:15 off the clock - and the ball out of Tom Brady's hands.

New England and Green Bay are soon to be underway

2010-12-19T20:24:00.001-05:00

Seasons greetings from Gillette. Patriots will receive the opening kickoff in 32 degrees. Makes Chicago last week feel like Palm Beach.

Touching on a bit of everything

2010-12-17T13:16:00.002-05:00

- 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.

Red Sox fans shouldn't be so confident

2010-12-15T13:33:00.002-05:00

From Cheyenne Perry, our intern at The Daily News:

So far this offseason, the Boston Red Sox have acquired outfielder Carl Crawford and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. And the Yankees didn’t get Cliff Lee. For these reasons, many Red Sox fans feel their team will win the World Series, and that the Yankees are done.

Well guess what, Red Sox fans? The Phillies now have Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt, not to mention their offensive firepower. Even if the Red Sox go to the World Series — which they won’t — the Phillies are going to win.

As for the Yankees, we are still a great team and still contenders. And as we should all know, the Yankees will do something to get better pitchers. Yes, the Yankees are getting older, but we still have CC Sabathia, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixieira, Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter.

The Red Sox will win the AL East, but they are not much better than the Yankees. Boston still needs to watch out for New York. The Phillies are the most dominant baseball team, as of right now. Yankees fans can’t wait to get title No. 28, so World Series here we come.

Vick, Eagles are unlikable

2010-12-14T11:25:00.002-05:00

There was a time, not long ago, when there was no team I hated more than the New England Patriots. In the NFL hatred rankings in my head, the Patriots held the No. 1 spot almost as long as Tiger Woods held the No. 1 golf ranking.

But this year, much like Tiger, New England has fallen from No. 1.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not rushing out to buy a No. 12 Tom Brady jersey. Far from it.
(Besides, I already have a No. 12 football jersey.)

This season, however, I’ve already found myself rooting for the Patriots twice, and there’s a chance it could happen again in February. I guarantee neither the Bears nor Vikings (the two teams I enjoyed watching the Patriots pummel) are going to be in the Super Bowl. But one of the favorites from the NFC has become a team that no one outside Philadelphia (hint, hint) should support.

Honestly, I find Philly fans a little more objectionable than usual based on their Michael Vick crush.

Some want to peg Vick’s resurgence as the feel-good story of the 2010 NFL season. For me, it’s the feel-angry story. People gush about how he’s paid his debt to society and is making the most of a second chance, and it makes me want to puke.

As deplorable as Vick’s dogfighting transgressions were, he did deserve another shot at football. But now that he has one, and is doing rather well, many are too quick to exalt him. I hated Vick before all the dogfighting stuff came to light (the word overrated comes to mind), and it’s easier to hate him now that he seems so loved.

So, if this football season ends with a Patriots-Eagles Super Bowl, I would have no choice but to back the Pats. Between Vick, idiot receiver DeSean Jackson and the way the team treated Donovan McNabb, the Eagles are utterly unlikable.

I just wish teams would start dusting off film of Vick from 2006, when he ran for 1,000 yards but overall was a mediocre QB and the Falcons were 7-9. Defenses figured him out once. Hopefully they'll do it again … and soon.

Around the NFL

2010-12-13T11:53:00.003-05:00

- How bad have things gotten for the New York Jets?

A week after being completely dismantled by the New England Patriots, Gang Green is seeking help from its strength coaches. And it still didn't help as Rex Ryan's band of boneheads fell two games behind in the division standings after a 10-6 loss to Miami.

Sal Alosi, who soon can be found in the unemployment line, intentionally stuck out his leg to trip Nolan Carroll of the Dolphins on a punt return. I agree with Daily News sportswriter Josh Krueger, who said, "Who does that?"

The league says it is reviewing the matter.

- The video clip of the Metrodome roof collapsing is down right fascinating. And a little scary. Heavy amounts of snow caused the roof to come down, and snow blanketed the field. It's safe to say everyone is thankful this didn't happen during the game.

- Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely had a feel-good day on Sunday. He rushed for a touchdown on a fake field goal, and booted five from the field. Too bad I don't have him on my fantasy team.

- After their 36-7 drubbing of the Chicago Bears in a snowstorm, the New England Patriots can officially be known as the Super Bowl favorites. The Atlanta Falcons quietly have complied the same record, but not with the same panache the Pats have used.

- Let me get this straight: Dallas Cowboys running back Tashard Choice asked for Michael Vick's autograph after the Eagles beat his team? And Cardinals fans were up in arms about Derek Anderson smiling on the sidelines during a loss to the 49ers? Wow.

- How about the curious case of Randy Moss? For the second straight week, he was held to no catches, and in the latest loss on Thursday night, he wasn't even targeted. I sure hope he enjoys his Super Bowl ring he'll receive courtesy of the Patriots.

R.I. high school football final poll

2010-12-09T11:54:00.001-05:00

With a 20-17 victory over Portsmouth last weekend in the Division I Super Bowl, unbeaten Bishop Hendricken, not surprisingly, remained in the top spot in the final poll. The Patriots didn't fall after suffering their third loss, staying at No. 2.

Middletown, though, made the biggest leap. The Islanders, who briefly dropped out of the poll when it lost three out of four games, finished No. 9 after being No. 19 at the start of the week. Led by star running back Rico McCray, Middletown defeated rival Rogers, the No. 1 seed in the Division III playoffs, then polished off Moses Brown 21-0 in the Super Bowl. The Vikings took a hit, falling from No. 8 to No. 13.

Team Points Last week
1. Hendricken (11) 220 1
2. Portsmouth 209 2
3. East Providence 192 5
4. La Salle 179 3
5. Woonsocket 178 6
6. Barrington 171 4
7. Tolman 155 7
8. Cranston East 126 9
9. Middletown 120 19
10. St. Raphael 109 10
11. Chariho 108 11
12. Mount Pleasant 89 16
t-13. Rogers 71 8
t-13. Cranston West 71 13
15. Moses Brown 67 12
16. Johnston 59 14
17. Central 40 15
18. Westerly 36 18
19. Exeter-West Greenwich 32 20
20. Lincoln 26 17
Dropped from poll: none.
Also receiving votes: South Kingstown 16, Burrillville 4, Cumberland 4, Mount Hope 4, North Smithfield 3, Shea 3, Toll Gate 3.

Musings from a mauling

2010-12-06T23:04:00.003-05:00

The big Monday Night Football showdown between the Patriots and Jets turned out to be a big boring beat down. What happened during the game wasn't terribly interesting (to anyone outside New England), so in my boredom in the fourth quarter, my thoughts wandered elsewhere.

In the first half, Patriots fans began mocking the famous Jets chant, "J-E-T-S, JETS! JETS! JETS!" with their own version, "J-E-T-S, SUCK! SUCK! SUCK!" It was funny at first, but got old quickly. Of course, the drunker fans got, the funnier they probably thought they were.

At halftime, longtime Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi was honored for some inexplicable reason. I figured it was because the team was inducting him into its Hall of Fame, but apparently they just wanted to parade him out, have him throw on his old No. 54 jersey and wax poetic about his glory days. No disrespect to Bruschi. Guy was a hell of a player. But this pomp and circumstance seemed pretty pointless, other than giving fans a chance to dust off their Bruschi jerseys.

"I've always said that was the biggest compliment fans ever gave me, to wear my jersey," Bruschi said as he met with reporters in the press box. "I still see them once in a while, and it's very flattering."

Every time I come here, I look down into the stands to try and find the most unique jersey worn by a fan. The honor this time goes to a guy with an old Laurence Maroney No. 39 jersey with a piece of paper reading "WOODHEAD" taped over Maroney's name. I've said it before and I'll say it again, someone needs to manufacture personalized replacement nameplates for NFL jerseys. That's a million-dollar idea.

Islanders are Super Bowl champs

2010-12-04T18:53:00.003-05:00

The Middletown High School football team is the Division III champion.

Despite dealing with some off-field issues and facing a team that beat them badly during the regular season, the Islanders defeated Moses Brown 21-0 on Saturday at Cranston Stadium in the D-III title game.

Portsmouth was not as fortunate in the Division I Super Bowl, losing to Bishop Hendricken 20-17.

Missing four key players because of disciplinary reasons, Middletown avenged a 34-8 regular-season loss to the Quakers and won the Super Bowl after losing the D-IV title game the past two seasons. Senior running back Rico McCray earned MVP honors after rushing for 173 yards on 27 carries. He scored all 21 Middletown points - two touchdowns on runs, one on an interception return and all three extra points.

Portsmouth led 17-6 at halftime, despite totaling just 62 yards of offense in the first half, compared to Hendricken's 174. Barry Gaines returned a punt 71 yards for Portsmouth's first score, and Dan Thorpe banged home a 48-yard field goal before Ben Willett ran 44 yards to set up his 4-yard touchdown run. But that was the end of the scoring for Portsmouth.

Hendricken quarterback Mike Maloof was named MVP after rushing for 83 yards and passing for 98 yards and two touchdowns. It was Hendricken's first state title since 1996.

Middletown football team addressing off-field issue

2010-12-03T12:38:00.002-05:00

Some Middletown High School football players may not be able to play in Saturday’s Division III Super Bowl against Moses Brown, according to a student who called The Daily News on Friday morning. The student said multiple players, as well as some cheerleaders, were dismissed from the team in the wake of an off-campus incident.

Football coach Andy Leys and athletic director Eric Godin said they were not authorized to speak about the issue.

As of yet, neither principal Steven S. Ruscito nor Superintendent Rosemarie K. Kraeger have returned phone calls seeking comment. A person answering the phone at the high school said Ruscito met with football players this afternoon. Students later attended a pep rally for the football team in the gym.

Middletown defeated Rogers in the semifinals on Tuesday night for the right to face Moses Brown on Saturday at Cranston Stadium. The game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m.

Check back later, and in the Saturday edition of The Daily News for more details.

Why I hate LeBron James

2010-12-01T13:16:00.001-05:00

Our intern, Cheyenne Perry, who last week told you why Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose should be the Most Valuable Player in the NBA, now shows his distaste for Miami Heat forward LeBron James:

I was once a huge LeBron James fan.

He WAS my favorite player, but it all changed this summer. I am not a Cleveland Cavaliers fan. I am a Chicago Bulls fan, for the record. LeBron is one of the most disloyal and egotistical people. I mean, really, who but LeBron would have an hour-long special on ESPN to slap his hometown in the face? Not to mention he went to Dwyane Wade’s team with Chris Bosh. I repeat … Wade’s team.

LeBron, you will never be considered the greatest. He won’t even be the best sidekick. Who decided LeBron was King? What has he done? And what kind of “King” joins someone else’s team? LeBron should be called The Peasant.

If LeBron wanted a championship, he should have stayed in Cleveland or went to Chicago. There he could have been like Mike. Well guess what LeBron? You are not King, not the best and you will not get a ring because you and the Miami Heat are straight garbage.

You are not a man. You need personal security just to go back to Cleveland. I HATE LEBRON “THE PEASANT” JAMES!!!

Playoff results

2010-11-30T22:07:00.002-05:00

Portsmouth and Middletown are Super Bowl bound.

Portsmouth will play Bishop Hendricken in the Division I title game after beating La Salle 23-6 on Tuesday night in Portsmouth. Ben Willett rushed for 142 yards and a touchdown and passed for 65 and a score to lead the Patriots. Austin Szczepaniak gained 87 yards on 22 carries and scored a late touchdown that sealed the win.

While the offense impressed, it was the defense that put Portsmouth in the Super Bowl. The Patriots came up with three interceptions (two by Dan Serina and one by Nick Martens) and likely would have shut out the Rams had it not been for a bad snap on a punt that gave La Salle the ball at the Portsmouth 2-yard line.

Middletown handed Rogers its first league loss of the season, 20-14, at Toppa Field in Newport. Rico McCray didn't put up huge numbers, but he gained close to 100 yards and scored two touchdowns on the ground. Dylan Gracia had the other. Christian Savage had a big second half, finishing with more than 100 yards, and helped Rogers come back and make it close at the end. But Middletown's ball-hawking defensive back, Dylan Atibagos, picked off a Rogers pass in the end zone to send Middletown to its third straight Super Bowl.

Check out Wednesday's Daily News for full results, reaction and photos from both games.

Playoff predictions

2010-11-30T12:23:00.002-05:00

All three Aquidneck Island high school football teams have playoff games tonight. Who’s winning and why?

It’s nothing personal, but based on what I’ve seen from Rogers and Middletown this season, I like Rogers to beat Middletown for the second time this season and advance to the Division III Super Bowl. The Vikings’ balanced offense — with Cody Platt throwing the ball and Christian Savage and Christian Cancel (among others) running it — is pretty potent. And during the regular-season game against the Islanders, the Vikings showed that they’re one of the few teams that has the defensive fortitude to slow down Middletown’s rushing game — led by Rico McCray and Dylan Gracia.

And, on Saturday in Cranston, Rogers takes down Moses Brown again, this time for its first state championship since 1990.

As for the local Division I game, tonight will be the first time since 1999 that Portsmouth beats La Salle on the football field. I must admit, I haven’t seen La Salle play this year, but from what I’ve heard and read, it seems like the Rams aren’t the powerhouse they have been in years past. They have a pretty young team that had to sneak into the playoffs with a win on Thanksgiving. They did beat Portsmouth once this season, but the Patriots — who, I must confess, I wasn’t sold on earlier in the year — look pretty darn good lately, and they’ll be too much for La Salle to handle tonight.

As for a possible Portsmouth-Hendricken matchup in the Division I Super Bowl, I’ll reserve judgment on that until it comes to fruition. But having the No. 1 and 2 teams in the state media poll in the D-I title game would be a perfect ending to a fun season.

Source: Journalism is going down the tubes

2010-11-29T14:33:00.004-05:00

Call me old-fashioned, but I loathe where we - and by we, I mean in the media - are in our news gathering techniques. I went to ESPN.com today because I was going to write a blog entry about a Brazilian soccer fan who was beaten to death, only to see that three of the top stories began with the word "Source."

Now of course we've seen this obligatory phrase a million times: "According to sources close to the situation ..." or "A person with knowledge of the deal ..." But that person never is named because he or she doesn't have authorization, or that deal hasn't been announced. Most of the time the information coming from the source is right.

But there are instances when it seems a bit fishy. For example, in the most recent issue of Sports Illustrated, there's a story about how Pac-10 teams have faked injuries during a game to slow the Oregon no-huddle offense. School officials and coaches have denied such claims, but a sportswriter for the Oregonian, citing "a person within the Cal Bears program" said that was part of the game plan.

Now why would a person within in the Cal Bears program tell that to a reporter from the opponent's home newspaper? I mean, is it possible that this writer could, you know, just have made this up? Why not? It makes for a juicy story and sells newspapers.

Washington Post sportswriter Mike Wise last summer was suspended for deliberately tweeting something false. He wrote that "Ben Roethlisberger will get (suspended for) five games, I'm told." His source was "a casino employee outside Lake Tahoe." Wise did this as an experiment to see what the media world was coming to. When he fessed up and said it was a hoax, readers, fellow media members and his bosses didn't take kindly.

Personally, I don't see much of a difference between that and real "news." Maybe he should have just stuck to his guns. Nobody seems to push the issue too much when you're wrong. See, the problem with today's media is that the person who gets it first (not always the person who gets it right) wins.

Up to you, TCU

2010-11-27T01:54:00.003-05:00

College football elitists are pretty happy right about now. Boise State just choked at Nevada, losing 34-31 in overtime, thanks to two missed chip shots by its kicker - a 26-yarder at the end of regulation, and a 29-yarder in overtime.

The Broncos loss knocks them out of any BCS talk, and with Auburn and Oregon both winning earlier Friday night, a matchup between the Pac-10 champion and soon-to-be SEC champ in the national title game is all but assured.

Clowns like the previously mentioned Ohio State president will laud this as good news for the game, but it's anything but. Now those who hope for a playoff someday in college football, like me, must rest their hopes on Texas Christian to crash the BCS party and upset the status quo. Then again, even if TCU does end up in the Rose Bowl, even a win wouldn't mean much, since the Horned Frogs will get no shot at one of the other unbeatens.

Give credit to Nevada on a huge win for the program. But on Friday night in Reno, the Wolf Pack dealt a blow to the argument that small-conference teams can compete with the big boys, because now Boise State won't get a sniff of a BCS conference foe for quite some time.

Let them play

2010-11-26T11:46:00.001-05:00

As each college football season develops, at some point, I think to myself, “This is the year that’s going to prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the BCS doesn’t work and the sport absolutely needs a playoff.”

Every year, I’m wrong.

That hasn’t stopped me, however, from keeping that hope alive in 2010. Oregon, Auburn, Texas Christian and Boise State all are undefeated, and rank 1-4, respectively, in the most recent BCS standings.

With a win tonight over Nevada, Boise State should overtake TCU for the No. 3 spot, but in the BCS, No. 3 means very little. As far as Boise State and TCU are concerned, it probably makes no difference which of them finishes No. 3 and which is No. 4, because there’s a good chance they’ll end up playing each other again in a BCS bowl game.

If Oregon and Auburn win out, all that’s on the line for Boise State is which color jersey the Broncos will wear — and whether they’ll be the home or away team on the scoreboard — in their bowl game.

College football is broken, yet ignoramuses like Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee, who recently declared that Boise State and TCU have no business in a national championship game, cling to the BCS like Christians to the Bible — another outdated work.

Anyone who read the cover story in the Nov. 15 issue of Sports Illustrated has a good idea of why a playoff is unlikely anytime in the near future. The short answer is that bowl games earn far too much money for the powers that be to be done away with.

But if ever there were a situation that could convince the NCAA that a tournament is necessary, this might be it. What if the Ducks, Tigers, Horned Frogs and Broncos all finish undefeated? Auburn and Oregon will play each other in what, admittedly, could be a pretty entertaining title game, while TCU and Boise State beat on each other, and beat their heads against the wall, in one of the other big bowl games.

Wouldn’t you love to see Boise State play Oregon or Auburn for the national title? I would, but if all three finish unbeaten, it’s simply not going to happen.

Thanksgiving football results

2010-11-25T14:19:00.003-05:00

Rogers and Portsmouth have football victories to be thankful for today. Portsmouth avenged last year's lost to Middletown with a 21-6 win at Gaudet Middle School while Rogers started a new tradition with a 34-8 win over Tiverton in the first regular-season meeting between the two programs.

Rogers, which wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the Division III playoffs weeks ago, finished its undefeated regular season in the league. Christian Cancel earned game MVP honors for Rogers for his contributions on both sides of the ball. He caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from Cody Platt and caused problems for the Tiverton offense all day.

John DeCosta was named Tiverton's top player. The senior scored the Tigers' only touchdown on a 27-yard run.

Senior quarterback Ben Willett and sophomore running back Austin Szczepaniak led Portsmouth's offense, which racked up 371 yards on the ground. Willett gained 230 yards on 37 carries while Szczepaniak had 147 yards on 28 carries.

Middletown senior Rico McCray returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, but was limited on offense. He finished with 66 yards on 17 carries as Portsmouth out-gained Middletown 391-103.

Check out the Friday edition of The Daily News for full results, reaction and photos from both Thanksgiving games.

Why Derrick Rose is the NBA MVP

2010-11-24T13:42:00.005-05:00

The Daily News sports department recently brought in an intern named Cheyenne Perry, and on his first day, he informed me he's a fan of the Dolphins, Lakers and Bulls, among other teams anti-Boston. I asked him to write a blog about anything he wanted, and this is what he came up with:

Derrick Rose, point guard for the Chicago Bulls, is the heart of his team. Unlike Miami Heat forward LeBron James, Rose is loyal to his city. D-Rose is the definition of the words like respect, determination, loyalty and hard work.

MVP stands for Most Valuable Player and that is exactly what D-Rose is to his team. He ranks third in the NBA in scoring (25.6 points per game), eighth in assists (8.4) and grabs 3.8 rebounds per game. Rose constantly is improving and just keeps getting better.

D-Rose is just nasty. His speed is ridiculous. There is no comparing him.Derrick Rose is raw talent, the pride of Chicago. He has ice water in his veins, nerves of steel. He breathes greatness. Derrick Rose may be the next Jordan. Derrick Rose means: Determination, Elusive, Ridiculous, Raw, Ill, Champion, King. Relentless, Outstanding, Speed and Extraordinary.

They kept going and going and going ....

2010-11-24T10:47:00.003-05:00

When I attended Southern Vermont College from 1996-2000, I often went to the men’s basketball games in the field house. I had a number of friends on the team, and considering the campus was in the middle-of-nowhere Vermont, it was something to do.

The field house isn’t very big. The Ryan Center it is not. It holds maybe 300 fans. The team was fairly decent in my day, but never in my time there did I see anything like what happened on Tuesday night.

The Mountaineers and Skidmore College played seven overtimes before the visiting Thoroughbreds — what a perfect nickname for this game — prevailed 128-123 in seven overtimes. Yes. Seven. Overtimes.

Southern Vermont’s Lance Spratling, who I covered while he played at Taconic High School in Pittsfield, Mass. — played all 75 minutes and scored 31 points on 10-for-40 shooting, including 0-for-13 from behind the 3-point line.

According to the box score, 142 fans attended the early season game. The teams combined for 145 missed shots. They were tied at 59-59 at the end of regulation, and scored a combined 133 from that point forward.

Want some more numbers?

SVC won the rebounding battle 87-79, and outshot the Thoroughbreds 37.2 percent (42-for-113) to 36.8 percent (43-for-117). Of the Mountaineers’ 123 points, only 14 came from bench players. Taeshon Johnson of SVC led all scorers with 39 points.

Two other games in college basketball history went to seven overtime periods, but this is the first in Division III.

“I kept telling the guys as each overtime passed to really enjoy the moment,” Skidmore coach Joe Burke told reporters. “They will never be involved in anything like that in their lives again. I kept telling them, ‘This is fun isn’t it?’ But by the sixth overtime, I think that wore out.”

And how does it feel to lose a game like that?

“It’s difficult to reconcile your emotions when you have just participated in such an epic event and lost,” SVC coach Mike McDonough told reporters. “But to a man, both teams will take a way something from tonight that they will never forget.”

Both teams have a week before they get back on the court, and it looks like they’ll need it.

Hitting to all fields

2010-11-23T15:39:00.002-05:00

If you're fan of Newport County football, whether you like Rogers, Middletown, Tiverton or Rogers, Thursday is a day you have to be excited about. Now if only Rogers could play Portsmouth, and we'd know who the real county champion is.

- The Celtics certainly know how to end a losing skid. And speaking of the NBA, what's happening to the Miami Heat? If you listen close enough, you can actually hear people jumping off the bandwagon.

- I still firmly believe that boxing is dead until the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight. But it's still better than MMA.

- Daily News sportswriter Rick McGowan gets a vote for the Heisman Trophy, and right now, is there a clear cut winner?

- Speaking of college football, good for the University of Rhode Island for moving to a new conference in 2013. Clearly, the Rams are headed in the right direction under second-year coach Joe Trainer, who recently was named Colonial Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, and now they want to be more competitive in a conference more suited for them.

- This New England Patriots offense reminds me of the one that won the Super Bowl in 2004. Playing the role of Troy Brown is Wes Welker. Playing the role of Kevin Faulk is Danny Woodhead, and BenJarvus Green-Ellis is reminiscent of Antoine Smith. Playing the role of Deion Branch is ... well, Deion Branch.

- Can you imagine the numbers Josh Hamilton could have put up had he not missed the first half dozen seasons?

- I guess the Boston Red Sox didn't have Victor Martinez in their plans for 2011. I just hope they'll make a move to replace his bat in the lineup.

- It's safe to say football wasn't meant for Wrigley Field.

Pats hold on for 31-28 win

2010-11-21T18:55:00.002-05:00

On man, Indy's got the ball again with more than two minutes remaining and just 74 yards to go for a go-ahead touchdown.
Just 24 yards since this is Manning.
Haven't we seen this before?
But Pats win as defensive back James Sanders makes a leaping outfield interception catch a la McCourty as Manning can't get all his body into a throw because linebacker Jermaine Cunningham got a hand in on an outside rush.
A 31-28 win in a game where two of the greatest quarterbacks of all time lived up to their billing.

Colts keep kicking, get within 31-28

2010-11-21T18:51:00.002-05:00

Manning's not finished. He completes five passes on a 7-play, 73-yard march that ends with an 18-yard diving catch by White for a touchdown with 4:48 remaining.

Colts respond with Manning TD pass

2010-11-21T18:32:00.002-05:00

So much for 31-20. Manning and Brown move Indianapolis quickly down the field, with Blair White taking in a 5-yard touchdown pass as Indy cuts the Patriots' lead to 31-21.

Pats up 31-14

2010-11-21T18:23:00.003-05:00

Another sustained New England drive, this of 10 plays, 54 yards, results in a 31-14 Patriots lead with 10:23 remaining.
That's enough scoring, New England. Let Indy kick two field goals and get out of Gillette with a 31-20 loss so I can finally get one pick in this paper right on the numbers this season.

Pats in control after three quarters

2010-11-21T18:14:00.002-05:00

The third quarter ends on a high note for New England. When Colts receivers Pierre Garcon and Jacob Tamme don't hone in on a long Manning pass down the right sideline, Pats defensive back Devin McCourty makes a leaping outfield catch for an interception.
Green-Ellis runs for five yards on the final play of the quarter, then powers 16 yards to the outside to the Colts' 40.

Woodhead runs and runs it in

2010-11-21T18:04:00.002-05:00

Danny Woodhead goes 36 yards for a touchdown to cap New England's second series in the third quarter to give Patriots a 28-14 lead.
Woodhead took a hand off and cut to his right to find daylight outside, made a defender miss, kept his balance at the Indy 23 and went the rest of the way.
What a pickup. Woodhead that is. And then he makes the tackle on special teams on the ensuing kickoff.

NE 21, Indy 14 at the half

2010-11-21T17:21:00.003-05:00

Colts are keeping pace. Manning and Wayne are on the same page as Indy goes 85 yards on 12 plays, with Wayne taking in a perfect touch pass into the left corner of the end zone for an 11-yard score with four seconds remaining in the half as Colts get within 21-14.
The first two quarters have set this one up for a very interesting second half.

Patriots a scoring machine

2010-11-21T17:10:00.002-05:00

New England goes up 21-7 on another long drive, this one ending on a BenJarvus Green-Ellis run up the middle from five yards out.
Pass completions of 25, 16 and 3 yards for first downs helped set up the score.
Can Manning's undermanned Colts keep pace?

Patriots keep rolling, go up 14-0

2010-11-21T16:37:00.003-05:00

The Patriots are getting their hands on a few of Brady's throws, and even Colts old reliable Reggie Wayne ran a route on a pass nowhere near him.
Colts are also piling up penalties.
Now Pats are piling up yardage with Brady connecting with Deion Branch on both sides of the field and with Welker on a diving grab by the latter for a first down ainn the red zone late in the opening quarter.
On the first play of the second quarter, Welker makes a catch for a first down and not too long after that on third-and-goal from the 8, Brady connects with Aaron Hernandez for a touchdown and a 14-0 New England lead.
Question for Hernandez since he's from Bristol, Conn. Why not do an end zone celebration and call it the Bristol Stomp?
Sure, the song from the early '60s is from Bristol, Pa., but the boys in Bristol, sharp as a pistol - the ones at ESPN, too - would love it and give it play.

First round to Patriots and Brady

2010-11-21T16:26:00.003-05:00

New England safety Brandon Meriweather picks off an overthrown Peyton Manning pass and returns it 39 yards to the Indianapolis 32 to end Colts' first series.
Tom Brady soon finds old friend Wes Welker, who has a step on linebacker Pat Angerer, for a 22-yard touchdown over the middle four minutes into this anticipated showdown.
Nice to see Welker burrow-muscle in for the score.