Newsflash NFL Brothers and Sisters.

The Super Bowl may be over 2 months away, but the most influential football game of the season took place this past Sunday.

Stumped? Giants / Titans.

Giants / Titans? Hear me out. This game has the potential to send 'Butterfly Effect' type shockwaves throughout the NFL for seasons to come.

The Giants / Titans tilt on Sunday November 26th very well might be the game where;

Vince Young held his coming out party.
Everyone knew that Young is a tremendous talent but there were doubts as to whether or not he would ever be able to put together all of the pieces and become a great NFL quarterback. Not only did Young make plays with his arm and feet, but he showed intelligence, intestinal fortitude, and guts in Tennessee's thrilling come from behind, 24-21 victory. This game might be the one that put Young on the road to becoming an NFL superstar.

Eli Manning was exposed.
The honeymoon is definitely over. When his Legacy and bloodlines are stripped away, what is left is a Quarterback in regression. At this point in his career, Manning is a maddeningly inconsistent QB with questionable mechanics and suspect decision making abilities. Now will Manning flame out in the months and years to come? Most likely not, but this game acts as the Boy Wonder's crossroads and it will be interesting to see how he responds facing, arguably the most adversity that he has ever faced involving the game of Football.

The Giants dreams of an extended play off run ended.
These are the types of losses that seem to send middling teams into a tailspin, from which they never recover. If this is the case, what do the next few seasons have in store for the G-Men. Is Tom Coughlin gone? Given the way that he has been criticised by his players this season, it would stand to figure that the only thing that saves his job is a play off WIN. Not appearance, WIN. Taking into account that a new coach would be dealing with a question mark a Quarterback, the departure of a Pro Bowl running back, and a defense core that's aging, barring a mild miracle, the New York Football Giants might be heading into rebuilding mode for the next season or two.

There is a chance that this game, however, promises to have ramifications that the entire League may feel, stemming from 2 plays.

Fourth quarter. Young is heading for the sidelines and takes a hellacious hit from 2 New York defenders, prompting a personal foul call even though at the moment of impact, Young's feet were in bounds - by definition, a legal hit. Late in the quarter, trailing by 7, Young and the Titans face a 4th and 10 at their own 24 yard line. With the game on the line, Giants Defensive End Mathias Kiwanuka breaks through, bear hugs Young, then, perhaps assuming that the play would be whistled dead at any second and fearing that taking Young to the ground might incite another roughing penalty, lets him go, allowing Young to scramble for the 1st down. The rest is history - Touchdown, Manning interception, game winning Field Goal, Music City Miracle II.

This game exposes the fact that the NFL's desire to protect Quarterbacks has reached ridiculous proportions. Football minions have grown tired of seeing the gradual development of dual sets of rules, one for the QB's and one for everyone else, and on Sunday, this favouritism cost a team a win. No one wants to see Quarterbacks, or any other players for that matter injured, but at the end of the day, a Quarterback is still a football player playing football which is, like it or not, a violent sport.

One of the many characteristics of the NFL is, unlike other sports, its Board of Governors won't hesitate to tweak the game based on an incident or two. Patriots Defensive Backs maul Colts Wide Receivers during the 2005 AFC Championship? Stricter illegal contact rules are implemented the next season. Cowboys Safety Roy Williams drags down Eagles Wide Receiver Terrell Owens from behind, breaking Owen's foot? Ladies and Gentleman, I present to you, the 'horsecollar' rule.

This game, on many levels, might evolve into a historical bookmark, a reference point for the true beginning of one career, the defining moment of another career, all the while, leaving its fingerprints all over the way the game is played. And to think, with the ability to Flex Scheduele, NBC passed on this gem for Eagles / Colts.

Gotta go, 'Breakfast Club' is on.

What is the meaning of life? In a word - Disappointment.

Life is a series of events that inevitably lets us down. Ninety-nine percent of the population continues to pursue dreams that are never accomplished, a quality of life that is never realized. So what do we do? We search for activities, foolishly thinking that we can control, in order to taste some small measure of success. What my activity? Fantasy Football.

Over the past several weeks, I have, through a succession of shrewd transactions, assembled a squad that in my mind, is invincible. So I have a 6 point lead going into tonights Packers / Seahawks Monday nighter. My opponent has Seattle's Defence and I'll admit that I am a little concerned, given Brett Favre's propensity to throwing interceptions.

So what happened? I could not have scripted it any better for the first 55 minutes. In a League where sacks register 1 point and turnovers 2, Favre had neither of these transgressions blemishing his stat line.

Then it began.

Favre throws a pick with about 5 minutes left. Not great but not disasterous either. I'm still up 4 and am hoping that Seattle bleeds the clock and I can go home happy. Seattle goes 3 and out. Favre throws another pick. 'Okay' I'm telling myself, 'Seattle gets 1 first down and its done'. Seahawks go 3 and out again, pinning the Packers inside their own 10 yard line. Now Favre has to go ninety something yards with no time outs, he'll have to throw a lot and, well, by now I'm sure that you can tell where this is going.

To my suprise, Favre's dinking and dunking has moved the Packers to mid field, burning all but 13 seconds off of the game clock. My buddies are telling me that I've got this one in the bag but I know disaster is on its way. Kind of like when you have headphones on and someone approaches you and stands behind you. You can't hear them but you've somehow sensed that they are there.

So 13 seconds left. Favre dumps one off over the middle to the running back. 'Perfect. That will run out the clock', I think to myself, breaking into a satisfied grin. Somehow the official manages to set the ball, Favre manages to set his Offensive Line and gets the play off with one second remaining and I know whats coming. I'm like Pesci in 'Good Fellas' just before he gets whacked. Favre has the ball knocked loose from behind (Sack = 1 point) and the Seahawks recover (2 points). I lose by 1 point.

Life is a series of events that are, sooner or later, guaranteed to disappoint. I am never again taking up a new hobby or bothering to learn a new skill because the end result always falls shot of the desired outcome.

Gotta go, heard that Mike Vanderjagt was cut so I need to find another kicker.

Does anyone else find Joe Buck annoying?

I'm watching the Buccaneers / Cowboys Thanksgiving Day dud. Terrell Owens goes up for a pass in the endzone, comes down hard, and seems to be injured. First Buck concludes that Owens is slow to get up because he is lamenting another dropped pass. When Owens is still on the turf, in obvious pain, Buck casually dismisses his intitial guess. Reports from the sideline are that Owens had the wind knocked out of him and will return. During the next Cowboys posession, Buck announces that Owens has returned to the game after having the, "quote / unquote, wind knocked out of him".

Okay Joe. I get it. You don't like Terrell Owens. Truth be told, Owens' antics over the last several years have made it difficult, if not impossible for anyone to like him, but the last time I checked, isn't you job as the play by play man to, I don't know, do play by play?

What is ironic about all of this is that, in disliking Owens because he is, among other things, arrogant, and voicing his opinion on the matter, Buck himself is arrogant enough to think that anyone cares what his personal feelings are towards Owens, or any other player.

The odd thing is that I don't completely understand what the intended meaning of his comments were. Was he doubting the sincerity of Owen's injury? I'm sorry Joe. How many crossing paterns have run? How many times have you been tackled? Was he making light of Owen's injury? I'm not sure. What I do know is that his comments reaked of a personal agenda and were very biased and unprofessional. I'm not going to sit here and claim that I have first hand knowledge, but I am willing to bet that Joe's father, the immortal Jack Buck, would never have allowed his personal feelings to interfere with his calling of the action.

To be blunt, Joe Buck looks more like the guy I page at work when my computer crashes, than a guy who's qualified to make personal judgements on professional football players.

So Joe, do us all a favour and just call the action and keep your unsolicited opinions to yourself.

Gotta go. Classic B.C. / Miami (Doug Flutie Hail Mary) is on.

I love football.

I can remember a specific saturday afternoon, when I was 7, flipping back and forth between an NFL game, a CFL game, a College game, a Canadian University game, and a High School game. Cracks in the sidewalk would become my makeshift sideline, and I would try to tip-toe along them on the way to my pretend game winning touchdown.

So I watched the Grey Cup game today. Not a great game, but the atmosphere and passion was undeniable. I don't hate the CFL. How could I? It is, after all, football. What I do hate, is when CFL fans continuously compare the CFL to the NFL and have the audacity to claim that the CFL is a superior product.

Utter insanity. The NFL is far superior. Period. There is no debate. The game does not exist without the players, and NFL players are infinitely better than their CFL counter parts. What does it say, when NFL scrubs have productive CFL careers, or when CFL stars can't even crack an NFL roster? CFL fans seem to build their argument upon the notion that their championship game, which usually is fairly compelling, is more entertaining than until recent years, the seemingly endless string of Super Bowl blow outs. So does one good game excuse the dozens of stinkers that the rest of the season produces?

I find these fans more irritating than sitting in a tub of chlorine bleach, but I refuse to displace my anger onto the CFL and its players. I respect any Football player at any level. These players exude a desire and drive that is the foundation of the CFL. In fact, these idiot fans, with their non stop comparisons, are actually doing their beloved League a disservice. These players don't devote their entire lives to being the best football players that they can be because they are simply unable to. They don't have live in personal chefs and personal assistants that take care of all of life's little details and allow them to just concentrate on all things football. Many don't rely on their football salary as their main source of income. Could you imagine taking a coffee break at the office with co-worker Ben Roethlisberger as the two of you discuss his recent Super Bowl win? Whether these players are good enough to compete with the NFL, or just good in general, should not be the issue. These players just show up, and for 2 pre season and 18 regular season games, 2 play off rounds and one championship game, give it all that they've got.

A good parent dosen't compare his or her children to each other. He or She accepts their differences, acknowledges their positive characteristics, and loves them both.

There you have it. So the next time that I am asked if I think that the CFL is beter than the NFL, I will have a two part answer ready; 'No Chance and Who Cares?'

Gotta go, Grey Cup replay is on.

A plea to the powers that be at the NCAA:

Fire Bobby Knight.

It's has become excruciating to have to endure Knight's antics, and his latest episode should give you all the reason that you need to rid the pagantry and spectacle of collegiate athletics, of this cancer. To say that Knight was wrong for laying his hands on one of his players is a massive understatement. Its reprehensible, its inexcusible, its classic bullying, and it would comfort me to know that these actions would cost Knight his job, if it weren't for the fact that he has done this before, with little or no reprecussions. Some might say that he lost his job at Indiana as a result. Please! Indiana was looking for a reason to be justified in firing a coach that had been resting on success acheived a decade and a half ago.

How many All-Americas has he recruited in the last 10 years?
Is it a coincidence that the hoosiers advanced all the way to the championship game in the first full year after Knight's departure?
So the folks down in Lubuck, desperate to capture some attention for their basketball program, in a football crazy part of the world, hire Knight. Did they honestly think that he would lead their program to prominence?

Knight is a narcissistic bully who shows respect for no one but demands it from everyone and his act has grown very tiresome. To be blunt, the NCAA has repeatly shown that it is an organization lacking any heart and compassion, robotically enforcing its brand of justice, untempered with mercy. An athlete is expelled from his team, even as a first time offender, and transfers schools, losing year of eligibility, whereas a coach is bought out of his contract, and subsequently enjoys a seemless transition to his next coaching job.

Now the NCAA finds itself in its own type of 'statement game'. Bobby Knight has completely run amok and it is time to ban him from coaching for life. He has used up his 2nd chance, his 3rd chance, etc. He is never going to change because he doesn't think that he needs to change. It's time, however, that the NCAA show some backbone and integrity. Banning Knight would send the long overdue message that no one is bigger that the institution of sport itself. Knight's disrespectful and tyrannical ways are no longer tolerated.

In the mid 1980's, for violations substantial in their quantity and severity, a number of sanctions were levied against Southern Methodist University. These sanctions were so powerful that they effectively crippled a thriving football program, that has never been the same since. These sanctions were referred to as the 'Death Penalty'.

Because of his own doing, its that Knight's career suffer the same fate.

I hate soccer. No, I really hate soccer.

What do I hate about soccer? Thank You for asking.

I hate the fact that the net is the size of a 3 car garage, yet there are only 2 goals per game, if lucky.

I hate the celebrations. Terrell Owens pulls a sharpie out of his sock and people act like he wiped his ass with the constitution, yet a soccer player bites his team mate's dong and people laugh it off.

I hate the fact that people ooh and ahh with every shot taken, when a replay from another angle shows that it missed by 12 feet. Allow me to put this into perspective. Let's say that you are washing your car with the garden hose. The back bumper is especially filthy. You aim but miss and hit the left headlight. Not only are you as skilled as a soccer player, but you are as skilled as some of the world's best soccer players.

I hate the way time is kept in soccer. They play until the end of the half, but the half is not over because the referee has guestimated that ex number of minutes should be added because of the numerous delays during the match. When those minutes have elapsed, the half is still not over because one team is in the middle of a scoring chance, so the referee allows the play to continue, then whistles it dead at his discretion. Why not just play for 2 days. Game starts at sun up, and goes until sun down, at which point, the players adjourn to their hotel rooms for rest. The game resumes at sun up the next day and continues until sun down. In the event of a tie, the team captains participate in a potato sack race, from one goal line to the other.

I hate the corruption in soccer. Am I the only one that finds it odd that FIFA officials openly admit that the reason certain World Cup matches are held simultaneously is to avoid match fixing? Anyone? I guess it's just me.

I hate the diving. Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate the fact that being slide tackled must hurt, but to flail around like a goldfish on the kitchen floor? Its obvious that the player is not severely injured. If he was, do you honestly believe that the club owners, who have tens of millions of dollars invested in these players, would allow the trainers to toss the player onto a stretcher and hustle him off of the field, without taking any precautions?

Did I say field? I meant pitch. Which brings me to my next point. I hate how snooty soccer fans are when correcting you about terminology. You don't see me getting all Simon Cowell when someone calls a football play, a run, when it is in fact, a draw, a sweep, a counter, off tackle, etc. etc.

Speaking of soccer fans, I hate how insecure they are about their beloved sport. I love football, (REAL football, not soccer football), but I can admit that there are issues that need to be addressed. Ronde Barber picks off a pass, uses the football as an ore to paddle his imaginary canoe and gets flagged for celebration? What the crap is that? Not soccer fans. Admitting that the sport has flaws is blasphemous. A 0-0 draw belies the fact that the match was filled with end to end action, and a 4-2 result is direct proof that the opinion that a soccer match is generally a scoreless snoozefest, is ludicrous.

Staying with the soccer fans. I hate the way they defend soccer from criticism by attacking other sports. Not enough scoring in Hockey, Football's pace is too slow and Baseball's boring, but soccer is all three and that seems to be just fine with them.

I hate how the World Cup is supposed to be this global event that unifies the planet. If soccer is able to create such a wonderful utopia, then why has there been considerably more violance, more hooliganism, and more killing in the name of soccer than all other sports on the planet, combined?

Gotta go, Beverley Hills 90210 is on.

does anyone know who bob kuechenberg is?

anyone?

ok, let me fill you in.

bob kuechenberg is a former offensive lineman for the miami dolphins. he played 14 years, was named to 6 pro bowls and was on the 1972 undefeated super bowl team. impressive.

so the 1-6 dolphins are schedueled to face the undefeated bears, with the hopes of handing chicago its 1st loss and leaving only the colts as the lone threat to the '72 dolphins claim to fame. when kuechenberg was asked what he thought of the dolphin's chances of upsetting chicago, he responded by saying that he hoped that chicago didn't thrash miami to the point where the cartoon dolphin was knocked clear off their helmets.

miami 31, chicago 13.

when asked about his comments prior to the game, kuechenberg suggests that his comments fired up the dolphins and propelled them to victory in this monumental mismatch.

bob kuechenberg, you're pathetic.

have you, and other members of your beloved '72 dolphins, accomplished so little with your lives in the 34 years since, that the highlight of your life has become gathering and popping champagne when the last remaining undefeated team goes down?

dont get me wrong, what you acheived in 1972 was phenomenal but do you honestly believe that that team would be able to cover a 2 touchdown spread vs any 10+ win team from the last 10 years?

GET REAL! you blocked defensive lineman that would be safeties in todays game. you blocked corner backs that would be kickers!

your comments fired them up? i'm willing to bet that no players on the '06 dolphins roster were alive during your historic '72 season, and more importantly, no players care what you or your former team mates think. ah, i can just imagine coach saban's post game speech, 'sorry jason taylor, i know that you had a sack, a forced fumble, and an interception return for a touchdown but the game ball goes to bob kuechenberg for really firing us up'.

it boggles my mind. this is an obviously a case of a person who never ever wanted to let go of the spotlight and the attention, seeing an annual opportunity to remind everyone how great he and his team mates were ions ago.

i'd have total respect for kuechenberg, and the '72 dolphins if he came out and admitted that he thought, like everyone else, that miami would get destroyed, he's glad he was wrong and he's so proud off their effort in victory.

but he didn't so to conclude, even though because of my allegences, i hate the dolphins, i give them full credit and respect for their chi-town beat down, and to kuechenberg and the rest of the '72 dolphins, when the lone undefeated team in the NFL - the colts - inevitably suffer defeat, preserving your precious record for yet another year, and you pop that champagne, i have a suggestion as to where you can put the corks.

gotta go, 'married with children' is on.

hey everyone.

so i started this blog, i'm not exactly sure as to why, but i thought that it would be fun and in the process, if my comments can put a smile on the face of some kenyan university student taking a break from their craming session, or some belarussian coal miner, net surfing after playing on-line poker, well then, thats a bonus.

as this is my first posting, i will outline what you may expect to find here, as well as some simple, non-negotiable ground rules.

- i am a sports fanatic. to illustrate this point, in 1991, i lay semi-conscious in a hospital bed, yet i asked my sister to fight through an hour and 20 minutes of traffic in order to fetch me a walkman so i would be able to listen to the maple leafs play game 5 of the conference finals. this blog will be predominantly about sports. i will occasionally discuss relationships, politics, sex, tv/movies, music, or food, but mostly sports

- as you may have already noticed, i dont pay much attention to spelling, grammar, syntax, or proper use of punctuation. please dont respond to me informing me that i mispelled 'supersilious' in my last posting. frankly, i dont care. i'm here to share my thoughts, opinions, views, and get on with my life.

- again, as you can tell by the crude 'bullets' that i'm using, im not interested in font or colours or any other bells and whistles. maybe down the road, but not now. besides, let's be honest, maybe no one will ever read this or i'll get bored and stop posting so, no point for now.

- i'm not here to offend anyone (at least, not deliberately) so if you have an opinion, i will respect it. i may not agree with it and i'll let you know, but i'm not here to 'get over' at anyone else's expense.

- i reserve the right to alter or change any of the above guidelines, or add new ones, if i see fit

here we go.