So the Texans have finally figured it out.

Is that what I am supposed to believe?

The reason why Houston has not been able to exceed its high water mark of 7 wins during its 7-9 2004 campaign is David Carr. So the Texans acquired backup Quarterback, but can't miss, All-Pro in waiting Matt Schaub and handed Carr his walking papers. Although the numbers appear pedestrian - 2 career starts in 3 seasons with the Falcons, 6 Touchdowns, 6 Interceptions and a Passer Rating of 69.2 - Schaub has, at times, looked very impressive. The problem is that backup Quarterbacks more often than not look impressive when thrust into action since defenses have spent their week game planning for the starter. When backups become full time starters however, the potential doesn’t necessarily translate. Just ask the folks in Buffalo when the Bills traded a first round pick to Jacksonville in exchange for backup QB, Rob Johnson. What Buffalo received was a Quarterback who despite posessing all of the physical tools, started only 26 games in four years as Bills' starter, no play off appearances, no winning seasons and was sacked a whopping 110 times.

And speaking of sacks. Is it true that Carr is not a good NFL Quarterback or is it that Houston's front office incompetance has not allowed Carr to live up to the potential that made him a first overall pick. Carr has been sacked 249 times in his 5 year Texans career and the Texans' front office should be ashamed of themselves for their inability to provide Carr with any offensive support. In the Texan's 5 year history, Houston has sent only one offensive player to a Pro Bowl, Wide Receiver Andre Johnson. No Ofensive Linemen, Full Backs, Tight Ends or any other players that could assist in keeping Carr upright long enough to make plays.

Then last spring it seemed like the Texans had caught a break in being in position to draft electrifying Running Back / Wide Receiver Reggie Bush. Houston, feeling inexplicably comfortable about the state of affairs on the offensive side of the ball, passed on Bush and drafted underwhelming Defensive End Mario Williams.

So what happens when Carr signs with a team that can protect him long enough to make his reads and step into his throws? Carr still has a chance at a very productive NFL career and the poise and class that he exhibited while serving his 5 year sentence in Houston are traits that can only help him when he inevitably signs with another team.

The Texans, meanwhile are on the verge of becoming football's version of the Clippers if they don't smarten up and address the weaknesses that have plagued them since their inception.

Gotta go, 'Simon & Simon' is on.

We live in a world that is all about 52 inch plasma’s, but takes for granted dolby digital surround sound.

What am I talking about?

The other day, I’m at work talking to my buddy BMV – I don’t quite remember the topic of the conversation – but I do remember him saying to me that his favourite sound in sports is the sound of a baseball ricocheting off of the Green Monster at Fenway Park and in my mind’s eye, or mind’s ear as the case may be, I knew precisely as to what he was referring. Then it occurred to me that, the sounds of sport, are just as enduring as some of sports most memorable visual images. To use a sports analogy, sport’s sights and sounds are similar to an All-Pro Quarterback and his All-Pro left tackle – both are valuable, but one goes for the most part unsung, all the while assisting the other in achieving fame and adoration.

That being said, here are, in my humble opinion, the 10 best sounds in sport;

10. The sound of an Ace being served in Tennis.
It acts to jolt you out of the rhythm that you have settled into during a tennis match. Ralleys with the sound of ball to racket as consistent as the one-two-three of waltz timing. Then the sudden thud of an ace, a welcome reminder of the unpredictability of sport.

9. The sound of a Starter’s Pistol.
It is perfectly metaphoric that the 100 meter dash commences with a gun shot. The ferocity of the weapon being fired releases an equally ferocious combination of speed and power as sprinters push there bodies to, and beyond their limits for the next 10 to 11 seconds, and hopefully less the sprinter may add.

8. The sound of a Big Hit in Football.
Does anything satiate a sportsfan’s need for violence quite like a big football hit? The popping, the crunching, the thud, the groaning. The sportsfan’s version of being in a vehicle during a head on collision with the guarantee of walking away unscathed.

7. The sound of Racecars roaring by.
We live in a world of speed. Fast cars, fast trains, fast flights, fast food, fast technology. The power of hearing these magnificent mechanical specimens wiz by appeals to the Id in all of us.

6. The sound of the Swish of a Basketball Shot.
Unlike most things in life, the more it happens, the more impressive it becomes. The ability to shoot a ball 12 inches in diameter, at a target 20 feet away, 10 feet raised, through a ring 18 inches in diameter, completely avoiding contact and rippling the mesh cords. Simply harmonic.

5. The sound of a Home Crowd cheering a Home Run.
Not your tape measure variety but the dinger that clears the fence by a foot or two. The crowd starts to rumble upon contact. The rumbling grows and grows recognizing that that ball’s got a chance, exploding into a roaring crescendo as the ball clears the fence. What a rush.

4. The sound of the hockey glass or Basketball backboard shattering.
Actually a combination of sounds. First, the high pitched explosion of the glass, followed by the gasping of the crowd in awe, followed by the raucious cheering for no real specific reason. Three sounds that seem to happen almost simultaneously, but combined, remind us that sports were meant to be fun.

3. The sound of a Puck hitting the Post dead on.
No sound in all of sports solicits such polarized emotions as does the ping of vulcanized rubber off of steel. You either collapse in your chair, dejected that your team missed a goal by inches, or you leap to your feet, elated that your team dodged a bullet.

2. The sound of a College Fight Song.
I defy any true sports fan to listen to the Michigan band play ‘Hail To The Victors’ or the Notre Dame band’s rendition of the ‘Notre Dame Victory March’ in front of a packed stadium without breaking out in goosebumps.

1. The sound of Soccer Fans singing.
It’s common knowledge that I am not a fan of the sport but even I can admit this much. Part patriotism, part nationalism, part fanaticism, the site of eighty thousand people singing in unison and in tribute to the squad that they adore, is breathtaking.

Gotta go, nothing’s on but I have the urge to listen to some classical music.

Can you hear it? Can you feel it? Can you taste it?

The Madness is upon us.

For those filling out their brackets, allow me to give you the inside scoop as to which 4 teams will be battling it out in Atlanta come March 31st.

Let's start in the Midwest. Defending champion Florida cannot be taken for granted. The Gators return Corey Brewer, Al Horford and Joakim Noah from last year's championship squad and, coming off of their SEC championship, promise to be a tough foe. With parity in College Basketball being at an all-time high and with no repeat champions in the last 15 years, conventional wisdom indicates that somehow, someway, Florida will indeed stumble. So who steps up to slay the Gators? The unlikeliest of foes in the animal kingdom, the Ducks. Oregon is on fire coming into the big dance, trouncing their 3 opponents by an average margin of 18 points on route to the PAC 10 conference championship. The Ducks shot 54 % in the conference tourney, including that same gaudy percentage from beyond the arc and are poised to ride their hot streak to a final 4 spot.

One of the most intriguing questions every year is which mid major is poised to make an extended tournament run. After George Mason's inspiring run to the semis in 2006, the bar has never been higher for potential darkhorses. Look no further than the West Region and Southern Illinois. In a conference known for its defense, the Saluki's are down right stifling, led by Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Randal Fauker. Not a true cinderella as a 4 seed but a mid major nonetheless, Southern Illinois mushes all the way to Atlanta.

It's difficult to discount any team with a great guard / big man combo. That being said, the East Regional final awaits the potentional game of the tournament when Texas and Georgetown meet. Even though North Carolina is the top seed, there are too many potential pitfalls looming for the Tar Heels, in the form of Marquette, Michigan State and USC, teams that can beat down UNC, leaving them vulnerable for a 2nd or 3rd round exit. So it is D.J. Augustin and Big 12 Player of the Year, Kevin Durant vs Roy Hibbert and Big East Player of the Year, Jeff Green. The Hoyas hook the Horns in double overtime in an instant classic.

And last but not least, the dirty, dirty, South Region. At first glance, it would appear that Ohio State, led by man-child Greg Oden is prepared to eradicate the sour taste in the mouths of Buckeyes fans left by OSU's disappointing BCS Championship loss. That screaming of disagreement you hear is coming all the way from College Station and the fans of the Texas A & M Aggies. The Aggies know a thing or two about defense themselves, ranking 2nd in the nation in opponents field goal percentage, surrendering just 58.6 points per game. A & M also knows how to get things done in crunch time, led by all Big 12 performer Acie Law IV who himself shot 65.9% from the field, 72.7% for beyond the arc and 84.2% from the free throw line in the last 4 minutes of games this season. Not even Oden and company will be able to avoid the long arm of the Law as A & M rounds out the final four.

So there it is, quite a diverse quartet.

So what happens? Gotta keep reading.

Gotta go 'Welcome Back Kotter' is on.

When this seemingly interminable hockey season finally ends – rumor has it that it eventually will – look no further for a Stanley Cup sleeper than the New York Islanders.

I’ll wait until you are done laughing.

Lets all hop into the DeLaurian and take a trip back in time to June of 2006. Isles owner Charles Wang announced the hiring of Neil Smith as GM and former Sabres coach Ted Nolan as head coach. He also announced that Pat LaFontaine would return to the Islanders as Senior Advisor to the Owner. A little over a month later, citing ‘philosophical differences’, Wang surprisingly fired Smith and replaced him with Islanders back up Goaltender Garth Snow. Later that same day, LaFontaine resigned his Senior Advisor post. Then in September, the Islanders announced that they had signed goaltender Rick DiPietro to a 15-year, 67.5 million dollar contract, among the longest in professional sports history.

Obviously, this bizarre series of events left even the most abstact thinking sports fan befuddled and believing that every one on the island had lost their hockey minds.

Fast forward to the present day. DiPietro has firmly established himself in the upper echelon of NHL Goaltenders. DiPietro currently sits in the top ten in Games Started, Minutes Played, Wins, Save Percentage and Shutouts and at age 25, promises to be years away from reaching his prime. Nolan’s abilities as bench boss we never the question, but for whatever reasons, be it fact or rumor, he is back coaching after a 10 year hiatus and has re-established himself as a darkhorse candidate for coach of the year, leading a team that, with the shocking trade day deadline acquisition of power forward Ryan Smyth, looks to be surprisingly deep and balanced.

The mark of a team poised to make an extended play off run is its performance down the stretch. In a conference where 6 teams, separated by just 5 points, are battling for the final 2 play off spots, the Isles are playing superior hockey, with just 1 regulation loss in their last 10 games, 7 of them wins.

Does this mean that Long Islanders should be prepared to raise a 5th Stanley Cup banner come May? Maybe. But one thing is certain, the laughter has definitely died down.

Gotta go, ‘ER’ is on.