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Amongst the hoopla and some very positive performances at the Olympics, there were once again far too many sideshows, negative behaviors that shifted the focus from athletic competition to the behavior of individuals representing the worst that sport has to offer.

I read in many places that some of the most entertaining moments came from the back-and-forth verbal sparring between speed skaters Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick. The Davis-Hedrick saga involved the notion that one person was more interested in himself than being a part of the team, at least so said the person who didn't win a medal because the other had elected not to compete. It was actually quite sad and disappointing to see such lack of understanding regarding the meaning of the Olympics. I wondered if we should have listened to either person in the matter.

Three skiing/snowboarding issues involved behavior both on the slopes and off. On the slopes there was Lindsey Jacobellis, a certain gold medal winner, falling when she essentially decided to hot dog her finish, costing her that prized first place medal. Topping it all off, she first attempted to dissuade those who had the audacity to suggest she was hot dogging.

Then there was skier Bode Miller, the so-called American skiing hopeful. Bode's poor performances on the slopes led many to question what impact his late nights in the Sestriere area were doing for his skill set and his competitive drive. The American medal hopeful did not even come close to sniffing an award after being hyped by the media as the next coming of Jean Claude Killy.

Then there was freestyle skier Jaret ''Speedy" Peterson who managed to get into a fight with a friend after a night of partying in Sauze d'Oulx. The evening of the day that he finished seventh in the aerials, Peterson and several other skiers (perhaps Bode Miller as well?) partied all night in the nice village town that has as one of its mottos ''400 residents, 35 bars." Peterson and a friend got into a fight that spilled out into the street in the early morning hours. Police had to put Peterson on the ground to break up the fight. Though no arrests or charges were filed, Peterson was on the next plane home, courtesy of the USOC.

Such incidents and behavior detract greatly from what should be and otherwise is a tremendous show of skill and comradeship. I for one would love to see if for just once the story lines could move to unassuming, soft-spoken individuals that would be role models for our kids.

Perhaps it is all we have a right to expect given the crowds that are assembled and the media attention given those with compelling storylines. But many now say the Olympics has become yet another example of spoiled professional athletes masquerading as Olympians.

Unfortunately, the many side shows in Italy seem to reinforce that adage completely.

Just when the battle for the AMA Supercross series was heating up going into the last half of the season, a questionable penalty has all but put the championship out of reach for Ricky Carmichael. That's because a fuel sample taken from the #4 Suzuki machine at the San Diego round was found to contain lead in amounts over the limit allowed by AMA rules. Though the degree that Carmichael's fuel was out of tolerance was negligible and couldn't possibly have given him a competitive advantage, he was still docked 25 points for the infraction.

Now, instead of being a mere 6 points behind new series leader Chad Reed, Carmichael is in a distant third, a full 31 points down. Barring any kind of catastrophic crash or mechanical failure on Reed's part, this deficit will be extremely difficult to make up in just 8 races. For example, if Carmichael wins every race from here on out and Reed takes second place in all of them, Carmichael would still lose the championship by six points. This is a highly unlikely scenario anyway, as the competition in the Supercross class is so tough that one rider is not going to reel off 8 wins in a row.

To make matters worse for Carmichael, James Stewart is still in the mix. Stewart currently sits in second place with 152 points, and will definitely be in the middle of all the Reed-Carmichael battles for the next eight rounds. Stewart's presence can either help or hurt Carmichael's cause. For example, if the Kawasaki rider manages to stay in between Carmichael and Reed and finish in second place while Carmichael wins, then Carmichael would make up 5 points per race on Reed instead of just 3. This would give him the championship at the end of the season. However, if Stewart goes on and wins a couple of races, which he is obviously capable of doing, or if he gets second place in a Reed win, then Carmichael's chances of winning the championship fall to almost zero.

This is the third time that the AMA has imposed a 25-point penalty due to lead content violations in a rider's racing fuel. The first time occurred during the 2004 season when Team Yamaha's Chad Reed and David Vuillemin, as well as privateer Tyson Hadsell who had borrowed fuel from the Yamaha supply, were penalized. Then, in 2005, team Kawasaki riders James Stewart and Michael Byrne were docked 25 points each for out of spec fuel.

The biggest difference between those prior penalties and Carmichael's is that the first two incidents had no bearing on the outcome of the championship. In the 2004 case, Reed was well ahead in the Supercross points standings and losing 25 points didn't compromise his lead at all. He went on to win the championship. In the 2005 case, neither Stewart nor Byrne were in a position to win the outdoor motocross championship, so losing 25 points didn't make or break their seasons either. But as I said above, Carmichael would be a mere six points out of the series lead if he hadn't lost 25 points due to this penalty.

This latest incident will probably force the AMA to reevaluate the fuel rule. Some people claim that the rule would be better suited for a series in which two-stroke bikes are used rather than the four-strokes that 95% of the Supercross field (usually 19 out of 20 riders) use week in and week out. Even the AMA series manager has said he knows Carmichael wasn't cheating; nevertheless, he is enforcing the rule and allowing the outcome of the championship to hinge on what many believe to be a petty regulation.

I think this is a bad decision on the AMA's part. However, because this fuel rule wasn't challenged or evaluated in the past, the AMA has backed itself into a corner and really can't do anything about the Carmichael penalty except enforce it. If they allow Carmichael to appeal and get his points back, they would no doubt be accused of favoritism or double standards since no one affected by the previous two incidents was permitted to appeal. But by enforcing the penalty, they are making the series look like a poorly-run mess, and are probably going to end up pushing Carmichael into the NASCAR scene quicker than anyone expected.

If the AMA and everyone else involved in professional Supercross and motocross racing knows that trace amounts of lead in the fuel doesn't enhance the performance of a four-stroke bike at all, then it's time to change the rule. According to some reports, teams are already spending thousands of dollars checking their own fuel to make sure it's in compliance. Since they are still failing, it would seem that the spec is too tight. It needs to be made into something that is more easily attainable, yet that still serves the original purpose of not giving riders an unfair advantage.

As a diehard fan of Supercross, I was really looking forward to the second half of the season. This is a sport where we usually have one individual who dominates the series from wire to wire, making the championship a no-brainer. Then this year, it finally looked like there would be a three-way points battle with the championship boiling down to the final race in Las Vegas. But the AMA strikes again and the fans are left wondering what happened to their beloved series.

For those who like the usual PGA format, two rounds of golf, a cut to the best 70 scores and ties, followed by two rounds on the weekend, the Accenture Match Play Tournament doesn't get it done. Especially when all the of the game's most popular players are eliminated from the running by Friday.

A final pairing of Geoff Ogilvy and Davis Love did not give some sports fans a reason to tune in on Sunday at all. With all of the top 10 seeds eliminated, it was the first time since 2002 that the final pairing did not feature at least one of the game's premiere players.

But for those who like real competition, head-to-head, pressure packed golf, every step of the way, the match play format is a treat. It is in such a format that the game's best player, Tiger Woods, could play a round of golf without so much as a bogey, and yet still lose to another player.

In match play, one golfer competes against another golfer, hole-by-hole. The player using the fewest strokes on a hole wins the hole while if both players shoot the same score, the hole is considered tied, or in the golf world, the hole is halved.

At the end of the round, both players could easily have shot the same score, say a 70. But going hole-by-hole, either player could have won the match, perhaps one of them even winning easily.

A bad hole, a double bogey six on a par four, by a player in a normal round puts that player two over par relative to the course. If his competitor were to birdie the hole, in stroke play, there is suddenly a three shot advantage. But in match play, the second player simply wins the hole.

Unfortunately for the PGA, the big names in golf, the Tiger Woods, Phil Mickleson, Ernie Els, and Vijay Singh's of the world, all ran into golfers on a specific day who managed to play as well as the higher rated player did, or better, that particular day. For one day, the lower-ranked player topped the higher-ranked player, and that one day would be enough to allow the lower-ranked player to continue while the bigger names were eliminated from further competition.

Though the numerous upsets may lead the casual sports fan to be less apt to turn on the television to watch the Sunday finish, most golf purists enjoy the change from the traditional weekly PGA Tour format. And those who enjoy the format had to love the recent Accenture Match Play as it truly had the shot making that makes such a format scintillating.

Davis Love III made the finals for the second time in three years, winning his quarterfinal match on Saturday by way of a dramatic 18th-hole eagle, holing out from 111 yards on the last hole to eliminate Padraig Harrington 1-up Saturday morning. Normally, the shot would have simply been a highlight from the day without major impact on the traditional four day stroke format. Instead, that one shot on Saturday earned Love a victory and moved him into the afternoon semifinals, where this time he dropped six birdies on his opponent, and emerged victorious 4-and-2.

Love, however, would drop his 36-hole championship match against Geoff Ogilvy of Australia on Sunday, losing 3-and-2. Ogilvy had miraculously made the finals by winning four straight matches in extra holes. To get into the finals, the Australian had to play a new match play record of 95 holes.

In regards to excitement and suspense, ten separate times from Wednesday through Saturday, one of Ogilvy's opponents had a putt that could have won a match. All ten times, his opponent would miss and give Ogilvy renewed life.

For Love, it was yet another bitter development at this tournament, one that he always seems to play well at but yet has never taken home the top prize. Love had twice before fallen victim to Tiger Woods very late in the tournament, losing in the semifinals in 2000 and the aforementioned final two years ago.

In winning the tourney, Ogilvy took home the $1.3 million prize money, before a relatively small television and on-course audience. But for the game's purists, the stellar golf and the exciting format more than offset the issue of a Sunday without the biggest names playing for the title.

Well, after nearly three weeks, the spectacle that was the 2006 Winter Olympic Games has finally drawn to a close. Overall, the United States finished in second place in terms of medal count, with 9 gold medals, 9 silver medals, and 7 bronze medals for a total of 25. Germany led all countries with 29 medals, 11 of them being of the more precious gold variety. I would say that the United States did reasonably well, but a lot of sportswriters think that we should be disappointed with our athletes' performances. I guess this is because there were a couple of events that the United States was expected to medal in, but ended up getting shut out of. At any rate, I think we can all agree that the Games weren't short of either drama or excitement. Here are a few more notes and thoughts to wrap things up.

Michelle Kwan: From a fan's perspective, it was sad seeing Michelle Kwan pull out of the figure skating competition due to a lingering groin injury. Kwan has pretty much been the face of American figure skating for the past 8 years, and this was certainly her last shot at an Olympic gold medal. There's no question that she has had a successful career and has a lot of outstanding accomplishments to be proud of. But the fact that she always came up just a bit short in the Olympics probably bothers her to at least some degree. It reminds of a Hall of Fame level athlete who never won a championship in his or her lifetime, someone like Dan Marino or Patrick Ewing.

At the same time, however, Kwan will be remembered as a fierce competitor who won both a silver and bronze medal in the Olympics, and then graciously stepped aside when she knew she couldn't skate to her fullest potential for her country.

Men's Hockey Team: Not only did the men's hockey team fail to win a gold medal, they failed to win any medal at all. In fact, the team won only one of its 5 tournament games. If that doesn't signal the decline of American hockey, I don't know what does. There just aren't any excuses for the lackluster performance by the team throughout the Olympics. Some people might argue that the guys didn't have a chance to play very much together before entering the tournament, as they came straight from their NHL clubs to the Olympic team. But this can be said for a majority of the other countries' teams as well, including the Swedish and Finnish teams that won the gold and silver medals, respectively.

The major criticism of the U.S. men's hockey team is the fact that GM Don Waddell and head coach Peter Laviolette chose not to use many of the country's up-and-coming hockey stars. A look at the roster shows that this 2006 team was predominantly made up of veterans in their early to mid-thirties. While these veterans might have brought a lot of experience to the ice, they simply didn't have the speed to keep up with the younger teams. Hopefully there will be a complete overhaul for the 2010 games.

Bode Miller: Miller came into the games with as much hype surrounding him as any Olympic athlete that I can remember in recent history. However, the controversial skier failed to win a medal in any of the five events that he competed in, and will likely be known from here on out as one of the biggest Olympic busts ever. Through it all, Miller remained defiant, but I couldn't help but feel that at least part of that was just an act. It seemed that he was trying to play off his lack of success in Turin by behaving as though skiing was the least important thing on his mind. Miller didn't mind telling reporters how much he had to drink on the nights before his events, and several photographs appeared during the 18-day Olympic period that showed Miller in party-like settings. I really don't know what to make of Miller, but since I'm not a skiing fan, I probably won't be hearing much about him anymore. Until the next Olympic Games roll around, that is.

U.S. Snowboarding: If there was one area in which the United States didn't disappoint, it was snowboarding. Both the men and women snowboarders experienced great success on the half-pipe and snowboardercross course of Turin. Americans scored 7 snowboarding medals in all, including three golds, three silvers, and a bronze. Shaun White and Daniel Kass placed first and second in the men's half-pipe, and they were backed up by Hannah Teter and Gretchen Bleiler, who won gold and silver in the women's event. Seth Westcott won gold in the men's snowboardercross final, while Lindsey Jacobellis had her memorable silver medal episode in the women's final. The men were shut out of the men's parallel giant slalom event, but Rosey Fletcher secured a bronze medal over in the women's final. All in all, it was a great showing by the snowboarding team.

Hedrick-Davis Feud: I don't ever follow speedskating and I barely watch it during the Olympics, so I don't know if this is regular behavior or not. But at these games, it seemed that American teammates Chad Hedrick and Shani Davis created more drama than necessary. Hedrick took a number of shots at Davis over the course of the last couple of weeks, and it seemed like much of it was totally uncalled for.

Apparently, the whole thing started when Hedrick decided to enter five different events, which immediately got other people thinking that he might have a chance to tie Eric Heiden's record of 5 gold medals, set back in the 1980 games. Hedrick won his first event, but then had to settle for a silver and bronze in two other events. After those second and third place finishes, Hedrick said some rather unflattering things about Davis. Before long, the situation had turned into a full-blown controversy that ended up detracting from the accomplishments of the men's speedskating team. It's very unfortunate that the memory of these speedskating events at the Turin Olympics will be tarnished by all the unnecessary drama that unfolded off the ice.

Olympic Experience: On the whole, I would have to say that the Olympics were fun to watch. I was interested in a lot of the events because of the athletes involved and their own personal stories. I know that I will miss Michelle Kwan and some of the U.S. hockey players when the Olympics moves to Vancouver in 2010, but other than that, I think America has a lot of good, young athletes that will bring us even more success four years from now!

By Ed Jennett

Despite all of the talk that superstars (PF Kevin Garnett, PG Allen Iverson, and SG Paul Pierce) could be traded this year, the day of the trade deadline was actually a snooze fest. This is because the big names that were dealt this season were moved before February 23rd.

You know you've reached the end of your rope when you have to turn to your enemies for assistance. That is what happened in the Northwest Division, where the Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Seattle Super Sonics combined with another Western Conference team (the Sacramento Kings of the Pacific Division) to try to solve some of their problems.

Seattle traded PF Reggie Evans to Denver and C Vitaly Potapenko to Portland. Denver traded PG Earl Watson, SG/SF Bryon Russell, and a future second round draft pick to Seattle, and also dealt SG Voshon Lenard to the Blazers. Portland traded SF Ruben Patterson and SF Charles Smith (for salary cap purposes) to Denver. The Blazers then sent Potapenko and SF Sergei Monta to the Kings for PF/C Brian Skinner.

Denver was looking to correct the premature decision to sign then free agent PG Earl Watson. The decision was premature because the Nuggets were planning on trading their incumbent PG Andre Miller with PF/C Nene to the Celtics for Paul Pierce, but Boston backed out of the deal.

Portland was looking to dump constant headache SF Ruben Patterson, preferably for cap space, young players, or picks. This desire was made even more urgent by the decision of Portland Head Coach Nate McMillan to return SF Darius Miles to the starting lineup, the egotistical and delusional Patterson had complained about his role earlier in the season and likely would have again once sent back to the bench.

Seattle was looking to trade several players who were not in their plans. Among those players were PF Reggie Evans and C Vitaly Potapenko. Evans will be a free agent this offseason and was out of the rotation of Seattle Head Coach Bob Hill. Because Evans had also turned down a contract extension offer last summer, it was obvious that he would leave Seattle in the offseason. Potapenko was removed from the rotation in favor of the last two first round draft picks of Seattle, C Robert Swift and C Johan Petro. In an unrelated deal, the Sonics traded PG/SG Ronald Murray to the Cleveland Cavaliers for PG Mike Wilks.

Ironically all three teams were impacted by the trade a day earlier between the Orlando Magic and the New York Knicks. Orlando sent Francis to New York for SF Trevor Ariza and the expiring contract of PG/SG/SF Anfernee Hardaway. Denver was interested in acquiring PG/SG Steve Francis from Orlando or acquiring Hardaway in a package from New York. In either scenario the Nuggets would have shipped out Watson and PF Kenyon Martin, who has a bad attitude, bad contract, bad back, and a bad knee. The health woes of Martin caused the Knicks to pass on that deal.

Portland was trying to acquire the expiring contract of Hardaway as well. The Blazers also wanted New York SF/PF David Lee or one of the two first round draft picks owned by New York (via Denver and San Antonio). New York was scared off by the health woes of Miles (recovering from knee surgery) and Ratliff (out with a sprained ankle/injury prone).

Seattle wanted to acquire the expiring contract of Hardaway and wanted to dump all of their unwanted players on New York in return. The Knicks have an interest in Evans, but it made more sense to deal Hardaway elsewhere and try to sign Evans as a free agent during the offseason.

Denver might end up stuck with Martin for quite some time. New York was the only team willing to surrender any assets for him, but all of the proposed deals included Watson. It will be much more difficult for the teams to work out a trade that they are both happy with without Watson involved. Ironically one scenario that might work is New York offering the expiring contract of PF Maurice Taylor along with the Nuggets own first round pick and the first round pick of San Antonio at the 2006 NBA Draft or during the offseason. The Knicks would have to be convinced that Martin is healthy however.

Portland clearly wants to get rid of Miles and Ratliff. One possibility is to resurrect talks with the Knicks for their other player with a huge contract that expires in 2007, PG/SG/SF Jalen Rose. If Lee or one of the Knicks draft picks is included the teams may be able to finally agree on the long discussed swap. Portland and New York had also considered swapping the 2006 expiring contract of PF/C Antonio Davis for Miles and Ratliff before Davis was traded to the Toronto Raptors for Rose and the Denver first round pick.

The majority of the criticism heaped upon the Knicks this season has been completely justified as the team has been a disaster. Any criticism of the Francis trade however is misguided. While New York may have given Orlando cap space, the point to having cap space is to sign All-Star players, which Francis is. Any potential conflicts between Francis and PG Stephon Marbury are highly unlikely. Both players know that they have horrible reputations and will be looking to prove themselves. Marbury will most likely handle most of the point guard duties since he had grasped what Head Coach Larry Brown wanted and was playing tremendous basketball before missing time with a shoulder injury. That leaves Francis to play shooting guard, where he can score a ton of points, cut down on his turnovers, and still deliver a lot of assists. If either player is foolish enough to cause problems President/GM Isiah Thomas can simply point out that they can easily be traded for another All-Star level player. Marbury is from New York so he definitely would not want that. In addition to that if both players remain they could potentially miss out on being on a loaded team next season. The Knicks have been an embarrassing mismatch on the court, but they are also a collection of valuable trading assets.

The expiring contracts of Jalen Rose and Maurice Taylor, the first round picks of the Spurs and Nuggets, and if necessary, rookies SF/PF David Lee, PG Nate Robinson, and possibly even PF/C Channing Frye can be used as trade bait to land All-Star level forwards to team with Marbury, Francis, and C Eddy Curry.

Orlando has to be happy with the trade as well. Francis was suspended for two games earlier in the season for refusing to re-enter the game near the end of a blowout loss to the Sonics. The Magic immediately began shopping him. Once Orlando realized that a deal for another All-Star wasn’t going to materialize, the Magic decided to create cap space to sign one either this offseason or next offseason. Despite ending up in the dog house of Brown in New York, Ariza is a talented and athletic player who will be a valuable asset to Orlando. The Magic may not have been as fortunate in their previous deal however.

It took him a while to do it, mostly because he had a hard time finding the right sucker to solve his problem, but Detroit Pistons GM finally admitted he made a mistake by drafting PF/C Darko Milicic. Dumars did not actually verbalize this, but by trading Milicic and PG Carlos Arroyo to the Magic for the expiring contract of C Kelvin Cato and a 2007 first round pick the words did not need to be spoken. Milicic was drafted ahead of SF Carmelo Anthony, SG Dwyane Wade, and PF Chris Bosh, but was unable to earn minutes over washed up veteran big men Antonio McDyess, Dale Davis, and Elden Campbell. The only time Arroyo has ever done anything of note was playing well in the last Olympics. The Pistons were lucky to be able to even get an expiring contract for those two. But due to another shrewd trade by Dumars, and a majestic mistake by the Magic, Detroit will have a lottery pick in the draft next year.

Orlando is hoping that Millicic develops into an All-Star and that Arroyo becomes a legitimate starting point guard. Unless he aggravates everyone in New York and gets kicked out of town there too, Francis might have the last laugh on his former team.

In other trades:

Miami sent SG/SF Gerald Fitch to Houston for SG Derek Anderson.

The Hornets dealt SF Bostjan Nachbar to the Nets for PF/C Marc Jackson and SF Linton Johnson.

Philadelphia traded SF Lee Nailon and a 2006 second-round pick to the Cavaliers for a conditional second-round pick.

In trades made shortly before the deadline:

The Clippers sent PF/C Chris Wilcox to the Sonics for SF/PF Vladamir Radmanovic.

The Hornets dealt SF/PF Maciej Lampe to the Rockets for PG Moochie Norris.

The Rockets also sent PF Lonny Baxter to the Hornets for SG Keith Bogans.

The Hornets acquired PF Aaron Williams from the Raptors for 2006 and 2009 second-round picks.

The Raptors traded Rose, a 2006 first-round pick, and cash to the Knicks for Davis.

With just a few days left in February, talk is turning to the annual NCAA basketball extravaganza now known as March Madness. And with just a little more than a week left in the regular season, talk is turning to the annual selection process and the proverbial seeding of the nation's top teams.

This year, perhaps more of an issue than in year's past, the decision as to who to seed as number one in each region is a point of major debate. Only one team currently is seen as a lock for a top spot, the number one ranked Duke Blue Devils. Undefeated in the ACC and with just one loss despite playing a front line schedule, Duke appears assured of a number one seed no matter what happens in the ACC Tourney.

After that, the arguments begin in earnest. Currently, the Villanova Wildcats have climbed to number two in the nation in the Coaches Poll, followed by Memphis, Connecticut, and Gonzaga. The AP Poll has one slight change: Connecticut is third, followed by Memphis, then Gonzaga. Rounding out the top eight in each poll are George Washington, Texas, and Illinois.

No one in their right mind believes GW is deserving of a top seed, and with top player Pops now out with an injury, George Washington could drop a couple of games coming home. Yet, the debate about the other six teams is one that can be quite heated.

The Big East is clearly considered the best league this year, so either UConn or Villanova seem logical choices for at least one slot. Those two teams still have a regular season match-up and then a potential Big East tournament battle as well. A sweep by either team would seemingly lock up a number one berth for that school. But if they split, each can make a case for a number one seed though one will likely not be ranked in the top four based on yet another loss. Then of course both schools could claim that the strength of the Big East means both Nova and UConn are deserving.

Two other schools, Memphis and Gonzaga, have the ratings, yet both have not necessarily played the level of competition as the teams in the Big East, the ACC, or even the Big Twelve. But if both teams win out, they each could lay claim to one of the top seeds.

However, both Texas and Illinois have played the more difficult schedule, and coming from the big time conferences, they could easily slide up the ladder. Especially if either of them also wins out, taking home their respective conference tournaments in the process.

In fact, the latest power ranking of one Vegas site has Texas number two, trailing only Duke. That same site also has Ohio State and Kansas ahead of the Fighting Illini. However, after Texas at two, the Vegas rankings have Connecticut followed by Memphis with Villanova fifth.

One other issue for the committee will be the seeding of some big time programs having slightly down years. Teams such as Kentucky, Cincinnati, and Syracuse are normally schools ranked in the top five seeds of each bracket. But this year, those schools are just hoping that they get an invite, leaving many to wonder where will such teams be seeded? Obviously, lower seedings could lead to some extremely interesting, high marquee match-ups, in the very early rounds of the tournament. Imagine such possibilities as Duke playing Kentucky early on, or Syracuse doing battle with the likes of Nova or UConn.

Without a doubt, the conference tourneys, as they always seem to do, will provide some of the answers in the next couple of weeks. In the mean time, the speculation has begun as the bracketologists have dusted off their clip boards and started casting their judgments for the NCAA seeding committee

In fact, the debate is actually half the fun of the March Madness

Throughout most of the 2005 college football season, the USC Trojans and the Texas Longhorns were ranked #1 and #2 in the country, respectively. The Trojans held onto that number one spot from opening day until their one and only loss in the Rose Bowl, while Texas started the season in second and weren't able to slide into the number one spot until they toppled the Trojans in January.

Though both of these teams obviously had an incredible depth of talent on offense and defense, it's safe to say that the play of their quarterbacks was a big part of the reason they were able to stay on top for so long. The Trojans had senior Matt Leinart at the helm, while junior Vince Young called the signals for the Longhorns. Both Leinart and Young will be entering this year's NFL draft, and both are expected to be taken within the first three picks of the first round. According to most mock drafts, former USC running back Reggie Bush will be selected first overall by the Houston Texans. Then, Leinart is expected to be the second pick and Young the third.

But hold on a second: didn't Young convincingly outshine Leinart when the two went head-to-head in the Rose Bowl? Anyone who watched that game could see beyond a doubt that without Young, there's no way the Longhorns would have been crowned the National Champs. In fact, many sportswriters said that Young's performance might have been the best ever in a college bowl game, which is saying a lot when you really think about what that entails. Young completed 30 out of 40 passes for 267 yards while rushing for an additional 200 yards and an amazing three touchdowns, including the one that would turn out to be the game-winner. Leinart had an excellent game, too.  He completed 29 out of 40 passes for 365 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in his final contest on the college stage, but the fact remains that he did not lead his team to victory when it mattered the most.

Since Young dominated the Rose Bowl just like he dominated every other game he played in during the regular season, I find it a big strange that Leinart is projected to be drafted ahead of him. After all, while everyone believes Young was a critical factor in the Longhorns' success, few believe that the Trojans wouldn't have made it to the Rose Bowl without Leinart. In fact, at least one fan poll showed that a majority of people would prefer to have Young as their starting quarterback in a bowl game rather than Leinart. Yes, Leinart had a great season. But the Trojans had so many weapons on offense (Bush, LenDale White, Dwayne Jarrett, Dominique Byrd) that almost anyone could have been taking snaps for them and they would have gotten the same results. Or so the reasoning goes.

While we'll never know if that really would be the case or not because most of the Trojans' offensive talent from last year are moving on to the NFL, I'm inclined to disagree. I think Leinart brings a great deal of leadership and confidence to the field, which are two intangible qualities that many quarterbacks lack at the college level.

I am also inclined to agree that Leinart should be the first quarterback selected in the NFL draft. Young is definitely an explosive quarterback that poses a double threat and can beat teams either through the air or on the ground. Leinart, on the other hand, lacks the mobility and athleticism of Young and will definitely be a pocket passer in his pro career. But that's exactly what NFL teams want these days.

When you take a look around the NFL and check out the most successful quarterbacks, you see guys like Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer, Drew Brees, and Marc Bulger near the top of nearly every statistical category. What do these players have in common? They're all pocket passers who are not a threat to take off with the ball at all.

When Mike Vick came into the NFL, most analysts thought that he would be "the next big thing." He dominated college games much like Young did, and was sure to tear up the NFL. But that hasn't been the case at all. Yes, Vick has battled through injuries, and yes, he has still achieved considerable success as a pro. But his passer rating of 73.1 was 25th in the league last year, putting him among the likes of Josh McCown, Joey Harrington, and Brooks Bollinger -- hardly a list a dominant guys. Vick has now been in the NFL for five years, but hasn't shown the ability to completely take over games with the consistency that he did in college.

I think that Young's career will parallel Vick's in terms of statistics for at least the first few years. Young will have a tough transition period as he learns to stay in the pocket a little longer than he would have in college. He'll find himself going up against bigger, faster linebackers and he won't be able to immediately take off running on each play. And since most scouts think that Young's throwing style is a bit unorthodox, he could have trouble getting his passing game going in the NFL too.

But when I watch tapes of Leinart's games, I get the feeling that he's ready to step in and successfully run an NFL offense in his rookie year. By "successfully," I don't mean he'll take the New Orleans Saints (the team projected to draft him) to the Super Bowl, or even to the playoffs. I just mean that he'll get in there and take his reps during the season while learning the system. I think his development will follow a Peyton Manning-like script of playing throughout his rookie season no matter what kind of results he gets rather than sitting on the bench the whole year and just watching. So even if Leinart doesn't do anything to turn heads in 2006, he'll most likely come out gunning in 2007. I just don't see Young making a similar impact that quickly in the big leagues.

Overall, there's no question that both the New Orleans Saints and the Tennessee Titans (with the third pick) will be getting great additions to their lineups with Leinart and Young. But in order for teams to succeed in the NFL, their quarterbacks need to be able to flourish in an offense that emphasizes the passing game. Leinart has shown that he can do that, and that's why he'll be picked over Young in April.

The headlines were the typical attention grabbing hoopla we have come to expect from New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

"We're going to win it this year," he said. "We are going after it."

It refers to a World Series title, something the Yankees have not done since they beat the Mets in the Subway series back in 2000. The Bronx Bombers have made two trips to the World Series since, losing to Arizona in 2001 and Florida in 2003. Though they have made the playoffs each year, they were eliminated by the California/Los Angeles/Anaheim Angels in the first round of the playoffs in both 2002 and 2005, and also dropped a championship series round to the hated Red Sox in 2004, after going up three games to zero on Boston.

Though the Yankees were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs a year ago, they made only one major acquisition during the offseason. In an effort to improve the team in the outfield, and give a potent lineup yet more bat, New York signed former Red Sox centerfielder Johnny Damon. The Yankees out bid other interested teams, including the Red Sox, giving Damon a $52 million, four-year contract.

Damon does have to help the Yankees, he is a gamer, a team player who knows only how to play full speed. In addition, he can indeed hit as his statistics with Boston last year reveal: a .316 average with 117 runs, 10 homers, 75 RBIs and 18 steals.

But like every team in major league baseball, the issue for New York will be pitching. The team of course has the best reliever in baseball in Mariano Rivera. They also have two big names at the top of their rotation in Mike Mussina and Randy Johnson. But number three starter Carl Pavano is once again struggling with injuries, meaning team depth will once again be key. And that is where the Yanks might most be suspect, as they search for arms to fill the fourth and fifth slots in the rotation.

A year ago, both the Red Sox and Yanks went out in the first round of the American League playoffs. Not too surprisingly, the two teams fell victim to squads with superior pitching. While the Sox went out a got Josh Beckett to try to improve their starting rotation, the Yanks appear to be relying on some veterans to have outstanding seasons at the top of the rotation.

Of course, the only issue regarding Steinbrenner's comments is the pressure he is putting on manager Joe Torre and general manager Brian Cashman. The owner's statements simply mean that those two individuals are now completely on the hot seat, because anything less than a World Series title will be considered a failure for the organization.

That pressure may help motivate a veteran team, but talent and motivation are both parts of the key ingredients for winning. Just look what happened with the White Sox last year, a team that may actually be better in 2006 than they were in 2005.

The Yanks may indeed win, they have significant talent and they should be motivated to make a statement. But such a statement will need to come on the field, not from the dugout or the office,and certainly not from the mouth of George Steinbrenner.

Tiger Woods is clearly professional golf's most popular player. In a world where most pull for the proverbial underdog, it is a bit unusual for someone so good to be the player everyone watches, the golfer everyone pulls for.

But Tiger Woods is without a doubt the fan favorite. Perhaps it is because he is so good, so tenacious on the course that everyone admires his skill and fortitude. But more than likely, his popularity comes as much for what the man continues to do off the links in conjunction with his achievements in the golf world.

Recently, the thirty-year old superstar once again proved that his heart was as large as competitive spirit. Two weeks ago, Woods officially opened a new $25 million learning center designed to help children find their way along life's path.

True to form, Woods called the opening of the center the greatest thing that has ever happened to him personally. This is of course the same man who has now won 57 official tournaments world wide and 10 major championships.

To produce a grand-opening ceremony for his learning center, Woods invited former President Bill Clinton and Maria Shriver, the wife of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, along with dozens of children. Children will be able to spend time at the 35,000 square foot facility designed for after school for interactive programs in science, math and technology.

Also true to form, Woods noted with sadness the absence of his father, Earl Woods, from the festivities. Mr. Woods is battling cancer and was unable to attend the ceremony despite being just a short drive away. Woods reportedly nearly broke down as he mentioned the support he had received from his father over the years.

The center is yet another part of the Tiger Woods Foundation, an entity created by Woods shortly after he turned pro. Though Tiger clearly wanted to do something for children right from the get go professionally, he could not initially come up with a concept that he felt good about. Though he took time to do clinics for children around the country, Woods did not get the feeling that he was impacting the lives of the children that he came in contact with.

Woods indicated that his idea for the center came after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. At that time, Woods was stranded in St. Louis when a World Golf Championship event was canceled. The game's most popular player subsequently made the lengthy drive back to Florida contemplating the impact of his foundation. It was at that point Woods came up with the idea of the learning center.

Three and a half years later, the project was complete. Woods provided the first $5 million for the center, then provided his earnings from an event that Woods created at the end of the golf season, the Target World Challenge. In addition, Tiger was responsible for additional proceeds by starting a new PGA Tour event, the Deutsche Bank Championship, just outside Boston. The Woods Foundation receives all of the tournament's net proceeds every year.

The man who also earns enough from endorsements to make him one of the best paid golfers on the planet pushed his corporate sponsors to support the project as well. Woods would get the support of 25 founding partners, including Target, Nike, and Augusta National.

Though he clearly aspires to be the best golfer to ever tee it up, the world's number one ranked player indicated he would one day like to be remembered as much for his work with kids as with the number of tournaments he wins. For Tiger, golf is his vehicle for doing for others, and his willingness to do so much for children makes the game’s top ranked player a person people get behind and cheer for.

When Tiger tees it up, the gallery need not root for the underdog because Woods is doing his part to help the truly less advantaged, the real underdogs, with his Foundation and commitment to make a difference in the lives of others.

Amidst the Olympic hype, we hear most often of the likes of Bode Miller and his statements about skiing while drunk. We then witness the likes of Lindsey Jacobellis seemingly assured of winning a gold medal only to get caught up in the American habit of showboating, falling and losing out on the top spot.

All in all, at times the true meaning of the Olympic games slips by us.

But there is another arena, one where we find the likes of Tony Benshoof, America's top individual luge racer. Whereas as the others are poster children for the publicity hounds, Benshoof is an ambassador for everything that is right about the Olympics, in fact everything that is about sports and competition.

Benshoof has been America's top luge racer for quite some time now. But though he is an elite competitor, Benshoof is more about increasing the interest in the sport itself and in the basic goal of competition.

The American's love affair for luge racing began when he was introduced to the sport at the age of 12. A grass roots program called the "Verizon USA luge slider search" came to his home town in Minnesota on a Saturday night. Without anything better to do that night, Benshoof and his father decided to give the sport a try.

The top American luge racer was hooked instantly by a sport known for its incredible speed. His enthusiasm that evening led to his being picked along with another 100 or so kids from across the country to try the "real" thing the following winter in Calgary, Alberta. Eighteen years later, he still finds that the sport provides him with enough challenges to keep his interest at peak level.

For those who think a luge racer just jumps on the sled and begins sliding should think again. To compete at the highest level, even luge racers have in depth training regimens. The conditioning routines are divided into two distinct categories, often referred to summer training and in-season training.

During the summer training regimen, racers build on their coordination and power. Because the start is so crucial in luge, summer training typically consists of about 10 hours per week focused on resistance training and 10 hours per week using plyometrics to develop greater agility and coordination.

In-season training is where the athletes convert their training routines to the technical side. At that time racers work to perfect the start style and sliding. At speeds approaching 85 miles per hour, aerodynamic position is critical and with 5G's of force, keeping proper form is an exceptionally difficult task to maintain for an entire run. It is that need for a solid form that luge racers must also be in outstanding physical condition.

For a luge racer, another critical component is the steels on the sled. Constantly changing their edges, luge racers must balance two distinct and conflicting aspects to nail the perfect run. Sharp runners give more control but slow the racer down as the steels dig into the ice. Contrasting, less-sharp runners enable greater speed at the peril of reduced control of the sled.

Prior to heading to Italy, the Benshoof had stipulated his goals for the 2006 Winter Olympiad. Many would be surprised to learn that those goals did not include a medal.

"Our media and Western media put so much emphasis on winning," stated the Olympian. But prior to heading overseas, Benshoof insisted that the Olympics, at least for him, are vastly different. For those competing in Italy this winter, Benshoof insisted it was about "overcoming and reaching the summit." It was about the "hard luck athlete who managed to defy all predictions." And it was about "laying it on the line and doing one's best" when it matters the most.

Quite frankly, the 2002 Olympics did not see Benshoof at his best, though he would categorize it as an exceptional experience. Though he "laid it all on the line" at those games, his performance had him initially thinking that maybe it was time to quit. But then something inside him told him he could not give up just yet.

That something would prove right. The top American racer earned 27 international medals after that Olympics, making him the most decorated men's singles athlete in the US during that time. That success and his pure joy for competing in a sport that he loves had him looking forward to his experience in Turin.

Benshoof completely understands how big the Olympics really is and what it means to be an Olympian. Benshoof describes his teammates and fellow competitors as "truly ordinary people doing extraordinary things."

His Olympic experiences have helped him meet some of the finest athletes in the world. They are extraordinary says Benshoof, "Not because they are famous Olympians but because they are real people with real problems who shine when it counts. People who should make 7 figures but in reality make a mere fraction of that. "

For those who yearn for the pureness of sport, the Olympics indeed still has much to offer. Challenging oneself to perform at his or her best, when the chips are down, are what the essence of sports is all about. As Benshoof notes, everyone cannot possibly be the winner at each event, but in preparing hard to compete and then performing at our best at that key moment makes the each individual a winner.

Benshoof would complete his second ever Olympiad by placing fourth in the luge singles. After four runs down a track reaching speeds of 86 mile per hour, the American trailed the gold medal winner Armin Zoeggeler by 51 hundredths of a second total. Even more incredibly, in a sport where fractions of a second are really an eternity, his time still left him 15 hundredths behind the bronze medal winner Martins Rubenis.

For our young athletes, they all should have the opportunity to hear someone such as Benshoof talk of the sport they love and what it means to compete on a world class level. The luge racer is indeed what the Olympics are supposed to be all about.

After watching the National Football League players in their Pro Bowl last weekend and the National Basketball Association host its All-Star game this weekend, I am not certain why the leagues host these events. As a fan, I would love to see the players who are considered the best at their game show their skills to their fans. Instead of just showboating, let us see real talent.

There have been some exciting moments. Champ Bailey showed everyone why he is considered the best cornerback in the NFL during the Pro Bowl game. He had an interception returned 67 yards to set up a touchdown, and he snagged a ball near the sideline that everyone else thought had gone out of bounds. He was listening and taking in more of the game, especially the lack of a whistle calling the play dead, and he was rewarded for it.

LeBron James showed that he just may be worth the money the Cavaliers and dozens of sponsors are paying him during the All-Star Game. The Eastern Conference, long considered the weaker of the two conferences, made a strong showing in a comeback victory over the West, and James led the way. He is the youngest person ever to be named the Most Valuable Player of an All-Star game.

These two shining stars are blips in these weekends, however. Peyton Manning, considered by many to be the best quarterback in football, threw for three interceptions. That was a terrible game for Manning, you say. Oh, wait, it was a terrible half! That is right. Manning played only one half and threw three touchdowns. Why did he even bother to show up?

The game was sloppy and not well-played, which is unfortunate for the fans who made the long and expensive trek to Hawaii for the game. The AFC players each earn $20,000 for the game, while NFC players made $40,000 for the weekend. These players, voted in by the fans, earn significant amounts of money for one game. The least they could do for the fans is to show up and really play instead of goofing off.

The NFL weekend is not as exciting as the NBA weekend, which is unfortunate. The NBA players do participate in other events, such as the Slam Dunk contest and the shootaround. Over time, these events have become more exciting for the fans to watch than the main event. They add a little spice to the game. They allow people to see players who do not make it to the big game but are big competitors. Those events are what makes the All-Star weekend more fun.

The NFL really should consider adding some high-profile games to their Pro Bowl weekend. Fans vote on players and then watch them play bits and pieces of the game. Because so many of the players deserve time playing in the Pro Bowl, fans discover that they do not get to see their favorite players much. Instead, I wish the NFL would institute fun and games for the entire weekend. Let us see the kickers who are there go all-out. Let us watch the receivers challenge each other. There could be better ratings, and the weekend would be a better showcase of the talent available in the NFL, if the fans got a full weekend of fun instead of just the Sunday evening game.

While I am complaining about the games and how much the players put into them, I do want to see the players in something exciting. The prospect of watching the NFL and NBA players who are considered the best at their game is one that I enjoy as a fan. In the NBA especially, I rarely get to see some players. They are on teams that are not very good, and their television airtime is minimal. Instead I am stuck watching their highlight reels on ESPN. These weekends could be used as a way to show the fans that the players they want to see more of during the season. It would boost ratings, and it would go a long way toward showing to the world that these players are people who have amazing jobs and who appreciate that fact.

By Julia Mercer

The days of the shutdown cornerback are long-gone according to many people who report on the National Football League. There were days, back in the 80s, when cornerbacks could shut down a side of the field completely so that quarterbacks rarely threw the ball to that side. The benefit of these players was that they could concentrate their efforts on the best receiver for the opposing team. It forced the team to spread out and pass to other receivers, which was a serious problem for teams with little depth at the receiver position.

Today, however, the rules of the game have changed, and they favor offensive players. Cornerbacks now must give the receivers more room. Pass interference calls are increasing, and corners have become obsolete in many ways. Still, Champ Bailey, who plays for the Denver Broncos, has shown over the past season that he is the old-fashioned shutdown cornerback. He causes teams to change their offensive scheme to fit around his playing ability. Bailey claimed recently that he is such a good corner because instead of reading his receiver and following his movements the way other corners play, he reads the quarterback. Having played offensive extensively during his time at the University of Georgia, Bailey can read the movements a quarterback is making better than most cornerbacks can. That makes him a dangerous defensive weapon for the Broncos.

Bailey showed his skills during the Broncos recent playoff run. Although they lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, the Broncos made a run for the playoffs in which Bailey was an important player. His last-minute interception against the New England Patriots helped the Broncos secure their victory.

Still, Bailey is a bit of an enigma to most NFL fans. A quiet player, he does not have the brash demeanor that leads fans to know about many players, such as Bengals receiver Chad Johnson. Bailey does not have endorsement deals with shoe companies, car companies, or breakfast cereals. He simply goes to work, does his best, and goes home.

Bailey started his football career in Folkston, Georgia, a small town known primarily for producing Bailey and his younger brother, Boss, who plays for the Detroit Lions, and the Okefenokee Swamp that covers much of the county. Bailey was a stand-out player and student in high school where he was a popular figure in his early teens.

When Bailey went to play at the University of Georgia, it was not without fanfare. He was hailed as the next great player at Georgia, a school that was at the time much in need of great players. He was compared to past Georgia legends before he even set foot on campus. Bailey was called a triple threat in college because he played offense, defense, and special teams. He regularly racked up games in which he played more than 100 plays.

Still Bailey was playing during grim times at Georgia. The Jim Donnan years started with much promise, as Georgia faithful believed that Donnan could bring glory back to the team, but Donnan proved to be an uninspiring coach. Fans did not like him, and he permitted players to run roughshod over the rules. His coaching tenure was marked by victories here and there but nothing substantial.

Still Bailey was one of the bright spots on the team, which never hurt for talent, even in those rough years. Bailey was highly touted as a Heisman candidate but lost out largely because of Charles Woodson. The Heisman voters courted fans by giving Woodson the Heisman the year before. Woodson, whose professional career has been mediocre, did not deserve the Heisman in retrospect, but it shut out truly great defensive players for years to come. Bailey was one of those players.

Still the Washington Redskins drafted him with the number seven pick of the 1999 draft, and Bailey played there for five years before being traded to the Broncos. His first season in Denver was a little shaky, but his most recent season was his best professional year yet. Bailey showed fans why there are still shutdown corners and why he is among the best of them. And Denver fans hope he is showing others why for quite a few more seasons.

By Julia Mercer

NBA Commissioner David Stern and Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik reportedly dealt with many questions over the All Star break. One positive was that the discussions did not deal with on the court fights and the behavior of players. Instead, the focus was the current playoff format.

At issue is the seeding process. The teams that win their respective divisions, East and West, gain the top three playoff seeds with the team with the better record receiving the higher seed. The next five teams in each conference, regardless of the division, fill seeds four through eight.

The impetus for the questions about the format came as a result of the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs having the two best records in the West. Because they play in the same division, only one can be the division champ. The division runner up gets relegated to the fourth seed due to the format, a disappointing enough drop if not for the fact that the two best teams could then could be headed to a matchup in the second round of the postseason presuming they take care of business in round one.

If the season ended today, the Mavericks (41-11) would have the No. 1 seed and the defending champion Spurs, though a stellar 40-12, would only be the fourth seed. Those two Titans would make a second round matchup a bruiser, perhaps leaving the winner vulnerable to the other second round winner playing in an easier situation.

The same issue could develop in the East though right now many have the Miami Heat as the number two seed and probable division winner. Though the much improved Cleveland Cavaliers are a distant second in their own division behind the front running Pistons, the Cavaliers could well be the second best team in the East at playoff time, particularly if a healthy Larry Hughes returns.

It appears it may well be time for the NBA to give the three division winners a top seed but make the process more flexible. One such option would be to make the three division winners and the second place team with the best record guaranteed to receive the top four slots.

Division winners would get a first round home advantage but in the case of the Spurs and Mavericks this year, those two teams could still enter the playoffs one and two with the other two division winners taking the third and fourth slots. Of course, if one team takes a division title in a lack luster group, that team would still be seeded ahead of the other four teams in the playoffs.

But that is OK by the NBA leadership. Stern and Granik want some emphasis on the regular season, hence the push to reward division. But if the Spurs go out in round two and then the Mavericks suffer a hangover and drop their third round series, then the playoff format will be a major point of discussion once again.

But even if that does not happen, the NBA should reconsider the format as there is no valid reason that the two best teams should be facing one another so early in the playoffs.

The 2006 Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series has been a great one for the fans so far. Through six rounds of racing in the 250cc class, otherwise known as the Supercross class, championship favorites Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart had pretty much traded wins. Each had three coming into Round Seven in St. Louis, and the points chase was relatively close with Carmichael leading Stewart by a score of 139 to 128. In addition, Chad Reed had posted four second-place finishes and was lurking well within striking distance with 124 points.

St. Louis marked the beginning of the East Coast swing this year. That means the tracks would be constructed of dirt that is significantly different from the California soil that the riders had grown accustomed to during the first several rounds. This in turn would mean that at least a few of the riders would be looking to make tire adjustments and fine tune a few other minor settings in order to get their bikes running perfectly in the new conditions.

In the few years that he has been running the 250cc Supercross series, Reed has done a little bit better on the East Coast tracks than he has on the West. Carmichael fans will say that it's because by the time the series moves east, Carmichael has already opened up enough of a lead that he doesn't have to push to win races anymore. He just has to ride conservatively in second or third place in order to secure the championship. But Reed's fans, on the other hand, say that Reed either just needs a little more time to get into a groove in the series, or that the east coast soil is more conducive to his riding style. Whatever the reason behind Reed's success in the East, he must have been happy to finally pack his bags and get out of California.

During the practice sessions, it looked like Carmichael would still be the man to beat. He was reeled off the fastest lap time of 51.11, which was seven-tenths of a second faster than James Stewart's fastest time. Reed was surprisingly back in fifth place, more than a second and a half off the pace.

However, as most Supercross fans know, you shouldn't bet the farm on practice times because anything can happen once the racing starts. That certainly seemed to be the case on Saturday night once the gates dropped on the heat races. Stewart came out in the first heat and promptly set a new fastest time by dipping below the 50-second mark. He easily won the race over Carmichael's teammate Ivan Tedesco in second, and Reed in third.

Meanwhile, Carmichael had all kinds of problems in his heat race. He led for about 4 laps before making a mistake in the tamed down whoops and wadding it up. He would pull off the track for his first DNF in a long time. Though Carmichael's fans were alarmed, this feeling of panic didn't last long. Carmichael was back out for the semi-final and easily won it by 21 seconds over Jacob Saylor. All three of the big players were now in the Main Event.

It seemed to be business as usual until the gate dropped on the Main Event. But Carmichael made another uncharacteristic mistake in the first turn, and again over a triple where came up way short on the landing. The impact apparently damaged a shock spring, and Carmichael's evening was over. He would lose at least 24 points to the winner.

Reed and Stewart immediately sought to capitalize on their opportunity. Unfortunately for them, there were still 17 other guys out there who weren't just going to pull over and let they by. Tedesco led the race for a full 10 laps before Reed was able to make a move and take over first place. Meanwhile, Stewart, who got a decent 7th place start, was in 3rd place when the unthinkable happened: he stalled his bike! By the time Stewart was able to kick the stubborn four-stroke back to life, he was in 19th place. It was an unbelievable turn of events for the young Kawasaki pilot.

Out in front, Reed soon opened up a huge gap on Tedesco and won easily. Tedesco's second-place finish was the best of his stellar rookie season in the Supercross class, and Team Honda's Ernesto Fonseca also appeared on the podium for the first time this year. Nick Wey and Travis Preston rounded out the top five.

As for Stewart, he only managed to improve two places to 17th overall. Instead of  potentially putting some distance between himself and Carmichael in the points standings, Stewart was only able to gain a total of four points on the night. What's worse, he has now dropped from second to third in the overall standings.

Though Carmichael must have been extremely frustrated that his night ended early due to a mechanical problem, he has to be breathing a sigh of relief at how things played out. Instead of being 13 points down to Stewart (which would have been the gap had Stewart won), Carmichael is just 9 points behind Reed.

Reed of course comes out of all of this feeling like a million bucks. The Yamaha rider has been visibly upset with his performance during the early rounds, but has got to be pleased with the way things have turned around so quickly. It looks like he really does do better on the east coast tracks!

As we have just seen, anything can happen during the Main Event. There are still 9 races left in the season, which will seem like an eternity to the points leader. If St. Louis was any indication of the things to come, then I don't think anyone should be making championship celebration plans just yet.

It will be interesting to see how the Big Three come back next week and respond to this bizarre night in St. Louis. Will Carmichael be able to put the mechanical failure behind him and ride with complete confidence in his bike, or will he have just the slightest bit of nagging doubt that could lead to a more conservative ride? Will Stewart be able to overcome his propensity for making mistakes at the most inopportune times or will he do something else that will jeopardize his championship hopes? Will Reed build on this momentum and back up his win with another solid performance?

We won't find out the answers to these questions until next week in Atlanta. Until then, fans can savor the close racing, great action, surprising twists, and uncertain future of the 2006 Supercross series!

If you've  been watching the news over the last couple of days, then you can't escape from the image of American snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis' run in the finals of the Snowboardcross event at the Winter Olympics in Turin. As the images show time and time again, in excruciating slow motion as well as regular speed, Jacobellis, who pretty much had a clear course in front of her and was just seconds away from winning the gold medal, tried to do something called a "backside method grab." This threw her off balance and caused her to first land awkwardly and then fall. In those few horrifying seconds when she was lying in the snow, fellow competitor Tanja Frieden of Switzerland went cruising by, crossed the finish line first, and secured the gold.

Jacobellis and Frieden were so far ahead of the other racers that Jacobellis still won the silver medal by a substantial margin over bronze medal winner Dominique Maltais of Canada.

Unfortunately for Jacobellis, the news stories that poured forth after this event have not been focusing on anything positive. Instead of commending Jacobellis on the outstanding achievement of winning a silver medal at the Olympic Games, a vast majority of the stories I've read have condemned her for losing what seemed to be a "sure" gold medal. Indeed, Jacobellis, has been accused of "hot dogging," "showboating," "arrogance."  One sportswriter has even compared her to Leon Lett, the Dallas Cowboys defender who started celebrating a touchdown too early and was stripped of the ball by Don Beebe of the Bufallo Bills at the one yard line in Super Bowl XXVII.

Through it all, the 20-year-old Jacobellis has taken things as well as can be expected. Immediately after her mistake, she maintained that she did not perform the board-grab as a style move, but rather as an attempt to stabilize herself over that jump on the windy course. However, perhaps after viewing the tapes of her jump, consulting with her coach, or simply in an act of maturity, Jacobellis later said that she did in fact get "caught up in the moment" and that she "messed up."

I have to say that I am pretty appalled at the reaction I've been seeing, hearing, and reading about this incident. I'm surprised that sportswriters have been coming down so hard on Jacobellis, despite the fact that she won a silver medal. There have been complaints that Jacobellis cost the United States another snowboarding sweep and that she has given Americans a bad name (for being too arrogant, I guess).

But the fact of the matter is that these stories, by and large, have been written by thirty- or forty-something people who have probably never strapped on a snowboard in their lives. It seems to me that these writers simply can't comprehend that snowboarding is a young person's sport. The clothes are baggy, hip, and cool, the jackets come with built-in compartments for iPods, and style is a huge part of the sport.

Even those who feel that Jacobellis had a right to celebrate come back and say, "But she should have waited a few seconds" in the next breath. But if you've ever competed in anything, then you already know that Jacobellis' sentiments about getting caught up in the moment absolutely ring true. You aren't always in complete control of your emotions during an athletic event, and as Jacobellis is only 20, I for one am not expecting her to act like a seasoned veteran 100 percent of the time.

Unfortunately for Jacobellis, she will likely have to live through the replays of her infamous backside method grab attempt for a long time to come. This incident will probably go down in the annals of sports history as one of the biggest blunders ever committed at an international event. That seems a bit much for a 20-year-old to have to deal with, and she definitely has my sympathy.

On the bright side, since Jacobellis is so young, she'll almost certainly have another shot at a snowboardcross gold medal at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. People are already throwing around the "r" word (redemption) for Jacobellis at those games. Here's hoping that she gets as big of a lead in 2010 as she had this year. And here's hoping that she throws another backside method grab on her way to the finish line -- and lands it cleanly!

In recent years, I've becoming much more of a fan of extreme sports than mainstream sports. For example, motocross, Supercross, snowboarding, and X-Games style in-line skating are all sports that I would make a point of watching on TV. These sports are fun and exciting, there's lots of action, always the chance of a major crash, and the athletes are not your run-of-the-mill corporate spokesperson types.

Now I can add snocross to my list of new favorite sports. Snocross is basically snowmobile racing that takes place on a motocross style track. That means there are jumps, whoops, and tight turns for the riders to navigate around on each and every lap. Weather conditions also come into play quite often, so you just never know what's going to happen out on the track.

I recently had a chance to attend my first snocross race in person, and I was amazed at how much fun these events are. I want to say for the record that I am not a participant of any winter sports at all. I pretty much hate being out in the cold, so I didn't know how well I would be able to handle standing around for several hours in the snow and wind while watching a snocross race.

After putting on nearly every piece of clothing I own in an effort to stave off the elements, I headed out with my friends to a place called Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Mn. We would apparently be watching a few races that are part of the PowerSports Snowmobile Tour, which the promoters tout as the "greatest show on snow". I guess there's an entire series that runs throughout the winter, and these races would help (at least in part) to determine the series champion.

I guess I should say now that I had never followed snocross before I attended that race, and I still don't follow it all that much now. So bear that in mind if I happen to get a few terms wrong, mix up a few names, or leave out a few important facts regarding the series as a whole.

Anyway, before the racing started, I had an opportunity to walk through the pits and look at some of the sleds up close. Those machines looked really cool, and are definitely not what the average person could get from the neighborhood store. I also saw several of the racers up close, but since I had no idea who they were, those encounters didn't really do much for me. I do have to say, though, that lots of other fans were clamoring for autographs, so I'm sure those guys are a big deal to real snocross enthusiasts.

I had some fears that since I have never been on a snowmobile myself, I wouldn't really be able to enjoy and/or appreciate the racing. I am happy to say that that wasn't the case at all!  I loved it, and I am officially hooked.

First of all, the track was much shorter than I expected. Although I didn't have a stopwatch with me, it felt like the lap times were in the 45-second range. That's actually a good thing from a fan's perspective because it meant we didn't have to wait very long for the action to come back around to our part of the track again.
One thing I never would have thought of in terms of snocross racing is how poor the visibility must be for the racers at times. When you've got that many sleds going full throttle through powdery snow, the traffic inevitably kicks up quite a cloud of snow and ice. I couldn't see the riders through it from my vantage point in the stands, and I'm pretty sure the riders couldn't see very much either. And yet they never backed off the gas, but just kept going full speed ahead. Needless to say, I saw a couple of wipeouts on the day!

It turned out that someone named Ross Martin won. Whether that's important or not, I can't really say. It wasn't to me on that day. What was more important was how much I enjoyed attending a snocross race for the first time in my life. Being there and seeing all the action really made me want to try riding a snowmobile. That's some pretty successful series marketing, if you ask me!

All-Star games are supposed to be a way for professional sports leagues to showcase their best and brightest talent. These games usually pit members from different teams and different leagues against each other in a single contest played in a different location each year. Sometimes the games actually mean something, as in the case of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, where the winning league secures home-field advantage for the World Series. Usually, however, the games are just for show, which inevitably leads to very high-scoring contests with little defense (watch any NBA All-Star game from over the years to see what I mean).

Overall, however, the All-Star games and their attendant contests are exciting and fun for fans to watch. In fact, three of the four major sports have made their All-Star games a two-day event. Various skills competitions make up Day One and the actual All-Star game makes up Day 2. Sometimes fans are more interested in seeing the skills competitions than the All-Star game. For example, baseball's Home Run Derby and basketball's Slam-Dunk contest and 3-Point contest are extremely popular events. Even hockey's skills competition, which involves the Fastest Man contest and a Hardest Shot contest. These skills competitions are usually televised in addition to the All-Star games.

By now you may have noticed that I've yet to mention the Pro Bowl, which is the NFL's All-Star game. That's because, even though football is by far my favorite sport, the Pro Bowl is one of the most boring events out of the whole year. There are several problems with it, and I've finally come to the conclusion that I will not waste any more time watching it.

As I see it, the first problem with the Pro Bowl is its timing. It takes place after the Super Bowl, which makes for a very anti-climactic ending to the season. Every other sport plays its All-Star game at or as close to the halfway point as possible. I'm not sure why the NFL wants to play the Pro Bowl in February, but I guess it is to avoid any major injuries that might affect the outcome of the season. On the surface this seems like a reasonable answer; at the same time, however, other sports are "risking" injuries and they seem to pull off their All-Star games just fine.

Another problem with the Pro Bowl (at least for me) is that I never seem to be able to find it on TV. In my area, it has only been on ESPN, a cable channel, for the last couple of years. To my knowledge, all the other All-Star games for the other major sports are available on free network television stations, making them much more accessible to fans.

A third problem with the Pro Bowl is the way that many of the game's biggest stars choose not to play in it. Yes, I know this happens in other sports too, but it seems to me that it's a pretty common occurrence at the Pro Bowl. For example, Tom Brady was voted to the Pro Bowl by fans, but he bowed out due to an injury. Same with Brian Urlacher of the Chicago Bears and several other players. This diminishes the value of the game somewhat, and makes it far less interesting to fans like me.

And finally, another problem with the Pro Bowl is the way the rules are set up. One rule is that there's no blitzing of the quarterback allowed. Obviously this rule is put into place to protect the players, but let's face it: blitzing is a huge part of the game. In fact, many of the defensive players that are on the field in the Pro Bowl are there because of their blitzing prowess in the first place! It doesn't make much sense to curtail these men and essentially take away any incentive they may have to play hard.

The way I see it, even though football is the number one sport in America in terms of fan base, it puts on the most boring All-Star game out of the four major professional leagues. I don't know about you, but I certainly won't be tuning in again until the NFL makes some changes to the way the Pro Bowl is played.

It's not unusual for several teams in the NFL to find themselves in the middle of a quarterback controversy before the season starts. These things usually develop in training camp as one quarterback on the roster plays better than expected while another plays poorly or gets a minor injury that allows the other guy to start a few games. Those stories make exhibition games a bit more interesting for fans to follow, and keep the newspapers filled for at least one more cycle.

But here we are in the middle of February, and there is already a potential quarterback controversy in the making for the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers, like most teams, carry three quarterbacks on their roster. However, unlike most teams, the Chargers' three quarterbacks -- Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, and A.J. Feeley --  all have the potential to be starters in the league. This naturally makes for an uncomfortable situation for the guys who have to stand on the sideline holding a clipboard while someone else gets to start week in and week out.

The guy who has been the undisputed starter for at least the last two years in San Diego is Brees. Brees' career with the Bolts began on shaky ground, but has steadily improved (along with his play) in the last couple of years. Brees was selected by the Chargers as the first pick in the second round of the 2001 draft after an outstanding college career at Purdue.

Brees didn't see any action in his rookie season, but then became the Chargers' starter in 2002. Brees went 8-8 that season, and retained the starting job at the beginning of the 2003 campaign. However, things really began to unravel for him that year. He got the Chargers off to a 1-7 start before being benched in favor of Doug Flutie. Flutie won his very first game in relief of Brees, but didn't do much better in the four games after that. Flutie's record as a starter was 2-3 when the Chargers turned back to Brees. Brees started the final three games of a dismal season that saw the Chargers' record fall to 4-12.

But Brees had a breakout season in 2004 and ranked among the league leaders in several passing stats. Meanwhile, the Chargers had acquired top quarterback prospect Philip Rivers out of North Carolina State in a trade with the Giants that sent Eli Manning to New York. The threat of losing playing time to a highly-touted young rookie seemed to be the spark that Brees needed for his breakout season.

Since then, Rivers has not had a chance to see any significant game action in a Chargers uniform. He took a few meaningless snaps in his rookie season, and then came on in relief of the injured Brees against Denver in the last game of the 2005 season. No one has really had a chance to see what Rivers can do in the NFL, but most scouting reports from the 2004 draft indicate that Rivers has the tools to be a solid starter for a lot of teams in the league.

For the most part, Rivers has been extremely professional, and even philosophical about his situation. However, as a high-caliber athlete who has been competing in sports for most of his life, there obviously will come a point in time where he won't be content with sitting on the sidelines. If early reports from some sources close to the team are any indication, that time could be now.

It seems that Rivers has stated on at least one occasion that he feels it's time for him to move on and explore his options outside of the Chargers' organization and said that he "hopes" to be a starter somewhere else in 2006. However, San Diego General Manager A.J. Smith has stated in turn that the Chargers simply have no intention of moving Rivers to another team.

The Chargers' third-string quarterback, A.J. Feeley, is also a young quarterback who has experience as a starter in the NFL. Feeley broke into the league back in 2001, when he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as a fifth-round draft pick out of Oregon. He received an opportunity to start in the 2002 season when the Eagles had a couple of injuries at quarterback. First, starter Donovan McNabb went down with an ankle injury, then backup Koy Detmer dislocated his elbow in his first start in relief of McNabb. Feeley assumed the quarterback duties and promptly threw a 1-yard touchdown pass as soon as he entered the game. He ended up starting the final five games of the 2002 season for the Eagles, and posted a 4-1 record in those games.

Feeley was relegated to backup duties once again in 2003 before landing on the Miami Dolphins' roster for the 2004 season. In Miami, Feeley was suddenly found himself in a battle with Jay Fiedler for the starting job. Feeley came out on top -- at least for a little while. He started the first three games for the Dolphins, but came away with an 0-3 record after throwing 5 interceptions in those games versus only 2 touchdowns. Fiedler then got his chance to start, but he didn't have any success either.

By the time the Dolphins were 1-8 and hopeless out of the playoff hunt, Feeley was inserted back into the lineup as the starter. He won three out of the next six games, but gave way to Fiedler in the season finale. Feeley then found himself on the Chargers squad for 2005.

Those are the three major players in this quarterback controversy. Their roles have been complicated even more these last two months. During that time, Brees sustained an injury to his throwing shoulder that was serious enough to require surgery. Nevertheless, the Chargers are trying to sign him to a long-term contract.

Rivers, who might have gotten a chance to shine if this injury had occurred earlier in the season, must now just work as hard as he can in the offseason and try to come out in training camp and win the starting job outright. The San Diego GM has already said that he won't trade Rivers, so this is the young quarterback's best chance to get playing time.

The Chargers also just announced that they signed Feeley to another contract. Feeley doesn't have a realistic shot at the starting job in San Diego, but his presence as a competent backup gives the team more leverage where Rivers is concerned.

As for Brees, he's going to have to work hard in rehab and try to take his time coming back. That's probably going to be difficult for him, especially if Rivers starts turn heads in practice, but it's the best move to ensure the longevity of his career.

I am a big fan of both motocross and Supercross, and I spend a lot of time at tracks and around bikes. I know that injuries are just as much a part of this sport as they are in any other sport. However, the injuries sustained in MX and SX are often more serious than in other sports because they usually involve crashing at high speeds, having a heavy motorcycle fall on you, or having to bail out on a jump while you're still 30 or 40 feet (or more) in the air.

These injuries and accidents strike at all levels of the sport, from the beginners who take to the track only on the weekends to the pros who make their living from being on the bike as much as possible. Unfortunately, it seems to me that in recent years the injuries are mounting. I don't have any hard numbers, so it could just be a result of the Internet phenomenon, where news from all over the world travels very quickly. Nevertheless, it seems that each year more and more professional riders are sustaining injuries that cause them to miss a significant number of races and/or practice time. This is bad for the riders themselves (obviously) as well as for the fans who are paying lots of money to see the best guys race each and every week, and the overall image of the sport.

Well, that's my opinion at least. I'm sure there are some diehards out there who would disagree with me, though.

At any rate, the injuries are out there. For example, before the East Coast swing of the Supercross season even started, news of injured riders started trickling in. Ben Townley, a first-year transplant from the World GP scene in Europe, will have his eagerly awaited debut for the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team delayed because of a torn ACL sustained during a practice crash. Although there has been no official rehabilitation timetable published from anyone in Townley's camp, it's almost certain that he will miss the entire Supercross series. Depending on how Townley's particular rehab program goes, he might even miss the first few rounds of the outdoor motocross series, scheduled to begin in mid-May. That would certainly be a blow to fans who are anxious to see what kind of damage Townley, a former MX2 World Champion can do here on U.S. soil.

Another East Coast rider who has been hobbled by injuries is Jeff Alessi of the Red Bull KTM team. Jeff's older brother is Mike, who is currently fifth in the point standings in the West Coast series. Jeff, who many people believe is actually going to develop into a better Supercross rider than Mike, broke not one but both ankles in a practice crash a few weeks ago. As with Townley, there has been no official timeline given for Alessi's recovery. However, he probably won't be ready for the opening round in St. Louis next weekend. There's a good chance that he'll see at least some action before the series closes out, though.

Team Makita Suzuki's Broc Hepler, one of the early favorites to win the 2006 East Coast SX Lites title, has also sustained an injury during practice. According to several published reports, Hepler broke a small bone in his foot at a practice session out in California. Fortunately, Hepler's injury isn't thought to be serious enough to force him to miss any races. Rumor has it that his boot sponsor, Alpinestars, will send him a custom pair of boots to accommodate the injury. This is good news for the Makita Suzuki team, as Hepler is the only rider they have contesting the Lites series this year.

Other East Coast riders who have missed critical practice time or who will likely miss some races this season include Townley's teammate Troy Adams, who broke his leg while testing back in November, and Joaquim Rodriques of the Samsung Honda team, who also has a leg injury.

As a supercross fan, the one thing I want to see more than anything else is close, competitive racing throughout the entire series. This won't happen while many of the series' star riders are on the sidelines with injuries. Hopefully all of these guys make full and speedy recoveries and get back on the track as soon as possible!

When it comes to college football awards, there's no question that the Heisman Trophy is the most publicized of the bunch. In fact, if you were to take a quick survey of some average college football fans, they might have a bit of trouble naming any of the other annual awards that are given to outstanding players across the country. Most of the awards are for specific positions (best quarterback, best wide receiver, etc.), however a few are more general and take into account a lot of factors. Here's a review of some of the "other" award winners from the 2005 college football season.

The Doak Walker Award
The Doak Walker Award is given each year to the best running back in the country. It is a relatively new award, having been established in 1989, and bears the name of a football player who starred first at Brigham Young University in the late 1940s before moving on to a successful career with the Detroit Lions in the NFL. According to the official website of the award committee, the Doak Walker Award not only recognizes a running back's achievements on the football field, but also takes into account academic performance and good citizenship.

The 2005 Doak Walker Award winner was none other than Reggie Bush of the University of Southern California. Bush was also the winner of the Heisman award in the same year, and is projected by majority of NFL analysts to be the number one overall pick in the 2006 entry draft. As a junior, Bush rushed for 1,740 yards and 16 touchdowns while leading the Trojans to another undefeated season. Unfortunately, Bush ended his college career on a downer, as USC fell to the Texas Longhorns in the National Championship game. But his two other national titles, his Heisman, his Doak Walker Award, and the guaranteed millions he will earn in the NFL ought to make up for that one setback!

Some notable past winners of the Doak Walker Award include: LaDainian Tomlinson, Ricky Williams, Ron Dayne, Larry Johnson, and Cedric Benson -- all of whom were on NFL rosters last year.

The Fred Biletnikoff Award
The Fred Biletnikoff Award is presented each year to the most outstanding wide receiver in college football. Fred Biletnikoff played college ball at Florida State University and was an All-American receiver there. He went on to be a star player with the Oakland Raiders in the NFL, and even was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl IX in 1977. This is also a relatively recent award, as it was started in 1994.

All candidates for the Biletnikoff Award must pass meet three criteria, including being a player who "receives a pass" in a Division I-A football game; helps his team succeed, and is committed to being "the best player he can be." In 2005, this distinction went to Mike Hass of Oregon State University, as voted on by a select committee of sports writers and analysts from across the nation.

I was a bit surprised to read this because even though I follow college football quite regularly, I'd hardly ever heard of Hass before. I checked out his stats on a sports website and discovered that they were indeed pretty impressive. He had 90 catches for 1,532 yards and 6 touchdowns for the Beavers, and beat out finalists Dwayne Jarrett (USC) and Jeff Samardzija (Notre Dame) for the honor.

Past Biletnikoff Award winners include: Randy Moss, Terry Glenn, Braylon Edwards, Larry Fitzgerald, and Bobby Engram.

The Davey O'Brien Award
The Davey O'Brien Award is given each year to the outstanding quarterback in college football. Begun in 1981, the award is named after a man who played college ball for Texas Christian University back in the mid-1930s. After winning a National Championship with TCU, O'Brien went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL. He only stayed there for a couple of seasons before deciding to give up football and join the FBI.

According to the official website of the O'Brien Award, candidates are evaluated based on: skill at the position of quarterback, academic achievement, being a good teammate, character, leadership, and sportsmanship.

In 2005, the Davey O'Brien Award went to none other than Vince Young of the Texas Longhorns. Young had an incredible season in which he dominated nearly every single game that he played. He led the Longhorns to an undefeated season and practically single-handedly won the Rose Bowl and the National Championship for them. Young passed for 2,769 yards and 26 touchdowns, and also ran for another 1,050 yards and 12 more touchdowns. A short time after defeating USC in the Rose Bowl, Young announced that he would not return for his senior year at Texas, opting instead to declare for the NFL draft. He is projected to go as either the second or third pick behind Reggie Bush and possibly Matt Leinart, both of USC.

A few of the more notable Davey O'Brien Award winners from the past include: Peyton Manning, Troy Aikman, Kerry Collins, Steve Young, Jim McMahon, and Doug Flutie.

Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is presented each year to the best senior quarterback in the country. Sometimes this award ends up going to the same person that receives the Davey O'Brien Award (Jason White of Oklahoma won both in 2004, Chris Wienke of Florida State won both in 2000, and Peyton Manning of Tennessee won both in 1997, to name just a few), but with more and more players leaving school early to join the NFL, it doesn't happen as often as you would think.

Johnny Unitas, the award's namesake, played quarterback at the University of Louisville from 1951-1954. Though he turned a few heads in college and set several school records, he wasn't heavily scouted by the NFL. He was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the ninth round, but was not offered a contract. He ended up trying out for the Baltimore Colts and signing on with them. Unitas went on to become one of the greatest quarterbacks in history, at one point throwing touchdown passes in 47 straight games. He also won two NFL Championships (prior to the establishment of the Super Bowl) as well as Super Bowl V.

In 2005, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award went to Matt Leinart of the University of Southern California. Leinart completed 283 passes for 3,815 yards and 28 touchdowns in his senior year for the Trojans. Leinart, a three-year starter after Carson Palmer graduated, finished his college career having lost only 2 games -- a 34-31 setback against California in 2003, and a 41-38 loss to Texas in this year's Rose Bowl. Leinart is one of the most successful quarterbacks to come out of USC. He won two national titles there, as well as the 2004 Heisman Award. Leinart is expected to be a top pick in this year's NFL draft.

Other notable winners of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award include: David Carr, Cade McNown, Danny Wuerffel, and Rodney Peete.

Lou Groza Award
The Lou Groza Award, established back in 1992, is bestowed annually upon the best place kicker in college football. The place kicker is a pretty thankless job, so it's nice to see that these guys are getting a bit of recognition. Sure, they have the opportunity to be the hero by booting the game-winning field goal. But by the same token, they are often labeled as the goat when the team ends up losing because of a missed field goal.

Lou Groza shot to fame as a member of the Cleveland Browns. During his 21-year career, he elevated the place kicker position to the status that it holds today. Instead of just being a guy that you carry on the team for kickoffs, Groza showed how much of an advantage it could be to have a place kicker that could consistently drill long-distance field goals.

The 2005 Lou Groza Award for the nation's best place kicker was presented to sophomore Alexis Serna of Oregon State. Serna led all Division I-A place kickers with 101 points, and joins teammate Mike Hass as individual award winners on a team that finished the season with a losing record of 5-6. According to the official Lou Groza Award website, Serna converted 23 out of 28 field goal chances for the Beavers, as well as all 32 extra point kicks that he attempted. In addition, Serna has the best career field goal percentage for active kickers in Division I-A with an 83.3 success rate.

Past winners of the Lou Groza Award include: Sebastian Janikowski (former number one draft pick), Martin Gramatica, Nate Kaeding, and Mike Nugent.

John Mackey Award
The John Mackey Award is the newest of the bunch, getting its start in the year 2000. It is given to the best tight end in college football each year. Although the tight end usually doesn't get much glory, he is very important to the success of a football team. A tight end has to be able to block, run, and catch, and usually has to have a unique combination of size, strength, athleticism, and quickness. When a school comes upon a great tight end, they get an additional weapon on offense, and that can make all the difference between a winning season and a losing one.

John Mackey played college ball at Syracuse, and then went on to become a star with the Baltimore Colts, who selected him with the number two pick in the 1963 draft. Mackey stayed with Baltimore for nine years before joining the San Diego Chargers in 1972 for what would be his last season as a professional.

The 2005 winner of the John Mackey Award was Marcedes Lewis of UCLA. Lewis was an instrumental player on the high-powered offense, and caught 58 passes for 741 yards and 10 touchdowns. He is expected to be a late first-round or early second-round pick in this year's NFL draft. There's little doubt that whichever team ends up with this 6'6" 256-pound budding star will greatly improve their offense.

Past winners of the John Mackey Award include: Kellen Winslow Jr., Heath Miller, Dallas Clark, Daniel Graham, and Tim Stratton.

A year ago, the Boston Celtics saw two of their three first round picks from the 2004 draft earn a spot for the rookie squad in the Rookie vs. Sophomore pre-All Star game event. Amazingly, the third of those three picks will appear this year in the same game.

Delonte West, the starting point guard for the Boston Celtics for 2005-06, has been selected to replace his former college teammate, Jameer Nelson for the sophomore squad. West has been having a break out season for the underachieving C's and had been a surprising omission until Nelson's injury.

West has moved into the top 25 in the league in assist to turnover ratio, averaging 2.5 assists per turnover from the point guard slot. The youngster is also averaging 11 points a game while his field goal percentage has been hovering around the 50% mark for the entire season (currently 49%). West has also shown the ability to hit the home run ball, shooting more than 40% from beyond the three point line.

Among the sophomore guards in the NBA, West is in the top five in assists, field goal percentage and rebounds. He is also averaging nearly one block shot per game, a number that puts him at the top of the league when it comes to that position, sophomore or veteran.

Last year, the Celtics saw both high schooler Al Jefferson and former college senior Tony Allen make the rookie squad. Unfortunately for Boston, both players have suffered through injury plagued seasons in 2005-06.

Ironically, West spent most of his rookie season on injured reserve as well. His inability to play a year ago had few expecting that he would be able to be the key replacement to the departing Gary Payton at point guard.

For Boston, the three players being chosen the past two years are seen as a great sign for the team's future - they certainly represent an outstanding single draft. Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge is counting on those three individuals, along with third year player Kendrick Perkins and veterans Paul Pierce and Wally Szczerbiak to start the Celtics back on the path to challenging for a NBA championship.

To Ainge's credit, all signs point to his having had a heckuva' draft in 2004 as yet another Celtic heads to the Rookie-Sophomore pre-game All Star event.

When a football team has as bad of a season as the Houston Texans did in 2005 (2-14 record, outscored 431-260), there is at least a silver lining to look forward to in the offseason: the number one pick in the NFL entry draft. Selecting the right player in the draft can elevate the team from last place to first in just a few short seasons.

For a recent example, one need only look at the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts were perennial cellar-dwellers in the 1990s, which led to several high draft picks and the acquisition of such players as Marshall Faulk and Marvin Harrison. In 1997, the Colts had another horrendous year, losing the first 10 games of the season before eventually finishing at 3-13. This was the worst record in the league, and guaranteed that they would get the number one draft pick. They chose Peyton Manning, and allowed him to start all 16 games in his rookie year. Manning didn't deliver immediate results; instead, the point of this "baptism by fire" approach was to allow him to learn the game faster than if he stood around carrying a clipboard for the first season.

Manning lost the first four games of the season before getting the very first win of his career in a 17-12 Week Five victory over the San Diego Chargers. That marked one of only three wins on the season for Manning and the Colts, as Indianapolis posted their second consecutive 3-13 season. But Manning was a quick study, and helped turn the team around in just a couple of seasons. Now the Colts are consistent contenders for the AFC title, and Manning is practically a Pro Bowl lock.

That's an example of what making the right decision on draft day can do for a team. However, there are certainly no guarantees that the number one overall pick will turn out to be the savior that everyone is hoping for. Let's take a look back at some of the overall number one picks from the past and see how they fared in their NFL careers.

Tim Couch (1999)
Seven of the last eight number one overall picks have been quarterbacks, and Tim Couch was among them.  Four more quarterbacks were chosen after Couch, for a total of five within the first 12 picks.  This prompted media analysts to dub these young men the "Quarterback Class of 1999" and intense scrutiny followed. Couch went to Cleveland; Donovan McNabb was on his way to Philadelphia; the Bengals chose Akili Smith out of Oregon; Minnesota grabbed Daunte Culpepper; and the Chicago Bears selected Cade McNown from UCLA. If you're a fan of the sport, you should immediately be able to pick out which of these guys found success in the league and which didn't.

Unfortunately for Couch, he has had a very stormy NFL career. He started 14 games as a rookie for the Cleveland Browns in 1999, a move that some critics say doomed the former Kentucky standout right from the start. Unlike Peyton Manning, who benefited tremendously from playing as a rookie, it seemed that this was not the proper route to take with Couch. He completed 223 out of 399 passes in 15 appearances for a total of 2,447 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also threw 13 interceptions, but that's to be expected from a rookie quarterback in the league.
Couch's second season in Cleveland didn't go much better. Though he got off to a great start by throwing for over 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns through the first seven games, a thumb injury sustained in practice effectively ended his season.

Couch's development proceeded in a shaky manner, but he did show some improvement over the course of the next two seasons. In 2001, he threw for over 3,000 yards and had 17 touchdown passes for the Browns. However, his interception total was still alarmingly high at 21 for the season. Then, in 2002, he had what would turn out to be his best year as an NFL quarterback. He threw for over 2,800 yards and 18 touchdowns in just 14 appearances as he led the Browns to a 9-7 record and the postseason berth that everyone had been waiting of since Couch's arrival in 1999. But another injury kept Couch on the sidelines during the Browns' playoff loss.

Things came to an abrupt end for Couch in 2003. The Browns' coaching staff finally got tired of his inconsistent play, and pulled him out of the Week 7 game against the San Diego Chargers after Couch threw 2 interceptions and failed to move the offense. The starting job went to Kelly Holcomb after that, and the Tim Couch era in Cleveland was essentially over.

Couch subsequently signed on with the Green Bay Packers as a backup to Brett Favre, but was waived by that team too. He hasn't seen any playing time in the NFL since the 2003 season.

David Carr (2002)
In professional sports, I don't think anyone expects expansion teams to come in and start winning right away. It's difficult to build an organization from scratch, as the Houston Texans have discovered in their first four seasons in the league. They started out by selecting David Carr out of Fresno State as their first draft pick ever. Much like Couch, however, Carr has not panned out thus far in his career.

Like Manning and Couch, Carr was immediately thrust into the starter's role. He played in all 16 games during his rookie season and had moderate success, throwing for 2,592 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2002. But he also threw 15 interceptions, which lowered his passer rating to a lackluster 62.8. The Texans finished the season at 4-12, but there were several bright spots that kept fans hopeful for better results the next year.

The 2003 season did indeed bring about a few improvements, but nothing significant for the team as a whole. Carr appeared in only 12 games that year, throwing for 2,013 yards and 9 touchdowns versus 13 interceptions. His passer rating crept up to 69.5, which was still nowhere near what the coaches and fans were expecting from him.

The questions now started to come in about whether Carr was the right man for the job. Was his less than overwhelming performance due to a lack of big-league ability, or was this the result of not having the right supporting cast around him?  There are compelling arguments for both viewpoints, but some people think the jury is still out.

Most recently, Carr threw for 2,488 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2005. He only threw 11 interceptions, which made his overall passer rating a 77.2. Detractors are concerned not only because Carr has failed to put up huge numbers or emerge as a solid leader, but also because the Texans as a team haven't benefited from his presence. After improving to a 7-9 record in 2004, the team took a giant step backward and finished with a dismal 2-14 record in 2005, earning the overall number one draft pick again.
The organization recently announced that they have chosen to exercise the option on Carr's original contract, meaning they will lock up his services for the next three years. This move indicates pretty clearly that the team has not given up on him, and also shows that they intend to take former USC star Reggie Bush with the number one pick rather than quarterbacks Matt Leinart or Vince Young.

Carson Palmer (2003)
Carson Palmer came into the league under a double curse. He was the number one overall draft pick, plus he was the Heisman Trophy winner. As we have seen in the past, sometimes these distinctions place an inordinate amount of pressure on athletes -- a kind of pressure that often ruins careers.

Palmer was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals, but unlike the other three quarterbacks mentioned in this article, he did not play in any games during his rookie season. Instead, he watched from the sidelines as Jon Kitna called the signals for the team. However, it was understood that Palmer would eventually take over, and that's exactly what happened in 2004.

Palmer started 13 games for the Bengals in that season, and completed 263 passes for 2,897 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions. Although those numbers are respectable for a quarterback playing his first full season in the NFL, I don't think anyone could have predicted what was going to happen in 2005.

The Bengals got off to a fast start in 2005, winning their first four games in a row. Palmer also began the season in incredible fashion, throwing for 1,062 yards and an amazing 9 touchdowns in that span. His passer rating never dipped below 107.0 in those games, which was another positive sign for Bengals' fans.

Analysts around the league started paying more attention to Palmer and the Bengals, wondering if this was all just some kind of fluke on their part. While the Bengals dropped their next contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars by a score of 23-20, Palmer never faltered. He actually continued on his torrid pace throughout the entire season, leading the Bengals to an 11-5 record, the division championship, and a playoff berth.

In doing so, Palmer posted career highs in every passing category, and was among the top quarterbacks in the league all season long. He finished the season with 3,836 yards, 32 touchdowns, and just 12 interceptions. More importantly, his season-long passer rating was 101.1, which was second only to Peyton Manning. Palmer's passer rating was above 100 in 11 of the Bengals' 16 regular season contests.

Unfortunately for Palmer and the Bengals, the season ended on a downer. On the team's very first play from scrimmage against the Steelers in the playoffs, Palmer completed a 66-yard pass to Chris Henry. After Palmer released the ball, he got hit in the knee and was knocked out of the game with torn ligaments. The Bengals went on to lose, and Palmer went on to have surgery.

From examining the careers of four quarterbacks who were selected number one overall in the NFL draft, it's easy to see that nothing is certain in professional football. With two highly-touted quarterbacks slated to be high draft picks this year, it will be interesting to see if Leinart and Young turn out like Manning and Palmer or like Couch and Carr.

One thing that I like about the Olympic Games is that it gives me a chance to learn about athletes that I might never have heard of before. Since a majority of the sports that make up the Olympics don't generally have widespread mainstream appeal, the athletes who compete in these sports don't get a lot of press in the big newspapers and magazines. So it's nice for me as an avid sports fan to see a different group of athletes take center stage for a couple of weeks.  Some of them are very charismatic and represent a nice change of pace from the baseball, football, basketball, and hockey athletes that usually fill the sports pages and highlight shows.  

Take Shaun White for instance. White is a 19-year-old snowboard hero who is well-known in the extreme sports world, but probably doesn't get recognized much once he steps away from the slopes or the skateboard ramps. However, he's been a star on the snowboarding scene for a long time. He first started snowboarding at the age of seven, and turned pro at the age of twelve. In recent years, he has dominated nearly every single competition he has entered, and seems poised to make a name for himself as one of the best snowboarders in U.S. history.

To date, White has won six gold medals at the X-Games, and is tied with extreme sports legend Shaun Palmer for most career medals. Of course, Palmer is 37 while White is just 19, so chances are good that he'll be able to break that tie sometime soon. In addition, White won an ESPY award in 2003 for the Best Action Sports Athlete. He has won so many snowboarding competitions in the U.S., Europe, and Japan that it would be impractical to list them all here.

Most recently, White added an Olympic gold medal to his trophy collection by winning the Men's Snowboarding Half-Pipe event in Turin, Italy. He was the heavy favorite, and seemed a bit overwhelmed by the whole experience, as evidenced by an uncharacteristic mistake on his first qualifying run. This forced White into a second qualifying run just to be able to make it to the finals. After that, he seemed to settle down and he put together an excellent first run that scored well above any of his competitors. When the time came for his second run, no one else had come close to his score, so he clinched the gold on the merits of his first effort and celebrated with some stylish moves on his way down the ramp in the second run.

Even more impressive than the awards and accolades listed on White's resume are the interviews that he gives to both print and broadcast media. There aren't too many athlete interviews that I would be excited to read. Being a lifelong subscriber to such magazines like Sports Illustrated, I have pretty low expectations as far as athlete interviews go. Most athletes don't want to rock the boat, so they give very dull, by-the-book responses that don't give readers any special insight into their personalities. And then there are those athletes who say things that are so outlandish that as a reader you just have to shake your head and wonder what they were thinking when they said those things. John Rocker comes to mind, as does Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, and more recently, Bode Miller of the U.S. ski team.

But White's interviews are refreshingly candid. He cracks a lot of jokes, makes fun of himself, and clearly is having a good time. There's a noticeable difference between his interviews and, say, a Terrell Owens interview. Owens sometimes makes wisecracks about a teammate or opponent, but with him, I get the feeling that there is just a hint a malice behind his words -- as if he really means what he is saying. With White, the feeling is just the opposite. I get the feeling that this is a decent, humble, and nice kid who just happens to be in the spotlight thanks to his abundant athletic talent.

The bottom line is that White doesn't give by-the-book answers, but he's not out to make anyone else look bad either. These are the kinds of interviews that people want to read and listen to, and these are the kinds of interviews that will turn casual spectators into real fans.

They may have lost the National Championship to Texas, but any doubts about USC continuing its run on top of the collegiate should be put to bed immediately. And when it comes to recruiting for 2006, the best in college football appear destined to continue to be at the top of polls.

When the final hours of recruiting ended, USC had rallied to overtake Florida for the "2006 recruiting class national championship." Though USC could not sign the Number one offensive or defensive lineman, the Trojans managed an exceptionally strong finish during the last hours of Letter-of-Intent Day and picked up some superb skill players to offset the loss of key individuals from this year's team.

An unprecedented total of thirteen of the website, Scout.com National Top 100 team, have now signed to play for USC. Among the many top recruits are wide receiver Jamere Holland from Taft High School in Woodland Hills, quarterback/safety Garrett Green from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, running back Kenny Ashley, from Venice High School, and Long Beach Poly safety/linebacker Alfred Rowe.

The USC numbers may also not be complete. At this time the number three running back on Scout.com, Keiland Williams, remains unsigned and is reportedly strongly considering USC. The Trojans have already received commitments from a bevy of running backs including Stafon Johnson, Emmanuel Moody, Stanley Havili and Ashley.

Florida, under head coach Urban Meyer, also had an exceptional recruiting year. The Gator's were able to come up with seven members of the Scout.com National 100 list. They are quarterback Tim Tebow of St. Augustine, Florida, wide receivers Percy Harvin from Virginia Beach, Virginia and Jarred Fayson of Tampa, Florida, offensive lineman Carl Johnson of Durham, N.C., linebackers Brandon Spikes of Shelby, N.C. and A.J. Jones from Tampa, Fla. and safety/wide receiver Jamar Hornsby out of Jacksonville, Fla.

And defending National Champion Texas came in number three on the list. Incredibly, most Longhorn commitments came prior to the start of the 2005 regular season. If Texas loses its outstanding quarterback to the pros, the team has secured the talent of quarterback Jevan Snead of Stephenvile, Texas to offset some loss of depth at the position. Also, Texas signed a number of other athletes from Texas including wide receiver/cornerback Ken Beasley from Orange, linebacker Sergio Kindle of Dallas, defensive end Eddie Jones out of Kilgore, and offensive tackle J'Marcus Webb from Mesquite.

And the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame parlayed the success of new head coach Charlie Weis to land the fifth ranked class overall. The Irish landed the top offensive line class in the country featuring Sam Young and Dan Wenger, both of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and Matt Carufel from St. Paul, Minnesota. Notre Dame also landed some top skill players as well in running back James Aldridge of Merrillville, Indiana along with cornerbacks Darrin Walls of Pittsburgh, Pa. and Raeshon McNeil from Mocksville, N.C.

After a poor year in 2005, Notre Dame appeared to strengthen the team's weakest areas, an offensive line that was senior laden and a defensive backfield that gave up yards in chunks. With Brady Quinn set to return at QB, the Irish also acquired an effective understudy in Demetrius Jones from Illinois.

Rounding out the top ten recruiting classes were Georgia at number four, Penn State sixth, followed by LSU, Oklahoma, Auburn and Michigan. Texas, USC, Penn State, LSU, Notre Dame and Georgia all finished in the Top Ten of the 2005 AP poll. Of those teams in the top ten recruiting polls, only Michigan failed to finish in the top twenty five of the final AP poll.

When it comes to top-notch quarterbacks, the University of Notre Dame has produced its fair share over the years. The Fighting Irish count seven Heisman Award winners among their alumni, and three of them were quarterbacks. A lot of former Notre Dame quarter backs have found varying degrees of success in the NFL, too.

In the modern era, I count Joe Theismann, Joe Montana, Steve Beuerlein, and Rick Mirer as Irish QBs who have gone on to start in the NFL.  Two more recent Notre Dame quarterbacks were also on NFL rosters as of last season, but have been converted to other positions. They are: Arnaz Battle, who is now a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers (who actually made the switch to WR in his senior year at ND) and Carlyle Holiday, who is now a wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals.

Obviously, Theismann and Montana are the standouts on this list. Between them, they have five Super Bowl rings, three Super Bowl MVP awards, and three NFL MVP awards. And yet, when you peruse the Notre Dame record books, you'll see their names at the top of only a few categories. Their college accomplishments have been all but dwarfed in just three seasons by Brady Quinn.

Quinn, who has already declared that he will come back to Notre Dame to play out his senior season, had a monster year in 2005 under new head coach Charlie Weis. Weis provided the kind of offensive system that played to Quinn's strengths and allowed him to thrive. Although being the starting quarterback in and of itself is enough to bring young men lots of attention, Quinn really vaulted into the national consciousness for the first time last year and frequently had his name mentioned in the same breath as Matt Leinart, Vince Young, and other top Heisman contenders.

In leading the Irish to a 9-3 finish in his junior year, Quinn passed for 3,919 yards (if you include stats from the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State). He also threw for 32 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions, which is an incredible ratio for a college quarterback. Along the way, Quinn set several Notre Dame records, including most career attempts, completions, yards, and touchdowns. He also became the first quarterback in school history to throw for more than 8,000 yards in his career.

And since he will be coming back for another 12 games with the Irish, you can expect him to just keep adding to his incredible numbers. Quinn is, for all intents and purposes, going to put many of these passing records out of reach -- at least for the time being. In fact, I think it would take a four-year starter of great skill and maturity to come in and attack Quinn's records. That's something you won't seem too much of in modern times, especially since most of the top college athletes in the nation leave school prior to their senior year in order to enter the NFL draft.

Although Quinn's resume seems impeccable at this point, the question remains: is he the best quarterback that the University of Notre Dame has ever seen? Sure, his name is all over the records books, but does that fact alone make the case for Quinn? After all, before he arrived on campus, Ron Powlus held many Notre Dame records and he didn't exactly go on to make a splash in the NFL.

Obviously, college quarterbacks should be evaluated differently from NFL quarterbacks. Some players don't develop until later in their careers and some of them just need the right coach to get them on track.

Quinn is in the unique position of having been a starter since the fourth game of his freshman year. That doesn't happen to a lot of quarterbacks. Even Matt Leinart rode the bench while Carson Palmer finished out his USC career. Quinn also has an NFL-caliber coach in Charlie Weis to help him along. According to many reports, Quinn and Weis have a deep mutual respect for each other, which has allowed Quinn to learn at an accelerated pace. The results showed in Quinn's record-setting season last year.

Will Quinn go on to make an impact in the NFL? No one can predict that with any certainty. But is he the best college quarterback that the University of Notre Dame has ever had? Absolutely!  

I am not sure that Charles Barkley was as good a player as he seems to think he was. Or for that matter others seem to think that he was.

I am also not sure that he will last a whole lot longer on National television, not with the need for people to adhere to the notion of political correctness today. For that reason alone, you should tune in to TNT every chance you get just to be sure you hear what Sir Charles will say next.

Barkley was recently blasted by Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry after the announcer had the audacity to say that Oklahoma was "no place for black people." The TNT analyst reportedly made his comments when involved about a discussion regarding New Orleans Hornets outstanding rookie Chris Paul. The discussion centered upon All Star game player selections - Paul's failure to be selected was considered a major error by most of the media.

Barkley teased the youngster several times with comments such as "the Oklahoma Sooners and the Hornets are the only brothers in town" and by asking the guard "if he had chickens and cows in his yard."The Hornets of course have had to be temporarily relocated to Oklahoma City this season after the incredible damage to New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina.

Speaking further about the All-Star Game, many in the national media did not think the Boston Celtics Paul Pierce deserved a spot on the team. The criticism came more from how the Celtics (19-31) have played this season, not due to Pierce's performance as he is having arguably the best season of his NBA career.

Barkley also unloaded some gems on that subject during the TNT broadcast last Thursday. Said the irreverent analyst, ''Paul Pierce is like Reggie Miller on his prom, he didn't have a date. He's lonely in Boston. He's Michael Jackson and he's playing with a bunch of Tito Jacksons."

Barkley went on to state that ''Scott Wedman, Kevin McHale are rolling over in their graves. Larry Bird, rolling over in his grave. Dennis Johnson, M.L. Carr, Tiny Archibald, Rick Robey, John Havlicek." Never mind that none of those folks have left this earth as yet.

But of course Barkley was the same sportscaster who had the audacity to state that the Celtics and T-Wolves trade that was an attempt to jump start two sputtering teams actually made both teams worse instead of better. Of course, since the trade the Celtics proceeded to lose six in a row while Minnesota has managed to lose six of seven after wining two of their first three games after the swap.

He says what he thinks, with color and unusual candor. Perhaps most importantly, Barkley is usually right on. That is all the more reason that I hope he walks that PC line a little more closely.

I would hate to lose his insight, and yes, I for one would miss his irreverence as well.

But "chickens and cows in your yard?"

Whenever the Olympic Games are played, I tend to find myself tuning in more to see how the human interest stories develop and unfold rather than seeing the actual competitions. It seems like not a single Games goes by without there being at least four or five different human interest stories to watch. It could be something like an athlete who has been trying for more than a decade to win that elusive gold medal, and this is his or her last realistic chance to do so. Will that athlete succeed?

Stories like these are the main reason that I watch, particularly when you consider that many of the events included in the Winter Games are not exactly what most of us would call "mainstream sports." For example, have you (or anyone you know) ever participated in that sport known as biathlon? This is an event that combines (somewhat inexplicably, if you ask me) cross-country skiing and rifle shooting, of all things! Or how about curling? I've never played that game either. To me, it looks like shuffleboard on ice. Let's just say I wouldn't be upset if I missed the gold medal match for either of those events.

At any rate, there's no shortage of human interest stories at these Winter Games in Turin, Italy. Here's a quick rundown of a few of the ones that I will be checking out during the next two weeks.

The Michelle Kwan Saga
You don't even have to be a fan of women's figure skating to know who Michelle Kwan is. Over the last 8 years, she has emerged as one of the most popular female athletes in the world.

Although Kwan has numerous National and World championship trophies engraved with her name, she has twice fallen short in her bid to win an Olympic gold medal. She first made an appearance at the 1998 games in Nagano, Japan when she was 17-years-old. She was the heavy favorite on the American team that year, and was expected to at least win a bronze. As I recall, Kwan skated very well in Nagano and certainly looked like she was on her way to the gold. But then she was upstaged by 15-year-old teammate Tara Lipinski. Lipinski pulled off a flawless final run on her way to becoming the youngest person to ever win the individual women's figure skating event. Kwan had to settle for second place and the silver medal.

Kwan wasn't finished in her attempt to win gold. She also made an appearance at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. At 21 years of age, this more mature and experienced version of Kwan was still a favorite to win the gold. However, she was upstaged yet again by a teammate. This time, it was 16-year-old Sarah Hughes who skated a nearly-perfect program en route to winning the gold. Kwan had to settle for third place and the bronze medal, finishing behind Irina Slutskaya of Russia who palced second.

Now Kwan is 25 years old, which means that the Turin Games are almost assuredly the last in her career. She has been battling injuries for a long time, and even had to go through a special petitioning process just to be able to participate in these Games as a member of the U.S. team since she wasn't able to skate in any of the qualifying events. However, according to several news sources, it looks like Kwan's injuries are not yet fully healed. She has been forced to cut short at least one practice session due to the pain, and the current speculation is that Kwan will pull out of the event before the judging begins.

Will Kwan finally get the gold medal that would put an exclamation point on her already impressive resume? Will she be upstaged by yet another teammate (perhaps Sasha Cohen this time)? Or will she exit the Turin Games without even putting on one final performance? This is something I will definitely tune in to see!

The Bode Miller Experience
American downhill skier Bode Miller has been a hot topic of discussion over the last several weeks ever since a television news show aired a controversial interview with him. In the interview, Miller said things to the effect that it's "not easy" to ski while being "wasted." This caused an immediate uproar across the country as people reacted strongly to Miller's comments. Some were staunch supporters of Miller who were angry that the news show chose to air that segment of the interview; others were ready to denounce Miller and demand that he be removed from the Olympic squad.

In the weeks leading up to the Games, this story just wouldn't go away. Of course since this particular athlete happens to bear a name that is the same as a famous brand of beer, we were treated to countless "Miller Time" headlines, stories, and jokes.

As it turns out, Miller is definitely still part of the Olympic squad, and has a real shot to win gold. In fact, according to some sports analysts, Miller is in a must-win situation if he hopes to salvage any respectability coming out of these Games. He is scheduled to participate in the Downhill, Slalom, Super-G, and Giant Slalom events, so he will definitely have plenty of opportunities for a medal.

This is the third Winter Olympics of Miller's career. He first competed in Nagano in 1998, but scored a DNF (Did Not Finish) in both the Slalom and Giant Slalom events. He had much better luck and results in 2002 in Salt Lake City, earning the silver medal in the Giant Slalom as well as the Combined event. Will Miller be able to put all this controversy behind him for at least two weeks while he competes in what is shaping up to be the most important Olympics of his career so far, or will he be too distracted to perform up to par? This is something I  -- and many other fans around the country -- want to find out.

The Continuing Adventures of Grandma Luge
Anne Abernathy, better known as "Grandma Luge" to fans of that sport, will turn 53 years old in April. The Turin Games will mark her 6th appearance in the Olympics as part of the athletic contingent from the U.S. Virgin Islands. I have no idea how Abernathy got started in the sport or how she trains all year long, considering that she lives on St. Thomas, an island more renowned as a sunny vacation destination than a place that churns out Olympic luge contenders.

Unlike a lot of athletes competing at the Olympics, Abernathy didn't get started in her sport at an early age. According to one profile, she didn't get involved with luge until she was 28 years old. This came after a trip to the 1981 games in Lake Placid where she first witnessed a competitive luge event. She was determined to try the sport out for herself, and then in 1988 she participated in her first Olympic Games in Calgary, where she finished in 16th place. She went on to compete in Albertville in 1992, Lillehamer in 1994, Nagano in 1998, and Salt Lake City in 1992. Though Grandma Luge has never been a serious threat to win a medal at any of these games, the fact that she posts very competitive times at her age is an inspiration to fans around the world.

It should also be noted that Grandma Luge has suffered through serious injuries and illnesses along the way. No matter what kinds of obstacles life has thrown in front of her, however, she somehow finds a way to overcome them and move on. Will Grandma Luge find a way to win a medal in Turin and cap an exciting career that most people could only dream about? I'll have to make sure I watch all the luge events to find out.

Snowboarding really is an Olympic Sport
I don't know about you, but when I think of snowboarding, I immediately envision the Winter X Games rather than the Winter Olympics.  But snowboarding was declared an official Olympic event a couple of Games back, and has been a fixture ever since. There are three separate snowboarding events for both men and women at the Turin games. First, there is the half-pipe, which is basically a freestyle event in which the boarders perform all kinds of wild tricks. Next, there is snowboard-cross, which is basically a race down the mountain over jumps and obstacles, making it similar to motocross. Finally, there is something called the parallel giant slalom. I'm not exactly sure, but I think this is a timed run down the mountain where the snowboarder has to go around flags in a similar fashion to slalom events in skiing.

Ever since snowboarding's official debut, North America has definitely had an edge as far as medal winners go. In the men's events, you can pretty much count on either a Canadian or an American appearing on the podium -- sometimes they account for all three spots, like in Salt Lake City in 2002 when Americans Ross Powers, Danny Kass, and J.J. Thomas swept the half-pipe medals.

This year, the United States is favored to win a couple more gold medals, and maybe even sweep again. On the men's side, 19-year-old Shaun White ought to do a lot of damage. White barely missed qualifying for Salt Lake City, but has greatly improved his skills and technique since then. He is no stranger to competition, having won six medals at Winter X. He also won several major tune-up events prior to arriving in Turin for the Olympics.

Along with White, Danny Klass and 18-year-old Mason Aguirre will also represent the U.S. in the snowboarding half-pipe event. All three of these young men are top-notch athletes and give the U.S. a very realistic shot at sweeping the medals podium once again. Will Shaun White win the gold medal that he's been gunning for since he failed to qualify in Salt Lake? Will the U.S. continue its dominance in snowboarding events for the second Winter Games in a row? You better believe that I will be tuning in to find out how these stories unfold!

As the NCAA basketball season heads towards the annual event known as March Madness, many have begun speculating as to which player will earn the coveted John R. Wooden Award symbolic of being college basketball's top player for the 2005-06 season.

For the first time in recent years, the majority of the top candidates are all seniors. There appear to be a number of worthy candidates for this year's award but at this point there appear to be two players as the Vegas favorites. Early bets would have to be on either Adam Morrison of Gonzaga or J.J. Redick of Duke as being most likely to take home the coveted award.

Redick may have the advantage, given that he plays for the Duke Blue Devils of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Both his team and his league may be key factors as the 6-4 shooting guard receives more national attention.

It wasn't all that long ago that Redick was looked upon as a Steve Alford type, an average player with an ability to shoot the open jumper. But the Duke senior has rounded out his offensive repertoire and is part and parcel to Duke's pressure man-to-man defense. In 23 games to date, Redick has tossed in 90 three pointers and is shooting more than 50% from the field despite playing a perimeter-oriented game. His 28.4 points-per-game average is astonishing considering he averages less than 18 shots per game.

But the 6-8 Morrison is also having an astonishing season, even if it is against somewhat lower caliber competition. That factor may hurt the junior in the polling but he too is averaging 28 plus per game and shooting more than 50 percent from the floor. Though Morrison has half as many threes as Redick, he has tossed in 45 while shooting 43% from beyond the arc (Redick is at 44%). A key for the forward is that the Zags have also been at the top of the polls all year long, keeping Morrison's name before the public on a regular basis.

Though it will be a major surprise for someone other than Redick or Morrison to win the Wooden, there are a number of other players who are having outstanding collegiate seasons. Seniors Mike Gansey of West Virginia, Shelden Williams of Duke, and Randy Foye of Villanova could all receive some votes as well.

The 6-4 Gansey is considered the top player in the Big East Conference, particularly because of his ability to raise his game and have outstanding performances against the best competition. Gansey is averaging 18 plus points per game while shooting almost 60% from the floor and 47% from beyond the three point arc. Helping Gansey would be a strong finish by the Mountaineers during March Madness.

The 6-8 Williams gives the Blue Devils the top one two punch in the country. While Redick dominates the perimeter, Williams controls the lane. He is a force on the low blocks, a strong physical presence for the Dukies. The senior is tossing in 18 points a game while grabbing nearly 10 rebounds and blocking four shots per game. Williams .582 field goal percentage is exceptional for any player, especially for some one playing in tough ACC.

Foye is another guard with exceptional game. Villanova is also one of the top teams in the Big East and their outstanding play as a team has helped Foye gain national recognition as well. The guard cannot match the shooting percentages of the other top players but he is averaging more than 20 points game while playing sterling defense.

Yet one other senior, Dee Brown of Illinois could also get some votes. At 5-11, the smallish Brown still has a profound effect on every game. A poor shooting season has cost him a chance at the top spot but he is averaging 15 points and nearly 6 assists per outing for the 20-3 Fighting Illini.

Among the top candidates this year, only Morrison is an underclassman. Perhaps that is due to the constant defection of the better underclassmen each year, but for once the NBA draft could feature several seniors in the top ten picks.

By Ed Jennett


This six part series about the trade rumors of the NBA concludes in the same place where the actual trading frenzy began, the Pacific Division. While things have begun to quiet down recently, the Pacific Division was probably involved in the most rumors. The majority of them involved former Indiana Pacer SF Ron Artest.

The Golden State Warriors were one of the numerous teams participating in the Artest derby. Warrior PF Troy Murphy was actually so convinced that he was going to be shipped off to the Pacers that he did not renew a local gym membership. Apparently Murphy has never heard of transferring a gym membership. The hottest current rumor swirling around the Warriors is that GM Chris Mullin and Head Coach Mike Montgomery might be fired if the team does not make it to the postseason. Golden State was picked by many experts to return to the playoffs this year. After having a great start to the season the Warriors quickly returned to their losing ways however.

The Los Angeles Clippers are interested in acquiring SF/PF/C Eddie Griffin from the Minnesota Timberwolves. LA has a low-post presence in PF Elton Brand and an athletic big man in C Chris Kaman. The Clippers would like to complement them with the outside shooting of Griffin. LA is offering backup PF/C Chris Wilcox. Despite Griffin being in and out of the rotation of Minnesota Head Coach Dwane Casey, the Timberwolves are reluctant to make the trade. Indiana was considering trading Artest for Clippers SG/SF Corey Maggette, but was scared off because of his foot injury. There were also rumors of an Artest for Clippers SG Cutino Mobley and Wilcox swap, but that obviously never materialized.

The Los Angeles Lakers have asked the New York Knicks about rookie PF Channing Frye. Presumably this would have to be in a package for Lamar Odom, as he is one of the only players on the Lakers roster (besides untouchables SG Kobe Bryant and rookie C Andrew Bynum) that the Knicks (or most other teams) would have any interest in. The Knicks declined and it appears that the Lakers do not have any other trades brewing. LA does not want to trade Odom. So it does not appear the Lakers will be able to land any players of significance since the rest of their roster is comprised of role players. The Pacers had wanted Odom in exchange for Artest, but the Lakers were not willing to give him up.

The Phoenix Suns are not currently involved in any trade rumors. In all likelihood the Suns will stand pat. They have been playing great and All-Star PF/C Amare Stoudmaire is ahead of schedule in his recovery from microfracture surgery and should return later in the season.

The Sacramento Kings officially kicked off the trading with their acquisition of Artest for SF Peja Stojakovic. That particular trade had been in the rumor mill since the 2004 NBA Draft, when the Pacers first proposed the deal to the Kings. Because Artest is crazy, Sacramento decided not to make the trade. Despite more proof that Artest is insane, such as his role in the Detroit brawl, demanding a trade and then wanting to stay, the Kings finally agreed to the swap earlier this month.

It had become obvious to Sacramento that they were going nowhere building their offense around the perimeter game of Stojakovic. Plus there had been endless rumors that he would opt out of his contract this offseason and leave the club as an unrestricted free agent, most likely going to the Chicago Bulls. The Kings decided to risk using Stojakovic to acquire Artest as opposed to risking losing Stojakovic this summer for nothing. The high risk world of the NBA may be the only place where one rumor can cause another rumor to come true.

By Ed Jennett

Not surprisingly, the teams in the Southwest Division are not involved in a lot of trade rumors. The Southwest is the best Division in the NBA. Dallas and San Antonio are tied for the second best record in the league at 38-10. The Grizzlies and the Hornets, two teams who many experts expected to miss the playoffs are the sixth and seventh seeds respectively. Houston is the only team in the Southwest under .500. The poor performance of the Rockets is clearly due to All-Stars SG/SF Tracy McGrady and C Yao Ming a lot of time due to injury. The duo is back in the lineup now however, and the team has gone 6-4 in its last 10 games. If not for the health woes of McGrady and Yao, Houston would probably have one of the best records in the Western Conference.

The Dallas Mavericks are supposedly interested in trading SF/PF Keith Van Horn (and his expiring contract) to the Toronto Raptors for PF/C Antonio Davis (and his expiring contract). This would be a great deal for the Mavericks as it would give them another big man to help defend the premier power forwards and centers in the Western Conference. Dallas will have to be creative however to get Toronto to make this swap. The Mavericks cannot offer their first round pick because they have traded their first pick the last few years and have already traded their pick for next year. Dallas can add additional players in to the trade to try to entice the Raptors, but Toronto can only ship out Davis. This is due to Davis having just being traded to the Raptors from the New York Knicks for PG/SG/SF Jalen Rose and a first round draft pick.


The Houston Rockets are attempting to acquire SG/SF Keith Bogans from the Charlotte Bobcats. Bogans would provide Houston with a strong perimeter defender and with an additional shooter on offense. The Rockets would most likely send PF Lonny Baxter to Charlotte in return. The Bobcats have numerous front-court injuries. Due to Charlotte being under the cap the salaries do not have to match up. Houston also still has a trade exception from last year that can be used to add another player.

The Memphis Grizzlies are not currently involved in any trade rumors. This obviously is at least partially due to the fact that Memphis GM Jerry West has a long history of ripping off his counterparts in trades.

The New Orleans/Oklahoma Hornets are not involved in any trade rumors at the moment, but they are involved in a rescinded trade. The Hornets had made a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers for PF/C Steven Hunter. The Sixers were to receive a 2006 and a 2007 second round draft pick. Philadelphia also would have received a one year trade exception for $2.85, which is Hunter’s salary for this season. This was due to the New Orleans/Oklahoma being under the salary cap and thus able to absorb Hunter’s contract in the trade without sending out any salary.

The deadline for the deal had been extended five times before the Hornets informed Philadelphia that the trade was off. Due to a confidentiality clause in the collective bargaining agreement neither team can say why the swap was scrapped. It is believed that the issue that killed the trade was a knee condition that Hunter had played with throughout his career.

The San Antonio Spurs are not currently involved in any trade rumors. This makes sense since they are arguably (the other team in the argument is the Mavericks) the best team in the Western Conference and because unlike their counterparts in the East, the Detroit Pistons, the Spurs do not appear to have any weaknesses. While Detroit has to depend on its starters because of a weak bench, San Antonio can afford to rest its starters on a regular basis because of an assortment of deep and talented reserves. In fact, the Spurs might even have the best bench in the league. If the Spurs are to make any changes to their roster it would probably be a trade of backup C Nazr Mohammed, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. There is a chance that Mohammed will receive a contract offer so large (possibly from Atlanta, Chicago, or Toronto, all of whom have cap space and are desperate for big men) that small market San Antonio would not try to match it.

In sports, it's quite common for individual athletes to have nicknames. These nicknames are usually descriptive of either the athlete's personality (Walter Payton was known as "Sweetness") or athletic prowess (Wayne Gretzky was "The Great One").  What's far less common is when an entire team or a unit of the team bands together and is comprised of such skilled players that they share a collective nickname. When you think of the New York Yankees teams of the past, you can't help but think of the nicknames "The Bronx Bombers" and "Murderer's Row," both of which described the power of the entire lineup rather than just one player.

Out of all the major professional sports, I think football is the one that lends itself to the kind of teamwork that inspires these great nicknames. In baseball, the focus is on a single player most of the time (for example, the pitcher or the batter); in hockey there are so many shift changes that you can't really say for sure who's playing with whom; and in basketball, there are more opportunities for individuals to shine than the whole team. In that spirit, let's take a look at some of the more interesting football team-within-a-team nicknames from over the years.

The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame
This is perhaps one of the most famous collective football nicknames of all time. Though many people have heard of The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame, even the most avid sports fans probably would have a hard time naming the individuals who comprised this fearsome foursome. They were: Jim Crowley, Don Miller, Harry Stuhldreher, and Elmer Layden. Coached by the legendary Knute Rockne, these four young men led the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to the National Championship back in 1925 with a perfect season (10-0) capped off by a win in the Rose Bowl over Stanford.

The Steel Curtain
The Pittsburgh Steelers joined an elite club of just three teams to ever win five Super Bowl Championships (the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers are the other two). The Steelers' first four championships came from the mid-1970s to 1980.  One of the reasons that the Steelers were so successful in the 1970s was because of their very stingy defense, known as The Steel Curtain. Led by tackle "Mean" Joe Green, linebacker Jack Lambert, and cornerback Mel Blount, the Steel Curtain was statistically the best defense in the NFL in 1974, 1975, and 1976 - a three-year run that no other squad has matched since then.  In 1976, the Steel Curtain helped Pittsburgh to an amazing five shutouts in nine games to close out the season and seal a playoff berth. Unfortunately for that incredible '76 team, they came up short in the end and didn't win the championship. But The Steel Curtain has endured as one of the most legendary defensive units to ever take the field in professional football.

The New York Sack Exchange
The Jets used to play their home games at Shea Stadium (home to the New York Mets baseball team) back in the early 1980s. During that era, the defensive line of the Jets was made up of Mark Gastineau, Marty Lyons, Abdul Salaam, and Joe Klecko. These were four men who made a living out of getting to the quarterback and breaking up plays.

These days, we have statistics for every kind of play and situation imaginable in professional sports; therefore it's a bit difficult to believe that just 25 years ago the NFL didn't count sacks as an official stat category. Therefore, the 66 total sacks these four men posted in the 1981 season doesn't appear anywhere in the record books. Nevertheless, the legend of the New York Sack Exchange lives on in the memories of football fans across the country.

The Greatest Show on Turf
Although defenses dominated the NFL a couple of decades ago, these days the emphasis is definitely on offense. When you watch highlight shows, you are more likely to see great passes, catches, and runs rather than great blocks and tackles. One of the most productive offenses to ever take the field was the St. Louis Rams teams in 1999, 2000, and 2001.

The offense, led by quarterback Kurt Warner, running back Marshall Faulk, and wide receivers Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, and Az Hakim, seemed to score at will in every single game they played. In 1999, Warner had an incredible season. Having just been a grocery store clerk a few years before, Warner made the most of his shot in the NFL. He started all 16 games in place of the injured Trent Green and posted some of the gaudiest passing statistics ever seen. He completed 325 out of 499 passes for 4,353 yards and an amazing 41 touchdowns. He only threw 13 interceptions on the season, which gave him a quarterback rating of 109.4.  

As a team, the Rams scored more than 500 points in each of these three memorable seasons -- a feat that has been done a total of only nine times in the history of the league.  The Rams and their Greatest Show on Turf romped to a Super Bowl win in 2000, with Warner earning the game's MVP award after throwing for 414 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Those 414 yards still stand as a single-game Super Bowl record for any quarterback.  Warner also won the NFL's MVP award twice, just barely beating out teammate Faulk for one of those awards.

The Hogs
Playing on the offensive line of a football team is probably one of the most thankless jobs there is in professional sports. On the defensive side of the ball, at least the guys have a chance to go in there and make big sacks, cause fumbles, and stuff the run. On offense, nobody notices you unless you make a mistake. The job of an offensive lineman is to protect the quarterback and to create lanes for the running back to burst through. When the offensive line does this job well, the running back and quarterback get all the glory. When defenders get through for sacks, then people start calling the numbers of the offensive linemen.

So that makes it all the more unusual that one of the greatest teams-within-a-team in recent history was comprised of the offensive line. In 1982, the Washington Redskins o-line consisted of Joe Stark, Mark May, Russ Grimm, Joe Jacoby, Don Warren, and Rick Walter. These guys routinely cleared the way for running back John Riggins to pound out yards and for quarterback Joe Theismann to stay in the pocket and find the open receivers.  The Hogs were a big part of the reason that the Redskins were able to win Super Bowl XVII by a score of 27-17 over the Miami Dolphins.  In addition, they can be credited with helping Riggins win the MVP award with 166 rushing yards and one touchdown on 38 carries.

The Orange Crush
When you're talking about professional football and the color orange comes up, most fans would invariably think of the Denver Broncos. Orange has been a featured color in their uniforms for many years, and has come to symbolize the great offenses and defenses that the team has fielded over the years. Many people mistakenly think that the Orange Crush nickname began when Hall of Famer John Elway emerged as a star quarterback. And while it's true that the moniker was resurrected when Elway was at the helm, the Orange Crush actually began a couple years before Elway joined the team.

The original Orange Crush team in Denver referred to strong play on both sides of the ball.  The defense had players like Lyle Alzado and Tom Jackson, while the offense featured quarterback Craig Morton and running back Floyd Little. The Broncos of this era didn't win a Super Bowl championship, however. The original Orange Crush team fell short in 1978, losing to the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 27-10.  In subsequent years, the Broncos lost three more times (1987, 1988, and 1990) before finally triumphing in 1998 and 1999.

The Monsters of the Midway
The Chicago Bears defense has always made more of a splash than their offense. It's no wonder then that the Monsters of the Midway nickname came about as a reference to some of the most ferocious players that have ever worn a football uniform. The guy that instantly comes to mind when talking about the Monsters of the Midway is Dick Butkus. Butkus was the most feared linebacker in the league when he played in the mid-1960s and early 1970s. When Butkus was on the field, he was liable to take over the game. He led the Bears in tackles eight years in a row and was responsible for more forced fumbles and interceptions combined than any other player on the team. Butkus played with such ferocity and intensity that the award for outstanding college linebacker is named after him.

Since Butkus' playing days in Chicago, there have been two linebackers who seem to have been made out of the same mold: Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher. These two players elevated the defensive play of their respective squads. Singletary led the 1985 Bears defense, one of the best in the history of the game, all the way to a victory in Super Bowl XX. In the Super Bowl, the defense held the New England Patriots to a miniscule 7 net rushing yards, which is a record that still stands today.  Urlacher hasn't had a chance to play in the Super Bowl yet, but he has been a member of two playoff teams in his six years on the Bears, and is averaging more than 100 tackles per season despite playing in only 9 games in 2004 due to injury. When Singletary was on the field, and when Urlacher leads the charge today, you're sure to hear the old Monsters of the Midway name uttered a few times by awestruck fans.

There's no doubt in my mind that these colorful nicknames make the game of football more interesting and memorable to fans of all ages and in all parts of the country. I don't have to be a Rams fan to appreciate the Greatest Show on Turf, and you don't have to be a fan of any of the other squads that I mentioned to appreciate their accomplishments.

Much was made about Theo Epstein's return to the Red Sox organization in the Boston media with many insisting that the leadership structure would be terribly top heavy. But the young GM had been credited with having led the team to its first World Series title in 86 years so his return was welcomed by most fans with open arms.

Now, less than a month after returning, one has to note that the Sox managed to close both major position player issues and have turned towards making a run for Roger Clemens. Has Epstein been responsible?

Prior to Epstein's return, the much-rumored but never completed Coco Crisp deal had Sox fans terribly concerned. The team had lost its center fielder to the much hated Yankees and traded its starting shortstop Edgar Renteria to the National League Braves. As the winter dragged on, fans became exceedingly worried about the team's inability to find strong replacements.

Yet, within a matter of a few days, the Sox managed to complete the deal for Crisp. The Sox parted with two more prospects, third baseman Andy Marte and catcher Kelly Shoppach. That meant that the organization had parted with four of its top ten prospects in deals that brought Crisp and Pitcher Josh Beckett to Boston.

However, Boston sees the 26-year-old Crisp and 25-year-old Beckett as talented youngsters with proven major league ability. In Crisp the Sox acquired a center fielder with perhaps as much talent as the departing Johnny Damon, a player who is much younger and with a salary that allows the Sox to pursue other potential free agents.

Most importantly, Crisp cannot become a free agent until after the 2009 season. In direct comparisons for 2005, Crisp hit .300 with 16 homers, 42 doubles, 69 RBIs, a .345 OBP, and a .810 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging). Damon, on the other hand, hit .316 with 10 homers, 35 doubles, 75 RBIs, a .366 OBP, and a .805 OPS last season.

Just as soon as the Sox closed the deal there, the team then also signed Shortstop Alex Gonzales to a one year deal at a reported $3 million. Gonzales is a slick fielding shortstop who is seen as a bit of an offensive liability. But former manger Jack McKeon insists that with Mike Lowell at third and Gonzales at short, it will take an absolute rocket of a ground ball to get through the left side of the infield next year.

Of course, both deals may have gotten done without Epstein. It is highly possible, but it is amazing that the guy comes back to work full time and things begin falling into place like dominoes set for a simple touch.

If Crisp knocks down the Fenway center field wall a la Damon and Gonzales fields his position with great dexterity and throws in a hit or two, the 2006 Red Sox could be back in the hunt for a Series title.

Imagine if that happen what fans Sox fans will be thinking about the return of Epstein to Red Sox nation.

Prior to the Super Bowl, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher likely had the distinction of being the NFL's most successful active coach without winning the ultimate, the Super Bowl.

With Sunday's triumph, the man known as much for his stern jaw as his ability to motivate football players finally passes that distinction on to someone else in the NFL coaching brethren.

Prior to topping Seattle in Super Bowl XL, Cowher had already established an amazing coaching legacy. His mark encompasses longevity, wins, playoff appearances and division titles - and now of course includes a Super Bowl title.

In the longevity department, Cowher began the 2005 season as the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL, his 14th season as head coach of the Steelers. The native of Pittsburgh had been named the 15th head coach in Steelers history when he replaced the legendary Chuck Noll in January of 1992. Already, Cowher's tenure with the Steelers ranks him ninth in NFL coaching history in regards to head coaching service with one team.

In 14 seasons under Cowher, the Steelers have now made ten playoff appearances. The team has tallied eight division titles, advanced to six AFC Championship games and made two appearances in the Super Bowl. He is one of just six coaches in NFL history with at least eight division titles.

In 1995, at age 38, Cowher became the youngest coach in NFL history to take a team to the Super Bowl. That year, the Steelers captured their third AFC Central Division title in four years and won their first AFC title since 1979.

Cowher was also just the second coach in NFL history to lead his team to the playoffs in each of his first six seasons as head coach, matching the legendary Paul Brown. Cowher became the 8th fastest coach in NFL history to win 50 regular-season games doing so in just his 73rd game. With Sunday's victory, Cowher now owns 153 wins as a head coach, 141 regular season and 12 in the playoffs, and trails only Chuck Noll (209 wins) on the Pittsburgh list. His 245 games coached also trails only Noll (366 games) on the total games list.

The Steelers head man also had previously earned several coaching awards including The Sporting News' Coach of the Year in 2004 and in 1992, his first season in the NFL , being voted Coach of the Year by both the Associated Press and The Sporting News. In that first season Cowher directed the Steelers to their first AFC Central Division crown in eight years.

Though he has consistently lost a number of free agents over the years, especially in the salary cap era, Cowher has had only three losing seasons in his fourteen year tenure. Still, before Sunday, he was known more for his failure to take home the Super Bowl championship, for getting his team in position but failing to deliver a title.

But in a game known more for its lousy officiating and Seattle's failure to manage the clock, Pittsburgh used a couple of gadget plays and a hard-nosed defense to finally take home the team's fifth Lombardi trophy, its first ever under Cowher. The stern-jawed coach still has a way to go to catch the legendary Knoll who earned four such titles, but for now he has removed that hated moniker.

Bill Cowher is no longer the best active NFL coach never to have won a Super Bowl.

There's no question that being a prominent amateur athlete these days is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, most of these up-and-comers receive special treatment from the moment their immense talent is discovered. This special treatment comes in all shapes and forms, from receiving passing grades in school despite sub-par work to getting lots of sponsorship dollars, equipment, and merchandise in sports where that kind of thing doesn't constitute recruiting violations. I don't think that any of these athletes would tell you that they resent any of these perks!

On the other hand, however, these athletes live under almost constant media scrutiny from a very young age. They don't really have the opportunity to enjoy a normal childhood, they aren't allowed the same leeway to make mistakes that all young people tend to make, and they are subjected to an intense level of pressure that most of us will never know.

So it's not surprising that a lot of these athletes simply can't live up to the hype that surrounds their development.  For every Peyton Manning who actually surpasses the expectations that people have about them, there are countless Ryan Leafs who either make it to the pro ranks before imploding or do so well before that time.

Though there are plenty of examples in mainstream sports that I could draw from, I follow Supercross and motocross very closely, so I'd like to talk about a recent example from that world.

When discussing Supercross and motocross, the word "hype" and the name Mike Alessi are inextricably intertwined -- and seem destined to be so for that young man's entire career. In motocross, most professionals started their career at a very young age. Many of today's current stars report that they first got a motorcycle (yes, a "real" one that runs on gasoline, has a throttle, shifter, brakes, and everything) at the age of three or four, and began racing soon after.  Though that may sound a bit shocking to parents of very young children (I know I'd be scared to let my own three-year-old anywhere near a motorcycle), it's quite normal for the motocross scene.

Alessi, who is currently a star on the Red Bull/KTM factory team, was one of those child prodigies that received a lot of attention while growing up. He and brother Jeff were well-known on the amateur motocross circuit starting at a very young age. They were home-schooled so they could travel across the country to compete in all the big national races. The Alessis were so good that both boys had sponsorship deals with Honda. Getting an amateur sponsorship deal in motocross is like hitting the mother lode -- especially when you consider the high costs of competing at that level. You always need new bike parts, several bikes (different sizes for different classes, practice bike, race bike, etc.) riding gear, helmets, goggles, etc.

When Mike finally made it to the pro ranks, there was a lot of hype surrounding his arrival. He set up camp at the track a few weeks before the actual race and practiced on it every single day. He said some things to the media that the more established riders viewed as unduly arrogant.  And it didn't help much that the people in his camp wore t-shirts that said "Believe the Hype" with a target on the back.

Alessi ended up not scoring a single point in his debut race, after finishing 27th and 25th in the two motos. The fans and other riders came down on him, and it seemed to be a terrible start to his career. But Alessi sat out the next race and then came right back and scored a 3rd overall in just his second professional event -- in the 250cc class, no less!

Since that time, Alessi has still been involved in his share of controversy. He was in the middle of several incidents that some people termed "take outs," but that others dismissed as part of racing. Alessi was on the receiving end on some of those moves, and also on the giving end. Things came to an unfortunate head at the final race of the 2005 motocross season. Alessi was still in the hunt for the championship when he tangled with points leader Ivan Tedesco on the first lap of the second moto. Mayhem ensued when Alessi tried to pick up his bike and appeared to be trying simultaneously to prevent Tedesco from getting his bike off the ground.  

After reviewing the tapes of the incident, the AMA decided that Alessi would not receive any points from the event, which dropped him from second to third in the overall standings. He was also deemed ineligible for the Rookie of the Year award, which is rumored to have cost him a bonus in the six-figure range.

This year, Alessi is contesting his first full season of AMA Supercross. He got off to a rough start through the first few races and finished mid-pack. That's certainly not where he nor his team expected him to be. Alessi also started to hear boos from some fans who were still upset about the Tedesco incident from the motocross season.  Things were not going this young man's way.  In fact, it was hard at times to keep in mind that he is still just 17-years-old and prone to making mistakes just like any other teenager.

In the last two weeks, things have picked up for Alessi. He scored two third-place podium finishes and seems to be getting used to the different skill set that's required for Supercross. His results should continue to improve from this point forward.

In addition, it must be noted that Alessi seems to have changed his approach as far as interviews and fan interaction is concerned. According to many different sources, Alessi is genuinely more humble now and is hoping to repair his image and reputation on the professional scene, both with the fans and with the other riders.

I personally like what I've been seeing from Mike Alessi this year. He deserves a second chance to establish himself in the sport and I'm glad to see that he's making the most of it.  I hope the fans will respond to this and realize that, like it or not, Alessi is part of the future of the sport.  At just 17 years of age, he has dealt with more than most young men his age. It's good to see that he is learning to handle himself as a professional athlete and to realize that when he's on a national stage like this, his actions can have long-lasting consequences. If this new direction is any indication, Alessi will end up being a true star in the sport.

By Ed Jennett


It makes sense that the one weakling in the Western Conference is the division involved in the most trade rumors. The NBA should consider having the Northwest Division switch conferences with the Central Division to provide balance. All of the good divisions would be in the same conference while all of the bad divisions would be in the other conference. Then again, that might not be necessary since there are so many rumors about Northwest Division teams making trades with teams throughout the Eastern Conference. The franchises may not relocate, but the players certainly can. Actually, one Franchise might relocate.

The sad state of the Northwest Division is epitomized by the fact that its best, and first place team, is the one involved in the most trade rumors. Denver is the only team in the Northwest that would make the playoffs if the season ended today. But if the season ended on February 24th, one day after the trading deadline, it might be a completely different Nuggets team in the postseason.

The man who is in nearly every Denver rumor is PG Earl Watson, who the Nuggets signed as a free agent this past offseason because they believed they had a deal in place to trade PG Andre Miller and PF/C Nene to the Boston Celtics for SG/SF Paul Pierce. When Boston backed out of the swap Denver was left with too many point guards since they also had PG Earl Boykins. One recent rumor had the Nuggets shipping out Watson, Nene, and spare parts in a three team deal with the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks. Denver would have acquired Steve Francis a.k.a Stevie Franchise, in the trade. While that deal is supposedly dead, Francis will most likely be traded so it is possible that a deal that lands him in Denver could be resurrected. Another recent rumor is that Denver is trying to trade PF Kenyon Martin. No, not because of his huge contract or the back and knee injuries he has had this season. Head Coach George Karl considers Martin to be a locker room cancer and wants to cut him out before his bad attitude contaminates anyone else, especially SF Carmelo Anthony. The Knicks are interested in Martin and have been interested in Watson for most of the season. One trade scenario that would work is New York trading the expiring contract of Hardaway to the Nuggets for Martin and Watson. The Knicks could sweeten the deal by throwing in the first round pick of San Antonio, and the first round pick of the Nuggets, which was obtained in the recent Jalen Rose for Antonio Davis swap with Toronto. Ironically that pick ended up in Toronto from New Jersey in the moronic Vince Carter trade, after the Nets had received it from Denver in the sign and trade for Martin.

The Minnesota Timberwolves were involved in the supposed sweepstakes for Ron Artest. After failing to land the services of Artest, or dodging a bullet depending on your perspective, they completed the SG/SF Wally Szczerbiak and change for SG/SF Ricky Davis and change swap with Boston. Minnesota is not currently involved in any trade rumors.

The rebuilding Portland Trail Blazers have a few expensive veterans that have popped up in trade rumors. All of the rumors revolve around the Blazers getting under the salary cap so they can retain unrestricted free agent C Joel Pryzbilla. Portland is attempting to dump the massive contract of C Theo Ratliff on the Knicks for the expiring contract of Hardaway. Although the Knicks have no problem with taking on additional salary they are only doing so if it involves improving their talent. Ratliff is nowhere close to being the player that he used to be and is injury prone, so it is debatable if this deal does that. In other variations of that trade making their way through the rumor mill, the Blazers would include hothead, to put it nicely, SF Ruben Patterson or injured SF Darius Miles. If Portland were to give up Miles New York would most likely have to surrender PF David Lee or SF Trevor Ariza.

The Seattle SuperSonics also have a few veterans who keep appearing in trade rumors. SG Flip Murray, PF Reggie Evans, and C Vitaly Potapenko are all being shopped, and shopped hard, around the league. The Charlotte Bobcats have an interest in Evans, but believe Seattle is asking for too much in return. In a bizarre coincidence an asking price that is too high is the main reason that Evans is being shopped. Evans reportedly turned down a two year $4 million offer from the Sonics this past offseason. Seattle is interested in trading Murray to Denver for former Sonic Watson, but their salaries do no match, which would cause more players to have to be involved in any potential deal, thus making if far more complicated and therefore more difficult to complete. Potapenko wants the team to deal him since he fallen out of the rotation. Seattle is playing its 2004 and 2005 first round draft picks, directly from high school C Robert Swift and directly from France C Johan Petro, respectively, to speed up their development.

The Utah Jazz is not currently involved in any trade rumors.

As I watched Super Bowl XL last Sunday, I couldn't help but notice that a majority of the fans seemed to be rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Whenever the cameras showed a shot of the crowd, all I could see were people dressed in black and gold. And, of course, they were all waving those gold "Terrible Towels".  I happened to be watching the game with several friends, one of whom had never seen or heard of Terrible Towels before. She thought it was a new gimmick that the Steelers' organization dreamed up for this current playoff run. But since I had been a Steelers' fan once upon a time as a child, I quickly corrected her and told her the Terrible Towels were several decades old.

This exchange got me to thinking about various traditions that are specific to fans in certain sports cities, namely my hometown of Chicago. Terrible Towels are specific to Pittsburgh Steelers fans. What other traditions are out there?  I asked my friends for help, and this is a partial list of what we came up with.

Chicago Cubs Fans
Since this particular group mostly consisted of baseball fans, this was a natural place to start. When most outsiders think of Cubs games and traditions, they probably think of the way the organization always brings in a local or national celebrity to lead the fans in singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the Seventh Inning Stretch. But the fan tradition we like the most is how people seated in the bleachers will throw an opponents home run ball back onto the field. It's not very often that a ball is hit your way when you're attending a professional baseball game, and it's even less often that you actually catch the ball. So for someone to willingly give up such a rare souvenir is a testament to how much we love the Cubs!

Chicago Blackhawks Fans
We turned to hockey for our next tradition, but since none of us has been to a Blackhawks game in recent years, we couldn't say for sure if this tradition still exists. At any rate, it's still a good one and should be on this list. Back when the Blackhawks were playing at the old Chicago Stadium, the best part of attending home games was listening to the National Anthem being sung by vocalist Wayne Messmer. Not only was Messmer good at what he did, but the fans also had a great tradition of standing up and cheering wildly throughout the entire song. It wasn't meant as a sign of disrespect to Messmer. On the contrary, the fans adored him. The constant cheering was just a way for the fans to get the Blackhawks fired up before the first face off of the night.

It could really get emotional during the National Anthem in that old building, especially during the playoffs. In fact, many former players cite the Anthem tradition as the thing they remember -- and miss -- the most about playing in Chicago Stadium during that time.

Chicago Bears Fans
This tradition dates back to the time when the Bears were consistently the dominant team in their division and when they were known for their bone-crushing defensive play. When the Bears made their memorable Super Bowl run back in 1985, they had one of the best team defenses in history. In that season, it is rumored that a couple of players actually started barking at some hostile fans when playing an away game. When word of that incident got out, the rest of the defense started barking after making good plays. Soon after that, the fans took up barking to cheer the team on. Because of this, the defense back then was collectively known as the "junkyard dogs." This tradition came to a quick end after the Bears started losing regularly in the early 1990s; but it's a fun one to remember.

One of the best things about being a sports fan is attending games in person and taking part in whatever traditions your city is known for. It makes you feel like you're a part of something, and it helps the players on the field when they know the fans are behind them. If you ever attend a professional sporting event in Chicago, you'll now know a little bit about why the fans act the way they do.

By Ed Jennett


The NBA has to be extremely grateful to have the Heat in the Southeast Division. Miami is the only playoff lock in a division that appears to want to take the unofficial title of worst division in basketball away from the Atlantic. Every Southeast team except for Miami is in urgent need of an extreme makeover.


Will he stay or will he go now? That is the question facing the Atlanta Hawks, will SF/PF Al Harrington, who will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, stay or be traded before the deadline. Almost every rumor about the Hawks revolves around Harrington, despite Atlanta saying that he will not be traded. Unless the Hawks get an ideal trade scenario that provides them with an ending contract(s) and two first round picks to replace the ones foolishly surrendered in the sign and trade for PG/SG/SF Joe Johnson, Harrington might stay put until the offseason. One scenario that would work is trading Harrington, PG Tony Delk, and C John Edwards to the New York Knicks for the expiring contract of Anfernee Hardaway and their two first round picks (via Denver and San Antonio).

The Charlotte Bobcats are involved in a couple of rumors. Rumor one is that Charlotte is trying to obtain disgruntled PF Reggie Evans from the Seattle SuperSonics. But for the moment, the Sonics are asking for too much. That may change closer to the deadline. One potential for any team taking Evans is that he reportedly turned down a two-year, $4 million offer from Seattle, so any team that acquires him risks losing him in the offseason as an unrestricted free agent if a deal cannot be reached.

Rumor two with Charlotte is that PG Brevin Knight will be dealt and PG Raymond Felton will be elevated to the starting spot. But the Bobcats will not trade Knight without his prior approval and believe that he will retain his trade value in the future, so it does not appear that a trade is imminent.

Apparently even the legendary Pat Riley can make mistakes. Correcting those mistakes are the goals for the Heat President/Head Coach for the upcoming trade deadline. Riley somehow underestimated the value of having shooters have around his two superstars, C Shaquille O’Neal and PG/SG Dywane Wade. Shooters spread the floor and prevent the other team from doubling Shaq and/or Flash because there will be an open man who will hit outside shots. For some reason Riley decided to bring in other scorers PF Antoine Walker, PG Jason Williams, and PG Gary Payton to team with his dynamic duo.

The other problem for Miami is that Walker and Williams are not good defenders and Payton is no longer the defensive stopped that he was in his prime. Miami is not the same championship caliber team that they were a year ago and have little chance of beating Detroit this season without making some sort of move. Walker is the most likely player to go as he is clearly a bad fit. He is too good to come off of the bench and is at his best when he is dominating the ball. So of course he is a reserve for the Heat and does not have the ball in his hands nearly enough. There was speculation that he would go to Indiana for SF Ron Artest, but obviously that did not happen. On the right team Walker would return to playing at an All-Star level, so Riley should be able to find a deal for him that improves the defense and/or shooting of the Heat.

Orlando is such a mess that they make their Florida neighbors the Heat look like the old Celtics dynasty. The Magic is shopping All-Star PG Steve Francis, and shopping him hard. Stevie Franchise was almost dealt to Denver this past weekend in a multiple-team trade, but the deal fell apart. Supposedly Orlando was supposed to receive PF/C Nene from the Nuggets and PG/SG Jamal Crawford from the Knicks. Considering Francis has infuriated the last two franchises (Houston and Orlando) to employ him and lowered his trade value, it would have been a pretty good deal. Another deal for Francis will most likely be found. The only questions are where will he end up and whether that trade will be as good as the one that fell apart.

Although there are no trade rumors coming out of Washington, the Wizards have an imbalanced and struggling team that should be broken up. Surprisingly the Wizards released one of their best trade assets, PG Chucky Atkins, earlier in the season. Atkins is a good backup and was also an expiring contract, so he would have great value around the league.

If the Wizards do decide to actually trade an asset it will most likely be one of their plethora of big men. Washington has so many power forwards and centers that second year C Peter John Ramos has been sent down to the developmental league so he can receive playing time. Ramos, rookie PF Andray Blatche, and veteran C Calvin Booth are all prime candidates to be dealt. Unfortunately they all have small contracts (Booth makes the most, $900K this season and $998K next season) so it will be difficult to get much in return for any of them.

The Pittsburgh Steelers overcame a slow start and a huge mistake to defeat the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl by a score of 21-10.  Wide receiver Hines Ward was named the MVP as the Steelers franchise notched its fifth championship.

Pittsburgh came out flat in the 1st Quarter on both offense and defense. The Seahawks were able to move the ball pretty well, and the Steelers' offense went through the entire quarter without posting a first down.  But they escaped trailing only by a score of 3-0.  The Steelers then picked things up a bit in the 2nd Quarter.  They began a drive from their own 41 yard line at 8:15 of the quarter, and kept the ball for more than six minutes as they ran off 11 plays. The drive culminated with a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Ben Roethlisberger to put Pittsburgh ahead 7-3 at the half.

In the 3rd Quarter, the momentum suddenly shifted the Steelers way. On their second play from scrimmage in the half, running back Willie Parker broke through the line and rushed for a 75-yard touchdown, which ended up being a Super Bowl record. The previous record was a 74-yard run set by Marcus Allen of the then Los Angeles Raiders back in 1984.

After Parker's touchdown, the Seahawks came right back with some offense of their own. NFL MVP Shaun Alexander had a 21-yard run on the drive that helped put the Seahawks to within field goal range. Kicker Josh Brown came on to attempt a 50-yarder, but it sailed wide of the uprights -- his second miss on the day.

The Steelers took over near midfield and started marching methodically toward the end zone.  They looked poised to get at least a field goal on the drive, which would have made the score 17-3 at the time and would really have deflated the Seahawks. But the 23-year-old Roethlisberger made a mental mistake and floated a pass intended for wide receiver Cedrick Wilson. Backup cornerback Kelly Herndon, who was hovering in plain sight the entire time, stepped in front of the pass, hauled it in, and then took off the other way. He made it 76 yards down the field before being tackled by Antwaan Randle El. Three plays later, Seattle quarterback Matt Hasslebeck hit tight end Jerramy Stevens for a touchdown to make the score 14-10. The Seahawks were back in it.

The two teams settled into something of a defensive struggle after that, with both side going a total of four series without a score. Then it was the Seahawks' turn to make a huge mistake. They had moved the ball into Pittsburgh territory where they had a 3rd-and-18 situation from the Steelers' 27.  Hasselbeck dropped back and lofted a pass towards wide receiver Darrell Jackson. But Steelers' cornerback Ike Taylor was able to get in front of it and come down with the interception. That killed the Seahawks' scoring drive and gave the ball back to the Steelers on their own 20 (after a 15-yard penalty was tacked onto the end of the play).

After two rushes and one complete pass gave the Steelers a 1st-and-10 from the Seattle 43, coach Bill Cowher finally called one of the trick plays that he is known for. Roethlisberger took the snap and handed it off to Bettis in the backfield. Bettis then handed it off to Randle El, making it look like a simple reverse. But Randle El didn't tuck the ball and run. Instead, the former college quarterback who set several passing records at Indiana University looked towards the end zone and threw a perfect strike to Ward for a 43-yard touchdown. The extra point made the score 21-10, and that's how the game would end.

Ward finished the day with 5 receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown to earn MVP honors. Meanwhile Roethlisberger became the youngest quarterback to ever win the Super Bowl. Steelers' fans obviously have a lot of great things to look forward to with this guy running the offense.

Also worth noting is the fact that the Steelers were able to make Shaun Alexander a virtual non-factor in the game. Alexander carried the ball 20 times for 95 yards, but was held out of the end zone. This put a lot of pressure on the Seattle passing game, which obviously wasn't a good situation for the Seahawks to be in.

When Tiger Woods won the Dubai Desert Classic over Ernie Els earlier today, it meant the game's premiere player was undefeated on the golf season. In winning his first two starts, Woods managed to get into playoffs with final hole birdies, then simply parred the extra holes while competitors fell by the wayside.

Two weeks ago Woods holed an 8-foot birdie on the 18th hole to get into the three-way playoff, then won by making pars as both Jose Maria Olazabal and Nathan Green bogeyed a hole. On Sunday, the game's toughest competitor birdied the final two holes of regulation to tie Ernie Els and force another playoff. Woods emerged with the triumph when Els put his second shot in the water on the first playoff hole.

The two wins came in his first two events after a six-week hiatus from competitive golf, the longest such break of Woods career. And with the start to 2006, one has to wonder if Tiger is set to match his incredible two year run in 1999-2000. In '99 Woods won eight times on Tour, then in a year that he simply dominated the tour, Woods won three consecutive majors and nine times overall in 2000.

A year ago, Woods won the PGA Tour Player of the Year award for the seventh time in his nine PGA seasons. The return to the top for Woods came after a year that featured two major championships and six PGA Tour titles. Tiger has failed to win PGA Tour player of the year only during the two seasons that he set about overhauling his swing, 1998 and 2004. Those two years he would win only one tournament each year.

But for Woods, the return to top form in 2005 meant that the season would be the fifth of his career that he swept the three major awards -- the Jack Nicklaus Trophy as Player of the Year, the Arnold Palmer Award for leading the money list and the Byron Nelson Award for having the lowest scoring average. Woods wrested the prize money honor from the hands of Vijay Singh who had held the honor for the prior two seasons.

For many fans, it seems that just yesterday Woods played his first major as a professional at the 1997 Masters. That was one of the high points of his career when he won with a performance for the ages, his record 18-under par 270 providing him the win by 12 strokes.

Woods of course has now won ten majors, the Masters four times and the U.S. and British Opens and PGA Championship twice each. The most noteworthy streak however came in 2000 and into 2001 when Woods won four consecutive major titles beginning with the 2000 U.S. Open and going through to the 2001 Masters. Winning four in a row over a 12 month span, if not all in the same calendar year was quickly dubbed the "Tiger Slam."

Sunday's Dubai win, his third at this event, was Woods' 57th victory worldwide. His win at the Buick last week was his 47th on the U.S. PGA Tour and the game's consensus best player has now won official golf events in 10 different countries.

What may be the spookiest for fellow tour players, Woods won when he truly did not have his best stuff. Public reports had the winner stating, "today I was very fortunate because I didn't really have it, but the other guys didn't run away either."

For Woods, the discussion has immediately turned to what he might accomplish this year. With two wins in two starts at events when he did not even have his best game, people are wondering if he could match either of his eight wins in 99 or his phenomenal 00 that featured three majors among his nine wins.

Whatever the case, people will be watching the upcoming season closely, to follow the player that is the best of this generation, if not the best to ever play the game.

Once again, the Duke Blue Devils are at the top of the NCAA collegiate polls. A loss to Georgetown dropped the Dukies to number two in the country behind UConn but as the NCAA season heads to towards the annual event known as March madness, many have installed Duke as the NCAA favorite.

Those that see the Blue Devils as the team to beat understand that Mike Krzyzewski has not one, but two special players on this year's roster. The Dukies are led by 6-4 guard J.J. Redick and 6-9 forward/center Shelden Williams, two seniors who are thought by many to be two of the premiere players in college basketball.

J.J. Redick is putting on such a special show that many sports writers have him pegged as the player of the year for 2006. Redick recently reached the 40-point level for the third time this season when Duke pounded Virginia to the tune of 82-63. In that outing, Redick went an incredible 11-of-13 from the field including eight three-pointers in 10 attempts. That night the senior past Mike Gminski for third place in Duke's record book and moved into sixth place on the ACC's career list.

The 6-4 guard is having a season for the ages according to most ACC coaches. Redick's understanding of the game of basketball and his ability to shoot the ball from anywhere on the floor has most thinking the senior is a definitive candidate for NCAA player of the year honors.

Redick also scored 28 points, including three three-pointers, in Duke's 83-81 recent win over 15th ranked Boston College Wednesday. Redick now has 400 plus three-pointers in his career and will soon top the NCAA record of 413, set by Virginia's Curtis Staples.

For the season Redick is averaging nearly 28 points per game. The shooter is lighting it up from the field, shooting more that 50% overall and about 45% from behind the three point arc.

As good as the shooting guard has been, the Blue Devils have also been fortunate to have senior Shelden Williams in the lineup as well. When Duke topped Florida State on Saturday, Williams supported Redick's 36 point outing with a stat line that would have been the focus if not for Redick. Williams tossed in 27 points and added 13 rebounds for the Blue Devils who moved to 21-1 overall and 9-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference on the season.

The strong performance by Williams marked his11th double-double of the season, including five in the past six games. Williams had 21 points, including going 13 of 16 at the free throw line earlier in the week as Duke topped BC. The senior also had seven blocked shots in the key ACC match up.

Williams is averaging 18 points per game for the Dukies while shooting nearly 60% from the floor on the season. The big man has shown a great touch from the line having nailed 77% of his free throw attempts on the year .

The two seniors have helped the Blue Devils go unbeaten in conference play in the difficult ACC. The two have also helped the team go undefeated at home. Duke has now won three in a row following their surprising 87-84 loss at Georgetown on Jan. 21. The Blue Devils continue to be one of the nation's highest scoring teams and have scored at least 80 points in each of its last six outings.

Duke may be number two at the moment, but the experts believe that Redick and Williams give the Blue Devils the best one-two punch in college basketball today. Therefore, with March madness just around the corner, many see the Blue Devils as the team to beat in the 2006 tournament.

To say nothing of Williams and Redick going early in the 2006 NBA draft.

If you follow sports at all, then you undoubtedly know about fantasy leagues.  Fantasy leagues are essentially games in which you assume the position of coach or general manager of a sports team that you can create given certain boundaries.  Then you score points based on how the players on your fantasy team perform in their real games.  For example, if you are playing in a football fantasy league, then you might have Peyton Manning, Randy Moss, LaDainian Tomlinson, and several other players on your team.  Now, obviously in real life these guys are all on different teams, and never play together.  That's why fantasy leagues count on individual stats to determine your overall score.  Wins and losses don't matter; it's the individual that counts.

It's easy to see how this kind of game would appeal to sports fans.  It makes watching the real games a lot more interesting and intense, especially if you are playing in a league that offers a prize at the end.  So it's no surprise that there are literally hundreds of fantasy sports leagues for baseball, football, basketball, and hockey.  But there are also fantasy leagues for sports that are not as mainstream, such as motocross.

I've been playing fantasy motocross for several years now.  Back when I first started, there were only two or three different websites that offered the game.  Now, that number has grown modestly and, from what I hear, will continue to grow in the next few years.  Sure, fantasy motocross will never reach the number of games that fantasy baseball offers, but I think it is still a significant accomplishment given the relative size of the sports in question.

There are several different ways to play fantasy motocross, and it seems like each website has its own preference.  Some barebones websites that don't have much in the way of graphics or software capability will just play the following way: you have to pick the finishing order of the top five riders in both the 250cc and the 125cc class, kind of like horse racing, I guess.  Then, if your pick is exactly right, you'll get 5 points for that rider.  If your rider finishes in the top 5, but in a different position than you guessed, you'll only get 3 points.  

Another popular way to play fantasy motocross is on a salary cap system.  This is similar to many fantasy football games in that you get a certain budget to spend on picking a team of riders.  The best riders have higher budgets to prevent you from loading up on all the top talent.  This kind of game is actually very difficult to play because there are so many potential salary and rider combinations to choose from.  You often have to make tough decisions about whether or not a particular rider is worth that extra $500,000 in salary.  Keeping score is a simple matter of totaling the number of points that the riders on your fantasy team actually totaled in the real race.

A third fantasy motocross game that I've participated in allows you to select any four riders for your 250cc team and any four riders for your 125cc team.  There's no salary cap to consider and you don't have to worry about guessing the exact finishing order.  The thing that makes this game difficult is that you can't pick the same rider two weeks in a row.  So if you have all the big guns on your team the first week, you're not going to be left with any good picks for the next week.  Yes, you'll score lots of points in Week One, but your low score in Week Two will produce a mediocre average.  Instead, the strategy for this kind of game is to spread your picks out so that you have solid teams every week of the season.

Another thing I want to mention is that some of these fantasy motocross leagues offer some very cool and valuable prizes.  For example, this season one popular site is offering a bike from one of the professional riders as a prize.  In addition, several sites offer good old fashioned cash payouts to the winners.

So if you want to test your managerial savvy when it comes to motocross, I suggest joining a fantasy league.  You'll have fun during the season and you might even win some great prizes!

Well here we are less than 48 hours away from Super Bowl XL between the Seattle Seahawks and the Pittsburgh Steelers. I don't know what it is about this year's contest, but there doesn't seem to be as much hoopla surrounding the event as there usually is. Maybe it's the fact that the two teams are in relatively small sports markets or the fact that there's not much drama leading up to the game. Or maybe it has to do with the fact that the host city, Detroit, isn't exactly an exotic locale. Whatever it is, things have been a bit quiet on the football front for me recently.

But that won't stop me from taking a look at some of the key players in the game. Before I get to that, however, I would like to say that I haven't watched either of these teams very much over the course of the regular season and the early rounds of the playoffs. So here's what I know (or what I think I know) about them without having to look anything up.

Despite being overshadowed for most of the regular season by Willie Parker, running back Jerome Bettis is back in the Super Bowl spotlight for the Steelers. He missed several games due to injuries this year and rushed for only 368 yards and 9 touchdowns. Nevertheless, he was a driving force in the Steelers' three playoff wins with 137 yards and 3 touchdowns. Detroit also happens to be his hometown, so we've got a nice human-interest angle there. Will Bettis be able to do any damage against the Seattle defensive line? When the Steelers get in the red zone, I would say yes. But look for Willie Parker to get the bulk of the carries elsewhere on the field.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger continues to play at a very high level, which has of course prompted a lot of sports analysts to compare him to Tom Brady, another young Quarterback who has come up big time and time again in the postseason. Roethlisberger isn't the type of quarterback that is going to wow you with raw numbers. He won't throw for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. In fact, he only averaged 22 pass attempts per game during the regular season. But he somehow manages to make those few passes count, as evidenced by his touchdown percentage of 6.3, which tied him with Carson Palmer for tops in the league. I think one of the reasons the Steelers are favored to win this game is the second-year quarterback's ability to carry the team on his shoulders. He'll have to do that this again this weekend for the Steelers to come through.

Wide receiver Hines Ward could be a difference-maker in this game. Ward is a seasoned veteran who has the ability to haul in big catches when there's a lot at stake. He caught 69 passes for 975yards and 11 touchdowns during the regular season. I'm looking for him to get at least one TD grab in the Super Bowl.

As far as the Seattle Seahawks go, I don't think there's a single fan out there that doesn't immediately think of Shaun Alexander when they think of this team. In his six seasons in Seattle, Alexander has come to embody the franchise. He had a record-breaking year in 2005, during which he set the single-season record for most touchdowns in a season with 28. He also won the league's rushing title and MVP award. I think Alexander is really going to shine during the Super Bowl, and is the number one reason that the Seahawks have an excellent chance of winning Sunday's contest. Unless the Pittsburgh defense can find some way to shut him down, he is going to get at least 25 touches, run for over 100 yards, and score at least 2 touchdowns.

Seattle quarterback Matt Hasslebeck ought to have an impact on the game as well. There's not quite as much pressure on him as there is on Roethlisberger because Alexander is such a great weapon to have in the backfield. So if Hasslebeck can limit his mistakes, throw for important first downs, and get the ball to Alexander, the Seahawks ought to walk off the field as the Super Bowl XL champions.

Sometimes it's easy to look at the stats and say who should win, but in sports anything can happen. After all, that's why they have to go out and play the games!

By Ed Jennett


The second part of this six part series goes from one of the worse divisions in the NBA to arguably the best. The Central Division should be the pride and joy of the NBA, as it is home to the best club in the league (Detroit), and a solid playoff team (Cleveland). Also in the division are two playoff hopefuls (Indiana and Milwaukee). The train-wreck known as the Chicago Bulls round out the division, proving that nothing in life is perfect.

One of these things is not like the others. One of these things just is not the same. The Chicago Bulls are definitely the black sheep of the Central Division. Not only are the Bulls only team in the division with no realistic chance of making the playoffs, they have been exposed this season as being completely classless. From the ridiculous handling of former Bull Eddy Curry during the offseason, to GM John Paxson continuing to talk about the center (and his health issues) after he was traded, to putting former Bull PF/C Antonio Davis in the team calendar after he was traded and publicly pining for his release from the New York Knicks so he could return, to the lack of security in the United Center that lead Davis to leap into the stand to protect his wife from fans, the Bulls have gone from one embarrassing incident to the next. While doing so they have also ended up in last place of the division.

There is one way for the Bulls to get better quickly, making a huge trade. The most interesting Bulls trade rumor has them sending the expiring contract of banished SF Tim Thomas, SG Ben Gordon and/or draft picks to the Boston Celtics for SG/SF Paul Pierce. Because the draft this year is weak the Bulls would be better off trading their two first-round picks with Thomas instead of Gordon. Celtics GM Danny Ainge has never heard a trade proposal that rips off his team that he did not like, so something would finally go right for Chicago this year. In fact, Chicago might even be able to get away with just sending one of the picks.

The Cleveland Cavaliers got some help for LeBron James this past offseason, but it was not the right kind of help and it was not enough. The biggest needs of the team were a point guard and a shooter, which would respectively take the pressure of ball-handling off of James and spread the floor.

Cleveland deserves credit for bringing in a very good starter (SG Larry Hughes) and two good bench players (PG Damon Jones and PF Donyell Marshall). But the shooting guard that the Cavs really wanted and needed was Michael Redd, who re-signed with Milwaukee. Redd is a shooter, while Hughes is a slasher. Redd is also better and more durable than Hughes. While Marshall and Jones are shooters they are at their best when someone sets up their shots, as opposed to a shooter like Redd who draws coverage and opens up the floor for teammates. Since Jones is more of a shooting guard in the body of a point guard than a true point guard, the need for a legitimate point guard to start ahead of incumbent starter PG Eric Snow was not filled.

What do you give to someone who has everything? That question would seem to apply to the Detroit Pistons, but it really does not. If you look very closely you will see the one flaw on what has, so far, been the best team in the league. What may turn out to be the downfall of the Pistons is hidden by the excellence of their five starters. Detroit does not have a bench. Ideal bench players check into the game and provide something, whether it is offense, defense, rebounding, energy, etc. Those bench players are giving their team valuable minutes. The Detroit subs simply come in and eat up minutes.

While the Detroit starting five has no problem carrying the team, this could become an issue later in the year or in the playoffs if there is an injury. One of the starters could also get into foul trouble or simply be outplayed by someone on the opposition. Despite being a candidate for being declared one of the biggest busts of all time, PF/C Darko Millicic is the Piston most likely to be traded. Millicic has huge upside, but the question is whether or not being traded to a team where he would get more minutes would allow him to live up to his potential. Since Millicic has not been able to get significant minutes under either Head Coach Flip Saunders or former Head Coach Larry Brown, and has not been able to beat out washed up veterans PF/C Elden Campbell and PF/C Dale Davis to earn more playing time, it is very likely that he will not become the super star many experts predicted he will. Detroit should trade him now while he still has value.

The Indiana Pacers got the trading frenzy started when they finally completed the long rumored trade of SF Ron Artest to the Sacramento Kings for SF Peja Stojakovic. While the incredible defense of Artest will be missed, the distractions to the club caused by his insane behavior will not be missed.

If the Pacers can ever get healthy (PF/C Jermaine O’Neal is out for several weeks with a torn groin muscle) they could go on a run and lock up a playoff spot. Indiana is not expected to make any more moves but will still be a tough opponent for whatever team has the misfortune of meeting them in the postseason.

Another team that is not expected to be very active before the trading deadline is the Milwaukee Bucks. Their big move was made before the season began when SF Desmond Mason and a 2006 first-round pick were dealt to the Oklahoma City/New Orleans Hornets for PF/C Jamaal Magloire.

Ironically, it is Magloire who is the Buck most likely to be shipped out. His contract is up after the 2006-07 season and small-market Milwaukee might not be willing and/or able to re-sign him. If a great offer is made the team could trade him now to avoid risking him losing him as an unrestricted free agent without compensation next summer.

February 1st of every year is a day that college football fans look forward to with great anticipation. Why? Because it is the so-called National Signing Day, the day when all formal letters of intent from athletes must be turned in to their prospective schools.  In other words, it is the equivalent of draft day for a major sport.

On signing day, the results of months, or even years, of recruiting efforts can be seen. Where did the top prospects choose to go? Which schools will have the best freshman class in the new season? What does this mean for the future of a particular football program?  Many of these questions can be answered just from reviewing the published results of National Signing Day.

In this age of multi-million dollar sports contracts and superstar athletes joining the pro leagues earlier and earlier, it's commonplace for several different organizations to track and rank the top high school players in the country. This happens for every major sport: baseball, basketball, hockey, and of course football. It makes sense when you think about it.  After all, colleges and universities literally have millions of dollars at stake in their sports programs.  Having a nationally-ranked football team means generating more and more revenues from television deals, merchandise sales, and ticket sales. It also can mean higher donations from proud alumni. That's why each college expends so much effort in recruiting and attracting top talent.

The number one prospect in the entire country is a young man named Myron Rolle out of New Jersey. As is usual for high school athletes, he played several different positions during his career at The Hun School of Princeton, including cornerback, safety, and running back. But he primarily interested college scouts as a defender, so look for him to play on that side of the ball when he takes the field for the Florida State Seminoles next summer.

Florida State also picked up the number one ranked wide receiver prospect in the country, Percy Harvin. Harvin hails from Virginia Beach, VA, and was also considered by Scouts, Inc. to be the second-best player in the country behind future teammate Rolle.  Harvin is 6'1", which means he'll be able to go up and grab some high passes over the heads of defenders.  He also has excellent speed and great hands. He should definitely see some playing time as a freshman for the Seminoles.

The number one quarterback prospect in the country is Mitchell Mustain from Springdale High School in Arkansas. At 6'3" and 205 pounds, Mustain has the size and strength that coaches look for in quarterbacks these days. The scouting report compiled on him says that he has nearly perfect form on all his throws, and has as much accuracy on his deep passes as he does on his short passes. Mustain elected to develop his talents close to home, and so will play for Houston Nutt's Arkansas Razorbacks.

The top high school linebacker in the country is Sergio Kindle out of Dallas, TX. He is a big guy at 6'3" and 220 pounds, but still displays the quickness and speed that coaches want to see in an outside linebacker. Like Mustain, Kindle will stay close to home, having committed to join the defending national champion University of Texas football squad.  

Though there are far too many excellent prospects to be able to cover them all in this article, suffice it to say that we college football fans will be in for a real treat in the years to come as these young men develop into great ball players.

So which school did the best recruiting job overall?  Most analysts seem to think that Florida was the big winner in this year's recruitment wars.  The Gators received a total of 25 commitment letters, including 13 from players ranked in the top 150 in the country. USC came in second, having added 20 freshmen to their 2006 roster, with 11 of those being in the top 150 in the country.  Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Michigan also did very well and should be able to field highly competitive teams in the years to come.  It will be interesting to see how many of these top prospects from the 2006 recruiting class go on to become big impact players at their chosen schools.  

Although I used to be a huge fan of hockey, I have to admit that I don't get around to watching very many games these days. When I was younger, my family used to have season tickets to the Blackhawks, and I basically lived and died with that team. But as I grew older, my interest in both the team and the game waned, despite the Hawks having several successful seasons when I was a ticket holder (including their 1992 trip to the Stanley Cup Finals).

Nevertheless, there are still several players that I check in on from time to time. By this, I mean that I check the box scores in the morning paper to see how well they're doing on their respective teams now. As it so happens, many of the players I'm still interested in were my favorites back when I was attending games first at the Stadium and then across the street at the United Center.  Guys like Jeremy Roenick, Ed Belfour, and of course, Chris Chelios. These players are getting up there in age, with both Belfour and Chelios in their 40's and Roenick approaching that milestone, yet they still remain important parts of their respective teams' lineups (when not injured). That just goes to show how skilled they were to begin with. You can't have that much longevity in professional sports without being the absolute best of the best.

Out of that trio, my favorite player is definitely Chris Chelios. He really embodied all the characteristics that I thought a hockey player should. He was tough and wouldn't back down from any opponent, no matter what kind of size disadvantage he had. He was smart and could see plays developing well in advance, which enabled him to react quickly. And he was extremely skilled. He could skate well, performed textbook checks and takeouts, and was also a scoring threat -- particularly on special teams.

Chelios now plays for the Detroit Red Wings after leaving Chicago following the 1998-1999 NHL season. His career spans an incredible 22 years, and he has accomplished a lot in that time. He won Stanley Cups twice, once with the 1986 Montreal Canadiens, and again with the 2002 Detroit Red Wings. He has also been a consistent All-Star throughout his career, making appearances in 10 different seasons. Chelios has also won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman on three separate occasions: 1988-1989, 1992-1993, and 1995-1996.  And finally, he has been a part of three Olympic teams and has already been picked as the captain of his fourth Olympic effort as the American team takes on the rest of the world in the 2006 winter games in Torino, Italy.  

But there's another reason that I rank Chelios as one of my favorite players of all time. Back when he was with the Blackhawks, he opened a bar down the street from the United Center.  It was called Cheli's Chili Bar, and was the place to be for hockey fans after Blackhawk home games. That's because Chelios would show up after each home game with a lot of other popular Hawks' players in tow. They would come into the bar and mingle with the fans just like regular people.  They would sign autographs, take photos, and chat about the game. It was a lot of fun to be able to go to that bar knowing that  I would see all my favorite players in person.  And of course Chelios was right in the middle of it all.

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons that Chris Chelios is my one of my favorite hockey players. Not only does he do a lot of impressive things on the ice, he also seems like a very decent and upstanding human being off the ice.  He hosts an annual charity golf tournament that benefits children, and he has always made it a point to remember his old neighborhood in Chicago.

It was tough when Chelios moved on to play in Detroit, since the Red Wings and the Blackhawks have a pretty intense rivalry. But I never stopped liking him as a player and I still eagerly check the Detroit box scores every morning during hockey season. Chelios might not score many goals these days, but he is still one of the best hockey players America has to offer.

By Ed Jennett

The trading deadline of the NBA is three weeks from today (February 23rd). Rumors are running rampant and some teams have already gotten started, with the Pacers and Kings swapping SF Ron Artest and SF Peja Stojakovic highlighting the transactions that have taken place so far. This six-part series will cover the rumors and actual deals on a division-by-division basis, starting with one of the red-headed step children of the NBA: the Atlantic Division. Not surprisingly, the teams in this abominable division are actively trading and looking to trade.

The Boston Celtics might be the hardest team in the league to figure out. It is unclear what GM Danny Ainge is attempting to do. Boston is supposedly rebuilding, yet they acquired SG/SF Wally Szczerbiak (and his horrific contract) from the Timberwolves. Paul Pierce is their best player, but there have been endless rumors that Ainge wants to trade him.

Since Ainge has a history of making head-scratching trades (the Szczerbiak deal, all three trades involving PF Antoine Walker), the most likely scenario is another jaw-dropping deal. The most interesting questions are: 1) Where will Pierce be traded to? And 2) How badly will the Celtics get robbed in the deal?

The New Jersey Nets would be among the elite teams in the league if they could find the right big man (men) to combine with their incredible perimeter trio of PG Jason Kidd, SG Vince Carter, and SF Richard Jefferson. It has been rumored for quite some time that the Nets have interest in Wolves PF Kevin Garnett, but acquiring him would cost the club at least one member of The Big Three (most likely Carter and/or Jefferson) so that would be pointless, assuming Minnesota would even agree to the trade.

Unfortunately if the Nets are to add bigs before the trading deadline they will be much less talented. The most likely targets for New Jersey are upcoming free agents PF/C Chris Wilcox of the Los Angeles Clippers and PF/C Melvin Ely of the Charlotte Bobcats. The cost for Nets will be low (cap filler such as Marc Jackson or Jeff McInnis and a first-round pick) but the return will be low as well. The decision to kill the deal for PF Shareef Abdur-Rahim is looking like the mistake that will kill the Nets quickly in the playoffs.

The New York Knicks are almost guaranteed to make a trade. Not only is the team one of the biggest disappointments in the league, they also have some of the best trade bait. The expiring contracts of PF/C Antonio Davis ($13.86 million) and PG/SG/SF Anfernee - Penny -Hardaway ($15.75 million) will be sought out by countless teams, thus opening up countless possibilities for Knicks GM Isiah Thomas. One of the most likely scenarios is the rumored swap of Hardaway for Toronto PG/SG/SF Jalen Rose finally becoming reality. The only holdup with the deal was the Raptors reluctance to include their later 2006 first-round pick (from Denver via the Vince Carter and Kenyon Martin trades). Since Toronto recently fired GM Rob Babcock (in part because of his reluctance to make trades) this rumor now has a greater chance of actually happening. There is more to the proposed swap than the Knicks receiving the much better (though declining) player and a first-round draft pick. The trade would result in New York having two huge expiring contracts next season Rose ($16.9 million) and PF Maurice Taylor ($9.75 million).

If that deal takes place it also gives the Knicks additional ammunition to acquire another of their rumored targets: Atlanta SF/PF Al Harrington. New York could trade Davis along with the first-round picks of Denver and San Antonio to the Hawks for Harrington. This would enable the Hawks to get the first-round picks they want for Harrington (thus recouping the two they lost in the awful sign-and-trade for PG/SG/SF Joe Johnson) and keep them from taking up cap space, since Harrington ($6.875 million) and Davis both have expiring contracts. Due to the Hawks being under the salary cap they would be able to accommodate the larger salary of Davis in order for the one-for-one trade to be consummated.

The transaction would give the Knicks the Bird Rights of Harrington so they would be able to re-sign him without using the MLE. So not only would New York not have to worry about another team outbidding them for the services of the New Jersey native (which could happen if the Knicks wait until the offseason to try to land Harrington with the MLE or a sign-and-trade), the Knicks would also be able to use their MLE for another player (or other players). Most likely New York would split the MLE to re-sign unrestricted free agent SG/SF Qyntel Woods, restricted free agent SG/SF Trevor Ariza, and restricted free agent PF/C Jackie Butler. If acquired via a trade, it is virtually guaranteed that Harrington would re-sign with the Knicks. Not only could they offer the most money (because they would have his Bird Rights) and he would be playing for the team he watched as a child, he would be playing for Thomas, who was the first Indiana Pacers coach to give Harrington significant minutes.

Just like they did last year with their acquisition of PF Chris Webber, the Philadelphia 76ers began taking care of business before the trade deadline. The Sixers corrected their error of signing C Steven Hunter as a free agent this past offseason by trading him to the Hornets for two second-round picks. A likely scenario for Philadelphia is using those picks and some cap filler to acquire SG/SF/PF Eric Williams from the Raptors. Williams is lousy offensively, but with Webber and PG Allen Iverson on the team, offense isn't needed. What is needed in Philadelphia is defense and locker room leadership, which will both be provided by Williams.

The Toronto Raptors might have already made the best move of the season by firing the bumbling Babcock. Interim GM Wayne Embry followed up that long overdue transaction with another one: trading disgruntled PF/C Aaron Williams to the Hornets for two second-round draft picks. Aaron Williams has been miserable in Toronto since he was acquired from New Jersey last season in the insane Carter trade.

Embry will most likely be able to dump the other disgruntled Williams from the foolish Carter deal, Eric, on the 76ers. Rose should already have his bags packed and be waiting for the phone call that he has been traded for Hardaway. Although the deal will cost them one of the picks from the Carter fiasco, it will also get the Raptors under the salary cap.

By Ed Jennett

Although he recently returned to the struggling New York Knicks after finishing his suspension for entering the stands in a game at Chicago on January 18th, PF/C Antonio Davis may not be with the team for much longer. The Knicks are a rebuilding team, and two of the best trade assets that the club has are the expiring contracts of Davis ($13.86 million) and PG/SG/SF Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway ($15.75 million). New York is one of the only teams in the league that clearly could not care less about the salary cap or the luxury tax, so it is obvious that Knicks GM Isiah Thomas will attempt to trade them to a team (or teams) looking for cap relief.

The funny thing about that likely scenario is that after initially not reporting to the Knicks after they acquired him (Davis did not want to move his family from Chicago, which is also where his wife Kendra is from originally), and even openly contemplating retirement, Davis has begun to enjoy playing for the team and being a veteran leader on the young squad. In fact, Davis has even go so far as to say that he would strongly consider re-signing with the Knicks during the offseason.


Antonio was scheduled to start in the Knicks January 30th game in Atlanta against the Hawks after he had completed serving his five-game suspension. He was a last-minute scratch due to lower back pain. Antonio avoided the blowout at the hands of the Hawks, but was embarrassed along with the rest of his teammates in another blowout by SG Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers the following night. Antonio delivered one of the Knicks only "highlights" when he committed a flagrant foul on the high-scoring Bryant to stop him from scoring.

The Knicks were 1-4 while Antonio served the suspension.

During a timeout with 1 minute 4 seconds remaining in overtime of the Knicks 106-104 loss to the Bulls at the United Center in Chicago, Antonio Davis looked into the stands and saw his wife Kendra Davis scuffling with a man. Antonio stepped over the scorer's table and then jogged approximately 7-10 rows where Kendra was seated. Antonio's involvement only lasted about 15 seconds. There was no physical contact amongst any of the participants at that point, but people were shouting and pointing at one another. Security guards and referee Ron Garretson came over after Antonio arrived.

The security guards remained in the area for a few more minutes while other fans appeared to be explaining what had happened. Guards then escorted a group of people out of that section.

Antonio later defended his actions and said that there was no time to alert security. It should be noted that neither security nor the referee became involved in the situation until Antonio was already there.

According to the Davises, a man sitting (Michael Axelrod) behind Kendra began making "very inappropriate" comments about the Knicks and Antonio in particular. The Davises say that Kendra then politely asked the man to take into consideration that the son of the player he was talking about was there. The man went on to say some other things and the situation began to get out of control. Another man became involved in the altercation and he grabbed Kendra. It was at this point that Antonio entered the crowd.

According to Michael Axelrod, Kendra Davis verbally abused and made physical contact with him. The attorney for Michael Axelrod said that his client would drop the plans for a lawsuit if the Davises would apologize and make a donation to a charity that works to prevent violence against women and children. Antonio's response to the second part of the request was to question why he would make a donation on the part of Michael Axelrod, or anyone else, when he does not believe that he did anything wrong. The Davises also said that they would not apologize.

In fact, Antonio stated a few days after the incident that "if I had to do it all over again, I would do the same thing. I don't think you have time to think about it; you're just reacting. I thought that my wife was in danger. I didn't like it at all. I didn't see anybody there helping the situation."

The most ridiculous part of the entire fiasco was Michael Axelrod's request that the Davises make a donation in his name. Not only is Antonio, who is the President of the Player's Association, widely respected throughout the league, he received the Sears Community Service Award in the 1999-2000 season for his philanthropic efforts. In addition to that Antonio and Kendra teamed for a series of public-service announcements against domestic violence.

On January 23, Michael Axelrod issued a joint statement with the Davises, saying that the incident "evolved from some misunderstandings." The Davises did not apologize, and had not spoken with Axelrod. But Bill Duffy, the agent for Antonio, had been talking with David Axelrod, who is the father of Michael and a prominent Democratic political consultant. The younger Axelrod and his attorney had been threatening to file a battery suit against Kendra and a slander suit against Antonio.

"It is good to come to a sensible resolution of this matter, especially when good people are involved," said Duffy in the statement. "You have two strong, wonderful families, and there is no reason why a heated moment should divide them."

Any lawsuit by Axelrod would not have had much of a chance at being successful. Even though Antonio Davis entering the stands was against league rules, simply doing that does not automatically create civil liability. His reason for entering the stands would in fact most likely protect him from any liability.

What are the chances that a jury would penalize a man who simply went into the stands in order to protect his wife and children? The chances of that happening are slim and none. Davis never attempted to harm anyone, in fact, no one was injured at all. That means, obviously, that Axelrod was not physically harmed. It also does not appear that Axelrod suffered any sort of financial damage.

In order to win a lawsuit the plaintiff has to prove both liability and damages. Axelrod clearly would have had a hard time proving either one. It also would have been difficult for Axelrod to have claimed any sort of "emotional distress" from the incident. Proving that usually involves some sort of treatment from a mental health professional. How could this incident have resulted in Axelrod seeking the assistance of a mental health professional? And if he had, how could anyone have taken it seriously?

After the incident Davis said that a fan involved appeared to be intoxicated and had touched his wife. Axelrod claimed that this statement was damaging to him. Davis later pointed out that he did not say Axelrod was intoxicated, he said that a fan was intoxicated (there were two fans involved in the dispute - the second was never publicly identified). Axelrod also admitted to having a glass of wine with dinner before the game. So not only could Axelrod not prove that Davis was referring to him, he had in fact actually had a drink. Axelrod would also have to prove that the statement had damaged him in some way.

Both Axelrods are huge Bulls fans and are ironically also fans of Antonio Davis, who was traded by the Bulls to the Knicks along with C Eddy Curry before the season began. The older Axelrod even said that they considered Antonio to be the bigger loss in the deal because he provided the team with toughness, and added that the Bulls have missed him.

Another bizarre irony is that David Axelrod once worked for Cablevision, which owns the Knicks. The elder Axelrod developed media strategy for the company's opposition to a new stadium that was being proposed by the New York Jets of the NFL. David Axelrod later left that campaign to help a New York City mayoral candidate with his bid.