NE Pats. Is Karma a ...?

So many things start running through an overly imaginative writer's head when you see someone take out Terrific Tom--Tom Brady gridiron god, mack daddy stetson smooth, golden boy, carrier of supermodel bags and package picker upper--THE MAN--Tom Brady.

Is it karma, as a friend suggested, for spygate? No bad deed goes unpunished.

Just when Daunte Culpepper retires saying the commish said if a starting QB gets injured in a major way he'd be the first one called on the list and suddenly THE Premier QB in the league goes down. Did Daunte wanna hook back up with former teammate and stud WR Moss that badly?

Can you say Tanya Harding and her cast of bat wielding screw-ups? Were the refs in on the deal?

This was the one downer on an otherwise Christmas-like sports day.

The Panthers smacked a whammy on the Chargers (so what if that screwed up my pool). The Bears laid one on the C@!#$ like they should have a couple of Superbowls ago and Jet Favre played a nail biter against the recently replaced Chad Pennington in the sweltering heat of Miami. Aye!

Oh, tennis is still rolling along after 4 weeks or something like that. Yes, Serena Williams brought the U.S. Open trophy back to the U.S. Americans. And there's more for Monday night thanks to Tropical Depression neé Hurricane Hanna. Federer made it, hottie Nadal did not, but nice to see someone new try to take on Mr. Best of all Time.

OH and Carson Palmer maybe if you stop trash talking about The Ohio State University, maybe just maybe, you might be able to beat a rookie QB with a not-so great offense like you should. How's that taste Mr. USC?

Carolina vs Duke

I came across these photos of an office prank in honor of the annual UNC-Carolina vs Duke basketball showdown. Since the snooty Dookies didn't want to post these photos, I can't wait for the Carolina folks to take revenge! That's one sad ram. It's hard to see, but he is actually wearing a Duke University t-shirt with a Blue Devil on the front.

After a disappointing loss, Rameses tries to pursue a new path.

Getcha popcorn ready.

I'm not a big Terrell Owens fan, but I gotta say the letter to reporters posted on his locker and catch phrase at the end is just priceless.

And equally priceless was my Patriots dumpin' the popcorn on Dallas' head—and adding a lil butter.

48-27 Patriots.

Testaverde. This is who is hot!

Let's hear it for my fellow 40-something! Vinnie Testaverde brought it for the Panthers. No excuses football. He got cut from Patriots at the beginning of the season, hadn't played in 5 weeks, is 43 years old, traveled to another time zone, plane delayed and arrived just in time to practice, and learned the plays in a few days.

And that boys (Delhomme, Carr and More) is how its done won.

Now that's a guy with a very, very big pair.

Considering all the teams that have QB issues, the Panthers may be starting a trend—retired QBs.

Chargers and Panthers

Who plugged in the Chargers! They had a huge surge reeling in 41 points. Somebody should tell them they needed to spread that out over previous four games. It's like Thanksgiving dinner--don't try to eat it all and get bloated, save some for later.

Thank God for kickers. Count on Kasay.

Flaxseed Oil speaks out!

Raleigh, NC --Flaxseed Oil made a statement during a press conference today following allegations from Marion Jones that she believed Coach Trevor Graham provided her with Flaxseed Oil and not any banned substances.

"I called this press conference today to clear my name. I have been accused of being taken by some very high profile athletes to explain why they have become bigger, stronger, and faster.

I am innocent. I have never met these people who are throwing my name around like they know me. And before any of these folks start pointing the finger at my twin brother Linseed Oil, he is also totally innocent.

I do a lot of things like lower blood pressure, help prevent heart attacks and stroke, and lessen some of the symptoms of arthritis. Some people even think I can help certain cancers although doctors haven't proven that yet.

But I do not produce super athletes!

Me and Linseed come from seeds of the plant Linium usitatissimum. The villain you are looking for is not natural or legal like me. It's some manufactured, man-made product going by the name of the Clear or the Cream.

I ask that you respect the real work my brother and I do for every day people. Please stop believing these athletes who say their coaches provided them with our essence to make them bionic athletes.

Thank you."

Stay Gold

Long before I became a football fan, I was 100% an Olympics geek. I loved the summer Olympics best. Gymnastics, track, and swimming were my favorites. I loved everything about them--the Bud Greenspan documentaries, the athlete sob stories, seeing other countries, hearing other languages and national anthems, etc. I bought into the national honor thing hook, line and sinker. I even took pride in the fact that while the Soviet Union and German athletes were paid professionals who often won by any means necessary, our American athletes were true amateurs--unpaid athletes scraping together the funds to compete to honor their country and show excellence in sport.

For me it started with Ben Johnson of Canada. We Olympic purists wanted to believe that he was an aberration. Fast forward to Marion Jones. I can't say I'm shocked. But it is just one more piece of wood stoking my fire of disillusionment, disgust and bitterness. It seems that where there is smoke there is fire. (Landis, Vick, Bonds, Giambi, et al)

I still want to believe that there are athletes striving to be the Olympic ideal without unnatural enhancements.

You ain't cuz you not.

It's a sad day when you're cheering hysterically in the 4th quarter for the first TD of the day-- happy to just escape without a big fat donut on the scoreboard.

And Carolina got rid of Keyshawn, why? Who is helping Steve Smith? What was the draft picks name?

And we didn't go after Daunte Culpepper or Byron Leftwich, why? At least Miami is feeling dumber than Carolina today. And the Raiders management finally looks smarter (although that's just smoke and mirrors).

I'm scared to whine too much about the Panther's situation because look at San Diego and Chicago. Calls for heads to roll today might seem like a good idea, until you're left with something much, much worse.

This is REALLY my favorite

Tiny mites are irresistible! Link.

Sunday Night Shout-outs

I like when a guy gives a shout-out to his high school team during the team introductions. It would be even more awesome if the players who played Pop Warner or Mighty Mites football as kids would give those teams a shout out. College and high school polished the diamonds in the rough, but those "little leagues" nurtured the passion and fun.

Speaking of Mighty Mites, this is one of the best local sports news segments on NBC17. Check out the current Pint-Sized Pigskin. Below is one of my favorites.

Quarterback Roulette

Lately, teams are playing the "Whose the GUY? Quarterback Game." Smith and Crennel finally made the call for their long-suffering fans. Not really sure if the Cardinals really made the call or, if they did, not sure it was the right one yet. The Raiders...all I can do is sigh. How did such a feared team become that mess and still retain its scary, yet devoted fans?

When will the Panthers jump in this game? Delhomme's status is uncertain at the moment due to an injury and I don't think fans are really crying about it. When starter Donavon McNabb went down last year, fans were definitely upset--convinced that their promising season was toast. But backup Garcia laid it down, saved the season, and got a starting job elsewhere.

As much as I'd like to see that replicated here, well, the former Houston Texans starting QB David Carr is the backup. He played well last Sunday. And sometimes a person getting a second chance and clean slate excels beyond expectation. Just like an adopted dog. They just seem to behave better than the one you raised from a puppy. I hope this is what happens. As one reporter put it, Jake Delhomme might get Wally Pipped.

For the record, I'm not a Delhomme hater. I love the guy! He's got a great QB name (who doesn't love a Jake), he's passionate, a little daredevil, got that cajun blood pumpin', and from most accounts he's a great leader. When my brother trash talks him, I've always defended him and Fox for that matter.

But he hasn't come up with The Answer--a big, fat, diamond-encrusted Ring.

and as any Buckeye knows, it's not the accolades you accumulate throughout the year, or the Michigan game, the Heisman, or the other postseason hoopla. Not "We played for the National Championship."

It's "DID YOU BRING HOME THE FRICKIN' NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!"

Herm said it best, "You play to win the game."

An anniversary reminder my mama would hate

Tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn for LALA land. Read all about it at Yahoo.

Ebbets Field is now condos. I'm starting to think that everything eventually goes condo.

Separated at Birth II

McCowher
Y'all know! Steely McBeam and Bill Cowher. The Steelers organization takes honoring their history seriously. Why not create a mobile monument to a former long time coach of steel? Watch out kiddies--he spits!













McBeam photo courtesy of www.kdka.com , Cowher photo courtesy of www.newsobserver.com.

Separated at Birth?

Tomepps
Omar Epps or Mike Tomlin? Either way you definitely can't go wrong. More reason to have a dirty house until February--if all goes well for Pittsburgh that is.













Epps photo courtesy of www.nami.org, Tomlin photo courtesy of www.sportsillustrated.cnn.com.

Almost Here

Finally it's almost time to see real football again! And the Panthers look so different from last year. We had to say goodbye to Mike Minter and Keyshawn Johnson. Minter's departure was particularly sad. I'm not very optimistic about the cats this year. Steve Smith, John Kasay and Julius Peppers are the Panthers I think we can count on to produce consistently this year. As much as I like Jake D, I wonder how long we will pretend he is the answer. And David Carr as a backup doesn't exactly inspire confidence in the decision making down there.

Hungry like the Wufs Part II

Looks like Ms. Wuf also likes to take a bite out of rams. The Lady Wolfpack pulled an upset of the #2 ranked Lady Tarheels making it a double double for State upsets over Carolina.

Poor Ramses. Can't beat State. Can't even get a hottie Wo-ram like his studly counterpart Mr. Wuf.

Deja Vu--all over again

It happened again tonight. A kick return leading to a touchdown on the first play. Definitely bad news for the Bears, just like it was for the Buckeyes. It was my first thought as soon as I saw it. I tried to keep hope alive, but the sense of the inevitable filled me.

Congratulations to Tony Dungy (and Lovie Smith) on making history. That was the best moment of the night! Loved the Coke commercials that paid homage to this occasion.

And just in case the Madden curse and the SI cover curse is real, I beseech the coaches, owners, or whomever is in charge not to tempt fate and allow the Panthers near any of those covers this year.

I happily close the book on this uneven, unpredictable, football season. Time to get 'em straight!.

Panthers are 0-0, we're going all the way, baby! Super Bowl XLII Champs!

Hungry like the...

I went to the grocery store today and NC State 'nalia was everywhere. Heads high, the fans had a big bounce in their steps. Looks like Ramses met the Big Bad Wuf yesterday. I didn't care who won, but I enjoyed watching a truly exciting game.

And my Buckeyes squeaked out a win too. :-)

Super Bowl Pick

Da Bears.

Check out this moment in history 1985 Chicago Bears Super Bowl Shuffle.

Otis Wilson and Willie Gault--yummy chocolate swirls not lookin' to cause no trouble indeed!

The Bears are who we thought they were!

Dennis Green had it right. Will they continue to be who we think they are and bring another Super Bowl championship to Chi-town?

Thanks Coach for one of the best quotes of the year and definitely one of the best rants. Reminds me of my dad.