But what if one of those teams was no longer there to support?  With the Pistons up for sale, a lot of questions come to mind:  Who should own the Pistons?  What does this mean for Detroit?   What does this mean for Auburn Hills (home of the Pistons)?

A few key players have come out to express interest in the team, including Mike Ilitch, owner of the Red Wings and Tigers, Tom Gores, Michigan native, George Postolos, a Texan (read “outsider”), and PS&E, a foreign group based out of Dubai.  I bet you can guess who I think shouldn’t own the Pistons.

Detroit, more than most, needs the income that comes from sports.  The money spent by Detroit sports fans should stay in Michigan and help support the state.  When the owner lives in Michigan, pays Michigan taxes, and supports Michigan initiatives, everyone wins.  Postolos seems pretty desperate to own another sports team (he just lost out to Michael Jordan in a bid for the Charlotte Bobcats).  He and his company are based in Houston, TX, and have no notable ties to Detroit or Michigan.  And Dubai?  Seriously?  At least Postolos would keep the profits in the US.  But with either of these buyers, there is nothing to say they won’t just up and move the team to another state.  You can’t have the Pistons playing anywhere but Motor City.  Okay, so technically, they’re not in Detroit, but all of metro-Detroit is motor city.  A piston belongs in an engine and a Piston belongs in (metro-)Detroit.

So, with two contenders eliminated, who do we have left?  On one side we have Gores, a Michigan native, MSU grad who lives in California but owns a home in a metro-Detroit city.  On the other, Ilitch, a Michigan native, long time Detroit sports team owner and Detroit business owner, who lives in Michigan.  While I tend to think a monopoly is never a good thing, Ilitch has proven he is dedicated to quality when it comes to his teams.  He does a great job with making all the fans feel like the teams are there for us, unlike a lot of owners out there (James Dolan anyone?). But here’s the big thing – Ilitch has said he’d like to move the Pistons into the new arena being planned for the Red Wings in downtown Detroit.  That’s the clincher right there, the thing that makes me want Tom Gores to get the team.

Wait?  Gores?  Did I really say that?  Yes!  There are major repercussions for moving a team, even if it’s within the same metro area!   When the Lions moved out of the Silverdome, in Pontiac, there suddenly became a giant waste of space that quickly turned into an eyesore, with weeds sprouting through the parking lot, and many good memories saddened.  Not only that, but the city had come to depend on  lot of the funds from the Lions, which quickly disappeared.  When the city of Pontiac was finally able to sell the Silverdome, at auction, it sold for $583,000, less than 11% of it’s original $55.7 million cost to build in 1975 (approximately $220 million in 2009 dollars).    For a place that has way too many empty buildings, a place that isn’t even close to recovering from this depression, there is no room for another Silverdome.  Detroit had the Tigers, Lions, and Red Wings to bring in the fans, and really, the fans come from all over the area, so why should all the teams be in one location?   When it comes down to it, moving out of the Palace won’t benefit anyone, except of course the guy who can have three sports teams in two places.  The Palace of Auburn Hills should stay the home of the Pistons, at least for now, so that’s why I’ll be rooting on Gores in this process.  But I won’t be sad if Ilitch ends up with the hat trick, Red Wings, Tigers, and Pistons.

Signed,

A Detroit Sports Fan
aka Meghan B

The NFL Pro Bowl

Here is a description of the Pro Bowl taken directly from the NFL’s website:  “For the first time since 1980, the Pro Bowl will be played somewhere other than Honolulu. The annual contest between the AFC’s and NFC’s best will take place Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010 (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida.”

Problem #1 – Players have little to no motivation to play in the game.  For many years, the draw of the Pro Bowl from a player’s standpoint was 3 things.  First and foremost was the pride of making the team.  That has really nothing to do with the game itself, but is in effect being named to the NFL’s All Pro Tea, which should be a very high honor that any NFL player would be proud of.  Second, players received a free vacation to an exotic location in Hawaii for a week to relax and hang out with friends and players from other teams.  For years this worked well, because players viewed a trip to Hawaii as a nice treat.  Now, the Pro Bowl is being held in South Florida at a time when the focus will be on the players in the Super Bowl, not the players in the Pro Bowl.  Definitely a slap in the face, especially if you happen to play for the Vikings or the Jets.  And of course, the third thing is money.  It’s always about the money, and players typically get bonuses for making the Pro Bowl and get paid for playing in the game.  They even get a little more money if their team wins.

Problem #2 - The NFL’s description of the game calls it a “contest between the AFC’s and NFC’s best.”  Really?  Last time I checked, the Super Bowl Champions were considered the best players, and starting this year they aren’t even eligible to play.  In fact, and I’m not making this up, they are encouraged to show up at the game and “wave.”  So for the AFC this year, if we believe the NFL’s own description of the game, Vince Young and David Garrard were two of the best quarterbacks for them this year.  I kid you not.  Vince Young, who wasn’t even good enough to start on his own team for half the season and relied heavily on the success of Chris Johnson when he did play, and David Garrard.  Both have QB ratings of about 83 making them #17 and #18 in QG rating respectively in the league this year.  Nice false advertising by the NFL here.

Problem #3 – The Super Bowl players are not able to play in the game.  Really, this is just a continuation of the previous point.  The AFC could have Peyton Manning.  Instead we get to see more of David Garrard?  And what about first-time Pro Bowlers that are playing in the big game?  This robs them of another cool experience that they have EARNED.  You take the credibility away from the game when you subtract their biggest superstars.  Can you imagine the NBA going through All Star Weekend with no Lebron or Kobe?  No Magic or Michael?  People would be outraged, and rightfully so.

Solution:

I wouldn’t be much of a sports writer if I just complained about the problems without offering a solution.  So here you go NFL.  Free of charge.  I hope you are reading Mr. Goodell…..

Two weeks after the season, the NFL announces their ALL PRO teams.  Think of it like the All America team that you see every year in college football.  Also, like college football, these guys do NOT have to play in a game against each other.  None of the players really want to play this game anyway, and why would they?  The risk of injury is much higher in the NFL than in any other sport, especially since the teams play a lot fewer games, making each game more important.  An injury to one of your best players in a meaningless game is stupid.  So why do it?  Give these guys the extra money they deserve for being on the ALL PRO team, along with some kind of cool award at a fancy banquet.  Let us clap for them and see lineman try to get dressed up in tuxes.  I mean, who wouldn’t tune in to see what kind of tux Jared Allen would wear?

Secondly, make the ALL PRO weekend a fun event that is similar to the NBA All Star Weekend.  Roger Goodell, you are gonna love my list of events:

Skills Challenge

Rookies vs Retired flag football game:  Since there has to be some kind of game, let the rookies take on retired NFL guys that think they still have it in a flag football game.  The NFL should work especially hard at getting guys out of the booths to play in the game.  Get Troy Aikman, Phil Simms, Deion Sanders, Moose Johnson, etc.  And the added bonus is this gives us all a chance to see Brett Favre continue to scratch the itch every year after he retires.  The NBA is going to be so mad at themselves for not thinking of this first.  Jordan would play FOR SURE.

The NBA All Star Weekend

Now let’s work on fixing the NBA.  Honestly, there isn’t a lot to fix here.  David Stern has done a pretty good job of generating fan interest and keeping the entire weekend entertaining.  With just a few tweaks, I think it could be even bigger.

Problem #1:  Just like in the NFL, we don’t get to see the best players play in this game?  Why?  The voting is left up to the fans.  And let’s face it, most fans don’t have a clue.  How else can you explain Allen Iverson being named a starter on the East squad?  After playing only 19 games, Iverson was voted onto the team.  Keep in mind that when the ballots were made, he was part of a team in the West, the Memphis Grizzlies, and all of those votes counted toward him representing the Sixers on the East.  The West squad isn’t much better.  Until the final weeks of voting, Tracy McGrady, a guy who has been all but cut by the Rockets, was slated as the second guard.  Late surges by Steve Nash and Chris Paul saved the NBA from that disaster, but these are the kinds of things you get when the fans vote on the starters.

Problem #2: The players we want to see in the Slam Dunk Contest and the 3-Point Challenge are not the ones that end up there.  Instead, its a bunch of nobodies.  Gone are the days of Jordan vs ‘Nique.  This year we see Nate Robinson, Gerald Wallace, Shannon Brown and the winner of a dunk-in between Eric Gordon and DeMar DeRozan.  Not exactly a list of the who’s who in the NBA.  Most of these guys will be wearing a sneaker named after one of the true superstars in the league.  Why can’t we see them dunk instead?  And last year’s 3-Point Challenge winner?  I know you all have posters of Daequan Cook hanging on your wall.

Luckily for David Stern and the NBA, I have 2 easy adjustments that would make the NBA All Star Weekend blow all other All Star events out of the water.  Again, my ideas are free of charge.

Adjustment #1 Change the voting for the game completely.  The fans should not be the ones voting players into the All Star Game.  The players and coaches should be.  They are the ones that know best when it comes to who the real ballers are.  So let them decide.  It makes it even more of an honor to play in the game, and doesn’t just end up being a popularity contest.  It also solves the problem of having guys like Allen Iverson as a starter after only playing a few games this year.  But what about the fans?  How will my voice be heard?  I think you are REALLY going to like the next adjustment…..

Adjustment #2 Allow fans to vote who THEY want to see in the Dunk Contest and the 3-Point Challenge.  Can you imagine the number of votes you would see for something like this.  Picture a dunk contest with Lebron, Kobe, Dwight, Dwyane and anybody else.  It would be epic.  The ratings would be off the charts.  I’m not sure any JerryWorld could contain it.  And the trick is, it would be tougher to decline as a player because the fans voted you in.  Make it so that the money from the votes cast for each player (by text message of course) goes to their favorite charity.  Finally, add a rule that doesn’t allow any player to participate more than 3 years in a row without winning so it doesn’t get stale over time, and you have a plan that can’t miss.  The winners get the ultimate in bragging rights.  Even the 3-point contest would be great.  David Stern, when you are counting your millions made off of this idea just remember you heard it here first.

I grew up in western New York until the age of 8.  During these crucial sporting development years I was given the bittersweet privilege of watching, what I believe to be, the greatest years in Buffalo Bills team history.   Yes I am referring to the team that went to 4 consecutive Big Games and lost, but at the time it was enthralling.  This team not only consisted of multiple HOF players (Bruce Smith, Jim Kelley, Thurman Thomas, etc) and recorded the greatest comeback in playoff history against the Oilers in the 92 Wild Card game behind backup (!) QB Frank Reich they were consistent performers.  Even though they never won a championship, this team took you on a great ride.

Pick the story up a few years later, and I’m attending Vanderbilt University.  Now the football program there wasn’t quite as succesful, but I was there to witness the season when we finally beat Tennessee at Rocky Top, first time since the 80′s, and were 1 atrocious excessive celebration call from going for 2 and beating Florida in the same year!  I also got to witness two Sweet 16 games.  There was the double overtime win over Washington State in ’06, beating both Florida and Tennessee when they were ranked #1 in the country, and a great home gym atmosphere.  The sacrifice of schoolwork to attend home games was well worth it.

The highlights I mention above, are just that, highlights.  For the Bills, since 1995 they haven’t had a playoff win (and the Cowboys fans think they’ve suffered!) and in fact the haven’t even made the playoffs since 1999.  Commodores football never had a bowl eligible season while I was in school; that finally came in 2008/09 after 25 years of waiting.  And despite two NCAA tourney births and an NIT birth, they have no hardware to show for it.   this is how teams I root for perform.  My teams don’t regularly win championships and they don’t dominate divisions or conferences.  Yet I love it.  How is that possible?  Shouldn’t I want to root for the best team and always be on top?  No.  I’m a realistic fan.

Let me explain.

When I am watching one of my teams play a game, I watch with an ache in my stomach.  After great plays my mind gravitates from celebration to worry.  I brace for an inevitable, horrible, but unstoppable event.  That event may be different in every game, but I believe that there will be a play or a foul that will suddenly steal the momentum from us, bring our moral down, and hand the game to our opponent on a shiny platter.  I watch with caution.  If were up by 4 touchdowns with 8 minutes left, I know I can relax a bit and start to enjoy the leads.  However if the game is close, I don’t let myself get to excited.  I try to watch with an err of restraint.

I’m not  saying that I can’t enjoy a game, or don’t have any faith in any team I root for.  I just have so much experience with disappointment that until the buzzer sounds, and the clock hits zero I won’t shake the doubt.  I go into games, like last night’s against a higher ranked opponent, hoping to win but knowing that it will be an uphill battle.  I am not saying that I never believe Vanderbilt or the Buffalo Bills can win, nor that they are horrible franchises in any way.  But through all the heartbreak of blown leads and beat downs, I have become a realistic fan.  And that’s where perhaps the oddities come from.

Living in Austin I am surrounded by University of Texas fans, and I notice that they have a swagger about them, an attitude that says, “Hey, we know we are good, in fact we’re so good I dare you to prove us wrong.”  Now this past college football season they went to the National Championship game and had a chance to prove that they were the best.  I guess that this attitude is what comes when winning is a tradition.  It is something that is ingrained into a school, community, or city.  When you have a strong foundation to build on it comes easy.   I think that there is nothing wrong with this.   The question I am left with is, do I envy these people who have this winning attitude, or do I feel bad for them?

Neither.  I think that each person has their own way of being a fan and many people who flock to winning programs like to invest themselves into a team and be a part of that something that is bigger than they are.  Yet, this can lead to great disappointments, and fair-weather fans.  I see this and then I realize that I like being an odd man out.  I enjoy that I can get emotionally involved into the game but that I still have that lingering doubt.  It makes the victories so much sweeter.  Isn’t it better to win when you aren’t assured a victory?  Isn’t that what the Cinderella allure of the NCAA basketball tournaments are built around?  Winning with less chips than your opponent, when the odds are stacked against you, is a far more satisfying feeling than picking on an inferior opponent.  It’s that miraculous feeling of coming through in the clutch when no one expected it and sending the opposing crowd home in shock.

If  you were to offer me championships in exchange for some of those close calls I believe that I would consider the offer.  However knowing what I know now, I think I would pass.  For all the joys those victories would bring, I would rather not be a part of a spoiled fan base.  I want to be in the trenches with those who have suffered and who stuck with the team in both the good times and bad.  No one wants to be the only on left on a sinking ship, and that’s what can happen with overly successful franchises who gain the fair-weather fans.  Even if it means I have to go down with the ship, at least I won’t be going alone.

That’s why a bowl game win after a 25 year drought is so much sweeter.  It’s why, when the Bills make it back to the top (they will…eventually), it will be so compelling.  It’s the reason they play the game, and that is why being a supporter is better than a fan.  Being a sports realist is almost like being a constant underdog and you never know when you will get that great surprise you didn’t quite see coming.  And sharing this with hundreds of others who have been through those same troubled times makes it all the more fulfilling.

Considering this, I think that the best time to come into a sports franchise is when its not winning.  When the team is in dark times.  This way you will always be more appreciative of the good times.  You will have understood and endured the low points, but the welcoming taste of success will be all the more sweet.  Therefore my message to all those fans of losing teams is to hold on.  Don’t let go of the treasured relationship you have with your team.  You say now you’d sacrifice anything to win, and that’s what we do when we stay faithful in the bad times.  There will come a time when you will take your turn on top and trust me, the time spent waiting will seem like nothing.

I personally believe that of all those mentioned above, and of the other players in the 1990s, that Griffey was the best there was.  He not only had one of the most beautiful swings I have ever witnessed in my life, he had great power and control behind it.  He has been able to hit 630 career home runs, even though he had 5 seasons of 70 games or less, and has been hampered by injuries even during some of the more complete seasons.  It is tragic that we were robbed of seeing him live up to his full potential.   He had two (back-to-back) 56 home run seasons and 7 seasons of more than 40.  You can check all the other stats and they are good, but not outstanding.  I believe that had Griffey been given a career without injury, in a time without other players over-excelling, he would have been a legend.  In my mind he still is, for the simple fact that he has the career he did and has remained clean, even when it would have been advantageous to take the drugs to recover from his injuries and get back to playing quicker.

While he is not the only player who stood out as an example of quality play during the Steroid Era of baseball, to me Griffey is the tragic hero.  He was a man who did his best and excelled in a time where he was overshadowed by cheaters, and his body was trying to betray him the whole time.  I think that Ken Griffey Jr. was a prince denied the throne.  While he will be remembered fondly by those who watched him play and rooted for him, and he is likely to make the baseball HOF when the time comes, it’s just unfortunate that the circumstances always seem stacked against him.

To read a book by someone who is so very passionate about a subject, to the point that it consumed his life for 3+ years and 700 pages worth of words, is great. I have always appreciated Bill’s columns and he is one of the reasons why Chad and I were inspired to create this very website. I mean we have opinions on sports subjects, we are passionate about sports, and we certainly think that there are people who need to read those opinions. Yet the most important affect that came from his passionate writing was the knowledge he imparted. Once you got past the few billion footnotes about pop culture references that you may or may not understand, the facts and figures contained in this tome are outstanding.

Since I never got to witness Larry Bird play in person, and I missed out on everything in the 1970′s and before, the ‘BOB’ (as I like to call it) gave me a great perspective on the history of the NBA. The book contained research I always wished I had time to do and stats that I never even imagined. I think that being able to view the lifetime of the league as a whole you gain an entirely new perspective and are able to appreciate so much more about the NBA, outside of games, players and championships. The evolution of the sport, the ebb and flow of balance between defense and offense over the years, the legendary players who reinvented positions; all of this is much more clear to me now.

I don’t mean to simply write this as a plug about Bill’s book, or the NBA.  I just want to share that I have learned a great lesson about sports that many fans don’t ever get the chance to.  I have learned that sports is not about fleeting moments in time, its about a complete record of events and lives that have shaped a competitive landscape. It’s about creating memories and entertainment. Really, my revelation is that sport is not something we define, its something that defines us whether we are a player or fan. Sport is a stunningly beautiful drama that somehow always leaves us wanting more.

1. Fighting. I think that I could side with the NHL for this reason alone and feel justified.  Now that doesn’t mean that it’s just the fact that fights are allowed in the NHL, it’s more low-level than that.  The fact that they still allow physicality in the game is great.  Granted a large part of hockey is to check opposing players in order to neutralize them, and that isn’t the same in the NBA since the foul system is designed to negate that.  But now we have an era in which fouls are called liberally for NBA stars in order to ‘protect’ them so they don’t miss games and cost the teams money.  Most any NBA star can simply drive to the basket near the end of a game, get grazed, do a little acting and get a foul call.  The NBA has devolved into a protective and preventative league while the NHL has stayed the course.  Now we won’t call into question the bias of the referees (I’m sure the NHL has some refs with ulterior motives too) but we will say that the new trends in the rules and rule enforcement are sad.

2. The idea of The Team. We have seen in basketball recently the transformation of Kobe from a selfish, lone wolf who couldn’t win a championship to a player with clutch takeover skills who played a team game and only used his one-man wrecking crew mode when necessary.  How was Kobe rewarded for learning to get along with others?  He got a championship ring without Shaq.  In both the NHL and NBA you need a team to win championships, but only in one league do they reward selfish players with big money contracts, and then cater to their whims.  I mean how often do we hear about a hockey player chewing out his coach, degrading teammates, having gambling disputes in the locker room, etc.  I will concede that we do hear less news about the NHL in total, but perhaps it’s because these things simply don’t happen.  Whatever the reason behind it, the results are great: a selfless sport with role models that may not speak English, but don’t pull guns in locker rooms or eat Vaseline.

3. A more balanced league. The NHL champions rotate quite often, and repeating champions are quite rare now-a-days.  In fact the best streak by one team was 5 years in a row by the Montreal Canadians back in the 50′s.  Compare that to NBA streak of 8 championships in a row by the 80′s Celtics, and the recent domination of teams (the Bulls in the early 90s, Rockets, Bulls again, Spurs/Lakers in the early 00′s and now the Lakers again).  For the most part you can pick the 6-8 teams in the NBA who have a real chance at winning it all before the season starts.  In the NHL it’s much harder.  There may be 2-3 teams that are expected to do well, but predicting the playoff teams, let alone finals teams, is very hit or miss.  Now part of the problem might be that they don’t have John Hollinger cranking out stats like a madman for the NHL, or perhaps they just have parity.

4. International Flavor. The NHL has 5 teams in Canada the NBA has 1 currently and 1 that failed, so there is the obvious disparity there.  However what I am talking about is not the ability to support a league team, it’s the appeal of the sport itself.  If you look at most NHL rosters less than 20% of the players are American born, and most of the All-Stars are also not American (though many may say that is due to the lack of participation).  When it comes to the Olympics, the competition in hockey is very international  In fact, America is usually far from the favorite team.  This is typified by the Miracle on Ice.  The American team is frequently the underdog, and the team at the top frequently changes.  European basketball has come far in recent years, but the international competition in hockey has always been great.

Perhaps the most impressive thing is that the NHL attracts all of these foreign players when most of their homelands have leagues they could be playing in.  The NBA may bring in some international players, but it’s rare that they succeed in the transition of styles.  However in the NHL, it seems that the American players are the ones that have more trouble succeeding.

5. The Trophy. Can you tell me the name of the NHL championship trophy?  The Stanley Cup.  Now can you name the NBA championship trophy?  When you Google it, I know you did, you’ll find that Larry O’Brien trophy was created in 1977.   The Cup was created in 1892.  So not only is the cup more widely recognized by name, its existed for much longer and has a more rich history.  That and what other major sports trophy gets the winning player’s names inscribed on it?  It’s also the tradition for the cup to spend a day with each of the players.  This is perhaps the best thing about the NHL trophy, is that each player gets to celebrate in their location of choice and enjoy the rewards of a rigorous season surrounded by their family and friends.  I am just amazed that such a great tradition still exists today; it’s the joy of victory untarnished by greed, selfishness, and technology.

So there you go.  In a few hundred (ok, 800) words you have my reasons why I enjoy hockey over pro basketball (the NCAA is a whole ‘nother conversation).  I glossed over many more valid reasons and viewpoints, but I backed up my words so we are good.  My concluding thought is this:   The NHL almost died a few years ago and is in the recovery process, and right now the NBA is on life support.  In 5 years lets check back on the situation and see where things stand.  I have a feeling it will be quite interesting.

But here we are, at the end of the season and only 12 teams remain.  The playoffs are here.  So without further ado, let the predictions begin.  Chad and John make their picks for the first week of action:

New York Jets vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Chad: Wow, this one is tougher than it should be. Before the disaster that was last week’s Bengals showing I would have easily chosen them and felt good about my choice.  But they were embarrassing last week.  Just awful.  My guess though is that it was partly on purpose.  I think the Bengals wanted to play the Jets in the first round, and this time around we will see a much different effort.  Plus, in the battle of former USC quarterbacks, Carson Palmer is experienced and collected while Mark Sanchez is young and cocky.  That could spell disaster in his first playoff game.  Bengals

John: Even though NJ’s D is quite good and will likely slow the Bengals offense, I think the key will be the Bengals D.  They had a chance to study the NJ offense last week, and even if Greene gets more reps for a change of pace back, NJ will be fielding the same set of weapons this week.  Therefore, the Bengals should have a good chance of getting pressure on Sanchez, and since the whole NJ offense hinges on his performance, things should swing Cinci’s way.  Sanchez has a chance to become great, but I don’t see it happening Saturday. Bengals

Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots

Chad: You have to feel bad for the Patriots and especially for Wes Welker.  It’s a shame to see one of the biggest overachievers and hardest workers in football go down with what looks to be a serious injury just before the playoffs.  How big will the effect be on the Patriots chances in this game?  Huge, in my opinion.  The Ravens defense will crank it up a notch or two for the playoffs and the Patriots will find Tom Brady on the turf early and often.  Ravens

John: I really think that if the Patriots had lost Moss for this game they would be better off than losing Welker.  We saw last week that the Pats could still produce yards without him, but for Brady to lose his crutch will make things more interesting.  I have a feeling this will be a low scoring game in which a special teams or defensive touchdown may make all the difference.  Since those are unreliable predictors, I’ll go with the coaching and QB edge. Patriots

Green Bay Packers vs. Arizona Cardinals

Chad: The Arizona Cardinals are in pretty much the same position this year entering the playoffs as they were last year – flying under the radar.  Nobody is talking about them.  But quietly, they have put together a pretty strong season.  The difference is, they didn’t have to play anyone nearly as hot as the Packers are right now.  As tough as it is for Brett Favre to hear, Aaron Rodgers has had an MVP-type season this year.  The offensive line was terrible to start the year, but have been playing much better as the season has progressed and the wins have stacked up as a result.  I expect the Cardinals to return to being the Cardinals we grew up with pretty quickly after this loss.  Packers

John: Why are the Cardinals here again?  Can we put them in a division where they play real competition to put them in their place?  Their offense is very streaky, but their defense is again surprisingly consistent which seems to carry them through low scoring games.  Green Bay has the right offense to test the Cardinal’s D and possibly expose them as the slightly above average crew they are.  Look for Rodgers to have a great game while the Packers use the run to wear down Arizona on the way to a W.  Also, can’t a guy just pull for another GB vs Minn game?  I think I can!  Packers

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys

Chad: The Cowboys completely dismantled the Eagles last week, and you could see all over Donovan McNabb’s face that he knew it.  I think he also knows it will take more than a week to fix the problems that led to such a devastating defeat.  Unless the Cowboys come out and beat themselves, which we all know is very possible with the track records of Tony Romo and Wade Phillips, the Cowboys should win going away once again on Saturday.  With DeSean Jackson banged up and all but eliminating the deep threat, Dallas’ defense should once again flex their muscles and get all over McNabb, setting up a great game between the Cowboys and Vikings next week.  Cowboys

John: Yes, we know about 1996, and Romo’s botched FG hold, and last year’s meltdown to the Eagles.  Not to be cliche, but this year is different.  Dallas didn’t collapse in December, they did just beat the prolific scoring Eagles, they did sweep the season series, and they can play defense.  By all accounts this seems to be the team to break the streak.  If the Eagles can’t get Westbrook or McCoy involved to grind through the early downs, then they will be forced to pass all day.  While I trust McNabb as a QB, we saw last week his receivers are hurt and prone to dropping passes.  Even if the ‘Boys can’t get their offense at 100% it should be enough to outscore the tired Eagles.  Cowboys

While it may not be the most intelligent line ever uttered, the thought behind Chastity’s statement in 10 Things I Hate About You rings true today; we can to overreact and also underreact to situations, but can we just react anymore?  Heck, do we even need to react?

This past week Coach Mike Leach of Texas Tech was suspended and subsequently fired in response to allegations of poor player treatment.  However this decision occurred before the University’s internal investigation was even completed.  The circumstances in this situation are strange; the player in question is the son of a prominent ESPN personality and there are rumors that the University wanted this done now to help the university get out of paying Leach an $800,000 bonus.    When the truth, in one form or another, comes out and the dust settles everyone involved will be worse for the wear.   There will be some people that blame Leach, some that blame the James family, and some that will blame the University.  Any way you slice it there will likely be only negative consequences (other than perhaps a new high paying job for Leach).  Luckily, the public tends to have a short memory for these things, especially because we seem to find new scandals to replace them with.

Why does this happen so often today?  Years ago events such as these wouldn’t have even made public news.  It seems that today, in this great age of information and easy access we haven’t quite figured out how to handle it.  We have access to news anywhere, anytime, and news stories of the smallest significance can be read online by anyone.  Therefore when an organization is involved in a ‘news story’ they presume to treat that situation as a matter of national importance because you don’t know who is watching.  Now I can’t say it wouldn’t be sweet having Jack Bauer do all my dirty work and clean up ‘situations’ (not that I ever get into trouble of that level…) but is it warranted?  I think not.

This tendency to overreact has now become the norm.  Everyone must play along as if all allegations and rumors are based in fact and then pass judgment on those conclusions.  This means we often end up reneging on the original assessments, and having to atone for the misjudgment.  In this case I have a strong personal feeling that Leach could end up walking away with even more money after a lawsuit, just because the University seems to have a very weak case.  So now Texas Tech is painted as a bad organization for treating Leach poorly, and for overreacting.  Yet if they had waited until the investigation was over and come to a well founded conclusion, they would have been ridiculed for not doing anything.  Thus I think that we can no longer be viewed as reacting to an event, we are either overreacting to try and run damage control, or underreacting because people aren’t satisfied with the results.  The middle ground has disappeared.

I understand that in this poor economy people are suffering and it’s great to take your mind off of it, but perhaps we don’t need to replace it with titillating scandals and exciting drama of TV stars, politicians, and sports figures.  Maybe we need to take a deep breath, relax and realize that the people involved in these situations are humans too.  I mean what Tiger did is highly indefensible, but sometimes we forget how it affects the others involved, like his wife and kids.  Or in the case of Mike Leach, how it may affect his job, ability to get future jobs, and what it will do to young Adam James with his future collegiate and athletic career.  Perhaps we need to also realize that while we may be able to follow these situations, that our opinions and views don’t really affect it.  Who are we to be dissatisfied if the situation isn’t resolved to our liking?

Thus I think I can officially say we have ushered in an era where reactions no longer occur, and public opinion is never satisfied.  Everything we do will be one extreme or the other, so I guess we really can’t just be whelmed.