Season's Greetings

I'll apologize now for the long hiatus in posting. There's been a lot of change in my personal life, most of it good (thankfully), and the markets have made work interesting, to say the least. But I'll promise now to post more frequently.

Let's start with the current day, rather then work our way back through the months. As much as I would love to, its already in the past, so to to speak. Plaxico Burress = Giant Idiot. The whole situation is very unfortunate. Not only does a talented and rich athlete very probably lose his livelihood, an 11-1, defending super-bowl championship team gets dragged through the mud. Nobody seems to be talking about the fact the Giants are playing the Eagles for the NFC East title this week. Here's another interesting thought: Suppose when his gun went off, the bullet hit someone else. There would be no debate whatsoever about Plaxico and his future, and not questions about why athletes carry guns. How lucky is he really. And another question: a member of Packman Jones's posy shoots a security guard and paralyzes him, in addition to 11 incidents with the police, and he's still playing?? The whole situation is ridiculous, and athletes clearly haven't learned from Michael Vick that they can lose everything they have. Will he go to jail? I'd say not likely, until the Mayor of New York came out and said he should. Now you'll have overly ambitious Assistant District Attorneys lining up for the case to make a name for themselves. How I love the town I live in.

Let's talk about the other team in town - Gang Green. People were calling for a subway Super Bowl. Are you serious? Don't get me wrong, the Jets are clearly the most improved team in football, but they are not going deep into the playoffs. They simply don't have the depth the Giants or Steelers or Cowboys do. I give credit to Brett Favre for staying the course, and I do think he will return next season to an improved team. I'm not writing them off after the disaster against Denver in monsoon-like conditions, I just don't they had the depth to last in the playoffs.

Unfortunately Jerry Jones and the Cowboys have returned. If they can survive in Pittsburgh this week, which they should be able to, look out Giants. With Romo healthy, and a solid running game (provided they have 2 out of 3 of their backs), the cowboys can upset anyone. The one obstacle to the Giants repeating may in fact be the Cowboys in the playoffs. Look for Dallas to win in Pittsburgh this week, given Pittsburgh's weak offensive line and Big Ben's tendency to hang back in the pocket too long. Nothing would please the control freak owner, who tries to portray himself as a hip, savy guy on HBO's Training Camp, then upsetting the G-men. Come to think of it, why haven't HBO or Showtime or ESPN done a piece on the Giants, who beat a team of destiny (sorry Bob Kraft)?? Oh yeah, that's right, the Giants are from New York, I forgot.

The BCS system got it wrong, yet again, with the debacle of the Big 12 championship game. Missouri against Oklahoma? Didn't Texas beat Oklahoma on a neutral field? Texas Tech beat Texas in a truly dramatic game for the ages, but can you honestly make the case Oklahoma is the best team to face Missouri - who would lose to any three of the teams that were up for the slot? At least the SEC got it right, and the winner of the SEC will face the winner of the Big 12. Will Florida prevail? Its the age old question of speed against physicality, of which Alabama has an abundance. I think it will be a close game, but Florida will win by 7. The real question will be if Alabama will still get the nod to face the winner of the Big 12 (presumably Oklahoma). Keep in mind that if Alabama loses, as Vegas is calling for, then they will have the same record as the Gators. Didn't the Gators play for and win a national championship recently? Doesn't Alabama have a large following, and highly touted corporate (the "most powerful man in college sports," according to Forbes) coach in Nick Saban?? It's a question of how much the BCS will dare to screw Florida out of its rightful shot at the title, provided they take care of business. But I can already see the BCS pointing to how many weeks Florida languished in the 4th or 5th ranked spot, while Alabama sat at #1. I hope the national championship game won't be marred by more of the same, of which we've already had a taste of.

Charlie Weis gets to keep his job. Now a lot of people feel he should leave, and a lot of people feel he should stay. I am in the latter camp. Do I agree with his arrogance, which continued up until the nightmare game against USC last week? No. But he has had 2 top 10 recruiting classes, and is on track, reportedly, to have another one this this year. I believe Notre Dame will have good, plus-8 win season next year. And let's not forget the fact that Notre Dame signed him to a 10 year contract, which means they expected him to build a dynasty. With the recruiting classes he has put together, there's no reason why he can't do that. If he doesn't win 8 games next year, then he is out for sure. But I say, stick to the 10 year plan and see if year 5 - the measuring point year - yields results.

Let's turn our attention to the Hot Stove of December: Baseball. I'll be honest, I am a Yankees fan. However, I think the Yankees should forget about CC immediately. He clearly wants another West Coast team (where he's from) to put together an attractive offer. If I were the Yankees, I'd set a deadline, and then go on a buying spree once the fat, arrogant pitcher declines (think I'm wrong? Watch MTV's the cribs about CC Sabathia, and see what I'm talking about). Still, acquiring arms won't solve the problem the Yankees have with holes at Catcher (Posada won't be the same), 1st Base (Nick Swisher???) and the entire outfield. This is sadly a team in decline, only capable of putting together a wild card run next season at best. Time to rebuild. And you better believe if I was an opposing catcher, I'd say something about A-Rod's disgusting Madonna-humping.

To be continued, soon...