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"PBS" The "Pro Bowl Sucks". What is the purpose of this garbage? The NFL is the 600 pound gorilla in the sports jungle, but it has an embarrassing showcase game sandwiched between its conference championship weekend and the Super Bowl. I even watched some of the Senior Bowl and at least there is a competitive game taking place. Despite the risk of injury, those kids tackle, block and compete and they put on a decent show to every NFL scout on the planet. The NFL Pro Bowl is a glorified two-hand touch or flag football gathering. It's pathetic. I'd rather watch the best players on the planet give me a skills challenge than what the NFL produces each year in Hawaii. I'm sure the gamblers and Fantasy geeks will disagree, but to the average fan, this is a waste of time. Thank goodness we get the Super Bowl on Sunday. And speaking of the big game, I'm hoping we get a contest that doesn't disappoint. It seems on the surface that both teams are physical and come from the same mindset....we already know about the brothers coaching against each other. The Niners are a slight favorite, and I think that probably makes sense. I don't have a rooting interest for either team, so I want an interesting, entertaining game....after the BCS title game blowout, I've grown tired of being bored by the end of the 1st quarter. If I had to pick a winner, I'd go with San Francisco....it would be a nice bookend for the Bay Area, for the Niners and my beloved San Francisco Giants to hold the title belts at the same time in the same city. College basketball proved this past week that the Madness will be at a fever pitch in a few months. There are no dominant teams, and there are a bunch of good ones....and that combo means that anybody can go down at a moment's notice....especially on the road. I'm not convinced that we have a true #1 ranked team in college hoops this season. Teams are just renting space until Selection Sunday and then the game is really "on". Duke was ranked #1 when they lost by a hundred this week at Miami. It was the worst loss by an AP #1 ranked team in 45 years. Louisville was ranked as the top team before Duke, and since reaching that pinnacle, the Cards dropped three in a row. The last time a team reached #1 and then lost three straight was Duke, back in 1989. Take your pick between Duke, Louisville, Kansas, Michigan, Indiana, Arizona, Florida and Syracuse as the best team in the country. But don't forget about Butler, Gonzaga, NC State or Ohio State, either. It's wide-open. I don't think the quality of college hoops is great, these days.....the "one-and-done" rule has eroded the talent level in college hoops a great deal. There are really no great players or teams....but that doesn't mean you can't have highly entertaining, competitive games. We've seen that the past few weeks, as ranked teams go down like flies....the gap of talent between the top teams and the rest of the Top 50 is razor thin. That combination will make for some high drama in the Big Dance. Thank goodness the Bobcats finally found a way to win a home game. It might have been a busted play that led to Gerald Henderson's 3-point heave with 4 seconds left to grab the "W"; let it be known that it still counts....and it also ends the second longest home losing streak in NBA history. Hasn't Charlotte suffered enough? The funny thing taking place is the groundswell of support for the franchise to spend millions of dollars to reacquire the "Hornets" nickname. The name is now available, thanks to the New Orleans franchise dumping it in favor of the "Pelicans" moniker. I saw the new logo and thought it was lame....but nearly as bad as their team....and that's the most important part of the equation. People have lost their minds about the nickname....it's all about the product. I like "Hornets" better than "Bobcats", in Charlotte.....but I like quality hoops better than the crap Michael Jordan peddles each night in the NBA. If Charlotte was winning 50+ games and was a playoff force each year, you can call the team whatever you want....I want to see a quality team. My interest in the color, name and uniform design is secondary at best. But in Charlotte, that doesn't seem to be the case. The NASCAR Media Tour zipped thru the Queen City last week, and it was pretty tame. The biggest news was probably generated by the announcement that Danica Patrick has a new boyfriend and his name is Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. The fact that this story made such big headlines is probably a little disturbing for the sport. As much grief as I've given Patrick in print, on radio & TV....this time, I want to give her some credit. After three weeks of the Manti Te'o imaginary girlfriend story, it was nice to see a public figure discuss a relationship that actually involved a personal interaction. Patrick and Stenhouse have actually met...what a unique concept. It will be funny to see how the two Cup drivers interact behind the wheel when they are competing, but for once...let it be said....that I had something nice to say about Danica Patrick. |
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