Why I want the Dolphins to make the playoffs
I should first point out that I am a Patriots fan. (Readers: Booooo) Ok. But if the Patriots can’t make it into the playoffs this weekend, my clear preference for AFC East winner would be the Miami Dolphins.

If the Dolphins beat the Jets this week in the Meadowlands, it would be a great thing for the NFL. Why? Because it means that parity in the league really does exist, and that every year is truly a new year for teams (I’m looking at you, Detroit Lions). The Dolphins had just 1 win last year, then made a few smart moves, and now they control their own destiny into the playoffs. You can say they’re doing it with a gimmick offense, and a QB with less pop in his arm than a Red Ryder BB gun, and with a cupcake schedule, but they are doing it.

The Lions aren’t as bad as they seem. It’d be one thing if they phoned in every game after going 0-10 and then finished the season at (likely) 0-16. But they’ve played hard every week. They gave the Colts, who may be one of the most dangerous teams in January, a tie ballgame into the 4th quarter. This team also has some talent too, even if most of it is concentrated in the body of Calvin Johnson. But if a 1-15 team can make the playoffs a season later, who’s to say that a 0-16 team can’t?

Headline: “Guns Found At Burress’ Home”

How is this news? No one is denying that Plax had guns. The evidence is lodged somewhere near his femur. So it’s pretty obvious that he would have guns in his home… right? Obvious enough that it shouldn’t be headline news. Just keep a lookout for this headline next: “Christmas 08; Presents, Ornaments Found Lying Near Trees”.

“Those damn Yankees!”

That quote was uttered by Angels OF Torri Hunter, as well as millions of Red Sox fans around the New England area. But people need to stop hating on the Yankees. They have the four highest paid players in the game, and that those four players’ salaries could pay for the payrolls several small market teams and GDP of a small country. But what is lost in the Yankee-bashing is that they’re payroll is actually under what it was last year. Th Bronx Bombers shed $85 million in payroll this off-season. Even with the big signings so far, if they stopped spending now they’d be penny-pinching compared to last year.

And while they Yankees are buying all the Christmas presents for Scott Boras’ extended family, it seems the Rays aren’t going to be bothered by the rah-rah going on in NY, probably because they’re too busy making their team better as well. The Rays signed reliever Joe Nelson for a frugal $1.3 million. I had never heard of him before the signing, but with a 2.0 ERA and 60 strikeouts over 54 innings, I’d guess that he was cut from the same cloth as Grant Balfour and J.P Howell. Pitchers who no one has really heard of, until they beat out both Goliath and Godzilla in a Japanese-biblical battle for the AL East.
Say as much as you want about the Yankees, but I want to know how the Rays keep getting these bargains on some of the best talent in the league.

Home-Field Advantage?
During Week 13 in the NFL, 15 games were played. Of these 15, 10 were one by the road team, only 5 were won by the home team. If that number doesn't mean much to you, imagine that out of every 3 random football fans who went to see their team play this past Thursday/Sunday/Monday, 2 went home pissed.

Considering the amount of money people pay to go to football games, not to mention the amount of time and effort it takes to get to the game, sit in the weather, and find ways around the 2 beer per person limit, the average NFL isn't getting very much bang for their buck.

Detroit Fans: We're #2!
According to some sources, on the list of most dangerous cities in America, Detroit is #2, behind only Camden, NJ. Can anyone blame the citizens of Detroit for resorting to criminal activities? In the past calendar year, the Tigers acquired the likes of Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis only to finish dead last in the division, the Pistons get beat by the eventual champion Boston Celtics in 6 games and in the next season see Chauncey Billups shipped off to Denver and the end of their archetypal “team” mold, and the Lions are well on their way to 0-16. The lone bright spot in Hockey Town is a bright one, with the Red Wings bringing home the Stanley Cup.
Detroit isn't just the #2 most dangerous city though. It also deserves the #2 ranking as “Most Pitiful Sports City in America”. Coming in narrowly at #1 has to be Seattle. It's karma for Seattle though, after Mariner Moose single-handedly tried to end Coco Crisp's career last year.

Native-American turned Investment Broker
If you haven't visited your nearest casino in the last few years, it may be about time you did. Also, if you have your money tied up in traditional investment products (stocks, bonds, CD's, etc), it may be about time you took them out. Don't believe me? Consider the following:
The interest rate received on bonds, CD's, and savings accounts are all based of the rate the Fed sets. Lower rates set by the Fed means you get a lower interest rate on your savings, vice versa. With the economy as bad as it is, the Fed sets the interest rate very very low in an effort to discourage consumers from putting their money away in savings accounts and to encourage spending. The low amounts of accrued interest discourages saving, and if you factor in current inflation rates (estimated by economists at 5%), even funds in a high-yield savings account at 3.00% APY are losing about 2% of its purchasing power a year. By setting the interest rate low, the Fed is hoping people will find better use for their money investing it in other things, such as tangible goods, services or stocks. But with the way the Wall Street is right now and President-elect Barack Obama still to take office, it's too unstable for people to confidently say that the market has hit bottom and that it is time to invest.
So what's a person to do with all the money that they would have normally saved or invested in the market? Well, you could pay off your credit card debt (which I highly recommend). But if you're in the business of making more money of your money, I suggest going to Vegas and making a killing there. The reason is the effects of inflation and the rate the Fed sets are largely ignored by casino. When you bet on any game, you're playing against the casino and the odds, and if you can beat them, you are rewarded as such. In blackjack, if you beat the dealer you pay out 1:1 against your bet. Casino's don't adjust their odds based on how the current economy is, whether the economy is in a recession or boom. The risk is always going to be there, but the risk and return are both always going to be consistent. The main reason traditional savings opportunities are beneficial is that they have low risk with middle-of-the-road returns. But when the returns shrink and the risk is elevated on these traditional investments, by comparison the risk you take while gambling is reduced. Everything is relative, so although you may think that gambling is too risky, when the economy is about to bottom-out as it is right now, there is never going to be a more opportune time to try your luck.

NYPD Blues?
So the G-Men of New York have found themselves in quite a bit of trouble this past weekend. Plaxico Burress was at night club, allegedly with other Giants teammates, and discharged a firearm into his own leg. The story from there is hazy, but apparently he was picked up by teammate Antonio Pierce, taken to a hospital where he received treatment from a doctor while using a false name.
Already we're seeing the fallout of these events. Mayor Bloomberg has already demanded that Burress be prosecuted to the “fullest extent of the law”. Plax has also been suspended by the team for at 4 games, and there could still be an additional suspensions handed out under the NFL's personal conduct policy. Antonio Pierce is being investigated, and his SUV was impounded today for police to search. The doctor who treated Burress has already been suspended by the hospital. Meanwhile, the Giants have continued their domination of the league and improved their record to 11-1. Dominik Hixon and Amani Toomer are making Giants fans forget all about their malcontent wide-receiver.
Last week, I said that Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb should consider themselves on the hot seat, a statement which I think still holds true for the former (Reid) but retract for the latter. This week, I say Plaxico Burress doesn't wear a Giants jersey after this season. Yes, I realize they tied him up to a big contract this year, but the NFL operates in a way that teams can balk on a player's contract if the player balks on the law (read: Michael Vick). Given the way the Giants have played with him, and the way they dealt with a certain problematic tight end, I say Tom Coughlin finds a way to find Plax a new home.

It's Christmas Time Again, Charlie (Weis)
Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick announced that Charlie Weis would stay at ND another year, after finishing 6-6 this year and just 7 games over .500 in his 4 years as head coach. In related news, Matt Millen was seen giving Mr. Swarbrick advice on how to run a program into the ground.

Big Paycheck for the Little Guy
Dustin Pedroia got an extension for the Red Sox worth upwards of $40 million over six years. Pedroia is coming off an MVP season in just his second season in the league. Many fans remember Pedroia as a go-getter his rookie year as well, but few fans remember what it was like to be DP at the beginning of his rookie year. At the end of his first full month as a starter in April of '07, Pedroia was batting just .182 and fans were calling for his head. The Sox had a capable player sitting on the bench in Alex Cora, and Boston fans are notorious for calling out a player when he's down. Francona stuck with the 5' 9” rookie, who then went on to hit .415 in May, and never below .299 in any of the following months. Needless to say, Francona made the right call.

Funny or Mean?
As a nod to tradition, Pete Carroll has decided that his USC Trojans would wear their red home jerseys this weekend when they got into the Coliseum and play UCLA. The tradition dates back to when USC and UCLA shared the stadium, and both teams would wear the home jerseys. Pac-10 rules state that if USC wears their home jerseys, they will be penalized 2 timeouts, one for either half.
UCLA coach Rick Neuheisal has already said that he digs the idea, and that if USC were penalized he would call timeouts at the start of each half to even things out. Some people have questioned whether or not Neuheisal would actually do this come gametime, but take it one step further. What if, to really stick to USC, who could win this game quite easily, UCLA wore their away jerseys? UCLA fans should consider it a slap in the face by USC if the Trojans wore their home jerseys on Saturday. I get it that USC used to play their home games their, but it's not their house anymore. And what better way to get back at someone, than to slap them right back in the face?


Something to look forward to next week:
Top 10 list of players who wish they were somewhere else right now.

“It's the only game you can call penalty on yourself. If you're honest, which most people are. There just ain't no other game like it.”
-Hardy in The Legend of Bagger Vance

"If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying."
-Every NASCAR Crew Chief ever.

A few weeks ago, golfer JP Hayes did what, to many of us, may be the unthinkable. Because of what he did that day, you should have already heard this story. But if you haven't heard it yet, it isn't your fault. There's a reason why you don't hear about athletes like JP Hayes very often.

In the day and age of the corrupt athlete, including Adam “Pacman” Jones, Barry Bonds, Stephan Marbury, Marion Jones, Tyler Hamilton, it's pretty darn refreshing to see there is still some decency left in the sports. All those cheaters aren't even the worst athletes we've seen in the past year. Let's not forget about Roger Clemens, the man who won the Cy Young seven times. Nearly a year after all the the controversy and finger-pointing due to the Mitchell Report, charities still want to associate themselves with Clemens.

Even in the Olympics, where athletes represent their countries while being watched by the entire world, bad apples can be spotted. Bad apples like Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian, who disagreed with an official's judgment and protested it by throwing away his bronze medal. Even badder apples like Angel Matos, the Taekwondo fighter from Cuba who was disqualified by a referee and then proceeded to kick said referee in the face on his way out. Maybe it's a cultural difference that I'm unaware of, but I don't think that's the accepted way of saying goodbye in Cuba.

Every coach I've ever had has told me to play sports like a good role model, to carry myself with respect. It was Thomas Jefferson who said, “Whenever you do a thing, act as if the whole world is watching.” I try and tell the kids I coach the same thing. More and more though, I ask myself if its even worth it to coach sportsmanship. When you think about it, the people who get the face-time aren't the gentleman of society. No, the people who you see more than anyone else, are the ones who break the rules. And the more attention they get, the less attention there is give to the upstanding citizens who act the way our parents always told us to. All of a sudden, the athletes who refuse to play, skip out on practice, bend the rules, and bloat their ego, those are the guys who we can't get enough of.

But why do we even give them the time of day? It bothers me that I can't check sports headlines or watch Sportscenter without hearing about some thug who feels like he's better than his team. It's even worse when it's someone that straight up cheats. As if with all the exposure athletes get, cheaters and dopers still think they can get away with it. Instead of idolizing them by watching every adverse move they make, we really should be ignoring them. It's the JP Hayes' and even the Andy Pettite's (who was accused of doping and came clean about it rather than dodging the issue) who we need to be promoting to the youth of our nation.

Fact: the media love the dissenters, and turn the blind eye to the righteous sportsperson. It's the reason why Kim Kardashian has her own show, why tabloids with pictures of an anorexic Olsen twin on the cover, sell more copies, and why local news ratings have never been higher than when they showed OJ driving off in his white Bronco. And it's not just the media. We love watching and critiquing the bad guy, because it makes us look better. Think about it. Anyone can look good compared to someone who cheats, lies, and steals on a daily basis. So we plaster images of those who have wronged society and say, “Shame on you!”, all the while we can take solace in knowing that we aren't as bad as these villains. And even if we are just as bad, the spotlight isn't on us, and we can sneak by without anyone paying notice. The flip side of this is that when we hear about people who do the right thing, we can't help but compare ourselves to them and see if we fall short. I can't even watch the first 15 minutes of Extreme Home Makeover because all the families are better people than I am.

Think about it. If instead of the evil-doers, the media decided to promote the do-gooders, people would get sick of it faster than seeing the Superman dance in public. Imagine being put in the situation JP Hayes found himself in. With a very good shot at earning his Tour card for next year, he realized he broke the rules. Problem is, no one else knew broke those rules. How many of us can honestly, and honesty is key, say that we would've done what he did? I know I'd have a tough time making that phone call. But Hayes did what every golfer should, played by the gentleman's rules that the game was established on, and DQ'd himself. It's just America's insecurities in play here. I mean, we all tell white lies and bend the rules every now and then. And sure we feel bad about it. But what better way to get over it than to point out the bigger flaws in others. If the people who are supposed to be our public figures make better mistakes than we do, how bad could ours be?

So where is JP Hayes now? Last word is that he lost his PGA Tour card, but is being given sponsor exemptions for the U.S. Bank Championship and the John Deere Classic. So maybe the lesson to be learned here is that what goes around, comes around. And the next time you find yourself with a bad lie, perhaps you won't kick it a few feet to get a bette shot. And when a ref decides to disqualify you in the medal round of your local tournament, maybe you'll hold back and not give him a roundhouse to the noggin.

In the description I said that this blog would be about a wide-range of topics, not just sports but also current events and technology and pop culture and so on. Therefore I present the first (of hopefully many) installments of R&R. So let's see what's been going on in the world in the past week or so.

ESPN the Magazine puts out a special issue each year, titled NEXT, about the next up-and-coming stars in sports. Previous NEXT athletes have included LeBron James (2003), Adrian Peterson (2004), Reggie Bush (2006), and Dwight Howard (2007). To say the least, if you're featured in this issue, the future looks bright for you.

But honestly, I've heard enough about these athletes. Every year there will be another pitcher, quarterback, point guard etc to laud over because those sports always get the most coverage. It's not covering something (or someone) new or exciting if the it's the same thing year after year, but with just a different name.

Here's the real NEXT that ESPN should cover: Which sport will be the next to join (or even replace) one of the current big 3 sports. Football, baseball, and basketball (in that order) have the largest fan bases in America, and every sports-jock radio show or sports section you pick up will cover these sports more than anything else.

But how long can it last? The average America, your Joe-Sportscenter, can't really be satisfied with just 3 sports to obsess over, can he? 3 sports can't successfully canvas the 4 seasons, could they?

We might be able to live with 3 sports, but for argument's sake, let's say they couldn't. Which other sport could successfully join the ranks of our nations elite pastimes? Which new sport could compete with the Super Bowl, March Madness, the BCS-debacle, and the Little League World Series for our nations undivided attention? After extensive research, we can boil down the suitors to 3, each with their own advantages and drawbacks.

The Longshot: Nascar

Auto racing has always been a part of this country's rich, illustrious history. Today, we have both Nascar and Indy racing, with Nascar getting considerable more attention with the advent of the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. There's a good amount of name recognition right now in Nascar, including a nice mix of veterans and rookies. Jeff Gordon, Dale Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logono, to name a few. This sport could really take off if they somehow managed to get Danica Patrick over from the IRL. Rumors have been fluttering around that, but so far they've just been rumors.

Why it won't work: The Point System
Nascar just doesn't fit into our sports system. For starters, the point system is wayyy to complicated. No one knows what it means, and no one can really figure it out. Anytime you see Nascar standings, you see the leader, everyone else, and how many points behind they all are. Does anyone even know how many points are a lot or a little? If someone told you that Jimmie Johnson held a 141-point lead over Carl Edwards with 1 race left, would you know that meant JJ is a better lock to win than Bernard Pollard for "Season Killer of the Year" award? Doubt it.

How they can fix it: KISS [Keep It Simple, Stupid]
According to Nascar 101 on Nascar's official website, "a race winner can earn a maximum of 195 points" per race. There are points awarded for leading laps, leading the most laps, and overall finish. This is never going to work. A fringe fan of Nascar is never going to take a peek at the standings and think, "Oh my gosh, JJ only needs to lead 14 laps and finish in 32nd to beat out a first place finish by Carl Edwards and win the Sprint Cup by 13 points." If people can't even figure out what 12 items means in a grocery store, they sure as hell can't get this straight. Ditch the algorithim that is your point system, and then we'll talk Nascar.

The Darkhorse: Hockey

I'll admit that of the 3 sports I'm going to talk about here, hockey is my personal favorite. I love the free-flowing style of play, the tough-as-nails players that play it, and that Crosby kid is something else. But for whatever reason, hockey has fallen off the map in recent years. Sure, the strike probably sent a lot of it's niche fans packing, but it's always been just that: a niche sport. Hockey reminds me of a girl who you used to be in a relationship with, but now you see her for booty calls only. When you see her it's late at night, you're probably drunk, and you can't think of anything better to do. Yup, that pretty much sums up the relatinoship most sportsfans have with hockey.

Why it won't work: Canada
I'm pretty sure the real reason why no one cares about hockey and hasn't yet broken from niche sport status is because our little brother Canada is so good at it. Everyone knows that Canada's best could beat America's finest any day, any time. And no one ever likes getting beat up by their younger siblings. Another, more valid reason, why hockey gets no love is the timing of its season. Hockey opens its season around Week 8 in the NFL, which is about the same time the NBA is tipping off. This means that by the time the NHL season really gets underway, the NFL regular season is ending and the playoffs starting, and college football is getting ready to crown a champion. Not to mention the entire NBA season runs side-by-side with the NHL. The timing just means that someone is going to get ignored, and unfortunately its the NHL.

How they can fix it: More gimmicks
The NHL spent the longest time appealing to it's private fan base. And then they lost them. Every single one of them. Bickering over dollars and cents. Which is probably the last thing that their true fans would ever worry about if they were making the same kind of money league was pulling down. Well since you've lost them for good, don't even try to get them back. Start appealing to the younger generation, the ones who love flashy uni's, student-priced tickets, and towel cannons shooting cheap cotton 20 rows into the upper deck. Keep dolling out the swag, and you'll find more seats getting filled each day. Who knows, maybe they'll even start caring about sport, like your old fans did.

The Favorite: Lacrosse
That's right. Lacrosse. The sport that has a swelling, young fan base coming out of the Northeast is getting ready to spread across the country. With the exception of the incident with the Duke team a few years back, lacrosse has done nothing but build momentum to take off. Among high schools and colleges, lacrosse is quickly becoming the most popular sport, behind only football in terms of enrollment numbers.

Why it will work: The youth movement
Everything new in this country picked up steam because the youth was behind it (Barack Obama anyone?) Lacrosse has slowly been building steam with the youth because it's easily one of the best casual sports, the same way 1-1 basketball or pickup football is. Hockey's too tough, because half the year it's too warm to play and you have to buy extra equipment for street hockey. And Nascar, obviously you can't bomb around your neighborhood at 200 mph. With lacrosse, it's just a stick and a ball and a wall, or a friend if you have one. What could be simpler?

The Bottom Line: If a sport is easy to play. People will play it. If people will play it, people will want to be good at it. And from this, sprouts competition, teams, rivalries, and everything else we love about sports. Lacrosse has it. And that's why it's NEXT.

Like most Americans, I love sports. But they are, by no means, perfect.

You could embody all seven of the deadly sins in the sports realm. Ladies lusting over the likes of Grady Sizemore and Tom Brady; the eternal greed of Scott Boras; the sloth that is Prince Fielder; the list goes on and on.

But my biggest beef with sports is when every0ne (and I mean everyone) notices something wrong with sports, yet nothing is done to fix it. When there is something so blatantly wrong in any given sport, there is no reason why it should not be changed. This is especially true when the solutions are just as blatant. Maybe the head honchos in each sport are just stubborn. Maybe they relish in the fact that their system is imperfect. Or maybe they are just oblivious to these issues. Well, if this is the case, I will gladly take it upon myself to enlighten them. They are as follows:

1) NFL Overtime Rules

Last night, the Patriots played the Jets for first place in the AFC East. Regulation ended with Matt Cassel conducting a very Brady/Favre-esque last-second drive, culminating with a pass to Randy Moss to tie the game and send it to overtime (note: guess who Randy Moss was covered by? None other than former-Patriot Ty Law, who the Jets signed a little more than 48 hours before the game). Move to overtime. The Jets win the coin toss, drive downfield, and win the game without the Patriots ever touching the ball.

There is no reason: the NFL hasn't abandonded their OT rules and adopted the college football overtime.

How many times can you remember your team losing in OT without ever getting a chance to rebuttle? And even if your team wins like this, doesn't it feel a little cheap? Almost like you're playing a game of Monopoly and you flip over the board before everyone realizes you just landed on Boardwalk and owe someone $5000 when you only have a pewter racecar to your name?

It's not like the solution to this is real difficult to think up. College football's already done the work for you. I'm even willing to say that college football has the most exciting OT of any sport. Even better than the shootout in hockey (more on that later). Every team gets a chance at the ball, and after 2 OT's, teams have to go for 2 on conversions. Absolutely breath-taking. Everytime. I can understand if the NFL wants to alter those rules a bit, (perhaps back up the starting field position by 10-15 yards) but something must be done! Each off-season the NFL meets to discuss rule changes to make the game better. Why hasn't this been resolved yet? Here's looking at you Roger Goodell.

2) NCAA Football BCS vs. Playoffs

As if this hasn't been discussed enough. You've heard it all too many times, but I'd just like to reiterate this point one more time.

There is no reason: there isn't a playoff to determine the national champion in college football.

Here's another situation where all the league has to do is look directly below them to find a viable solution. Division 1AA (or whatever it's called now) uses a playoff system to determine the winner each year, which has been Appalachian State the last 3 years. And no one's complaining down there.

There have been arguments across the board by pro-BCS advocates. It'll make the season too long, the regular season would mean less, fans would care less week to week, there are too many endorsements for the bowl games. Whatever. If President-elect Barack Obama, says the one thing he would change in sports is BCS system, I'd listen.

A college playoff would be the most exciting thing 3 weeks in sports since March Madness. Imagine all the new rivalries that would come out of this. You can't tell me that the regular season games would be meaningless, either. Since USC lost to Oregon St. this year and tumbled down the rankings, how many of you have actually watched their games? Or realized that they're playing unbelievable defense. The current BCS ranking system has turned the regular season into a waiting game to see when a team will get upset and blow their shot at a national title. After that first loss happens, no one cares if they finish 12-1 or 6-7. It just doesn't matter. Change to a playoff, and every game will determine your seed, if you face this team or that team in the playoffs, and people will once again care.

3) NHL Point System

Personally, I would like to see the NHL become relevant again in sports pop-culture. And I think it could do it with a little time. Hockey is one of the more visually appealing games to watch and attend, given the prices of tickets across the league. But here's a tip for NHL. Ditch the one point for an OT-loss.

There is no reason: NHL teams should get a point just for losing in OT.

Since when do we reward our athletes for being second best? Never. So why in today's NHL, with the grittiest athletes of any sports, should we give them half the reward of a win, for a loss? Especially as teams get closer to the playoffs, teams can start jockeying for ties in regulation, rather than gunning for wins. The OT-point also devalues the shootout, which should be the most exciting one-on-one showdown in all of sports. The NHL needs to draw that line between winners and losers, and stop rewarding teams for being good, but not good enough.