Time to reflect on the 2008 MLB season

Now that the Tampa Bay Rays are in the World Series, it’s no longer necessary to mention that they are the biggest surprise team in baseball in 2008. However, as the World Series is upon us now, let’s take a look back at the biggest other surprises, and busts, from this past season. I will also dole out my awards for the best individual performances.

Top Surprise Teams (Besides Rays)
- Minnesota Twins (88-74). The Twins were supposed to tank after dealing Johan Santana to the Mets for a very little haul and watching Torii Hunter depart in free agency. Instead, they battled the White Sox down to the very last day for the AL Central title, falling just short in a one-game playoff. Justin Morneau had an MVP-caliber year to help ignite an offense that on paper should still be one of the weaker ones in baseball. Their rotation, spearheaded by up-and-comers such as Scott Baker, kept them in many games, key because their bullpen still ranks as one of baseball’s best.
- Florida Marlins (84-77). Like the Twins, the Marlins greatly overachieved in a 2008 that was supposed to be a rebuilding year for them. Thanks to outstanding offensive years from the likes of Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla and great pitching from youngsters such as Ricky Nolasco, the Marlins were able to hang in despite a shaky bullpen and very little fan following. They ultimately came up short, but Fredi Gonzalez’s squad has paved the way for a breakout year in 2009.
- St. Louis Cardinals (86-76). The Cardinals used a patchwork starting rotation for virtually the entire year, yet Tony LaRussa’s team overcame that in addition to a two-week injury to all-world hitter Albert Pujols to stay in the hunt into September. The world champs of two years ago were also without the services of their ace Chris Carpenter for virtually the entire season, but utilized overachievers such as Todd Wellemeyer and Braden Looper to stay afloat.

Top Disappointments
- Detroit Tigers (74-88). Like many so-called “experts”, I had this team winning the World Series. Instead, they not only missed the playoffs, but finished in last place (behind even the Royals) in the suddenly weak AL Central. Their pitching was awful, especially their bullpen, while a lineup considered by many as the best in baseball never really got going on a consistent basis. By the time the dust cleared from a shocking 0-7 start, it was too late.
- Seattle Mariners (61-101). For some unknown reason, your truly had this awful club picked to win the AL West in 2008. Instead, they achieved the dubious feat of not having a single pitcher win 10 games. Starting pitching was a weak point in a surprising 2007 campaign, and the trade for Orioles ace Erik Bedard was supposed to fix that. Instead, Bedard pitched only 15 games for a team that lost a disgraceful 101 games.
- Arizona Diamondbacks (82-80). Yes, the Rockies could easily be on this list instead of the D-backs. My NL pick for the World Series, the D-backs showed that a great starting rotation can’t overcome a horrendous bullpen. With Brandon Lyon blowing saves left and right, many a great effort from Brandon Webb and Dan Haren were wasted. The offense never fully flourished, and instead of running away with a subpar NL West, Arizona ended up barely finishing over .500. The team that ended 2007 with the National League’s best record took a step backward in 2008.

Awards
- AL MVP: Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox. It pains me to give this to a Boston player, but Justin Morneau faltered greatly down the stretch for the Twins, and Carlos Quentin’s idiotic self-inflicted wrist injury cost him a chance for the award. Pedroia was the spark plug all year for a Red Sox lineup constantly enduring injuries. He hit .326, narrowly missing the batting title to Minnesota’s Joe Mauer, and tied Ichiro Suzuki for the league lead in hits with 213. Pedroia played in 157 games and also led the league with 118 runs scored.
- NL MVP: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals. Perhaps missing two weeks due to injury only enhanced Pujols’ case as the NL’s top player. He still finished second in batting average (.357) and on-base percentage (.462) and fourth in homers (37) and RBIs (116). The Cardinals offense went as Pujols did, as he once again proved that no one in as feared and respected at the plate than he is. Chase Utley, Lance Berkman, Hanley Ramirez, and Ryan Howard all deserve consideration, but Pujols deserves the trophy.
- AL Cy Young: Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians. Lee will also easily grab Comeback Player of the Year, as he bounced back from an injury- and ineffectiveness-plagued 2007 campaign to post an astonishing 22-3 record and 2.54 ERA while earning the start for the American League in the All-Star Game. He almost single-handedly turned a forgettable season for the Indians into a late-season push to .500.
- NL Cy Young: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants. I changed my mind about taking Brandon Webb, who won 22 games but faltered a bit down the stretch when his team was still in contention. Lincecum went 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA and a league-leading 265 strikeouts. His win and ERA totals were good for second in the league behind Webb and Johan Santana, respectively. Lincecum’s dominance prevented the Giants from being an utter laughingstock this year, as the baby-faced ace was perhaps the lone bright spot in yet another miserable season by the Bay.
- AL Rookie of the Year: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays. Even though he missed more than a month with a fractured wrist, Longoria was one of the main reasons the Rays went from worst to first in 2008. He led all major-league rookies with 27 home runs and all AL rookies with 85 RBIs for baseball’s best team and was outstanding defensively at third base. Chicago’s Alexei Ramirez should finish a close second, while Boston’s Jacoby Ellsbury will also garner some votes.
- NL Rookie of the Year: Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs. Soto appeared in 141 games for the National League’s best team, posting impressive numbers, especially for a backstop. He led all rookies with 86 RBIs while hitting a solid .285 and clubbing 23 homers. He was as valuable as anyone for the 97-win Cubs in 2008. Cincinnati’s Joey Votto also had an outstanding rookie season and deserves consideration.
- AL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays. This one is almost self-explanatory. The Rays remarkable turn-around and run to the top of the AL East standings was baseball’s best story in 2008. Maddon got the most out of a roster that, on paper, wasn’t anything dynamic. Seemingly every move he made turned out well, and his “9=8” slogan seemed to energize his team throughout the season.
- NL Manager of the Year: Lou Piniella, Chicago Cubs. Yes, normally it would be hard to fathom Sweet Lou, manager of the talent-loaded, high-payroll Cubs, getting the nod. But in a year in which no other team took center stage quite like the Cubbies, Piniella deserves the award. He kept his team focused and competitive despite endless talk of the curse, and guided the Cubs to their most wins since 1945. Chicago was one of the most exciting teams to watch, and that’s no coincidence.

Boston-hater haters rejoice, and attack yours truly

I deserve it. All my Boston-bashing has come back to bite me yet again, as your beloved Red Sox have completed another amazing comeback en route to a World Series title. I was left speechless, even a tad bit queasy. I knew subconsciously it was possible, but I couldn’t grasp it as reality. Until it actually happened, that is.
J.D. Drew, the great one, a hero yet again. A team with no business being in the playoffs succumbing to Fenway magic. It was bound to happen. So let’s give credit where credit is due, wherever credit is due. Perhaps it is time for me to stop fighting it and instead embrace it as cold-hard fact. After all, I have long-searched for happiness in sports. My Orioles have been in the toilet for years, and the Ravens’ best years are long behind them.
The Patriots are hurting this year, and the Bruins aren’t exactly the cream of the crop, but no worries. The Red Sox and Celtics are not only picking up the slack, they’re capturing hearts and places in history with each passing day.
I avow you this right now. If miraculously, somehow, the Red Sox don’t win these last 2 ALCS games behind Josh Beckett and Jon Lester, I will not bash Boston and say “Just kidding!” about this recent rant. Rather, I will simply express pure shock that this unimaginable comeback didn’t lead to a third world title in five years for the Nation. That a team winning solely with momentum and confidence, and not sheer talent, is in the World Series instead of the best team baseball has seen in years.
The two aces are still left to go for Boston, and I would really be surprised if a Boston fan told me he/she was concerned about their team’s chances at this point. Even down 3-2, how could you be worried? Tampa Bay will help your team out even if they are not doing enough themselves to get by.
I’m not a rocket scientist, nor do I claim to be one. But I envision a bounce-back start from Beckett, followed by a classic dominant performance by Lester in Game 7 so send Beantown into yet another frenzy.
Red Sox Nation, start preparing for the victory parade.

Shhh – NFC South quietly making waves

You know that division where every team is at or above .500? The one with all the hoopla, the top-notch quarterbacks and such? Okay, the NFC East has lived up to its hype for the most part. The division boasts the defending Super Bowl champions and everyone’s consensus Super Bowl pick for this season. In addition to the Giants and Cowboys, the Redskins have been an early-season surprise at 4-2 while the Eagles are treading water at 3-3.
But the East isn’t the only NFC division with an impressive resume through six weeks. Thanks to the upstart Falcons, the South also has three teams with winning records and a fourth at 3-3. The Buccaneers, Falcons, and Panthers are all 4-2 thanks to solid quarterback play and strong defenses. The Saints, another chic Super Bowl pick this year, have been their usual Jekyll-and-Hyde selves, hanging in despite a boatload of injuries.
Let’s face it, sexiness sells. The NFC South is hardly “sexy”. The Bucs and Panthers in particular are hard-nosed, grind out it teams who rarely achieve style points for their success. Even with a dynamic player like Steve Smith, Carolina has never won pretty. The Falcons have garnered more attention in recent years for their disgraced former star quarterback than anything they’ve done on the field. Fortunately, it’s been a new young sensation at QB that’s helped Atlanta regenerate excitement.
You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who truly believes this year’s NFC Super Bowl representative will come from outside the NFC East. The North and West are clearly a cut-below. But lest we forget that it was just a few years ago that the NFC South produced back-to-back Super Bowl teams and then a title game representative the next. While they have won a total of just one playoff game since 2005, perhaps it’s time to start giving them some props again.

Big Brother was watching Sox in Game 1

Did you see that Game 1 of the ALCS? Well someone above certainly did, and he was donning the famous “B” cap. The 2-0 Red Sox victory was sprinkled (maybe “tainted” is a better word) with the kind of breaks that have no business being the determining factor in a championship series. Mark Kotsay, the team’s obligatory in-season pickup-for-nothing, was inevitable right at the heart of that. The left-hander hit a check swing double off James Shields in the 5th inning to set up the game’s first run. He almost duplicated the feat in his next at-bat but was thwarted by a great effort from Rays’ shortstop Jason Bartlett.
Then, of course, was Dice-K getting lucky, just as he has all year. The Rays hit themselves out of a game-tying inning in the 7th before Evan Longoria aided reliever Justin Masterson with a double play ball in the 8th. Of course, sandwiched in between was a ball glancing off the glove of left fielder Carl Crawford to plate the much-needed insurance run.
The Red Sox, as usual, got more breaks last night than a Kit Kat bar, while the Rays could only scratch their collective heads. Considering that there is no team with that kind of karma, this bad movie will have a predictable ending yet again in 2008. Unfortunately, the final victim will be the Philadelphia Phillies and their die-hard fans, starving for a championship for the first time since 1980. The Phillies are no match for the Red Sox, and bitter memories of Super Bowl XXXIX will arise and once again haunt city of Brotherly Love.
The final word is this. Since that matchup is obvious, it will be Brad Lidge choking again in the postseason at the hands of a David Ortiz walk-off home run. The rerun will air sometime next week during the Red Sox’s final frontier.

Ponder this theory on Dice-K

Okay, so you, the reader, have to make a decision now. The decision is regarding Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Boston Red Sox, whether or not he is one of the greatest pitchers of all time.

I am one of the top Red Sox haters, but I am starting to wonder after Game 1 of the ALCS. If Matsuzaka isn't perceived as great, he has at least earned the nickname Jam Master (Dice)K. I can't figure out myself how he constantly gets out of jams. I am aware he has good stuff, but so did Sandy Koufax and Walter Johnson. Like all greats, they were human, they had bad outings that they wanted to erase from their memory. But no, not Dice-K. No matter how bad he pitches, he is bailed out.

This is a guy that walks about 5 batters per game, yet continues to defy logic. Watching his games make me sick, especially game 1 of the ALCS, because it's a tease. You think you are about to rally, and then the opposing hitter psyches himself out and swings at an awful pitch to strand the runners. The Rays had 1st and 3rd with 0 outs needing just a ground ball or adequately deep fly ball to tie the game, yet came up empty. They ended up, predictably, being shutout.

So is this one of the all-time greats weaving his magic? Or just the baseball gods once again doing everything in their power to help the Red Sox? That is for you the reader to answer.

ESPN hoping (dying, actually) for Sox-Dodgers Series

If only the world were truly perfect were ESPN… But oh, it can be. Even though Golden Boy Tom Brady is shelved for the year, the Red Sox-Dodgers World Series that is seemingly inevitable will fill up countless hours of airtime. America’s heartthrob sports city against Tinsel Town and all its glory. Manny against the Sox. Nomar and Lowe against the Sox. Joe Torre matching wits with Terry Francona yet again, almost like a renewal of the Yankees-Sox rivalry.
Boston versus L.A. in sports is equivalent to Boston over L.A. Red Sox over Angels. Celtics over Lakers. Harvard over USC (okay, not in sports, but in things that matter, like academics). Besides the obvious sports storylines that this World Series will feature, it will also feature all the Red Sox fans in the celebrity community making their presence felt on both coasts. I can picture it now, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck flaunting their David Ortiz jerseys in the faces of so-called Dodger fans like Alyssa Milano (yea that’s lame, but can you think of any real Dodgers fans)?
It’s almost as if this matchup should’ve been a sure thing since Day One. It’s almost as if the pro-Boston media getting its juicy stories to air supersedes the once-pure aura of sports. This decade has been all about Boston sports, a kind of divine intervention not seen in professional sports. Do the gods feel bad about the Curse and all that stuff? Doesn’t seem to be working for the Cubs.
The Red Sox-Dodgers world series would be nothing more than a sideshow with no desirable winner. Even a Dodgers victory would somehow be diminished in the wake of Boston’s seven other pro titles in the 2000s. And Manny getting another ring would hardly be a settling feeling.
World Are-You-Serious 2008 here we come.

Naturally, Yankees help Sox-- ESPN should be all over it

I've stopped reading ESPN.com, much like I've stopped watching ESPN TV. That's easy in Canada, where they don't have it. While the Yankees were busy parading their history and their tradition in front of my hapless Orioles, lost in the fold was some simple math. Like the number one, Boston's magic number for clinching a playoff berth.

While the schedule makers clearly aired in not making the Yankees' final home game against the Red Sox, the extra insult came in that a Yankees lost would have allowed Boston to clinch a playoff berth prior to their season-ending seven-game homestand. While I don't condone that fact, it is, at this point, inevitable. It would have been much better to have the Red Sox celebrate quietly in the confines of their individual homes rather than tomorrow night at Fenway Park once they get through dismantling the woeful Indians.

So as usual, Red Sox bandwagoners have something to be happy about. This time, they can thank the Yankees for winning and allowing their team to clinch at home in front of the so-called greatest fans in baseball (try telling that to the Wrigley die-hards).

ESPN and its undying Boston-New York bias did not get around to mentioning this in its 12-hour Yankees memory-lane trip today, but given the opportunity it most certainly would have. In an age where the baseball gods are smiling down at the Red Sox 24-7, this is a new low for inconvenient truths.

Dolphins, Saints know stormy times lie ahead for Texans

The 2004 version of the Miami Dolphins and 2005 version of the New Orleans Saints can probably relate to what this year’s Houston Texans team is going through already. With Hurricane Ike ravaging the gulf of Texas, and Reliant Stadium banged up as a result, those two clubs cringingly think back to recent seasons in which they were focused on Mother Nature than their next opponent.
The ’04 Dolphins had their first two home games moved around because of Hurricane Jeanne. Their opener was moved up a day to Saturday, and their second home game was played in a monsoon on a Sunday night. Amidst all of their football troubles that year, the natural disasters helped contribute to a miserable 4-12 campaign.
The Saints ’05 season was much more well-documented, as Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans before the regular season began. The SuperDome was wrecked, and the Saints played their home schedule in three different locations: Baton Rouge, San Antonio, and one “home” game at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. The end result was a 3-13 record and controversy that owner Tom Benson wanted to move the team to San Antonio on a permanent basis.
While those two teams did follow up those nightmarish seasons with winning records the next year, the Texans may be in for a rough go of it this year. Even if their home opener against Baltimore is the only one affected by Ike, their season had already begun on a sour note with a 38-17 drubbing at the hands of the Steelers. Combine that with playing in the AFC’s toughest division, and the off-field distractions could prove to be too much for a team that has still never had a winning season in its six-year history.

Classless Red Sox buying their way back atop East

What is it with all of these also-ran teams willingly handing over solid veteran players to the Boston Red Sox for virtually nothing? Are most baseball general managers just green with envy over Theo Epstein? The same can be said about teams' quick willingness to help out the New York Yankees as well.

When most teams in most sports suffer injuries or ineffectiveness, it's up to the bench players or minor league players to step up and fill the voids. But with deep deep pockets, the Red Sox and Yankees have an easier solution -- just go out and buy a player because something isn't going their way.

J.D. Drew whines about back spasms, and so naturally Mark Kotsay is in Boston within days. Tim Wakefield needs a cortisone shot, so the Red Sox pick up rabid HGH user Paul Byrd. Hideki Matsui goes down for the Yankees, and Xavier Nady comes by and hits another 15 home runs down the stretch.

It is a crying shame the Tampa Bay Rays didn't go out and stock up at the trade deadline, and in some ways kudos to them for showing class and not abusing the system like the financial demons above them did. But it is coming back to bite them now, as they will be buried back in second place in the American League East within a matter of days.

O no: Osi's injury hampers Giants repeat hopes

Can you imagine the New York Giants defense without Michael Strahan AND Osi Umenyiora? Unfortunately, that nightmare scenario is now a reality for the defending world champions. For a team that showed off its depth during its incredible championship run last year, their two Pro Bowl ends missing could spell doom for Big Blue.

Can the Giants get pressure on opposing quarterbacks like they did last season with Justin Tuck as their premier pass rusher? I for one would have to say no. It is truly a shame, as Umenyiora is not only one of the top ends in the game but also one of the most likable players as well. He was expected to become the defensive leader after Strahan's retirement, but now newly-compensated coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will have his hands full trying to gameplan without his two top guns from a year ago.

Rays' Friedman whiffed at deadline, paying price

Tampa Bay Rays GM Andrew Friedman has assembled quite a collection of young talent. A team that never won more than 70 games before this year and is now 73-47 is a remarkable story. The Rays are baseball's darlings. But they are suddenly looking more human, day by day.

When Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria landed on the disabled list within a week, it began to expose the roster a little bit. Even more so it highlighted the team's failure to land a big-time bat at the trade deadline. They made a solid pickup in Chad Bradford off waivers to bolster their bullpen depth, but their lineup looks far inferior to that of the league's elite. The blame falls completely on Friedman.

Xavier Nady looked like the ideal fit in Tampa Bay's weak outfield, yet he ended up with the Yankees, who hardly needed another fat contract on their $200M payroll. Ken Griffey and Jason Bay were possibilities, but those pipe dreams quickly faded. Raul Ibanez's name was rumored in the past few days, but no deal was struck. The Rays are now leaning on the likes of journeymen like Eric Hinske and Gabe Gross to help fill the lineup void left by Crawford and Longoria. Carlos Pena and B.J. Upton are hardly reliable as the lineup's mainstays.

The sad part in all this is not just that they missed out on possible key additions, but rather that they have as deep and talented a farm system as anyone to dip into to try and win this year. They decided to play coy with several of their top farmhands and stick with the bats that they had. Considering they have one .300 hitter in their lineup, that wasn't a wise choice.

The Pirates are an utter disgrace, may they continue to suffer

It's official: I hate the Pittsburgh Pirates. At about 8:30 EST I stopped feeling sorry for their pathetic trek of 15 straight losing seasons when they effectively handed the New York Yankees a playoff berth with the trade of Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte for a box of pizza (okay, technically four garbage prospects, but what's the difference?)

The Yankees once again get what they want, and didn't have to bat an eyelash to do it. The Tampa Bay Rays desperately needed Nady's bat. A plethora of other teams could've used Marte's left arm. Did the Pirates actually take the time to see if they could get quality players for these two? No. Instead, they shipped them off for nothing to the Evil Empire. Surely, it's another "rebuilding" phase for the despicable franchise. The Yankees, meanwhile, will rally around their near-$200 million payroll but claim they truly had to dig deep for this one. With a few players on the disabled list, that only left about $150 million worth of talent on the field. However did they make the postseason in that case?

The (expletive)-burgh Pirates are to thank for that.

From one Yankee-hater-turned-Pirate-hater to you, I propose this question. Now that their top man is off the table, do the Tampa Bay Rays turn their attention to Ken Griffey? Regardless, the Yankees got their way. In the end, that seems to be all that really matters.

In Rod They Trusted

Not a day seems to go by in today’s NFL when there isn’t a me-first wide receiver grabbing headlines, whether it’s demanding to be more involved in the offense or demanding a new contract or else. From the Terrell Owenses (at least pre-Cowboys) to the Anquan Boldins of today’s game, it’s quite easy to lose sight of their great production on the field because of their whining and selfish antics off it.

But then there’s Rod Smith.

Smith was always one of my favorite receivers. When he formally announced his retirement today in an emotional press conference, it was a good reminder that there are some players at his position that have it all yet can keep it all in perspective. A lifetime Denver Bronco after joining the team as an undrafted free agent in 1995, Smith tallied some impressive numbers in his 13-year career. His franchise records include 849 receptions, 11,389 receiving yards, 68 touchdown catches, and 31 100-yard games. He is a proud owner of two Super Bowl rings as well.

I hardly have a voice when it comes to Hall of Fame votes, but Rod Smith merits one. While his numbers may not look dazzling, his consistency and loyalty to the Broncos organization was. A 13-year career spent with one team, a pair of championships, and countless clutch plays should be rewarded with a trip to Canton. Best yet, no one will ever accuse him of being an attention-grabber, a pain in the rear, or a distraction to his football team. He quietly caught passes first from John Elway, then Brian Griese and Jake Plummer before missing all of last year with a hip injury. He handled himself with class, and yet his name rarely surfaced in discussions about the game’s top pass catchers.

No matter.

As Smith pointed out in his retirement news conference, all he ever wanted to do was win. And win he did. In the process, he made quite a name for himself, even if it was in fact a quiet one.

Come on Brett, now it's starting to get ridiculous

Don't get me wrong, I admire Brett Favre. He is one of my favorite players. It's really hard not to root for him, I suppose unless you are a fan of one his NFC North rival teams. But with the season he had last year, leading the Packers to the NFC championship game, it was as close to going out on top as he was going to get. The Packers probably would've been steamrolled by the Patriots in the Super Bowl anyway.

When Favre announced his retirement at an emotional press conference back on March 6, the media, fans, and everyone alike was taken by storm. NFL Network ran endless hours of Favre-related programming to honor the future Hall of Famer. As shocking as the decision was given the Packers' success last year, it was time to move on to the Aaron Rodgers era while fondly reflecting on the magical career of one No. 4.

But here we are in July, with training camp right around the bend, and it appears as if Favre may not be done after all. In fact, he has apparently asked to be granted his release by the Packers in the case that he does come back and the team plans to move on without him.

So forget Favre's usually thumb-twiddling of "should I stay or should I go?" This situation is much more fragile considering the Packers had already named Rodgers their new top gun. The franchise is now in a tenuous position. Ted Thompson probably does not want to be known as the general manager to part ways with Brett Favre, but it turns out he just might. And Favre's selfishness and indecision is a major migraine for Green Bay's front office.

I for one want to remember Favre for the tremendous year he had last year as the icing on a magical career. With all of the adversity he has overcome on and off the field in his 17 years in the league, it is hard not to marvel at him. Even as he has become more outspoken in recent years, he is still as beloved a player as anyone in the game. But if he were to backtrack on this decision and end up playing somewhere else, it would not only be painful to watch, but disturbing in many ways. The sight of Favre in another uniform would mark an ugly ending to a wonderful relationship between him and the Packers. Aaron Rodgers has already borne enough burden this offseason before even getting the opportunity to prove himself as an NFL quarterback. Mike McCarthy went out and drafted Brian Brohm to help the youth infusion at QB in the post-Favre era. But now the third-year head coach has this distraction hanging over him and his young team. Why? Becuase Brett Favre apparently decided he not only feels like playing again, but that he is also more important than the well-being of the Packers organization.

Remember him? Former Super Bowl winner again taking a back seat

He may be the most unceremonious Super Bowl winning quarterback this side of Trent Dilfer (and perhaps Mark Rypien). But Brad Johnson, who guided the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 48-21 rout of the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII, has had an above-average career that currently has him holding a clipboard for Tony Romo in Dallas. He will be entering his 17th NFL season in 2008 after being drafted in the 9th round of the 1992 Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. He is among the most accurate passers in NFL history, becoming the first player to complete over 60% of his passes in 12 straight seasons. Yet he has always taken a backseat role to flavors of the month despite his steady production. First it was Randall Cunningham in his 1998 renaissance year. Then it was Jeff George in a 2000 season in Washington gone awry. Tavarais Jackson helped give him the boot in his second stint in Minnesota before Johnson became Romo's backup this past year.

So perhaps it was only fitting that Johnson's performance in 2002 was overshadowed by the Buccaneers' dominant defense. He almost assuredly will never be a starter again in the league, but if Romo succumbs to injury, the Cowboys would be in steady hands with Johnson.

Johnson had a potentially promising career with the Redskins before injury and ineffectiveness in 2000 led to George taking over at the helm. Johnson left as a free agent in 2001 to join the Bucs, but a one-and-done in the playoffs had many questioning if he was capable of taking Tampa Bay deep into the playoffs. But Johnson flourished in Jon Gruden's first season as head coach, and was as instrumental to their Super Bowl run as their vaunted defense.

Alas, he will not end up in Canton. He may not even be remembered by the casual football fan when his career officially ends. But he'll always have his Super Bowl ring and a place in the history books.

Minus fanfare, D-Backs could still slither to top of NL

They certainly aren't baseball's sexiest team. Considering they have Randy Johnson, how could they be? But despite their pedestrian 40-37 record, the Arizona Diamondbacks still may be better equipped to make a run at the NL pennant than the recent fan-favorite, the Chicago Cubs. They have last year's NL Cy Young winner and last year's AL All-Star starter heading their starting rotation, perhaps the most lethal 1-2 punch in baseball. They have two of the top up-and-coming outfielders in Chris Young and former first-overall pick Justin Upton. While the Cubs possess a much deeper lineup, their pitching, namely their starting pitching, is a cut below Arizona's. Johnson, Doug Davis, and Micah Owings round out the D-Backs' starting staff.

I am sticking to my guns of my preseason pick of Arizona as NL champions. Yes, it's early. Yes, the Cubs are the darlings of the Midwest, a team starving for a championship for 100 years now. The Cardinals and Phillies will have a say. But last year's league-runner up, Arizona, could be best-assembled to compete in a playoff series. While I have whiffed thus far on my AL pick, the Detroit Tigers, I will stand by the Diamondbacks. Very quietly, they could snake their way to National League supremacy.

Interleague Play has lost its luster

I am saying enough with interleague play. It was a novelty for the first few years, and then again when they rotated it so teams could play teams from other divisions in the opposing league. But really, all it does it highlight the major discrepancy between the quality of American League teams and National League teams. When I see Kansas City beating up on Arizona and the Tigers regaining life against the Dodgers, I realize that while those NL teams are considered solid in their respective league, they are a cut below the majority of American League teams.

Interleague play, in addition to feeding the top AL teams easy wins against NL bottom feeders, also can spoil some of the potential World Series matchups. In the old days you knew the only AL-NL showdown you'd see was the World Series, a pair of teams with no past history on a collision course for destiny. Now, it's not the case. The last three years have featured World Series matchups that played out in the regular season.

I'd rather see the AL teams beat up on the AL teams and the NL teams beat up on the NL teams all the way up until late October. But I also want a salary cap, and world-class commissioner Bud Selig doesn't figure to take that path either.

Real fans don't need to wear paraphernalia

Maybe it's just frustration stemming from the countless baseball hats with the dreaded "B" logo on it (technically stands for Boston, but actually stands for Bandwagoner). A few years prior, the "NY" Yankees hats were seemingly the only sports gear people wore, with an occasional Lakers jersey or Cowboys t-shirt mixed in.

Which brings up an interesting question. Ever talked to a Kansas City Chiefs fan? How about a Cleveland Indians supporter? As crazy as it sounds in this Boston/New York universe that we are victims of, there are, in fact, fans of some of those other sports organizations. While the Tony Gonzalez jerseys and Grady Sizemore tees are scarce, it doesn't mean that those teams, like many others, aren't well followed and supported. Most sports fans are not spoiled by their teams' success and have to stick with their teams through the rough patches (I should know, I support Baltimore sports teams and follow the Blue Jays rather closely up here in Toronto).

The fact of the matter is, as many knowledgeable sports fans as there are, many do not have to flash their teams' logos to prove to others that they are fans. As many fashionable logos and jerseys as there are out there, sometimes sports paraphernalia is as much a fashion statement as anything else. And that's where one can separate the paraphernalia from the true fans.

While it seems like most all sports teams outside of Boston aren't allowed to ever win championships, there is an occasional ray of hope. Every now and then I'll spot a Steelers' Super Bowl XL hat or a Florida Gators National Championship shirt. Of course, Steelers and Gators fans are certainly more hardcore than the average team. It's just that not every one of them needs to show it off.

Fantasy race: LT vs. AP

LaDainian Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson have flat out separated themselves from the rest of the running backs in the NFL. Peterson took the league by storm last year in his first year, just like Tomlinson did six years prior as a rookie.

If these two phenomenal running backs were to in fact race, it would be a dream matchup. It isn't that they are the two fastest backs in the league. That may in fact be far from the truth. But if one were to apply a guantlet of defensive players to them, it would simply be dazzling to watch them maneuver their ways to the end zone.

Tomlinson does it with his vision as much as he does with his speed and power. Peterson's cut backs top that of even Fred Taylor. Both can catch the ball out of the backfield, but LT is more adept at it than Peterson.

For them to start at midfield and dash to the end zone would be exciting, to say the least. Tomlinson would get there primarily on the strength of his initial burst, while Peterson would be more likely to utilize his patience, then draw defenders one way just to juke them back another way. The end result would have the two mild-mannered backs high-stepping into the end zone just a few split seconds apart. In a dead sprint, Tomlinson might win. But any time these two backs go head to head, it would be worth the price of admission.

Just think back several months to their only encounter. Peterson stole Tomlinson's thunder and Jamal Lewis' old rushing record by ripping LT's Bolts for an NFL-best 296 yards. What will they have in store when their teams meet again in 2011? It's a shame we will have to wait that long.

Now the Patriots are snitches, too

The team that Eric Mangini ratted out, much to the delight of many NFL fans, now has its own personal snitch. Nick Kaczur, and offensive lineman, helped the feds bust his supplier after Kaczur was arrested for illegal possession of a painkiller.
Kaczur is the third Patriots player to be arrested on drug charges since the Super Bowl, a time that the NFL’s dirtiest team on the field is starting to have their noses covered in off-the-field business. After Willie Andrews and Kevin Faulk were caught with marijuana, Kaczur was caught with painkillers. As a true Patriot, he turned into the golden boy all of a sudden, cooperating with the feds to save face. Maybe the feds simply didn’t want to smear the Patriots’ “good” name.
Or maybe it’s yet another heartwarming story, a Boston athlete doing a good deed. Of course, being a spy is nothing new to the Patriots. Kaczur surely was well-prepared seeing as how he learned from the best in Bill Belichick.