The Sights of Opening Day

Alex Rios and Vernon Wells get ready for their turn in the batting cage before Opening Day against the Tigers, as hitting coach Gene Tenace looks on.

General Manager J.P. Riccardi looks to involve third baseman Scott Rolen in a laugh, but Rolen doesn't seem interested.

Jays' manager Cito Gaston has always been known as a hitter's manager - as Lyle Overbay learns in batting practice. Overbay's first at-bat in the game? An RBI double.

The Jays' hopes for 2009 rest on their young bats, such as Adam Lind and Travis Snider (above). Snider went deep on Opening Day.

Toronto's 12-5 Opening Day was almost marred when fans began throwing objects on the field, including 2 baseballs. After a conference between managers - and a warning from the P.A. announcer that any more objects thrown would result in a Jays forfeit - the game resumed without incident.

Now, It's Truly Spring

Yes - the NHL playoffs are almost here, the snow is long melted...and the baseball season begins on Sunday night. Here are my picks for the upcoming season:

AL:


East - Tampa Bay

The American League East certainly seems like it will fall into the same trappings as last year, even with New York making major improvements to its roster. But Tampa Bay and Boston have similar pitching and better offence, so they will survive baseball's toughest division.

Central - Chicago

The Central will come down to Chicago, Minnesota and Cleveland, but don't be surprised if Kansas City isn't in it when Labour Day rolls around. They're built like the Rays were last year, with great hitting and an amazing rotation. If not this year, then next for the Royals.

West - Los Angeles

The West seems like it will be L.A.'s party, although Oakland should make strides. Texas and Seattle are too far back to contend.

W/C - Boston

American League Champion: Tampa Bay

NL:

East - Philadelphia

Even with the Mets' improvements to their bullpen, the Phillies should have enough firepower to hold them off. Florida and Atlanta are better, but it's not their year.

Central - Chicago

There really is no other option in baseball's weakest division. St. Louis always seems to find a way to finish second, but talent-wise, they can't compete with the Cubs. The Reds could surprise, but it won't be enough.

West - Los Angeles

As much as the Giants have improved, the West is a two team race between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks. L.A. needs their pitching to hold up, because the offence is there. They may not do much in the playoffs, but they should have enough to win the West.

W/C - New York

National League Champion: Chicago

World Series Champion: Tampa Bay

It's hard to imagine the Cubs making the World Series, let alone winning it. The Rays young talent leads them past the tough American League, and lets them cruise to their first ever World Series championship.

Just Lose, Baby!!

This evening, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Ottawa Senators in overtime, 4-3. Pavel Kubina potted his second of the night off a 3 on 2 rush to give the Buds their 4th straight win.

This result is important for Leafs Nation because Toronto is "battling" with Ottawa for mediocrity in the cellar of the NHL standings, and another Leafs win moves Toronto further and further away from the possibility of a number 1 pick.

The Leafs' fans who are cheering for losses by their team certainly had high hopes entering tonight's game - head coach Ron Wilson started Curtis Joseph for the first time since January 1, possibly suggesting Toronto is tanking games like this in order to improve their chances at the "next, next one", John Tavares.

Only in Toronto.

Only in Canada's largest city could losing be seen as winning. You see, this way, when the Leafs win, fans can be happy and when the Leafs lose, fans can say "at least this improves our draft position."

This line of thinking - particularly in the Leafs organization itself, which has no reason to deflect this type of thinking, as seats get sold regardless - is dangerous for a city which badly needs a championship by its most important franchise.

When one looks at the best teams of the last dozen years - Detroit, San Jose, Colorado, Pittsburgh, New Jersey - one can see (with the exception of Pittsburgh) that #1 picks are not necessarily important to their success.

Detroit is successful because it finds gems such as Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg in the later rounds. San Jose is successful because it develops its young players over many years, keeping their team in the running every season.

If the Leafs truly wanted to position themselves as a team in search of multiple winning campaigns, their focus would be on whom to draft in the 4th and 5th rounds and developing said players, rather than rolling the dice for Tavares.

Maybe the Brian Burke era will do this, I don't know. But losing begets losing, and hoping to finish 14th instead of 10th does nothing to the morale of the young players in your locker room now who need to learn how to win and how to improve.

1 Down, 103 To Go

After Sports Illustrated reported that Alex Rodriguez used performance-enhancing drugs (a term so popular now, the acronym PED is commonplace), the greatest current baseball player admitted that, yes, this leaked report was correct, and yes, he took PED's while playing for Texas from 2001 to 2003.

A-Rod (or A-Fraud, or A-Roid, or just, you know...Alex) certainly has learned from his juiced predecessors. After a few hours of angst, the public and media largely forgave Jason Giambi, Andy Pettitte and Jose Canseco for their admitted drug use. The reception for those players who have denied similar evidence, namely Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, hasn't been as receptive.

The question still remains, though: Why was Alex Rodriguez's name the only one of 104 from this list of "cheaters" that was leaked to SI? Why is pitcher/blogger Curt Schilling the only person bringing this up nationally?

There are 104 baseball players who took PED's before baseball make them illegal. It's time for the less-famous names to be released, so those who bemoan players like Bonds, Clemens, and now Rodriguez, will release steroid use in baseball was a wide-spread problem not limited to superstars.

Once that happens, maybe we can all move on.

It All Comes Down To This...

Cardinals vs. Steelers.

Whisenhunt vs. Tomlin.

Warner vs. Roethlisberger.

My accuracy in picking winners vs. reality.

Okay, so that last one isn't a storyline going into Sunday's Super Bowl (the 43rd of its kind), but with my 5-5 record in the playoffs, this pick will determine my success rate. Last year, I picked the Patriots to win, even though I desperately wanted them to lose - what with the cheating and all. And I was wrong - happily, I might add.

This year, I freely admit I am pulling for the Cardinals. How can you not cheer for a franchise as pathetic as this? The Cards make the Leafs look like a successful franchise when you look at their respective histories.

This is a team which hosted its first playoff game in 61 years this season, then hosted their second 2 weeks later.

This is a team with a quarterback who was left for retired 3 years ago and who wasn't the starter when training camp began.

This is a team with as many names before the word "Cardinals" as the Bills have AFC championships (Chicago, St. Louis, Phoenix, Arizona).

This is a team that won their last championship in 1947.

This is a team to root for.

But they are playing the Steelers, the epitomy of success in the NFL. With a 5-1 Super Bowl record, they are tied with the 49ers for most Lombardi trophies (although San Francisco is 5-0 in the big game). A win on Sunday cements Pittsburgh as the league's best team all-time.

A team that found a way to beat the Seahawks 3 years ago for this trophy, even with its quarterback having an awful game (after all, the most important throw in that game was by Antwan Randle-El).

This is a team that didn't do anything special all year, except win when it mattered.

So who will win?

My heart says Arizona. My head says Pittsburgh. I'll go with my head in the hopes, like last year, it is wrong.

Pittsburgh Steelers 30, Arizona Cardinals 24.

Record: 5-5

Will The Real NFL Champion Please Stand Up?

So, after 17 weeks of punishing regular season play and 2 weeks of playoffs, only 4 teams are left in the race for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

In the AFC, perennial favourites Pittsburgh host resurgent Baltimore in an AFC North battle which, like last week's Ravens/Titans game, will likely see the first team to hit 10 points win.

In the NFC, the most unlikely of matchups: The 6 seed Eagles, who needed the Bears and Bucs to lose on the last day (to the Texans and Raiders, no less) and to beat the Cowboys just to make the playoffs, visit the worst franchise in the history of professional football for the NFC Championship. The Arizona/St. Louis/Chicago Cardinals franchise took 61 years in between hosting playoff games. They'll now host their second in three weeks.

I'm 4-4, so you have to be impressed with my consistency.

AFC - Ravens @ Steelers: In recent weeks, the Ravens have always seemed to find a way to win, but, with the Steelers winning both matchups this season, I think Baltimore will be hard pressed to knock out the Steelers. Steelers 16, Ravens 12.

NFC - Eagles @ Cardinals: Anyone who said these two teams would meet in the NFC title game at the beginning of the season, let alone when the playoffs began, was either very lucky or very good. Like these two teams, I'm going with the former. Arizona's strength all year has been their play at home, but the Eagles seem like a team of destiny. I planned to pick Arizona all week, but I'm changing my mind. Which never goes well... Eagles 27, Cardinals 23.

Record: 4-4

NFL Divisional Weekend

Okay, so 2-2 isn't all bad for my first round of predictions in a while (of the first round, no less), but I'd still like to improve that this weekend. Say, 3-1?

AFC

(6) Baltimore @ (1) Tennessee: Since the Titans lost at home to the Jets (which seems horrible looking back), Tennessee hasn't really shown themselves against a strong team. Baltimore, meanwhile, showed why defence wins championships. Yes, I still don't trust the Titans. Ravens 16, Titans 13.

(4) San Diego @ (2) Pittsburgh: As soon as the Colts were eliminated by the Chargers on Saturday night, I said to myself: Okay, so now it's the Steelers going to the Super Bowl. Even with Big Ben coming off a concussion and the last meeting between these teams being a 1 point game, I still like Pittsburgh. Steelers 17, Chargers 9.

NFC

(6) Philadelphia @ (1) New York: Say what you want about the Plaxico distraction, the slide down the stretch, and the difficulty of repeating as champs, but New York is still the league's best team, and I don't trust Philly to win 3 straight games against good teams. Giants 27, Eagles 19.

(4) Arizona @ (2) Carolina: The fact that one of these teams is guaranteed a spot in the NFC Championship game speaks to how far back these two were last year. But, alas, here they are. The Cards won't pull it off again, especially with the vaunted Panther running game and the fact that Arizona is horrible on the East Coast. Panthers 34, Cardinals 10.

Record: 2-2

From The End Comes A New Beginning

The NFL regular season is now over, setting up one of the more interesting playoff years in recent memory. With no clear-cut favourite in either conference, this weekend's wild-card (or, if you prefer, "wild card") matchups could produce one or both of this year's Super Bowl finalists.

Last year, the #5 seed Giants won 3 straight road games to reach the Super Bowl; the #6 Steelers did the same thing the year before. Will history repeat itself this year?

AFC

(5) Indianapolis @ (4) San Diego: The Colts have the best chance to follow in the Giants' and Steelers' footsteps and reach the Super Bowl. They've won 9 straight and have the likely league MVP behind centre. The Chargers have won 4 straight, but not against any team as good as the Colts. Colts 41, Chargers 31.

(6) Baltimore @ (3) Miami: The battle of "really, they're in the playoffs?" A lot of people seem to think Miami will simply be happy to be in the post-season and not put up much of a fight against the Ravens, but I disagree. Miami has all the pieces in place to pull off a win here, even if Baltimore did win in Miami this year. Dolphins 17, Ravens 13.

NFC

(5) Atlanta @ (4) Arizona: When it's your first home playoff game in your current state, and you moved there in the 70's, you know it's a big moment. Atlanta may be the more talented team (really, Atlanta? Did I just write that?), but Arizona will be pumped to be at home, where they were dominant this year, and Atlanta has a young team that may falter in the playoffs. It'll be close. Cardinals 31, Falcons 27.

(6) Philadelphia @ (3) Minnesota: Honestly, I can't trust Philadelphia. One week they dominate Dallas, another week they tie Cincinnati. But against Minnesota, they should be able to pull it out. Eagles 23, Vikings 17.

So, We Meet Again...

Okay, it's obviously been a long time since I've posted anything on here, but with full time school and a full time internship (at TSN, no less), it's been hard to find the time to post my thoughts on the world of sports.

So, without further adieu...

- CC Sabathia signed with the Evil Empire today, 7 years @ over 160 mill. Not bad work in today's tough economic times if you can get it. Makes you wonder where that Sabathia to the Dodgers talk on Sunday came from. After weeks of speculation about CC's love of batting and wish to play in Southern California, it turns out in the end that money speaks louder than anything else. Or maybe it's just because pinstripes are slimming.

- With Sabathia and K-Rod (to the Mets) off the MLB free agent list, A.J. Burnett is likely the next big fish to find a new pond. Reports today put the Yanks and Braves 1-2 in the sweepstakes for the overrated right-hander, and it's anyone's guess where Burnett will end up. I'd love to see him join New York, just so long-suffering Blue Jays fans can watch him crash and burn in the Big Apple.

- Speaking of the Jays, a heartfelt goodbye to Ted Rogers. I worked for his company for 6 years, and while I never met the man, the one time he spoke to a group of us on a conference call really picked up the troops. He will be missed.

- While I was writing that, Nicklas Lidstrom won the Wings-Flames game for his team in overtime. And I cheered - not for the Wings win or the Flames loss, but for Lidstrom's game-winning goal for my fantasy hockey team. Sports have a much different meaning now with the advent of fantasy games.

- Was Bills in Toronto a flop? No, no, a thousand times no. Just because the game was garbage doesn't mean the experiment failed. The stadium was full (mostly) and we were able to showcase our city to the United States for something beside hockey. If the Bills hadn't put up a horrendous effort (7 days after another horrendous effort), we'd be praising how strong the experiment was. And to those who a) wanted the dome roof open or b) complained that the closed roof favoured the visiting Dolphins...grow up. Sunday was the coldest days of the year so far, and I doubt 50,000 people would have preferred sitting outside in that just to give their adopted home team a perceived advantage.

- Michael Phelps won the SI Sportsman of the Year. Chantal Petitclerc won the Toronto Star's Lou Marsh Award. It's almost like in Olympic years, no other sports matter.

- Does golf season ever end?

- This year's Winter Classic between Detroit and Chicago from Wrigley Field will get better ratings than last year's game by a mile... and will pass whichever college football game it is up against that afternoon. Mark my words. And if they put it in a Canadian city next year, the ratings will collapse. But put it in Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park...watch out.

- Why is no one talking about the Carolina Panthers for the Super Bowl this year?

- Why is everyone still talking about the New York Jets for the Super Bowl this year?

- There's lots of talk about salaries being cut because of the economic problems, but why is no one talking contraction in leagues? Both the NHL and the NBA have franchises which don't draw nearly enough people to sustain themselves now, and contraction will improve their talent pools immensely. And for the record, those franchises are Nashville, Florida, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Phoenix and the Islanders for the NHL and Memphis, New Orleans, Charlotte, and Atlanta for the NBA.

- I'm the first one on board for the "let's get rid of Sean Avery from the NHL" train, but... If there's a belief that Avery needs "psychological help", then why hasn't it happened yet? There seems to be such a stigma in professional sports regarding mental illness, and to me, the perception is along the lines of homosexuality: the law of averages say it's there, but no one talks about it. If Avery does have some sort of mental illness, and he wishes to treat it, then we all need to back off. And maybe, in the long run, something like this will open the door for players to openly admit that they have issues with mental illness.

Top 10 Most Overrated Active Athletes

10) Michael Phelps - Swimming: Yes, 8 gold medals is quite an extraordinary achievement. But guys who finished 4th and 5th were breaking world records in that pool as well. Something tells me if Phelps was Chinese, we'd be questioning his age.

9) Maria Sharapova - Tennis: For all the accolades Ms. Sharapova receives, her domination seems to come only when the Williams sisters are off their game, either literally or mentally. If she recovers from her current injury well enough to beat them at Wimbledon next year, I'll be a believer.

8) Rick Nash - Columbus Blue Jackets: The former 1st-overall pick has only been a plus player twice in his pro career - with a + 5 and a + 2 last year, with no playoff appearances for his Blue Jackets. Add in that his highest point total was last year with 69, and it's easy to see why he shouldn't have a team built around him.

7) Donovan McNabb - Philadelphia Eagles: Too many injuries (only 3 seasons where he started all 16 games) and no ring means he shouldn't be put into the upper echelon like he is.

6) A.J. Burnett - Toronto Blue Jays: It's easy to get a career high in wins when you don't go the distance once all year and baseball's best pen is behind you. Halladay went the distance 9 times, A.J. - 0.

5) Michelle Wie - Golf: This one's hard because it's not really her fault. She's been placed as a sponsor's exemption in second-tier men's events rather than play with her own gender. Thankfully, her success at Q-school is the first step to getting back on track.

4) Francisco Rodriguez - Los Angeles Angels: Also not K-Rod's fault that he's here. His "record" 62 saves are impressive, yes, but playing on a great team helps. Not to mention the rule that even with a 3 run cushion, a save can still be recorded. He'll get a huge offer from a number of teams - the largest from the Mets, I'm sure, after this year's failures from the pen - and a decent number of pitchers could likely set the same record on this Angels team.

3) Brett Favre - New York Jets: It's hard to write this one after his 6 TD performance against Arizona today (although it would have been less had the Cards, you know, covered anybody), but Mr. Favre holds all the bad records for quarterbacks as well as the good ones. That comes with his Ripken-like starting streak and the natural law of numbers. If you play more than everybody else, you'll set more records than they will. He does get points, though, for saying today "Don't book your Super Bowl tickets yet."

2) Tom Brady - New England Patriots: Brady's inclusion on this list is tied to the performance of Matt Cassel, who so far has been good, not great, for the Pats. If Cassel improves as I think he will and leads the Patriots to the playoffs, Brady's mystique is gone forever.

1) Phil Mickelson - Golf: The reason Phil Mickelson is so popular is because of his endearing personality. Everyone loves him, and I think he's a very engaging character. His 34 PGA tour wins help his fame, but after finally breaking through the majors wall by winning 3, Phil has faded. He only has 2 wins this year, even without the omnipresent Tiger Woods over his shoulder. Everyone wants a rival for Tiger, like we have with Federer and Nadal in tennis. The only problem, Tiger has no rival, no equal. He is the best golfer ever, period. And much like Sergio Garcia (who narrowly missed this list), Phil Mickelson is rated higher by the media and by fans because of that desire.

Bartlet Meets Obama

Oh, Aaron Sorkin. Thank you.

Paging Mr. Bledsoe

It was made official today - Tom Brady's knee injury suffered in yesterday's game against the Chiefs is serious enough to make the reigning MVP miss the rest of the season.

The scuttlebutt around the media today is centered around the "other" teams in the AFC, who now have a chance to win the conference - and even the division.

Now, let me take you back to '01. Patriots star quarterback Drew Bledsoe goes down early in the season. Previously unknown 6th-round pick from Michigan (where he backed up Drew Henson) takes the reigns and leads New England to the Super Bowl.

Now, fast forward to today. Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady goes down early in the season. Previously unknown 7th-round pick from USC (where he backed up Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart) takes the reigns and...

Well, we'll see.

If Matt Cassel, who will likely make his first career NFL start against Brett Favre and the Jets on Sunday, can succeed in the Bill Belichick offence and lead the Pats back to the Super Bowl, or at least deep in the playoffs, all discussion of the greatness of Tom Brady must stop.

Forever.

If Cassel succeeds, it will be proven that any quarterback will a head on his shoulders and a decent arm can win in the Pats' system. Now, whether that success is from coaching and match-ups, or from cheating and spying, remains unknown. But a Patriots Super Bowl is not out of the question simply because #12 isn't behind centre anymore.

Certainly there will be a learning curve, as there was with Brady. But Belichick's system is solid, and after a few weeks, Cassel should thrive and bring the Patriots back to the playoffs. And if he does, the cynical members of the media will begin to doubt the merits of whomever New England puts behind centre.

And if he doesn't succeed, and whoever the Patriots bring in fails also, we will know that Tom Brady is worth all the praise heaped upon him.

Autumn - When A Young Man's Fancy Turns To Football

So, here we are (finally): After months of doldrums (yeah, yeah, the Olympics. What else you got? Nothing? Exactly), we finally arrive at the best season for sports - autumn. Of course, autumn kicks off with the NFL season, and with that, my pathetic attempt at predicting the upcoming campaign. So, on that positive note...

AFC

East
New England (12-4)
Buffalo (9-7)
New York (6-10)
Miami (4-12)

It's hard to imagine a team other than the Patriots winning this division, but the rest of the division will make strides this year. Just not enough to catch the Evil Empire.

North
Cleveland (10-6)
Pittsburgh (10-6)
Cincinnati (7-9)
Baltimore (3-13)

Remember when Baltimore and Cincinnati were contenders? Me too. The battle between the Browns and the Steelers should come right down to the wire, and I have a sense Pittsburgh will fall just short of the division and the wild card.

South
Indianapolis (12-4)
Jacksonville (10-6)*
Houston (10-6)*
Tennessee (6-10)

Easily the conference's strongest division, the South should produce both wild card teams; but, unlike most people, I'm not sold on Tennessee. Instead, the Texans will finally break through and squeak past Pittsburgh for the last playoff spot.

West
San Diego (14-2)
Oakland (7-9)
Denver (5-11)
Kansas City (2-14)

What is there to say about this horrendous division? The downside for the Chargers is they won't have any games with playoff implications and may be flat in the post-season. Besides that, they have it quite easy this year.

Playoffs:

(3) Indianapolis over (6) Houston; (5) Jacksonville over (4) Cleveland
(1) San Diego over (5) Jacksonville; (3) Indianapolis over (2) New England
(1) San Diego over (3) Indianapolis

The Colts victory over the Patriots will produce an empty feeling as the Chargers ride home field to victory and a berth in the Super Bowl.

NFC

East
Dallas (12-4)
New York (10-6)*
Washington (7-9)
Philadelphia (6-10)

It's hard to imagine the Giants repeating this year, since it took everything falling into place perfectly last year for it to happen. But the Cowboys are unpredictable, and the Skins and Eagles aren't at the Giants level.

North
Green Bay (10-6)
Minnesota (10-6)*
Detroit (5-11)
Chicago (3-13)

This division is a toss-up between two mediocre teams, the Packers and the Vikings. Both squads have inexperienced pivots, so in the end, it comes down to the Vikes running game against the Pack's balance and experience from last year. Slight edge to the cheeseheads for one simple reason: If Minnesota wanted Brett Favre so badly, just how bad is Tarvaris Jackson anyway?

South
Tampa Bay (11-5)
New Orleans (9-7)
Carolina (5-11)
Atlanta (2-14)

The Saints, after an amazing season two years ago, are coming off a sub-par campaign, and as a result, are stocked up for this year. The only problem is, they aren't stacked up enough. Look for the Bucs to hold them off for the division title.

West
Seattle (11-5)
Arizona (6-10)
San Francisco (4-12)
St. Louis (3-13)

It's hard to imagine a division worse than the NFC West. So, once again, the Seahawks will walk away with the title.

Playoffs:

(6) Minnesota over (3) Tampa Bay; (5) New York over (4) Green Bay
(1) Dallas over (6) Minnesota; (5) New York over (2) Seattle
(1) Dallas over (5) New York

Dallas gets their revenge on their division rivals by knocking off the Giants at home to advance to the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl: San Diego over Dallas. The Chargers balanced attack and defence prove too much for the Cowboys, who are worn down after a tough division race and punishing NFC Championship game to handle San Diego.

My View From The "Cheap" Seats

Well, there it is.

A ticket from the "first" game for the Bills in Toronto (and by first, of course I mean third).

Please note the price.

Well, we all have, haven't we. The biggest complaint going into the Bills in Toronto experiment was the outrageous pricing Rogers put on seats to these games.

100 level seats are $575, and nosebleed 500 level seats like the one in the picture were almost $200 each.

And yet...48,000 people were in the Rogers Centre with me last night.

And yes, I know the stories. Scalpers unable to unload their plethora of tickets. Thousands given away by Rogers in the past week to show the NFL that this wasn't a colossal mistake. The Rogers tickets, by the way, were how I was able to get this seat, because, honestly, I wouldn't pay $10 for a pre-season game in any sport, let alone $200.

But throughout all the negative stories and frustrated CFL fans, one thing remained true about the game: it was entertaining. An opening drive deflected interception, a kickoff return for a touchdown and several exciting catch and runs. Was it worth $200-$575? I guess that depends on your disposable income.

The one thing I do know, though, is that the crowd at the game was evenly split between Bills fans and Steelers fans, who were only outnumbered by general NFL fans. When the Dolphins come here in December for Canada's first regular season NFL game, it will not seem like a home game for the Bills, regardless of the signs and cheerleaders on the field.

Until the Bills move here permanently, and build a new football-friendly stadium along with it, Toronto will just be a city where the Bills play, and not their home.

As for the CFL fans worried about the state of their preferred league...the only reason to be concerned would be if more people went to see the Bills in Toronto than the Argos or the Tiger-Cats. And if that happens, your preferred league wouldn't have stood a chance anyway.

Bretty And The Jets

So it's official - and just like a New York team to announce something big like this in the middle of the night - Brett Favre is a New York Jet.

Some things to keep in mind, roughly 24 hours after news of the trade broke:

1) For all the talk of the greatness, amazing ability, and all-around God-like qualities Mr. Favre apparently possesses, it strikes me as somewhat humbling (I hope) that the best deal the Packers could get for him was a conditional draft pick. For one of the all-time great quarterbacks in NFL history, Green Bay is guaranteed a 4th-round pick, and only gets a 1st-round pick if the Jets make the Super Bowl under Favre's command. A tall order, especially since their odds of making the playoffs are low to begin with.

2) New York decided, in its infinite wisdom, that an accurate quarterback in Chad Pennington is less appealing to them and their future than a "gunslinger" QB who has the ability to lose a game as much as he has the ability to win it. Don't get me wrong; Brett Favre, even at age 38, is a better pivot than Chad Pennington. But is he really the saviour for a franchise trying to compete with a Super Bowl champion who plays in the same stadium?

3) If Favre had ended up in Tampa as was reported on Wednesday, Jeff Garcia would officially have the title of "Most Underappreciated Quarterback." All the guy does in win wherever he goes, and still nothing. He should have never left the Stampeders...

4) If Aaron Rodgers does well in Green Bay and Favre stumbles with the Jets, public and media sympathy for Brett will go very far...out the window.

5) The Jets and Packers don't play this year, which means we won't have to deal with the inevitable media build-up to such a match-up, particularly had it been in Green Bay.

6) Summer brings out some really lazy headlines by sports writers and editors: "Leaving On A Jet Plane"? How about "Pack, Pack, Gone!" or the title of this entry. Everyone checks out in August, it seems.

In the end, the NFL season is so unpredictable that a trade like this will have little to no effect on the outcome of the season. Neither Green Bay nor New York is a playoff team, so, once the season gets going and the post-Favre hangover wears off, we can focus on what matters: watching the Patriots crash and burn.

ADDENDUM: As per the headlines, the NFL home page probably had the most clever one: "New Jersey for Favre". Well done.

Now THAT'S A Frenzy!

When comparing trade deadlines in sports, Major League Baseball's version is usually as exciting as a Tiger-less non-major golf tournament. But yesterday's (non-waiver) trade deadline produced 2 blockbuster deals that may dramatically shift the balance of power in half of the divisions in baseball.

First, the one no one saw coming as the deadline passed at 4 p.m.: Manny Ramirez to the L.A. Dodgers, Jason Bay to the Red Sox, and 4 guys named Moe to the Pirates. The A.L. East now no longer has to deal with Big Papi and Manny back-to-back, but Jason Bay is a very good hitter and fielder, and will fit in nicely with the Boston squad. Even with the Yankees improvements this week (Nady and Pudge), Boston is still the best team in the division, and should squeak by the Yanks and the Rays (who did nothing, but were close to getting Bay) to represent the East in the playoffs.

As for the Dodgers, the Ramirez acquisition puts them clearly ahead of Arizona in baseball's worst division. Adding his power to complement Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent should push this .500 team to the post-season, and it may allow them to challenge the Mets and Cubs for the NL pennant.

The other big deal of the day was Cincinnati sending Ken Griffey (please stop calling him Junior) to the White Sox. This gives Griffey his best shot yet of winning a World Series, but nothing is locked for him and Chicago. After fighting off Minnesota and Detroit for the Central crown, they will be forced to knock out at least one of Los Angeles, Boston, New York and Tampa, three of which have recent World Series championships. Kudos to the Sox for the trade, but in the deep American League, it likely won't help their chances.

And then, there's our beloved Blue Jays. Rumours say the Jays turned down a Jason Bay - Shaun Marcum/Travis Snider deal, as well as a deal with the Mariners for Raul Ibanez. At the end of the day, Toronto is not as strong a team as they were in April, what with the losses of Marcum, Aaron Hill and Dustin McGowan to injury this year. And let's be honest: they weren't that strong in April to begin with. But in a year where teams held on to future talent tighter than grim death, Toronto fell into line with the rest of the major leagues. We just need to hope that Snider is everything the Pirates wanted - and soon.

"The Most Ambitious Single Media Project In History"

From today's Globe and Mail:

The ambition of this year's Olympic Games coverage - and the reason why I admire Bob Costas.

Time To Play Catch-Up...

It's been a while, mainly because summer turns the sports fan's mind to thoughts of things that aren't athletic, since the middle of the baseball season and the beginning of the CFL season aren't exactly huge draws. But, these last few weeks have seen some great and awful things in the sporting world, so it's time to play catch-up...

- This week, Toronto is the centre of the sporting world, and still no one seems to care. Fed and Rafa, Canadian Open with a real shot of a Canadian winning it, MLS All-star game with soccer's biggest star, David Beckham, and the Jays host Seattle and Asia's most famous baseball star, Ichiro. But yet, there is no buzz, no talk, no nothing here in the GTA. But if the Leafs were playing, watch out!

- Speaking of the Leafs, (former) captain Mats Sundin reportedly said that he will make his decision regarding his playing future on August 1. Funny, I thought it would take longer, but I just hope he sticks to it so we don't have to hear about this anymore.

- Hey, possible retirements! While we're on the subject, what of Mr. Brett Favre? The latest news is that NFL Commissioner Gordon - oops Goodell - (sorry, Dark Knight hangover) wants the Pack to deal him. In any other league would the Commissioner openly tell a team what to do regarding one of their players? While I agree with Goodell, it's not his place to say, and it speaks to the arrogance of the league and its leader. Here's hoping, though, that the Packers trade the old man quickly to an AFC team that will fail to make a mark this season, if only to shut Favre up once and for all.

- The Jays, meanwhile, are 14-12 under Cito Gaston since his return. Good? Yes. But not great, and this team needs great if there's any hope for 2008. They need to win these next two in Baltimore and take the series against Seattle to gain some confidence, because after that, the Rays come to T.O., and Tampa Bay has dominated Toronto this year. Ah, who are we kidding? There's always next year.

Wow, do I hate the summer. Only 6 weeks until the baseball season gets interesting and real football begins. Until then, I'll be watching tennis and golf on the off chance something interesting happens. If not, the Jays will be on, and I'll continue to be disappointed.

Thought Of The Day

http://egan.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/02/save-the-press/

Something every budding journalist, and everyone concerned about the state of the world, should read.

I Don't Know If I'd Call It A Frenzy...

So, Happy Canada Day and all that. Canada's lone baseball team is playing a series on the other side of the continent in another country. Remember when Canada Day weekend meant the Jays played the Expos every year? Ah, memories.

But of course, July 1 is the first day for unrestricted free agents to sign with new teams in the NHL. There were plenty of signings to satisfy the cravings of hockey fans who cannot wait the 3 months in between the draft and training camp, so let's break them down.

First, Brian Campbell signed the biggest deal of the day, going to Chicago for 8 years. Nice to see him mention the classy nature of the Sharks organization twice to James Duthie on TSN. Good luck, Brian. Your playing elsewhere next year helps me forget that you were in the penalty box for the elimination goal against Dallas. But, he's a great player and Chicago is looking dangerous in the years ahead - the next Pittsburgh. And apparently he owes Duthie dinner...

Speaking of Chicago, they also picked up Cristobel Huet today to (presumably) back up Nik Khabibulin. But, as was pointed out by Gord Miller, the B-Hawks are over the cap right now, and with two quality goalies, does this mean the end of the Bulin Wall in Chicago? Seriously, name the last team with two starting goalies that won the Cup. Exactly. One of these two will fail and either be traded or released by this time next year. Mark my words, it'll be Nik.

Meanwhile, Huet's former team, Washington, let him and his competition last year, Oleg Kolzig, go. So, to make up for it, they signed - say it with me now - former Hart Trophy winner Jose Theodore for 2 years. You know, Jon Stewart said it best about Sly Stallone, and it's oddly appropriate in this case: Once you win an Oscar, they can't take it away from you for any reason. So why would a team with 2 quality starting tenders let them both go to sign Theodore? Between Chicago, Tampa Bay (Kolzig's new home) and Washington, there will be failure in 2009.
And of course, it wouldn't be a free agent discussion with Mats Sundin, who was offered $20 million over 2 years to play in Vancouver. And of course, we won't hear his decision until, what? Thanksgiving?

All in all, not a bad day for these players. Once Marian Hossa and Jaromir Jagr sign, though, the frenzy will be over.

Oh.

The Jays are wearing red-coloured logos on their hats. That makes up for it.