FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Hey FanNation,

It's been a while since I have been in the FanNation mix. I am thinking about doing throwdowns again, have heard some things about groups breaking up and forming new factions, (Et tu, BigBen68? haha) and even see that we have come up with a new leaderboard system. Lots of stuff going on so I want to try to get back in the swing of things. Finals have been a bit overwhelming, anybody who is in school can relate, but while I have a break I figured I would give a few thoughts on what's going down in the sports world.

A Falcon loses his wings- Michael Vick was sentenced yesterday to 23 months in a federal penitentiary, and while many fans are upset over the sentencing I personally believe he got a fair, if not lenient, sentencing. Vick was only forthcoming with information after the feds had him backed into a wall after a failed lie detector test. Don't be fooled, if Vick could have gotten away with the whole thing he would never have been honest about it, and we would see him running (rarely passing well) for the Atlanta Falcons today. It's a sad sign of the times when the players some of us look up to lack the common sense to be good to animals, as well as learn a lesson that is pretty simple: honesty is the best policy.

When worlds collide- It seems inevitable that the Cowboys and Patriots are going to end up playing each other in the Super Bowl. The only two teams in the NFC who could have a say in that, in my opinion come from the NFC North, the Packers and Vikings. It's always harder to beat a team the second time and Green Bay will definitely play a better game than in their first meeting. The Vikings have been solid the past few weeks, and there is something about the running game of Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor that will be a great equalizer. Tarvaris Jackson also has had a steady hand, but it's easy to when you have a guy who can go off for 250 rushing yards in a game.

The Patriots slapped the Steelers in the mouth and asked them if they like it last week. Anybody still think that the Pats will lose in the regular season? I only see the Colts possibly providing them a challenge in the AFC playoffs. The Chargers could do something, but it seems like every time I watch them I get a picture of L.T. grilling Philip Rivers up. Someone needs a hug.

Boston Three Party- This past summer I was watching ESPN's First Take and they did an interview with Donnie Wahlberg. (Am I really referencing a New Kid on the Block? Okay, his acting is actually not that bad.) He made a bold prediction that the Patriots, Red Sox, and Celtics would win their respective championships. Now keep in mind that this was BEFORE the trade for Kevin Garnett. Wahlberg must have some type of psychic ability because all signs point to these 3 teams at least being in their title games. The Sox pulled off another miraculous comeback, the Pats are arguably the greatest team of all-time, and the Celtics are the feel good story of the NBA. Remember when New York was the sports mecca of the U.S.?

Should I stay or should I go?

No regrets for Texans...well maybe some regrets- I, along with nearly the entire sports world except for my Houstonian cousin, threw a fit when the Houston Texans used the number one pick on Mario Williams. At the time it seemed to make sense to pick a franchise face like Reggie Bush or hometown boy, Vince Young. Well, two years removed from the pick it seems like the Texans made the right choice. I have the pleasure of covering Texans' games for SI.com at times and it has been a pleasure to watch the growth of this player. At the moment he has 8.5 sacks, and you could definitely make a case that he is a Pro Bowl caliber player. There are some things wrong in Houston (the QB carousel continues, and why didn't they trade with Minnesota to get Adrian Peterson. Grrrrr....) but Super Mario is not one of them.

Should I stay or should I go?- The Johan Santana sweepstakes are taking on Kobe Bryant or Kevin Garnett proportions. A week ago I was excited to see where he would head to, especially with the tension that was building as the Yanks and Sox tried to one up each other. Now I just want a deal done. I don't want to see ESPN hit me with another "breaking story" that Johan is now interested in the Devil Rays, along with the Mariners, Rangers, Angels, Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, and the Durham Bulls in a trade for prospect Crash Davis. Get a deal done or go back to your mediocrity in the AL Central.

BCS Bust- Well well well, is there anybody that can honestly say they didn't see this coming? The BCS is clearly a joke. I don't think I have ever been less excited about a national title game in my life. And I don't buy (pardon the pun College Presidents) that the college administrations are worried about the student's grades. These are the same teams that play more games every year. What do they play now, 13 games? Cut a game off, give the fans what they want, and play a tourney with an 8 team bracket. Of course the ninth ranked team will cry, but the fact is that if you haven't seperated yourself from that area of the ranking then you don't have much of a gripe. It's borderline infuriating to watch D-II and D-III colleges play tournaments and then hear the b.s. excuses that a playoff will make the Bowl season less interesting. Unless you care about such classics as the Emerald Bowl then you aren't going to be missing anything.

Well, that's all I have for the moment. I have a Christian Ethics final in an hour, so everyone have a blessed day and I will talk to you soon.