FAVRE IS CRACKED UP... AND HAS A CRACKED RIB

Brett Favre loves the media spotlight so much, that he has informed us all that he has a cracked rib. Now, not only is he the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, but he is also his own doctor.

On ESPN, or should I say, TFN (The Favre Network), Favre said, "he hasn’t received an official diagnosis but that taking a deep breath caused him some discomfort."

Maybe those are just guilt pains from being such a drama queen. But I doubt it. Maybe it's because you are ancient and keep coming back to play football. There are a many linebackers and other 300 pounders in the NFL who are hoping to chance that "cracked rib" into something broken or shattered. There might even be some players on his own team who feel that way.

Honestly, I think that Favre is so consumed with being in the spotlight that he might have made this up. Who knows what is going through this guy's mind, surely I don't. But according to the article, no one on the team knew about this cracked rib and he wasn't on the injury list either. So either Favre wanted the attention, or maybe ESPN (TFN) had nothing to report on and slipped him a few extra bucks to make some more ruckus.

P.S. going along with the rest of the posts I have been doing recently, I have added a video clip for your enjoyment. Funny, yet tedious, but then again, so is Favre.

Jaclyn Kahn

MAKE A WISH: BRADY HURT OR NOT?

I know that there has already been a lot of speculation around Tom Brady, and his recent pull out of the game against the Washington Redskins. There are many questions surrounding this issue. One: Is Brady really hurt? Two: Is what the team saying really true?

At this point, the Patriots and Belichick are saying that Brady is not hurt. The reason, they claim, that Brady came out when he did was so that they could give him a rest and let the back up QBs get a shot at the Redskins. In all fairness to the unfair Patriots, this probably isn't far from the truth. However, the status update on Brady was that he had a sore shoulder. And after watching the hit that he took from defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth, it looks like he could have been seriously injured. I mean, if that man was coming for me, I would run like the wind, and that's saying something because I cannot run any amount of distance. And not just for that hit. Remember when he stomped on a Dallas' player's head? Yeah, I wouldn't mess with him. (On a side note: for all of you Brady haters out there, I have included the crushing hit video below.)

So right now this whole "Is Brady hurt?" question is still up in the air. However, I think (and so desperately hope) that they took Brady out because he is hurt. I think that Bellechik and the Patriots would be devastated if Brady was hurt again, especially in the beginning of the new season, and would be too afraid of letting that information be leaked out, especially in pre-season. No matter what the articles and sportscasters say, we really cannot tell how this hit has affected Brady until he gets back out on the field. Even if his shoulder wasn't shattered, that is the shoulder of his throwing arm. Although Haynesworth is one scary dude, he just might be the hero of the NFL this year. Sorry Bernard Pollard, your hero-dom has ended.

Jaclyn Kahn

THE OTHER BAILOUT PLAN

Yes, you've read that headline right! There is another bailout plan that has been approved, but it's neither for the American public, or approved by Senate.

While the Senate is slaving away with the health care issue (which is another blog post for another site), Michael Vick just received his personalized bailout plan from U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Frank Santoro.

"The plan approved by Santoro was supported by all creditors or representatives in court, save for one creditor owed $13,000. It hinges on Vick liquidating an estimated $9 million in assets, including houses, boats and high-end sport utility vehicles. He would not have to pay creditors during the first year with the Eagles. Future payments would depend on Vick’s salary, with creditors getting payments based on how much Vick earns. The Eagles have a $5.2 million option for next year, not including incentives."

Well there you have if folks, the Michael Vick bail out plan. Although he isn't completely out of the woods, at least he won't be bankrupt anymore. Of course, if I owed that much to any creditors, I'd land in jail and probably be slapped with a huge fine for being such a drain on our society.

So Michael Vick, welcome back to the American dream. Playing professional football on a pretty decent team, being out of jail, and finally being able to say "I am no longer bankrupt! Let's go buy a dog!"

Jaclyn Kahn

ILLEGAL TESTS OR ILLEGAL DRUGS?

With all of the news on baseball players taking steroids, a new twist has been added. According to CNN, "A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that federal investigators' seizure of drug-test results of more than 90 major league baseball players five years ago was illegal."

Apparently, at the time the drug tests were taken, only ten players were supposed to be drug tested; instead 104 baseball players took the drug test. Now the drama gets even more intensified. Players that shouldn't have been outed, like A-Rod, Ramirez, Ortiz, etc. weren't even supposed to be tested, and if they were, the MLB will not want to release that information.

"The Major League Baseball Players Association sued for the return of the seized results, while the government argued investigators should be able to use them since they were "in plain sight" along with the other results during the search."

I'm going with the government on this one. Understandably, if I was one of those ball players that was outed about taking steroids, I obviously wouldn't want the world to know, especially if the results of that test were supposed to be kept secret. Yes, now that it is deemed illegal, this steroid use cannot really be held against players like the ones I mentioned above. To make an analogy, it's like a cop retaining evidence against a serial killer, but getting that evidence illegally. So the cop can't exactly come out and say, "Hey, he did it!" even if there is evidence. And that is what is happening here. But at the same time, now that this information has been revealed, the government, or the MLB should take more steps to test ALL of their players, or to make some sort of rules against steroids, and actually stick with an appropriate punishment.

The steroids controversy has long been waging between the different sides: those who think steroids increases the watch-ability of baseball versus those who think all players who use steroids should be stripped of their jobs and never be let into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Personally, I could go either way. But the commissioner of baseball should settle everything as soon as possible and either deem steroid use okay or condemnable. Those in charge of baseball seem like chickens with their heads cut off. They need to make a decision so that all of this drama can go away. But they choose to let the drama continue.

The one thought that comes to my mind though, when reading this article, is now what? So because these tests are deemed illegal, it's okay for players to take steroids? Does all of the hoopla about steroids that affected A-Rod, Ramirez, and Ortiz die away? Do we just say: "Oh, they screwed up and showed us results that they weren't supposed to, so everything is now okay?" Are these players now thinking, "Oh great! Now I'm off the hook?" Will fans think, "Oh my favorite player is okay because the results were illegal so the whole point of the test is invalid." I think that until the MLB gets it's things together on this issue, the steroids debacle will continue to cause drama for all.

Jaclyn Kahn

NO SURPRISE: SANCHEZ NAMED JETS STARTING QUARTERBACK

Whether you believe there was an actual quarterback competition or not, rookie Mark Sanchez was officially named the New York Jets starting quarterback today. This just solidifies what most of us felt at the draft, that Sanchez would be thrown into the fire immediately. Kellen Clemens would have really had to put on an impressive display to wiggle the job away from the rookie.

Many times a rookie will sit and learn from a veteran their first year or two in the league, but when the option is Sanchez or Clemens, the Jets made the right choice. Clemens had his chance a couple years ago to stamp his place with the Jets when he took the job away from Chad Pennington. He didn't play well after he dazzled in the backup role. If the Jets had a Kurt Warner type veteran, then I would say let the veteran play and mentor the rookie. Plus, that type of veteran would give the Jets a better chance to win, but Clemens won't lead the Jets anywhere and he's really not a mentor as he is quite young himself.

I think it is great that they are letting Sanchez gain experience and go through some growing pains now. Will he struggle at times during his rookie season? Of course. Almost all rookies do. I think the only rookies to have seamless transitions into the NFL were Dan Marino and Matt Ryan. But as Sanchez adjusts to life in the NFL, I think he will be a very good quarterback for the Jets for years to come. He throws a nice ball, has great poise, and has already shown ability to bounce back from mistakes. I love his makeup, so hopefully he will eventually lead the Jets to prominence.

My only hope is that fans don't overreact to when he struggles at times this year. We fans need to be patient as this year won't be pretty at times. The Jets schedule is not friendly, and management did not exactly get Sanchez many toys to play with on offense. I hope he will, but I don't expect him to have a rookie season like Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco had last year. That is far from a bad thing though as rookie quarterbacks rarely do well. Ryan was a four-year starter at Boston College and was absolutely ready to slide into an NFL role. Flacco was allowed to ease into the role as the Ravens had a tri-headed backfield and a stellar defense to earn them wins. Some think the Jets will have a similar team to what the Ravens had last year, but their schedule was much more favorable than ours. Fans should not measure Sanchez's year against those two. It just wouldn't be fair!

It's official though! The Mark Sanchez era is set to begin for the Jets! Hopefully this will be a historic date in our history!

Pat Morgan

BIGGER DOESN'T ALWAYS MEAN BETTER

A lot of people, especially salesmen, will tell you that bigger is better. Well in the case of the Dallas Cowboys, and the revamping they did to their stadium, bigger turned out to makes things worse.

To make the stadium bigger and better, a massive high-definition scoreboard/TV was installed at the top of the stadium (as you see in the picture). Apparently no one realized that the 2,100-inch screen would get in the way of, you know, punts, things like that.

This excerpt is from the Shutdown Corner on Yahoo! Sports: "At the debut of the new Dallas Cowboys stadium last night, Tennessee Titans punter A.J. Trapasso kicked a ball that struck one of the gargantuan high-definition scoreboards that hang over the center of the field. Trapasso's punt sailed straight up and hit one of the two scoreboards that face the endzone. It deflected backward and was ruled in-play until Titans coach Jeff Fisher informed officials (who had been watching the players, not the ball) that the punt struck the scoreboard. By rule, the down was replayed."

Now there are all these concerns that the Cowboys and their management have to deal with. For instance, will punters continue to hit the jumbotron with footballs? Will they try to hit it on purpose to run out the clock? Although, my biggest concern if I was a Cowboy, or their management, or any team that plays the Cowboys: Will this jumbotron fall and kill us all? Or will continuing football hits to the screen damage it and cost craploads of money to fix? But maybe that's just me being insensible.

Either way, I think that screen is stupid. How much did that cost to build? Couldn't they put that money towards, let's say, a better QB or players?




Jaclyn Kahn

I THOUGHT IT COULDN'T GET ANY WORSE FOR THE METS

Eric Brunlett records only the 15th unassisted triple play in baseball history to end today's game vs. the Mets. What a freaky play! Sorry Shawn.

SMOLTZ SIGNS WITH CARDINALS; POSSIBLY NEW SETUP MAN

Veteran right-handed pitcher John Smoltz is heading back to a more familiar place: The National League.

The 42-year old is giving it another shot after struggling with the Boston Red Sox. He was on the disabled list for most of the season, but finally came back on June 25th, when he faced the Washington Nationals. He gave up five earned runs, and it didn't get much better. After lasting only 3 1/3 innings and giving up eight earned runs against the New York Yankees on Aug. 6, the Red Sox had seen enough of the former all-star. They released him the day after that horrible performance and many thought Smoltz's career might be over. His numbers with Boston are mind-boggling for a guy who only a couple of years ago was pitching like his old self. In his short stint with the Red Sox, Smoltz compiled an 8.32 ERA in eight starts.

He now joins a St. Louis Cardinals team that has made plenty of moves this season, and finds themselves six games ahead in the National League Central. Tony LaRussa is expected to use Smoltz as their primary setup man to closer Ryan Franklin. The St. Louis manager has seen plenty of Smoltz when he was a member of the Braves, but this is a much different and less effective pitcher in 2009. Coming off major surgery in the offseason, Smoltz signed a 1 year- 5$million dollar deal with Boston. The Red Sox took a chance that their acquisition would result in some big performances late in the season. They knew he would have to rehab his shoulder for much of the first half of the season, but they certainly didn't expect him to struggle as much as he did. Now, the Cardinals are the ones who will be taking that chance, hoping Smoltz finds the fountain of youth and improves their bullpen.

Despite his age and recent surgery, I expected Smoltz to pitch well for Boston this year. As a Mets fan, it was almost impossible to witness a bad John Smoltz performance when he took the mound. Even though I rooted against him, I had and still have plenty of respect for him, similar to the respect I have for future hall-of-famer Chipper Jones. Many Mets fans might crucify me for such statements, but you have to acknowledge pure talent when you see it. I watched Smoltz get roughed up against the Yankees, and to be honest, it was tough to watch. I've always known him to be the dominant pitcher that he was for almost twenty years with the Braves. He is a first ballot hall-of-famer and is the only pitcher in major league history to win at least 200 games and record 150 saves. Now, he is a veteran who is trying to keep it together. He's heading back to the National League, and in the end, maybe he will turn it around and help the Cardinals make a run for a championship. I hope he does well, but I won't be surprised if this is the last time we see Smoltz pitch in the major leagues.

Shawn Marosek

LEE DELIVERING BIG TIME FOR THE REIGNING CHAMPS

Coming into the season there weren't many who took Cliff Lee's AL Cy Young season last year seriously. Despite going an astounding 22-3 with a minuscule 2.54 ERA, people had Lee ranked way down the list of baseball's starting pitchers. The group of people that did not respect Lee included just about everyone from baseball insiders to the average fantasy junkies. I know he went dirt cheap in my fantasy league.

That group of people who doubted Lee's abilities included myself. I thought he could be a low-end #2 or a pretty good #3 on someone's staff, but I did not see him coming close to duplicating his 2008 performance. Well, for the first month of the season, we were all thought we were right. Lee was 1-3 with an ERA over 5. He helped me win my fantasy league last year, but I was sure glad I avoided him this year!

Then, Lee starting turning his season around. His win-loss record stayed bad because the Cleveland Indians did not score him many runs, but he kept grinding and grinding and got his ERA under 3 for awhile. This is when I started to take a favorable notice. Lee could have clearly said the heck with it this season and really had a terrible year. He was pitching great, but he kept losing because of the inept Indian offense. On June 14th, when Lee shutout the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday Night Baseball, I realized that this guy was indeed an ace.

When the Philadelphia Phillies gave up their pursuit of Roy Halladay, they turned to Lee. The Phillies absolutely fleeced the Indians in that deal. They got him without giving up J.A. Happ, Kyle Drabek or any other of their top prospects. I don't know how the Phillies did it, but they did, and Lee has been the absolute perfect fit for them. He is 4-0 with two complete games and a dental floss thin 0.82 ERA since heading over to the Phillies. I love Halladay, but there is no way he could be doing a better job than Lee in this situation. Mark Shapiro, the Indians' GM, should be fired immediately for that trade.

When this season began there were quite a few pitchers I would have taken ahead of Lee, but at this moment, I can't think of too many. I guess you would take Johan Santana, Roy Halladay, and maybe a couple others, but the list is short. I was wrong, Lee is really, really good! What a deal for the Phillies! With Lee, the Phillies have an excellent chance to repeat as World Series champions. Now if they can get Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge back in order, they might be unbeatable. They have a tremendous offense, a deep rotation, and a team that just raises its game in the biggest of spots. Heck, I'll say it, the Phillies will repeat as World Series champions.

Pat Morgan

FAVRE: MOST OVERRATED "STAR" OF ALL-TIME?

What a shock? Brett Favre is back... again. In the process, he broke the off-season change your mind record too (which he already owned anyway). I don't know how things are going to turn out in Minnesota, but frankly, I don't really care. The fact that the Vikings got an old, washed up, injured quarterback should not be big news. But if you watch ESPN, and who can avoid it, you'd think the Minnesota Vikings just won the Super Bowl.

With the addition of Favre, Ron Jaworski called the Vikings the team to beat in the NFC! That is just laughable to me. Last I checked, the Giants, Eagles, Cardinals and perhaps the Falcons and Panthers had better teams. Granted Favre is an upgrade over Tarvaris Jackson, but if I were the Vikings, I would have played Sage Rosenfels (who I think can be good) and saved the organization the endless off-season media attention. But if they want a 39-year old quarterback who stunk it up last year then so be it. I would hate the move if I were a Viking fan. He was the enemy for 15 years, and now he comes to the Vikes closer to AARP membership than his lone Super Bowl title. I say go Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in the NFC North!

I honestly really don't care that he came back, and in fact, I don't care if he comes back next year or the year after. And since he already played for my team, I don't even care if he eventually tries to play for all 32 NFL teams! What bothers me and probably most people is the wall-to-wall coverage we get on Favre from ESPN. ESPN had a plane tracker going of Favre's trip to Minnesota from Mississippi. Then they show him getting off the plane like he's President Obama or the Pope! He is 39 years old! He just had surgery to repair torn biceps and revealed that he has a torn rotator cuff. So, it isn't like we're dealing with a Favre in his prime signing with a new team. Even if that were the case, he's not nearly the star ESPN makes him out to be. Yes, he was a great player in his day and that consecutive games streak is mind-boggling, but he's not in that special group of elite athletes. He has always been flawed. Therefore, I am going to say Favre is the most overrated star in sports history!

ESPN makes this guy out to be in the same class as Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, or even his NFL colleague, Tom Brady. Favre can't even carry Brady's jock! None of those athletes on their worst day come as close to Favre on his. Favre is the all-time interceptions leader. Favre couldn't out play Eli Manning in 4 degree weather at home in the NFC Championship two years ago! Yes, he's a first ballot hall of famer, but he is far from being the elite athlete! If I were to rank the top quarterbacks in NFL history, I wouldn't even have him in the top ten! Not neccessarly in this order, but Marino, Elway, Montana, Unitas, Bradshaw, Brady, Manning, Young, Tarkenton and Staubach would probably comprise my top ten. So enough already, ESPN! Just let the Vikings quietly win a weak NFC North and be eliminated in the wildcard round by a superior runner up from the NFC East!

By the way, ESPN is going to promote the hell out of the fact that they have Packers @ Vikings on Monday Night this season. But who cares? That game is in Minnesota. Those lame morons. FOX has the game at Lambeau if you are interested!

Pat Morgan

GREGG LOSES JOB AS CUBS CLOSER

The Chicago Cubs season needs to turn around quickly if they want to make the postseason. A little shake up at the end of the bullpen might help.

Manager Lou Piniella announced after Monday's 4-1 loss to the Padres that Kevin Gregg will no longer be the closer. Carlos Marmol or Angel Guzman will get the save opportunities for now. Gregg, who has struggled mightily of late, blew the Cubs latest game , giving up a 1-0 lead.

Acquired from the Florida Marlins in the offseason, Gregg battled Marmol for the closer's role in spring training and won the job. He was injured in the beginning of the season, but came back to save games for Chicago. However, he has not lived up to the hype after his successful season a year ago in Miami.

A year ago, long-time Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood was the closer and Marmol was a very good setup man. However, Wood signed with the Indians in the offseason and the Cubs had to figure out who would close their games. I guess they were not totally convinced that Marmol could handle the job, and as a result, signed Gregg.

I will admit that Gregg has pitched terribly. However, the Cubs have not swung the bats well at all. They are near the bottom of the national league in many offensive categories and you can't expect to win if that is the case. Yes, you must have good pitching to win. But you can't rely on it to be good all the time. If Alfonso Soriano and the rest of these hitters from the North Side do not start producing, Piniella and friends will be watching the Cardinals and a more deserving wild-card team in October.

Shawn Marosek

FROM PRISON TO PHILADELPHIA: VICK RETURNS TO NFL

Michael Vick has found a new home.

The former Atlanta Falcons quarterback signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles Thursday, less than three months after being released from prison. He plans to make $1.6 million dollars, and has a $5.2 million option for a second season. He will back up Donovan McNabb, who led the Eagles to a berth in the NFC Championship Game last January. Many wondered if Vick would end up in the NFL this season. Now that question has been answered.

Vick broke into the league in 2001, playing in eight games for the Falcons. He was awarded the Falcons starting quarterback job in 2002, rushing for an impressive 777 yards and 8 touchdowns. Even though he might not have been the most talented passer in the league, his ability to run the ball made up for that. He led the Falcons to an upset playoff win over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau field during the 2003 season and from 2004-2006, the former Virginia Tech star ran for a total of 2,538 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was arguably the most talented player in the NFL. He had everything going for him, until he was busted for being involved in a dog fighting ring and sentenced to jail for 23 months. He has served his time and is ready for the NFL once again as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Some teams were probably afraid to sign Vick, because it might attract negative attention. However, this is a good signing by the Eagles. McNabb and Vick is a great 1-2 punch in a league where you can never have enough talent at the quarterback position. With the college-style Wildcat offense that has become more popular in the NFL, adding Vick might mean more trick plays for Andy Reid's squad. As long as Vick can get himself into shape, I can't see how this doesn't help the Eagles in some way. Yes, there might be many people who protest this deal based on what the man did, which no one can argue was inexcusable. However, fans of the Eagles should be happy about this signing if they are worried more about the product on the field. People will have their opinions on the addition of Vick, but for now, he has a second chance with the team from the City of Brotherly Love.

Speaking of love, how much of it will the fans of Philadelphia show for their new second-string quarterback? We will soon find out.

Shawn Marosek

TOE STUB = MORE FRUSTRATION

It's not like us Bills fans can really take any more from the pre-pre football season. We shouldn't have to. We've lived through enough, I think.

So the news comes down from Dick himself that T.O. has sprained a toe. I got a text message this morning about how T.O. wasn't going to be at practice and he would give us the reason later on. I automatically thought that T.O. decided that maybe he wouldn't be a star on the Bills so he quit. But instead, he ends up getting hurt in the first game of the preseason. Lovely.

And sprained toes aren't really a big deal, I know. And it thankfully is the preseason. But after the lame performance from many starters on Sunday night's game, as well as a few second and third stringers, I can't take anymore disappointment. How about we just fast forward to the playoffs week and I can try to root for a semi-good team (i.e. not the Bills) only to see them fall to a team like the Cardinals.

Now it seems, the only thing I'm looking forward to during football season is the beer.

Jaclyn Kahn

MONEY IN THE BANK: ELI AGREES TO BIG CONTRACT EXTENSION

The New York Giants and quarterback Eli Manning agreed to a six year-$97.5 million dollar extension Wednesday, making him the richest player in the NFL. Manning is guaranteed $35 million under the new deal.

I am very surprised, like many sports fans, that the Giants forked over this much money to their star quarterback. I know he won a Super Bowl two seasons ago after defeating the New England Patriots in a shocker, but it still does not seem right. He has led the Giants to the playoffs the last four seasons, and luckily for him, was able to get hot a couple of years ago.

As you can tell, I'm not a huge Eli fan. It all goes back to when he broke into the league and complained about how he didn't want to play for the San Diego Chargers. He came across to me as a spoiled brat who already lived in a rich family and wouldn't budge until he got what he wanted. Well, in the end, he did. He got to play for the Giants, he won a Super Bowl ring, and now he has the big contract. He now makes more money than his more talented brother, Peyton. I hope he is finally happy with his life.

In my opinion, I think Eli should pick up the check at the next family dinner. Peyton and big daddy Archie eat for free the next time they all get together.

Shawn Marosek