A PICTURE CAN SAY A THOUSAND WORDS

Not much to report on in the NFL world. But I did find this picture and I think it's priceless in so many ways. It's the type of picture that could be used for those "Add your own thought/talk bubbles" contests they have everywhere. If I was the Redskins receiver, I would say "What the....?" I can't tell if he's more upset about the actual interception, or giving his QB a look like, "why don't you throw the damn ball the right way!"

HALLADAY TRADE WILL NOT IMPROVE PHILLIES

On Monday, the news broke that the two-time defending National League champions, Philadelphia Phillies, were about to pull off a trade for Blue Jays ace, Roy Halladay. When I first heard the news, I figured you could just hand the Phillies the 2010 World Series crown now. Along with the NL's best offense by a mile, Halladay-Cliff Lee-Cole Hamels would be an almost unbeatable top 3 in their rotation.

But then I heard the complete breakdown of the deal. Cliff Lee was going to Seattle (how sick are they going to be with Felix Hernandez and Lee as their 1,2?) as part of a three-way agreement between the Phillies, Blue Jays and Mariners. Now I had to wonder if the Phillies were really an improved team with Halladay over Lee. I understand why this makes sense from a management position as the Phillies will have Halladay the next four years opposed to running the risk of only having Lee for 2010. The move also keeps Halladay from being traded to the division rival Mets in a lesser, desperate move by the Jays brass. However, while this may be a good economic/strategic move, it is certainly not a game changing on the field move.

By dumping Lee, the Phillies lose the pitcher who was untouchable down the stretch and in the postseason. Lee was 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA in the playoffs. Is there any guarantee Halladay will be as good as that? I can't dispute Halladay has had the better career, but he has never pitched a big game in his life. In fact, Halladay struggled in mid-season when he admittedly felt the pressure from all the trade talk circulating around him. He has been a Yankee and Red Sox killer, but is there any pressure in pitching against them when you are 10-20 games behind them in August? Lee on the other hand fit in with the Phillies winning culture right away. He was unbelievable. Halladay will be an ace, but it will be hard pressed for him to be better than Lee in the big spot. He will have to better Lee's complete-game, 10 strikeout performance if the Phillies make it back to the World Series.

With all that said, I do think Halladay will be a slightly better in the regular season. But even if you think he will be much better, the Phillies will still have the same question marks they did before this move went down. They need Cole Hamels to revert back to his 2008 self. If this doesn't happen, the Phillies will continue to have a serious lack of depth in their rotation. If Hamels doesn't bounce back, who else can they count on? Maybe J.A. Happ, but they won't get much from Joe Blanton, Jamie Moyer or even Pedro Martinez. They also haven't done anything to sure up their bullpen. If they don't, they will have to pray Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson revert back to their 2008 selves. Halladay doesn't solve those issues.

In my opinion, they are the same team today that they were a week ago, but without the assurance their ace will be a stud postseason performer. I wasn't opposed to them getting Halladay and signing him to an extension for some security, but why couldn't they keep Lee for 2010 too? Lee is set to only make $9 million next season. That's an absolute steal and with the team they have, they should have made a run with those two aces together. Then if Lee left for a bigger contract somewhere else after 2010 then so be it. So those who think the Phillies made a great move here, think again.

Pat Morgan

THE DANGERS OF BEING A HARD CORE FOOTBALL FAN

This story apparently first appeared over three months ago, but I must have missed it in the NFL Buffalo Bills fury that takes over every Bills fan. It's at that point where Bills fans think they're team has a good shot at a winning record...

Anyway, there have been reports and stories on how fans are brutal to one another, or to football players and their personal possessions. Apparently there was a terrible fan-to-fan combat that took place in Chicago. When I think of the Bears, I don't think that their ultimate rival is the Pittsburgh Steelers. I thought the biggest rivals were the teams who were in the same division, so this would mean the Vikings, Packers and the Lions are Chicago's biggest rivals. To me, this makes the most sense. But okay.

So the fan vs. fan violence occurred in a Chicago bar following the Bear's win on Sept. 20th against the Steelers. Apparently what happened was a Chicago fan offered an alcoholic drink to a Steelers fan and the all hell broke loose for the Steelers fan. "After drinking alcohol that was allegedly offered by a Bears fan, Heddinger blacked out and later went into cardiac arrest while being rushed by ambulance to an emergency room. Heddinger eventually went blind, and doctors began to suspect he had been poisoned with some form of toxic grain alcohol."

First rule: never go to a bar where the other team's fans are more prevalent than your own fan base. Understandably, when being the visitor in the city of the other team, it is hard to find a bar that would satisfy this requirement. Personally, if I was a fan of a team that just lost, and was in their home town, I probably wouldn't want to go to a bar. Although I might want a drink as a result of the game (which occurs a lot as a Buffalo Bills fan), I wouldn't want to go near a place where the other team's fans would be congregated in big numbers. Why would you want to put yourself into that situation? All that aggravation doesn't seem worth it to me. Let's look at some more details of this fan-to-fan combat:

"Not long after taking the drink, Heddinger blacked out and was rushed to the hospital. Along the way, his heart stopped several times and paramedics had to resuscitate him. Initially, doctors thought it was merely a case of a fan drinking himself to the brink of death, but after further tests and Heddinger’s ensuing blindness, they suspected a type of extremely toxic grain alcohol."

Well, if this Steelers fan was, let's say, a Detroit Lion's fan, I bet the "drinking himself to the brink of death" would have been a conscious and willing decision. But getting back on topic, who thinks of giving someone they dislike some type of grain alcohol? Who brings that with them, knowing that they could give it to someone who would piss them off? Some people are seriously not right in the head.

And finally, here is the kicker of the story: “… One of the Chicago guys bought a drink for one of Zack’s companions, who was the one who was really engaged in the argument with [the Chicago fans]. This guy declined it, and Zack, trying to be the peacemaker, said ‘Oh, I’ll take it.’ He drank it, and that’s the only thing that distinguished him through the night from the other [Pittsburgh fans] who were not similarly affected.”

So the poor sap that took the drink wasn't even the original target! So let's learn our lesson from this story: don't start trash talking at a bar in a foreign town with townies who are serious about their team. Stay at the hotel and drink there.

Jaclyn Kahn

TO SLIDE OR NOT TO SLIDE: RYAN UNHAPPY WITH QUARTERBACK'S DECISION

The New York Jets won their second straight game with a 19-13 victory over the Buffalo Bills Thursday night in Toronto. However, that is not the reason for the amount of buzz around rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez. Just days after being taught how to properly slide by Yankees manager Joe Girardi, Sanchez dove head first and injured his right knee on a third down play early in the third quarter. He left the game a play later after feeling pain and did not return.

The coaches stressed all week not to slide head first and to take care of his body, but the 22-year-old went on instinct and picked up a big first down deep in their own territory. Head coach Rex Ryan was very displeased after the game and even said the rookie has to "grow up" and learn that he has to slide, making note that Sanchez represents the organization.

As for fans of the Jets, I don't think you can be against what Sanchez did out on the field. He is a gamer and there is nothing else you can ask for out of the leader of your team. The Jets were only up 16-10 at the time and it was a third-and-6. The play he made kept the drive going and even though he had to leave the game, New York tacked on three important points to make it a two possession game. Now if Sanchez were five yards short of the first down and he dove head first, then I can see where there would be a problem. You certainly slide in a situation like that, but what happened last night was totally acceptable.

Ryan expressed how upset he was about it after the game, but I cannot take his side on this one. As a big fan of the Jets, I want my players giving it all they have and if that means diving for a first down in a key spot in the game, then so be it. I don't care if it's the quarterback or the last man on the depth chart. Give me someone who lays it out on the line and I will be a fan of that person any day of the week. I understand Sanchez already had a left knee injury, which caused him to wear a brace for the game, but you can't stop someone from doing what it takes to win a ballgame.

Some people might argue back with the idea that risking your body in this situation isn't worth it. But I say that it's football and people are going to get hurt. That's how the game is. I applaud Sanchez for getting the first down and all Jets fans should do the same. Hopefully, all this negative attitude by the coaching staff doesn't mess with the rookie's head. He already has enough to think about while out on the field in terms of managing a game, making accurate throws and most importantly, not turning the ball over. In the end, I have no problem with what occurred last night. People get hurt in football. Deal with it.

Shawn Marosek

ENOUGH OF THIS TIGER STUFF ALREADY!

Let me fill you in just in case you've been living under a rock this last week. On Friday, Tiger Woods drew media attention when he drove his SUV into a fire hydrant and a tree while backing out of his driveway in the middle of the night. He most likely was leaving after a fight with his wife over alleged affairs which Tiger has now verified via a statement he released on his website yesterday.

Now let me say I think cheating on your significant other is one of the worst things you can do. If you back stab the person that is supposed to be the most important person in your life, I am not sure what kind of person you are. I've heard excuses with people saying, well it's hard to ignore sexual desires when it's right in your face. Yes, we're all human with that, but come on, we aren't wild animals (well most of us aren't). If you're in a situation where you're tempted, get the hell out of there!

I'm not in approval of Tiger's actions, but I this should be an internal issue that the American public shouldn't care about. If sponsors want to ditch Tiger, that's their right, but the general public shouldn't be concerned about it. This is an issue Tiger should be his wife should be dealing with. Unfortunately we live in a society that worships celebrities and everything they do. It's quite sad that this story gets far more coverage than the President's decision to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

I wonder how many Americans know of Obama's decision vs. how many Americans know about the Tiger Woods story? Whether it's the couple that snuck into the Presidential Dinner, or what Jon and Kate are up to, the news is a total joke. Even the "Worldwide Leader in Sports" (ESPN), is more concerned about star, celebrity athletes than the games themselves. Frankly, I'm tired of it, but will it change? Unfortunately, not a chance.

Pat Morgan