FanNation - The Republic of Sport

   A few thoughts after realizing y'all don't need to read another stupid year-end awards list:
   * Any feeling of bummed-outedness I had over the Patriots missing the playoffs died yesterday upon hearing Eric Mangini was fired. New Year's schadenfraude brunch in Foxboro, and Belichick's buying. Mangenius should feel fortunate Browns owner Randy Lerner, who's interviewing him, still has tinder for anyone associated with the Patriots past or present despite the failed regime of Romeo Crennel. I wonder if Pats personnel guru Scott Pioli will still be interested in the Cleveland GM job.
   * I'll put up my playoff picks later in the week, but I'm strongly leaning toward all four visiting teams in the wild card round. Either the home team doesn't deserve to be in the playoffs, or the road team's too hot.
   * Of all the stories floating around about Tom Brady this week (both the ones about the ailing knee and the leggy supermodel), Peter King's is still my fave: the Pats are floating pessimistic tales about Brady's rehab being behind schedule so they can franchise Matt Cassel and then trade him. Sounds fine with me, and it's not like they haven't played franchise and deal before: five years ago, they got three draft picks for Canton-bound defensive back Tebucky Jones. For Cassel, they might a little higher than rounds 3, 4 and 7.
   * All the complaining I've done about about teams phoning in games lately should also include the Sacramento Kings. Granted, the Celtics were primed to make somebody pay Sunday after their first back-to-back losses to the Lakers and Warriors, but the Kings could've run out a starting backcourt of the President-elect and the Sacramento Mayor-elect (granted, Barack Obama and Kevin Johnson can play a bit) and not gotten drilled any worse than 108-63 in their own building. Disgraceful.
   * The Bruins take an eight-game winning streak into Pittsburgh tonight - when was the last time we got this excited about a B's regular-season game? The NHL often comes down to goaltending, and this year's 1-2 punch of Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez is almost impossible to beat. But wait, there's more: after skating around idly for six weeks of so, Michael Ryder has exploded.
   * No, I did not visit a ledge after Mark Teixeira signed with the Yankees, and won't after Manny Ramirez inevitably signs with them, either. After all, having the five highest salaries in baseball in a tanking economy is something of the Yankees should rightfully be proud. I take heart in two things: One, Hank Steinbrenner is building this team out of spite at the team 200 miles east on Route 95 instead of building a championship team (I'll take the Sox-Rays quiniela again). Two, I'm curious as to how Teixeira (and the folks in the $2,500 seats at the new Taj Steinbrenner) will react the first time he endures back-to-back 0-for-4s. Remember, Mark's major league experience consists of milquetoast media markets like Texas, Atlanta and Anaheim.
   * I've wondered how many of these bowls will make it to next season, but after seeing some decent crowds this weekend, the ones with attractive regional matchups will endure. West Virginia and North Carolina banging out the house in Charlotte should not have been a surprise - the Mountaineers bring half the state, and I was shocked to learn they've only met on the gridiron twice, both in bowls.
   * I can live without the St. Petersburg Bowl, though. The Tropicana Field turf looked like something that I would've pulled out of my washer/dryer after my dog went number two on it.
   * "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" gets two sets of thumbs up at Agganis Manor. But for those of you who wish you were Brad Pitt, however...Cate Blanchett would've been a much better choice than the needy media ho and tattooed adoption junkie he's cavorted with the past 10 years.
  *  Finally, I wouldn't want to be a NFL spouse or significant other about to lose out on future Pro Bowl trips to Hawaii after the league decided to move the game to the week before the Super Bowl at the Super Bowl site starting next year. Never underestimate the lure of Hawaii. Case in point: PGAer Brad Faxon, who played on a torn ACL in 2005 but managed to win a tournament in late August. Two weeks later, he opted for surgery, which would enable him to recover just in time to play in the season-opening Tournament of Champions in Kapalua. At the time, he quipped about undergoing surgery at that time because his wife really wanted that trip to Kapalua. That trip came at a price: in the final weeks of the season, he lost his spot in the top 40 on the money list (he was one or two middle-field checks away from clinching it when he went under the knife), and ended up losing what will likely be his last chance to play in the Masters (the PGA since changed the rule back to all Tour winners getting Augusta invites, but too late for him). The lady of Agganis Manor didn't marry an NFL player or pro golfer, but I do occasionally hear about Hawaii.