Who dat?!?

Who dat?

Who dat?

Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?!?

That's right. I am a Saints fan now. After months of gut wrenching deliberation I have officially decided to abandon the hapless Buffalo Bills and pick a new team. Its not the losing that has convinced me to give up on my team after 20 years of being a diehard fan, its the management's apparent disinterest in doing anything to improve the team. The final straw was the the hiring of Hee Haw extras Buddy Nix and Chan Gailey as general manager and head coach and, after watching New Orleans' inspiring performance over the past few weeks and last night's impressive victory, the choice seems clear.

I know a lot of you out there will say I am jumping on the bandwagon and, in a way, I am. But its not just yesterday's Super Bowl victory that made me choose the Saints. Its the players. Its the franchise. Its the fans. Its the city. All of which are the best in the NFL. It sure will be nice to cheer for a young exciting team that is motivated to win for a change. I can't wait for next year...

No politicians allowed!

I hate politics. Being closely involved with politics made my life miserable and I have made a very conscious effort to distance myself from anything political. In fact, one of the central premises of this blog was to write about something other than politics after more than two years of maintaining a fairly popular political blog, also called Maxwell's House. I kept the name partly to erase the memory of the old blog from my mind and the mindless drivel I wrote from the minds of others.

So, it is with great reluctance that I will comment, ever so briefly, on the news out of Ottawa that the morally bankrupt and politically opportunistic federal New Democratic Party is calling for a probe into violence in sports. Apparently, Patrice Cormier's highly publicized elbow on Mikael Tam is the catalyst for the 20-minute news conference hosted by Glenn Thibeault and Thomas Mulcair demanding a Royal Commission on the issue.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, politicians have no business getting involved in the operation and administration of professional sports leagues. It is nothing more than a poorly veiled attempt to curry favour with voters on an issue that just happens to be in the public eye at the moment. Every time there is a high-profile incident that receives a lot of media attention, these blowhards climb out from under their legislature desks, spout off for a few reporters, get their name and picture on the news, and then disappear.

It happened when Jonathan Roy skated the length of the ice during a brawl to beat up a disinterested Bobby Nadeau a couple of years ago. It happened when Todd Bertuzzi jumped an unsuspecting Steve Moore from behind in 2004 and broke his neck. It happened in 2000 when Marty McSorley clubbed Donald Brashear in the side of the head with his hockey stick. And every single time the politicians disappeared along with the media attention.

So, to all you politicians out there, stick to your pork and party politics and keep your nose out of our sports. You ruin everything else that you touch so keep your hands off.

How to fix the Pro Bowl.

The Pro Bowl is on right now and, like just about everyone else, I don't care. Even with the NFL moving the game to the week before the Super Bowl, I am sitting here watching a rerun of Nitro Circus on MTV. Seriously, why would I watch a game of touch football, even if it stars the best players in the world? Why would anyone? This year, the players don't even care enough about the game to show up. In Canada, the game has been bumped off TSN to TSN2 the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the national women's curling championship.

The annual debate about what to do about the NFL's all-star game is usually more entertaining than the game itself. For as long as I can remember, sportswriters and commentators lament about how boring this game is and try to come up with ways to make it exciting for fans to watch...and every year they come up with absolutely nothing. Moving it up to before the Super Bowl only makes it worse because the players from the league's two best teams are busy preparing for the championship game. In today's age, the risk of injury makes it next to impossible to get multi-million dollar athletes to put their careers and the success of their own teams on the line in an exhibition game.

But this problem is not unique to the NFL. All-star games in the NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball suck too. Those leagues have seemingly given up on trying to make their mid-season classics exciting and have focused on the events leading up to the game. Basketball has the slam dunk and three-point contest; hockey has its skill competition; and baseball has the homerun derby. All of these are far more exciting than the games themselves and expose the players to virtually zero risk of injury.

There aren't very many things that the NFL has to learn from other professional sports leagues but, when it comes to its all-star game, Roger Goodell could learn a thing or two from his colleagues in other leagues. Turn the Pro-Bowl into a weekend where the players participate in non-contact skills competitions. I would watch that.

Another option would be to take a page out of the National Rugby League's playbook. Every year, in mid-season, Australia's best rugby league players compete in a three-game series between all-stars whose careers started in Queensland and in New South Wales. It is an incredible honour to be named to your home team and the players' pride is very evident as soon as they take the field. Many would say that they would rather win a State of Origin title than a league championship. And it is by far the most entertaining (and roughest) rugby league of the year. The only difference is that most NRL players are not multi-millionaires (and they are much tougher and proud).

Can you imagine an annual game between NFL players from the southern and northern states? Draw a vertical line across a map of the United States and get players from either side to play a game, let's say, a month after the Super Bowl. Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady. Larry Fitzgerald vs. Andre Johnson. Dwight Freeney vs. DeMarcus Ware. There is enough pride in region that you might convince the players to actually take the game seriously. I would definitely watch a full-on, no holds barred game involving the NFL's best players. And I think a lot of others would too.

Expos, greatest ever?

Last week's anouncement that Andre Dawson would be inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame as a Montreal Expo against his will led radio commentator Dan Patrick to declare that an all-time team of Nos Amours would compare favourably against the best any other franchise has to offer. Of course, I couldn't agree more, but coming from the American sports media, that is generally pre-occupied with ridiculing anything Canadian, it was quite a shock.

The Expos may not be the most storied team in baseball history, but I would take my lineup of the team's greatest players (in their prime) against the all-stars of any other franchise. Major League Baseball Baseball only existed in Montreal for 35 years, but fans witnessed some incredible talent during that brief period. In fact, The Expos' best could compete with, and win against, the best from team's with much longer histories.

Here is my all-time Expos 25-man roster. Unless you are a Yankees or Red Sox fan, I bet you can't come up with a better squad.

Starting rotation

Pedro Martinez RHP

Randy Johnson LHP

Dennis Martinez RHP

Steve Rogers RHP

Bill Lee LHP

Ross Grimsley LHP

Honourable mentions go to Charlie Lea, Bill Gullickson and Mark Langston, whose 179 career wins probably should earn him a spot in the rotation but spent so little time in Montreal that it is difficult to consider him an Expo.

Bullpen

Jeff Reardon RHP

John Wetteland RHP

Mike Marshall RHP

Mel Rojas RHP

Woodie Fryman LHP

Chad Cordero had 127 saves in four seasons before being injured in 2008, but he was only an Expo for one season before moving to Washington with the rest of the team. Similarly, Lee Smith only came to Montreal for one year at the very end of his career and doesn't make my team despite being one of baseball's greatest closers.

Catchers

Gary Carter C

Darrin Fletcher C

Carter is far and away the best backstop in Expos' history and one of the 10 (maybe five) greatest catchers ever to play baseball. After that there is a hug drop-off in talent level and let's just say that Fletcher wouldn't even get to play very many day games after a night game for my team. Others you might consider mentioning are Brian Schneider, Mike Fitzgerald and John Boccabella.

Infield

Andres Galarraga 1B

Al Oliver 1B

Jose Vidro 2B

Tim Wallach 3B

Larry Parrish 3B

Hubie Brooks SS

Tony Perez 1B

Pete Rose might be the best baseball player ever, but he only played one season in Montreal so I left him off my team. Perez was an Expo for three years and would be a solid anchor for any infield. I will never forget Delino DeShields' major league debut when he batted 4 for 6 against the St. Louis Cardinals, but he still doesn't make my team. Orlando Cabrera and Chris Speier would be welcome on most team's at shortstop but are stuck in the minors behind Brooks on the all-time Expos.

Outfield

Andre Dawson CF

Vladimir Guerrero RF

Tim Raines LF

Larry Walker RF

Ken Singleton LF

This is where the Expos really distinguish themselves. Picking just five outfielders was a really difficult task. 1997 NL MVP Larry Walker would probably be restricted to bench and pinch hitter duty on this team. And consider that Rusty Staub and his 292 career homeruns could not crack the lineup, even as a backup. What about the cornerstones of the Expos team that would have won a World Series if not for a players' strike in 1994: Moises Alou, who averaged 28 HR and 107 RBI during an 18-year career; and Marquis Grissom, who led the National League in stolen bases in 1991 and 1992. Bob Bailey, Warren Cromartie, Ellis Valentine and Rondell White would make a lot of other franchise's all-star teams.

What is your favourite team? Put together your all-time 24-man roster and let's see how they compare...

Help, my team is a laughing stock!

Help! I need your advice sports fans. What do you do when your favourite team becomes a laughing stock? So, all you supporters of the LA Clippers, Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Maple Leafs, this post is for you.

You see, my beloved Buffalo Bills officially became the biggest joke in the NFL last week. That is quite a feat when you consider the competition - like the Raiders, Lions, Rams and Buccaneers. Losing four straight Super Bowls in the early 1990s and finishing with a record better than .500 only once since 2000 is one thing, but last week's hiring of Chan Gailey (and the subsequent press conference of 70-year old hillbilly GM Buddy Nix) was just too much.

Chan Gailey?!? Do the Bills really expect their fans to believe that there was no one better out there than a Dallas Cowboys' throwaway who has not been a head coach in the NFL for more than 10 years. What about Bill Cowher, John Gruden, Marty Schottenheimer and Mike Shanahan? Even the perennially miserable Cleveland Browns were able to hire Mike Holmgren, a high profile coach with a proven track record. Why not give Cincinnati defensive co-ordinator Mike Zimmer a shot? The Seattle Seahawks made a big splash when they brought Pete Carroll in from the college ranks. We get Chan Gailey, who was the offensive co-ordinator of the NFL's worst offensive team for the past three years and was even relieved of his play calling duties last season.

The Bills have been on a downward spiral since Wade Phillips made the illogical decision to replace Doug Flutie at quarterback in 2000 - despite an 11-5 record in 1999 with Flutie at the helm. Since then a series of questionable decisions have resulted in a record of 66-94 and ten straight seasons without making the playoffs. And then someone put a microphone in front of this slack jawed bumpkin...

What is a fan to do? Maybe I'll cut my losses and cheer for a new team. The Colts and Saints are pretty good. I could stop watching the NFL altogether and focus my attention on the CFL. My Alouettes are Grey Cup champions and look to be contenders for many years to come. Or should I bite my lip and watch every Sunday as the Bills get beat up week after week in the hope that they will make the playoffs before I need diapers? Tell me Leafs fans, what should I do?

Cormier comments

Let me begin by saying that I am a big fan of Patrice Cormier. Not only is his brother, Kevin, one of the most popular players in the history of my hometown Halifax Mooseheads, but he is a fantastic player who I think has what it takes to have a successful NHL career. He looks to me like one of those guys who actually plays better at the professional level than in junior (a la Patrice Bergeron).

All that said, I am at a loss to find any excuse whatsoever for the hit in Mikael Tam. To me, elbowing an unsuspecting player while skating at full-speed is about as dirty and unforgivable an act a hockey player can commit. It is on par with clubbing another player over the head with a stick and there is no possible justification. What Cormier did is far more deplorable and dangerous than Michael Liambis' hit a few months ago that resulted in a lifetime suspension from the OHL. The Liambis' suspension, in my view, was extraordinarily harsh, but it sets a precedent that may make life more difficult for Cormier, if not Gilles Courteau.

Using Liambis as a barometer, Cormier should be kicked out of the QMJHL forever...period. However, if one recognizes that David Branch went over the top when he made his ruling, a less harsh punishment could be applied. I don't think that disciplinary decisions should take the skill and value of a player (offender or victim) into account, but there is no doubt that Liambis' suspension would have been shorter had he not been a fourth line role player.

Rouyn-Noranda has 20 games left on its regular season schedule. Under the circumstances, it would be appropriate for Cormier to miss all of those games and the first round of the playoffs. I don't believe that this kid's junior career should be ended by this incident (he's only 20 years old) but, on the other hand, a serious message needs to be sent to him (and everyone else in hockey) that this is about as bad as it gets.

Kool-Aid post script

Just some more food for thought, and another reason for his banishment from baseball, about Mark McGwire and his steroid use...

If McGwire is the new hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals and he believes that he did nothing wrong by taking drugs and that steroids are for recovering from injuries but don't enhance performance, what will stop him from recommending the juice to one of his players (let's say Albert Pujols) if he gets hurt at some point next season?