Shula: Stop Hatin' & Happy Trails to Lindros

Yeah, I voted...so that gives me the right to complain as much as I want to.

I think it was a Notre Dame apologist...err fan that sent me a hater-type anonymous e-mail. Thats ok, my alma mater is going to a bowl game and earn their money, but anyway

Don Shula came out with the crackback blast saying that if the Pats do go unbeaten that they should have an asterisk by the record. As much as I have respected Shula, I think hes been standing a little too close to Dave the head maitre'd at his restaurant a little too long. Shula does forget that his Dolphins played no one with a winning record until the 1972 playoffs, they had to rally to beat the Browns and playoff neophyte Steelers before beating an overmatched Redskins squad in Super Bowl 7. Shula and his crew get mad dap for being the only team to run the table (ironic, that the Dolphins may run the table in losing them all this year) but his comments come off as boorish and jealous. I like the comment that Mercury Morris said "These guys are good; but don't call me when they're in my town, call me when they're on my block!" i.e., the Pats are a little over halfway there, if they get to the playoffs unbeaten (Sorry Mo, Sully, and Frags they wont) Then lets talk, until then I'll sit back and enjoy the show.

Speaking of hot starts, someone break up the Ottawa Senators. Here I was all hyped about the Wings solid 11-2-1 start until I see the Sens 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs gives them 26 points. I know its early but the Sens are the best team not to have put it all together for a run at the Cup. Is it too early to dream of a Wings-Sens Cup final. That would make the hockey purist in me happy.

On a related hockey note, reports out of Canada have oft-injured Eric Lindros retiring. (Lindros, is he still in this league???) I am un abashed in my dislike for Lindros. I always thought he was a big baby. I remember when he declared that he had no desire to play for the then Quebec Noridques (I'll resist calling them the Nor-Dorks, like I used to) and forced a trade to the Flyers where he was a part of the highly overrated Legion Of Doom. (Or as I called them the Legion of Boon) It was a pleasure watching that overrated team get punished and swept by the Wings in 1997. Lindros was oft traveled and did score 865 points but he never fully lived up to the promise of being the next great superstar, maybe if he had some of the humility of an Yzerman or the quiet resolve of a Lemieux or the grace and panache of a Gretzky maybe he would be still playing or at least mention in the same breath of those three aformentioned legends.

Its Mid-week and you know what that means: The awards that everyone in the blogging Community will be talking about, the often controvresial and never punch pulling Phat Dap/Head Slap of the week.

Phat Dap
Couple of good nominees this week, first one to Adrian Peterson who's mind blowing 296 yards helped the Vikings win (something I didn't predict) I just realized both times that I said that the Vikes situation was hopeless in a game AP goes for 2 bills or better. Second Phat Dap nominee goes to the Patriots who rallied from ten down to beat a tough Colts team. We will most definitely see a rematch of this game in January. But the Phat Dap has to go to Roger Goddell whom this scribe has been often very critical of, he stuck to his guns and did not lift the season long suspension of Adam "PacMan" Jones. Jones who still has the courts to deal with was seeking early reinstatement. Hey if Odell Thurman can't get back in what makes anyone in their right mind think that a ne'er do well like Jones (I've always wanted to call someone that) would get reinstated.

Head Slap
Nominees for this one go out to the Nebraska Defense, come on now. You already know I'm no fan of Bill Callahan, but he cant take all the blame. The once famed and feared blackshirt defense gave up TD's on ten straight possessions YIKES! Kansas punted once in the whole game. How far has that team fallen? And I cant let the Notre Dame loss to Navy slip by without nominating them for a head slap. You knew I was gonna take one more shot at the Irish, but instead I'll take it at their administration. How stupid do you think they feel now, being saddled with Charlie Weis' large contract. They were so quick to try to lock him up after his first season for fears that he would jump to the pros after a season or two in South Bend. Now with the Irish looking more and more pathetic. I mean, Navy was the one game that was always a gimme, recruits bailing on the Irish faster than the Titanic. It'll be a long time before the Irish are really feared, not like they were anyway. But the Head Slap has to go to those in the Patriots, mostly some of the Kraft family that made such a big deal of the alleged piped in crowd noise during the Pats-Colts game. I blamed Belichick before and I go on the record as saying I was wrong to tab him, but it isn't enough for the Pats to get a hard-earned and well deserved win. Some in the Pats organization are starting to get that "Everybody is against us mentality." Belichick aka: "Hoodie Man" is someone that we've grown used to, but I hope that thought process doesn't spread to everyone in the organization. You know I've been a voice in defense of the Pats fast start and big wins, but the whining has got to stop. When it comes from the coach, it sounds like coach speak, anyone else its sounds like whining. Shaddup and keep on playing good football and don't be bad winners.

I'm cooking up the hotlist of college games that you need to see, thats on Thursday...Until Next Post Fellow Sports Fans!!!