A Houdini Act in Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Sometimes, you play really well and don't get any points.

Other nights, you don't put your best effort in for a stretch of the game, but still get the win.

They'll balance out in the end, but UMD got one on the right side of the ledger Friday night.

From my perch high atop the World Arena, it sure seemed like the Bulldogs were running the risk of getting blown out after a good start. UMD led 2-0 late in the first, but Colorado College got life with a late goal in that period, and then two goals 19 seconds apart in the second gave them a 3-2 lead.

The Tigers had a few chances early in the third, but UMD started to chip away at their momentum. After what seemed like a long stretch without any real good offensive chances for the Bulldogs, they started to string together quality shifts. Eventually, defenseman Mike Montgomery picked up a rebound from his own shot and fed a cross-crease pass to Travis Oleksuk, who made no mistake and tied the game.

From there until the final 2:24, UMD had more control of the game than they had since the first 17 minutes. Kyle Schmidt scored a beautiful goal, banging home a pass from Rob Bordson on a delayed penalty. That gave UMD the lead. Then the parade to the penalty box happened.

Scott Kishel and Jordan Fulton were called for penalties 59 seconds apart, giving CC a long five-on-three. They quickly turned that into a six-on-three by pulling freshman goalie Joe Howe. UMD stood their ground, as Mike Connolly, Cody Danberg, and Mike Montgomery protected goalie Kenny Reiter. CC hit a couple of posts in the last-minute flurry, and Chad Huttel stole the final centering pass and cleared it out of the zone to secure the victory.

It was an insane finish, and UMD is right to think they stole two points. However, some of the most important points a team will accrue over the course of a season are the ones they stole. In the end, the standings (and eventually the Pairwise) don't give a crap how many goals you won the game by. They just care that you won.

We were certain Colorado College would come out like gangbusters Friday, determined to protect their home barn against a team that had great success in it a year ago. That didn't really happen, as the Tigers were too busy taking bad penalties in the first period.

However, you can be confident that CC will come out strong on Saturday. UMD will have to weather the storm a bit, and they have to avoid taking bad penalties, an area they got better at on Friday but still have plenty of room to improve in.

Hell of a game Friday, and let's hope UMD can pull off another one Saturday night. It would surely make for a happy trip back to the Twin Ports on Sunday morning.

Brewers, Twins Swap Disappointing Young Players in Early Trade

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- We're still a while from baseball free agency, and the winter meetings are still to come. That means that baseball's "silly season" is not anywhere near started yet.

Not even 48 hours removed from the World Series, the Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins made a move Friday to solidify their rosters, while also ridding themselves of young players who had been disappointments, despite a world of talent.

For Milwaukee, it was time to deal shortstop J.J. Hardy. He had a terrible season with the Brewers, eventually earning himself a trip to the minors. After he failed to fix his swing in Nashville, he lashed out at the Brewers for sending him there and spoiling his chance to attain free agency after the 2010 season.

(He could have been a free agent had he not stayed in the minors more than 20 days. Now, he has to wait until 2011 before he's accrued enough service time.)

Given the rise of Alcides Escobar, the Brewers' new shortstop, Hardy was expendable. Friday, he was dealt to the Twins for center fielder Carlos Gomez.

There was no doubt that expensive veteran Mike Cameron was not going to stay in the Brewers' plans forever. He hit for power and played very good defense, but wasn't really worth $10 million or more. Gomez might not be the answer, but it's apparent that he'll get a chance to be.

Hardy, meanwhile, is likely to take over as the starting shortstop in Minnesota, assuming they don't try to heave him over to third and re-sign Orlando Cabrera.

Both guys received much fan support during their time with their old teams. Hardy also made it clear that he harbors no ill will toward the Brewers, though I'm sure he'd love to stick it to them during interleague play.

Stalock Popular in Worcester

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- During his three years at UMD, goalie Alex Stalock brought a lot of emotions from Bulldog fans. For the most part, he made them very happy by keeping the puck out of the net, and for helping lead UMD to the NCAA quarterfinals last year.

Shutouts on back-to-back nights at the Final Five -- while allowing one goal over three games -- probably didn't hurt.

He also infuriated fans at times by not controlling his emotions very well, and by wandering to play pucks they would rather he had left alone, no matter the end result.

In the end, though, Stalock was an impact player for UMD, just like everyone involved in his recruitment thought he would be.

He's now moved on to the Sharks organization, and he's off to a great start there.

(You can follow the stats for Stalock and all other former UMD Bulldogs in pro hockey by clicking here.)

In fact, it seems they like him a good deal in Worcester, home of the Sharks' AHL affiliate.

Stalock has posted superb numbers so far, with a save percentage over .920 and his goals against under 2.00. His coach is pleased.

“Right away,” Sommer said, “you could see what a good athlete he was, and that he had a real competitive nature, too — one of those guys who hates getting beat, even in practice. Most goalies are competitive, but they don’t all show it. He’s like (Evgeni Nabokov) — you can really see it.”

... Stalock’s competitiveness is obvious just from his body language during a game. He’s also easy to notice because he likes handling the puck, and does it well, something no Sharks goaltender up until now has been able to do. Greiss, Dimitri Patzold and Taylor Dakers were all scary trying to play the puck, but Stalock is evolving into a third defenseman.

“I’ve never coached a goalie who plays the puck as well as he does,” Sommer said. “I’ve seen some, but never coached one.”

High praise for a young goalie. It has to be a good sign for Stalock that he's already considered the top goalie in the AHL, as the Sharks have quite the glut of goalies in their system. Stalock could be setting himself up for an NHL opportunity quicker than most of us thought.

College Football Weekend Preview: Protesting the Schedule

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- There is one moderately interesting game on the schedule this weekend.

LSU visits Alabama. Unfortunately, as high as I was on LSU at the start of the season, I don't think they're all that, and Alabama -- off an uninspiring performance and a bye week -- should stomp.

Granted, there will be games that entertain this weekend. They're just impossible to find. That said, I'm hopeful LSU will give 'Bama a run. The Tigers have been getting better, and they kept it relatively close against Florida.

Where they'll run into trouble is on defense. The Tide have been able to score points for most of the season, and LSU has had their share of struggles stopping people. Even against Florida, they may have gotten stops, but they had trouble taking the ball away from the Gators and shortening possessions.

The Alabama defense will make things very difficult on LSU to move the ball consistently. Jordan Jefferson has to have a huge day, and that's probably not going to happen.

No matter what, this is the first major SEC elimination game that will be played. Georgia wasn't ever a serious contender, and neither was Mississippi after their South Carolina loss. The loser of this game has virtually no chance of playing for the SEC title, and therefore their national title hopes are pretty much gone.

For the anti-playoff contingent in college football, you better hope Alabama wins. The last thing you need is LSU winning and then beating Florida for the SEC title. The most notable anti-playoff argument is that a tournament would de-value huge regular season games. People are absolutely right when they say that, because playoffs do take meaning out of the regular season. The goal isn't to win every regular season game. Instead, the idea becomes to win enough games to make the playoffs.

If LSU wins the SEC title and gets in the BCS title game, after losing a regular season game to Florida at home, it casts a great pall over the meaning of regular season games, thus causing great harm to a major part of the anti-playoff case.

Just sayin'.

Oh, and I'm taking the home team.

The pick: Alabama

Other games (home team in CAPS)
IOWA over Northwestern
MINNESOTA over Illinois
Wisconsin over INDIANA
Oregon over STANFORD
PENN STATE over Ohio State
Houston over TULSA
CLEMSON over Florida State
CINCINNATI over Connecticut
Oklahoma over NEBRASKA
IDAHO over Fresno State

Two weeks ago: 8-3
Season: 63-34

Back at the Scene of the Crime

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- I hate to say it that way, but it's probably how Colorado College views it.

Last year, UMD went 3-0-1 in the Colorado Springs World Arena. After a 1-1 tie in the opener of a two-game series last December, the Bulldogs ripped off three straight, outscoring the Tigers 14-6 over that stretch.

Included was a two-game sweep in the first round of the WCHA playoffs March 13-14. It was a series that catapulted UMD on a run to the NCAA quarterfinals, and it was a series that ended Colorado College's once-promising season. The team virtually everyone picked to win the WCHA ended the season tied for third, seeded fourth in the playoffs, and they were quickly ousted in the first round.

With no chance to make the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers were left to watch the Bulldogs go on their magical run.

Now, UMD is back in Colorado Springs, greeted by virtually clear skies and temperatures in the 70s. Go ahead and be jealous.

The Bulldogs struggled the last time they played on Olympic ice, taking just one of four points in St. Cloud two weekends ago.

However, the World Arena tends to be much kinder to UMD than the National Hockey Center. Last year is certainly a prime example, as is four years ago, when UMD rallied from a 7-2 blitzkrieg on Friday to win Saturday's game 4-3 behind the exploits of Mason Raymond and Michael Gergen, along with approximately 433 saves from Isaac Reichmuth.

Head coach Scott Sandelin is preaching discipline. The Bulldogs are the most-penalized team in the WCHA (second nationally to Ferris State) at nearly 23 minutes per game. As we like to talk about on the air, you can yell all you want about the inconsistency in officiating that we've seen so far, but the bottom line is that teams deserve the vast majority of penalties that are called against them. Not only that, but in virtually every case, a player has put himself in a bad position when he takes a penalty, even if the call isn't warranted.

These are the things that UMD has to curb, somehow, because the Tiger power play will singe them if given too many chances.

Colorado College is hitting on the power play at an absolutely sick 32.7 percent. Yes, it's early, but it should be more than enough for UMD to take notice. The Bulldogs have been pretty good on the kill so far, but they'll be seriously tested on the big sheet against a formidable opponent.

As CC head coach Scott Owens noted this week, the Tigers have two units that are performing well with the man advantage. However, its guys like Bill Sweatt, Tyler Johnson, and freshman Rylan Schwartz that draw most of the attention. Sweatt is thriving as a senior leader, and Johnson -- a former Cloquet/Esko/Carlton Lumberjack star -- is enjoying the start of what could be a breakout season for him, as he's scored five goals and has totaled eight points in six games.

This is a clash of top offenses. Seven of the league's top 15 point producers will be on the ice Friday night. UMD boasts sophomore Jack Connolly (first with 14 points), junior Justin Fontaine (second with 12), junior Rob Bordson (third with 11), and sophomore Mike Connolly (tied for 12th with seven). Colorado College has Sweatt (tied for fourth with ten), Johnson (tied for eighth), and Schwartz (tied for 12th) all on that list.

If that's not enough, both teams have gotten nice contributions from inexperienced goalies out of the chute. UMD's Brady Hjelle (2.79 goals against, .913 saves) and Kenny Reiter (1.73, .929) are both available this weekend, while CC goes with freshman Joe Howe (4-0-1, 2.17, .935).

Two years ago, the Tigers had great success with a freshman netminder, as Richard Bachman took home a ton of WCHA honors while leading the Tigers to the league regular-season title. Along the way, Bachman shut the Bulldogs out three times in four starts.

Let's hope that doesn't repeat!

UMD will be tested on the big sheet, thanks to the Tigers' speed and their ability to use the extra space. Expect UMD to work hard defending the middle of the rink, taking away the Tigers' grade-A chances. From there, it's up to a team that isn't used to extra space to find a way to use it.

Guys like Connolly, Connolly, Bordson, and Fontaine can move, and they have to get out in space and make plays with their speed. In St. Cloud, the line of Drew Akins, Kyle Schmidt, and Keegan Flaherty was UMD's best, and there is good reason for that. Schmidt and Flaherty can fly, and Akins isn't exactly gliding around with lead in his skates, either.

Defensively, UMD brought seven players on this trip, and it is highly possibly that all seven will get a chance to play. A healthy Dylan Olsen could be a huge factor with his skating ability, and it's nice to know that Scott Kishel is again available to play.

The bottom line is that UMD is getting more consistent. It was hard to judge the Bulldogs' play five-on-five against Clarkson because there were so many penalties, but it's clear that UMD can grind out victories even when things aren't going smoothly. Now, it's time to play 120 consistent, high-quality minutes, while showing they can handle the rigors of the big sheet and the altitude (though the altitude issue tends to be overstated by most).

I'll be back with lines before Friday's series opener.

Since It Didn't End ...

... it might as well go seven games and end with a colossal Yankee choke.

Right?

I've been torn throughout the World Series. My mom is a huge Yankee fan, and she would thoroughly enjoy if they won their 947th title. She's about the only one I know who would.

Even fervent "pro-American League" people I know won't root for the Yankees, because they're the Yankees. When they have a hole (mound, first base, third base, center field, left field, etc.), they go buy the highest-priced free agent on the market.

If it just stopped there, we'd probably have no issues. The Red Sox, Dodgers, Cubs, Mets, and others all do this, and none get nearly the scorn of the Yankees.

But the Yankees don't just stop at winning the bidding. They set unreasonable market values for the players while they're at it. A good example of this is C.C. Sabathia. The big lefty is not at all unlikeable, even in pinstripes. The Brewers, who traded for him last summer, got to the playoffs largely on the impact he made in the rotation, and they offered him a huge contract during the offseason.

The Yankees, knowing the Brewers were the only serious bidder, outbid Milwaukee by some $60 million.

(Let's not kid ourselves. The total value of the deal is all that matters, as baseball contracts are guaranteed. This isn't the NFL, where the best deal might not be the one that is longest or comes with the most total value.)

Pressured by the players' union and their agents, guys like Sabathia and Mark Teixiera have to take these bloated deals, no matter what they think of playing in that fishbowl.

Hopefully, these guys are careful. Alex Rodriguez was always a bit slimy, but he had a sterling reputation until he got to New York. Now, he's a steroid-using adulterer who chokes in the clutch.

Anyway, Philadelphia isn't a whole lot better. The organization spends reasonably, which is admirable, but the fans there are crazy. Plus, they won last year. Who wants to see the same team win every year, unless it's their own?

I mean, the Yankees haven't won a World Series in a long time. I'm not saying you should root for them, but it is worth noting.

In the end, it's the Yankees, and you can't root for them unless you hate kittens. I like kittens, so I'm reluctantly pulling for a repeat. I'll admit that my enthusiasm is a bit greater now, because the Yankees had a 3-1 lead in the series and they get the last two games at home.

But I still can't get enthused about this World Series.

Like Cubs fans, I guess I'll have to wait 'til next year.

BlogPoll: Nov. 4 Ballot (Draft)

Sorry we're late on this day.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Florida	1
2	Alabama	1
3	Cincinnati
4	Texas
5	Boise State	3
6	Oregon	6
7	TCU	1
8	LSU	1
9	Georgia Tech	2
10	Iowa	1
11	Penn State	2
12	Pittsburgh	3
13	Southern Cal	8
14	Utah	5
15	Houston	5
16	Ohio State	1
17	Notre Dame	8
18	Arizona	5
19	Virginia Tech	5
20	Miami (Florida)	1
21	West Virginia	3
22	Wisconsin
23	Oklahoma State	13
24	California
25	Idaho
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Mississippi (#16), South Carolina (#22), Central Michigan (#24).

Before you ask: No, I don't really think Idaho is the 25th-best team in the country. However, they are a nice story at 7-2, and I wanted to give a nod to Robb Akey, Nathan Enderle, and all the Vandals for the work they've done to turn their sinking ship around in a short amount of time.

Whatever bowl game they make, I'll be watching.

NFL Week 8: Off a Bye

Took a bye week last week, which is French for "Forgot to submit picks because I am an idiot."

Brett Favre's homecoming is today, though it's not really a homecoming because Favre hasn't lived full-time in Green Bay in years, and this game isn't being played in Mississippi.

Anyway, on to this week's picks. Maybe I'll give you something of substance in advance of next week's action.

Home team in caps, as always.

Houston over BUFFALO
CHICAGO over Cleveland
DALLAS over Seattle
DETROIT over St. Louis
INDIANAPOLIS over San Francisco
N.Y. JETS over Miami
Denver over BALTIMORE
N.Y. GIANTS over Philadelphia
Jacksonville over TENNESSEE
SAN DIEGO over Oakland
ARIZONA over Carolina
NEW ORLEANS over Atlanta

Oh, and yeah.

GREEN BAY over Minnesota

Game 8: UMD vs. Clarkson

Couple changes for UMD due to injuries and viruses. Here are the lines for tonight.

UMD
Bordson - Connolly (Jack) - Grun
Fulton - Connolly (Mike) - Danberg
Schmidt - Akins - Flaherty
Hendrickson - DeLisle - Seidel

Montgomery - Ryan
Bergman - Lamb
Olson - Huttel

Hjelle - Reiter - Crandall

Clarkson
Pawlick - Oakley - Tremblay
DeFazio - Tuohimaa - Cayer
Morley - Marks - Wilson
Freeman - Tamblyn - Beca

Pokulok - Borowiecki
Rufenach - Reed
Daddario - Pizzo

Karpowich - LaVeau

For UMD, Justin Fontaine is out with an upper-body injury, courtesy of Clarkson's Tim Marks. Dylan Olsen is out with a virus, as is Trent Palm.

Game 7: UMD vs. Clarkson

Back home in the friendly confines.

Before we get to lines, an announcement for those of you with children or who like to stalk college hockey players.

All UMD fans young and old are cordially invited to the 34th annual Skate with the Bulldogs event on Sunday, November 29th, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the DECC. It's your opportunity to skate and get pictures taken with your favorite UMD men's and women's hockey player. Also expected to be on hand is Champ the Bulldog mascot as well as Santa Claus. Admission is free and there will be prize giveaways as well. That's Skate with the Bulldogs, November 29th from 3 to 5 o'clock at the DECC.

And now, here are the lines for the lid-lifter of this non-conference series.

UMD
Connolly (Mike) - Connolly (Jack) - Fontaine
Danberg - Bordson - Fulton
Schmidt - Akins - Flaherty
Seidel - DeLisle - Hendrickson

Olsen - Lamb
Montgomery - Ryan
Olson - Huttel

Reiter - Hjelle - Crandall

Clarkson
Pawlick - Oakley - Freeman
DeFazio - Cayer - Beca
Tremblay - Marks - Tamblyn
Morley - Tuohimaa - Wilson

Pokulok - Borowiecki
Rufenach - Reed
Crowe - Pizzo

Karpowich - LaVeau - Rosen

The Dilemma Facing UMD

There are times where hockey coaches have to make some difficult decisions. Sometimes, fans will tend to agree with the coach, or at least side with him, because the coach is paid to make those tough decisions.

Other times, fans will act like they know more about hockey than the coach does. You know someone like this, in all likelihood.

Beyond this, there are other decisions that coaches have to make, and normal fans understand that no civilized person would ever want to have to make them.

In hockey, one of these such times comes when a struggling offense is faced with the question of how to structure their lines. Do you keep your best players together, or break them up in hopes of invigorating other forward lines?

There could come a time this season where UMD is facing this dilemma.

The Bulldogs have three top-notch offensive players. Everyone knows it. Jack Connolly, Mike Connolly, and Justin Fontaine are three of the best forwards in the WCHA. With all due respect to the other forwards on the team, these three are a cut above the rest.

After experiencing some serious struggles in generating five-on-five offense, UMD appears ready to put their eggs into one basket, or line. This week, Mike Connolly has joined Jack Connolly and Justin Fontaine in practice, and it sounds like the three will play five-on-five this weekend against Clarkson.

This isn't meant as any disrespect to Mike's old linemates, guys like Travis Oleksuk (one game), Rob Bordson, and Cody Danberg. They're good players, and it would help them immensely to play with a guy like Mike Connolly, whose constant hustle, underrated grit, and offensive ability make guys around him better. However, the Bulldogs have a bigger picture to think about.

If having the Connollys (or is it "Connollies"?) paired with Fontaine will make the team more dangerous offensively, they have to take a shot at it. This opens the door for Oleksuk to be paired with Bordson and either Danberg Jordan Fulton when he returns (perhaps as soon as next weekend).

Of course, if the 2004-2005 Colorado College Tigers are any barometer, this won't be the last change that is made involving UMD's top players. Coach Scott Owens had senior stars Brett Sterling and Marty Sertich, and while he started the season with the high-scoring forwards on the same line, he eventually separated them, then reunited them and separated them again before the season was over. The year ended in a first-round NCAA regional loss to Cornell, and the team may not have realized its full potential.

Owens is a good coach, and this isn't about blaming him. It's about showing how hard this type of decision can be.

Having three really good players on one line might hurt the balance of your four forward lines, but if those three players are generally not going to be stopped for 60 minutes, you know that you can win games. It helps that you can see some real potential in the Bulldogs' third line, featuring captain Drew Akins, junior Kyle Schmidt, and freshman Keegan Flaherty. They played very well on Friday (in fact, head coach Scott Sandelin said Saturday that this threesome was probably UMD's best line in that Friday tie at SCSU).

Improved production from this group means the Bulldogs would have one really good scoring line, another capable scoring line, and then two lines that shouldn't have a ton of pressure on them to develop and chip in a lot of goals. Oleksuk's return should help solidify that second line, while also giving the Bulldogs more depth at center.

It's early in the season, too, so it's a good time to experiment. Yes, all regular season games count in the Pairwise, but if you're truly good enough to make the tournament, you're probably good enough that you've kept far away from the bubble on Selection Sunday. There's only one exhibition game, and WCHA games only get six or eight non-conference games (depending on if they travel to Alaska for a series or not) to tinker with things. The conference games have to take precedent over non-league contests, meaning that these dates with Clarkson are the best shot UMD will have until New Year's weekend to see if this line will work.

As the freshmen develop and younger guys push for ice time, there will be more opportunities to experiment with line combinations for the Connollys and Fontaine, assuming this doesn't work or UMD doesn't like having their three best offensive players on one line. This is just the first of those trial runs.

Don't be terribly shocked if it works.

Favre Gives His Blessing

The day is drawing closer.

On Sunday, Packer fans have to choose between their team and the quarterback who ran himself out of town because he couldn't make up his mind (or maybe he wanted out all along).

For most of them, it's not really a difficult choice. After all, these people have been Packer fans forever, and they're not going to cheer for a guy on a rival team just because he's Brett Favre.

If you're still on the fence, trying to decide what to do, please understand that Favre understands. In fact, if you choose to cheer for the Packers, you are doing so with The Great One's blessing.

(Are you curious to see the fans' reaction?)

"I think that's probably more intriguing to everyone else. I think there'll be a mixture of both, understandably so, but as I've said before: 'What I've accomplished there and was a part of, you can't take that away.' You know, it's OK to pull for your team, I guess. But I can't make anyone cheer or boo or whatever.

Straight from the horse's ass -- er, mouth:

It's OK to pull for your team, I guess.

Good deal, Brett. I'll remember that on Sunday. I'm so grateful that the great Brett Favre has given me permission to cheer for the Packers, the team I've rooted for since I was shorter than my seven-year-old is now.

Without his blessing, I'm not sure I could go on.

Whatever, Brett. There will come a day after this season is over, when you're sitting on your tractor, or out on the golf course, or throwing footballs to teenagers, or whatever it is you do when you're not playing football. On this day, you're going to look back and wonder what you did to earn the scorn of so many people in Wisconsin, people who adored you for so many years.

Before all is forgiven (and this will happen, I promise), you're going to feel a tinge of regret over the incredibly dumb things you've said since you first decided to come back in 2008. When you think about those dumb things, "It's OK to pull for your team, I guess" is going to be at or near the top of the list.

Former Packer Sums Up Favre-Vikings Marriage Perfectly

Earlier this year, Brett Favre talked too much. He was giddy over a Minnesota win, and he talked about how this group of Vikings was the best team he'd ever played on.

Well, the 1996 Green Bay Packers, who actually won a Super Bowl, beg to differ. Not only that, but a few of them relayed some disgust at Favre's decision to sign with Minnesota.

Favre can expect lots of boos Sunday when his Vikings wander into Lambeau Field. It's a situation many NFL fans can't comprehend, as they seem to believe Packer fans should see beyond the colors of the jerseys on the field and blindly cheer for Favre, no matter what he is trying to do to their favorite team.

While many of the arguments about how the Packers didn't want Favre back would make sense if they were true, most of them are not.

This wasn't as black-and-white as "The Packers got rid of him," and it never will be that simple. The problem wasn't that the Packers didn't want Favre, it was that they didn't want Favre on Favre's terms anymore. They wanted a quarterback that could be relied on for offseason attendance, and they wanted a quarterback who would be willing to continue playing for them without being begged. Most importantly, they wanted a quarterback who wouldn't be perceived as being above the rest of the team. Favre couldn't provide that anymore, and this was perfectly evidenced by his magical "Wait Until The Day After OTAs and Announce Intent to Play Again" trick he played in the summer of 2008.

So the Packers moved on.

In the article linked above, former Packers discussed Favre's contention that this Vikings team was superior. Shockingly, they find it to be absolutely crazy, in large part because the Vikings haven't won anything yet. Of course, if the Vikings do win something, Favre looks like a genius. Again.

If they don't, he just looks like another selfish guy who couldn't stand not being in the spotlight. Then again, we all think Favre is like this anyway.

At the end of the day, former defensive tackle Santana Dotson summed up the situation perfectly.

"Seeing Brett in purple, when I first saw it I kind of threw up in my mouth. Once he finally retires and he flips up that helmet for good, we all know the records and that Brett Favre will be known as one of the greatest Packers ever to play the game.

"But I do understand the fans and how their anger has heightened with him in a purple jersey. The fans should feel free to boo, yell and go crazy on Sunday. When that jersey comes off and he decides to retire, we'll bring him back home."

More than anything, these words should sum up the attitudes of Packer fans regarding what has happened here.

Seeing Favre in purple should make them throw up in their mouths. They should boo him mercilessly on Sunday, from the second he walks out on the turf to the moment he ducks into the tunnel for the last time after the Packers have clinched victory (too optimistic?). No matter the outcome of Minnesota's season, the mere mention of Favre's name in Wisconsin should be met with instant negativity.

But the day Favre has his number retired at Lambeau Field, all will be forgiven. Yes, that day will happen. It's not like Favre assaulted anyone, nor has he ever said anything bad about Green Bay in public. Outside of his decision to play for the Vikings -- and the reaction of Packer fans to this is totally justified -- there just isn't anything to hold a grudge with the guy over.

Brett Favre Pass is still standing in Green Bay, as is Brett Favre's Steakhouse. Someday, No. 4 will adorn the Ring of Honor inside Lambeau Field, and millions of Packer fans will take that jersey out of storage and put it on again.

(By the way, if any Ryan Longwell fans are reading this, the same is true for him. He had a lot of good years in Green Bay, and while he may never get his number retired, there's no reason he can't come back one day and serve as the honorary captain.)

As for the comments about the 1996 team, let's face it. There is no comparison that can be fairly made until the Vikings season is over. From there, the only fair comparison that can be made between the two is if the Vikings actually win it all. The 1996 Packers were easily the league's most dominant team that season. They had an MVP quarterback, two dual-threat running backs, an emerging All-Pro receiver, two great tight ends, one of the strongest offensive lines of its time, and the league's top-ranked defense and special teams.

(Green Bay had four return touchdowns in 1996, but did not permit a single kickoff or punt return touchdown.)

It can be argued that it's tougher to win it all today than it's ever been, but it can also be argued that truly dominant teams tend to not exist in football anymore (exception: 2007 Patriots, who didn't win it all, oddly).

What's your take? Is it fair to compare the two teams before we know how the Vikings will finish up?

Truths About the NBA Season

With much hype (at least on ESPN), the NBA kicks off the regular season Tuesday night. The league is in the same kind of economic pickle the NHL is, but they get more viewers on average for games at any time of day.

While there were some clear down years for them, it appears that the level of talent and excitement is on the rise. There are some clearly bad teams -- and even a few awful ones -- as usual, but more teams seem willing to play a more athletic style that is going to be attractive to people looking for things to watch on television and ways to spend a few bucks on a night out.

As the season launches, here's one not-so-big fan's list of important truths about the NBA:

The league doesn't suck.

This used to be a problem. Yes, you'll still see a few 77-73 clunkers where neither team can shoot and no one appears interested in moving their feet, but these guys are human beings, and they will have their off nights.

The important thing is that there is more excitement than there are dull moments. This shouldn't be a problem. Teams like Chicago, Boston, Cleveland, Washington, Dallas, Phoenix, Atlanta, Denver, Portland, the defending champion Lakers, and even their arena roomies, the Clippers, show the promise of being exciting to watch while also being at least decent in the standings.

Not a lot of teams on that list, but at least it's a start.

If the Lakers falter, the league is wide open.

It's a big "if," but haters can always hope that Ron Artest blows up the chemistry. It's certainly possible, given that he has never played with an ego like Kobe's.

Also a possibility is that Kobe won't be as driven now that he's proven he doesn't need Shaq around to win a title. This is unlikely, as I don't see him taking his foot off the gas for any reason. Getting Artest was huge, as the loss of Trevor Ariza could have really hurt otherwise. Then again, they probably don't lose Ariza if they hadn't gotten Artest first.

The Clippers are going to be good.

Yes, really. Blake Griffin comes back in six weeks, which sucks, but it isn't the end of the world. Every now and then, a high-profile rookie gets too many minutes early in the season and rams into a wall at around the 50-game mark, when he realizes that he's never played this many games at a high level before (college seasons are 30 games or so plus conference and national tournament play).

Griffin can be a force in the second half, and the Clippers should be somewhat competitive before he plays. Eric Gordon and Baron Davis are a great guard tandem, Chris Kaman is a passable interior player, and I love Rasual Butler. He's got length and he makes people defend him on the perimeter because he's such a good shooter.

Even Mike Dunleavy might not be dumb enough to keep this team out of the playoffs.

Oklahoma City is the most exciting team in the league ...

... and they won't even make the playoffs this year. Just watching these young kids grow up and get better together is great. Throw in super crowds that they're drawing in Oklahoma City, and you have a great environment for basketball.

This team simply isn't ready yet. Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, and Russell Westbrook represent an impressive nucleus, and they're clearly on their way. Should teams like Portland and Denver falter (possible), the Thunder may have a shot at sneaking into the field. It's just asking a lot for them to be better than older, more experienced, and deeper teams.

The league is in salary cap trouble.

Not everyone has spent to the cap this year. That's smart, because there's virtually no chance that the league salary cap will stay where it is now next year. The same is true in the NHL, where teams may be on the verge of some major contract buyouts and trades to get closer to next year's projected number.

In the end, teams like Portland -- who made a deal with veteran point guard Andre Miller and wasted cap space to do so -- may be regretting their spending next summer. After all, LeBron is still scheduled to be a free agent, and desperately few teams (New York, New Jersey, and the Clippers?) from big markets have positioned themselves to be serious bidders. If the cap falls, this list could get even smaller.

No one knows how the playoff chases will end.

That said, what fun would it be if we didn't guess?

EASTERN CONFERENCE
1. Cleveland
2. Boston
3. Washington
4. Orlando
5. Chicago
6. Atlanta
7. Miami
8. Indiana
9. Toronto
10. Philadelphia
11. Charlotte
12. Detroit
13. Milwaukee
14. New Jersey
15. New York

WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. L.A. Lakers
2. San Antonio
3. Portland
4. Dallas
5. Phoenix
6. Utah
7. L.A. Clippers
8. New Orleans
9. Denver
10. Golden State
11. Oklahoma City
12. Minnesota
13. Houston
14. Memphis
15. Sacramento

BlogPoll: Oct. 28 Ballot (Draft)

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Alabama
2	Florida
3	Cincinnati	2
4	Texas
5	Southern Cal	2
6	TCU	2
7	LSU	1
8	Boise State	1
9	Iowa
10	Oklahoma State
11	Georgia Tech
12	Oregon
13	Penn State	2
14	Virginia Tech	2
15	Pittsburgh	2
16	Mississippi	3
17	Ohio State	1
18	West Virginia	3
19	Utah	3
20	Houston	5
21	Miami (Florida)	8
22	South Carolina
23	Arizona
24	Central Michigan	1
25	Notre Dame
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Kansas (#14), Brigham Young (#20), South Florida (#24).