It took me by surprise that the first two guys were from NY teams, but by the end I was making a scene. The final face they threw up on the screen in place of Lincoln was Joe Namath. My hands went up in protest so quickly that I scattered my newly arrived basket of fries everywhere. That didn’t stop my girlfriend from taking the opportunity to rub in the fact that I only got one player right. I was in a sour mood for the next few days.

That was until I saw another one of the Rushmore segments. Apparently I had missed the fact that each one was about a city. The obvious NY bias appeared to be necessary considering that was the city they were covering that day. My bad.

However, it did get me thinking about the possibilities of an all-time Rushmore. So a few days later, while on a 6 hour road trip up to Raleigh to see one of my best friends, I brought the thought up to the car load of guys. Debate ensued.

We all agreed that there should be a representative from each of the three big American sports. My justification for this being that Rushmore is a pretty American thing: defacing a mountain side… or… facing a mountain side… whatever. Anyways, we excluded soccer from an automatic bid. Thus giving our Rushmore a spot for the face of football, basketball, baseball, and other. The Rock Wall of Fame, if you will.

Football’s candidates: Pop Warner, Vince Lombardi, and Dick Butkus

Baseball’s candidates: Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Nolan Ryan

Basketball’s candidates: Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Miscellaneous candidates: Michael Phelps, Muhammad Ali, and Tiger Woods

We argued the hell out of it, screaming and crying about how our guy deserved it over that other bum. (Yes, I called Michael Jordan a bum at one point. So shoot me.) But we finally came to a consensus.

Vince Lombardi- He was the face of the sport in the pre Superbowl years, and even the first few years. He is arguably the greatest coach of his generation and the trophy handed out to the best team in the league every year is named after him. We couldn’t think of one single player that rose to the top of the heap the same way Lombardi does, so we gave him the nod.

Babe Ruth- This one was a little more heated when it came to debating. Some of us felt like the other two guys could compete in today’s game, and others thought that Babe was overrated. In the end we finally decided that considering how important he was to the most recognizable franchise in the sport and the fact that their stadium was once called “The House that Ruth Built” qualified

Michael Jordan- This one hurts. I understand that Jordan is considered by most to be a god, but I simply don’t think enough people give Wilt Chamberlain the respect he deserves. The man held every conceivable record for ages. He scored 100 points in a game, for goodness sake. He completely changed the game… but as a group we decided on Jordan. It’s a good thing this is MY blog, though.

Muhammad Ali- Another highly contested spot on the Wall. Phelps, though an incredible Olympian, was in a distant third on this vote. Self proclaimed greatest boxer ever or the possible greatest golfer ever? We ended up going with the former simply because Tiger hasn’t finished his career yet. Ali was electric, active outside the ring, an incredible lyricist, and the quickest heavyweight the world has ever seen.

I’d love to see what athletes some of you guys that read this stinker would put on your own wall. Let’s hear it.

We’ll miss you Big Brown!

Oh yeah, and Tony Romo hurt his pinkie. He’ll miss the next four weeks, and I don’t care. He’s a regular season big-timer that can’t win in the play-offs, and if he weren’t in the “Big D” no one would be giving him the time of day. He’s a mistake prone, moron dating, jack ass appeasing, overrated goof. I’m so excited his hurt pinkie is going to get more press today than his team losing in overtime, the Falcons winning with 1 second left, the Rams winning with 3 ticks left, the Vikings winning with 9 seconds to go, or Matt Schaub running in the winning touchdown with 3 seconds on the board. Hopefully the nation will survive this devastating tragedy.

Say what you want about Nick Saban, but dammit the man is right. It only matters in the end where you’re ranked and even then, it’s not a logical guarantee whether or not your team gets into the championship game. So, let’s rip these current rankings to shreds, shall we? Here are my top five reasons that the rankings are stupid… in no particular anger inducing order.

1. Teams move up and down the rankings in a hypocritical way. Example: Either Alabama jumped six spots after snot-bubbling the supposed 11^th ranked team in the nation, or UGA dropped nine spots after losing to the number 2 team in the nation. Also, the non-adjustment making Trojans of Southern Cal only fell 8 spots after losing to unranked Oregon State, AND Oregon State doesn’t even get ranked after beating the number eight team in the country!!! What???

2. Brigham Young is ranked in the top 10, even though they’ll never make it to the big game. Everyone knows that a 1 loss ACC, SEC, Pac-10, Big 10/11, or Big 12 team would make it before the Young’n’s. Yet, there they are taking up a spot that they’ll get kicked out of down the road. Because they deserve to be kicked out? No. Because the voters will do it.

3. One loss teams can be ranked in front of undefeated teams. Granted, teams like Ohio State and Auburn lost to top 10 teams. Those aren’t the one loss teams I’m talking about. I’m talking about Wisconsin being ranked ahead of Vandy, and Virginia Tech being ranked ahead of Oklahoma State. The former teams lost to unranked Michigan and East Carolina yet the latter teams have taken care of business. The only thing holding the Commodores and Cowboys back is that fallacy-filled OPINION of those ever-so-qualified voters.

4. Teams that lose to other teams can still be ranked ahead of the teams that beat them. Confusing enough? There are plenty of cases already this season: Wake Forrest is ranked over Navy, Va Tech is ranked over East Carolina, Wisconsin is ranked over Michigan, and Florida is ranked over Ole Miss. If the rankings are based on previous weeks, why is there such a short term memory when it comes to weeks previous to the previous ones?

5. Some teams that win their division don’t have a chance at the BCS title. Yes, here it comes: The Playoff Argument. Why can’t the best of the best all get a shot? What other sport excludes division winners from a chance at the title? Stupidity. I say we take all the big conference winners and a couple of over achievers (Being the two highest ranked teams that didn’t win their conference. BCS or not). Here’s my solution:

First Round on December 20^th:

Big 12 Champ vs. At Large Team in the Cotton Bowl

Pac-10 Champ vs. Big-10 Champ in the Rose Bowl

ACC Champ vs. Big East Champ in the Orange Bowl

SEC Champ vs. At Large Team in the Peach Bowl

Second Round on December 27^th:

Cotton Winner vs. Rose Winner in the Fiesta Tostitos Bowl

Orange Winner vs. Peach Winner in the Sugar Bowl

Third Round on January 3^rd:

The Fiesta Winner vs. the Sugar Winner in BCS Championship Game

The first guy, obviously, Michael Strahan. His 141.5 sacks ranks 5^th all time, behind the likes of Bruce Smith, Reggie White, Kevin Greene, and Chris Doleman in that order. Not shabby company, and alone qualifies him for a bust in Canton, Ohio, but getting that elusive Superbowl win at the end of his career put an exclamation point on his Hall-of-Fame resume.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPFqk-7SP6Y

Another explosive defender that will find himself giving an acceptance speech in Ohio is Warren Sapp. Changing the way defensive tackle was played is all Sapp did in Tampa for nine years (being a Falcons fan, I grew to hate him), winning a Superbowl and a Defensive MVP award as well. Then he went to Oakland where he played more of a “space eater” role in the middle of the black hole. Now he’s using his eccentric manor as a commercial man for fantasy football leagues.

A guy that never really got press because of his position was Larry Allen. He was one of the most dominant offensive linemen in the history of the game. A massive player at 6’3” and 320+ lbs, Allen not only played the game at an extremely high level (going to the pro-bowl 11 times) but was possibly the strongest person to ever play the sport.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1FAbsxREb4&feature=related

Probably the best individual player on this list at his position is Jonathan Ogden. A 12 year player for Baltimore at the ever important left tackle spot, Ogden’s size (6’ 9” and 345lbs) and athletic ability gave him the opportunity to have his jersey number retired at UCLA where he played his college ball, get elected to 11 pro-bowls, and win a Superbowl in 2000 where he neutralized Michael Strahan for most of the game.

Finally, a man who has played (what seems like) since the sport’s invention. Junior Seau. The man racked up 1500 tackles in his 17 year career. Even though he’s not officially retired yet, there aren’t many teams who have the need for a 39 year old linebacker. I feel like its safe to assume we’ve seen the last of one of the nastiest and intense players to ever play the game. Even though tackles aren’t an official stat, he ranks at the “assumed” top, and had the athletic ability to change entire games with one play.

Why does this matter? Because I love football, and I’m not sure if there are many guys like the men I’ve already mentioned that could be regarded as first ballot guys. Let’s look at who is left in the league that’s a lock.

Peyton Manning- Passing records, a Superbowl win, and an iron man streak that might rival Favre’s way down the road.

Tom Brady- Three Superbowl rings, MVP awards, pro-bowls, and the single season TD record.

Brett Favre- Career record holder in: TD’s, passing yards, wins, and consecutive games played. Plus a Superbowl win and some MVP awards.

Orlando Pace- A left tackle just a tiny notch below Ogden’s level (like most).

Marvin Harrison- Arguably the third best receiver of all time. Which isn’t all that bad when Jerry Rice is so far ahead at number one.

Ray Lewis- A defensive force that not only won a Superbowl, but was also the MVP. Leader of that 2000 defense that gave up the least amount of points ever for a 16 game season.

Not a bad list of guys. Pace, Marvin, and Ray will retire soon, and the QB’s will follow suite at some point. Other than those guys, (most of whom aren’t playing anything like they used to) there are only guys that need conjecture in order to be “Cantonized.” Marvin Harrison, Adam Vinatieri, Champ Bailey, Tony Gonzales, Torry Holt, Derrick Brooks, Hines Ward, and Brian Urlacher might all make it one day, but first ballot? I doubt it.

Am I trying to bash our current crop of stars? No. I’m just trying to show respect to a guy I used to hate, by the name of Brady. This is a huge loss for my season, and should be for everyone else too.

PS: I won’t talk about this anymore. I know there needs to be some variety, so I promise to give ya’ll something new next time around.

Oh Tom Brady… You see, there are many cliches in the world of fantasy football (like most things). Some of them are as follows:

The trade machine- the General Manager that can’t see anything but the other guy’s greener grass.

The free agent whore- the GM that adds and drops players whenever there’s a rumor of possible production or a dooming injury.

The silent killer- the GM that has zero flashy players, but everyone of his players performs at a consistent level.

The loser- the GM that has absolutely no clue what he’s doing.

The homer- the GM that only picks the players from his favorite team. This doesn’t work for several reasons that I can’t get into at this point.

The guy who drafts LT- the GM that has the luck (or sense) to draft the greatest, most consistent, largest fantasy point garner-er, and most complete running back in the last 7 years.

The injury magnet- the GM whose entire roster gets hurt, leaving him with an Internet account that he soon ceases to check.

Oh Tom Brady… The reason I’m writing this blog is because something happened today that happened to me a few years ago. Peyton Manning broke the single season record for TD passes in 2004 by orchestrating an aerial assault like none we’ve ever seen, even in the days of Marino. He had 49 TD’s and only 10 INT’s. So, the next season I had the number 2 pick and who did I pick? Duh. The raining TD machine from the season before, of course. Then Peyton went on to horribly disappoint with only 28 TD’s and just as many INT’s. Needless to say, my season didn’t go well, because I expected consistency from a record breaker.

Guess what Tom Brady did last year? He broke Peyton’s fresh record by launching 50 TD’s and only 8 INT’s! So he not only jumped everyone but LT in this years draft, but in some fantasy drafts (like mine) he was taken 1st overall by a poor sap that did what I did. Why not? He’s got the same guys to throw to, a proven record of being an outstanding QB, and the same coaches calling his plays. The only thing that could ruin his season would be… what happened today. Reports of a torn ACL have his fantasy owners and Pats fans screaming in agony from a lost season as well as his fantasy opponents and Pats haters screaming in ecstasy at the sight of a winner losing.

All this is happening at Brady’s expense. Tom Brady, who is a record holding, Superbowl ring wearing, first ballot Hall-of-Famer, might be looking at losing the next two seasons of his career. And there are people all over the web and sports bars rejoicing. What an awful tell-tale sign of this violent sport. Yes, the defence’s job is to hurl their bodies at the offence, and yes, you have to appreciate a good bone jarring hit, but this is a man’s health. This is the star QB of one of the most successful teams in league history in one of the biggest media markets in the country. Even for entertainment’s sake we should be asking ourselves, “Who’s going to rival Manning this year?” or “What’s going to happen to all those primetime Pats games?”

I find myself asking simple questions about the sport. Would people have enjoyed Unitas getting hurt like this? What about Namath’s fall from glory? I just can’t figure out if this is people hating the man or the winner. It’s not like I really feel BAD for Brady. He’s an incredibly attractive, multi-millionaire, super model-dating, first ballot Hall-of-Famer (yes it’s worth repeating). I doubt he’ll cry himself to sleep tonight, but I definitely think everyone who put their faith in him might. Maybe young athletes should aspire to be as successful as Brady, but who would really want to? A bunch of hard work and countless hours watching film/hitting the weight room getting you nothing but a bunch of people hating you enough to cheer your injuries and a fan base that hates you for getting injured.

Nothing against those purple pirates, but their defeat of both Virginia Tech and West Virginia is simply a statement of the poor quality of college football going on in the Virginia’s (For further proof, refer to the kick in the throat that Virginia received from Southern Cal last week). Am I writing a blog right now that’s sole purpose is to bash Hokies, Mountaineers, and Cavaliers? No. I only have one bone to pick.

BCS busters are a waste of time! EXCLAMATION POINT!

I’m really sick of teams getting ranked because they win a couple of games against BCS opponents. It’s almost as ridiculous as Ohio State being ranked in the top 5 for going undefeated in the Big 10. ALMOST. Teams like Fresno State, BYU, Appalachian State, TCU, and Utah are a lot of fun to watch. Especially when they make the big boys sweat, and even when (In Boise State’s case a couple of years ago) they beat the big boys. BUT these tiny teams are nothing but novelties.

Does that mean we shouldn’t let these cheap snow globes play the big guys? Question mark?

I’m not saying that. What I AM saying is that they need to stay out of the rankings. They also need to stay out of BCS bowls. I’m afraid that the turd Oklahoma dropped against Boise State two years ago has fed the “Cinderella Story” in the college football postseason. We need to leave that to college basketball, and you know it. It’s great in a tournament, because you can route for that David from down the street to beat the Goliath of a major university. But there is no tournament in college football, and no true Cinderella’s. Only one team that pulled the upset in a long line of molly-whoppings. I think we’re doomed to see more of what we saw in last year’s Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl. Big Nasties like UGA and USC beating the snot bubbles out of incredibly inferior teams. Simply because of how nifty it’ll be if they were to loose to the underdogs. That means we’ll get to see a lot of un-entertaining football games in the near future.

That’s a bunch of crap. True statement.

PS: Knowshon Moreno (The heisman worthy running back from UGA) literally jumped over a defender in the Central Michigan game today. It was outstanding. ESPN didn’t even show it in the highlights tonight. “East Coast bias” my ass. Either the state of Georgia is the smallest media market in the world or one of the cameramen in Sanford Stadium forgot to turn his camera on. Piss-poor, ESPN. Piss poor.

Then came “The Michael Vick Experience” and we were suddenly filling seats. Even my own father grabbed me a pair of season tickets to watch the phenom known as #7 revolutionize the quarterback position. His speed was not only alien to the position, but unrivaled by anyone in the league. His ability to improvise on the scramble then throw the ball 70 yards down field with a flick of his wrist had people waiting in line to simply get there hands on crappy bobble heads of OTHER PLAYERS. He was the epitome of marketing gold. The poster child for all things Atlanta. Even though he wasn’t showing proper progression, and he was on his third head coach as a professional, Vick was still selling out crowds.

Then we found out that he murdered dogs when they didn’t murder each other and he was sent to jail. Then our highest paid coach in the league quit. Then we won only 4 games. Then our players started acting like children. Then we either cut or traded away almost all the leadership we had on our roster. Then we drafted a rookie quarterback, left tackle, and middle linebacker (all three of which are starting. Giving us rookies at the three most important positions on a football team.) And up until yesterday we were looking at our first game of the season being blacked out, which isn’t necessarily the best way to start our “New Era of Falcons Football!”

So, the Red Cross stepped in. Seriously. TV stations (who were no doubt looking to lose ratings with no game to show) such as 11 Alive, myATLtv, and Comcast bought the rest of the tickets and donated them to the Red Cross, as well as the Boys and Girls Club of America. This leads me to the conclusion I’ve been avoiding since Vick started showing zero progress as an NFL quarterback. I love my birds, and always will, but it is what it is. When the Red Cross is involved in your rebuilding process, you’re in a state of shambles. The Atlanta Falcons are officially a disaster area.