Five games to watch at Euro 2008

"Soccer is a game for 22 people that run around, play the ball, and one referee who makes a slew of mistakes, and in the end Germany always wins." -- former England striker Gary Lineker.

Euro 2008 kicks off in 11 days.

11 days is too long to wait.

To help pass the time, "Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff" breaks down five games to watch ...

Germany v Poland (Sunday, June 8)

Poland qualified for its first UEFA European Championships, and now it will attempt to attain another elusive first ... a long-awaiting victory over their neighbors, Germany, which has qualified for more (9), and won more (3), European Championships than any other nation.

Pint scale (1 - casually watching, may duck out of pub if match gets dull; 5 - sobriety be damned, totally committed to match from start to finish and beyond): 5

Netherlands v Italy (Monday, June 9)

Germany isn't the only side that enjoys a one-sided competition with a European rival. Italy -- 2006 World Cup champions -- hasn't lost to the Netherlands since 1978. If you do your math correctly, that's 30 years. However, it's not like these two sides have played each other regularly. It's only been eight games in which the Netherlands failed to beat Italy. Eight games in 30 years? That's not quite so bad. We're beginning to ramble, so let's move on.

Pint scale: 4

Turkey v Czech Republic (Sunday, June 15)

Turkey and the Czech Republic will meet for the first time in a competitive fixture, which is significant. What else is significant? The tongue-twisting names of some of the players on both sides. Turkey's roster includes Rüstü Reçber, Gökhan Gönül, Emre Belözoglu, Gökdeniz Karadeniz and Semih Sentürk. The Czech Republic's roster includes Tomáš Ujfaluši, Zdenek Pospech, Václav Sverkoš and Stanislav Vlcek. Best of luck goes out to the ESPN announcers covering this game.

Pint scale: 3

France v Italy (Tuesday, June 17)

This game's intrigue would be through the roof if Zinedine Zidane hadn't retired following his moment of infamy in the 2006 World Cup. Still, it's a delightfully delicious rematch of that memorable final at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. While Zidane will likely be watching this one with great interest, it will be noted that Marco Materazzi is on Italy's Euro 2008 roster and should be a fixture on the team's defensive line. Do the French players have enough testicular fortitude to try and make it a point to make Materazzi feel some shame? Let's watch and find out!

Pint scale: 5

Greece v Spain (Wednesday, June 18)

Greece made an inspiring run to win the 2004 UEFA European Championships ahead of hosting that year's Olympic Games. En route to that triumph was a 1-1 draw against Spain in the group stage. That was a bitter pill to swallow for Spain, which did not advance to the second round of the tournament in just another disappointing finish for one of Europe's most talented squads.

Pint scale: 3

Stanley Cup finals ... it's cool on ice

"The 2008 Stackley Cup Playoffs, a set of odd-number-of-games series that will determine the champion of the National Huckie League, are well underway, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed Monday." -- the Onion.

America may have been a bit too captivated by the three-month spectacle that is the NBA playoffs to notice that the NHL's Stanley Cup finals open play Saturday when the Detroit Red Wings host the Pittsburgh Penguins for Game 1.

Tipoff/kickoff/first puck slap is set for 5 p.m. PT.

What follows is more for personal use (since it's so gosh darn hard to keep track of when these games will be played in the busy sports calendar), but if the loyal readers of "Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff" find this useful, then "Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff" will feel a minor sense of accomplishment.

Game 1: Penguins at Red Wings, Saturday, May 24, 5 p.m. PT on Versus in HD (yes, the Comcast-owned channel is, or soon will be, available in HD on cable television. So, when hockey season ends, you can get your fill of bull fighting, hunting, fishing, cycling, and people fighting in HD, on Versus. However, the NFL Network -- which features programming for a sport people actually care about -- is nowhere to be found on your TV in HD or good old fashioned regular D, but can be found on the Internet here, or here!)

Game 2: Penguins at Red Wings, Monday, May 26, 5 p.m. PT on Versus in HD (in lue of the aforementioned rant, hockey in HD is pretty sweet)

Game 3: Red Wings at Penguins, Wednesday, May 28, 5 p.m. PT on NBC (yes, THAT NBC)

Game 4: Red Wings at Penguins, Saturday, May 31, 5 p.m. PT on NBC (it should also be noted that NHL Stanley Cup final games on NBC are also in HD)

Game 5: Penguins at Red Wings, Monday, June 2, 5 p.m. PT on NBC (if necessary, and let's hope that is the case!)

Game 6: Red Wings at Penguins, Wednesday, June 4, 5 p.m. PT on NBC (if necessary, and let's hope that is the case!)

Game 7: Penguins at Red Wings, Saturday, June 7, 5 p.m. PT on NBC (if necessary, and let's hope that is the case, because there's nothing better in sports than a winner-take-all, loser-goes-home-in-shame, Game 7)

From Mr. Irrelevant to 'The Bachelorette'

"The other men are horrified when Ryan doesn't offer her her coat outside and hogs most of the blanket. As he tells her he's been in the NFL, Spero walks out and says, 'Hey dude, why didn't you give your coat?' and wraps his own jacket around DeAnna's bare shoulders. Ryan apologizes and the other men joke that Spero, 'threw Ryan under the bus.' Ryan is sure that he's blown his chance for one of the first impression roses." -- Recap of episode 1 of the new season of The Bachelorette.

Just in case you were frantically trying to find out who exactly was the "pro football player" named "Ryan" on the season debut for The Bachelorette, you've come to the right place as "Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff" is here to provide a very valuable public service.

You're welcome.

The gentleman's name is Ryan Hoag. Avid TV viewers only know him as "Ryan," who claimed to have been "in and out of the NFL for the last five years." Avid football fans will recall Ryan Hoag, who was Mr. Irrevelant in the 2003 NFL Draft (the honor bestowed on the final player selected in the draft). His NFL resume suggests that the former Mr. Irrevelant should be very used to rejection.

Here's a short recap ...

Drafted by Raiders (pick No. 262) in 2003, released during training camp that same year.

Signed to Giants practice squad later in 2003, then released in May of 2004.

Signed by Vikings in June of 2004, spent three magical weeks on the team's active roster before being dropped to the practice squad, then released in September of 2005.

Signed again by the Vikings in April of 2006, then released for a second time by the team in Sept. of 2006.

Signed by the Redskins on Nov. 22, 2006, then released six days later.

Signed again by the Redskins, sent to play for the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europa, then was released in the team's final roster cuts in 2007.

Signed by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League, then released a month later.

Signs up to appear as one of 25 men vying to win the heart of one DeAnna Pappas on The Bachelorette, then was somehow awarded a rose in the show's first such ceremony, thus avoiding inevitable rejection for at least another week or so.

Much will made of Hoag in the coming weeks (or months, if the former footballer somehow survives the grueling test of winning over the heart of a woman who has many men to choose from), however, the book appears closed on his NFL career ... 0 games, 0 catches, 0 yards ... for the wide receiver out of tiny Gustavus Adolphus.

Bad beer

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." -- author, satirist, political theorist, politician, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman and diplomat Benjamin Franklin

I drank beer last night. I'll drink more beer tonight. Over the course of an unspecified period of time, I will drink gallons upon gallons of beer. That is why the list of the "50 worst beers in the world" interests me greatly.

Check out the list.

Or, just look at it here ...

1. Olde English 800 3.2, Miller Brewing Company
2. Busch NA, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
3. General Generic Beer, Miller Brewing Company (SABMiller)
4. O'Doul's, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
5. Pabst NA, Miller Brewing Company (SABMiller)
6. B-40 Bull Max, Sleeman Brewing & Malting Co. (Sapporo)
7. Sleeman Clear, Sleeman Brewing & Malting Co. (Sapporo)
8. Gluek Stite Light Lager, Cold Spring Brewery
9. Michelob Ultra, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
10. Natural Light, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
11. Natural Ice, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
12. Milwaukee's Best, Miller Brewing Company (SABMiller)
13. Camo Genuine Ale, City Brewery (Melanie Brewing Co)
14. Black Label 11-11 Malt Liquor, Miller Brewing Company (SABMiller)
15. Hurricane Ice, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
16. Coors Non-Alcoholic, Coors Brewing Company (MolsonCoors)
17. Tooheys Blue Ice, Tooheys (Lion Nathan Co.)
18. Tuborg T-Beer, Carlsberg Brewery
19. PC 2.5 g Low Carb, Brick Brewing Company
20. Diamond White Cider, Matthew Clark Cider
21. St. Louis Lager, Kgalagadi Breweries (SABMiller)
22. Miller Sharps, Miller Brewing Company (SABMiller)
23. Busch Ice, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
24. Coors Aspen Edge, Coors Brewing Company (MolsonCoors)
25. Camo Silver Ice High Gravity Lager, City Brewery (Melanie Brewing Co)
26. Jacob Best Ice, Miller Brewing Company (SABMiller)
27. Genesee NA, High Falls Brewing Company
28. Bud Ice Light, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
29. Molson Kick, Molson Breweries (MolsonCoors)
30. Steelback Light (Link), Steelback Brewery
31. Tuborg T-Beer Citrus, Carlsberg Brewery
32. Rockman High Gravity Lager, Sleeman Brewing & Malting Co. (Sapporo)
33. Molson Ex Light, Molson Breweries (MolsonCoors)
34. Beer 30 Light, City Brewery (Melanie Brewing Co)
35. Labatt Sterling, Labatt Breweries (InBev)
36. Tuborg Super Light, Carlsberg Brewery
37. Steelback Lager (Silver), Steelback Brewery
38. Blue Ice Beer, San Miguel Brewery (Hong Kong)
39. Pabst Ice, Miller Brewing Company (SABMiller)
40. Hek Original Lager Blonde Beer (Blue label), Groupe Geloso
41. Hurricane High Gravity Lager, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
42. Old Milwaukee Ice, Miller Brewing Company (SABMiller)
43. Tooheys Blue Bitter, Tooheys (Lion Nathan Co.)
44. Fosters Light, Fosters Brewing (CUB)
45. Bud Light, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
46. Busch Light, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
47. Cave Creek Chili Beer, Black Mountain Brewing Co.
48. Milwaukees Best Light, Miller Brewing Company (SABMiller)
49. Camo 900 High Gravity Lager, City Brewery (Melanie Brewing Co)
50. Bud Light Chelada, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc

All-time ultimate mock draft, pick No. 13

The NFL Draft may have come and past, but "Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff" continues its countdown from pick No. 32 to pick No. 1, recalling the greatest players ever selected in those spots.

The ultimate all-time mock draft marches on with pick No. 13 ...

Kellen Winslow, TE, San Diego Chargers (1979, Missouri)


This was a tough call between Winslow (the daddy, not the kid who plays for the Cleveland Browns), Tony Gonzalez and to a lesser extent Bob Lilly, but mainly between two tight ends whose contributions were/are a major facet of their teams' offenses.

Gonzalez's numbers are more impressive than Winslow's, but one has to take into account the eras in which the two tight ends played. Winslow came into the league when tight ends were a third tackle on the line of scrimmage, rarely called on to be down-the-field pass-catching threats. Winslow is often credited with creating the tight end position as is today. Gonzalez is the best in the current NFL that is populated with tight ends called on to be frequent contributors on offense.

So, long story short, we like the pioneers here at "Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff," rather than those who followed and performed at similarily spectacular levels.

"Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff" also really likes unforgettable moments. One such moment occurred in the 1981 divisional playoffs, when the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins played in the "Epic in Miami" game, in which Winslow caught a playoff record 13 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown, while also blocking a potential game-winning field goal with seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime, where the Chargers eventually won the game. That performance, during which Winslow was treated for a pinched nerve in his shoulder, severe dehydration and cramps, is regarded as one of the single greatest efforts in NFL history.

Other notable players selected at No. 13 include ...

Tony Gonzalez, TE, Kansas City Chiefs (1997, California), who owns the NFL records for most receptions and touchdowns by a tight end.

Franco Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers (1972, Penn State), who was one of the key contributors on four Super Bowl champion Steelers teams, as well as the key player in one of the most controversial plays in NFL history, the "Immaculate Reception."

Bob Lilly, DT, Dallas Cowboys (1961, TCU), who was the very first player drafted by the Cowboys, and went on to become the team's first-ever Hall of Famer.

Clarence "Ace" Parker, QB, Brooklyn Dodgers (1937, Duke), who helped direct the old Brooklyn football Dodgers to the best seasons in their brief history.

Being Bernie Brewer

"I led the league in 'Go get 'em next time.'" -- Brewers Hall of Fame radio announcer Bob Uecker.

ESPN's Page 2 recently penned an historical expose called "Woe is the Milwaukee Brewers," a year-by-year recollection of the team's struggles on the field since its last playoff appearance.

As a life-long Brewers fan, I'm here to happily expound on that, having lived through this mayhem first-hand (hey, it's been borderline funny, if you have a good sense of humor).

Here is an irreverant season-by-season breakdown, going all the way back to 1983, the season after the Brewers' historic World Series appearance. I think this will be a more accurate representation of just how life as a Brewers fan has been ...

1983: Team traded center-field stalwart Gorman Thomas to the Cleveland Indians for Rick Manning, whose 20 home runs over four and a half seasons with the Brewers fell 19 short of Thomas' 1982 total.

1984: In a precursor of things to come, injury-prone Paul Molitor played in just 13 games as the Brewers fell six losses short of 100 defeats on the season.

1985: Pitcher Danny Darwin finishes a dismal 8-18, including a club record 10 straight losses, but manages to pitch a one-hitter, two-hitter and three-hitter, becoming the first Brewer hurler to do so.

1986: Gorman Thomas returns to the Brewers, but newcomer Teddy Higuera steals his thunder, as he becomes the first 20-game winner for the Brewers since Mike Caldwell in 1978.

1987: Brewers win first 13 games of season, which included a no-hitter by Juan Nieves and a magical Easter Sunday at County Stadium, but then went on to lose 18 of 20 games in May. Ouch! Paul Molitor's 39-game hitting streak only cemented the '87 Brewers' reputation as "Team Streak."

1988: Gary Sheffield begins a despicable four-year run with the Brewers.

1989: Sheffield is touted as an American League Rookie of the Year candidate, then goes on to intentionally throw balls into the stands after fielding grounders to prompt a trade.

"The Brewers brought out the hate in me," an honest Sheffield admitted in 1992. "I was a crazy man. I hated everything about the place. If the official scorer gave me an error I didn't think was an error, I'd say, 'OK, here's a real error,' and I'd throw the next ball into the stands on purpose.'"

1990: In typical fashion, Rob Deer smacks 27 home runs, but whiffs 147 times, in his final season with the team. From 1986 through 1990, his strikeout totals during this five-season stretch with the Brewers is the stuff of legend ... 179, 186, 153, 158 and 147.

1991: Sal Bando is named Senior Vice President at season's end, and then hires Phil Garner, a.k.a. "Scrapiron," as manager.

1992: Brewers finish 92-70, and then forced Milwaukee fans to wait another 15 years before seeing their team finish above .500 again.

1993: Franchise cornerstone Robin Yount concludes a remarkable 20-year career with the Brewers. Yount collected his 3,000th hit late in the 1992 season, thus assuring his place in Cooperstown in 1999.

1994: Brewers change their uniforms to these atrocities, thus ushering in an era of futility. Yes, you can totally blame hideously ugly uniforms for a team's poor performance on the field.

1995: Against their fans' best wishes, the team returns from baseball's devastating strike to finish 65-79.

1996: After finishing the season just two games under .500, the Brewers break ground on what will eventually become Miller Park.

1997: Ancient reliever Doug Jones records 36 saves, which would be a Brewers record for two seasons (broken by Bob Wickman's 37 saves in 1999).

1998: The Brewers become the first team in Major League Baseball history to switch leagues, moving over to the National League to accomodate the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

1999: Tragedy strikes at the construction site of Miller Park, thus delaying the opening of the park for another year.

2000: The Brewers' season opens with a tie against the Cincinnati Reds when weather forces the game to be suspended. Later in the season, with their playoff hopes totally shattered, the Brewers and Indians execute a seven-player trade that sends Rickie Sexson to Milwaukee.

2001: Back when his approval rating was still at an acceptable level, President George W. Bush takes time off from his duties as the nation's fearless leader to witness in person the Brewers' first game at Miller Park, a 5-4 victory over the Reds.

On an unrelated note, the new state-of-the-art stadium didn't feature Bernie Brewer's signature chalet and beer mug, just a crappy slide onto a platform. Lame!

2002: Miller Park hosts the All-Star Game, which results in the first tie in the Mid-Summer Classic's history. This event created quite a stir at the time, and prompted the "This time it counts" winner-gets-home-field-advantage-in-World Series All-Star Game that baseball fans enjoy today.

On the field, Jose Hernandez makes a magical run at the single-season record for whiffs, and the Brewers finish 56-106, the worst record in franchise history.

2003: Brewers fall two games short of getting their fans free hamburgers at George Webb's during a magical 10-game ride in August.

2004: At season's end, Los Angeles financier Mark Attanasio becomes the new owner of the team, thus ushering in a new era of hope for Brewers fans and ending Bud Selig and family's reign.

2005: Sporting an 81-79 record with two to playand threatening to have the first winning season in 13 years, the Brewers lose the final two games of the season in Pittsburgh to finish at an even .500.

2006: Injuries and a 27-54 road record doom the Brewers to a 75-87 record.

2007: Brewers blow eight and a half game lead in the NL Central. I pinpoint this disappointing collapse to one game ... a 6-5 loss to the Cubs on Friday, June 29, a game which my friend Aaron and I watched at Kate O'Brien's in San Francisco. Thankfully, we were sporting a healthy buzz fueled by wicked-awesome Bloody Marys and beer.

2008: In biggest oopsy-daisy of the Major League Baseball offseason, the Brewers sign reliever Eric Gagne to a lucrative free-agent contract.

Streaking

"The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible." -- Baseball philosopher Sir Arthur C. Clarke.

I recently discovered a fun little game that has apparently been around on the Internets for quite some time ... Beat the Streak on MLB.com.

The concept is simple, try to break Joe DiMaggio's 1941 major-league record 56-game hitting streak by picking players you think will get hits each day. If your player doesn't get a hit, your streak ends. If you reach 57 games, you become a millionaire (or, as close to one as the taxman will allow).

I started playing Monday and selected Cubs sensation Kosuke Fukudome, who's hitting well north of .300 this season. He went 0 for 4. The next day, I figured Fukudome was due for a hit, given his high batting average and the fact that he went hitless the night before. He went 0 for 3. His batting average has fallen 20 points since I started picking him on Beat the Streak.

Like playing the game of baseball, this is apparently far more difficult that it looks.

MLBAM (that's short for "Major League Baseball Advanced Media") says that since it launched Beat the Streak in April 2001, more than one million contestants have played the free fantasy game on MLB.com, and a select few have come close to reaching the streak, including last year’s winner, Michael Karatzia of Sea Girt, N.J. Karatzia established a new all-time mark with a streak of 49 games, falling just a week shy of qualifying for last year’s grand prize. Overall, last year there were 14 individual streaks of at least 40 games, more than double the total from the first six seasons combined.

Last year's winner built his record-breaking streak by using a variety of the game's best hitters, including Vladimir Guerrero (9 times), Derek Jeter (8), Magglio Ordoñez (5) and Jose Reyes (4).

Since Monday, I've started a new streak ... how long can I go -- while selecting top major-league hitters -- without any of those talented batters getting a hit?

Today, I've got Albert Pujols. I don't like my chances of the hitless streak continuing into a third day. Pujols has reached base safely in every game this season (34 games with a hit and/or walk ...impressive). Pujols is hitting an impressive .348 and is currently riding a six-game hitting streak, which is six more than I have been able to muster on Beat the Streak. Pujols also wears No. 5. DiMaggio wore No. 5.

Stay tuned ...

All-time ultimate mock draft, pick No. 14

The NFL Draft may have come and past, but "Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff" continues its countdown from pick No. 32 to pick No. 1, recalling the greatest players ever selected in those spots.

The ultimate all-time mock draft marches on with pick No. 14 ...

Jim Kelly, QB, Buffalo Bills (1983, Miami, Fla.)


After opting to initially sign with the Houston Gamblers of the United State Football League, Kelly joined the Bills in 1986, and went on to one of the most productive careers a quarterback has ever enjoyed. Teaming with future Hall of Famer James Lofton and go-to receiver Andre Reed, Kelly ran the Bills' potent "K-Gun" no-huddle offense (in often-colder-than-chilly Buffalo, mind you) that helped fuel Buffalo's four consecutive Super Bowl appearances.

"Don’t get me wrong -- my heart will always belong to Jim Kelly. He’s my guy. Irish tough, full of swagger, a dynamic passer, and let the record show he is the last significant quarterback who actually called his own plays," -- Nick Bakay on Kelly.

Other notable players selected at No. 14 include ...

Jeremy Shockey, TE, New York Giants (2002, Miami, Fla.), whose team won a Super Bowl without him.

Eddie George, RB, Houston Oilers (1996, Ohio State), who was the workhorse behind the Tennessee Titans' run to Super Bowl XXXIV.

Randy Gradishar, LB, Denver Broncos (1974, Ohio State), who was the catalyst for the Broncos' "Orange Crush" defense and has been nominated a number of times for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Gino Marchetti, DE, Detroit Lions (1952, San Francisco), who famously refused to go to the locker room and watched the rest of the classic 1958 NFL championship game from the sidelines on a stretcher after suffering a broken leg.

All-time ultimate mock draft, pick No. 15

The NFL Draft may have come and past, but "Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff" continues its countdown from pick No. 32 to pick No. 1, recalling the greatest players ever selected in those spots.

The ultimate all-time mock draft marches on with pick No. 15 ...

Jim Taylor, FB, Green Bay Packers (1958, Louisiana State)


Jim Brown was the most dominant running back in the history of the game, leading the league in rushing in all but one of his nine seasons. That one time he didn't lead the league was in 1962, when the Green Bay Packers' Taylor rushed for 1,474 yards (Brown actually finished fourth that season in rushing yards Quick, can you name the other two back who beat him? That's a real noodle-scratcher of a question, which is why we looked it up for you!).

Taylor's 1,474 yards rushing that '62 marked a Packers team record that stood until 2003, when Ahman Green finally surpassed it (1,883 yards). The most important aspect of Taylor's career was that he was the driving force behind an offense on four NFL championship teams (1961, 1962, 1965 and 1966, which included Super Bowl I).

Other notable players selected at No. 15 include ...

Tony Eason, QB, New England Patriots (1983, Illinois), who was the fourth quarterback taken in that famed 1983 quarterback draft class (John Elway, Todd Blackledge and Jim Kelly were selected before him).

Alan Page, DE, Minnesota Vikings (1967, Notre Dame), who went from member of Minnesota's famed "Purple People Eaters" to eventually become justice with the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Thursday's hot stove report

"I can take apart the remote control
And I can almost put it back together." -- from Flobots' Handlebars.

The Cubs were defeated 4-3 by the Brewers in the rubber match of a three-game series on Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field. This came a day after the Brewers were on the wrong end of a 19-5 debacle.

Somewhere in Chicago, there's a Cubs fan at a local sports bar downing his Budweiser and lamenting to anyone who will listen, "Why couldn't the Cubs have saved a couple of those runs last night for today?"

Do people seriously think teams can just simply hold on to some runs one day, and score those the next? A 19-run game is the happy confluence of bad pitching, timely hitting and likely some phsychological intangibles for both sides. Usually a 19-run game one day means pitching duel the next. That's just the way baseball works.

A college football playoff ... coming in 2015? At the earliest. :-(

But, there is some good news, two new bowls were approved for the 2008 season -- the St. Petersburg Bowl and the Congressional Bowl. Awesome! Somehow, the NCAA managed to regect something called the Rocky Mountain Bowl. Bummer ... if there's one thing college football needs more of, it's bowl games. Every team should get to go to a bowl game. Why not? Right? Right ...?

Once I hear the Flobots' song Handlebars, I can't get it out of my head. I'm really in trouble if I hear it in the morning.

Apparently, Handlebars has some sort of social/political message. All I can think about is the lyric "Me and my friend saw a platypus." Oh, and the Gobots, which were totally lame.

Call me crazy, but I'm legitimately excited for tonight's Red Bull New York-Toronto FC game (airing on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. PT). This will be my first glimpse of the crowd at Toronto's BMO Field, which is being touted as the closest to an European atmosphere as there is in Major League Soccer.

Also, I have Toronto's Laurent Robert on my MLS fantasy team, so I have that going for me.