Top 10 sports days of the year

"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." -- former Major League Baseball commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti, in A Great and Glorious Game: Baseball Writings of A. Bartlett Giamatti


It's frickin' Opening Day!

And, it's in March!

Where does March 31, 2008 rank among the greatest sports day of the year? Find out with this top 10 list ...

10. Day before/after baseball's All-Star Game: There are 365 days in a calendar year (366 on those special Leap years, 2008 is included on that fun), and each contains some sort of sporting event. Err, actually, 363 days a year contain some sort of sporting event. This is actually a non-sports day entry in the greatest sports days of the year. The day before, and after, Major League Baseball's All-Star Game contain no sports (we don't count the home run contest —- held the day before the All-Star Game —- that's just an exhibition). For those of us working in sports journalism, it gives us a much-needed breather.

9. Trade deadline day: Last minute deals can make or break a title hopeful, and when the 11th hour hits some blockbuster deal may or may not go down and may or may not make some pretender into a contender.

8. Thanksgiving: Turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and football. How could you go wrong? You can't, unless the Lions and Cowboys both really suck. Then, you won't feel guilty if the ol' tryptophan-induced coma takes effect and you pass out on the couch.


7. NFL draft day: At the beginning of this Saturday marathon, everybody's a winner. Suddenly, the Oakland Raiders can reach the playoffs and the Arizona Cardinals are Super Bowl contenders. Of course, that is, until teams go out and draft Ryan Leaf, Heath Shuler, Blair Thomas or Tony Mandarich.

5. New Year's Day: After a full night of boozing and carousing, there's no better way to ring in the new year's first day than by laying on the couch and taking in a full day of gridiron action. Whether you're watching your alma mater, or trying to get a glimpse of the NFL's next big stars, college football's grandest day is one of the most eagerly anticipated days of the year.

6. NFL kickoff Sunday: All 32 teams kick off 0-0 with high hopes for the Super Bowl. When the day is done, 16 teams are 0-1, with a handful of teams getting beaten down so bad their season already seems lost. On the other hand, some underdog may shock a traditional power and suddenly there's a new contender. Parity can be fun.

4. NFL conference championship Sunday: Over the course of time, conference championship Sunday has provided some of the most memorable games moments in football history ... the Ice Bowl, The Catch, The Drive, The Fumble all occurred on conference championship Sunday. If it wasn't for the recent string of amazingly competitive Super Bowls, this day would be ranked ahead of Super Sunday.


3. Baseball's opening day: In the rich tradition of baseball's openers, hope springs eternal, and there's always hope your favorite team can reach the Fall Classic. For the countless millions who live in parts of the country where winter can still hold a firm grip well into March, the opening of the baseball season can mean an end to the year's bitter chill and beginning of more comfortable weather. With stadiums laced with bunting and presidents throwing out first pitches, baseball's openers are part of this country's rich sporting heritage.



2. Super Bowl Sunday: This unofficial national holiday features the year's most-watched sporting event and the biggest group gathering day of the year. If you're not watching for the football, then you've certainly got your eyes glued to the TV for the commercials. Every once in a while the Super Bowl produces a real gem of a game.

1. NCAA tournament opening round: For casual college hoops fans, the Final Four can be very anticlimactic. Many will agree that the tournament's opening round is the NCAA basketball's real gem. In a two-day span, your bracket turns to mush as year-in and year-out some Cinderella shows up to ruin some top-notch program's hopes of advancing far into the tournament.

Extra credit goes to this great sports day when it happens to land on St. Patrick's Day.

All-time ultimate mock draft, pick No. 26

Every day or so leading up to the NFL Draft on April 26-27, "Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff" will go from pick No. 32 to pick No. 1, recalling the greatest players ever selected in those spots.

This is the one draft a team would not want to trade out of the first round to get more picks in the later rounds. With that in mind, let's get the No. 26 overall pick ...

Ray Lewis, LB, Baltimore Ravens (1996, Miami, Fla.)


Passing on Hall of Fame guard Joe Delamielleure is a tough thing to do in this spot, but to pick up a player of Lewis' caliber, not to mention the immense emotional impact he can have on a team, is simply too tempting.

Lewis -- a two-time defensive player of the year, seven-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowl selection -- willed the Ravens to the Super Bowl XXXV title and became the first linebacker to win Super Bowl MVP honors since 1971. Lewis' Super Bowl numbers weren't impressive (3 tackles, 2 assists and 4 passes defensed), but Lewis was recognized more for being the heart and soul of one of the best defensive units ever assembled and for arguably the most impressive defensive performance in Super Bowl history.

The Jacksonville Jaguars hold the No. 26 pick in this year's draft, and a player of Lewis' status would be the sort of addition that could give Jacksonville the most fearsome defense in the league and make the Jaguars the team to beat in the AFC.

Other notable players selected at No. 26 include ...

Jim Druckenmiller, QB, San Francisco 49ers (1997), who was drafted to succeed Steve Young as the next great 49ers quarterback. That didn't happen (not even close), as Druckenmiller started just one game and four years later was quarterbacking the Memphis Maniax of the XFL.

Henry Jones, DB, Buffalo Bills (1991), who was a member of three of the Bills' four Super Bowl teams of the early 1990s.

Jim Harbaugh, QB, Chicago Bears (1987), who led the Indianapolis Colts to the brink of the Super Bowl in 1995, and is now currently the head coach at Stanford.

Don Mosebar, C, Los Angeles Raiders (1983), who played 13 seasons for the Raiders, with whom Mosebar teamed with guards Steve Wisniewski (1989-2001) on his left and Max Montoya (1990-1994) on his right, anchoring a trio of outstanding blockers that combined for nine Pro Bowl appearances in the five years they were together.

Joe Delamielleure, G, Buffalo Bills (1973), who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

Current NFL players selected at No. 26: Anthony Spencer, LB, Dallas Cowboys (2007, Purdue); John McCargo, DT, San Francisco 49ers (2006, N.C. State); Chris Spencer, C, Seattle Seahawks (2005, Mississippi); Chris Perry, RB, Cincinnati Bengals (2004, Michigan); Kwame Harris, OT, San Francisco 49ers (2003, Stanford); Lito Sheppard, CB, Philadelphia Eagles (2002, Florida); Jamar Fletcher, CB, Miami Dolphins (2001, Wisconsin); Fernando Bryant, CB, Jacksonville Jaguars (1999, Alabama); Alan Faneca, G, Pittsburgh Steelers (1998, Louisiana State); Ray Lewis, LB, Baltimore Ravens (1996, Miami, Fla.).

All-time ultimate mock draft, pick No. 27

Every day or so leading up to the NFL Draft on April 26-27, "Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff" will go from pick No. 32 to pick No. 1, recalling the greatest players ever selected in those spots.

The pick is in and the commish is stepping up to the microphone for the No. 27 overall pick in the all-time ultimate mock draft ...

Dan Marino, QB, Miami Dolphins (1983, Pittsburgh)



The first round of the 1983 draft has gone down as one of the best ever, and for good reason. Talk about nice back-to-back picks; we've already included the No. 28 overall pick from that draft in the all-time ultimate mock draft, Darrell Green, and now we have Marino, who went a pick earlier to the Dolphins in one of the great steals in draft history. That 1983 draft is famous for the number of quarterbacks taken, as John Elway (No. 1), Todd Blackledge (No. 7), Jim Kelly (No. 14), Tony Eason (No. 15) and Ken O'Brien (No. 24) all went before Marino.

Despite playing, and coming up short, in just one Super Bowl appearance, Marino went on to set a number of passing records, many of those career marks were recently broken by Brett Favre.

Marino's 1984 season is the stuff of legend. His 5,084 yards passing remains an NFL record, while his record of 48 touchdown passes took 20 years to break (by Peyton Manning, who saw his record broken this past season by Tom Brady). Marino's records of four games of 400 or more passing yards and six games with four or more touchdown passes still stand.

The San Diego Chargers hold the No. 27 pick in this year's draft. This would be quite the noodle scratcher for the Bolts, given that they've already invested in Philip Rivers to be their franchise quarterback. Hmm ... stick with Rivers, or get one of the greatest passers to ever put on a pair of pads?

Other notable players selected at No. 27 include ...

Tommy Kramer, QB, Minnesota Vikings (1977), who was a one-time Pro Bowler who earned the nickname "Two Minute Tommy" for many late game come-from-behind victories.

Reggie McKenzie, G, Buffalo Bills (1972), who was a member of the Buffalo Bills' famous "Electric Company" offensive line that helped pave the way for O.J. Simpson's 2,000-yard rushing season in 1973.

Current NFL players selected at No. 27: Robert Meachem, WR, New Orleans Saints (2007, Tennessee); DeAngelo Williams, RB, Carolina Panthers (2006, Memphis); Roddy White, WR, Atlanta Falcons (2005, Alabama-Birmingham); Jason Babin, LB, Houston Texans (2004, Western Michigan); Larry Johnson, RB, Kansas City Chiefs (2003, Penn State); Mike Rumph, CB, San Francisco 49ers (2002, Miami, Fla.); Michael Bennett, RB, Minnesota Vikings (2001, Wisconsin); Anthony Becht, TE, New York Jets (2000, West Virginia); Mark Bruener, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers (1995, Washington).

Exhaustively irreverent MLS preview

"I fell in love with football as I would later fall in love with women: suddenly, uncritically, giving no thought to the pain it would bring." -- Author Nick Hornby in Fever Pitch.

You may and/or may not know that Major League Soccer is ready to kick off its 13th season.

To celebrate, "Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff" will preview the upcoming season as only "Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff" can.

Then, "Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff" will host an MLS opening night viewing party. "Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff" will have plenty of beer to drink and snacks to snack on as the Galaxy and Rapids go at it in glorious HD. You're not invited.

Below you will find teams listed in their predicted order of finish.

Eastern Conference

1. D.C. United

Who to know: This team features three Argentinians -- Marcelo Gallardo, Franco Niell and Gonzalo Peralta -- and two Brazilians -- Luciano Emilio and Fred (no, not THAT Fred, silly!), which would seem like a recipe for success in the game of soccer. Need an added fun fact? Emilio is your defending Golden Boot champion.

One liner: United longer has to play second fiddle to the Washington Nationals at ol' RFK.

2. Chicago Fire

Who to know: Cuauhtémoc Blanco, who is not a favorite of loyal U.S. national team followers.

One liner: A full season with Blanco has to have Fire fans dreaming of capturing the big silver soccer ball trophy in that big game at the end of the season.

3. New England Revolution

Who to know: Taylor Twellman -- All's Twell with the Revo when No. 20 puts one in the back of the ol' onion basket.

One liner: Can Revo FC equal the Buffalo Bills' remarkable run of four consecutive appearances in the league championship game?

4. Red Bull New York

Who to know: Juan Pablo Angel -- If you're lucky enough to have an MLS fantasy team, you should make sure you have him on your roster.

One liner: The Red Bulls could be without the services of the talented Jozy Altidore for an extended period of time this summer as the forward will compete in the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in soccer, rhythmic gymnastics and the modern pentathlon (totally kidding about those last two events ... LOL!).

5. Kansas City Wizards

Who to know: Former Argentinian World Cup performer Claudio Lopez, who was arguably the biggest offseason signing in all of Major League Soccer, according to unnamed Internets sources.

One liner: The Wizards have moved out of cavernous Arrowhead and into CommunityAmerica Ballpark, where they will play until the team is moved to a more lucrative market.

6. Toronto FC

Who to know: The Red Patch Boys, which is a Toronto FC supporters group that apparently goes by the motto, "No girls allowed!"

One liner: Beating the Crew means winning the new Trillium Cup (named for the official wildflower of Ohio and the flower of the province of Ontario, just in case you were curious). Only at "Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff" do you get that sort of knowledge.

7. Columbus Crew

Who to know: Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who is regarded as the most significant signing in club history. I dare you to try to name a more significant Crew FC signing. You can't, can you? Wait, can you?

One liner: Franchise-long playoff drought will extend to four seasons. Four seasons doesn't seem like that long of a time if you're a fan of teams such as the Arizona Cardinals (nine seasons without a playoff berth), Tampa Bay Devil Rays/now just the Rays (nine seasons) and Milwaukee Brewers (25 seasons ... still though, congratulations 1982 Brewers, champions of the American League!).

Western Conference

1. Chivas USA

Who to know: The ChivaGirls. The new 2008 squad will make their Home Depot Center debut on Saturday, April 5 when the local 11 takes on Real (pronounced REE-all) Salt Lake.

One liner: Remember, you heard it here first ... Goats will win the U.S. Open Cup and Superliga championship, but fail to make it to MLS Cup.

2. Los Angeles Galaxy

Who to know: David Beckham. Well, duh!

One liner: Second-place Western finish totally contingent on David Beckham and Carlos Ruiz staying out of the training room.

3. Houston Dynamo

Who to know: Dwayne De Rosario, who is described on his MLSnet.com player page as being "a dynamic player with a tremendous work ethic. He consistently pulls off the unexpected. He scores spectacular goals, and is very effective in distributing the ball in scoring opportunities." In other words, he's good.

One liner: Dynamos always earn major props for being only MLS team to prominently sport the color orange.

4. FC Dallas

Who to know: Kenny Cooper, who at a time played for the Manchester United reserve squad.

One liner: Dallas has not won a playoff series since 1999, when the team was known as the Burn. Thankfully, they changed that name.

5. Colorado Rapids

Who to know: Christian Gomez, the former league MVP who arrived at Dick's Sporting Goods Park to help Rapids FC reach Major League Soccer prominence.

One liner: The team that formerly looked like Inter Milan, now looks like Arsenal after a switch to burgundy as a primary color last season.

6. Real Salt Lake

Who to know: Kyle Beckerman, who sports dreadlocks and is also a relatively cheap alternative for the midfield of your Major League Soccer fantasy team.

One liner: Expansion is the only thing that keeps sad sack Salt Lake out of the Western Conference cellar.

7. San Jose Earthquakes

Who to know: Ronnie O'Brien, is Irish and apparently likes playing for expansion teams. Last year, O'Brien played for the expansion Toronto FCs.

One liner: The Earthquakes are the Cleveland Browns of MLS, or so we're being told. When the original Earthquakes/Clash moved to Houston to become the Dynamo, the team's colors, logo, history and records remained in San Jose. Sadly, the "new" Earthquakes couldn't keep the players, who won the MLS Cup again last year.

Speaking of the MLS Cup, let's make a Totally-Just-Guessing-On-This-One Prediction^TM ...

MLS Cup 2008: Houston Dynamo over Chicago Fire. Place recreational bets accordingly.


David Beckham photo taken by talented picture taker Ben Liebenberg.

All-time ultimate mock draft, pick No. 28

Every day or so leading up to the NFL Draft on April 26-27, "Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff" will go from pick No. 32 to pick No. 1, recalling the greatest players ever selected in those spots.

Unlike the real first round of the NFL Draft, this one is moving along at a brisk pace. The next pick is in, so let's go to the microphone ...

Darrell Green, DB, Washington Redskins (1983, Texas A&I)



While often holding the title as the NFL's fastest man, Green helped the Redskins win two Super Bowls -- Super Bowls XXII and XXVI -- while also earning seven Pro Bowl selections in his 20 seasons with Washington.

The Dallas Cowboys hold the No. 28 pick in this year's draft, and given that they are entertaining the idea of acquiring the troubled Pacman Jones, it would appear selecting Green in this spot would be a much more desirable option.

Other notable players selected at No. 28 include ...

Andy Katzenmoyer (1999), who isn't exactly "notable" so much as "hmm, whatever happened to him?" After a neck injury prematurely ended his career, Katzenmoyer settled in as an assistant football coach and defensive coordinator at Westerville South High School (Ohio).

Mark Ingram (1987), who made a crucial third-down play on a touchdown drive in the Giants' Super Bowl XXV victory over the Buffalo Bills.

Bennie Cunningham (1976), who played on the Pittsburgh Steelers' Super Bowl XII- and XIV-winning teams.

Current NFL players selected at No. 28: Joe Staley, OT, San Francisco 49ers (2007, Central Michigan); Marcedes Lewis, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars (2006, UCLA); Luis Castillo, DE, San Diego Chargers (2005, Northwestern); Chris Gamble, CB, Carolina Panthers (2004, Ohio State); Andre Woolfolk, CB, Tennessee Titans (2003, Oklahoma); Jerramy Stevens, TE, Seattle Seahawks (2002, Washington); Rob Morris, LB, Indianapolis Colts (2000, BYU); R.W. McQuarters, CB, San Francisco 49ers (1998, Oklahoma State); Trevor Pryce, DT, Denver Broncos (1997, Clemson); Derrick Brooks, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1995, Florida State).