Sorry Yinzers...

A sad day in the 'burgh...famed Steelers' broadcaster and more importantly, creator of The Terrible Towel, Myron Cope passed away in Pittsburgh last night at the age of 79. Throw a double yoi out there and wave your towel!

Long time, no blogging....

Hello all...now that I am back to breathing without the help of a humidifier (yes in Florida), Vicks Vapo Rub and hourly doses of Nyquil I thought I would swing by to let everyone know that my lungs are still functioning. My apologies but trying to act interested in Britney's latest antics and find anything witty to say was just not in the cards.

I follow that with some good news...I have made a friend who is pretty computer savvy and has agreed to design a layout for Here's What I'm Saying free of charge. I am targeting my relaunch sometime around March 1 if all goes as planned. But by popular demand, and by popular demand I mean reader Neutrogena, I will be back to posting in the next day or so. As a reader of many blogs I know it's annoying to come back day after day to nothing new so I am hoping those of you that are still here will continue to return.

Also, going forward, if you have a comment please post it on the blog and don't e-mail me your gripe. Starting good debate and dialogue in the comment section is key to having a great blog, Basically, here's what I'm saying...I like having the back up! By back up I mean reader Neutrogena....LOL!

Some things I caught over the last week during my bouts of consciousness:

• Why is every show that HBO produces becomes "critically acclaimed". That In Treatment show sucks.
  


• Steroids, Congress, HGH, Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens, etc. Seriously, what is the point of investigating the past? Other than tarnished reputations is there really any consequence for any of these guys? Here's an idea....how about coming up with a solution to the problem.



• Jason Taylor is going to be on Dancing with the Stars...I know where I will be every Monday night.




• Dwight Howard is amazing. Incredibly talented, a physical specimen and seems like a pretty good guy too. He is going to give LeBron a run for his money for NBA poster boy.



• Memphis men's basketball is undefeated...I suspect their cream puff schedule will get them a top seed in the tourney but I will be surprised if they are hoisting the trophy or plaque or whatever it is come April. Although what do I know, the only teams I have actually watched lately is Indiana and whoever they are playing.



• The Pens are continuing to roll own without Sidney Crosby. Ty Conklin had a superb game against his former team, the Buffalo Sabres last night and the Pens won 4-1. The Pens are back in a first place tied with New Jersey. Fleury is on his way back....some interesting debate is soon to be raised in the 'burgh.

Good news for Andy Roddick...Roger plans to play until he's 35.

"I'm a celebrity....get me to rehab!"

So, Shaq is now a Phoenix Sun....amazing how he always manages to get himself on teams that are already contenders so we can trick ourselves into thinking he is better than he really is. Okay, fine...he is good. But when you are freakin seven feet tall you should be! I have never seen anyone bail faster in tough times than Shaq. And they said Kobe was the bitch? Anyway, I look forward to watching the aging Shaq, who is slower than ever, keep up with the fast pace of Suns basketball.

Between his rap, crappy movies and disrespectful one-liners is there a celebrity that gets away with being more of an asshole, with no marketing skills to boot, yet people still act like they are cool? He reminds me of that guy in high school who wasn't that good looking, wasn't that nice but was popular and everyone laughed at his jokes because he was good at sports. And you knew if he would have transferred to another school he would have been Joe Loser there. In any case, Shaq was in the house to watch his new teammates lose at home to New Orleans after a last minute buzzer beater by Peja....ha ha!

So, since I only have one of my shows showing new episodes (hooray for LOST even though I still haven't watched the premier yet) I have been sucked into the world of bad reality programming. Case in point: Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew Pinsky. Has anybody else seen this crap? Oh my God, is this show out of control! The term "celebrity" should be used loosely here...basically every time they introduced a new patient I was kind of like "oh that guy" or "oh, wasn't she on the show, what's it called?" Anyway, Kinicki from Grease is on there and whoa buddy. is that guy a freakin disaster! The guy snorted pain pills from his wheelchair for his introductory video...real nice. One of the Baldwin brothers, Daniel, was on there and made it about a week. He didn't relapse but couldn't understand that the cameras wanted to follow him all the time. Ummm, maybe cause you are on a reality show, getting paid for it and have a reputation for being a spaz! With great programming like Rock of Love and I Love New York, VH1's development department should all get raises!

Speaking of rehab, two more additions. Eva Mendes and Kirsten Dunst???

What in THE hell is going on with these people? Kirsten always looks like shit but I thought she just had bad fashion sense, not alcoholism. Apparently her nickname is Kirsten Drunkst around the party circuit. Not good. Now Eva...she has been in like two movies and she is already wacked out? What is going on in Hollywood? More drug news....the results of Heath Ledger's autopsy are in. To no one's surprise his death has been ruled an accidental overdose of several different meds including sleeping pills, anxiety medication and oxycodone. What else can you do but shake your head?

Our homegirl Brit-Brit checked out of the psych ward is reportedly at home in LA under her father's care since he was recently put in charge of her welfare, including her medical records, finances and controlling all visitors. The Spears family is claiming that one of her papparazi posse members, Sam Lufti, who has been her constant companion in recent months was controlling her by drugging and emotionally abusing her? Where was Adnan during all of this?

Obviously that is just disgusting that he would do that to her but whether it's true or not, I think Brit has bigger problems and I hope with her family back in her good graces she will get her shit together.

And no word from K-Fed or his attorney lately....what gives?

And just because I miss her I thought I would post a picture of my girl, LC heading to her 22nd birthday party last week. She almost celebrated by becoming one of the latest Hollywood nip slips. The Hills is reportedly back on this summer. Wonder if Lohan will get any air time?

With Winehouse tightly ensconced in rehab we will have to settle for a pic of her uh, er, better half? I can see he is doing well with his recovery. I'm surprised Amy stayed in rehab with her man finally out of the big house.

I'm out for now....my apologies for my broken promise of Monday. I'm in the process of upgrading the laptop so hopefully I will have less issues and more posts in the coming days.

GIANT Upset

NEW YORK GIANTS - 17

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS- 13

SUPER BOWL XLII MVP

Eli Manning and the New York Giants are World Champions and I think it's safe to say that no one saw that coming. Not even them after starting the season 0-2 and certainly not having to face the undefeated Pats as 12-point underdogs. We are all going to see and read about that amazing last drive....Eli's scramble, unbelievable catch by Tyree and Plax's TD. But the Giants defense was on task tonight. Brady rarely had a chance to get comfortable back there and only got the Pats into the end zone after Eli's pick with a short field. I am really happy for Eli who had a tremendous amount of pressure on him before he ever threw a pass. I also enjoyed seeing Peyton so fired up after he has been pretty MIA all week which I thought showed a lot of respect for his brother. Also, Coughlin who had been on the hot seat for quite awhile. Congrats all around...I had been very apathetic toward the Super Bowl all week long but the game certainly didn't disappoint....atleast those of us in the 44 states that are not part of New England.

Commercials...eh, not much to say. Truth be told, I didn't pay that much attention but I did see my boy Ben singing the "Pina Colada" song plugging old American Idol during the 4th quarter.

Anyway, sorry for the inconsistent posting. Like laptop issues weren't enough I come home to find my TV blown out! Back tomorrow with a full length post I promise!

Weekend Wrap Up

I've been having some laptop issues again so sorry that I have fallen behind a bit. However, since I already had much of this post written I demand that you read it and pretend it's all brand new information to you. Here we go....

Novak Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open this weekend beating France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets. I was able to catch the tape delayed showing on Sunday and yowsers....Novak is not a popular guy Down Unda but he seems okay with that....

The Florida Gators anniliated the 14th-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores at the O-Dome on Sunday afternoon 86-64. They were winning by a score of 36-4 at one point early in the first half when absolutely everything was dropping for the young Gators. All five starters scored in the double digits and Walter Hodge had a career-high 19 points. The win pushed the Gators back into the AP Rankings (20) for the first time since November. They are off until Saturday when the travel to Arkansas for another big SEC game. The Gators were on a big momentum roll after rattling off three straight wins. They now sit a half point ahead of Tennessee in SEC East division.

In other college b-ball news, Pitt fell five spots to 18 after a horrible 77-64 loss at home to last place Rutgers on Saturday. Coach Dixon reportedly put the players through a rigorous contact practice this afternoon to prepare them for #18 Villanova tomorrow night. In contrast, the Lady Panthers continued their winning ways taking care of St. Johns and Rutgers last week. Along with powerhouse UConn and Rutgers they remain undefeated in the Big East and are ranked 14th in the AP poll, their highest ranking ever.

Not usually a big ice skating fan but this guy is cute and reportedly straight so I have a chance...and he won the US Figure Skating Championship on Sunday. Therefore, I will give him a shout out....welcome Evan Lysacek.

While most people were concerned with Tom Brady's walking boot and his brusque manner with the media, I'm most flabbergasted that he was taking Gisele CARNATIONS! I know he took a pay cut and all that but seriously Tom! If he would have watched Sex in the City (you know, since his baby mama was on it) he would know carnations are nothing more than filler flowers.

Speaking of Tom Brady, we are well into Super Bowl week. It's amazing how apathetic one can become when their team is not involved.

Staying on our loser boyfriend roll, check this out. All those Romo dumps Jessica rumors appear to be bullshizz as Tony serenaded Jess with a little Journey last night. Not sure what was more entertaining...the entire club calling Tony the "p" word or Jessica looking completely uncomfortable being on stage. No wonder she can't make it as a singer.


Just when that little cheeseball Brody Jenner started to grow on me he totally ruins it by hooking up with Lohan. You just can't trust a guy who has anyone named "Brittany Canada whore" on their iPhone can ya? Apparently the paps were on a smoke break since no one actually got a picture of them "all over each other" or leaving the club together. That's him in the Nirvana-esque flannel. First Nicole Richie and now Lindsay....does he wait outside rehab or what? Ewwww wait....here's some video of them leaving, get this...The Box....insert your own joke here.

I suppose I should make mention of Brit-Brit since we are into Day 2 of some kind of intervention by her friends and family. I did see her pap boy toy Adnan Ghalib spilling the beans on Entertainment Tonight all weekend long. Apparently she broke down crying last night in the only way she knows how...in full view of the paparazzi. It's being reported that Daddy AND Mama Spears is involved along with her ever present Middle Eastern Posse. TMZ.com is live streaming from outside her home if you care.


UPDATE: She was out and about pre-invention for what else....some coffee. What she didn't have time to pick up a new puppy today? I wonder if during the next phase of the intervention they can tell her those freakin boots need to go.




Well, here's a little something to lift our spirits....New Kids on the Block may be reuniting! Well, we atleast have NKO since Jonathan(the "not as attractive" brother) and Danny (the ugly one) were not seen. The three were seen catching a flight to Orlando, otherwise known as Mecca to boy banders. Get out those oversized buttons, I smell a reality show!

In all seriousness I was in my heavy metal phas as New Kids took over the world so other than the played out "Step By Step" and "Hangin Tough" I am pretty unfamiliar with their music. Fortunately we have You Tube these days so I can gain a full appreciation of their musical genious.

This was an actual comment posted in response to this video:

"Nowadays many singers just have one or two good songs and is not a big problem. This album is excellent, just they needed a better promotion. Besides, Jon was exhausted. NKOTB was very succesfull and always would be."

You are so right eriestrema, so right.

SAG = Suckitude

The Screen Actors Guild Awards took place in Los Angeles last night. It was the first awards show of the year with the Writer's Guild strike still dragging on. After the show was over I started wondering why I bothered to watch in the first place. After all, I took the time to watch but some of those that were nominated and actually WON were MIA...that is some bullshizz. Although I am not sure that it matters since you can basically blueprint all the awards shows from whatever happens at the Golden Globes. I decided to hand out some of my own awards just because it's the easiest way to complain.

• The "Let's give it to them cause it was the last season" awards went to the The Sopranos, Edie Falco and James Gandolfini , who may be tied for worst speech giver with Josh Brolin.
  
  
• The "I have about 10% chance of ever watching this movie" awards goes to No Country for Old Men.

• The "Probably talked for too long but I didn't notice cause his speech meant something" goes to Daniel Day-Lewis who dedicated his win to the memory of Heath Ledger. (Speaking of Heath Ledger, wierd pause prior to his photo being shown at the end of the In Memoriam tribute. Kind of anticlimactic....)

• The "Let's show them because apparently they matter to somebody somewhere" award goes to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. So sick of them...

Some other thoughts:

• Best dressed: Amanda Bynes...although I could have done without the braids.

• Worst dressed: Sandra Oh-No...she squeaked out a win over Viggo Mortensen.

• 30 Rock's Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin receiving nods. If you were one of the nominees on a show people actually watched wouldn't this piss you off?

Down goes Federer!

Novak Djokovic upset the defending champ in straight sets early this morning calling a halt to Roger Federer's 40-match win streak and handing him his first straight sets loss since '04. Fighting back nerves of which have hindered his game in the past and a pro-Federer crowd, the 20-year-old Serbian had 50 winners to reach the Australian Open final. He will play against unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Sunday. Tsonga upset world #2 Rafael Nadal yesterday.

While you can't deny that Roger is the best in the world and possibly the greatest men's tennis player of all time, I am glad to see some new talent keeping men's tennis interesting. With Roddick and Nadal out I didn't think I would have much motivation to watch the Final but I am excited to watch these two young guys go at it. I can't say that I am rooting for one over the other but I have seen more of Novak and really enjoy his personality on the court. Some interesting points about Novak's win....

On Saturday, another Serbian in Ana Ivanovic will take on Maria Sharapova in the women's final. Not a fan at all of Sharapova and it has nothing to do with her looks guys (which are overrated IMHO)....I cannot stand the screaming and the cheesy fist pump after EVERY SINGLE POINT! Plain and simple, she annoys me.

"HOOOOAAHHHHAHAHHHHAHHAHAHAHAHHA"

The Penguins lost to the hated Philadelphia Flyers last night by a score of 4-3. Yes folks, the Pens have lost all four meetings with Philly this year who just a season ago was one of the worst teams in the league. The loss drops the Pens to third place in the Atlantic Division. Geno, Sykora and Ryan Whitney scored and Georges Laraque did what he does best....get in fights and pick up penalties. He picked up two majors before capping off his night with 10-minute game misconduct after hitting Steve Downie from behind into the boards. I have yet to see the hit but I suppose if the Flyers (some of the dirtiest players in the league) are calling the hit worthy of a suspension it must be cringe-worthy. Considering Laraque's reputation I'm sure it gets a look by league officials.

The NHL All-Star game will be coming at ya from Atlanta this weekend. Sidney Crosby, Dan Heatley, Roberto Luongo and Martin Brodeur all big names that are out of the game with injuries. Pens are back in action next Tuesday at New Jersey. The Devils and Flyers now sit atop the division so this will be a big game for the Pens.

Friday News Links:

LeBron continues to give a big eff you to the fine fans in Cleve-Land. So he wore the Yankees hat to Jacobs Field last year....alright. Now this....talk about a bitch slap! I don't know that I would buy a pair of shoes that has the word "suckers" stitched on them....but that's just me.

I know that we all are biased towards our own fan bases but to call the Eagles' fan base "the best"? If best means you are the loudest, most petulant, arrogant, beer throwing a-holes then no arguments here.

Amy figured out that smoking crack is wack. Or at least her record label did. So it's off to rehab for Miss Winehouse. Who wants to start the pool on how long she makes it??? P.S. Apparently blondes don't have for fun as Ames is "back in black". As you can see she looks nicer heading to detox than she does on stage.

More details continue to surface regarding Heath Ledger's death. First it was reported the apartment he was renting was owned by Mary-Kate Olsen which was denied by her camp. Now the police are saying that the masseuse thought MK should be called before the paramedics...in any case MK finally gave a short statement.

The Florida Primary elections are this Tuesday. Get your asses out and vote Floridians. Still not sure...here's some help. VOTE!!!!

It's pretty rare to feel the need to start off a post with celebrity news but it feels appropriate today. As you probably heard, actor Heath Ledger, 28, was found dead in his NYC apartment earlier today. A drug overdose is suspected at this point. Two years ago he was nominated for an Oscar and now he's gone. How fast they can fall. Sad....even worse is that he leaves behind a two-year-old daughter....

1979-2008

Double whammy for the Pens...they lost last night at home to the Washington Capitals in a shoot out after playing a pretty shotty defensive game AND received confirmation that Sidney Crosby is out for up to eight weeks with a serious ankle injury. Not good news at all even though we are in sole possesion of first place in the division.

The only Penguin to score in the shoot out was Jarkko Ruutu. Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin both scored on Conklin after he replaced Dany Sabourin in goal after Ovechkin scored his second goal of the night at 7:58 of the third period. On a positive note we picked up three out of a possible four points without Sid and our records stands at 27-17-3. Geno continues to play well after two goals, an assist and a sweet hit on Ovekchin. It was also announced that Malkin has been added to the Eastern Conference roster for the All-Star game on Sunday. The Pens cross the state to take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.

So, we were hoping for some upsets on Sunday and one of two ain't bad. Eli Manning and the New York Giants are going to the Super Bowl after Brett Favre turned into Brett Favre and threw a really dumb pick in OT. So who do we think is happiest...Tom Coughlin for getting his ass off the coaching hot seat, Eli for finally living up to those ginormous expectations, or Lawrence Tynes who was able to kick the winning field goal after two big misses? Not sure but I can tell you who probably isn't happy....Tiki Barber. That guy left in a huff, threw just about everyone associated with the Giants under the bus and can't figure out why no one likes his whiny ass anymore. Damn I wish the Super Bowl was on NBC this year!

"What are the Giants going to do without me....they're going to the Super Bowl?...oh."

What else is going on in the NFL....Holmgren's staying in Seattle, Tony Dungy staying with the Colts, Tom Brady's foot is in a walking cast and Cedrick Wilson doesn't know how to run routes or pick girlfriends. Hey Ced, Tarentum, PA is not the place to pick up baby mamas....just saying....

Last Manning Standing

So yeah, who thought Eli would outlast Peyton in the playoffs? Anyone...Bueller? Not sure that he has a prayer today heading into Lambeau in subzero temperatures against "Destiny's Darling" Brett Favre and the Packers. Even though a few weeks back I had commented that I wouldn't mind seeing the Packers win it all this year but I also wouldn't mind seeing the Giants pull of th upset. I've said as much to a few of my friends who've responded in shock to my words. Apparently I should hate Eli because of the draft fiasco and well, because he's a Manning. Look,I know he acted like a baby on draft day but I'm not sure that was so much Eli as Eli deferring to what Daddy Manning said was best for him. All the matters to me is that while the Chargers and Giants were battling over Eli and Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger fell to the eleventh pick and right into the Steelers' laps. NFL Rookie of the Year, Super Bowl Champion, 2007 Pro Bowl selection....it all worked out if you ask me.

"Who's laughing now....!"

Speaking of Philip Rivers, there is of course another game today. San Diego travels to New England to take on the undefeated Patriots. Now I know I said that pulling for the Pats' last week was a one-time thing...but this Chargers teams has become extremely unlikeable the last few weeks. LT is becoming one of the biggest cry babies in the league and Philip Rivers showed his true personality after taunting Colts fans in Indy last week. And don't forget Shawne Merriman...is there a bigger douche in the league...not to mention a steroid user. If I don't see that obnoxious celebration dance ever again it will be too soon. Besides, can you really trust anyone whose dream date is Oprah? Personnel (or personal) issues aside the Chargers have some key injuries with Rivers doubtful, LT banged up and TE Antonio Gates out. Besides, if the Patriots win it all this year can anyone dispute that the best team won? Deesn't mean we have to be happy about it but you know what I'm saying....

Roy Jones, Jr. took care of Tito Trinidad last night winning by unanimous decision after knocking Tito to the canvas twice. Tito had some great body shots but Jones just overpowered Felix through a majority of the fight. I'm assuming with Roy's win that Tito retires, Jones will use it as an excuse to keep fighting and Don King made a lot of money.



Have a happy Sunday and drink all you want...in the now famous words of my good friend Sherry it's "MLK Day...woo hooooo!"

Upset Saturday

Picking up where the '06 college football season left off, it's tough to be a top 10 team in men's college basketball right now. The #1 ranked UNC Tarheels lost at home to unranked Maryland 82-80 in ACC play this afternoon. I have seen highlights of two female fans in tears about five times already.

Other upsets today included Kansas State blowing out #9 Texas A & M, unranked USC taking care of the 4th ranked USC Trojans and Cinci had a crucial tip in to upset #16 Pitt. After pulling a great upset win of G-Town last week the Panthers suffered yet another injury today of forward Keith Benjamin. He cut his hand but returned and had trouble shooting but already down two starters this season sitting out wasn't an option. They will hope to rebound next week on the road at St. Johns.

In SEC action the Gators are taking on Kentucky in the O-Dome as I type. Florida, for the most part, has outplayed the Wildcats even with the turnovers approaching double digits. Lots of folk on hand for the game including former Gator Al Horford, Urban Meyer and of course Timmy T, the Mayor of Gainesville. Since Both Florida and Kentucky are not ranked at this point I don't know that you could put an upset alert on this game. But if the Gators don't take care of business tonight it will certainly upset me! Update: Game's in OT, Walter Hodge just hit a big three pointer to put the Gators ahead.

Following the continuing pattern of devastating injuries in the 'burgh, Sid the Kid is out indefinteily after suffering a serious ankle injury after hitting the boards hard in a loss at Tampa Bay last night. Sucks for the Pens and all hockey fans as Sid will have to sit out of the NHL All Star game next week after being the top vote getter. However, it doesn't appear to be time to hit the panic button just yet as the Pens topped the Canadiens 2-0 in Montreal today.

The upsets have not been limited to basketball as Andy Roddick bit the dust in the Australian Open yesterday after a four hour plus match against some German guy named Kohlschreiber.

He had career high 42 aces but when your opponent hits about 100 winners there's not much you can do. The majors have not been kind to Andy since his '03 win at the US Open, his only major career win. Since the Open airs in the early morning hours I only caught the final set but that was enough to catch Roddick asking the chair ump if he had made it past 2nd grade. Good stuff...Tennis Jesus , Roger Federer also had quite the scare needing five sets to take out Janko Terpasevic. Just once can we have a tournament without him....sure his record is impressive but it has turned men's tennis into a real bore for me.

Big fight in NYC tonight. At least in terms of big names since both fighters are on the downward spiral in their careers. Felix "Tito" Trinidad and Roy Jones, Jr will be throwing down in the Garden later tonight.

Kieran Mulvaney is live blogging the event over at ESPN.com. Looks like the crowd will be pulling for Tito even though Jones is a heavy favorite. But upsets are in the air tonight...

Winehouse check...yep...still batshit crazy.

Sad news for Steeler Nation. Ernie Holmes was tragically killed in a car accident yesterday in Texas. Ernie was a part of two Super Bowl winning teams and a member of the Steel Curtain. He was 59.

Can the Chargers and Giants pull some upsets of their own tomorrow? We shall see...

Don't fret my pets...I'm back!

Sorry all...had to take a break this weekend which turned into a loooonnnng weekend. I wish I had a good reason but really I'm just lazy.

No reason to rehash the whole weekend but of course the Jags demise must be mentioned. I especially enjoyed this loss since I was in a house full of people rooting for the Jags. Even before the 2-minute warning they were already making excuses why they wouldn't win. I'll sum it up for you...your QB turned into a turnover machine and Rashean Mathis (arguably one of the better corners in the league) really didn't play up to par. I came across this photo in my search for Jacksonville news worth sharing....can this be considered animal cruelty??

• The drama continues for Rich Rodriguez and WVU...wow, this divorce is turning uglier than Britney and K-Fed's. Rodriguez claims he was "trying to take that high road" and knew that there would "be some emotions involved" but say WVU peeps are spreading lines about him and tarnishing his good name. Whatever pal, not sure who is more wacked out....Rich or WVU fans.

• This just in....most kids think clowns are scary....why is this new information? Pennywise has been around since the 80's.

• To paraphase Chris Rock, "I'm not saying he should of done it, but I understand."

• As a Gators fan I am a big fan of Joakim Noah (except for that unfortunate celebration dance). His passion for UF and his competitiveness were second to none during his time in G-ville but of course, the Gators won back to back national championships. Apparently, playing on a team that sucks is a bit of a problem for Jo in Chicago. Benched by your teammates?? That's one I haven't heard before...

Because I actually have a job that pays me I have to cut this short. More to come, stay tuned....

"Is Jacksonville a sleeper?"

I freakin love these commercials!

8 straight!

Pens won their eighth straight game ending a 12-game losing streak against Tampa Bay last night winning 4-1. Ty Conklin remains undefeated (9-0-0) and that is amazing considering this kid hanging out in Scranton about a month ago. The Pens seem to be clicking on all cylinders right now and Staal scored for the first time in seven games. Fleury is due back from injury soon but I think Michel Thierrien would be nuts to mess with the vibe on this team right now. Historically Tampa Bay has been a tough place to play for the Pens (they hadn't won there since 2003) so this was a big win on the road. The Pens remain one point behind New Jersey as they travel to Atlanta tomorrow night to take on the Thrashers.

I have been scouring the 'net looking for sports news worth talking about (ok, that I am interested in talking about) when I remembered that for some of you football season isn't over. So I guess it's my obligation to cater to all demographics. On that note, the NFL Playoffs continue tomorrow. It appears that the Jags are no longer the "team under the radar" as I have heard lots of sport folk picking them to upset the Pats this weekend. I expect to see a good game and I do think the Jags have a shot to win in Foxborough. However, I hope Tom Brady lights them up like a Christmas tree. The bandwagon is getting crowded here in Jax...don't strain your backs jumping on! (Reader Mrs. B probably needs a heating pad right now...)

Oh yeah, the Seahawks are traveling to Green Bay tomorrow for the NFC divisional game. Since I wouldn't mind old Brett Farrrvreee winning it all this year I guess the Packers are my pick. Anyone have the over under on how many times the broadcasters will use the following sentences; "He just has so much fun out there!", "That interception wasn't his fault.", or my fave, "He's a gunslinger!!" You can't deny he is a funny guy though. Here's some classic video.

A cool story from Big Ben News....Ben is involved with PROTRADE, a twist on fantasy football where you buy and sell players based on their market value. The winner this year was a guy named Bob from Rochester who traveled to Pittsburgh last month to hang out with Ben. He blogged about his trip and took plenty of pics.

To read Bob's story click this link: http://www.protrade.com/content/DisplayArticle.html?sp=Sb6ae7d38-bf11-11dc-ba00-574828460f5a

Our favorite Brit is up to her old tricks. Whether blondes have more fun has yet to be determined. At least in Amy's case.

Tuesday Sports Talk

LSU - 38

Ohio State - 24

The Blowout Championship Series concluded with LSU's victory against Ohio State last night in New Orleans. I guess I should be happy since I'm hardly and OSU fan and my team plays in the SEC but I have never been one of those "root within your conference" folks. Logically I suppose I should be since who's in your conference in important is important in the rankings but I really couldn't care less about last night's game. Now of course, the debating on if either team really belonged in the National Championship game continues....on that note the SEC and ACC are trying to establish a +1 playoff system. Anything would be an imporvment over the current system but I think they need to go with 16 playoff teams. That would include the 11 conference champions and give bids to five at large teams. We will see if anything comes of it. Of course the Pac 10 and Big Ten both oppose any kind of playoffs. Oh, the politics of sports!!!!

One of my Steelers peeps comments was published in the Jacksonville Times-Union's Monday Morning Quarterback.

"Pittsburgh's prevent offense displayed with three minutes left in the game once again takes the ball out of Ben's hands after scoring on the four previous possessions. The loss is on the Steelers coaching staff."

Well said, Ralph but I still can't forgive our horrendous special teams who did what they did best all year....SUCK! There is so many holes in the team that it really is a wonder looking back we ended up with a winning record this season. The off season agenda should start with Ben restructuring his contract. He has two years left on his original deal and is scheduled to pick up a pretty hefty bonus but considering Charlie Batch's salary was actually more than Ben's this year I can expect something will get done soon. Especially after Romo's outrageous deal in Dallas. Plus I want to go into next season knowing Ben's going to be around for long haul.

In happier 'burgh news Sidney Crosby led all NHL All Star voting again this year with more than 200,000 votes than the next player.

So far, he's the only Penguin heading to Atlanta but the remainder of the rosters will be announced later this week. Speak of the devil, Sid just scored to put the Pens up 2-0 on the Panthers....woot!

No surprise that Fred Taylor was added to the AFC's roster for the Pro Bowl but this did shock me a bit:

"Taylor initially considered turning down a Pro Bowl invitation if either Tomlinson, Addai or Parker couldn't make the trip for the Feb. 10 game -- he even said "maybe the Pro Bowl doesn't deserve Fred Taylor" -- but his wife convinced him otherwise."

He's a good back and has been an important player for Jacksonville but to think he deserved to go over any of those three players...okay, sure. He wasn't even one of the top five rushers this season. When he's been healthy he has been solid for the Jags and reaching the 10,000 yard mark is a great milestone for him but that's a lot of sour grapes to consider turning the invite down.

So American Idol is starting up again here soon. I know millions and millions of folk religiously watch this show and I am not one of them. I did watch quite a bit of the season with Chris Daughtry, Elliott Yamin and company. I love those guys but of course neither one of them won despite being the most talented vocalists. That's why I don't watch, it has nothing to do with who is the best singer. Case in point...this guy.

He was dropped from his record dealwith J Records today. Shocking.

The New Hampshire primaries were today and with a majority of precincts reporting it appears McCain has won the Republican race there. Who says Americans won't vote for the old guy?

The Democratic race is too close to call but Hilldo has a slight lead on Obama at this point. There was record turnout today and that's great to hear. This is one of the most important Presidential races in history and it's good to see that people care.

That's it from me for the day. Until tomorrow....