Epic Photo: What was Kurt Warner thinking?

Here's a shot from Kurt Warner's recent appearance on the Disney Channel. Ummmm...

Football fans are posers

The MLB opens the 2009 season today with Atlanta taking on the defending World Series champions Philadelphia Phillies (which sounds really weird, actually). No doubt that hardcore baseball fans are absolutely going bonkers and if anyone pukes on your lawn today its because somebody played the Bud Selig drinking game while watching the opener.

Now that being said, I know a lot of football fans that scoff at baseball as if it should be a sport that retirees play. Please.

Everyone loves football. Everyone talks about it. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's the best sport - just the most popular - it's just really easy to talk about football because the games are once a week, you only have to track 16 games, and you can refer to a few key players on your roster and then throw out some "the team" statements and congrats - you're now talking sports out your butt.

That guy that always seems to "miss" the games of his favorite team (as in he doesn't really give a crap about sports, but he wants be able to fit in with his buddies) can always watch the highlights and talk like he's been a season ticket holder for years. That's just the way football is - it's built and catered towards the casual fan.

Now baseball - that's a sport you have to have dedication and moxie to follow. There's 162-games to follow, with them being played every single day. Run across somebody that can talk baseball and you've got yourself a serious fan.

Meanwhile casual football fan will start sputtering after a while and confuse Curt Warner with Kurt Warner...

I'm convinced that football is only the most popular sport because it's the most convenient of sports. So the next time I see a guy wearing a Giants jersey and a Jets hat in Northtown, I'll let him know a piece of my mind.

Party like it's 1947

I used to hate Kurt Warner with a passion.

Used to.

Mainly because the Rams were the toast of the NFL and he led them over my Titans for a Super Bowl Championship.

Then after a few years, he sucked and tumbled off the face of the football world and right into the lap of the Arizona Cardinals.

And now I find myself rooting for the guy. After reading this piece about just what kind of guy Warner is, I couldn't root against him. And if you really think about it, Warner has never put himself in front of the team and has been extremely gracious during the downturn of his career.

That being said, with the Cardinals going into the playoffs, I figured that they had no chance whatsoever. Much like no one gave Warner a chance - he was bagging groceries and had to work his way up through the AFL to the NFL (beginning as the third stringer). However, Arizona, which was hosting its first playoff game since 1947 when they were the Chicago Cardinals, beat the upstart Atlanta Falcons 30-24 today.

It's kind of strange how sports can change your mind.

Powder Blues rule the night again

So fellow blogger Casey tells me. After various texts back and forth about how terrible Madden is at commentating a game, he called the game with that bold prediction about the jerseys.

Badass jerseys + winners of the previous four must win games = upset over the Colts and ... yep, it's back... THE MANNING FACE!

For the second straight year, Eli Manning will be in the hunt for the Lombardi trophy longer than his brother. How ironic is that? Who saw that coming? Will Eli turn out to have a better career than his brother?

What I learned over the Holidays

During these past couple of days of joy and gift-giving, I've learned a couple of things...

- Learn the aisle right-away hierarchy in stores before you go Christmas shopping, otherwise you'll get t-boned. For some reason, shoppers would rather give their first child to a Chinese Slave Army as opposed to giving some space for you to squeeze into the electronics aisle.

- AMC's showing of John Wayne movies was a pure stroke of genius, and then I saw they're going to show Clint Eastwood movies on New Years. That means that roughly all of Americans will be watching, while the ones that don't are simply communists.

- I like people that sent me personalized "Merry Christmas Brandon!" text messages as oppose to the generic, mass-texted ones. However, the more I think about it, I didn't send out a Merry Christmas text so perhaps I'm the one that's an a-hole.

- Read this story about Kurt Warner. Awesome stuff. Right down to him learning how to "Walk it Out."

- Four large holiday meals within 48 hours is pretty much deadly. I was in a food coma where I had dreams about Super Mario Bros, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Montana fans stalking me, and a dream where I apparently gained the ability to shrink in size, making me perfect for re-enacting Adam Morrison's NBA career.

- Relatives never question how much you eat. In fact, I get called a "growing boy" ... awesome.

- People are actually kind of pissed about Gonzaga's loss to Portland State.

- Pumpkin Pie does not need whip cream. In fact, why the hell do you need the whip cream? It masks the flavor!

- College World Series re-runs on ESPN Classic... yep, I'm addicted to sports.

Paradise just LOST

The Miami Dolphins have started clearing house already. Releasing nine players today, including quarterback Trent Green. Green had spent the 2007 season on IR after suffering his second serious concussion.

But now the Dolphins, who are a franchise that is barely floating, need to acquire a quarterback. And fast. Because like the ABC show, they are just LOST right now.

Now this team, which has lacked a leader at coach all year, is now without a leader on the field. This is worse than when Kerry Collins just gave up on the Panthers.

Most draft boards have the Dolphins picking a defensive lineman in the draft with the number one pick. But the truth is, the Fins have an aging defensive and a non existent offense. But a rookie quarterback is not the answer for this team. They need a veteran leader who can take charge on the field, and in the locker room.

Plus, the quarterback class this year is less than stellar. Yes, I said stellar. Here's my suggestion to Bill Parcells.

Trade the number one pick for a quarterback and a later pick in the draft. There are a ton of defensive lineman this year.

So Mr. Parcells, here are the teams I believe you should be courting:

1. Arizona Cardinals- Kurt Warner

Who better to help jump kick this rebuilding than a two time NFL MVP and a Super Bowl winner? Warner didn't have a horrible year. Heck, he did better than Eli Manning did during the regular season. Plus, with Matt Leinart in Arizona, Warner won't start. Leinart is the QB of that franchise.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers- Charlie Batch

Batch is one of those quarterbacks that hardly ever gets a chance to play, but when he does he shines. You have to forget about his time in Detroit. Time spent there doesn't really count (unless you are Barry Sanders). Batch would be a great addition to the Dolphins, he's kinda the Trent Dilfer style quarterback. He doesn't make mistakes, but he doesn't really make plays either. He just doesn't mess up.

3. Dallas Cowboys- Brad Johnson

Johnson isn't a long term fix. He would just be a bandaid for the short term. Someone to help groom a younger quarterback, rather than toss them straight into the fire of a Patriots defense. Plus, somehow Johnson knows how to win games. Look at what he did last year in Minnesota.

Well, no matter what the Dolphins do, it will be a long time before they are back into the play-offs. They still have to play the New England Patriots twice, but at least they have Buffalo.