The series just started airing in Canada and already in one episode Joey Jeremiah got cut as the kicker, a linebacker paralyzed someone, a few guys in the locker room have done their best Giambi and Bonds impressions, the QB is destroying his liver with painkillers and the star running back needed the help of a catheter to pass a drug test…it would take a daytime soap opera about five years to show that much storyline action. To follow on the heels of Playmakers' success ESPN has just started airing "Tilt" a look at the world of professional poker play. The show looks promising with Michael Madsen as the series lead - typecast as the same guy he always plays. Although considering Canada won't get the series for another year or so it would be as meaningless for me to comment on the show as A.C. Green writing a tell-all book about NBA groupies on the road.

Speaking of Canadian TV this is how bad things are. The top-ranked comedy in Canada is CTV's Corner Gas. It not only gets better ratings over other Canadian shows but beats out all other American comedies. The best comment I've ever heard about the show is that it's pretty good….for a Canadian show. It's really a greater reflection on Canada's insistence to celebrate mediocrity. Poor Olympic showings are applauded and a team like the Calgary Flames that fell short of winning it all is celebrated as Canada's team of the year.

	The idiot kicker sure talks a lot for someone who has so little impact on the end result of the game. (Source: CNNSI.com)

For a guy who has so little impact or even opportunity to contribute meaningful points Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt has a lot to say. When you really think about it what does Vanderjagt do? The Colts offense is so good that they rarely kick FGs and seldom are they clutch kicks. The biggest clutch situation Vanderjagt was faced with came in Week 1 against those very Patriots and Vanderjagt missed the kick that would have sent the game to OT. Vanderjagt's leg isn't strong enough to kickoff - those duties go to Martin Gramatica so essentially Vanderjagt is there to convert extra points. The fact that Gramatica has taken over kickoff duties also makes TSN's "My Sportscentre" commercial out-dated. In it, Vanderjagt says something along the lines of "he starts the game and has the ability to end the game." The game starts with you? If you could kickoff it would. But the team brought in someone else to do that. At least Vanderjagt still has the whole Fresh Prince handshake going, no one can take that away from the idiot kicker.

When Vikings owner Red McCombs suggested that FOX announcer Joe Buck wrongly provided his opinion on Randy Moss' ass-inine TD celebration by calling it "disgusting" he opened up a whole new issue for discussion. What level of objectiveness and biasness should be allowable for sports announcers? Regional and local announcers obviously fall under their own category, most of these guys sound like hopeless gamblers who are just waiting to see if their team can cover the spread. But on a national broadcast you would expect to see a certain level of neutrality. Don Cherry is a guy who openly shows favouritism to certain teams and players and as much as I love TSN's Pierre McGuire he's another guy who falls into this category.

	There's no secret of who Pierre McGuire admires. (Source: TSN.ca)

Anybody who isn't a fan of the Calgary Flames or the New Jersey Devils when the NHL restarts will know exactly what I'm talking about. McGuire has an unrequited love affair with both Zach Parise and Dion Phaneuf. With Parise, the love was apparent at the 2003 entry draft when he blasted the Islanders for not taking Parise and it continued into the past two World Junior Championships, the most recent of which Parise wasn't even apart of. Nonetheless this didn't stop McGuire from taking every waking moment when he wasn't criticizing Al Montoya to praise Parise. It's no coincidence that "praise" is an anagram for "Parise." The Dion Phaneuf obsession was highlighted by the initially amusing "He got Dion'd!" which eventually turned into one of the most annoying phrases in a "monster" of a way. At one point Mcguire said that Phaneuf along with current Flames defenceman Robyn Regher will go on to dominate for decades. Decades? By decades does this include all the post-career endeavours like coaching, player agent or broadcasting that they may go into? Or is he simply referring that they'll play into their 50's?

If my prediction for a Falcons-Steelers Super Bowl holds true, I, like everyone else will obviously look forward to the match-up of the QBs but I'll also be pretty stoked about the arm wrestling match that needs to be sanctioned between the two kickers. Get Arm & Hammer involved and you have another Super Bowl Week event. Has anyone else noticed the arms on Jay Feely and Jeff Reed? Having arms like that on a kicker is like putting $5,000 Giovanni rims on a Chevette.

And finally the quote of the year thus far…

"I don't know what I'm going to wake up for."

That was Steve Francis' reaction to best friend and long-time teammate Cuttino Mobley getting traded to the Sacramento Kings for Doug Christie and Doug Christie's wife. Reasons to get up? Let's see. You can wake up because you're in the midst of a 6-yr $85M contract, you have girls waiting for you in every NBA city, you're not whipped into having to give hand signals to your wife throughout the course of the game, and you can have fun laughing along with the team at just how whipped your new teammate really is.