Here now, are people in sports I loathe.

- Scott Linehan

- Jay Zygmunt (Rams G.M.)

- John Shaw (Rams President)

- Mike Keenan

- Bill Laurie (former Blues owner)

- Curt Schilling

- Stephon Marbury

- Ed Belfour

- Carlos Zambrano

More to come. Thank you for your time.

The Boston Red Sox won the 2007 World Series. And a nation celebrated yawned.

I honestly thought the Colorado Rockies had a shot in this series, at least until about the second inning of game one. After that, it was just a matter of time. The Rockies certainly deserved to be there, but they were horribly outclassed by an outstanding Red Sox team.

But that's not the real story. The real story is how blase the feeling around it was. Sure, Red Sox nation cared, but, really, after winning the 2004 World Series, it wasn't the same.

And then there's the more pressing issue that we're all aware of but not many people talk about: the Red Sox are the new Yankees. Period.

Their payroll is enormous, they traded away young players for veterans to help them win championships right now, no longer are the Sox just expected to get to the playoffs. They are considered failures if they don't win the Whole Thing.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. The Red Sox have a financial advantage, and they'd be doing a disservice to their fans if they didn't use it.

But for some reason, people rail on the Yankees for spending, but not Boston. Now, the Red Sox don't spend as much as N.Y., but it's still a boatload. And that leads to certain expectations, and it's just not quite as fun when a team wins a championship when that's what is expected of them all along.

Take nothing away from the Red Sox or their fans - that's not what this is about. They earned the championship, which is what they were supposed to do all along.

With playoff baseball comes the inevitable debates about who the greatest postseason performer was. This has been especially true in lieu of Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling's recent performances in the World Series.

Many people are familiar with some of the best postseason hurlers, but what about some other, less heralded pitchers? Are there guys out there who may have flown a bit under the radar? In fact, there are a number of them. While none of these guys had the extensive impact of a Bob Gibson or Mariano Rivera, they still delivered clutch performances throughout their postseason careers*.

Ken Dayley, St. Louis Cardinals
If I were to ask you who in postseason history had the best WHIP (0.58), allowed the least number of hits per 9 innings (2.61) and the fourth best ERA (0.44), your first answer might not be Ken Dayley, but that's the correct answer.

Dayley was a lefthanded reliever for the Cardinals who pitched in both the 1985 NLCS and World Series, and the 1987 NLCS and World Series. He never pitched more than 2 2/3 innings, but he was an important part of the bullpen, picking up 5 saves even though Todd Worrell was the main closer. In 20 2/3 postseason innings, Dayley gave up just 1 run.

Dave Dravecky, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants
Just who is Dave Dravecky? Well, he was a hurler who pitched in the 1984 NLCS and World Series for the Padres and the 1987 NLCS for the Giants. Dravecky had entirely different roles for those teams, however.

First, let's look at some numbers. Dravecky possess the third best ERA (0.35) in playoff history, and the second best WHIP (0.66). In Dravecky's postseason career, he found himself relieving for the Padres, and going multiple innings every time. In 10 2/3 innings of relief for San Diego, he didn't give up a single run, walked just one batter, allowed only 5 hits, and struck out 10.

Then, Dravecky went on to starting for the San Fransicso Giants. In the '87 NLCS, he threw a complete game, 2-hit shutout against St. Louis in game 2, and followed that with a 6 inning stint where he struck out 8, allowed 5 hits and the only run of his postseason career in a 1-0 loss.

Sterling Hitchcock, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees
Surprised? Yeah, me too. However, Hitchcock is one of only eight pitchers to have a perfect win-loss record in the postseason, at 4-0. Not to mention the fact that he has the third best K/9 ratio in postseason history. Hitchcock struck out 12.03 batters per 9 innings pitched, which is over 5 strikeouts per 9 more than his regular season average.

Hitchock appeared in 9 games, and he was a starter in 4 of those games. And in those starts, Hitchcock was 3-0. He struck out 32, allowed only 3 extra-base hits, had a 1.23 ERA and held opponents to a .195 batting average and .287 on-base percentage.

Others
Harry Breechen, St. Louis Cardinals: 1943, '44, '46 World Series - 3 complete games, 4 wins, 0.87 ERA, 3 total earned runs allowed.

John Rocker, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians: 1998, '99, 2000, '01 NL/ALDS, NLCS, World Series - 20 games, 0.00 ERA, 4.35 hits/9 allowed, 11.32 K/9.

Blue Moon Odom, Oakland A's: 1972, '73, '74 ALCS, World Series: 1.07 ERA in 42 innings, 5 total earned runs allowed, 4.71 hits/9 allowed.

Obviously, this is but a small sample size of pitchers that have put up very good postseason numbers. There are many more that have performed well, but these are a few that people may not have known about.

(* = Minimum 20 Innings)

A 13-1 blowout can lead to some hand-wringing, excitement or hyperbole. After the Red Sox decimated the Rockies in Game One, here are what some of the nation's sportswriters had in their minds.

- Mike Littwin, Rocky Mountain News: "For days, you’ve heard about nothing but Fenway and poetry. Now, when you think of poetry, you wonder what rhymes with blowout."

- Jay Mariotti, Chicago Sun-Times: "Only Josh Beckett thinks Josh Beckett is normal. The rest of us see Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, Tiger Woods, Google stock, Simon Cowell, F-16 fighter jets, monster trucks, Springsteen, dominance, impenetrability."

- Bob Ryan, Boston Globe: "Shorn of Whatever It Was that enabled them to transcend all reason as they stampeded into the playoffs and then over, under, around, and through the Phillies and Diamondbacks, the Colorado Rockies looked very much like a team that had not seen a living, breathing major league opponent in nine days, and sending them out against the hottest postseason pitcher in the galaxy bordered on cruel and unusual punishment.

- Mark Kiszla, Denver Post: "This was the worst beatdown on national television for a Denver sports team since the Broncos went to Super Bowl XXIV and all they got was a lousy T-shirt, not to mention a heaping helping of humiliation served by the San Francisco 49ers.

While Manny was being Manny and Boston played bingo-bango-bongo off the famous left-field wall, did anyone else have a bad Rocky Mountain flashback to Super Joe Montana?

- John Harper, New York Daily News: "Okay, so a little rust was to be expected from the Rockies after an eight-day layoff. But nobody expected them to show up collectively as the Tin Man."

The best of the Wednesday sports blogs, including Moon Bloodgood, who is both insanely hot and the possessor of a cool name.

- Gilbert Arenas is making his own"756" shoe in honor of Barry Bonds, available only in San Francisco. (100% Injury Rate)

- Should SI hire Will Leitch from Deadspin to replace Rick Reilly? (Dan Shanoff)

- Wide receivers from the 2005 NFL draft aren't exactly setting the world on fire. (End Zone Buzz)

- Interestingly, the soccer coach for the U.S. women's team was fired. Could this be because he didn't go with, as NOIS puts it, "the pale white girl in favor of her melanin rich back-up"? (Nation of Islam Sports Blog)

- Boston, and Pats fans, take a beating from MBSR. (My Brain Says Rage)

- A letter to members of the Big 10, imploring them to do one thing - beat Ohio State. (Black Heart Gold Pants)

- Will the Rockies get swept? (Ghosts of Wayne Fontes)

- Rudy Giuliani is officially a scummy politician. (Deuce of Davenport)

Many of us know who the best football players in college are right now - Tim Tebow, Glenn Dorsey, Chase Daniel, Mike Hart and Dennis Dixon, to name but a few. But for teams to be successful, they need guys to perform who fly under the radar. Not players who are completely unknown, but ones who may not get the recognition they deserve on a national level. A look now at some of these players:

- Pig Brown, Safety, Missouri: Okay, his name is really Cornelius. But he prefers being called by his nickname, Pig. And Brown has arguably been the Tigers best defensive player this season. He is tied for third in the Big 12 with 3 interceptions, is ninth in the Big 12 with 60 tackles, tenth in the Big 12 with 8 tackles for loss, has deflected 4 passes, picked up 2 fumbles and returned one of those fumbles for a touchdown. Oh, and he's been the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week twice already.

- Chimdi Chekwa, Cornerback, Ohio State: Malcolm Jenkins gets all the pub concerning the Ohio State pass defense, which is #2 in the country, but Chekwa deserves some credit as well. He has 23 tackles and 2 interceptions, but more importantly than that, he has 7 pass break-ups, which is tied for fourth in the Big Ten and four more than Jenkinks.

- Alex Brink, Quarterback, Washington State: Granted, WSU doesn't exactly qualify as a successful team, but don't blame that on Brink, the leader behind the nation's 11th ranked passing attack. With all the QB talent that resides in the Pac 10 - Dennis Dixon, Nate Longshore, Rudy Carpenter and more, Brink is the conference leader in touchdown passes, with 18, and is 16th nationally in total offense.

Time for our weekly look at the fascinating musings on sports internet message boards.

Blue And Gold - Notre Dame Football: "I realize that a lot of 'fair weather fans' will be jumping ship. A few of us will remain, but now's the time to really get on board. In 2,3,4,5 years when ND is competing for BCS supremacy season after season, I will not be accepting bandwagon jumpers." - LIShamrock

ESPN.com - MLB General: "Intelligently, the Rockies would be lucky to win a game ... it is sad but the True. Once again, I will be proven right." - giovanni.alexander

ESPN.com - NCAA Football: "Why does LSwho fans try to dis the mighty OSU? They have half a NC in the modern era unlike all the other Champs who won unanimous ones and here they are trying to dog a program who's rich football heritage makes theirs look like a joke. LSU is not an elite school and they have some midget playing RB who spazzes out everytime he runs for 4 yards. They lost to Kentucky (who cares if they're ranked, it's Kentucky) and were undefeated. Get off our nutz lsu fans." - DORSEY_HAS_NO_KNEES

Igglephans - Philadelphia Eagles: "Andy Reid is a Big Fat Idiot. Andy and fuck his players. Maybe he’s done the blind pig shuffle once in a while and come up with an acorn or two, but most of these cocksuckers don’t belong on an NFL field ... What’s left is the league’s premier collection of busts, chumps and jagoffs. A virtual who’s who of camp bodies and other teams castoffs. It’s fucking nauseating. Hit the fucking pike you fat fucking loser." - BirdBrawn

ESPN.com - MLB General: "KIDS IN AFRICA ARE HAPPY, THEY GET FREE HATS SHIRTS JACKETS ALL DONATED BY THE CLEVELAND INDIANS." - wangful

ESPN.com - NFL General: "Now that the Colts have locked up the SB ... who's gonna be the second best team in the NFL?" - KyleBollerCrazyGood7

ClanRam - St. Louis Rams: "Team MVP? P Donnie Jones ... He's a strong candidate for the Rams MVP so far in the first half of this season...." St.LouisRams41

It's been a pretty bleak football season here in St. Louis. The Rams lost again Sunday, 33-6 to the Seahawks. The team is now 0-7 for the first time ever.

Not the first time since they moved to St. Louis from L.A., or even the first time since they moved to L.A. from Cleveland. No, this is the worst start in the history of the Rams franchise ... and this franchise started in 1936. That's 72 seasons worth of football.

Needless to say, Rams fans such as myself are none too happy about this situation and the bumbling fools who led the team this direction. Namely, team "president" John Shaw, "general manager" (who is really an accountant - seriously) Jay Zygmunt, and "head coach" Scott Linehan. There are others who have contributed, sure. But these three inept clowns are the ones who are most responsible.

To show how pissed we are, let's go ahead and take a look at some fan's questions from a post-game chat held by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Jeff Gordon after the game.

"Gordo, I dont know how you do it (I hope you get paid well), but watching this team is like poking your eyes out with a spoon!!!!" - Eric

"I dont even have a question im just glad some parts of missouri serve beer on sundays." - ronjon

"There is nobody in this organization who has even the slightest clue. Fans should prepare for a repeat of the nineties. This team is going nowhere." - Colorado

"Also, whatever happened to a quick slant. And WHAT THE HECK, everyone gets constant pressure but WE NEVER try a halfback screen? WHAT!!!!!???? Are we the only NFL team every to not counter the blitz with a screen pass??????" - shane

"This offense can very well be the worst in history. It is worse that the Raiders from last year. It makes you want to throw up watching it." - Brandon

"The Rams need to move again and, please, don't tell anyone where you're going. Just hide in shame, you suck." - Mike

"I hate to say this but kiss Mike Matz's feet and ask for forgiveness, give him his team back with Haslett as his assistant." - Royce

"Linehan has taken one of the best offenses in the game's history and reduced it to the league laghing stock." - Ramschic

"Are we even trying to win this game? Goodnight folks, can't watch anymore." - Bert

"Worst team ever? It's hard to believe any team could be worse than the first year Buccaneers team. This team can't even execute a simple screen pass. Every week is an offensive comedy of errors." - Disgusted

"Six points.....6 lousy points. This team is horrible. They are stuck overpaying for a QB that has lost his confidence and a coach that can't coach." - Bob

"I'm depressed. 9 losses to go." - Joe

"Do you think my doctor will up my dosage and potency for depression medication when I bring in my Rams' season statistics?" - Scott

"This is either the most cursed team in NFL history or the most unmotivated, poorly coached piles of crap mine eyes have ever seen. If the Rams win a game this season, I'm Bugs Bunny." - John

My friends in blogging at My Brain Says Rage, Stegosaurus and Rae Carruth's Trunk, have a semi-regular posting called "We Are Awful But You Are Worse", which is a round-up of some of the things people type into search engines to get to their site. It's high comedy and you should check it out in the link.

Their idea made me want to hit up my own Google Analytics and see how some of you are winding up here. So, in short, this wasn't my idea, it was MBSR's, and I'm just going to go ahead and steal borrow it for today.

Anyway, let's get on with it. These are real keywords or phrases people like you typed into a search engine to find DOTD. And you obviously have an interest in Judaism, Erin Andrews and porn - but not necessarily in that order.

- Grady Sizemore, big girls are easy to please

- Grady Sizemore cock

- Why is Placido Polanco's head misshaped

- Jay Cutler jewish

- Troy Tulowitzki jewish

- Tony LaRussa jewish

- Where to meet hot jewish guys

- Is Erin Andrews of espn jewish

- Does Erin Andrews have a boyfriend

- Erin Andrews boyfriends

- She hit my balls

- Stretching my balls

- Urban Meyer's daughter pics

- How to jackoff right

- Jennie Finch porn

- Misty May, Green Bay, porn

- Philly porn

- Beaten to death with a giant black cock

- Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter interacting sexually

- Derek Jeter, gay, steam room

- Fat disgusting d-list celebrity

- Mike Martz called timeouts even though the rams wouldn't get the ball back

- Lee Evans fucking sucks

- Rob Lowe, youngblood, ass

Week 7 of the NFL season is upon us, so let's take some time to look at potential flops on your fantasy team.

QB Ben Roethlisberger: The good news for Big Ben is that he gets his top two receivers, Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes, back after brief absences. The bad news is, the Steelers are playing at Denver and their two Pro Bowl cornerbacks, Dre Bly and Champ Bailey. Together, they have helped the Broncos become the number one pass defense in the NFL, allowing only 145 pass yards per game.

QB Brian Griese: Griese has put up some decent numbers while replacing Rex Grossman for the Bears, but playing in Philadelphia may change that. The Eagles have the 9th ranked pass defense in the NFL, and though safety Brian Dawkins is questionable for this game, expect Philly to come with their usual array of blitzes to try and confuse Griese.

RB Edgerrin James: The Edge has been a pleasant surprise to fantasy owners after having a down year in 2006. New coach Ken Whisenhunt has made getting James some holes to run through a priority, and he has responded so far, ranking 5th in the NFL in rushing yards. However, the Cardinals travel to Washington, who give up only 80 yards per game on the ground. Combine that with the probability that Tim Rattay will be takings some snaps, and this is a terrible match-up for Edge.

RB Marshawn Lynch: Even though QB J.P. Losman is healthy, the Bills are going to start rookie Trent Edwards against the Baltimore Ravens anyway. Which is bad news for Lynch owners. Buffalo will probably try to take pressure off Edwards by running with Lynch, but the Ravens only allow 66 rushing yards per game, which is 3rd in the NFL. Add into that Lynch's 3.7 yards per carry average, and it could be a long day for Marshawn.

WR D.J. Hackett: It may be tempting to play Hackett, who is coming back from injury in Seattle, who will be without Deion Branch, but it probably isn't wise. It's not known if Hackett is truly fully healthy, and though the Seahawks play the Rams, they will finally start their top two cornerbacks, Fahkir Brown and Tye Hill, together for the first time all season. The Rams also possess the 10th best pass defense in the NFL, though that is largely a product of the opposition getting large leads and running the ball late in the game.

(This article was originally published at End Zone Buzz, my football site)

Pranks are fun, aren't they? People from one rival high school coming up with a master plan to have some fun at the other school's expense, and vice versa.

Well, it's all fun and games until someone slaughters a deer. According to Austin, Texas news outlet KVUE, a high school prank got some people a little miffed:

"When fans of Blanco High School in the Hill Country held signs reading "Slaughter the Deer," they apparently weren't just flush with team spirit.

The Comfort High School Deers volleyball team found a rotting, bloated carcass of a 90-pound doe in their bus before losing an important match Tuesday against Blanco.

If the culprits impressed any fans, their cover-up probably didn't. One of the Comfort High parents, Brian Vaughan, is a law enforcement officer. He says he found a bloody trail leading from the bus to a nearby pickup."

Ah, but that's not all. At a high school in Oklahoma, some kids thought of this comic endeavor - bring mercury to the football game! Hilarious!

"Snyder sports fans went to a football game, last Friday, for some fall fun and got a lot more than they bargained for. Someone brought seven pounds of liquid mercury. Mercury is a metal that can be toxic and cause permanent brain damage ... at least five students were questioned and two admitted they brought mercury to the game."

There's nothing like the old mercury prank. Oh, and the urination prank, too. This prank got some attention in the blogosphere in the past, but there's been a resolution:

"The Holliston High varsity girls soccer team forfeited Friday’s game against Medway, a week after pictures posted online showed members of the Holliston team appearing to urinate on the Medway High School field ... Following the forfeiture coaches from both teams decided to "get the girls together and have a little bit of fun ... They did training and running together - we got the girls knocking the ball around together," said Medway coach Jason Rojee ... They also sat together in a big circle, talked, stood up and let out a collective cheer."

Now, isn't that sweet? See, rivals can still be friends!

Not long ago, I wrote an article wondering whether the Cardinals were hit with more injuries than any other team in the Major Leagues. It was debatable, but if they weren't hit with the most injuries, they were up there.

After the baseball season ended, most Rams fans were pretty excited about the team. Nobody was predicting Super Bowl success, but 9 wins seemed like a very realistic goal, given the plethora of offensive talent and some improvements made on the defensive side of the ball. Six games, and six losses, later, it's needless to say that the only thing the Rams are battling for is the first overall draft pick. And at least one of the reasons is injuries.

So, after a summer of watching the entire starting line-up, not to mention the two best pitchers on the Cardinals go down, seeing all of the Rams injuries is especially painful.

Obviously, the game of football lends itself to players getting hurt, but no team in the NFL has seen it's starting quarterback, running back and left tackle suffer injuries at the same time. A few have lost a combination of the three, such as the Vikings with Tavaris Jackson and Chester Taylor, but they had some guy named Adrian Peterson to carry the load, and he ain't bad.

Here are the injuries the Rams have had to this point: (starters in bold)

QB Marc Bulger, broken ribs

RB Steven Jackson, torn groin (ouch)

OT Orlando Pace, separated shoulder (out for season)

OT Adam Goldberg, knee injury (out for season)

OT Todd Steussie, broken foot

OG Mark Setterstrom, torn ACL (out for season)

OG Richie Incognito, sprained ankle (missed first 5 games)

WR Isaac Bruce, hamstring injury

WR Drew Bennett, quad and hamstring injuries

WR Dane Looker, blood transfusion from severe thigh bruise

WR/KR Dante Hall, sprained ankle

LB Raonall Smith, knee injury

LB Pisa Tinoisamoa, leg injury

CB Tye Hill, fractured bones in back

SS Corey Chavous, pectoral muscle injury

Let's not forget the Blues, the resident hockey team. Their best defenseman, Eric Brewer, got injured in a fight, another top defenseman, Jay McKee, is just returning, and defenseman Erik Johnson, the number one overall pick in the 2006 draft, has a fractured foot.

But that's sports, right? Who knows, maybe a cheerleader is next.

Time for our weekly look at some of the most intelligent and thought-provoking musings on sports internet message boards. Because isn't that where all intelligent sports fans go to discuss things?

ESPN.com - NFL General: "Giants are superbowl bound. Now all the critics can eat their words...........it will be the Giants vs Patriots in superbowl XLII...........last night the Giants toyed around with the Falcons if they really wanted to concentrate it could have been 63-0......." - schumy_1982

Jets Insider: "This team doesn't want to win. They all seem to be more interested in keeping their pal Chad around. If Chad was a prick or just less likable he would have been given the hook. These players need to take the blinders off..they're defending a player that is impossible to defend right now." -Gagoots

ESPN.com - NCAA Football: "Are there any Rational Fans on here?" - osubuck_i_fan

ESPN.com - MLB General: "So F'in lucky its stupid. Byrnes is right, the Rockies are up 3-0 largely because of lucky..." - Phrazbit

Baylor Fans: "Which is more painful: Watching Baylor Football or Penis in a Meat Grinder?" - Yogi

ESPN.com - MLB General: "Not to be cocky, but the Indians dont stand a chance to win this series. Knowledgable baseball fans know this." - giovanni.alexander

We Are SC - USC: "How addicted are you to this Board? Do you log in everyday? Does it delay you from things that need to get done. Has it affected your life in anyway? What was the longest time you have been away from this Board? If this Board were to go away tomorrow would there be a void in your life? I ask this question because my life has suddenly changed and I know that this Board had an affect. Not a big one, but I sit here today and realize that I have ignored the beautiful things in my life and wish that I could turn back the clock." - PROP36

Real Rams Fans: "Do not be so hard on our man Gus Frerotte.....I mean, he did spread out those FIVE picks to FIVE different Ravens DBs eh!!!!Yup....Ivy, Reed, Martin, Edwards and McAllister......that's as good as "dispersion" gets baby!!!! Not only that, but Gus's Garo Ypremian volleyball batting of that "fumble" was caught by Ravens DT Kelly Gregg...........so Gus was really mixing it up out there today........not getting "locked-in" on any ONE Ravens receiver!!!!" - Canuckramsfan

ESPN.com - NFL General: "Peyton the Dome Qb Manning ... Must be nice playing in perfect weather 8-10 times a year. Funny, Brady has went on the road to win 2 AFC title games. What has Peyton done on the road in the playoffs? 5 TD's 9 INTs and his offense has put up 16, 17, 0, 38, 14, 3, and 15 points to go 2-4 in those 6 games. Funny how Peyton the Great isn't so great when the weather isn't perfect." - beannation

The best of the Monday sports blogs, including Rachel Hunter.

- The top performers of the week in football, with an erotic twist. (More Credible)

- National Anthem? Fox cares little about some stinking National Anthem! They have reporting to do! (Home Run Derby)

- The votes are in for the Negro Coach and QB poll. Your new nuber one? The Oregon Ducks and Mr. Dennis Dixon. (Nation of Islam Sports Blog)

- The Big 10 sucks, and so does that fag Harry Potter, but Rupert and Stan compare it to characters from said book and remarkably make it interesting. (Ghosts of Wayne Fontes)

- It's getting a lot better to be a bull these days. Not the kind from Chicago. The kind who get stabbed by men in tights. (Epic Carnival)

- Dusty Baker is back. So how should Cincinnati fans prepare? (Bugs & Cranks)

- As I've said on many occasions, Art Monk belongs in the Hall of Fame. (My Brain Says Rage)

- Looking at how the NFL's 2007 first round draft picks are faring so far this season. (End Zone Buzz

When NFL franchises pluck a head coach from the college ranks, it has been a practice that has seen mixed results. Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer won Super Bowls. Steve Spurrier? Not so much. Let's take a look and see how some coaches who went from college to the NFL and back to college again are faring in their second go 'round.

- Butch Davis, North Carolina: Davis was a successful coach at the University of Miami, going 49-24 before getting hired by the Cleveland Browns. In four seasons there, Davis managed to take the team to one playoff appearance before resigning in the middle of the 2004 season. He has gone on to North Carolina and has compiled a 2-5 record in his first season.

- Nick Saban, Alabama: After guiding LSU to the national championship, Saban went to Miami, going 15-17 before famously leaving for Alabama. The Crimson Tide are 5-2 in his initial season.

- Rich Brooks, Kentucky: Brooks was head coach of the St. Louis Rams for two seasons, in 1995 and 1996, going 13-19. Previous to that, he was Oregon's head coach for 18 seasons. He is now at Kentucky and has them at 6-1.

- Dennis Erickson, Arizona State: Erickson was Miami's head coach, went to Seattle in 1995, and never had a record better than 8-8, though he oddly did that three out of four seasons there. After a stint at Oregon State, he went back to the NFL with the 49ers, going 9-23, including a 2-14 record. Now at Arizona State, he has the Sun Devils in first place in the Pac-10 with a 7-0 record.

- Mike Riley, Oregon State: Riley was the head coach at Oregon State when he left in 1999 to coach the Chargers. His three seasons there were a disaster, as he compiled a 14-34 record, including a 1-15 season in 2000, when his quarterback was Ryan Leaf. He went back to Oregon State and actually replaced the man who replaced him, Dennis Erickson.

Ahh, youth and good parenting.

Some questions have befuddled me lately in the world of sports. If you have answers to these, please, let me know.

- A betting scandal in tennis? Who the hell bets on tennis?

- When did Kentucky, Illinois, Kansas and Cincinnati become football schools?

- At what point in time did Nebraska football stop being Nebraska football?

- I don't dislike the guy, but is anyone else starting to be a wee bit annoyed by Tony Romo (or to put it better, the media's fascination with him)? Seriously, what has he done yet?

- Evander Holyfield is still fighting? Why?

- For that matter, why is Trent Green even considering playing football again?

- If Colorado can sell out their playoff games, why can't Arizona?

- Anyone else get the feeling Matt Leinart might become a bust sometime down the road?

- The Knicks signed Allan Houston? Seriously?

- How long until Jazz coach Jerry Sloan pummels Andrei Kirilenko?

- When will this stupid post end?

Oh, right now. Good.

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, ya' know. At least that's what every soccer fan in the U.S. will tell anyone who claims it's not exactly the most thrilling thing to sit through.

But now, soccer supporters have some more ammunition to back them up: God bought an Italian soccer team ... okay, that's not entirely true. The Vatican bought it. Here is what is said by the English paper, The Telegraph:

"The Vatican has pledged to clean up Italian football after buying its own club ... The Italian Bishop's Conference now has a controlling stake in AC Ancona, currently top of Italy's third division, after the money was provided by a group of Roman Catholic businessmen."

Why do this? To help the world, and use the team to promote Catholicism. The squad they bought, AC Ancona, has gotten into a bit of trouble lately. Seems as if the former team president was jailed for accounting fraud, and there was a major game-fixing scandal happening. Rest assured, the Vatican will have none of that:

"Team managers, members, trainers, players and fans will have to adhere to a new ethics code drawn up by the Catholic sports center."

Anything else? Why, yes, there is:

"The Vatican aims to introduce an ethical code which will punish Ancona's players for any foul play.

Tickets for Ancona's home matches will drop in price, and all profits will go to projects in the Third World.

Fans will be forbidden from taunting and insulting the opposition, and from unfurling offensive banners and flags."

No taunting or insulting the opposition? That might be tough for soccer fans. At least there is one benefit for the players - they got to meet the pope.

While the point of this was to create a mouthpiece for Catholicism, it doesn't hurt that a Vatican higher-up enjoys his soccer football:

"Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's secretary of state, is a fanatical football fan and has openly spoken about his ambition to create a football team of priests.

Last year, he established the Clericus Cup tournament for priests and seminarians in Rome.

The tournament was widely seen as a success, although there was rather more dirty play than anticipated."

I have been commissioned to write a football blog, so do yourselves (and me) a favor and check it out. It's called End Zone Buzz, and it's all football, all the time.

And I know you people like football, so read it. I'll be making my first post there later today. Oh, and be sure to add it to your blogroll. Your readers will thank you in ways I cannot describe.

Our weekly look at the musings taking place on sports internet message boards, including a Yankees curse, the South, Matt Millen, and Kyle Boller vs. Tony Romo.

- BroncosFreak: "TRADE CHAMP. Corners are too replaceable in this league to have so much stock in a single one. Currently, Champ is just passing his peak when it comes to trade value, and the Broncos have the wrong formula right now." - SwingBringsPain

- ESPN.com - New York Yankees: "Curse is alive and well in NY. What we are seeing today is a direct result of the Red Sox reversing the curse on the Yankees in '04, and since that date the Yanks have gotten worse ... The reason for this is plain and simple. The curse has been reversed and the Yankees, inexorably, cannot keep themselves from failing no matter how "great" they are." - daedalo

- FinHeaven: "Mike Greenberg reminds me of the little punk on the playground who won't stop talking about the stupidest things. Then, after you beat the tar out of him, he gets right back up and keeps talking. Golic on the other hand is a blowhard who thinks he can say anything because your punches can't get thru that subcutaneous fat layer." - jason8er

- ESPN.com - College Football: "Lets assume there is still slavery today, I wonder the SEC would still be as dominant they are today if blacks couldn't play football?" - Potgut

- ESPN.com - College Football: "Things a Southerner Would Never Say - I am going to the dentist.

I am going to college.

No, baby. You are my sister." - dino..head

- DetroitBoard: "Maybe if Matt Millen found Jesus, he'd finally draft us a cornerback." - HB&S

- ESPN.com - NFL: "Kyle Boller is better than Tony Romo. 5 INT's and a fumble what a joke. Romo can't hold Boller's jock."
- KyleBollerShouldStart7

- TheFalconLoyal: "Leftwich doesn't suck at all. I'm sure it was some sort of stupid mental error that caused him to overthrow Laurent Robinson." - Welcome To Atlanta

- ESPN.com - NFL: "Things more overrated than Tony Romo - Derek Jeter..." - john7234797

- BlackAndGold - New Orleans Saints: "It's Official, '07 Saints worst Saints Team Ever! they're the worst Saints team ever because we never had a team with this much talent and played so pathetic. This offense is so terrible, from the play calling to the players I don't realistically see a victory coming anytime soon. The Panthers gave them the game on a silver platter several times, and being the generous jacka$$e$ they are they just gave it back to them." - blacksaint

The St. Louis Rams lost 34-31 to the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, and their record now stands at 0-5. They are one of three NFL teams yet to achieve a victory, along with the Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints.

The team is full of injured players. QB Marc Bulger, WR Isaac Bruce, RB Steven Jackson, SS Corey Chavous and CB Tye Hill - all starters - were out against the Cardinals. Not to mention two starters on the offensive line, OG Mark Setterstrom and OT Orlando Pace, are gone for the season.

Here's how St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz put it in his column:

"At some point, you just run out of things to say. Oh, I suppose I can work up a lather and fake some outrage and rip coach Scott Linehan and the Rams again. But near the end of the team's 34-31 loss to Arizona on Sunday afternoon at The Ed, I turned to my buddy Bryan Burwell and confessed: I don't know what to write about this anymore. I'm low on words, short on anger. It's just a bad team."

Down in New Orleans, the Saints lost 16-13 to the Carolina Panthers in another game QB Drew Brees struggled in. New Orleans Times-Picayune writer Mike Triplett delivered his opinion about the contest:

"A year ago, these Saints were labeled a 'Team of Destiny.' Their march deep into the playoffs was as magical as it was improbable, as if their fate had been pre-determined and nothing could stand in their way.

Well, that's exactly what this season feels like. Only it's exactly the opposite."

Meanwhile, in Miami, the Dolphins lost to the Houston Texans 22-19 on a last second 57 yard field goal. Miami Herald columnist Armando Salguero said this about the team:

"Those good feelings of semi-accomplishment in that locker room are as misleading as the scent of a blooming flower in a sewer.

The Dolphins are still winless today. Only two other teams are failing as miserably as they are but those two -- the Rams and Saints -- have excuses because New Orleans is playing a first-place schedule and the entire Rams roster is seemingly on injured reserve.

The Dolphins? Cameron said they got a 'heck of an effort,' from Lemon. Lemon's passer rating was 56.2."

I'm not sure Rams and Saints fans would agree that their teams have "excuses," but the point is clear - the Dolphins are bad. But how bad? Which of these three teams is worse? Who will win a game first?

One thing is certain: either the Rams or Saints will have a victory by week 10, as the two teams play each other in New Orleans that week. Unless, of course, they tie.

For comparison, here is how the teams rank in the NFL in offense and defense:

Total Offense - Yards Per Game
19. Miami - 318.8
22. New Orleans - 307.3
27. St. Louis - 287.4

Points Per Game
18. Miami - 19.4
27. St. Louis - 14.0
29. New Orleans - 12.8

Total Defense - Yards Allowed Per Game
16. New Orleans - 327.3
24. Miami - 345.8
27. St. Louis - 356.0

Points Allowed Per Game
26. St. Louis - 27.4
28. Miami - 28.2
29. New Orleans - 29.8

So neither the Rams, Saints or Dolphins can play offense or defense. Gotcha. But what about their remaining games - do they offer any reason for optimism?

Looking at the Saints schedule and considering their talent, it seems likely the Saints would be the first of these three teams to win a game. The most likely scenario has them beating Atlanta at home in two weeks, or St. Louis at home in week 10.

The Dolphins schedule actually offers some hope. Their next game is against the Browns, they have winnable home games against the Giants and Bengals, and they still have three games against the Bills and Jets.

The Rams, on the other hand, have an extremely difficult slate of games remaining. Four of their next five are on the road, including the next two games against Baltimore and Seattle. Their schedule includes these opponents - Baltimore and Seattle (twice), San Francisco, Cincinnati, Green Bay and Pittsburgh. Their best chance for a win comes in week 8 against Cleveland or week 13 vs. Atlanta.

Three teams in a race to be less embarrassed than they were the week before .... And they're off!

You'll often hear people complain about the state of professional and college sports, citing the Mike Vick's, Bill Belichick's and Barry Bonds' of the world. These individuals proclaim with vigor that the only pure athletic endeavors take place on the fields of local high schools.

Obviously, that's a load of bullshit:

- Nothing like a little recruiting scandal to get us going. The Sacramento Bee recently had a story about a coach in Stockton, California named Tom Verner, and his desperation to win. Seems he went all the way to the American Samoa islands (which are closer to Australia than the U.S.) to pay for players and their families to come to the U.S. and play football for him:

"Tom Verner face allegations of luring at least 10 players from American Samoa to block and tackle and win football games. (The governing body) has asserted Franklin coaches arranged airfare for the American Samoa teens and their parents, who were then put up in Stockton hotels just long enough to establish utility company accounts for houses they never intended to live in.

Once the accounts were set up, the section has asserted, those documents were used to register the students at Franklin. The parents then flew back to American Samoa, and their sons moved in with a Franklin assistant coach or a relative of the assistant, the section said."

Surely, he was just trying to help some kids out. Right? Anybody?

- In Tampa, a high school football coach named Rick Rodriguez is a big Bill Belichick fan. The local Fox station had this report:

"Largo High School is being punished for an incident where a photographer was caught videotaping the signals from the opposing team's bench.

The Florida High School Athletic Association is fining Largo $250 and issuing a public reprimand.

It comes after the brother of Largo Head Coach Rick Rodriguez was seen using a video camera to tape signals coming from the Countryside High School bench at a game earlier this year."

Of all the ways to cheat, isn't that the one he shouldn't have been doing at this particular moment in time?

- How about some performance-enhancing drug news? Apparently, rugby is awful big around the world. As big as football is in America, that's how Rugby is viewed in many other places, including South Africa. Also just like in America, people are cheating to gain an advantage. So goes the story in the South African newspaper the Daily Dispatch:

"Border schoolboy rugby has been hit by a doping scandal after one of its top players allegedly tested positive for a banned substance recently.

In what could become the biggest scandal to hit schoolboy rugby in the region, the 17-year-old Stirling High matric pupil allegedly tested positive during a random test taken at the U18 Craven Week held in Stellenbosch in July. The boy cannot be identified until he appears before a hearing.

So serious is the situation that the county’s rugby ruling body, the South African Rugby Union (Saru), will fly down a delegation to be part of the hearing and the Border Rugby Football Union will be represented by its general manager, Leon Botha.

If found guilty, the boy could be banned for life."

Banned for life ... think that'll send a message?

- Finally, in Austin, Texas, the local NBC affiliate tells us this - too many kiddies are getting boo-boos, so the football program is going bye-bye:

"(The students) are seeking support to build their football team back up after their principal e-mailed staff, announcing the varsity football season was canceled, because too many players were getting hurt."

After relenting a bit, the principal decided to go on a week-to-week basis with the games.

St. Louis Cardinals fans were stunned yesterday to learn than general manager Walt Jocketty had been fired by Ebeneezer Scrooge's cousin, owner Bill DeWitt.

And suffice it to say, the reaction has not been a positive one. The only person in St. Louis who is happy about this is Scott Linehan, who suddenly became the second-least popular figure in the city's sports landscape.

While the reaction by fans has been cold, so too has it been from media types. The general consensus seems to be: "Huh?"

- Stan McNeal, Sporting News: "When I mentioned the firing of Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty to a couple of execs before Wednesday's Diamondbacks-Cubs game, their first reaction was: 'I guess that means Tony La Russa is gone.' Their second reaction: 'What the ... are the Cardinals doing?'

Good question. Apparently, ownership is tired of dealing with the friction between Jocketty and those in the front office who run the amateur draft and minor leagues and is prepared to embark on a new era. After all, it was almost a whole year ago that the Cardinals won the World Series. So sure, it's time to dump the guy that built that team."

- Ken Rosenthal, FoxSports.com: "The Cardinals did something even more bizarre Wednesday, parting with one of the game's most successful GMs, Walt Jocketty, in large part because owner Bill DeWitt is enthralled with a younger executive, Jeff Luhnow ... It would serve DeWitt right if both Jocketty and La Russa landed in Cincinnati and wound up torturing the Cardinals for the next decade ... Luhnow, a strong proponent of statistical analysis, clearly has the ear of DeWitt. Decisions were made in baseball operations without Jocketty's knowledge — an outrageous development, given Jocketty's track record and standing in the industry ... It's clear that the next GM, like Wade in Houston, will be forced to accept Luhnow's influence on DeWitt. Good news for the Cubs. Good news for the rest of the NL Central. Bad news for the Cardinals."

- Keith Law, ESPN.com: "Many GM candidates with backgrounds in either scouting or player development will balk at the position because of how limited their control will be. They may be forced to fill the position from within, or to accept a candidate whose interest in being GM supersedes his concern at the lack of control. Jocketty, meanwhile, should have his pick of positions, as many teams would be thrilled to obtain a GM with his reputation and track record."

- Jeff Gordon, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Fans wonder why the guys running this franchise -– starting at the top with chairman Bill DeWitt -- couldn’t work together and keep a good thing going. We understood when the Pirates suffered a front-office implosion. Losing is stressful. It does bad things to people. But why couldn’t the Cardinals management remain unified though mostly prosperous times? Why couldn’t these men hold their egos in check and manage their disagreements? Why are we seeing this break-up less than one year removed from a championship parade?"