Curling gives hope

The Winter Olympics in Vancouver are underway and I'm pumped.

Sure, the biathlon is sweet. Who doesn't like skiing and guns? The moguls look so painful I ice my knees after watching them and Olympic Hockey could be the most entertaining of all the Olympic events, including the summer games.

But I find the most enjoyment from watching curling. The excitement, or lack thereof, is not what sucks me in. It's my belief that I could be an Olympic curler if I tried really hard.

Maybe I am disrespecting curlers worldwide. OK, so I am definitely disrespecting curlers worldwide, but I believe that if I were to quit my job and dedicate my life to curling over the next four to eight years, I could be an Olympian.

I have no such belief with any other sport. I'm 5 feet 7 inches tall, so dreams of basketball, sprinting, long jumping and many events are out of my reach.

But not curling.

There are two aspects of curling, sliding the stone and sweeping the ice. Neither appears to be too complicated on television. I won't master it from my first attempt, but give me a little time and a committed team and I have no doubt I could represent my country well. Of course, there is strategy, but that will grow with my experience.

Is there any sport out there that gives an ordinary person this hope of being an Olympic athlete? I don't think so. Even rhythmic gymnastics seems tougher.

So while many will be changing the channel or laughing at how curling could possibly be a sport (and it's a legitimate question), I will be studying hard and taking diligent notes to help me prepare for 2014.

Jimmy Eat World - Lucky Denver Mint

Lemieux is deity of Pittsburgh

Sports fan and other folks have their stars, but I am willing to bet that none of them mean as much to their respected cities as Mario Lemieux means to Pittsburgh.

If we were ancient Greece, Pittsburgh would have been renamed Lemieux and there would be countless temples around the city where thousands would pay homage to him. I don't think it's an exaggeration.

Finding a needle in a haystack is easier than finding a Pittsburgh fan that has a bad thing to say about Lemieux. It's truly a unique situation. I have no doubt that Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, LeBron James and other star athletes are beloved in their cities. But I don't think they will ever reach the level of absolute awe Pittsburgh fans hold Lemieux in. Heck, when stories circulated that he and his business partners were interested in buying the dreadful Pittsburgh Pirates, the city actually got excited about baseball again. Unless you're from here, you have no idea how hard that is.

People remember Lemieux for saving the Pittsburgh Penguins on three separate occasions. First, it was on the ice. The team stunk and never smelled a championship. Lemieux shows up and and is the biggest thing in the sport since Gretzky. He led the team to two Stanley Cups despite playing with a back that most people could not manage their desk jobs with, let alone play hockey.

His talent can't be overstated. He would have finished his career with an average of more than two points per game if he didn't try to come back one more time and play with Sidney Crosby. No matter what kind of game plan opposing teams had for him, he always seemed to find the back of the net, or at least an open teammate who then found the back of the net. Watching him throughout your life was such a treat, you felt like you were witnessing events that no others could achieve.

Second, he bought the team and saved it from leaving the city. Sure, he might have done this so he could get paid the large sum of money the franchise owed him, but I'm OK with that.

Third, he helped get a new arena and keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh for a long time to come.

How many players, coaches, executives or anyone can claim to have done so much for one team and city?

Forget ancient Greece. If we were to build temples honoring Lemieux today, I'm sure thousands would flock through the doors.

Blues Brothers - Soul Man

Franchise tag not slap in face

Here's a news flash to Pittsburgh Steelers nose tackle Casey Hampton; the franchise tag is not a slap in the face and you need to stop whining about the possibility of the Steelers giving it to you.

Hampton told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review earlier this week that "It will be a problem" and that it would be unfair if the Steelers used the franchise tag on him. I understand that the 32-year-old nose tackle sees his next contract as his last big pay day, but calling the franchise tag unfair is just wrong.

Last season, the franchise tag paid out more than $6 million for defensive tackles. That will go up this year when the NFL releases the numbers next week. How is making more than $6 million for one year unfair?

One should also consider a few things from the Steelers point of view. Two seasons ago, Hampton showed up so out of shape that coach Mike Tomlin deactivated him until he got into playing shape. Heck, he was so large he was nicknamed Big Snack. This is also a player who finds himself on the sidelines when the opposition is in passing situations.

That last statement is not a knock on Hampton. He was a pro bowler this year, and deservedly so. He is a big reason the Steelers have shut down opposing running games in recent history. He isn't on the field in passing downs because his job is to clog running lanes. Any pressure on the quarterback is an added bonus with Hampton. But, it still has to be taken into consideration whether you want to give a very large extension to a player that usually only plays two out of every three downs.

Hampton also needs to realize he is playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It is not often you see Steelers players going to the media whining about their contracts, because it doesn't work with the Rooney family. A perfect example is Hines Ward. He was unhappy with his contract years ago and actually held out for a little bit. The Steelers told him they don't negotiate with players who don't report. So what happened? Ward came to camp without a new deal, and then signed one shortly after. Complaining and threatening to be a problem is not the way to approach it.

While $6 million is plenty fair for Hampton, I can also understand how going into an uncapped year he wants to get a bigger pay day than would be expected in a capped year. But taking your complaints to the media is not the way to go. Leave it behind closed doors. It's the Steelers way, and the only way you have a shot at getting what you want.

Rush - Limelight

"Dribble Drive" is stupid

The title pretty much says it all, but I'm going to rant anyway.

I have been sitting around watching some excellent college basketball this Saturday, and in every game I have heard the commentators you the statement "dribble drive" to describe a team driving to the basket.

Think about that statement for a moment. I haven't played competitive basketball since eighth grade, but I'm pretty sure that in order to actually drive to the lane, you have to dribble. It's kind of a rule in basketball. If you don't dribble, you travel. Yet these commentators, who should know how friggin' redundant "dribble drive" is, are constantly saying it. They said that John Calipari actually brought the "dribble drive" to Kentucky this season. I have to disagree. Maybe he brought a more aggressive offense, but I'm pretty sure Kentucky knew how to dribble through the lane before he showed up.

The "dribble drive" phrase has taken the top spot for my most hated overused saying in sports. Pick six was the former champion, but at least that one makes sense. Commentators, I have a simple fix for you. Just drop one of those words. Either the player is dribbling to the basket, or they are driving to the basket. How have their producers not picked up on this yet?

Bruce Springsteen - My City of Ruins (Eddie Vedder did a wonderful version of this in paying tribute to Bruce. YouTube it.)

State of the Union

Quick question. Is Nancy Pelosi drunk? Just watch her reactions during this thing. She will stare into space, then leap to her feet clapping, tell Biden to stand to and clap like a blitzed sports fan. Seriously, it's hard to concentrate on anything being said.

That is all!

Except for this other question. Is the Supreme Court dead? Every time the camera pans on them it seems as if they got older and more corpse-like.

Favre haters loving life right now

All of you know who you are. You're the ones who are extremely giddy about Brett Favre finishing his postseason with his last pass being picked off... again.

While I was just as annoyed as everyone else with Favre's waffling the past few seasons, I still greatly respect the man and enjoy watching him play. Games are just more exciting when he plays. Onlookers have no idea what he is going to do next. He could complete a pass few would try, or he can look like an ass.

Favre will probably go back and forth all offseason, it's already started, but I'm hoping he comes back. By the way, Ed Werder needs to stop reporting the status of Favre. It's obvious he changes his mind often, so what is the point of reporting if Favre is not planning on coming back next year like Werder did earlier this week? This goes back to my belief that the media is just as much to blame about Favre's indecision issues as Favre is. If they didn't follow him every day and give him an outlet, we wouldn't hear about his future plans at least once a week.

Sorry for the rant. I just feel there is more going on in sports right now (Australian Open!) that deserves the media's attention.

Back to Sunday's game. Yes, Favre made a boneheaded play that factored in to his team's loss. But look at the whole game. His running backs were fumbling like crazy. They are just as much to blame as he is. Brad Childress didn't help. How do you come out of a timeout with 12 men in the huddle, coach?

People will quickly forget the fumbles and the poor coaching, though. All they will remember is Favre's poor decision, and that saddens me.

Huey Lewis and the News - Perfect World

Karma could catch Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are squaring off against the New York Jets this weekend in the AFC Championship game. It's a rematch of their Week 16 contest, where the Colts' starters were pulled after playing in the first half. The Colts were leading 15-10 at that point and then lost 29-15 once Peyton Manning left the game.

The game meant nothing to the Colts, who had already locked up the No. 1 seed in the AFC. However, the game did have major ramifications on the playoffs, as it allowed the Jets to get in. If Rex Ryan's boys had lost that game, the Houston Texans would have been in the playoffs instead.

Reaction to the tank job was criticized by fans and media members alike. The Colts threw away the perfect season to rest their players for the playoffs, effectively handing the Jets a playoff berth. The action even caught the attention of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who said he wants to put rules in place to prevent teams from sitting their starters at the end of the season.

Of course, any rules or incentives like that would be ridiculous. A team clinches a playoff spot and can do whatever they want. They owe nothing to the rest of league. You can argue that they owe their fans their best effort, and I'm in that boat, but the team can just retort that they have the Super Bowl in mind, which would be a greater victory for the fans than a 16-0 regular season.

Now if the Jets win this game, do you think Colts' head coach Jim Caldwell will be second-guessing his decision to bench his starters? More important, do you think Colts fans will suffer a mental meltdown that results in mass suicide across the the state of Indiana; strikingly similar to the events of "The Happening"?

If you haven't seen the Mark Wahlberg film were smarter than me. It was on HBO, I was ignorant, young and naive. I wish I didn't grow up in the M. Night Shamalangingdingdong era.

Anyway, I can't stand the Jets, but I'm rooting for them in this one. No, I don't want to see mass suicide in Indiana. I just want to watch the reaction when it happens. Let it be a lesson that if a team shuns the gift of being considered the greatest team of all time, they will be smote by a rookie quarterback and obese head coach.

Third Eye Blind - Faster