How Hard....???

.......is it not to get creeped out by the way all NFL announcers, pundits and talking heads insist on referring to the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback by cooing his first name? They collectively sound like a group of infatuated schoolgirls talking about the lead singer of insert trendy band here? Last night, hearing John Madden plaintively wailing "What a play by Ben!" was enough to make me uncomfortable.

.....is it to get an interview with Packers GM Ted Thompson right now? The Packers now have as many losses in this young season (2-3) as they did in all of last year (13-3). Biggest difference between the two squads? Um, I seem to recall there being something in the news over the summer....something about....oh, never mind, I am sure I'll come up with it.

....did that dude hit Kimbo "My Fifteen Minutes Are Almost Over" Slice the other night?

......and how far has Travis Henry fallen? A year ago last week, he had a 20+ million dollar contract and was leading the NFL in rushing. This afternoon he will be in federal court, where he faces one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. That's federal court, in case you were skimming. He could see life in the federal pen and over four million dollars in fines if convicted.

......and how far has O.J. Simpson fallen? How stupid is this guy? He got away with a double murder - why didn't he just stay on the golf course and keep up his "search for the real killers" charade? I wonder what this will do to rentals of The Naked Gun?

......does it blow to be a Cubs fan right now? Of course a lot of them will say it's no big deal - that they knew the team would collapse, that disappointment is an integral part of being a Cubs fan. Blah, blah, blah, blah. If they feel that way, they aren't true fans of the Cubs; they're fans of the disappointment. I'm not sure exactly what that says about them, but I think it says something.

......is the Miami Dolphins offense to stop when it runs that crazy Wildcat look? Well, that's the offensive look that made Darren McFadden into Darren McFadden when he was at Arkansas. The best news is that Tony Sparano has said that there are many more wrinkles which have yet to be unveiled.

.......is Donovan McNabb cursing today, hearing the news that Brian Westbrook has two broken ribs? It seems like either McNabb or one of his key components is always injured. Tough to get a ring that way. Unless he goes to Minnesota or Chicago in the offseason.

.......has my fantasy team fallen this year? Well, let's see....things looked good at the beginning of the year, when my first four picks yielded Brian Westbrook, Ben "Ben" Roethlisberger, Anquan Boldin and Marques Colston. I don't know what I did to anger the football gods, but it must have been egregious.