In The Web

First off, I’d like to thank all of you for joining us for another fine edition of In the Web. Due to high stress from the holidays and personal life turmoil, In the Web’s regular author, Colin J. Linneweber, will be taking a week off.

In the wake of the blue-gummed Bambino, Alex Rodriguez, slithering back to the South Bronx to sign a consolation-prize contract of potentially $315 Million dollars, we’ve found ourselves in a whirlwind of smoke & mirrors that is commonly referred to as the MLB’s Winter Meetings. Despite the conclusion of the Winter Meetings last week, the Yankees-Red Sox-Twins rumor mill continues to sputter like Thornton Mellon’s sprinkler system on a hot July morning. Whether or not Johan Santana, Erik Bedard, Dan Haren and others will be dealt (and where) remains to be seen. But I think we can all conclude that, like every other off-season, the MLB “Hot Stove” reports would be more entertaining if we were able to watch Cpl. John Winger (Bill Murray) apply the “spatula treatment” to an attractive young M.P. (redheaded Sean Young) on top of that “Hot Stove”. At least there would be a definitive conclusion (in Winger’s case he and Harold Ramis get laid). My point here? The MLB off-season trade talks are the single most futile and monotonous story that the sport can provide, and it’s the same routine every year. Wake me when someone signs on the dotted line. Kudos to the Marlins and Tigers for sealing a mammoth deal, with less than 24 hours of obnoxious hype.

Monday morning, Falcons QB Mike Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison for the illegal dogfighting enterprise conducted at his Virginia home. As a dog-lover, I am not going to comment on the severity of the sentence. Virtually everyone in America has anger related to this story, its just a question of which individual angle on the story specifically chaps your ass. We saw several of the Falcons fans and players show support for Vick in the MNF game between Atlanta and New Orleans. I truly applaud both the fans and players for this, as Vick deserves a shot at serving his time and earning forgiveness/2nd chance etc. Coincidentally yesterday, Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino resigned to return to the NCAA ranks and coach the Arkansas Razorbacks. (For just a second, put aside the fact that the Petrino’s, Steve Spurrier’s and Nick Saban’s of the football world are pompous jackasses for playing musical chairs with their profession.) Later that afternoon, WR Roddy White angrily declared, “He’s (Petrino) abandoned us. We gave him and his family everything we had. The organization gave him all the money. Now he’s abandoned us.” This was the same Roddy White that not 24 hours earlier pulled his jersey up in the endzone to reveal a “Free Michael Vick” spraypainting on his undershirt. Did White make any remark about team captain Vick abandoning the Falcons with his criminally irresponsible lifestyle? Did White mention anything about the $130 million that the organization invested in his “homeboy”, that went down the toilet with the hammer of the Judge’s gavel? Of course not. I don’t think I need to spell out the irony here. It’s just typical in a professional sports world that seems to excuse millionaire athletes for not leaving their “ghetto” lifestyle behind them. It’s always everyone else’s fault……isn’t it, Roddy?

I will leave the Floyd Mayweather 10th Round KO over Ricky Hatton to Mr. Linneweber’s eagerly anticipated return next week, as boxing is his forte.

At approximately 3:30 Sunday afternoon, a prominent New Jersey business owner flew his private jet over Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA with a flag reading “Barry Bonds 756 HR*, Bill Belichick 3 Super Bowls*.” Just minutes later, the most potent offense in NFL history, performed a gridiron equivalent of open heart surgery on Steelers’ free safety Anthony Smith. On a day in which the Patriots ran 34 passing plays in-a-row, Smith bit on a play action fake to Laurence Maroney, allowing Randy Moss to slip 15+ yds behind the secondary, waltzing into the endzone for a touchdown. Two quarters later, Smith failed to hold his position and bit on a cross-field flea flicker from Brady/Moss/Brady to #5 target, Jabar Gaffney. Aside from publicly guaranteeing a Pittsburgh victory, Smith had slandered the Patriots wide receiving core, claiming “they’re not Cincinnati. We saw the best a few weeks ago in Cincinnati.” Yes folks, that’s the same Cincinnati that’s won five games this season. Anthony Smith’s comments are the perfect microcosm of the Spygate conspiracy that has been fueling the Patriots’ juggernaut since the second week of September. Just as Smith’s comments triggered a Patriot blowout of the #1 ranked Defense in football, the Spygate-induced asterisk next to the Pats 3 championships, has served as a unique & ferocious motivational engine for a 13-0 blowout machine. As December matures, NFL records will be breaking like Clark Griswold’s Christmas tree ornaments, as he chases vermin through his living room. The more NFL analysts, players and coaches hurl verbal fireballs at the Patriots, the more coal goes into the locomotive engine that is the Patriots’ psyche and work ethic. Despite its obviousness through 14 weeks of the regular season, the Anthony Smiths of the football world continue to fail to respect this fact. So when a supposed NJ business man flies a banner through the Foxboro sky, crapping on the legitimacy of the Patriots’ dynasty, ask yourself one question: Is it really a wealthy Jets fan in the cockpit………or Belichick’s former camera-toting assistant Matt Estrella, winking down at the head coach, as they conspire to keep the motivational inferno burning inside the 53 players on their sideline for just 6 more games………

I thank you all again for reading the weekly blog. God bless you all, and have a wonderful holiday season.