The time has come for the weekend leading up to the Super Bowl.  I really haven't had too much time to sit back and process any thoughts on what that means to me.  Yes, I am excited about the fact that my Colts are in the big game for the second time in the last four years, but I'm not nervous about it at all.  I wasn't nervous when the Colts played the Bears in Miami.  I was more nervous with the AFC Championship game that season, when they played the Patriots.  This year, I didn't have that nervousness...not even a little bit.

When the Colts were down in the first half to the Jets, Kelper sent me a text saying "game over" and I was sort of shocked that people had already given up on the game.  With a score of 17-3, a whole half of football, and Peyton Manning at the helm, you want to give up?  Maybe I'm too optimistic with my teams or maybe people are just too doubtful of this team. 

I heard people trash the Colts all season talking about how "they aren't doing very much on offense" and how "The Colts really miss Marvin Harrison."  Really?  Did you watch the same games as me?  The defense was excellent this season.  The emergence of Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie was exciting and somewhat unexpected from a lot of different angles.

I even took money from my brother this season, because he bet me that the Colts would lose three of their last seven games.  I told him he was nuts for making a dumb bet like that and the Colts would lose two games at the most and that was IF they sat their starters to get rested for the Super Bowl run.  Let's see, two losses, starters rested, Super Bowl run, $50 in my pocket...ya, that's what I thought.

Now that the game is almost here, I just want to be able to sit and watch in the comfort of my home and bask in the thrill of seeing our machine of a quarterback lead the blue and white up and down the field in what should be an epic Super Bowl matchup. 

I don't doubt the skills the Saints have and I think Drew Brees is the second best QB in the league, but I don't feel that it is their time to win.  Losing really isn't an option for Peyton Manning at this point in his career. 

It seems that the bar of QB greatness is set a lot higher for Manning than most of his peers and those that have played before him.  It seems his accomplishments aren't quite good enough for many.  Let's just say Manning leads the Colts to victory this Sunday and then another one before his career is over.  The arguments against him then will be what?  He should've won 4? 5? 6? 7?  You can't measure a quarterback on Super Bowl rings alone, or guys like Trent Dilfer and Mark Rypien would go down in the Hall of Fame as some of the greatest players ever, which isn't the case.

The Saints have been dubbed as the new "America's Team."  When did that ballot get sent out?  I seem to remember a WHOLE lot of people jumping off the Saints' bandwagon after they followed up their 10-6 2006 season with 7-9 and 8-8 campaigns.  It wasn't until this season that people started talking about the Saints and that wasn't even until they got to 5-0 to start the season.  I always thought America rooted for a winner, but I guess we can settle for .500 some of the time!  I'm just sayin'

Touching back on my point of Drew Brees being the second best QB in the league.  I really believe that.  He has done as much for his career in the time he has been a Saint as he has for their community.  But, you don't get into the record books or playoffs by being the nice guy all of the time.  Brees has just the right amount of nasty that you want on the football field.  He is a fighter and I can see it when he is out there leading his team.  I can really respect that from a player in any sport. 

It should be a wonderful Super Bowl this season and I will obviously be pulling for my Colts, but I'd really love to see Manning and Brees just unleashing fire from their arms all night long.  Let's light up the sky in Miami and let it rain BLUE!

As I saw the list of All-Star starters this morning, one of my co-workers asked if I thought Granger deserved to be an All-Star since Allen Iverson was voted in.  My initial thought was "If Iverson is an All-Star, then Granger is definitely an All-Star."  But, now that I have sit and thought about it, I'm not totally sure that either truly should be in the game this season.

While my bias leans toward Granger being in the game, I do have to realize that he only played in 25 of the teams 42 games.  17 games isn't a ton of games over the course of the season, but to miss a little more than 1/3 of the season is quite a chunk at this point in time.

The numbers say that Granger is an all-star and since I am a Pacers' fan, I think Granger should be an All-Star, but if I am going to be fair across the board and say that Iverson doesn't deserve to be in the game, then Granger doesn't deserve to be in the game.

Every year, Mel Kiper delivers his mock drafts to the masses.  Some people eat them up as if they were the gospel and some just use them as a guideline to see what players could be out there for their team when they are picking.  For the past few years, I have grown fond of watching to see how much his mock drafts have changed from his first one of the season up until the actual draft.  Now, I love mock drafts for all the possibilities that you can create with them.  I think doing the mocks are also a way of learning new players and possibly finding diamonds in the rough.  However, I am just not that much of a fan of Mel Kiper.  He is a very smart man though, cannot take that away from him.

This year, I am going to be following along on here.  I'll post each draft and then I will post the change in that person's ranking from the previous mock.  I will also post the first and the last together so we can see the differences.  Since this is the first mock, this will be the baseline for the upcoming mock season. 

Here is the MKMDFF for January 20th:

As you can see, there are a ton of defensive players on the board early.  I have a feeling that this years draft will be a lot of defense and offensive line players in the first round, because of the lack of high-end talent on offense. 

I think the interesting pick of the first round is Golden Tate (WR - Notre Dame) going to the Jets toward the end of the first round.  I really don't see him as a first round pick, but Mel Kiper likens him to Laveranues Coles.  Coles has had a decent career with seven seasons over 800 yards or more, including three 1000+ yard seasons.  If the Jets can get that kind of production or better out of Tate, then he could be a pretty big steal for them.

The pick I really don't like in the first round is the Chargers taking Jonathan Dwyer (RB - Georgia Tech).  MK thinks that the Chargers are letting LDT walk this summer and Dwyer would come in to start right away while Sproles continues to be the backup.  I have my doubts that if LT takes off, that Darren Sproles would be cool with continuing to be a backup, especially to a rookie.

Well, that is all I have for now.  If you have any thoughts or mockdrafts, feel free to send them to me at arin@hoa-sites.com or leave your comments below.

I've been doing some reading the last few days about some possible trade rumors that involve the Pacers.  The only problem with the rumors is that they just name teams and not possible players that would be coming back to the Pacers.

The three players that I have seen mentioned in the rumors are Jeff Foster, Troy Murphy, and TJ Ford.  It is pretty evident that the Pacers have fallen out of love with TJ Ford as he is now third on the depth chart for the point guards.  Jeff Foster and Troy Murphy both have contracts that fall off the books at the end of next season.

Foster was said to be a perfect fit in either Utah or Portland, but again no players were mentioned other than Foster.  So, I have taken the liberty to explore a few possibilities on my own and here is what I came up with:

Utah gets:  Foster and Dahntay Jones
Indiana gets:  CJ Miles, Kyrylo Fesenko, and Kyle Korver

I really don't see a one-for-one trade that works in this scenario unless it was just Foster for Korver.  In the scenario above, the Jazz will gain salary for the next few seasons, while getting rid of two expiring contracts in Korver and Fesenko.  I don't know that the Jazz want to bring on much salary right now though.

The second Foster scenario would send Foster to Portland.  Again, there isn't much in the way of one-for-one deals, unless the Pacers take on extended contracts.

Portland gets:  Foster, Travis Diener, and Dahntay Jones
Indiana gets:  Andre Miller and Travis Outlaw

From a few things that I have read about Portland, the common theme was that Brandon Roy was uncomfortable playing with Andre Miller in the backcourt.  How true is that?  I don't know, but Miller only has 21 starts this season.  I wouldn't read too much into that, but Miller had started every game except for one since the 2000-2001 season.  Portland is also hurting for frontline help, so maybe Troy Murphy is an option in Portland as well, but with Murphy's contract size, Portland would have to piece together a few more contracts to get the money to work.  Diener would expire for Portland after the season, as would Outlaw for the Pacers.  However, Outlaw is the type of wing the Pacers covet, so he would be worth keeping around, in my opinion.

As for Troy Murphy, the Cleveland Cavaliers were rumored to express interest in him.  But, what would Cleveland be willing to give up to get him?  Let's take a look at a few options.

Scenario one involves fan favorite Zydrunas Ilgauskas:

Cavs get:  Troy Murphy
Indiana gets:  Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Danny Green

I like the fact that Z's contract is expiring, so that gives the Pacers some wiggle room at the end of the season.  Also, with his experience, he would be a very nice mentor for Roy Hibbert and even Tyler Hansbrough.  Plus, he is white, so Larry Bird would love him.  The one thing that is a possible stopper for this trade, is the fact that Cleveland and Indiana are in the same division.

The next scenario involves a few other players and would probably never happen:

Cavs get:  Murphy
Pacers get:  Anderson Varejao and Daniel Gibson

The reason that I think this trade would never happen is the fact that Larry Bird is adamant about getting cap space for 2011.  Varejao and Gibson have contracts that run for 6 years and 4 years, respectively.

As for TJ Ford, he apparently has little interest from teams around the league, but with his expiring contract, you would think someone would take a flier on him.

Here are a few possible trades that could work for both teams:

Kings get:  Ford
Pacers get:  Kenny Thomas

Just an expiring contract for an expiring contract.

Warriors get:  Ford
Pacers get:  Speedy Claxton and Kelenna Azubuike

Again, all expiring contracts, but the Pacers gain Azubuike who would be a tremendous fit in the Pacers' offense.  He can score in bunches and plays average defense.  Claxton would probably be waived.

Well, that is all I have for now as far as trade rumors go.  I'm sure I'll keep scouring for more information as the days inch closer to the trade deadline.

I recently went through some trade options that the Pacers should explore and one of them involved the acquisition of Tracy McGrady.  I stated that the Rockets were not willing to play McGrady as much as he wanted and thus a trade would be reasonable.  Naturally, I'd prefer if the Pacers would trade for T-Mac, because it would allow Indiana to get rid of a bad contract or two and take on a lot of expiring money.  Plus, McGrady wants to prove his worth before he hits the free agent market next summer and with Danny Granger out for a few more weeks, the Pacers would actually benefit from having another scorer on the court.  However, I fear that the Pacers won't come close to even putting out a feeler, so I will look at a couple trades that could benefit the Rockets...and McGrady.

New York, New York - Big City of Dreams

The Knicks need a marquee player and T-Mac would give them that, for at least the rest of the season....or until he gets injured again.  The Knicks could use this as an opportunity to get rid of a bad contract or two in time for next summer.

• Knicks get Tracy McGrady
• Rockets get Nate Robinson, Eddy Curry, and Jared Jeffries or Chris Duhon

The Knicks apparently are out of love with Robinson, so he is a no-brainer to throw in this deal.  Curry and Duhon both have contracts expiring at the end of the season, so they would be nice trade pieces, so I'd look for the Knicks to throw in Jeffries and keep Duhon on their books. 

The Rockets would get Robinson and Curry's expiring salaries and Jeffries would be around for one more year.  Robinson could add to the solid core of back court players for Houston though.

Everyone Loves a Threesome

I've heard a few rumors that Washington would be willing to offer up Gilbert Arenas for TMac and I've heard that the Kings might make Kevin Martin available, so I looked at a three team trade with the Kings, Wizards, and Rockets:

• Washington gets McGrady
• Kings get Gilbert Arenas and Jermaine Taylor
• Rockets get Kevin Martin, Mike James, and Andres Nocioni

Monetarily this works for all involved and it also gives Houston a couple of players to add to the rotation for a few seasons.  Martin is a proven scorer and Nocioni is a very nice bench player.  The Kings grab a couple of scorers, but one really big contract.  The Wizards get rid of Arenas' contract only to absorb T-Mac's, but only for this season.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas...or whatever you celebrate/don't celebrate.  I've been busy, but not as busy since we gave our players a few days off to get healed and healthy.  So, a few things have been going on in the area and I want to get some thoughts out of my head.

Indianapolis Colts

This has to be first to exit my brain before I have a stroke.  WTF?!  Why on earth would the Colts play their game against Jacksonville like it was a meaningful game, but then fold their pocket aces against the Jets after the first half?  I'm still sort of confused as to what the hell happened.

Let me reorganize my thoughts.  13-0 going into Thursday night game with Jacksonville.  A loss really hurts the Jags chances of getting in.  The Colts come out and scrap for that win and get it.  This puts them at 14-0 with a week and three extra days of rest going into the home game with the Jets.  The Jets need to beat the Colts and the Bengals to get into the playoffs.  The Colts are up 9-3 at the half.  The starters played the whole first half.  The second half starts with Brad Smith running the kickoff back, making the score 10-9 in favor of the Jets.  The starters come back out (minus Joseph Addai) and they drive down to take a 15-10 lead.

ENTER CURTIS PAINTER....and plenty of boos...Jets roll off 19 unanswered and win the game 29-15 and keep their playoff hopes alive.

Why?  Why? WHY? 

Pacers

I expected quite a drop in play when Danny Granger went out with his foot injury.  However, I did not expect Jim O'Brien to turn into Charlie Gordon because of an injury to the star player.

This should be the time to develop the younger players.  Why he doesn't go ahead and have a starting lineup of AJ Price, Brandon Rush, Dahntay Jones, Tyler Hansbrough, and Roy Hibbert is beyond me.  Let these kids learn against the stars and then bring in guys like TJ Ford, Earl Watson, Mike Dunleavy, and Troy Murphy off the bench.  It only makes sense to get stronger, deeper, and better as a team right now, but it looks like the Pacers are going in the other direction. 

I really think Larry Bird and Jim O'Brien have ran their course here in Indianapolis and it is time for a change here. 

HALLELUJAH, HOLY SHIT, WHERE'S THE TYLENOL?

Enough is enough.  You really are not a part of this story Jesper.  Let it go!  Yes, you introduced your super, smoking hot nanny to Tiger Woods.  You didn't make them go out, you didn't force them to get married, as a matter of fact, these two probably would have met without you since you had your nanny at all of your tournaments to begin with.

All of this whining and "I'm so sorry" crap has got to end.  If you are really sorry, then the only person you should be talking to is Elin Woods, NOT ESPN. 

This might be my favorite quote from JP:

"I told her this is the guy that I think is everything you want. He's true. He's honest. He has great values. He has everything you would want in a guy. And uhh, I was wrong."

You are correct Jesper, Tiger Woods is everything she wanted in a guy.  What she wanted was a better life.  Do you think she wanted to be your kids' nanny for the rest of her life?  Do you think she wanted to be a no name nude model the rest of her life?  The answer to both of those is NO.  She saw an opportunity and cashed in.  Now, I'm not saying she doesn't love Tiger Woods, but it makes it a whole lot easier to love someone when money isn't an issue.  That is why you are called a TROPHY WIFE. 

There is a saying that goes "You can't turn a ho into a housewife."  Well, it works both ways.  You can't expect a man whore to stay faithful either.  And to think that both Parnevik, a guy who knows Woods SO WELL, and Elin to not see what was going on is not only naive, but also laughable.

Why is anyone surprised that one of the most famous athletes of all generations was with women on the side?  He's not the first, he's not the last, so quit your crying please.

With all the buzz about Michael Jordan calling out Byron Russell in his Hall of Fame speech and the buzz about Russell calling out Jordan to a one-on-one match, a D-League owner tried to capitalize on the conflict and offer the two to play their game at halftime of one of the Utah Flash's home games.  The winner would then get $100,000 for their choice of charity.

Yesterday, there were several reports of MJ being in Provo, Utah, which led to fans thinking the MJ vs Russell game was on.  Tickets were purchased and fans flocked to the stadium only to see... Johnny Kilroy...himself?  No wait, he was an imposter!  The GM had duped everyone into thinking that MJ was in town by hiring a look alike to go around town and eat at a local restaurant.  Creative, but it didn't quite work.  When the fans at the game realized MJ was a fake, they booed and started to leave.

I think it was a clever prank myself, but I can see where people would be mad considering they spent money on a ticket under false pretenses.

The owner has vowed to make it up by giving away free tickets to anyone who had a ticket to the game.

Since Thanksgiving there has been a few "issues" coming out within professional sports across the board and I want to take a look at this a bit.

Tiger Woods and his transgressions

I really don't care what his "transgressions" were or why he was leaving his house at 2:30 something in the morning.  I do want to know how you can get going fast enough to smash into a fire hydrant AND a tree while leaving your driveway.  How long is this driveway?  Was his Escolade given a major tune-up by Tim the Tool Man Taylor?  That is an impressive job of horrible driving.  He wasn't drinking apparently, but yet he managed to hit everything in site.  I heard it was some sort of medicine, but who takes medicine late enough in the evening to be up at 2:30 in the morning still? 

I do like the fact that Tiger has taken a stance of public privacy right now.  It really isn't any of our business as to what happened within his marriage to cause these issues.  If TW wanted to make them public, I'm sure he would have hired A&E to do a reality series on him and his family.

I'm really tired of hearing people bitch and moan about how Tiger is a "dog" and "worthless" because he cheated on his wife.  Oh how their tune will change when he wins (and he will) another tournament.  Didn't Michael Jordan go through some similar issues?  Bill Clinton perhaps?  Brad Pitt, JFK, Rudy Guiliani, Mick Jagger...need I go on?  Each time that something like this happens, people jump on the hate bandwagon and jump off as soon as the person does something that the public likes.  Whether it be a movie, a book, a song, or something that people can be united in, the public usually changes their tune as soon as it happens.  I really don't get it.

Ron-Ron and old grand dad's cough medicine

Ron Artest...what can you say?  He is a heck of an athlete, but not so bright at times.  He says and does things that really make me say "did he just say that?" 

This time, Artest claims that he used to drink during NBA games.  Now, he says he wanted to bring this to light to show how NOT handle pressure and how he learned from his mistakes.  Sounds reasonable enough to me.  But, did you need to do it during the season?  Why not during the Summer, that way things can cool down and blow over before you have to play a game.

I just think there is a time and a place to do or say certain things and Ron needs to learn that.  He has created a huge distraction for himself and his team right now.  Not that I am really worried about that since I can't stand the Lakers.

Hines Ward just can't stop talking

Hines Ward is a Hall-of-Fame player in my book.  If not for his play, he should get in for his ability to throw his team under the bus. 

Is it because he wants more attention?  Maybe he just says what he wants and is brutally honest about it.  Some call that being an asshole, some call it being a straight shooter. 

Again, I feel like there is a time and place for calling out teammates.  Calling out a teammate, your quarterback that has made you look good several times, for having a concussion is probably not the best way to go about making headlines.  Then on top of that to go out and guarantee that if your team LOSES their upcoming game, the season is over.  So very poetic and eloquently put Hines.

In the end, I know that these guys are just entertainers and play professional sports.  It is hard to separate where their lives on and off the field/court/course begin and end.  Like Rodney King said, can't we all just get along?

As the NBA season gets closer to being about one-fourth of the way over teams are starting to realize what they do and don't have.  The Pacers seem to be in the same rut that they have been in the last few seasons.  The offense gets stagnant at times, they give up big leads, and depend on the three way too much (especially when they aren't hitting them).  I've looked at a couple possible trades for this team that not only help this year, but can provide help in the future as well.

Scenario 1 - Cap Relief

• Houston gets Jeff Foster, Mike Dunleavy Jr, TJ Ford (approximately $24MIL), and a future 2nd round pick.
• Indiana gets Tracy McGrady and Chase Budinger (approximately $23.5MIL)

This works for both teams as far as the salary cap goes.  Houston would acquire three players that can actually start for this team or provide support off the bench.  Ford would fall off the books at the end of this year for Houston and Dunleavy and Foster would fall off next year.

Indiana would get McGrady and his expiring contract of $22MIL for the rest of the season and Budinger, an athletic wing who would actually fit the style of play that the Pacers want.  McGrady says he is ready to play, the Rockets say he's not, so not really sure what is going on there.  I can't imagine Houston would want to drive McGrady's trade value (what value there is) down by not playing him...unless this is a money issue for the future.

Scenario 2 - Star Potential

• Golden State gets Jeff Foster, TJ Ford (approx $14.5MIL), and a 2nd round pick.
• Indiana gets Monta Ellis and Speedy Claxton (approx $16MIL)

Golden State is able to bring in Ford who will fall off the books this year and they will get rid of Ellis who is not happy in Golden State.  This also lowers the Warriors future cap worries by taking in Foster, who would fall off the books after next season, while getting rid of Ellis' huge contract.

The Pacers bring in a player that can play the point and can score on a consistent basis.  Claxton would fall off the books after the season, so they get a little relief there as well.

Scenario 3 - Big Men

• LA Clippers get - Hilton Armstrong
• New Orleans get Jeff Foster and Ricky Davis
• Indiana gets - DeAndre Jordan and Darius Songaila

This trade is basically a salary dump for the Clippers who would get about $3MIL worth of relief at the end of the season.

New Orleans would add Davis, who is a capable scoring wing and Foster who would be a solid backup at the C/PF slots.

Indiana would grab Jordan who fits the mold and style of play that they are going for.  Songaila could be left on the bench or waived.

The one constant for all of these trades if the fact that Jeff Foster is involved in all three scenarios.  I feel that his time with the team has come to an end.  He really doesn't fit what the team is doing and his contract is terrible.  On top of that, he absolutely kills the team on offense with the second team.