• The Houston Texans — behind their unheralded defense and a rookie quarterback — bested the Cincinnati Bengals (playoff winless since the first Bush took office) and their seriously-playing-not-to-lose (and failing) head coach, his tough defense, and its own rookie quarterback.
• The New Orleans Saints out-gunned and the up-and-coming Detroit Lions, pulling away in the second half of their Saturday night affair.
• The New York Giants — especially their defensive line — looked positively ‘07 and Eli Manning and his receivers again made huge plays when it counted in a demolition of the Atlanta Falcons.
• Oh and someone named Tim Tebow threw all over the best defense in the NFL as the Denver Broncos shocked the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime of the weekend’s finale. You know, your normal, garden variety shocker.

This was one heavenly stiff arm by Demaryius Thomas, if I do say so myself.

And with that, Wildcard Weekend is in the books. Coincidentally, my playoff preview column is also in the books, and time has not been helpful to it in the least. Each of my four picks against the spread were wrong (maybe today is a good time to explain how I don’t bet on sports) and I led into them with an impassioned plea to retain public enemy number one to the Eagles 2011 Super Bowl hopes, none other than embattled defensive coordinator Juan Castillo.

Let’s ask Mr. Horse what he thinks about my last column.

(Me neither, Mr. Horse. Me neither. Also, a big thank you to Adio Royster for lending me that last joke.)

Luckily, the point of this column is not about my own prognosticative degeneration — feel free to have at it in the comments section at your own leisure — but instead to gripe about a few quirks in the way the NFL does its business.

1. Teams with better records should not be forced to travel to play teams with crappier records.

Did you know that the Sunday games featured 9-7 and 8-8 teams hosting 11-5 and 12-4 teams, respectively? Each won of course. That’s not to say that the Giants and Broncos wouldn’t have won those games on the road — well, maybe the Broncos — but the odds were clearly pushed in their favor by the home field advantage. (The Giants could have won in Atlanta with one arm tied around their collective backs based on the putrid Falcon showing.) The Giants and Broncos “earned” this right because no one else in their terrible divisions finished over .500. Good work, guys!

(Let’s not even talk about last year’s playoffs in which the 12-4 Saints traveled to Seattle to face the 7-9 Seahawks. Of course, we would not have been privy to last season’s Alpha Male Play of the Year. So I guess there are some positives to the way the NFL conducts its playoff seeding.)

2. Can we get rid of ALL inadvertent whistle calls?

Hey NFL, help the referees help themselves please!

For a maniacally successful league, the NFL does as good a job fixing its rules as Congress does before a holiday “recess”. I thought they fixed all of those inadvertent whistle calls a few seasons ago — incorrect. Luckily, for Broncos fans and Tebow lovers everywhere, that little blown call on the incomplete/lateral pass didn’t cost Denver the game yesterday.

Why do the members of the rules committees hamstring the referees with rules like these? Why, for instance, is a referee unable to overturn an obvious blown call because of a technicality when basically every player doesn’t even know that’s the case? I don’t know, and I know a lot of things. (For instance, I know that I am not always humble.)

3. New coaches shouldn’t be allowed to be hired during the playoffs for teams that are still alive.

This, of course, has to do with the hiring of Josh McDaniels in New England minutes after his former team, Denver, became the opponent. Granted, it shouldn’t matter anyway. On paper, the Patriots should handle the Broncos. Yet, the crafty Bill Belichick dialed up the old, hire one of your old employees before a big game with you trick. (I’m guess McDaniels wasn’t willing to part with his old practice video tapes without a job? ZING!)

I suppose with live in a free-market economy in this country, so I shouldn’t complain. Just leave it up to Belichick to look for every angle available in his disposal. Oh, I’d love to have him on my side…

That’s about it. I hope you enjoyed Wildcard Weekend!

I’m already on the bandwagon. All it took was a few optimistic preview stories touting Iggy’s top-notch training camp and his budding chemistry with the still-incredibly-young Jrue Holiday to get me all pumped up for the 2011-2012 NBA season.

YOUUUURRRRRR PHILADELPHIA 76ERS are back!

What can I say — I was feeling good about this coming season, and after the first two weeks, I’m positively ecstatic! There is plenty to root for in this collection of Sixers. They are a young, likable, overachieving team, and unlike their roommates and neighbors across the street and even in their own building — where expectations range from sky-high to astronomical — chances are that this is the one Philadelphia sports team unlikely to disappoint.

Without further ado, here is my 2011-2012 season preview for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Best Supporting Actor Iguodala?

Andre Iguodala, what more is there to say? Scottie Pippen is to the 1% as Iggy is to the 99%. He’s the working man’s Hall of Fame working man. (Yeah, that made sense.)

In Philly, we tend to get angry with our stars for what they aren’t instead of praising them for what they do well. Iggy is a classic example of that. I’m going to try to do that with Iggy, so please take a big swig of this half-full glass of Kool-Aid with me.

His team USA experience taught him his true value/role. He’s not a go-to scorer. Sorry, but he’s not a 20 points-per-game guy — not on a team such as this with better pure scorers. He will, however, show up all over the stat sheet and provide A-plus defense on the other team’s swing man. At his best, he’s one of the best role players in the league. Not too shabby, right?

(Mmm, this kool-aid is delish!)

The Ace Up the Hole: Evan Turner

Think back to June of 2010. The Sixers, coming off a disastrous season that saw hand-picked head coach Eddie Jordan fired, beat the odds to draw the number two overall pick in the draft. The consensus pick: Evan Turner — at least that’s how I remember it. Granted, everyone is saying something different now, but at the time, I remember being very excited about the 2009-2010 collegiate player of the year. Turner was billed as sort of a cross between a point guard and a small forward — sounds like he’d fit in just right as our shooting guard, right?

Then the rookie summer league happened, and Turner was, let’s say, behind the curve a bit. When the season started, Turner struggled, only to play his best when filling in for an injured Iguodala. This, of course, fueled the trade Iggy moans from we the fans. The team’s star hopeful was blocked by an older player who seemingly maxed out his talent as a good-but-not-very-good player.

Fast-forward to this year, and Turner is a new man. He’s starting to look like a difference maker in his second year. (Sweet!) If the Sixers are to one day win the title with this current group, Turner must step up to the plate and become the star they hoped for when they drafted him. If he does, then all bets are off.

Of course, there’s something in the way of him starting right now, and it’s not Andre Iguodala.

The Emergence of Jodie Meeks

Did you know that Jodie Meeks holds the single-game scoring record at Kentucky? Look it up. Anyway, he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2nd round and shipped — in what Adio Royster refers to as a two peas piece and a biscuit trade (thanks, Bill!) — to Philly as basically an after thought. Then his early season scoring spurt occurred and suddenly the 76ers had a shooting guard that could shoot a high field goal percentage — basically an endangered species in the city of Brotherly Love.

This season, Meeks has thus far taken a step back in the rotation. Still a starter, Meeks hasn’t been playing crunch time minutes. It’s not that surprising, considering that either Lou Williams and Turner are sitting on the bench when he’s out there. One EXTREMELY pleasant surprise though has been one starter who used to sit the bench during crunch time. He’s a BIG (pun intended) reason why the Sixers are looking pretty after their season opening road trip.

Well Hello, Spencer Hawes!

(I’m just going to treat this section as an open letter to the 76er center.)

Spencer Hawes, oh did I rip on you during last year’s playoffs. You were the weak link of the team’s playoff rotation — missing important jumpers and your poor passing led to countless turnovers — so much so that many — myself included — harkened back to the “good old days” of Sam Dalembert.

I’m ecstatic to say that I was wrong.

What in the name of Bill Walton has gotten into you? You opened this lockout-shortened season with a near triple-double — 10 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists — and have an early season 13.0 points- and 11.4 boards-per-game average.

Seriously, who the hell are you?

If you really are indeed the same Spencer Hawes that averaged 7.2 ppg and just 5.7 boards last season, thank you so very much for working on your game in the offseason. It paid off incredibly well, and you might have finally given the 76ers the big that almost all title contenders possess.

Sweet Lou and Thaddeus Off the Bench

Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young are our co-sixth men, if you will. Each has the talent to start and the disposition to thrive off the bench. NBA players have egos, so it’s a testament to these two relatively young players that they’re willing to give quality minutes night in and night out without receiving the recognition/ego boost as starters. They are, without question, a huge reason for the success/turnaround of the 76ers.

Let’s start with Williams.

Sweet Lou was taken straight out of high school in the 2nd round of the draft by Billy King. (Say what you will about the man as a GM, but he sure did he kick ass in the 2nd round of the draft.) The details are sketchy, but I remember watching a documentary on a few high school standouts from his draft class. They profiled Williams and others like him, including eventual slam dunk champ Gerald Green. At the time, I had hoped they’d draft Green, who was bigger and probably better as a high schooler. Guess I was wrong about that one…

Anyway, Williams slowly worked his way into the rotation as an off-the-bench scorer/energy guy after Allen Iverson was traded to Denver. It makes sense because he’s basically a poor man’s A.I. — and, like Iggy, I mean that in a good way. Many a good NBA team has a guy like Williams coming off the bench to provide instant offense.

Of course most good teams don’t also have another guy, like Young, as basically their 7th man. Thaddeus was a surprise pick from Billy King back in the ‘07 draft. Instead of getting what many presumed to be the team’s biggest need — a power forward — King drafted Young, who basically played a tweener forward position. His ascention to the starting lineup sparked back-to-back playoff runs from the Andre Miller/Iggy/Sam Dalembert nucleus and King — again in hindsight — looked like a smart man. Young has since settled nicely into his bench role by taking and delivering on high percentage shots and providing high energy — exactly what you’d want from the 6th or 7th guy in your rotation.

Speaking of the man that replaced him in the starting lineup…

The Evolved Elton Brand

As with Evan Turner, we often forget just how huge it was when the Sixers acquired Elton Brand as a free agent from the Los Angeles Clippers.

Brand was one of the free agent market’s crown jewel. I remember ESPN.com began talking about the Sixers as one of the conferences top four teams — along with Cleveland, Boston, and Orlando. Bill Simmons, sort of a Clippers fan, famously ripped Brand’s agent for playing the Clippers in this process. It was a good time to be a Sixers fan. (As the 2011 Eagles have taught us, free agency is not when you want your season to peak.)

In hindsight, Atlanta power forward Josh Smith — the player the Sixers initially coveted — was the true prize. He, of course, resigned with Atlanta who, in turn, assumed the conference’s fourth best spot. Meanwhile, the Sixers finished again in the 7th spot as the injury-plagued Brand added a season-ending shoulder injury to his list of ailments.

The next year, under new coach Eddie Jordan’s Princeton style offense (whatever that means… help me out basketball experts?), Brand was your square peg in a round hole special. Your previous season’s star acquisition had turned into a bench player. Definitely not GM Ed Stefanski or Jordan’s finest hour. Then along comes Doug Collins who makes getting more involved Brand a high priority. Last season saw Brand evolve from star to a forgotten man to a solid starter on a young and up-and-coming team. Not exactly what you were hoping for when you signed him to a $80-plus million contract just three seasons ago. But, hey, we’re looking for positives here!

Speaking of Collins…

DOUGIE!!!

Screaming “DOUGIE!!” on Twitter is something that Adio Royster and I are quite fond of doing. Why? Well, there are few reasons to be more optimistic about the Sixers than Doug Collins. You’ve seen the commercials. He’s passionate, intense, and proud. Unlike most marketing, this is actually accurate. The former Sixers number 1 overall pick, back when shorts were shorts and hair was long and shaggy, has done wonders to revitalize this young team and — perhaps more importantly — our jaded fan base. I don’t know enough about the X’s and O’s of basketball to explain why, but, as a Sixers fan, I’ve seen enough bad ones toI know a good coach when I see one. Doug Collins is a good coach.

The only reason to be more optimistic about the Philadelphia 76ers?

The Continued Development of Jrue Holiday

I hear that the NBA is a point guard’s league. If that’s the case, then I like our chances going forward with young Jrue Holiday.

Drafted in the mid-first round out of UCLA after his freshman year, it was a surprise when the Sixers picked him. He was a developmental player with a lot of upside, but not too much in the way of experience. His pick was a bit of a peculiar pick at the time. Flash-forward to his third year in the league and Holiday is an up-and-coming star who many expect to make a few All-Star games before his hangs up his Air Jordans.

Yes, my fellow Sixers fans, it’s time to be optimistic. After a disastrous 2011 calendar year saw the Flyers, Phillies, and then the Eagles fall disastrously short of preseason expectations, it’s time to enjoy this young Sixers team. The expectations are low, and the payoff promises to be high. Sounds like a good way for Sixers basketball to get back into the Philly fan’s mind.

Enjoy tonight’s home opener and #ShowYaLuv!

But before I get to this week’s picks, I’d like to talk some Eagles. Now, please forgive me for what I’m about to say. I know it doesn’t make that much sense, but I think I’m right. The Eagles should retain defensive coordinator Juan Castillo for the 2012 season.

(This isn’t to say that hiring Steve Spagnuolo would be a bad idea. Before the Eagles’ 4-game winning streak — and during it — I could be heard talking about how “necessary” it was to hire Spags as the team’s defensive coordinator next year. I am apparently a “flip-flopper” a la John Kerry circa 2004. Sue me.)

There are plenty of reasons to fire him — plenty — but to keep this short and to the point, I’m just going to focus on reasons why he shouldn’t be fired.

The first reason is the Wide 9. This much ballyhooed defensive line alignment — to which we were subjected to article after article and talking head after talking head describing it — actually works with our defensive linemen.

Unfortunately for the rest of the defense, this new front caused problems for our young linebackers and safeties, the men charged with plugging the larger-than-normal interior gaps. It also caused problems for its neophyte d-coordinator.

Jason Babin, signed to a longterm and big-money deal, is a Pro Bowl-caliber defensive lineman in this scheme and a decent backup in a normal scheme. If you coaxed Jim Washburn out of Tennessee to run this system, don’t you want a defensive coordinator who knows how to run it? And wouldn’t this year be a complete waste if we scrap it altogether and start anew in ‘12? What happens to Babin or Washburn or even Cullen Jenkins, a 3-4 end by trade?

The next reason to keep Castillo is based on results. Call it fools’ gold if you like, but the defense started to click on all cylinders at the end of the season. The same defense that was gutted like a fish by John Skelton and Tavarus Jackson — wow, this season sucked — was the same defense that shutdown teams in the season’s final quarter. You can’t help who you’re playing and neither can Castillo. If we’re to believe that the team finally started clicking, why would we want to waste this progress and start anew?

One of the new wrinkles that Castillo implemented was that two-man front with two defensive tackles lined up in their Wide 9 alignment with Trent Cole and Babin acting as rush linebackers. It’s the closest thing to a 3-4 look the Eagles have run since I started watching football. In fact, now that I think of it, the Wide 9 is really close to a 3-4 front — only without a nose tackle. And haven’t we been asking for more 3-4 looks with our undersized and speedy defensive lineman? (I know I have.) The point is that it looks like Castillo is starting to figure this thing out.

Will Juan Castillo return in 2012 as the Eagles defensive coordinator?

Asante Samuel’s absence also showed the true potential of this defense. Part of the problem coming into this season was the fact that neither Samuel, Nnamdi Asomugha, or Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie could play the slot consistently, to put it lightly. (Ironically, in Madden — where team chemistry and playing out of position are not applicable — these three corners are devastatingly effective. If only Madden translated to real life…) Without Samuel — who really hasn’t done anything to deserve the odd-man out status other than the fact that he’s not a press corner — and with the more than capable Joselio Hanson at home in the slot, Asomugha and DRC are free to play their game more often and this defense looks seriously imposing.

My final concern with firing Castillo is the fact that we’d have had three defensive coordinators in three season — four in five, counting Sean McDermott’s brief tenure. One the biggest keys to success in the NFL is consistency at coaching. Granted, consistently crappy coaching probably isn’t the answer either. I guess the opinion here is that Castillo is actually not a crappy defensive coordinator. Neither, for that matter, is Spagnuolo.

I guess it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if Spags returns to South Philly. However, as this season has taught us, what looks good on paper doesn’t always translate to wins on the field.

With that being said, let’s predict some wins on (virtual) paper.

Cincinnati (+3) over HOUSTON

Seriously, Jake Delhomme and TJ Yates? I don’t care if Andy Dalton is a rookie quarterback, the Texans are down to their 3rd or 4th quarterback. The last time Delhomme suited up for a playoff game, he threw five picks and fumbled once, and that was against the not so vaunted Arizona Cardinals defense. How is he going to fare against a Marvin Lewis coached defense? The guess here is poorly. Even if Yates plays, as expected, the guess here is that the Bengals get their first playoff win since I turned five, and the Texans remain winless in the postseason.

Hey, at least you finally made it to the playoffs, Houston!

Detroit (+10.5) to cover against NEW ORLEANS

With the firepower that Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and company boast, how can you turn down this lusty point spread? (You can’t — unless, like me, you refuse to gamble on sports.) That being said, I still expect the Saints to pull this one out. You remember how last year’s 12-4 Saints had to travel to 7-9 Seattle, where last year’s Taking Back Sports’ annual Alpha Male Play of the Year from Marshawn Lynch knocked off the defending champions? The Saints do too. Something tells me that Drew Brees and company won’t let that happen again this year — much less at home. Still, this game promises to be awesome.

Now, cue the unexpected defensive struggle…

Atlanta (+3) over NEW YORK

Let me start out by saying that I don’t really think the Giants are really that good. Eli Manning had a great year, and Victor Cruz had an even better year. Oh and Jason Pierre-Paul (great name) was awesome too. (Shame, he’d have looked great in midnight green.) But when I watched any Giants games this year, I saw a team get by on one or two incredibly big plays on offense from Manning or Cruz. I don’t think they can continue to do that. Then again I didn’t think they could do that before they won the Super Bowl after an up-and-down 2007 season. I have been wrong before, and I will be wrong again.

Oh and by the way, Matt Ryan’s next playoff win will also be his first. Shit, I’m starting to rethink this whole thing. I better stop before I — *gasp! — pick the Giants to win. Moving on…

Pittsburgh (-8.5) over DENVER

Defending conference champions, who boast a stout run defense, against an 8-8 team that backed into the playoffs with a running quarterback that doesn’t throw very well. Hmmm. Yeah, this one’s easy. Even if Big Ben is hobbled and shaky, there’s no way the Steelers defense let’s Tebow Time even think about making this one a game.

Then again, last year’s Saints-Seahawks game taught us that nothing’s easy in the NFL, and that’s precisely what makes it such a great game. Enjoy wildcard weekend everyone!

Ever since I started watching sports as a 7-year-old, my favorite teams (exclusively based in Philadelphia) have found a consistent way to lose big time games. Yesterday was no different as the Flyers lost to the Rangers in an unbelievably-exciting-if-my-favorite-team-didn’t-lose Winter Classic.

It felt so normal to lose this national showcase. That’s nothing new to us Philly fans, obviously, but I had actually thought we’d finally shed our town’s loser label. I thought that when the 2008 Phillies team had finally broken the threshold, a flood of championships were sure to follow as they had for Boston fans this past decade. Well, needless to say, I was wrong.

Welcome back to Hell, my fellow Philly sports fans.

The state of the Philadelphia sports fan is one of sad disallusionment — or in plain English, one of shock. The Eagles were supposed to fight for a berth in the Super Bowl after building and augmenting an “all-in” and “dream team” championship core, the Flyers watched their supposed championship core crumble and rebuilt behind a younger core, the Sixers apparently can’t find a championship core, and the Phillies championship core has begun to rot. Something is rotten in the state of Brotherly Love.

As a service to myself, I am publishing this list of New Year’s resolutions for the four major Philly sports teams.

Philadelphia Phillies

1. Chase Utley hits leadoff. He grinds out at-bats, gets on base, can steal a bag, and is an overall nuisance to the opposing team. What else do want from you leadoff batter? Plus, this allows you to move Jimmy Rollins and/or Shane Victorino further down in the lineup where either free swinger can be freed up to drive the ball more.

2. Resign Brad Lidge as a set-up man. As primarily a guy that retires righthanded hitters, a valuable situational, late inning role should be filled with our old buddy Lidge. As the Cardinals proved last year, you can never have enough roles filled in the bullpen.

3. Rehire Jimy Williams as bench coach. He coached in Philly for two years. The Phillies won their first division title in 14 years in the first and their second ever World Series in the second. Need I say anymore?

4. Recapture the magic/spark that propelled those younger teams. This is a bit abstract. To be more specific, these players need to play with more passion and a greater burning desire. I love Chase Utley and Roy Halladay as leaders, but maybe a downside to them is a more cerebral and introverted team spirit.

The whole thing wreaks of the malaise that the Atlanta Braves, with their aces Maddux/Glavine/Smoltz, experienced in winning just one World Series in the midst of their 14-straight division title run. The regular season wins keep coming, but the postseason successes are now becoming fleeting. On paper, the 2008 Phillies would get smoked by the 2011 version. On the field in October, however, those 2008 Phillies were relentless and suffocating. The 2011 team just goes about its business. Can they rediscover what it means to be relentless and suffocating? That’s what will define the 2012 Phillies season.

Philadelphia Flyers

1. Find a goaltender. It’s been the same story since before I ever watched a hockey game. The Philadelphia Flyers must find a franchise goalie. Is Bryzgalov the Man or just a high-priced mistake? Can two or three months of up-and-down to mediocre play from the Bryz really give us a verdict? (No.) The point is that right now Bryzgalov hasn’t answered a two-decade-old question that has defined a franchise.

2. Invest in concussion prevention and concussion treatment research. Eric Lindros and Keith Primeau saw All-Star careers screech to a halt because of concussions. Is Chris Pronger next? Is he the latest franchise player to see his career end because of post concussion syndrome? If he is — and I’m Ed Snider — my newest charitable endeavor would be to donate a large sum of money to head injury research. He might even find an unlikely suitor in Pittsburgh, in light of Sidney Crosby’s latest setback. Unreal!

Philadelphia 76ers

1. Have patience with this young team. This is a resolution as much for the Philly organization as it is for we fans. This is an extremely young team with a lot of potential. We know what Iggy and Elton Brand bring to the table — large contracts and above average play — however, we are just scratching the surface of what Jrue Holliday, Spencer Hawes, and Evan Turner have to offer. Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams are perfect in their bench roles. If the young players can continue to progress, there is a deep pool of talent on this Sixers roster.

2. Develop Jrue Holliday, Evan Turner, and Spencer Hawes. This list would have been just Holliday and Turner if not for the eye-opening play of Hawes thus far. I thought he was just another stiff, white center. I might have been very, very wrong. Needless to say, I’m a bit optimistic about this Sixers team.

Philadelphia Eagles

1. Draft a linebacker in the first round. Preferably one of those “can’t miss” type of talents. PLEASE! While we’re on the subject, please draft better in general. Whatever it is that the Eagles are doing in the draft board room, it’s not working. Brandon Graham has an incomplete, Nate Allen is not performing up to his second round status, and that dude with the hyphenated name selected in the 3rd round that played defensive end (sorry, he wasn’t important enough to the team to remember his name or be worthy of Googling) isn’t even on the team anymore. Those are the first three draft picks of the Howie Roseman era. They’re all applying for residence in Bustville. Roseman’s back for another year, so let’s see if the young GM figures it out this year or if his draft picks pan out better in Year 3.

2. Pay the right ‘Seans. You’ve got to extend LeSean McCoy’s contract — this shouldn’t even be a question — and, if you can get on the same page money-wise with DeSean Jackson, resign the speedy receiver to a longterm contract. If he wants to be paid like Larry Fitzgerald, then let Speedy Gonzalez sign elsewhere. He’s too small and too moody to be paid like the best in the game. He does, however, deserve to be paid like an All-Star caliber wide receiver.

So that’s it. I’ll be back for more later in the week with a little Sixers preview I’ve been cooking up. In the mean time, try not to jump off a bridge after the next heartbreaking loss. I will do the same. Let’s call it our Philly fan New Year’s resolution.

The Best Ever. The Greatest. The Best to Ever Play the Game.

Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer in the 2011 French Open final for his 6th French Open title and 10th Grand Slam overall. (TheHindu.com)

Only a handful of individuals throughout the last 100 years can lay claim to the title. In some sports, the best ever is readily agreed upon and yet highly contested in others.

Take baseball for instance.

Most people agree that Babe Ruth is probably the greatest baseball player ever, even though no one has seen him play in over 70 years and only a handful of living people actually saw him play with their own eyes. Believe it or not, there was no Sportscenter nor any baseball games on TV in the 20s and 30s. (Between me and you, I don’t know how they survived). If we can overlook 80 years of romanticizing the Babe, can we overlook the fact that the world’s greatest athletes were banished to anonymity in the Negro Leagues when he played?

If Ruth isn’t the greatest of all-time, then who is?

How about the all-time home run king, Hank Aaron?  Did you know that he also has the third-most hits all-time? What about Willie Mays?  Most people regain him in higher esteems than Aaron. How about Joe DiMaggio? Mickey Mantle? Ted Williams?

That’s just the start of it.

How about our own conceptions of greatness? Are great stats and all-time records more important than winning multiple championships or vise versa? Since individual greatness and team greatness are a chicken/egg thing, endless Tom Brady/Peyton Manning debates were born in the 2000s. Should Brady have been given credit — and Manning thereby penalized — for the strength of a Belicheck defense? I always said no, but who am I to argue with Brady’s record-breaking ‘07 season which unceremoniously ended that debate. So it goes…

Here’s something else to think about: Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky are generally considered the best ever to play their respective sports. Who knows for sure if Jordan’s best Bulls team could have outlasted Bill Russell’s best Celtics team in a seven game series? What if Mario Lemieux didn’t miss several seasons in his prime due to back trouble, cancer, early retirement, etc. Could he have then challenged some of the Great One’s unbreakable records and etched his name on a few more Stanley Cups?

And what effect does modern nutrition, weight training, airline travel and even PED’s have on the modern day athlete? Any chance that Lombardi’s Packers could defeat Aaron Rodgers’ Packers if the 2010 Packers hopped in the Delorean and went back to 1965 — HELL, NO! So it’s hard to argue that the modern athlete is evolving at a greater pace than the rest of the population. By that logic, today’s great athletes will, in all likelihood, be inferior to the average professional athlete in the future.

So you can’t accurately compare athletes of different eras. Instead, the best we can do is recognize the best at their moment in time, and appreciate when athletes like Nadal enter the Pantheon, as Bill Simmons would say, and take their place amongst the game’s immortals.

Unless, of course, they’re fielding pick-up games between the All-Time Greats in the after-life…

1. Let’s not get caught up in whether or not any of these games will be played. As any regular readers know, predictions are not my game. So I know better than to try to predict how the legal battle between the greedy-no-good NFL owners and the NFLPA. Also the whole prospect of a work stoppage has me more depressed than the U.S.S. Stingray on a 500-foot dive. (Points to anyone that got that Down Periscope reference.)
2. I also promise to avoid badgering the greedy-no-good NFL owners. As my twitter followers are well aware, I have been there and done that.

Now, let’s talk some NFL for the 2011 season as I hand a few “Doctor’s orders” for the NFL scheduling committee…

The Jets and Giants should have played each other on 9-11

When the Giants and Jets have an opportunity to play on the 10th anniversary of 9-11, you put it on the NFL schedule. Not only that, the Giants-Jets game on 9-11 should be kicked off before all the other games at a special 12:30 pm start. Seriously, how great would it be to see both New York teams face off 10 years after one of the worst attacks on U.S. soil? Huge missed opportunity there by the NFL in my opinion.

We need to re-work the Thursday Night model

Good rule of thumb: No NFL team should have to travel out of their own timezone for a Thursday night game. Why create an obvious home field advantage to a team during a short week if we don’t have to?

Speaking of Thursday games, Detroit and Dallas should still host every Thanksgiving game. Traditions aside, there are several reasons why: For starters: it totally throws you off as a fan when your team plays on Turkey Day. When the Eagles played on Thanksgiving two years ago I had to make arrangements with people I had never met before to make sure that they had the NFL Network. Luckily they had it, but how embarrassing!

Another problem to consider: What if your Thanksgiving dinner host isn’t a football fan? Even if your host is a fan, you could be stuck at the dinner table with no TV during the second half of a thriller. No body wants that.

Schedule better teams for the primetime openers

On the other hand, Oakland should not get to play the second half of every MNF opener doubleheader. In fact, division winners should face off on the MNF openers, before their seasons are derailed by injury/off years. If a rematch of the conference title games is schedule permitting, the Thursday and Sunday night openers will do. If conference title rematches are out then schedule the highest seeds possible from the previous season for the Thursday night and Sunday night openers

Luckily, we’re not reinventing the wheel here. With just a few minor tweaks, the NFL schedule could have been much better. My guess is that more time was spent scheduling court appearances and working in make-up weeks than towards putting together an A-plus lineup. I mean, it’s not like the NFL TV contracts weren’t worked in with the lockout in mind, right?

Let’s end this before I go on another rant about those greedy-no-good NFL owners…

After getting off to an admittedly rough start following the NBA playoffs, pledge to do better from here on out. If you haven’t been paying attention on Twitter (follow me on Twitter @DrSportsFan), here’s how I’ve been failing as a sports fan thus far in the NBA playoffs:

(1) I’ve been DVRing Sixers games and watching them on taped delay while attempting to pull of a sports game blackout.

(2) I’ve tweeted several times about the crappy officiating (never a good sign for a sports fan) to the point that I look like either a moron or someone with a personal vendetta against the NBA refs.

While there isn’t much I can do about my busy schedule (I’m kind of a big deal), I’ve decided to abstain from ref bashing on Twitter. It’s just in the best interests of everyone involved — mostly for me. Nobody likes a ref basher, even in 140 characters or less.

So let’s talk some basketball, shall we?

Let’s start with Superman himself, Dwight Howard. Aside from my personal annoyance that he’s basically the self-proclaimed Superman (whatever), sports fans have to start asking themselves the following question: Has Dwight Howard made the leap? His numbers — 39.5 ppg, 19.0 rpg thus far in the playoffs: Yowza! If Howard has indeed made the leap, welcome to the second coming of Shaq. Only this guy works out! Again, Yowza!! (I think this is the Passover talking. Why it would be talking for a non-religious, Irish guy… I can’t tell you.)

Andre Iguodala finished 8th (8th?) in the Defensive Player of the Year voting. That’s a bit off. Iggy might not be much of a scorer, but he is one helluva defender as he’s proving with a fine defensive effort against Lebron James — though it’s being overshadowed by his complete-and-utter lack of offensive game in this Heat-Sixers series. Though if you ask Lebron, he might just say that he’s just shooting poorly. Lebron = EGO MANIAC. You remember Lebron James (applicable Back to the Future quote) the man who took his life and flushed it completely down the toilet (to go to Miami).

Quick Philadelphia fan side bar: How deflating was Game 2’s blowout? Congrats on being the only team in the Eastern Conference to get blown out. Seriously, since when did the Sixers turn into Butler? (Full credit to that joke goes to Jack Bauer of All Sports.) For all intents and purposes, the 76ers are finished in this series. Charles Barkley said it best: Miami is better at just about everything than the Sixers. Silver lining: Now we’re playing with house money and nothing to lose. No one expected this Sixers team to even make the playoffs. Now, no one expects them to even win a game. Win a game (or two) at home and then everyone will be fired up. Things can only go up from here. (We can build on th– OK! I won’t rip off Bill Simmons this once…)

In other news, Boston’s Big 3 is cementing its legacy as this generation’s “Bad Boys”. Their series with New York is a blood bath. Both Melo and Ray Allen each have shiners. (Even if they aren’t from this series, impressive!) Ironic that the Riley-Ewing Era Knicks were the last true bullies in the NBA. Like all of basketball’s bullies, this Celtics team is greater than the sum of its parts. All the more reason to hate Danny Ainge’s trade of Kendrick Perkins (one of the chief bullies) for Jeff Green, a seemingly kind-hearted fellow that is woefully out of place in that locker room. Sometimes it’s the trades you don’t make that build champions. Just ask Larry Brown, who nearly derailed the fan-favorite, conference champion ‘00-’01 Sixers team before it happened. Luckily, his trade of Allen Iverson never materialized. What sort of weird parallel universe would Sixers fans be living in if Iverson had indeed been traded? If the Keith Van Horn and Glenn Robinson mistakes are any indication, NOT GOOD. (Larry Brown the coach > Larry Brown the GM)

Out West, believe me when I tell you that Lakers fans are on DEFCOM 30, thus easily making them the least confident two-time defending champion fan base in history. Of course Chris Paul is giving Lakers fans nightmares right now. Things have gotten so bad that they even miss Steve Blake. (Who’s out with chicken pox? Sad but true.)

Did I mention Paul is back? That makes me happy. You hate to see Hall of Fame talent wasted by injury.

Another question to ponder: Is it time for the Tim Duncan Era Spurs to be put out to pasture? Most dynasties — let’s face it, San Antonio is one under Duncan and Gregg Popovich — crumble rather suddenly. Am I just overreacting to the impact of Manu Ginobuli’s loss? That could be possible. Even still, hard to feel title-worthy when Manu is very injury-prone and Tony Parker is a better ladies man than point guard — much less “dynasty-worthy”.

Between the Lakers’ and Spurs’ troubles, I think the West is ripe for Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder to storm to the finals. They nearly took LA to the limit in the first round last year — without Kendrick Perkins and his 7-foot body to matchup with Bynum, Gasol and Odom. Not to mention that was a motivated Lakers team…

(I’m just going to avoid talking about the Mavericks. Who knows what to expect from Dirk and J-Kidd, though as a fan, I’m bummed that we never got to see how good this team could be with a healthy Caron Butley.)

Back East, the Bulls have their hands full with the Pacers, Boston has its hands full with Melo and an Allen Iverson-memorial supporting cast (at least when Amar’e Stoudemire and Chauncey Billups are injured), and Orlando has its hands full with an Atlanta team they handled in last year’s Elite Eight. (I know Elite Eight is college tournament speak, but it just sounds so much better than the Eastern Conference Semifinals).

All the while, the Heat are making mince meat out of my Sixers, who I thought were actually kind of good. That means that Miami Heat and the OK City Thunder have the early look of two teams that might meet in the NBA finals. That would pit Kevin Durant and Lebron James — perhaps the league’s best scorers — against each other for their first ever title. Good vs. Evil, Legend vs. Future Legend. Oh and Dwayne Wade, Russell Westbrook, and Chris Bosh would be there as well.

But what good is all this predictions business anyway? For all we knew, Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers could be two-time defending champions right now and the phrase “Taking my talents to South Beach” might never even exist in popular culture. Unfortunately it does, and that’s not good for anyone. Hopefully, the 2011 NBA playoffs will be more good than bad for us sports fans. That would be good for everyone. Let’s see how it plays out.

And maybe, just maybe, we should enjoy ourselves in the process.

Woah.

Woah! The Seahawks knocked out the defending champs?

The 7-9 Seattle Seahawks knocked out the defending champion New Orleans Saints, Mark Sanchez out-dueled Peyton Manning in the 2-minute drill to lead the New York Jets over the Indianapolis Colts, and Michael Vick threw an ill-advised late pick as the Eagles booted away a playoff win to the Green Bay Packers. (In other news, Matt Cassell reverted to college backup as the Baltimore Ravens took the ball and ran with it over the Kansas City Chiefs.)

Now that’s what I call a wild and crazy start to the NFL playoffs. If the Eagles had won, well it would have been just about the perfect Wildcard Weekend. Since they did not, this morning after pill is going to go down a bit rough starting with…

1. What the hell, Akers?

Seriously. He is the best placekicker in Eagles franchise history and has more playoff experience than any other player on the roster. How did he miss two very make-able field goals to cost the team a win? Now I heard that he’s been having some family troubles — which, if true, sorry to hear — but still. Akers and his two pulled misses are the main reasons that I’m feeling cranky this week.

The other reason…

2. Jim Johnson’s defense is now a thing of the past.

The defense that Sean McDermott and Andy Reid have built in the last two offseasons no longer deserves to be compared to the defenses that Jim Johnson built. If you follow me on Twitter, you would know that I’m not the biggest McDermott fan. (Wow, what a shock?!) I am, however, going to shift some of the blame on the caliber of players left on the field at the end of the season. Brandon Graham and Nate Allen (our top two draft picks) each ended the season with something torn in their knees, Broderick Bunkley couldn’t get off a block to save his life after (and maybe before) he dislocated his elbow earlier in the season, Ernie Sims turned into a smaller Mark Simoneau, and Dimitri Patterson was not the answer at right corner back. Oh, and two seventh round draft picks were starting the last few weeks of the season.

Still all of this could have been avoided…

3. The Michael Vick Experience still leaves you wanting.

He dazzled us from the moment he stepped onto the field for Kevin Kolb in the second half of Week 1, but lately, Michael Vick has been just ordinary. From the ugly Minnesota game until the NFL Wildcard Weekend came to a screeching halt when he was intercepted by Tramon Williams, Vick turned back into the pumpkin that was his Atlanta Falcon self. The calm, cool pocket-passer Vick from the Detroit/Jacksonville/Washington games was replaced by a hurried and scrambling decoy. In 2011, Vick needs to make sure that he kills his Atlanta Falcons self once and for all.

Of course, he could have used some help from his friends if not for…

4. Jason Avant’s key dropped passes.

Avant may be one of the easiest players on the Eagles to like. Once a drug dealer as a juvenile, Avant completely turned his life around and eventually became the best set of hands on the roster. Marty Mornhinweg sang his praises all during training camp for allegedly never dropping a ball. Well, he made up for it big time during passes that actually count. He dropped Kolb’s hail mary ball at the end of the first Redskins game, a wide-open ball in the endzone in the first Giants game, and then a few key ones in the third quarter of the Wildcard Game. Get it together, man!

OK that’s enough angry Eagles fan talk. Time to move on to the rest of the NFL playoffs.

5. Time to reseed the playoffs based upon wins and losses.

The thrilling Seahawks victory over New Orleans was really a great moment for NFL fans everywhere. Nothing compares to a huge underdog knocking off the defending champs in front of a raucous home crowd. That Marshawn Lynch 67-yard touchdown run was a thing of beauty and had me going nuts when he truck-sticked that poor Saints defensive back.

Except… Seattle had no business hosting that game. How do you reward an 11-5 team with a road playoff game in a hostile environment against a 7-9 team? Because they just so happen to play in different divisions? C’mon! The same thing happened two years ago when the 12-4 Colts lost on the road to the 8-8 Chargers in overtime, during which they never even touched the ball. Why should the Seahawks be rewarded for winning the worst division in the history of the NFL? Let’s fix this problem by simply reseeded the playoffs based on wins/losses and not award division winners home playoff games just cause, OK?

Anyway, let’s get back to the task at hand. About that Lynch run…

6. Marshawn Lynch made this year’s Alpha Male Play of the Year.

If you haven’t seen it, then just watch it. Other than DeSean Jackson’s punt return against New York, this is probably the NFL play of the year so far. Lynch took an innocent hand-off up the middle, broke eight tackles, and turned a middling four-yard gain into a 67-yard game-changer. No way the Seahawks win without that play right there. Buffalo Bills fans everywhere wondered in unison, “WTF Marshaw?”

(BTW: belated congrats to Brandon Marshall, the winner of last year’s Alpha Male Play of the Year.)

7. Matt Cassell sure looked like a college backup in his first playoff game.

College backup meets Baltimore defense. Moving on…

8. The Sanchize just wins playoff games, baby!

As Al Davis once said, “Just win, baby!” That’s exactly what Mark Sanchez does in the playoffs. Unlike his fellow USC alum, he led his team to a game-winning drive and extended his career playoff record to 3-1. Not too bad for a guy that many believe to be a fraud. He’s the type of fraud that I want to have on my team.

OK, I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. Knowing me, I would probably be all over him if he were an Eagle. I’m just giving props to the man for playing well consistently in the playoffs. We will find out just how good he is in next week’s showdown in Foxboro.

9. Get ready for Rematch Weekend in the Divisional Round!

Each game is a grudge match:

• Baltimore at Pittsburgh
• New York at New England
• Green Bay at Atlanta
• Seattle at Chicago

Baltimore and Pittsburgh each split their two games, although the Ravens win came during Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension; the Patriots and Jets each split as well, although New England clearly got more of the pie thanks to their 45-3 dismantling of New York on Monday Night Football; Atlanta snuck by Green Bay in a tightly contested affair; and finally, the Bears will look to avenge their early loss to the Seahawks.

All in all, not much more an NFL fan can ask for this coming weekend.

10. Tweets of the Wildcard Weekend

My fellow Take Back writers (Adio Royster and Jason Branch) and I decided to have an Eagles tweetfest this week. You can follow us on Twitter @DrSportsFan, @AdioBRoyster, and @TheJackOfSports. Relive the action (or agony) with some of my best tweets from this weekend’s action:

DrSportsFan
So go the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints. It was clearly not their year. New blood in 2011!

DrSportsFan
Cosign. RT @AdioBRoyster: Jamaal Charles.. he’s fast, and he wears red.. that’s it.. his nickname in 2011 will be ‘The Flash’

DrSportsFan
It’s been decided that the Eagles-Cowboys week 17 game in the ‘08 season will henceforth be known as “The Orgasm”

DrSportsFan
My reasoning behind “The Orgasm”: hours of foreplay (Tampa Bay and Chicago losing) followed by an explosion (points/turnover by Dallas)

DrSportsFan
4.5 RT @TheJackOfSports: Over/ under on Sean McDermott bald jokes today? #mcdermottbaldjokes

DrSportsFan
I’m an hour early to the Eagles bar in SD but its already getting busy. Is there a big game today or something?

DrSportsFan
And we’ve got the Eye of the Tiger on at the bar!!

DrSportsFan
Nice closeup of Vick’s package there by FOX

DrSportsFan
@AdioBRoyster I bet you Andy and McCarthy petitioned the league to not allow run plays in this game

DrSportsFan
F-minus on the 1st play

DrSportsFan
Special teams!!!!! The bizarro world retelling of the ‘07 Greg Lewis game in Lambeau

DrSportsFan
That sucks. Akers just pulled one at a bad time

DrSportsFan
Jerome Harrison sighting!

DrSportsFan
Death, taxes, and the Eagles wasting an early time out

DrSportsFan
Of course Keenan Clayton is in on a 3rd down play. You know because he played so much all season. #mcdermott

DrSportsFan
And of course Ernie Sims overran a play.

DrSportsFan
Where is Trent Cole? Could use some 3rd down pressure from him this game. He can’t let Chad Clifton push him around like that

DrSportsFan
Oh yeah. That TD occurred right after we called that timeout, as @TheJackOfSports just told me. #McDermottFail

DrSportsFan
@TheJackOfSports McDermott is the president of the Philadelphia chapter of the Hair Club #mcdermottbaldjokes

DrSportsFan
Mikell wtf are u doing, grab the ball, and complain AFTER the play. I’m getting pissed

DrSportsFan
I am so mad at Mikell. Why was he bitching with a fumbled ball in his lap?

DrSportsFan
Our defense sucks so much

DrSportsFan
I’m starting to get less mad as this game goes on. Somehow, someway, McDermott and his defense has made me apathetic

DrSportsFan
Has Juqua Parker taken one good angle to the quarterback once in the last several weeks?

DrSportsFan
Sean McDermott, it’s time to turn in your parking permit for the NovaCare Complex. Sincerely, every Eagles fan.

DrSportsFan
Thank you, James Jones!

DrSportsFan
Booooooooooo

DrSportsFan
The bar just chanted “asshole” to the raffle winner

DrSportsFan
This looks like a job for Superman, @mikevick

DrSportsFan
Parker took a good angle!!!

DrSportsFan
I will not miss Ernie Sims

DrSportsFan
I also don’t like Winston Justice

DrSportsFan
Big ups to whoever decided to give out complimentary cheesesteaks at Plum Crazy today. Real big ups!

DrSportsFan
Fuckin Akers

DrSportsFan
Thank you, Andy Reid, for pulling Winston Justice. Thank you very much

DrSportsFan
Of course Celek stepped out of bounds. That makes 7 points left off the scoreboard. Argh

DrSportsFan
Shit make that 8 pts. Fuck

DrSportsFan
Fuck. Ass. Bitch.

DrSportsFan
Epic is how we do RT @lakerscore: i just put the game on mute and read @DrSportsFan game tweets . #epic

DrSportsFan
James “who?” Starks is the player of the game. Other than Akers, he’s been the Packer’s best player

DrSportsFan
Clayton just totally redeemed himself. The bar just went nuts because DESEAN JACKSON is back to return the punt!!!

DrSportsFan
This is it. 2010 season right here

DrSportsFan
Poor Celek. Been that kind of year for him

DrSportsFan
Poor throw. Good luck, Green Bay. I’m out

DrSportsFan
From Sr: “This is the hell that we exist in as an eagles fans.”

And finally, a guest post in the last spot:

Howard Bryant (hbryant42)
I wonder how good the Eagles would be if they had a coach who believed running the ball helps you win.

Before I begin griping, congratulations are in order for Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven on their recent enshrinement to Cooperstown. While I don’t have any firsthand knowledge of Blyleven, who was before my time, I saw plenty of Alomar. He was the best second baseman in baseball from the time I started watching baseball (1992) until an ill-fated trade to the Mets in 2002. In between, Robby went to 12 All-Star Games and five postseasons as he starred at the plate and in the field for the Blue Jays, Orioles, and Indians.

(Side note: Has anyone heard anything to the rumor that Alomar contracted AIDS? This little nugget was either extremely false or swept under the rug faster than you can say “Brett Favre sex scandal”.)

Pete Rose, though a jerk, was a Diamond King and deserves a bust with the other all-time greats in Cooperstown.

The problem is that Alomar, in spite of his greatness, doesn’t hold a candle to Pete Rose.

As you already know, Rose’s 4,256 hits rank first all-time, but he also scored 2,165 runs, and finished with a career .303 average in 24 big league seasons. Mind-boggling statistics for a sport that runs on statistics. But Rose was always worth more than an item on the stat-sheet. Nicknamed Charlie Hustle for what people would refer to now as a non-stop motor on the baseball field, Rose was a major cog in the Big Red Machine, which steamrolled the National League and later all of baseball in the 1970s, before helping Mike Schmidt and the bride’s maid Phillies of the ’70s finally win it all in 1980. (Phillies fans never forget, Pete. Even if we weren’t alive yet.)

Of course Rose wasn’t just a hustler on the baseball diamond. This is a guy that seems to be hustling people each and every day. In fact, it isn’t a reach to say that Rose might be a jerk to everyday people. He lied about betting on baseball for nearly 20 years and only came clean when, coincidentally, he was about to release a book which disclosed that fact. One could maybe overlook that correlation if he didn’t charge an arm and a leg at autograph shows across the country. If there’s a dollar to be made, Rose has no boundaries. (Imagine how much it cost some poor baseball junkie to get Rose to sign that awesome Donruss card to the right.)

I could understand the argument against Rose for his “crimes against the game” or that Hall of Fame voting should take morals into account if a certain Tyrus (Ty) Raymond Cobb, one of the true villains of baseball history and the original Hits King, weren’t a charter member of the club. Let me repeat, the Lex Luthor of the Dead-Ball Era himself was one of the first elected members into the Baseball Hall of Fame. And not only that but he also received the most votes in baseball’s inaugural class!

This is not an argument against Ty Cobb’s enshrinement but rather an argument against baseball’s high moral standard. Let’s not forget that morals tend to change over time. It was morally correct to dispute Roger Maris’ 61 home runs with a belittling asterisk next to it in the record book, it was morally correct to root on Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa as they ‘roided their way past Maris in the record books 37 years later, and it was morally correct to ban Shoeless Joe Jackson for life after the Black Sox Scandal.

When the White Sox allegedly threw the 1919 World Series, the baseball commissioner at the time made an public example out of Jackson and his accused teammates. Nevermind that a grand jury acquitted those players of any criminal charges, a “moral stand” needed to be made. Forget that Jackson was probably the best player statistically in that World Series — anyone that’s watched Field of Dreams knows that — a “moral stand” needed to be taken. Jackson died heartbroken away from the game in shame. He still cannot be elected in the Hall of Fame. Is this justice? Should the man who holds the third greatest batting average in baseball history (.356) be ignored by the great baseball historians in Cooperstown? I say no.

As much of a jerk as I’m making Rose out to be, he doesn’t deserve to be publicly humiliated anymore. The Hall of Fame is not some sterile baseball heaven; Cooperstown is a museum that honors the greatest of the game. That’s it. St. Peter is not waiting at the town gates to determine baseball players’ fates, so can we please stop pretending that he is?

I say we give an old man a reprieve so that our children (and children’s children) can remember old Charlie Hustle, one of the greatest baseball players of all time. After all, that is what Cooperstown is supposed to be about.

As the current-but-maybe-not-for-too-long head coach of the Stanford Cardinals, Harbaugh just led his troops to a championship — as he put it — and enters the offseason as the hottest head coaching candidate in both the college and professional game. As Mugatu (Will Ferrell’s character from Zoolander) would say, that Harbaugh is so hot right now.

Let’s take a look at the veritable poo-poo platter (or is it pu pu platter?) that Harbaugh has right now in front of him:

Stanford University

Joe Paterno. Bo Schembechler. Tom Osborne. These are some of the greatest head coaching names in college football history, and a big reason why is because each became a legend at one particular college. On the other hand, leaving a good situation also got Bobby Petrino, Rich Rodriguez, and Nick Saban (though he recovered) some flack after flopping at their next head coaching gig.

Loyalty could do Jim Harbaugh well, but it looks like this Stanford tree will likely spread its roots elsewhere.

The University of Michigan

The Big House. Bo Schembechler. Traditional helmets and uniforms. Most wins all-time. Yes, Michigan is one of the most prestigious college football programs in the nation. Imagine 100,000 fans erupting as you lead the Wolverines to victory over Ohio State with an undefeated record. That’s a fine way to spend a Saturday afternoon in the fall. Plus the twice aforementioned Schembechler, whom his father was an assistant coach for at Michigan, is Harbaugh’s coaching idol. And oh yeah, Harbaugh is a Michigan alum.

Who says you can’t go home? My guess: Jim Harbaugh. If loyalty to his first program in college football isn’t enough to keep him in Northern California, should we expect him be loyal to his alma mater? No, it’s more likely that Harbaugh will he chase his brother’s shadow into the big leagues.

San Francisco 49ers

Think about it: His older brother, John — who never equalled his skill on the football field — has been a top-notch coach in the NFL for over a decade (his first experience as one of the best Special Teams Coordinators in Philly). Jim is young and bright in his own right, so you have to believe that he wants to prove that he can succeed in the NFL as well.

So if his destiny lies in the NFL, why not take up the coaching vacancy in your own back yard? In the 49ers, Harbaugh has one of the NFL’s most seasoned franchises where can follow in the footsteps of Bill Walsh, one of the all-time greats, and build a new winning legacy in the Bay Area. San Francisco fans would love to have both a smart and inspirational coach (instead of just inspirational), and Harbaugh wouldn’t even need to put his house up on the market. Everything makes sense except for the fact that the 49ers have the wrong Urban Meyer disciple at quarterback.

Denver Broncos

Now this makes sense for all of the right reasons. Tim Tebow, not yet damaged goods like Alex Smith, is a young and maleable quarterback that Harbaugh can groom towards NFL stardom. In Andrew Luck, Harbaugh proved that he can harness the talent of a mobile quarterback — although Luck’s raw QB skills/mechanics are far beyond Tebow at this stage of development. With Harbaugh as his sheppard, could Tebow be herded into a younger, more fullback-like Michael Vick crown-prince in waiting? Factor in Stanford alum John Elway in the front office, and logically, this looks like Harbaugh’s best move.

The only problem with the Harbaugh-to-Denver choice is that loyalty factor is a bit low here. So maybe something is missing…

Carolina Panthers

Andrew Luck.

Harbaugh to Carolina is probably not happening. Still though wouldn’t this be a great story: head coach follows his starting quarterback from college to the pros? I like it, and you know Carolina Panthers fans would like it. Still though, unlikely. More unlikely: A bored sports columnist writes a column that predicts exactly where Harbaugh will end up this offseason.

It would be wise to think long and hard (that’s what she said) about this decision. For every Schembechler (who jumped from Miami of Ohio to Michigan), there are 20 Rich Rodriguezes; and for every Jimmy Johnson, there are 20 Dennis Ericksons. The reality is that it’s probably easier to become a legend at one college program than to win a Super Bowl in the NFL, which also happens to be where the money will be many times greater. JoePa made the right call staying put all these years, but then again, so did Jimmy Johnson when he left the college ranks to work for Jerry Jones. In the end, it’s not the decision that will not define his legacy but rather his success — or lack of there of — that will define him.

Of course, strike while the iron is hot, but I would strike wisely — for the good of your career — if I were you, Jim Harbaugh.