Yesterday, Directv called and offered what seemed to be a huge deal. I’ll spare you the details but suffice to say, I managed to procure the NFL Sunday Ticket, their premium channel lineups (everything) for the low, low price of plus $6.00/month to my existing bill. What the …?

I signed up immediately.

Unsure if I’d actually landed a deal, I called two days later to check on the status of the order. A customer service rep named “Adam” confirmed the details and confirmed the price. All was good. Furthermore, when I tried to sign up for the Super Fan package (which provides HD games and the RedZone) Adam said, “You’re gonna like this…” and went on to explain Directv received so many complaints from customers saying the extra $100 for the NFL Sunday Ticket in HD was a rip-off (my words), they did away with it, now the entire package is one price. So, recapping, I get to enjoy not only the entire NFL season in HD, but also can enjoy all the premium channels as well for the next 5-months. Fair warning, if you forget to cancel the package, you’ll automatically continue with the premium package at a premium price so put that date in your phone and stay on it. Now I just need to repair/replace my receiver so I can enjoy the movies and sports action in full surround sound. One step at a time…

I found the international game of football (soccer) to be ponderous and cumbersome. I realized, with some pain, that a single referee cannot arbitrate the entire pitch and is forced to make calls up to 40 yards away — many of them bad. I saw players dramatically exaggerating injures to earn possession or an opportunity to have a crack at goal. I witnesses sideline referees miss call after call regarding on-side, a critical component of the game. And sadly, I saw the ball cross the line in the England v. Germany game but it wasn’t called a goal. And FIFA continues to refuse to use any technology to assist in making those difficult calls.

I contrast soccer to other sports and conclude something is missing. In an NFL football game there are seven refs and replay technology for critical calls. In a baseball game you find four umpires with video tech for home runs. In basketball, there are three refs with access to technology for final shots. Hell, even in tennis, a playing surface roughly 10 times smaller than a soccer pitch, you have six officials (at every game) plus service technology for balls in and out.

In all cases, the purpose of these officials is to ensure the game is settled on the playing surface, not based upon a “controversial” call by the referee. FIFA needs to shed the bonds of history and tradition, and focus upon actually cleaning up the game to ensure the players determine the outcome.

With the Tiger Woods situation being played again and again in the popular media, I found myself sitting on the fence as to my opinion of his conduct. Initially, I was quite annoyed at his personal behavior — as is my right — but thought if he took the entire year off, worked on his personal conduct and focus on his family, then I would respect a decision where he sacrificed a year of his golf life to rectify his image.  But no…

Tiger chose to return to Augusta and play in the first major of the season. I’ve watched his respective, clearly sincerely apologetic, press conferences and have been marginally impressed. He seems sincere and genuinely introspective but I still wanted him to sacrifice something on the altar of the golf gods. He chose not to.

Unsure if I was going to pull for or against him, I tuned into Saturday’s third-round action to see what was up. It took me all of 30 seconds to begin pulling against Tiger and smiling when he missed a short par putt. Though the action of the weekend isn’t over, I would have to say I’m pulling for the field rather than the spectacular return of Tiger.

But this year’s British Open was something different. Tom Watson, one of golf’s elder statesmen was leading the championship after three rounds and seventeen holes. Arriving at the 18th tee, he needed a par for victory and I was pulling for him with everything I had. I could taste a potential victory. Watson would become the oldest person to win a major, ever. His image would grace every sports magazine and website for months as people revelled in his victory but fate had other ideas.

He missed a 4-foot putt on the 18th to push himself into a playoff with Stuart Cink. At the conclusion of the 4-hole playoff, Watson was a full six shots behind the winner and I’m telling you, it was difficult to watch. I’m sure I, like so many others, saw a guy we all respected, a guy who deserved another championship, just become unable to execute down the stretch. I’m sure the pundits will diagnose his swing, his demeanor, his nuance and even his replacement hip as potential cause but that doesn’t interest me. I’m grateful to have watched Tom Watson fight over the course for the last four days. Though I desparately hoped he would claim his fifth British Open, I wish I could shake his hand, tell him thank you for the memories and maybe even ask him for a lesson or three. Tom Watson is a class act.

Watching the US Open, hosted at Bethpage Black in New York, was a wonderful event. Though some of the early action was rained out, the weekend and the final Monday round was brilliant. Even though I was actively pulling for Mickleson (due to his wife’s recent cancer diagnosis and him being an all-around nice guy) and Duval (how can you not root for this underdog?), I was pretty impressive with Lucas Glover, the eventual winner by two strokes over Mickleson and Duval.

In the second major on the PGA tour this year, Glover kept it together and managed to squeak out a rock solid victory. Meanwhile, his playing partner, Barnes, succumbed to the pressure and lost his game amidst the constant cameras, the huge crowds, and multiple wayward shots. I have to hand it to Glover, he held his mud in the pressure cooker of the US Open and earned his victory. Well done.

For my money, I’m thinking Clemens did it. I think he used, I think he improved, and I think the record books favor him because he cheated. I would say the same thing about Barry Bonds. Clemens cheated to satisfy his thirst for perfection, to satiate his ego, and to do something a mere mortal cannot. He used a substance, which at the time wasn’t against the rules, but now is. His legacy is tarnished and it should be. His slow response to the original accusations was a red flag, and I’m not buying the tale his PR firm, his attorneys, and his crisis team are spinning.

In the long run, I believe we will see McNamee’s story vindicated and Clemens may be charged with perjury. Yet another reason I don’t roll with baseball. Football is king, long live the king!

Now we begin the loooooong slog until the NFL College Draft in late April. A few more months and we face the mini-camps, and finally training camps in July. It is going to be a while but meanwhile, I may venture outside to get some sun on my face. Wait, we always have golf to keep me entertained!

Tom Brady and the Patriots had a chance to do the impossible. To complete a 19-0 season, winning every game on the schedule, and them some. Bill Belichick, coach of the Patriots, can scheme and game plan like few others. Surely, with two weeks of prep, the Patriots could wither and strangle the Giants while placing Eli Manning back where he belonged: on the outside looking in. But not so fast.

In a game which was a mostly defensive struggle, the Patriots also struggled. The Giants defense was inspired and came after Brady with reckless abandon. Rushed, hurried, thumped, and sacked, Brady began to hear footsteps and suddenly it was the Giants who appeared to have taken advantage of a two-week game plan. Not including sacks, Brady was knocked off his feet 18 times. The Giants defense was unrelenting.

But inspiration came from the Giants offense as well. Though not spectacular, Eli Manning got it done. The opening drive of the game set a tone few had expected, as the Giants moved 65 yards, on 16 plays, and settled on a field goal. The Patriots answered with a touchdown but from that point forward, the Giants defense confused, befuddled, and harassed the Patriots.

In the end, the Giants managed the impossible. They soundly beat the Patriots and will go down in history as the only team that beat the 18-0 titan, but the Giants beat the Patriots when it mattered most. Superbowl XLII belonged to the New York Giants, and they absolutely deserved it. And for the record, the MVP should have been the Giants front-four, if not the entire defense.

Superbowl 42 will either be the crowning acheivement of the Patriots season, or be the one that got away. The New England Patriots, the only team in NFL history to 18-0, could do what the ’72 Dolphins actually finished: They completed the perfect season, won the Superbowl, and sailed off into the sunset. But the Patriots could accomplish the same feat; however, their achievement would be much more impressive. Due to free agency, there are very few dynasties anymore. Teams just don’t retain talent like they used to. With the ebb and flow of players, moving from one team to the next, lured by larger contracts and more prominent roles, owners and coaches find it near impossible to maintain collections of elite-level players. But the Patriots are the exception to that philosophy, given their three league championships in the last few years.

Standing in their way the New York Giants, a team that could arguably be playing better football than the Patriots right now. With a solid, if not dangerous defense, a solid stable of running backs, and wide receivers who are game-savvy, the only real question mark for the Giants has to be the quarterback position. Eli Manning has been the model of inconsistency over the last few years. Many wonder who will show up during a given week. Eli has shown flashes of brilliance, but also some moments of sheer lunacy. Until week 10 of this season, that question still remained. But something turned this team, and Eli, around. If he plays to his potential in his biggest game to date then the impossible may happen. The New York football Giants may win the National Football League’s biggest prize.

Until today, I was unsure who I was rooting for in the Superbowl. Truthfully, I would like to see the Patriots do the impossible, but only for selfish reason: so I can say I was there, I saw the perfect season, I witnessed (via remote) the impossible. But the Giants story is compelling, and their inspiration is, well, inspiring.

On week two of the NFL season, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Greg Gadson spoke to the players, and has been with the team since. Elected as an honorary captain for several games this season, he is special person to the players and coaches this season. But he is unknown outside the immediate team family: U.S. Army Lt. Col. Greg Gadson, who lost both of his legs in May when an IED (improvised explosive device) detonated while he was serving in Iraq. Gadson spoke to the Giants prior to their victory in Washington in September and continues to be a source of inspiration. Players understand their role in the game is simply that: a game. Gadson, on the other hand, has been to the worst place a man can be, and has been humble in his association with the Giants. A compelling story indeed.

So, whether it be the Patriots completing the perfect season, or Giants, inspired by a humble hero, I’m hoping for a good game. I’ll be pulling for the Giants to do the impossible, but if the Patriots win, that will be just fine.

It wasn’t the Chargers, they were busted and too broken. It wasn’t the Packers, because they don’t have a defense that could keep up with the Patriots onslaught. Yes, the Giants, their incredible pass-rush, and an newly inspired confidence from Eli Manning, and we may actually have a game. Maybe. Perhaps. Kinda.