HOF Predictions

Before the big game on Sunday, we have Hall of Fame Saturday. Tomorrow, the Pro Football Hall of Fame voters will gather in Dallas and decide who is getting in this year. Here is a list of the finalists-

Jerome Bettis- RB
Tim Brown- WR
Cris Carter- WR
Dermontti Dawson- C
Richard Dent- DE
Chris Doleman- DE
Marshall Faulk- RB
Charles Haley- DE
Chris Hanburger- LB
Cortez Kennedy- DT
Curtis Martin- RB
Andre Reed- WR
Les Richter- LB
Willie Roaf OT
Ed Sabol- Founder NFL Films
Deion Sanders CB/KR
Shannon Sharpe TE

The maximum size for a class is 7- 5 modern candidates and 2 Senior Committee candidates (Hanburger and Richter). Here is my 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class-

- Cris Carter, WR, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins
- Marshall Faulk, Running Back, Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams
- Chris Hanburger, Linebacker, Washington Redskins
- Les Richter, Linebacker, Los Angeles Rams
- Ed Sabol, Founder/President/Chairman of NFL Films
- Willie Roaf, OT, New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs
- Deion Sanders, Cornerback/Kick Returner, Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens

Faulk and Primetime are shoe-ins. Hangurger and Richter are the Senior selections, who almost always get in out of respect to the Senior Committee. That leaves 3 spots. Ed Sabol made NFL Films what it is today. His contribution to preserving the history of football cannot be overstated. He is in. 2 left. Willie Roaf is an all-decade player... in 2 different decades. First team 1990s, 2nd team 2000s. He should be a first ballot HOFer. And that leaves 1.

Shannon Sharpe is one of the best tight ends of all time. Andre Reed, Cris Carter and Tim Brown are three of the best wide receivers of all time. Jerome Bettis and Curtis Martin are two of the best running backs of all time. There are a bunch of deserving defensive players left. I think that the voters will put in a WR because they know of the log-jam at the position. I think that the voters will elect Carter, though I would put in Tim Brown if I had my vote. Carter has the platform of ESPN to campaign, and has all of his coworkers at that network pushing for his induction. Apologies to Andre Reed and all those Bills fans out there. He won't get in until Brown and Carter are in. The numbers aren't there. Enjoy the vote, and congrats to the men who will get in tomorrow.

Super Bowl Halftime Shows

During halftime of this year's Super Bowl, we will all get the honor of listening to the Black Eyed Peas do some weird dance/hip hop number that will be instantly forgotten once the second half starts. So, in honor of this, I thought I would share my Top 3 Super Bowl Halftime Shows. They all came from real musicians, and involved no wardrobe malfunctions, no scandal, and no pop collaborations of 18 different artists. Just great music.

#3- Prince, Super Bowl LXI, 2007
"Purple Rain" in the rain. Need I say more?




#2- Sir Paul McCartney, Super Bowl XXXIX, 2005
Quite possibly the best performer of all time, with some of the best songs of all time, and the Hey Jude ending was classic (see below). I know I was singing along the entire performance.





#1- U2, Super Bowl XXXVI, 2002
The first Super Bowl following the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. The performance was amazing, and adding too it with the tribute to all those that lost their lives puts this easily as the greatest and most meaningful Super Bowl halftime show ever. I only wish that the love Bono called for actually existed in this country. How soon after this moment of unity, with the band playing on a heart-shaped stage and pleading for love in honor of those we lost, did we return to petty squabbling, infighting and political disunion? It should not take a national tragedy for us to respect, coexist with and love each other, but it seems those are the only times anyone cares about their fellow man. A terrorist attack, an attempted political assassination, a mass murder for no reason. It is only in the brief wake of these heinous moments that we see the best of America, and a few guys from Ireland helped show that unity on an international stage.




Top that, Black Eyed Peas.

Super Bowl Prop Bets by ESPN

Confession- normally, I cannot stand the show Sports Nation. Really, it is Chris Cowherd. He is an idiot. He has an amazing bias towards the West Coast, and unfairly criticizes people who have done nothing wrong. One local example is that he said John Wall will never be an effective leader because he never knew his father. Right. Because Bill Clinton failed miserably based on his dad abandoning him. So, I hate Cowherd, and his show (with the attractive and entertaining Michelle Beadle) loses one viewer based just on him.

Nevertheless, the Sports Nation writers occasionally come up with some good columns or polls, and today's is proof. They take a look at some of the crazy prop bets that get associated with the Super Bowl. I know from experience that some folks are willing to bet on anything, including the over/under on the length of the National Anthem (sorry Pete, but Billy Joel was in the rain. Should have checked the weather report and assumed he would go faster. See below).



So I give you a link to SN's prop bets, and invite you to participate. I also give you the real prop bets, provided by BoDog, for the event/teams and individual players. Some of them are quite outlandish. Enjoy!

The Guardian Project

The NHL and Marvel Comics just revealed "The Guardian Project", which has given every team their very own super hero. Some of them look pretty stupid (I AM TALKING ABOUT YOU, PITTSBURGH!). Others, including the Capitals thankfully, don't look half bad. No idea why they have done this, but at least it is something fun to blog about. Have a look at The Capital here:





You can check out his bio and more by heading to The Guardian Project website.

Tampa Bay Flash.. I Mean Lightening...

So the Tampa Bay Lightening have introduced a new color scheme and jersey layout for next season. Why they did this now, while they are still playing this season, is beyond me. Have a look:



I think the only question now is- can DC Comics sue for intellectual property violations? Granted, they are different colors, but that looks awfully close to the colors of one Barry Allen, aka The Flash. Am I wrong? I don't think so. It might be appropriate, because Martin St. Louis has always been one of the fastest guys in the NHL. What do you think about the new uniforms?

Pandering for More Hits

It has come to my attention that relatively few people actually read this blog. That's fine, since it was started more as a way for me to get my sports thoughts down than anything else. But still, it would be nice to have more followers and views. So, I now ask of you, my faithful readers: What do you want me to write about? Should I bring back Facial Hair Friday? Are there other gimmicks or stories you would want me to comment on. Let your voice be heard, so that I may better and more effectively keep your attention and your readership.

Musings

Well, I have missed a few weeks of sports, so here are some thoughts:

- Very glad the Packers, one of my picks, made it to the Super Bowl. I will be rooting for them. I wish the Steelers hadn't beaten the Ravens, but they shut up the Jets so I can't be that sad.

- I will give a more in-depth Super Bowl preview later next week.

- The Wizards still haven't won on the road. They have to at some point, right?

- The Nationals report in a few weeks. I think they can finish ahead of the Mets, possibly the Marlins. I think they can, but don't believe they will. And yet I bought season tickets...

- Syracuse basketball started out 18-0. It was fantastic. They have since lost their last 3 games by double digits. Not sure what is going on there. They will make the tournament, of course, but the chances of a 2 seed in the East, which would give them 2 opening round games here in DC, are quickly slipping away. We need to find a consistent shooter.

- The Capitals are hot and cold, and it is difficult to watch them at times. I don't believe they can go to the Finals. Hopefully I am wrong, but I won't be surprised if they lose in the first round. I also don't like their chances to win the South East with Tampa playing like they are.

- The NFL awards are coming out after the season, and I obviously don't have a vote, but I think that the offense rookie award needs to go to either St. Louis' Sam Bradford or Tampa's Mike Williams. Williams' teammate LeGarrett Blount should get some consideration also, as should Colt McCoy.

- The Pro Football Hall of Fame announcement the day before the Super Bowl, I will talk about that also. Faulk, Primetime and possibly the Bus are ins. Curtis Martin, a WR, and at least one lineman (either side of the ball) will be in also. Ray Guy won't be. I object.

Can't think of anything else right now, but when I do I will make sure to post it. Have a good evening.