SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS (again)!!!!!

Pictured:  The San Francisco Giants celebrate their second World Series championship in three years.

I know, I know.  If there was a time to update the blog, it's after my favorite baseball team wins the World Series.  However, don't take that as meaning I was any less excited about it.

I have to say... it's really, really awesome to see the Giants win another World Series title.  It's really cool to rack up another championship and now be able to say that I have seen my team win two of them.

This year's World Champion San Francisco Giants took a bit of different road than in 2010.  The 2010 version was in a dogfight in the regular season down to the very last day, when they finally beat the San Diego Padres to clinch the division (in one of my all-time favorite games).  That team played some tightly contested playoff games, but never came across an elimination game.

The 2012 version did it differently.  They clinched the West with a win over the Padres again, but it wasn't San Diego that was chasing them.  And it also came with several games to go in the regular season.  The playoffs, however, were not easy with the Giants successfully staving off six elimination games before sweeping the Detroit Tigers in the World Series.

There were so many great moments and games for Giants fans, but I'll focus on a few games that I particularly enjoyed.   Game 5 of the Division Series in Cincinnati is one for the ages for me just because of how intense that bottom of the 9th inning was.  Everything was on the line and Sergio Romo was in to try and close it down.  The Reds, however, had scored one run already to trim what had earlier in the game been a 6-0 deficit to 6-4.  Plus, they had 2 runners on base, meaning a home run would end the Giants' season (I was very aware of this as I watched).

With one out, Romo faced Reds slugger Jay Bruce who just kept fouling off pitch after pitch after pitch.  Just the anticipation for each pitch was beyond intense.  And to have so many fouled off in a row was quite something.  Thankfully Romo got Bruce to fly out to left field and struck out Scott Rolen to end it.

I also really enjoyed Barry Zito erasing the painful ghosts of years past with the Giants by going 7 2/3 shutout innings in Game 5 in St. Louis with Giants trailing the Cardinals 3 games to 1.  I've been a Zito fan for a while; he seems like a good guy and to try his best so it was really awesome to see him pitch so well on such a big stage.  It was also nice to see him outpitch Justin Verlander in Game 1 of the World Series.

Of course Game 4 of the World Series was a joy to watch.  It's less stressful when your team is up 3 games to none, but it's still a game you'd like to see your team win.  In what was a very entertaining back-and-forth game, the Giants pulled it out in 10 innings.  One of my favorite things to see was the joy on Buster Posey's face after strike three was called (of course all the guys wearing orange and black seemed to be pretty happy, too).  That's what it's all about, right there.  All hail the World Champion San Francisco Giants!

American League playoff races

The baseball playoff races are heating up, particularly in the American League, which I will take a look at here.  The Athletics (88-67) have come up with two huge wins the last two nights in Texas against the Rangers (91-64), especially with the Angels (85-69) breathing down their necks.  We're talking two big road wins with the season winding down against the two-time reigning American League Champions.  The A's are just a half-game behind the Orioles (89-67) for the top Wild Card spot.  I don't want to jinx things, but it looks like the A's have what it takes to get to the play-in game.  And don't look now, but if they win tomorrow afternoon against Texas, they may have a chance to make things interesting in the AL West as well.

The Rays (85-70) have won seven straight to remain in the race.  Their saving grace is that they have three games at home against the Orioles next week to close the season.  The Yankees (90-65) aren't out of the woods yet, but the bet here is that they will win the American League East, leaving the A's and Orioles in the play-in game (hard to see Tampa Bay getting a sweep of Baltimore, which is what they may need).  But, there sure are a lot of teams in the chase even at this late juncture. 

Though it should still be interesting to see what happens, I still oppose the second Wild Card being added.  I like that it should be harder to make the playoffs and that the regular season was still a reward.  Although, on the plus side, I think baseball's regular season is still the least watered down in all of sports (though this doesn't make it okay in my book to water it down more).

The AL Central is going down to the wire as well.  The White Sox (82-73) appear to be fading at the wrong time and now trail the Tigers (83-72) by one game after leading the division by a few games not that long ago.  This thing is far from over, but the Sox need to turn it around now.  I think the Tigers now have the momentum, not to mention a talent advantage and will win the division by a slight margin.  Detroit would be a very dangerous team in the playoffs, with Justin Verlander at the top of the rotation and a middle of the lineup that features Miguel Cabrera (still a realistic chance to be the first player to win the Triple Crown since 1967) and Prince Fielder.

24-21

Utah (2-1) defeated #25 BYU (2-1) tonight 24-21 at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.  It was one of the craziest finishes to a game I have ever seen.  It was even a little crazy for a Utah-BYU game.  I thought the last minute was a combination of past rivalry games.  You had BYU converting on 4th and long from deep in their own territory.  You had a blocked field goal.  And then after that, you had a field goal bounce off the upright.  It really is amazing that you could have that many things like that happen again.


I think it's fair to say that BYU had a fair shot to win the game and that Utah won it fair and sqaure.  For that I am glad.  I guess that's the main thing at this point.  I am happy for the Utes!

Thoughts on Utah's football opener

I attended the Utah-Northern Colorado game last Thursday evening.  The Utes (1-0) won 41-0. Northern Colorado (0-1) isn't a very good team at all.  Not only are they an FCS (formerly I-AA) team, they went 0-11 last year.  So, there isn't too much that can be gleaned from the game.

That being said, there were a few things that I noticed.  Junior Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn didn't look all that impressive.  Most of the pass patterns looked pretty basic and I'm sure that was largely due to the opponent and not wanting to put too many complex plays on film for future opponents to study.  Wynn made most of those throws, but again they were pretty basic plays.  Wynn's interception on a deep ball was pretty concerning; I'm sure I'm not alone in wondering about his ability to throw it deep. 

For now, though, I think the Utes need to give Wynn the shot to prove he can make the plays necessary to win.  If he can't after a few games, then I think the coaches can re-evaluate.

Senior John White looked solid again at running back and the defense looked stifling.  It's tough to read too much into one game against a very poor opponent.  However, I think White and the defense will again each be very good.  Those will be keys to the season.

The kicker position looks anything but certain at this point.  Senior Coleman Petersen is the returning starter after a shaky finish to last season.  Petersen missed three field goals (including one that would have tied the game with mere seconds to play) in an embarrassing 17-14 home loss to Colorado to end the regular season.  He also barely snuck in the tying extra point late in the 4th quarter against Georgia Tech in the Sun Bowl -- a play that nearly gave me a heart attack (thankfully he made it and the Utes went on to win in overtime).

Petersen did not look extremely impressive on Thursday.  He missed an extra point and a chip shot 27 yard field goal.  Right now he simply can't be relied on late in a close game.  I hope he looks better as the season goes on, but at this point I hope the game doesn't come down to his foot.

The competition gets a lot tougher for the Utah this week.  The Utes travel north to Logan to face in-state rival Utah State (1-0) this Friday night.  The start time for that one is 6 p.m. MT.  The game can be seen on ESPN2.  The Utes have won 12 straight over the Aggies, but this appears to be a different Utah State program than in past years.  I expect it will be a competitive game, but the pick here is that the Utes win this one by 7 in what will likely be their last trip to Logan for the foreseeable future.

Matt Cain throws first perfect game in Giants history

Tonight Matt Cain threw the first perfect game in Giants history and just the 22nd in the history of baseball.  This was the first time (as far as I can remember) that I've ever watched a perfect game from start to finish and wow.  You just don't anticipate something like this happening when you turn on a game because, well, this was only the 22nd perfect game ever.

The Giants beat the Houston Astros 10-0 tonight and Cain was awesome right from the start, as you would imagine.  It's always something special to witness something like a no-hitter or a perfect game.  When it's your favorite team -- well, it's hard to use words to describe.  When the game got to the sixth or seventh inning, I had a nervous anxiousness with every pitch that Cain threw.  I wanted this to happen so badly and knew that opportunities like this don't come around every day.

In the 8th or 9th inning, I remarked to my wife that I hadn't been this nervous watching a Giants game since the 2010 World Series run.  The whole thing took on a playoffs sort of feel -- in a sense it was different because each pitch meant so much.  If even one thing were to go wrong -- a walk, a hit batter, an error defensively, and of course a hit -- the perfect game would be no more.  That's what makes it such an amazing achievement.  And I think that's what contributes to players and fans, myself included, being so happy when it does happen.

Of course there were a pair of nice defensive plays made, including an incredible catch by Gregor Blanco.  That just adds to it all.  I feel like I had to at least mention that.  What a great night.  

Cain is one of my favorite players.  In fact, I have a Cain jersey in my closet that I will be wearing tomorrow.  The script couldn't have been better than for a workhorse like Cain to throw the first perfect game in franchise history.  Awesome!

LA Kings on fire; MLB drug policy needs work

Here are some thoughts on what has been going on in sports as of late:

- First off, the Los Angeles Kings are really tearing through the NHL Playoffs.  I'm not sure when the last time they even made the playoffs was and this year they got in as an 8-seed.  Then, they caught fire, first taking care of the Vancouver Canucks, who had the NHL's best regular season record, 4 games to 1.  Then, they swept the 2-seed in the West, the St. Louis Blues.  And now they hold a 2 games to none lead on the Phoenix Coyotes in the Western Conference Finals.  I'm not sure how it all went down, but I don't ever remember a team dominating the NHL Playoffs like this before, let alone an 8-seed.

- I thought it was interesting that Major League Baseball recently fired the arbitrator who overturned Ryan Braun's 50 game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs.  To me, and apparently many other people (as evidenced by the boos Braun has been receiving on the road this year), Braun appeared to get off on a technicality.  I thought baseball was getting to the point of being really effective in their drug penalties, but it appears they still have a ways to go.  It doesn't help that another player, Eliezer Alfonzo, just had a 100-game suspension (read: 2nd time offender here) overturned for what appears to be a similar technicality.

If baseball wants to be taken seriously, stuff like this just can't continue to happen.  If a player tests positive, he should be suspended.  Period.  Players should not be able to get off on technicalities such as the ones we have witnessed where the question is when the sealed urine samples were sent to the lab.  I'm no scientist, but it seems to me if the samples remain sealed, then the tests wouldn't be compromised.  Baseball needs to make sure this sort of thing absolutely never happens again.

Granted, the drug-testing policy is a lot better than it has been in the past, but it still isn't where it needs to be.  Along with the above-mentioned changes, MLB needs to lengthen the suspensions.  In my view, this is such a serious problem that a first positive test should warrant suspension for an entire season.  I'm all for a lifetime ban on a second positive test as well, but I suppose you could go three years for a second test and a lifetime ban for a third test, thus maintaining a three strikes and you're out philosophy in baseball.

MLB Picks

First, check out the post below for an update on some Barry Zito happenings today in Denver. Cool stuff. Now, I know the season is a few days old, so sue me if you think I could have gained significant extra gleanings from this, but here are my obligatory baseball picks for 2012:

AL East:
1. Yankees
2. Rays
3. Red Sox
4. Blue Jays
5. Orioles

AL Central:
1. Tigers
2. Royals
3. Indians
4. Twins
5. White Sox

AL West:
1. Rangers
2. Angels
3. Athletics
4. Mariners

AL Wild Cards: Rays, Angels

NL East:
1. Phillies
2. Braves
3. Nationals
4. Marlins
5. Mets

NL Central:
1. Cardinals
2. Reds
3. Brewers
4. Pirates
5. Cubs
6. Astros

NL West:
1. Giants
2. Diamondbacks
3. Dodgers
4. Rockies
5. Padres

NL Wild Cards: Diamondbacks, Reds

Playoff seedings:
AL: Rangers, Yankees, Tigers, Rays (over Angels in Wild Card Game)
NL: Phillies, Cardinals, Giants, Diamondbacks (over Reds in Wild Card Game)

First Round Playoff results:
Rangers over Rays, Tigers over Yankees, Phillies over Diamondbacks, Giants over Cardinals

LCS results:
Rangers over Tigers, Phillies over Giants

World Series:
Rangers over Phillies

So there you have it. I'm on the record now. Hopefully it's all Giants this year, though.

Zito goes the distance in Denver

Pictured: Barry Zito gets a hug from catcher Hector Sanchez after throwing a complete game shutout against the Rockies in Denver on Monday.

Can I just say that I was extremely thrilled to see Giants pitcher Barry Zito throw a complete game shutout today against the Rockies? Nobody could have seen that coming (I don't think Zito could have even seen that even if he expected to pitch well).

Zito has been much maligned since signing a 7 year, $126 million contract prior to the 2007 season. In my view, it hasn't been from lack of heart or effort. Things just haven't gone his way for the most part. It felt good to see him have some success today. I hope it's the start of more good things to come. I've always kind of been a fan of Zito, dating back to his days with the Athletics, so it was a good day for me to see him have some success.

Last night I read a quote from Zito following the Giants getting swept in Arizona to open the season saying something like "I look forward to picking the boys up tomorrow." Notice that the quote wasn't "Hopefully I'll turn it around for the team tomorrow," or "Hopefully I'll be able to give the guys a chance to win." Even as a Zito fan, I thought that his comments were perhaps a bit too optimistic after the struggles he's had the past five seasons since moving across the bay to San Francisco and particularly in light of the rough Spring Training he had. But I also thought it was good that he still has confidence in himself. And today, Zito turned in his best start since putting on the orange and black. Hopefully he'll be able to contribute to this team all season long.

NCAA Tournament update

Well, the NCAA Tournament is through its opening weekend. The "2nd and 3rd Rounds" were completed. They really just need to stop calling them that, it just confuses everybody. Only eight teams play before the so-called second round. Just call them the Round of 64 and Round of 32 if you don't want to offend the first eight teams (not the "First Four" as there are eight teams, unlike the Final Four, which only has four teams).

All these errors aside, it was an exciting weekend of basketball. I still think Kentucky is the favorite, although I'm hoping that somehow, someway they can be beat. North Carolina would have been my front-runner until Kendall Marshall got injured Sunday against Creighton. So, my thought is that Ohio State and Michigan State probably have the best chance at it of the teams remaining. Florida has also played very impressively so far, but I'm not sure if they can keep it up. We'll see, stayed tuned this weekend as the Sweet Sixteen gets trimmed down to the Final Four.

Thoughts on the bracket

Well, the NCAA Tournament is almost upon us. The brackets have been released and the play-in games start Tuesday (I don't care what people say, they are play-in games). Now, for my review of the bracket.

I don't think there's too much to gripe about regarding the four #1 seeds. And really, as Kansas' Bill Self, Michigan State's Tom Izzo and Missouri's Frank Haith were saying, it's not really a big deal whether you are a 1 or 2 (although I guess it's kind of cool to say you are a #1 seed, that in itself doesn't win you a trip to the Final Four or a National Championship). As Charles Barkley also said today, getting a top seed really only gets you a better deal for the first game. After that, pretty much any team can beat any other on a given day if the circumstances break right.

The most compelling discussion at this point is breaking down who should have gotten in and who should have been left out. I don't have an issue with BYU getting in, although I was surprised at a #14 seed -- I cannot remember an at-large team ever receiving such a low seed.

I was shocked that Colorado received a #11 seed, much higher than what I anticipated. If we are to actually believe that they wouldn't have been in if they hadn't beaten Arizona in the Pac-12 Tournament Championship yesterday (which I firmly believe), they should have been more like a #13 seed, a #12 seed at best (which still would have been a bit generous in my book).

Anyway, my point is that if Colorado, the sixth-place team in the Pac-12, is deserving of a #11 seed, then surely, the conference regular season champion, Washington, is deserving of at least a #11 seed (and inclusion in the Tournament). California absolutely deserved a better seed than Colorado as well, because after all they were the second-place team in the Pac-12.

Look, I'm not saying Washington necessarily deserved to get in, but logic states that if Colorado's an 11, Washington should be in. Colorado belonged more as a #13 seed. I could see that with Cal as an 11 or 12 (not in the play-in game, mind you) and Washington getting left out. That would be logical. But what happened is simply not logical.

Also, I'm surprised Iona got in. I would have taken Drexel over them every single day of the week. Drexel had a long winning streak in a good league and a good record. I don't think the CAA gets enough respect. Iona's profile just doesn't measure up to Drexel's. But, that's cool for them that they got in, I guess.

Fact is, teams like Washington had chances to get in and didn't capitalize. I don't feel as bad for them. I do feel bad for Drexel, as they didn't have as many chances at "quality" wins. But, I guess they should have beaten VCU to make sure they got in. Still, it's a downer they didn't get in. They looked like a good team watching them against VCU last Monday.

Runnin' Utes have progressed

It was nice to see Utah get a win in their final home game of the season after having such a rough year. The Utes knocked off a Stanford team that has won 19 games this year.

I remember when I was watching Utah get pounded by Boise State at the start of the season, analyst Joe Cravens remarked that when he used to coach against Larry Krystkowiak in the Big Sky that Krystkowiak's teams always seemed to be getting better. Cravens also said that there was no doubt in his mind that Krystkowiak was the right guy for the job at Utah.

I remember having my doubts at the time because the Runnin' Utes looked really bad that night in Boise. However, I will say that despite the lack of talent on this year's team, Utah has gotten better throughout the season. Also, they have been playing hard the last several games despite the numerous losses.

It seems that the future is probably bright for the Utes under Larry Krystkowiak. I'm excited for next season and for the end of this season. Utah is at Oregon State tomorrow night at 8 p.m. MT.

Carlon Brown returns to Utah

Utah (5-20, 2-11 Pac-12) hosts Colorado (17-8, 9-4 Pac-12) today at 3 p.m. MT on FSN and Root Sports affiliates. The big story in this one is that Colorado senior Carlon Brown will be returning to the Huntsman Center after spending his first three seasons of eligibility at Utah. Brown transferred after his junior season after a number of run-ins with then Utah coach Jim Boylen.

It's hard to know exactly what the circumstances were regarding Brown's departure, but I will say that it was apparent that he and Boylen were clearly not on the same page during Brown's junior year of 2009-2010. I remember when reading quotes after numerous games, that Brown and Boylen would say almost exactly the opposite things from each other. That's never a good sign.

Brown has said this week a number of the cliche things like he doesn't want to talk about it, it's just another game, etc. However, he has in my opinion slipped in a few things about Utah in a few of his comments. In remarks to the Deseret News, Brown said he felt he could be used better somewhere else than he was being used at Utah.

When asked about his rationale for transferring, Brown, following saying he didn't want to get into it, said that you would have to have been there to understand and used the word endure to describe film sessions. That makes me think that Boylen wasn't exactly being soft on his players. Particularly, it makes me think that Brown (and others, Marshall Henderson comes to mind) weren't very receptive to ways in which they could improve their games. It was clear watching that team that there was some disconnect and that the players didn't always buy in.

I also found it interesting that in comments to the Denver Post, Brown said he wouldn't have come to Colorado if former coach Jeff Bzdelik was still coaching the Buffaloes, saying he likes current coach Tad Boyle's system. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it sounds like Brown has a bit of his own agenda.

Granted, Brown is having a nice year, averaging almost exactly the same amount of points per game this year as he did in his junior year at Utah. He also doesn't seem like he wants to cause too much controversy in advance of today's game in Salt Lake City. However, I think his comments are telling about him as a player and also underlie some resentment toward his time at Utah.

I'm excited about the game today and it really would make this year a lot less painful for me if the Runnin' Utes could somehow pull out this game given Brown's return to the Huntsman Center. I'm hopeful the Utes can build on their encouraging performance at Arizona last Saturday.

Body of work should govern NCAA selections

I'm checking out the BracketBusters right now, presently watching #24 Wichita State (23-4, 14-2 Missouri Valley) at Davidson (20-6, 14-2 Southern) on ESPN2. I think this BracketBuster idea has really turned into a good thing, giving teams from non-BCS conferences opportunities to improve their at-large resumes toward the end of the season. A win today for Davidson would give them a very compelling at-large case, as they would add a win against a quality, ranked opponent to their early season victory over Kansas in a de facto road game in Kansas City.

As the NCAA Tournament approaches, a lot of bubble talk is abounding. I haven't read too much about it this year, but there is an issue that seems to come up annually. That issue is when a team loses without one of its top players in the line-up, it is almost given a pass with regard to earning an at-large bid or with regard to seeding.

It will be said something like, "Well, yes, Ohio State lost to Kansas, but it was on the road and they were missing Jared Sullinger." Oh, I'm sorry, but injuries are part of the game. Ohio State lost the game. Period. It should be considered with the rest of their resume. Suppose the Clippers were to finish a game out of the NBA Playoffs this year, but at the end of the season a committee were to get together and say "Well, Blake Griffin missed a number of games and so did Chris Paul, so really the Clippers were a better team than their record, so let's put them in the Playoffs ahead of someone else." How ridiculous would that be?

I get that the NCAA Tournament selection process will always be subjective and I'm fine with that. But, injuries are part of the game and only wins, losses and quality of competition, etc. should be considered. The flip side of the argument is true as well. If a team were to compile a great record with a player, but then said player were to get injured just before the Tournament, the rest of the team shouldn't be punished. The body of work should be rewarded. Injuries happen every year. It's just part of the game.

Runnin' Utes still winless on the road

The Runnin' Utes lost to Arizona State on the road tonight in a close one. First off, I could have sworn that this game started at 8:30 p.m. MT. I thought that's what I heard all week, including at the Coach's Show on Monday night. Well, it started at 6:30 MT and as a result, I didn't realize it was going on until there were about 12 minutes or so left.

I was able to watch the end via an online feed on foxsportsarizona.com. Utah looked sloppy for a little while and it just made its push too late. Kareem Storey banked in a three to make things interesting toward the end, but the Sun Devils pulled it out. Utah looks to me like it will finish the season without a road win. Next up is another road one at Arizona on Saturday at noon MT (I think), a game which will be televised on Root Sports.

9:26 p.m.: Back on here, come to think of it, they may have said 6:30 at the Coaches Show on Monday, although I may have thought was incorrect at the time. I still thought I had previously seen 8:30 on utahutes.com. I guess I will need to do better at double-checking, particularly the day of the game. Quite a frustrating situation.

Super Bowl thoughts

The New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots, 21-17, in Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday. My thoughts after this one are that the Giants definitely have the Patriots' number. I also think that there shouldn't be any more Eli Manning doubters. Manning has proved again that he is a clutch player and now he has two Super Bowl wins (both against the Patriots) and two Super Bowl MVPs. He is a great quarterback.

What a catch by Mario Manningham. The whole thing had to be eerily reminiscent of Super Bowl XLII for Patriots fans. I couldn't believe all the similarities between the two games: a great catch on the winning drive for the Giants, and a go-ahead touchdown in the final minute. I'm not a Giants fan, but it was all beautiful to me because I just can't stand the Patriots. Good stuff, I'm quite happy with how it all turned out.

Super Bowl pick

My pick for the Super Bowl is Giants 31 Patriots 28. I think both teams are good, but I think the Giants just have the "it" factor in this match-up. I think it will be a competitive game and should be fun to watch, particularly as both teams don't seem to like each other. Follow me on my Twitter handle for in-game updates and I will be back on here blogging post-game analysis. In case you didn't know, the game is scheduled to kick-off at 4:29 p.m. MT and will be broadcast on NBC.

Runnin' Utes update

The Utah Runnin' Utes got swept by the Oregon schools this weekend. The Runnin' Utes hung with Oregon and actually had led by 8 and still had the lead with 6 minutes to go, but it appeared the Utes just ran out of steam. The Ducks looked much deeper and were able to keep pressure applied to Utah, who was going with a short rotation.

Today against Oregon State, the Beavers jumped out to a double digit lead in the first half. It looked like the Utes weren't playing with enough defensive intensity and were certainly hurt by starters Kareem Storey and Dijon Farr being in foul trouble and having to sit out much of the half. The Utes were able to play with the Beavers in the second half, but just got into too big of a hole.

I think Utah could still win a couple more games this year, but they will have to play hard for 40 minutes and stay out of foul trouble. I've heard coach Larry Krystkowiak has a solid recruiting class coming in and that couple with a few key cogs returning should help the Utes be deeper and more competitive next year. Unfortunately, it's been a painful rebuilding season for Utah. The Runnin' Utes visit Arizona State next Thursday night and Arizona next Saturday.

Tim Thomas' inexcusable absence

The Boston Bruins visited the White House today to commemorate their 2011 Stanley Cup title. One prominent member of that squad was absent, however, in goaltender Tim Thomas. Thomas chose not to join his teammates at the White House as a sort of political stand.

Thomas released the following statement today on his Facebook page:

"I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People.

This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government.

Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL.

This is the only public statement I will be making on this topic. TT"

To me, this is not the time or the place for Thomas to take such a stand. He is right, he is entitled to his political beliefs. However, his stance took the spotlight off of a big day for the rest of his teammates and organization. Everyone else that I read quotes from spoke glowingly of the visit.

Regardless of how Thomas or anyone else feels about the Obama administration, going to the White House is a celebrated tradition. In my view, the only reason to boycott such an occasion is if a President were to remain in office following a Watergate-type of scandal (which I don't anticipate happening, by the way). I don't think anyone was going to assume Thomas was a Democrat just because he went to the White House with his team in celebration of winning a major championship.

Thomas certainly could have found a more appropriate avenue to voice his displeasure with President Obama and the current administration. Yes, this stands out more, but the message it sends is that Thomas considers his views more important than those of his teammates. In my view, it also paints him as delusional and out of touch with pro sports and society as a whole.

Thomas is entitled to his thoughts, but through his actions he placed himself above his teammates, which is just the latest in a long line of selfish acts by star athletes.

Late game blunders help shape Super Bowl

Kyle Williams fumbled two punt returns, both leading to crucial scores by the New York Giants, who defeated the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 in overtime yesterday at Candlestick Park to advance to the Super Bowl. The Giants will face the New England Patriots in a rematch of the 2008 Super Bowl, which was won in dramatic fashion by the Giants to end the Patriots' bid for an unbeaten season.

The Patriots defeated the Baltimore Ravens 23-20, thanks to a badly missed 32-yard field goal attempt by Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff with 11 seconds to go in the game. After having some time to settle down (I was rooting for the Ravens and the 49ers yesterday), I do feel bad for Cundiff and Williams.

But, what a way to lose. I guess it's fair to say that athletes are human and have moments where they simply come up short. It's gotta hurt to know that your team still could have had a chance to go to the Super Bowl if not for your mistakes. I feel bad for both of those guys. Both contributed to their teams and certainly aren't solely responsible for the losses. It just leaves a sour taste in your mouth to be so close to victory and come up short in such a big game.

As for the Super Bowl, I see it being a close game. And... I'm going to take the Giants again in a bit of an upset. This team, coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning have a penchant for coming up big in big games, especially when people aren't exactly counting on them to win. Plus, the Giants won at New England in the regular season in dramatic fashion. That game, as much as any, shows that the team has the it factor.

All that being said, a number of Patriots players and coaches doubtless are motivated by such a devastating loss in the 2008 Super Bowl, not to mention a tough home loss to the Giants in the regular season. I expect a hard-hitting, smash-mouth, intense, close game from both sides, but I am going with the Giants to win it all.

Jiggy Watkins dismissed from Runnin' Utes

Utah point guard Jiggy Watkins has been dismissed from the team. Watkins was clearly Utah's best player throughout the season on what is a struggling team. I don't imagine things will get much better for the Runnin' Utes the rest of the year. However, without knowing all the facts, it appears to speak highly of coach Larry Krystkowiak that he would be willing to stand up to his best player even when he has to know it could mean substantially more struggles the rest of the year.

It appears that Watkins repeatedly broke team rules. It's important for any coach to establish discipline on his team. I'm hoping the Utes do make some strides the rest of this year and have a better season next year. Utah (4-13, 1-4 Pac-12) hosts Arizona (12-6, 3-2 Pac-12) tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. MT. The game is not available on TV in Salt Lake City, although it will be televised on Fox Sports Arizona.

College basketball season heating up

College basketball season is cranking up. I'm rather excited that there are still three undefeated teams remaining at this juncture of the season. There is #1 Syracuse (19-0, 6-0 Big East), #3 Baylor (17-0, 4-0 Big 12) and #12 Murray State (18-0, 6-0 Ohio Valley). Of the three, I think Murray State easily has the best chance at finishing the regular season unbeaten. That's simply because their schedule is the easiest of the three. The Ohio Valley is hardly the Big East or the Big 12.

Tonight is one of the bigger games of the season to date. Baylor is on the road at #7 Kansas (14-3, 4-0 Big 12), playing in Allen Fieldhouse, which is traditionally one of the toughest places to play in the country. I think the Jayhawks end up taking this one, ending the Bears' perfect season. Even if Baylor does end up winning this one, their schedule still contains a number of significant hurdles.

Syracuse looks more equipped to make a longer run, but I don't see them making it through the Big East unscathed, even if the league isn't as tough as usual this year. Frankly, I don't see Murray State finishing unbeaten either, as the Racers have already had a number of close calls. But it sure would be a lot of fun if they entered the NCAA Tournament without a loss. Anyway, I'm getting ready to watch Kansas and Baylor on ESPN in a few minutes.

2nd round NFL playoff picks

Here's a look at the second round NFL games this weekend:

Saints at 49ers, 2:30 p.m. MT, FOX: I really want to pick the 49ers, especially at home, but my head says the Saints will win this game because of their incredible offense. San Francisco's defense is really strong and it will need to play well in order to keep the Niners in the game. Alex Smith and the offense will have to make sure they get touchdowns and not field goals in the red zone. I think the Saints win in a close one, 27-21.

Broncos at Patriots, 6 p.m. MT, CBS: I don't think the Broncos have any shot in this game. The Patriots are just too good and too seasoned. Even if the game was in Denver, the Broncos would be a long shot, but with the game in New England, there's is just no way I see an upset happening (as much as I would like to). Patriots win big, 38-14.

Texans at Ravens, 11 a.m. MT Sunday, CBS: The Texans will be lucky to get more than 10 points in this game, with a third or fourth string quarterback going against a notoriously stingy Baltimore defense. The Ravens will feed off the home crowd and win this one handily, 24-3.

Giants at Packers, 2:30 p.m. MT Sunday, FOX: The Giants have been playing well the last few weeks and gave the Packers a run for their money in the regular season in the Meadowlands. I think they will make this game closer than a lot of people are expecting. However, the Packers are going to be tough to beat at home and have a great quarterback in Aaron Rodgers. I'll take Green Bay, 35-28.

The NBA big market problem

I'm tired of NBA players deciding that they just can't play for the team that drafted them. Dwight Howard is the latest in the line of many. Seriously, just suck it up and play. Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Deron Williams all seemed to want out of smaller markets. Anthony in particular wrecked most of the Nuggets' season last year.

I for one, would like to see the Magic just make Howard play out his contract and if he doesn't like it, just de-activate him. I realize the Magic would prefer to get something in return for Howard. But, it sure would be cool if they just took a stand. NFL teams have done stuff like this before when athletes have been training camp holdouts. Keyshawn Johnson, Joey Galloway and Michael Crabtree all come to mind. I don't think any of those three came out of the situation in a more favorable public light than when they entered in. I wouldn't mind some of the public humiliation come to NBA players who are crying and moaning while still under contract.

The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat

Happy New Year everybody! I sure feel bad for the kickers for Stanford and Virginia Tech the past couple of nights. Both missed kicks in overtime that led to their teams losing. They're just young guys and it hurts me to see them have to go through that, even though I'm not exactly a huge fan of either team. I guess as the saying goes, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

If defeat wasn't so tough, victory wouldn't taste so sweet on the other end. Just watching one of Michigan's players choking up as he talked about the long journey that eventually led to winning the Sugar Bowl this season, shows how awesome sports can be. Players put so much work in on both sides, and the feelings are pretty intense on both ends of the spectrum after such big games.