Take It To The ATM

Thanks largely to the great reporting by Yahoo'sCharles Robinson and Jason Cole, the latter reporter a Stanford alum, Cal will eventually be awarded the 2004 Pac-10 football championship -- proving, once and for all, that the Bears should have gone to the Rose Bowl ... Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb, who have been through way too much together to let it fall apart now, will kiss and make up (so to speak) and make another run at an NFC title next season.

Please, Boss, Send Me To...

My daughter's soccer game, this Saturday afternoon, against an in-town rival. Here's hoping the Devastation rises to the challenge.

World's Simplest Pool

After picking the Colts in his first week as our guest predictor and coming through in dramatic fashion, Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz has decided to bow out before the Ultimate Game, stating simply, "I really have no idea who to pick and I'm kind of pulling for both of them." So we'll turn up the amps even louder and yield the floor to Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament, whose band's recent recording of The Who's "Love Reign O'er Me" may be one of the most hauntingly faithful covers in rock history. Writes the Seattle-based rhythm king: "Gotta go with the Colts. Peyton deserves it and I've been a Colts fan since my boy Jim Mora, Sr. coached there ... and I wanna see Peyton do the Super Bowl Shuffle."

Lies, Lies, Lies

1) If Jerry Jones hires Norv Turner to succeed Bill Parcells, the former Redskins and Raiders head coach (and accomplished offensive coordinator) will magically show an aptitude for being in charge.

2) No one on earth thought the Bears would beat the Saints, and nobody has any respect for Lovie Smith's team.

3) The Rooneys are really happy with me right now.

Let's Do Some Don Julio Silver Shots For

The good people at profootballtalk.com. After experiencing one of the wilder weekends of my career as a journalist -- having reported on Saturday that the Steelers had chosen Mike Tomlin as their next coach, only to spend the next 30 hours on the emotional equivalent of a trip around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the hood of Ricky Bobby's car -- it was heartening to see that one entity had the story covered thoroughly and responsibly from start to finish.

Oxygen-Deprived Thought From Above

These days, it would be easier to smuggle a bottle of water inside a giant bag of weed through airport security than to smuggle marijuana inside a water bottle. So what was Michael Vick thinking? And, yes, I realize he was "exonerated" by the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office. So what? That still doesn't exonerate him of stupidity. Someone should remind Vick that he is a quarterback, and there is a reason the men who play his position get so much money and acclaim. They are representatives of their franchise, and people in that position -- when told they can't bring 20 oz. water bottles through security, even those without secret compartments (duh) -- shouldn't hem and haw and try to convince the TSA screener it's all good; they should toss that thing and stop slowing down the people behind them with flights to catch.

This Week's Proof That The University Of California Is The Center Of The Universe

It's been awhile -- about eight months, since the Bears' painful defeat to Oregon State in Game 3 of the Super Regionals -- but Cal softball is never far from our hearts, and we have two pieces of promising news concerning coach Diane Ninemire's rebuilding team: Cal received a No. 10 preseason ranking in the USA Today/NFCA poll, and sublime senior outfielder Alex Sutton -- whose improvement curve from her freshman year is as steep as anyone's in the program's history -- was announced as one of 50 players on the Amateur Softball Association's preseason watch list for its national player of the year award. The last time we saw Sutt she was wearing a friend's football jersey before the Bears' glorious Big Game victory over Stanford while hanging out with Kristina Thorson, the 2006 Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year and future rock star. We look forward to appreciating her sweet stroke and sharp defensive skills this spring.

Trippin' On E(Mail):

"You guys are unbelievable! You are so in love with Tom Brady that you can't think straight. He has three Super Bowl rings because of Belichick's defense and Adam Vinatieri, and he is in this game this week because the Chargers gave the game to New England. There are at least 10 QBs in the NFL as good or better than Brady. And don't give me the 'he's a winner' crap like if the other 40 players on the team had nothing to do with the wins."
 -- Tango113, Tamarac, Fla.

By 'you guys,' do you mean me and a certain supermodel?

"What kind of NFL writer are you? You only had four restaurant plugs in your whole article on the Pats. King and Z would get at least seven in. For God's sake, I don't even know where you ate lunch before the game. What am I supposed to do, read about the Pats' desire to get Anthony Cromartie on the field with their pass attack? I mean; really."
 -- Tina Arnold, Medford, Mass.

I'm the kind of NFL writer who starves himself before a big playoff game in San Diego, if only to get in character: I wanted to be able to relate to Marty Schottenheimer in the postseason.

"Nice 'Ron Burgundy' comment dude. To everyone in S.D.: Chill out. We beat ourselves. There is always next year (how cliche, right?). Stay Classy San Diego!"
 -- Adam Shroyer, San Diego

That's an outstanding outlook, Adam -- yet another reason they call it America's Finest City.