Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl, is the ultimate Cart before the Horse.
If the NFL All Star Game aka The Pro Bowl wanted to be the most irrelevant of the All-Star games, Mission: Accomplished.
Putting the game the week before the Super Bowl, and in the same city does a few things. One, removes the players from the best team, the teams playing the following week in the Super Bowl. Sean Payton and Jim Caldwell aren’t going to risk losing Peyton Manning and Drew Brees to injury for an exhibition.
Second, takes the game from a place that relied on it to stimulate it’s economy. No doubt that the state of Hawaii will take an economic hit from the loss of the game, whether it’s the lack of sold hotel rooms or money spent at local restaurants.
On Hawaii, there isn’t much sports outside of the Rainbow Warriors at the University of Hawaii and aside from seeing many Samoan players playing in the NFL on TV. This was the one chance during the year that they could have the same advantages as the fans living in the other 32 NFL cities, seeing a live game at a normal time, and actually in the stadium. They might go see an NFL game on their vacation, but generally, they would gravitate to the tourist stuff, ie DisneyLand.
Then you get the players, who don’t even want to play in this game. Many have already dropped out due to injuries, others have dropped out due to “injuries”. Titans quarterback Vince Young is a Pro Bowl quarterback this season, after having been benched during the first half of the season.
These games are meaning less and less than what they used to, but networks still continue to dump this content on our TV screens. The move from Hawaii time to Eastern time, worked better for TV.
Who Cares?
It’s a boring game, that lacks the action of a regular game in regards to the hits, (outside of Sean Taylor on Mrian Moorman a few years ago) and the nuances of every game doesn’t exist.
Name Pro Bowl teams, similar to All-Americans in college football. Give players the honour of being name to the Pro Bowl, but don’t actually play the game.
The games have already lost their lustre, not many people will miss them if they go away.

I am not well enough versed in NBA to tell you the how or the why or to wax eloquently about the nuances of the game. I can tell you this, I sat and watched the entire Toronto Raptors/ LA Lakers tilt and for the first time in a LONG time I can say that those who spent their bucks on tickets at the ACC got every pennies worth. What a game!

I am pretty sure the Raptors didn’t lead until late in the 4th quarter and then Kobe had the final shot at the buzzer to win it all. What more do you want? Is it a title game? No. Is it a championship? No. It’s not even a playoff round win. What it is, I hope is the start of some mainstream coverage and perhaps, a little more attention.

Let’s allow swallow hard and realize there isn’t anything remotely interesting about the Maple Leafs right now. The game in Florida, like the one in Tampa and Atlanta were painful. Baring a major shift, there will be no intrigue until the deadline. Sure Brian Burke may wish someone would deal with him now or before the Olympics, but let’s get real. Would you pull the trigger to get any of these guys early? I certainly doubt there are too many GM’s out there saying if we only had a Poni on our team…..

The day after the deadline in Toronto will likely be the last time before the end of the season there is much to talk about of any real significance. I mean they may play a good game here or there, maybe there will be a new face from time to time to talk about. Why don’t we all get behind a team that could be on the verge of something. No gurantees, but hell I like their odds better than the Leafs especially when it comes to providing value for the hard earned cash we’ve all been wasting on the buds.

No one game doesn’t mean a whole lot. This team is exciting to watch, and for the most part they are at least in most games they play with a good shot at winning. Something we haven’t been able to say about the other teams in this town for a LONG time. Way to go Raps!

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

College of Sports Media Game of the Night:

I’m guessing the people who are in charge of making the NFL schedule felt that Cleveland would be a far better team. How else can you explain the Monday night-er tonight? The Baltimore Ravens (4-4) making the trip to the Mistake by the Lake to take on the Browns (1-7). These two teams are at the bottom of the AFC North and are far from any post season aspirations. Cincinnati leads the division with a 7-2 record and Pittsburgh trails the Bengals by a game. Getting back to the Ravens and Browns, the last time these two teams met was in week 3 and Baltimore cruised to a 34-3 win. A similar result is expected tonight. The Browns are so bad, management has decided to give quarterback Brady Quinn a second chance at starting. In three starts this season (including week 3) Quinn has one touchdown pass, three interceptions and has been sacked 10 times. The Ravens haven’t been great either. They started the season strong, but have lost four of their last five. Running back Ray Rice has been one of the lone bright spots for the team. He’s rushed for 573 yards, caught 46 balls for another 436 yards and has scored six touchdowns. You can be sure he’ll get a lot of work tonight.

If this game doesn’t get you going you can also check out some NBA action. Two young and talented teams battle it out as the Portland Trailblazers are in the ATL to take on the Hawks. Atlanta (8-2) has the best record in the East, while Portland (8-3) is number two in the West.

On the ice it’s on Atlantic division battle as the top seed New Jersey Devils take on the Philadelphia Flyers in the City of Brotherly Love. If the Devils win tonight they open the season winning nine straight on the road, tying a league record for most wins on the road to start a season.