Keyboard Quarterbacks

So much for Tecmo Bowl's Lawrence Taylor. Apparently, Vince Lombardi and his 1966 Green Bay Packers figured out a way to neutralize him on the edge.

Perhaps that's why the Super Bowl trophy and a rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike are named after Mr. Lombardi.

And on the other championship sideline for Super Bowl Supremacy are the 1985 Chicago Bears, shuffling on down, doing it for you.

It should be a doozie, this final "game" as our readers decide the greatest Super Bowl team of all time. The poll closes at noon Friday. At 12:30, we'll announce the winner. Happy voting.

(2) 1966 Green Bay Packers vs. (4) 1985 Chicago Bears

By Mark La Monica

I grew up playing Tecmo Bowl, as many of us did. Even when Super Tecmo Bowl came out, I refused to make the switch.

For my money, Tecmo Bowl was the greatest football video game ever made. It's too classic to let go, even better than the old "Put the guy in motion on an end around and it's a guaranteed first down" from Madden '95.

As we learned to master Tecmo Bowl, we learned two things:

1) No one can play as the Raiders because Bo Jackson is untackleable.
2) No one can play as the Giants because Lawrence Taylor will block every extra point.

Could LT and those 1986 Giants do it again? Could they run roughshod over the entire competition and win Super Bowl Supremacy? It's quite possible, again for two reasons:

1) We're based in New York
2) We're based in New York

We finally saw an upset here as the readers chose the 6th-seeded 1986 New York Giants to beat the 3rd-seeded San Francisco 49ers from 1984. Bold, indeed. Clearly the voters know the power of Tecmo Bowl.

It's on to the semifinals, with some interesting pairings:

(1) 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. (4) 1985 Chicago Bears
(2) 1966 Green Bay Packers vs. (6) 1986 New York Giants

Hey look, the 2007 New England Patriots finally lost something!

Now get to voting.

Voting Schedule

Semifinals: Poll closes at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday night.
Final: Poll opens Thursday (Jan. 31) at 12:10 a.m.and closes at noon Friday (Feb. 1)

At 12:30 p.m. Friday, we'll announce the winner. Happy voting.

By Mark La Monica

Chalk. All chalk. One-hundred percent pure chalk!

That's who advanced through the first round of Super Bowl Supremacy. Not one upset. Not even close, either.

The only struggle was the 8-9 game, as it usually is. Even that one wasn't all that close as the 2007 Patriots beat the 1977 Cowboys, 249-144.

The quarterfinals are on. View the bracket, photos and voting schedule below, then vote.

Voting Schedule

Quarterfinals: Poll opens Monday at 12:30 p.m. and closes Tuesday (Jan. 29) at 11:59 p.m.
Semifinals: Poll opens Wednesday (Jan. 30) at 12:10 a.m. and closes at 11:59 p.m. that night.
Final: Poll opens Thursday (Jan. 31) at 12:10 a.m.and closes at noon Friday (Feb. 1)

At 12:30 p.m. Friday, we'll announce the winner. Happy voting.

By Mike Casey

Brian Leetch's biggest assist won't be remembered as one of the 781 he piled up in 18 years on the ice.

Instead, it will forever be memorialized as the one he gave to Adam Graves tonight.

Standing at the podium in the center of Madison Square Garden, Leetch announced that Graves, his teammate for 10 seasons in New York, will join him in the Garden rafters with a jersey retirement for his No. 9.

I can't think of a more fitting person to make the announcement with Leetch, who was never comfortable receiving all the accolades. Graves' sincere reaction of shock and appreciation was stirring, and he held Leetch in a long embrace as the Garden crowd roared.

Many hardcore fans have long debated Graves' credentials for a possible retirement ceremony, and tonight, those who have campaigned passionately for his inclusion in the highest circle of Rangers honor were rewarded.

Graves' on-ice credentials were certainly formidable (280 goals, third in Rangers history), but my guess is that it is Graves' renowned willingness to give of himself away from the rink that earned him this honor. I'm sure much will be written about that tonight and in the following days, and a blog is not the place to enumerate his many charitable ventures. But in my limited exposure to Adam, I can assure nothing about his generosity, warmth or kindness is exaggerated.

He defines "first-class," and his jersey retirement ceremony will be a well-deserved honor.

By Mike Casey

In my relatively short five-year career in the media, I've had the good fortune of attending some pretty cool events: The U.S. Open at Shinnecock, all of the last five U.S. Tennis Opens, Opening Day at Shea and Yankee Stadiums, all-star games, and of course, Mark Messier Night.

But I've never anticipated any of them as much as I'm anticipating Brian Leetch Night.

Leetch was a true Ranger, no more important than Messier or Mike Richter, but in my opinion, he was the greatest of them all.

His ability to dominate a game at a position that used to be an afterthought makes puts him in very exclusive hockey company. He played the game with class and guts, and never sought any more attention than he earned from his dazzling play on the ice.

His career here wasn't always perfect -- but in New York, no one's ever is.

His return from an ankle injury in 1993-94 -- not the hiring of Mike Keenan -- was the singlest biggest factor in the Rangers' worst-to-first turnaround that resulted in a 1994 championship.

His performance in the 1994 Playoffs is one of the most-overlooked dominant stretches of hockey in NHL history.

His willingness to do whatever it took to help the Rangers win -- even if that meant the extremely uncomfortable job of replacing Mark Messier as captain in 1997 -- stands out as perhaps his finest intangible quality.

He never guaranteed victory, nor did he ever stop a penalty shot, but his consistent residence in the realm of the game's elite and his dedication to New York and his team have earned him the highest Rangers honor.

Please join me for an update blog after the Brian Leetch ceremonies, where I'll reflect on the evening and offer some thoughts on the current state of the Rangers.

By Mark La Monica

Who's the best football team ever?

It's a heated debate, to be sure, especially this season as the Patriots march toward a perfect 19-0 record. It's one that's carried on over many a tailgate, happy hour, bar stool and anywhere else people congregate to talk football.

Those conversations last so long, bartenders could put their grandchildren through college without ever filling out a FAFSA.

Well, we've devised a way for you all to join the debate without having to worry about who's driving home.

It's called Super Bowl Supremacy, and it comes with brackets and fan polls. Here's how it works: We picked 15 previous Super Bowl winners and the 2007 Patriots and seeded them 1-16. We limited the teams on the list to one Super Bowl winner per franchise.

Now it's up to you to determine the winner of Super Bowl Supremacy. Below you'll find the voting schedule, the bracket and the poll. Enjoy.

Voting Schedule

Round 1: Poll opens as soon as you read this, (6:30 p.m. Thursday night, to be precise) and closes at noon Monday, Jan. 28.
Quarterfinals: Poll opens Monday at 12:30 p.m. and closes Tuesday (Jan. 29) at 11:59 p.m.
Semifinals: Poll opens Wednesday (Jan. 30) at 12:10 a.m. and closes at 11:59 p.m. that night.
Final: Poll opens Thursday (Jan. 31) at 12:10 a.m.and closes at noon Friday (Feb. 1)

At 12:30 p.m. Friday, we'll announce the winner. Happy voting.

By Mark La Monica

The new Jordan commercial featuring old footage of Derek Jeter, Carmelo Anthony, Terrell Owens and others playing their respective sports in high school is pretty cool stuff. Makes me consider walking into a Nike store again.

However, we've got an old-school streak running through our veins, so let's take a back a few (20?) years and give you a Spike Lee joint: the Air Jordan V commercial.

By Mark La Monica

This week's short list of sports figures who, if we operated in a meritocracy, would be forced to return a portion of their game checks for sub-par performances.

1) Patrick Crayton

Yes, we gave the Cowboys receiver props on Monday, but when you talk such smack during the week, then produce a three-catch, 27-yard day plus two key drops in a loss, that screams for a non tax-exempt deduction from the final paycheck.

2) Peyton Manning

Two picks in the red zone in the playoffs is bad enough, but to do it and allow a Norv Turner-coached team to reach the AFC Championship is Ray Finkle-esque.

3) Jacksonville Jaguars

They blitzed 0.02 times against the Patriots, thus allowing Tom Brady enough time on each pass play to go through all his reads, transfer money into his ING Orange account, buy a Steve Grogan game-worn jersey on e-Bay, get new license plates from the DMV and feed his baby boy who lives in California all before actually throwing and completing a pass 27 of 28 times. I understand the Patriots are talented on offense, but at least try to blitz maybe once or twice.

Paybacks appears every Tuesday afternoon. Email your nominees throughout the week.

By Mark La Monica

This week's salute to the bold, brash and man-up moments in sports

Props to Patrick Crayton for "[T.O.] is always a threat to run by you. Ask Sam Madison." Great work this past week by the Cowboys wide receiver. Any athlete who talks such a good game instantly earns props on Monday. And, conversely, any athlete who doesn't back it up has a wonderful opportunity to wind up in Paybacks on Tuesday.

Props to Michael Strahan for "We hope T.O. has his popcorn ready. Maybe him and Crayton can sit in his home theater and watch us next week." A stellar display of verbalism by the Giants defensive end.

Props to Brandon Jacobs for "They might have had a chance to win if Patrick Crayton didn't drop the two key passes. There was a lot of talk. But it's over with. We won the game. They're chillin' and we're going to Green Bay next week." Wow. The Giants running back brings the pain.

Props to the players on the Chicago Bulls for voting to make Joakim Noah sit for an extra game for being a dumb kid.

Props to Ryan Grant, the Green Bay Packers running back who turned the ball over twice in the first three plays of the game to let Seattle build a 14-0 lead in three minutes, then ran for 201 yards and three touchdowns. A great personal comeback in the biggest of situations.

Props to Mrs. Manning, the matriarch of a royal football family who clearly switched her sons' lunch boxes on Sunday morning.

Read previous Props

By Karen Bailis

Substance abuse, public breakups and poor life decisions have stolen the luster from pop stars Britney Spears and Whitney Houston. Singing careers sometimes are as fleeting as shooting stars.

And then there’s basketball. Meet shooting stars Brittany Spears and Whitney Houston, who play for Colorado University. Spears, a 6-1 freshman forward, is reigning Big 12 rookie of the week and leads the conference in points and blocks. She appears unlikely to assault a vehicle with an umbrella, shave her head or be photographed without undergarments. Houston is a 5-5 sophomore point guard known for her speed. She can play the drums and sing so well that she sang the national anthem before a Colorado game last season. Unlike her namesake, who had the honor before Super Bowl XXV, she did not lip-sync. Coincidentally, Bobbi Brown was a guard on the team who graduated in 1982.

The duo is gaining national attention for reasons that have more to do with their famous names than basketball. ESPN was on campus recently to record a spot – complete with paparazzi -- with Houston and Spears and to interview them for the network’s “College GameDay,” which aired yesterday. Unlike the more famous women with the names Houston and Spears, these two appear on the way up. Their team is 12-2 and ranked No. 23 by the AP.

By Mark La Monica

The 16-0 New England Patriots begin their playoffs and their run toward the dream 19-0 season. While everyone is ready to give them the Lombardi Trophy -- except Don Shula and Co. -- I'll take the opposite view and say they won't do it, if for no other reason than to be different.

Here are three reasons why:

1) Brian Billick

He coached the Ravens, allowed his staff to call timeout as his team stopped Tom Brady because the defense -- and the entire world -- knew he was going to run the QB sneak on fourth-and-1, then proceeded to lose a game they had in their pocket. After the Ravens' 5-11 season ended, he was fired. None of the teams left in the playoffs has hired him since.

2) An exhausted rule book

They already used the tuck rule, had the rules for defensive backs changed and then still videotape opponents' defensive signals. How many more obscure rules and or detail-oriented referees are left for the Patriots to capitalize on in the playoffs?

3) Halle Berry

Way, way back in the infant stages of Keyboard Quarterbacks, we wrote about the Halle Berry Syndrome, which in basic terms states that the hotter the wife or girlfriend is, the worse the athlete becomes. Click that link above for an in-depth history of athletes who succumbed to HBS. Or just call Tony Romo, whose two worst games of his career came when lady friends Carrie Underwood and Jessica Simpson were in attendance.

So let's look at Tom Brady's history: Birdget Moynahan, with whom he has a child (whose initials are J.E.T.); Gisele Bundchen, the supermodel and widely considered to be the hottest woman on the planet.

And where is the mighty fall from the top? It hasn't happened yet. Some say that rocks the HBS to its foundation. Others say it's the exception that proves the rule. I say it's karma waiting to happen!

Read more Three Reasons

By Mark La Monica

This week's short list of sports figures who, if we operated in a meritocracy, would be forced to return a portion of their game checks for sub-par performances.

1) Bob Stoops

He coaches Oklahoma into a BCS bowl game nearly every year. And then he coaches them right out of the BCS bowl game nearly every year. Four BCS bowl games in a row, four losses in a row, this time to a West Virginia team that lost its coach a few weeks ago. Seriously, Stoops, you need to try something different next year.

2) Ronde Barber

We always enjoy and appreciate when athletes say substantive things. They are a rarity these days. But when you say "Of course we want to play the Giants," you need to make sure you beat the Giants. Final score: Giants 24, Ronde's Bucs 14.

3) Tyrone Carter

With eight years of NFL experience, you'd think the Steelers cornerback would know how to not to freeze up and make an awful attempt at a tackle when a quarterback comes running at him. His initial attempt to stop Jaguars QB David Garrard on that fourth-and-2 play of the game late in the fourth quarter was just plain awful. It gave Garrard an extra 17 yards and made the field goal attempt that much easier for Jacksonville.

4) Mike Wallace

So much for hard-hitting journalism. Wallace let Roger Clemens off the hook in the "60 Minutes" interview when it came to the Andy Pettitte situation. He needed to follow up, not just do a voiceover and then let it go when Clemens said he was shocked at the Pettitte news. Wallace is better than that, or at least he used to be.

Paybacks appears every Tuesday afternoon. Read previous editions of Paybacks.

Dear Rocket,

Please be telling the truth about all this steroid stuff, Roger.

Not so much for the sake of your reputation or the reputation of the game and all that, but rather to help fans restore their faith in athletes speaking out to the media.

The court of public opinion is already way too slanted toward negativity when it comes to believing what people say. We're guilty until proven innocent in that court, regardless of what the constitution says about that in the real court system. Nick Saban didn't help matters. Neither did Herm Edwards. Most other things athletes say are tough to believe.

But, Rocket, here's hoping you're telling the truth. You've been on YouTube, "60 Minutes" and Monday's press conference denying all the allegations in the Mitchell Report. With each statement, you've been more and more adamant about your non-use of steroids and HGH.

The lidocaine and vitamin B-12 shots may be true, but Rafael Palmeiro made that tough to believe. Again, we're hoping you're telling the truth, just to restore our faith in athletes telling the truth. I don't know how you do it, though, short of Brian McNamee admitting he lied.

The way the media is now, it'll convict Rocket at every turn as a way of making up for looking the other way all those years ago Jose Canseco started this whole thing. Clemens is paying for the sins of all the others, since he's the biggest name in the Mitchell Report and the only one to refute it.

Of course, there's a good chance that McNamee did tell the truth. There's also a chance he lied. We're hoping he lied.

However you do it, Roger, just prove yourself truthful in this matter. It will be tough, simply because of the way human nature is. But, Rocket, find a way to make us all believe what athletes say again.

Best,
Mark La Monica
Keyboard Quarterback

By Karen Bailis

In light of the Hollywood writers' strike and the desert of watchable TV out there, here's a salute to reruns:

One of the reasons “The Cosby Show” was so great was the guests who would waltz through the Huxtables’ living room and their lives. Bill Cosby gave props to instantly recognizable stars such as Stevie Wonder and Lena Horne and lesser-known but no less worthy stars such as dancer Judith Jamison and jazz singer Betty Carter. They came from the sports world, too: baseball’s Frank Robinson, basketball’s Dick Vitale and sprinter Valerie Briscoe-Hooks, winner of three golds in the 1984 Olympics.

A look at episode cast lists from the show’s eight seasons provides a who’s who of future bold-face names. One of the more surprising is in the recently re-aired 1989 episode “The Boys of Winter,” in which Cliff and his pals, including Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere and Walt Hazzard, take on a basketball team of younger women. The women’s team is headed by court legends Nancy Lieberman and Teresa Edwards. One of their teammates, credited as “Opponent #5,” was Anucha Browne Sanders. The former college standout probably was paid considerably less than the $11.5 million sexual harassment settlement she got from MSG and the Knicks. But guess who won?