"He plays like Brett. He reminds me of Brett Favre; he really does." -Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on upcoming Super Bowl 45 opponent Aaron Rodgers
While of course we know that 'Big Ben' Roethlisberger, the sizable yet mobile man who has led the Steelers to two Super Bowl championships in the last six seasons (2005, 2008) and has them on the doorstep of another, has many a chink in his armor and has a personal record that is not the cleanest, what he just said in a Sportscenter one-on-one interview may to some be the worst yet.
He compared Aaron Rodgers, the super-talented quarterback of Roethlisbergers' Steelers' Super Bowl opponent Green Bay Packers, to Rodgers' predecessor, the legendary Brett Favre. And he wasn't asked "does Rodgers remind you of Favre?" He was asked "Does Rodgers remind you of yourself?"
Well, if you've been around the NFL for a few years, you know the drama and hysteria of the Brett Favre story, and you also know that Rodgers has proven himself a bonafide star and winner, with tools maybe surpassing those of the Great Gray One. I'm sure Roethlisberger didn't mean any harm to Rodgers, but comparing him to his predecessor just when Rodgers has been shutting up the critics and comparisons was way too noticeable for me to not mention. Rodgers is going to hear about Favre for the rest of his life.
Speaking of Roethlisberger, should his Steelers win Super Bowl 45, it would make him the fifth quarterback in NFL history to lead a team to three titles. Three of the others (Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, Terry Bradshaw) are in the Hall of Fame, and the other, some guy named Brady, is still active, even if he didn't play in last night's Pro Bowl game. Unlike those guys, though, Roethlisberger has yet to be MVP of a Super Bowl. The '05 Super Bowl MVP was Heinz Ward, the '08 MVP was Santonio Holmes. Roethlisberger has actually played quite poorly in some of his most important career playoff games; thanks to having a killer defense, Pittsburgh has overcome these struggles. Yet here's hoping The Mobile One has a good game.
He also said about Rodgers: "I hope he doesn't have a good game, for our sake."
Speaking of Pittsburgh, safety Troy Polamalu (he of the current classic Head 'n' Shoulders commercials) just won NFL Defensive Player of the Year, beating Clay Matthews of the Packers 17-15 despite not playing the very beginning of the year.
Pro Bowl
Moving the NFL's All-Star Game to the weekend before the Super Bowl (rather than the week after) paid huge dividends to all involved, snagging over 8 million viewers to bag the 'other Bowl's' highest ratings in 11 years. Yet the eventualy 55-41 NFC victory was an ugly comedy of errors. In the eighteen minutes that I watched, I saw Phillip Rivers, Michael Vick, Matt Ryan and Peyton Manning throw interceptions, saw Wes Welker get a ball ripped out of his hands for a fumble-return-for-touchdown, watched the AFC defense drag their feet in the minutes leading up the 45-0 NFC lead halftime. But, hey, at least I got to see Matty Ice hit teammate Tony Gonzalez for a touchdown bomb.
Australian Open
A man from Europe won the Australian Open two days ago, and his name is not Roger or Rafael. Confused? His name is Novak Djokovic, from Serbia, the number 3 seed (guess who's ranked ahead of him), who humiliated the constantly-underachieving Brit wonder, Andy Murray, in three sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3. Murray, the world's fifth-ranked player, has for some time been looked at as the Savior, the man who could finally end England's grand slams drought in the men's bracket. But, alas. After beating Ferrer (who beat Rafael Nadal) in the semifinal, Murray looked frustrated and inconsistent, and, eventually, embarrassed, at the hands of the steamlined, hard-hitting Serb.
Meanwhile, Asia was also denied its long-awaited sweet prize, a grand slam major, when Li Na, the ninth-ranked female player in the world, was beaten in the women's final by Kim Clijsters. For Clijsters, it's her third major title, and will likely give her favorite status in the future for any major in which the Williams sister do not compete.
Exorcising the Blue Devils
While Butler University's Gordon Heyward's Hail Mary half-court shot in last year's NCAA Championship Game nearly brought the kingdom crumbling down, for the past year, Duke University's men's basketball team, led by the indomitable Coach K (Mike Kryzewski), has been ranked number one and has played like it.
Yet they have suddenly lose their divinity. Two weeks ago, they suffered their first fall from grace in a surprising loss to unranked Florida State. Then, three nights ago, they got their butts handed to them in a 93-78 whipping by unranked St. John's, one that left Coach K saying they weren't prepared for the game. Duke is now the fifth-ranked team in the men's bracket, with a 19-2 record.
Taking His Talents
When two-time NBA MVP LeBron James decided to "take his talents to South Beach" at the climax of one of the biggest NBA free agency trials in history and join All-Stars Chris Bosh and homegrown talent Dwayne Wade on the Miami Heat, there was instant uproar about how James was usurping his own crown and joining Wade's team.
Well, during the first 40-odd games of the Heat's season, the team has rebounded from a shaky start and more or less become the dynamite show many thought they could be. James and Wade equally split lead-scorer duties early on, and connected for some highlight-reel alley-oops. Yet the other night against Indiana, when Wade was out with migraines/wrist problems, and Bosh, for that matter, was out with a bad ankle, James led the Heat to a one-point win, dropping 39 in the process.
My dad, at least, thinks that symbolizes something. They can say all they want about whose team it is, but LeBron ain't no second fiddle. As far as I know, there is no competition, and there shouldn't be among teammates, but what we know is that if one of the two ever is injured, or needs a night off, someone's star will shine just a little brighter.
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