Any time the debate is brought out, people throw out names.

Akili Smith, Joey Harrington, Cade McNown, Tim Couch—all of who were high draft picks who started right away with struggling franchises and never quite lived up to the hype they started with.

So now that the Atlanta Falcons have named rookie third-overall draft pick Matt Ryan their starting quarterback, the debate is brought up once again. Did the Falcons make the right decision in starting Ryan? Or should they have let him sit the bench for a while and learn while the franchise inevitably struggles under Harrington or Chris Redman?

The answer is simple: You start Ryan.

The safe decision by the franchise would be to start Redman or Harrington. After all, you know what you’re getting with them.

What do you get? A returning 4-12 team that traded their best player (DeAngelo Hall). With Redman or Harrington you’re virtually guaranteeing that the team goes 4-12 next season at best.

And you may get the exact same thing out of Ryan. But the thing is, you don’t know.

Ryan was the third overall pick in the NFL Draft, meaning someone, somewhere in the Falcons organization believes he has what it takes to run an NFL Franchise. Just like Harrington or any of the aforementioned quarterbacks, he will have a tremendous amount of pressure on his shoulders as he takes the reigns of the Falcons for the first time.

And maybe Ryan won’t be able to handle that pressure. But the thing is, would the Falcons really want him to run their franchise if he can’t? There’s no way of finding that out without throwing him into the fire.

If the Falcons were an 8-8 or 7-9 team on the brink of the playoffs, it would be different. If they had a “win now” mentality, then another quarterback might be the option.

But they don’t. They need to know if the quarterback they invested $34 million GUARANTEED in, is good enough to lead them back to respectability. The only way you do that is by starting him.

It’s true that more have failed in Ryan’s situation and have then succeeded. For every Peyton Manning, there are four or five Ryan Leafs. For every Ben Roethlisberger, there are a couple of David Carrs hanging around.

But the Falcons will not succeed under Redman or Harrington. And they won’t know if they will succeed under Ryan unless they start him.

So the decision is clear, and Falcons management made the right decision. Start Matt Ryan, and the future is now for Atlanta.

After the USA Basketball team’s thrilling win in the Gold Medal game against Spain—yes, I stayed up to watch it—it became apparent that USA won because of all the reasons pundits said they would.

They played as a team. They weren’t overly-egotistical prima donnas who wanted to play a glorified street game, a la 2004. They really, really cared about winning—and it showed in the final minutes of the gold-medal game, when the multimillionaires celebrated like a team that had just won their high school state championship.

So who were the catalysts in this gold medal run? While the team ran deep in talent, it was obvious who ran the team.  Late in the close win over Spain, a few key players stood out in the win.

Without further ado; the top five most valuable players for the gold medal-winning USA Basketball Team:

5. LeBron James

The best athlete on the floor at all times, and arguably the best basketball player in the world. However, James is only the fifth-most valuable player on this team. 

Why, you ask? Well, it’s no fault of James’, but often he found himself on the bench in foul trouble. But during James’ time on the floor, his athleticism proved to be leaps and bounds ahead of his opponents.

The team’s offense often ran through James, as the ball would get dumped down to LeBron at the free-throw line. He would, in turn, make a decision to dish it to the corner for a three, dump it inside to Chris Bosh or Dwight Howard, or take it himself.

He didn’t often make the wrong decision. But the fact that he was one of the primary ballhandlers for the team is evident in the stats.  He led the team in turnovers with 17, but was also second on the team in assists and points per game, and third in rebounds.

4. Dwyane Wade

Team USA’s leading scorer often took over games like it was the ‘06 NBA Finals. When the team was in trouble and their lead was in jeopardy, the ball was almost always in Wade’s hands, as he slashed to the hole for either a nifty layup or drawing contact to get to the free-throw line.

Wade got to the charity stripe more then any other player—however, he hit only 65 percent of his free throws.

But his value could not be overstated, as his propensity to hit big three-pointers—leading the team by shooting 47 percent from three-point range)—was always apparent.

3. Chris Bosh

Perhaps the most surprising player on this list, Bosh’s value is monumental, given that the only two true big-men on the squad were Bosh and Howard. Howard often struggled to get going and fell into foul trouble, leading to more playing time for Bosh—who took advantage, leading the team in rebounding.

Additionally, when the team had their shooting struggles, Bosh proved to be even more valuable, scoring a huge percentage of his points on alley oops, tip-ins, and putbacks. This, in turn, led to a high shooting percentage, as he led the team by shooting 77 percent for the tournament.

He also got to the free throw line more often then anyone on the team except for Wade, and connected on 86 percent of his free throws.

2. Kobe Bryant 

It was a tough decision to put Bryant at number two instead of number one, given how instrumental he was in putting the Spaniards away late in Sunday morning’s game. Bryant took over the offense at times, hitting key shot after key shot. Each time Spain made a run to cut the lead to two or three, Bryant would come down and knock down a key three-pointer or draw a foul to keep the USA in front.

The only thing that keeps Kobe out of the top spot was his inconsistent shooting throughout the tournament. He shot only 46 percent for the tournament,  and32 percent from three-point range. Couple that with an assist-turnover ratio of 17:15, and it just wasn’t quite enough for Bryant to garner the number-one spot, clutch as he may be.

1. Chris Paul

Just like in the NBA season, Paul led his team without putting up the ridiculous offensive stats of the likes of Bryant, James, or Wade. But Paul was the leader of the offense, always making the right decision at the right time.

Paul’s assist-turnover ratio was a ridiculous 33:9, and although he averaged only eight points per game, he still shot 50 percent from the floor.

Paul was also second to James on the team with 18 steals for the tournament. But again, his value cannot be understated, as he would do things to help the team that often don’t show up on a stats sheet.

He would make a pass to set up an assist, and his defense against guards such as Jose Calderon, Carlos Delfino, C.J. Bruton, and Spanouli Valleious was key in keeping teams at bay.

So while it’s tough to pick a Most Valuable Player in a team so loaded with stars, Paul stood out among the rest. It may not have been in the stats and he may not have been as flashy as the rest—but without Paul, this team may not have been as successful as they were.

The comparisons are a bit inevitable.

The uncertainty out of the closer position, the emerging stars, the pitching staff throwing completely out of their minds. Yup, that’s the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays.

But it’s also the 2005 Chicago White Sox.

It’s amazing in how many ways you can compare this year’s surprising Rays squad to the ‘05 White Sox team that rolled to a World Series title. 

The most obvious factor in comparing the teams is how out of nowhere the run came. Sure, the Rays are quite a bit more unlikely seeing as how they’ve never even had a winning record, let alone a championship, in their short existence. But looking back at the start of the 2005 season shows that both teams were expected to do about the same.

The ‘05 White Sox were projected by most experts to finish in fourth place in the AL Central. The Minnesota Twins were expected to be the class of that division and the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers were both supposed to have mediocre years, but still better then the White Sox.

The ‘08 Rays were projected by most to finish fourth in the AL East. The perennial powerhouses that are the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees were supposed to dominate the division per usual, with the Toronto Blue Jays finishing in third, out of the picture but still ahead of Tampa Bay.

Things didn’t work out that way in either situation. The White Sox soared to an incredible start and never looked back. Leading the AL Central from wire-to-wire, holding off a late Indians’ run to win the division. While the Rays haven’t quite dominated the East like that, they still have held on to a pretty firm grip on the division lead for much of the year.

And in both cases, experts spent the entire years saying “Can they keep it up?” “When will they collapse?” etc, etc.

Expectations aside, the makeup of both teams is similar as well. First take a look at the closer situation. The big difference in the two teams is that the Rays have a closer in line, when healthy. Troy Percival is and has been the Rays closer when he’s been healthy, with the likes of Dan Wheeler, J.P. Howell, and Grant Balfour filling in during Percival’s DL stints.

It was a little more dicey for the White Sox. They started the season with Shingo Takatsu as the closer. Takatsu had done wonderful the previous season in the role and was expected to fill that role for the entire season. But the league caught up to Takatsu and the White Sox turned to Dustin Hermanson who did a more then capable job in the role. However, Hermanson’s health became a concern, much like Percival’s, and the White Sox turned to Bobby Jenks (as well as Damaso Marte, Cliff Politte, and Neal Cotts), late in the season for save opportunities.

But the fact that both teams have had as much success without a set-in-stone closer situation is nearly unheard of these days.

In fact, the bullpen and pitching staff as a whole has been pretty surreal for the Rays, with every pitcher in both the rotation and bullpen throwing far better then they have during their careers.

Sure, the Rays are younger. The likes of Scott Kazmir, James Shields, and Edwin Jackson are all former top prospects who were expected to pitch like this eventually in their careers. But at the same time they have all pitched far above what was expected of them to start the year.

The ‘05 White Sox saw Mark Buehrle and Jon Garland continue their consistent play that had been expected of them throughout their career. But the biggest emergence was Jose Contreras, who turned from Yankee castoff to playoff-ready ace. Like this years Rays squad, the White Sox’s rotation came out of nowhere to dominate the league.

Likewise for the bullpen. Wheeler, Balfour, Howell, among others have been career bullpen guys who have been steady at best and shaky at worst. The same can be said for the White Sox’s Politte, Cotts, and Marte. In each case the pitchers surprised most with their lights-out ability and clutch performances in setup opportunities.

But the most noticeable comparison between the two squads are their propensity to win the big game, regardless of how they got it done. Time after time the Rays have pulled through big wins. Whether it’s by getting a big pitching performance against a division rival (Shields vs. Boston in July), or getting the clutch, ninth inning hit when it mattered most (name one), it always seemed to work out. Things are just going the way of the Rays this year.

The ‘05 White Sox were the same way. Every time they needed to win, they did. When Cleveland was nipping at their heels in late August and September, the White Sox always pulled off a big win.

This comparison may be a bit of a stretch, but as a White Sox fan, after seeing the Rays pull out two of three in the Cell this weekend, all I could think about was how much this Rays team reminded me of the team that brought a World Series Title to Chicago.

And if they continue on this trend, they could be the most unlikely champion in sports history.

Sports are a big part of my life.

As insipid as that may sound, it’s true. As an aspiring sports journalist, sports are something that I pay attention to at all hours of my day. One glance at my profile page will give a description as to how important sports are in my life.

But it’s funny how in the blink of an eye, with the uttering of a short phrase, everything can be put into perspective.

That’s what happened to me on Thursday, August 7. That late evening I was sitting at a buddies house playing a game of NCAA Football ‘09 on the X-Box 360. We were in overtime and at the time winning that particular game was the most important thing in my mind.

Then, the phone rang, and four words changed everything.

“McKiski died in Iraq.”

You may have heard the story that’s made semi-national news over the past couple of weeks. Two Marines died in a military vehicle accident in Iraq. One of them was from Rockford, Illinois, and that man was one of the best friends I ever had.

Death can put sports into perspective perhaps better then anything else can. I’m sure that same thing happened to countless people after 9/11, after Hurricane Katrina, or after the death of any one of the 4,144 Americans who have died in the Iraqi War. In no way am I trying to say that my friend’s death is any bigger then any of these. But unlike any of these other horrific American tragedies, this hit home in a rather obvious way.

Suddenly, the fact that the White Sox had lost that night didn’t matter. Suddenly, I didn’t care where Brett Favre was going to play in 2008, or whether the Bulls were ever going to get rid of Ben Gordon.

Death can do that to you. It can take the thing you think is the most important thing in the world at any given moment, and make it seem pointless, stupid, and downright ridiculous.

My friend was a real hero. He was genuine, and had known he wanted to be a Marine for as long as I knew him. He knew he wanted to be a Marine before there was a war and he didn’t change his mind when we went to war.

We can debate all day as to whether or not we should be in Iraq, the decision of President Bush, or anything of that matter. But the fact of the matter is that my friend wanted to be a Marine, and was comfortable with the fact that he might die in combat. His friends and his family don’t in the slightest bit blame our countries decisions on his death. But all of that seems rather pointless to me right now.

That being said, while death can make one debate the importance of sports, as well as anything else, in their lives, at the same time sports is a safe-haven during tragedy.

It was important for sports to continue in the city of New York after 9/11, just as it was for the Saints to continue their season after the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina.

And when death hit me the hardest, and sports seemed insignificant, they were still what I turned to in order to find peace.

Many nights over the past two weeks, and even still, I would lie in bed and turn on late-night coverage of the Olympics. Whether it be swimming, volleyball, boxing or badminton, the Olympics kept my mind off of what I had been through. They kept my mind at ease when thinking about my friend is all I wanted to do.

And that’s why I love sports.

Put everything else aside. The competitiveness, the athleticism, the pure fun of the games, and sports has a deep meaning that few can understand. Sports is so important in life that it lets you know when it can be unimportant. When the game is just a game and the athletes you worship are just people.

Death puts things into perspective. I guess I should consider myself lucky that it never affected me personally until I was 21, as I’m sure many people out there have been affected by death far harder and far more personally then I ever have.

But while death changes you in ways that are unimaginable, sports will always be there. Whether they’re there to be a distraction, an afternoon activity, an event to get liquored up and scream obscenities, or simply as the unimportant, second-hand nonsense you hardly care about during the hardest of times, they’re always there. However you need them.

And that’s how death put sports into perspective for me.

RIP Adam Thomas McKiski 08/07/08

Well, it’s finally over.

The agonizingly tedious saga that was Brett Favre’s unretirement has come to an exasperating end. And while debate will continue throughout the season about whether or not the Packers made the right decision, one thing is for sure: The Packers’ team and management can finally breathe a huge sigh of relief.

Lost in the mix of all the controversy surrounding Favre is the fact that there’s a team of 53 guys in Green Bay that are pretty darn good. And while it will be quite different at Lambeau without No. 4 behind center, the Packers still have a legitimate shot to be contenders in 2008.

The focus, of course, will be on newly anointed quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Every eye will be on Rodgers for every snap of the season, and his play will be highly scrutinized and compared to that of Favre’s.

But one thing’s for sure—as much as pundits criticize General Manager Ted Thompson for how he handled the Favre situation, he’s a great judge of talent.

During his three full seasons as GM in Green Bay, Thompson has built the Packers from a 4-12 season during his first year as GM to 13-3 in 2007. He was honored by Sporting News as the NFL’s Executive of the Year after this past season.

Critics of Thompson argue that it was all Favre in 2007 that carried the team to the amazing turnaround. While it’s true that Favre was incredibly valuable to the team last season (finishing second in MVP-voting), he can’t play defense.

And Thompson’s transformation of the Packers’ defense from laughingstock to one of the best in the league cannot go unnoticed.

The team ranked second in the NFC in PTS/G allowed and sixth in total-yards allowed. They were also +4 in turnover differential, up from -5 the previous year.

And all their positional upgrades can be credited to Thompson.

More than half of the starters, 32 of the 45 active players, and 40 of the 53 members of the roster during the final game of the 2007 were acquired by Thompson, either by via free agency, trade, or the draft.

Many of the standouts were Thompson-acquired players as well. Emerging linebacker A.J. Hawk, wide receiver Greg Jennings, running back Ryan Grant, and three of the five starting offensive linemen were acquired by Thompson. And all of the aforementioned players, with the exception of Grant, were acquired via the draft.

So, while it’s true that the debate won’t end until it’s answered on the field, critics should wait before bashing Thompson for sticking to Rodgers. Whether or not he did the right thing to get rid of the most beloved player in Packers’ history is a whole different debate. And whether or not the Packers will be a better team in 2008 is yet to be answered.

If Thompson believes in Rodgers as his quarterback, he has to have some talent. He wouldn’t stick behind the man he drafted just to prove a point to Favre; he’s smarter than that. And while it’s possible that Rodgers could be a bust, history proves otherwise.

If there’s one thing for Packer fans to worry about with Rodgers, it’s his injuries. He’s seen significant playing time in two games over the past two seasons and suffered serious injuries in both of them. If it happens again in 2008, the Packers are all but dead. But if he stays on the field, there’s a good chance he can lead the team back to the playoffs.

Thompson has endured a large amount of criticism for his handling of the Favre situation, and some of it is deserved, but he has shown in the past that he can make the right moves to help his team succeed. Until he proves otherwise, fans should stand behind that.

Ken Griffey Jr. may not be the best player of our lifetime anymore.

He’s not the most feared hitter in baseball. He’s not a gold glove candidate and he’s no longer a superstar.

But what’s important for the Chicago White Sox in acquiring Griffey from the Cincinnati Reds Thursday is that he’s a low-risk, high-reward acquisition.

If the White Sox had dealt the farm for Griffey this move would be atrocious. Had they given the Reds Josh Fields, Clayton Richard, or Gordan Beckham in the deal, critics would be slamming Kenny Williams, as they did when Williams gave up three minor leaguers, including top pitching prospect Royce Ring, for an over-the-hill Roberto Alomar in 2003.

But Williams didn’t. Instead, he gave up a middle reliever who has been horrid of late in Nick Masset and a mediocre minor league second baseman in Danny Richar.

That, alone, makes this deal a very smart one by Williams.

Sure, Griffey has struggled this year, hitting only .245 thus far. And it’s true that the White Sox don’t have a legitimate position to put him unless they were to bench the struggling fan-favorite Paul Konerko (hitting only .214). But the fact that the White Sox gave up virtually nothing for him makes it fine for the team if he doesn’t work out.

Say Griffey flops immediately in Chicago and struggles hitting and in the field. Say he blows out his ACL in August. While it would be a huge hit because the team hopes Griffey can be a huge contributor, the White Sox wouldn’t necessarily be done because they didn’t give up their season for Griffey. Instead, they would go back to the same lineup they had through July (which got them off to a 60-46 record and a 1 1/2 game lead in the division).

But say Griffey jumps in the “rejuvenation machine” and starts hitting like he’s capable and playing decent centerfield, the deal immediately goes from being a solid acquisition to a genius move by Williams.

And it’s possible that it could happen. Chicago’s a die-hard baseball town and playing in a pennant race in front of extremely passionate fans could get Griffey going. After all, he hasn’t played in a true playoff race since 1997 with the Mariners.

Additionally, playing under a manager like Ozzie Guillen, unlike any manager Griffey’s played for since Lou Piniella, could light a fire under him as well.

So it’s possible that the trade could flop. Griffey could become a bust and the team could miss the playoffs. While disappointing, it wouldn’t be because of Williams’ move. But the reward if Griffey pays off is incredibly higher then the impact if the trade fails.

I know it’s not even August, but it’s about time to start the always-hot debate as to whom should win the American League MVP.

There are a lot of decent candidates, although not many of the familiar names of years past. The likes of Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, and Vladamir Guerrero are not having sub-par years by most standards, but MVP-worthy? Hardly.

So it’s time to make an early case for one of the most unlikely MVP candidates entering the season—Carlos Quentin of the Chicago White Sox.

How unknown was Quentin entering the season? Well, even after the success he’s had thus far, his name isn’t even available as a “tag” in Bleacher Report’s “photo uploading” system.

But in all seriousness, Quentin played so horribly in Spring Training that he was likely to be cut from the White Sox’ roster before opening day. An injury late in Spring Training to presumptive starting outfielder Jerry Owens is the only reason he opened the season on the 25-man roster. (Owens, by the way, hasn’t seen the field at the major-league level this season).

So exactly how has Quentin transformed from roster castoff to MVP candidate? Two years ago, the obvious answer would have been “steroids.” However, the kind of success Quentin has had is nothing new to him.

He was a star hitter at Stanford and a former first-round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2003. Quentin, as well as the Diamondbacks, always knew he could hit, but injuries have plagued him throughout his career, making it easy for Arizona to ship him to Chicago for minor-league first baseman Chris Carter.

But Quentin’s healthy now, and his value to the White Sox could not be understated. Of his league-leading 26 home runs, 14 of them have given the White Sox the lead. The only player in the majors with more is Adrian Gonzalez, with 16 for the last-place San Diego Padres.

Additionally, five of those go-ahead shots were in the seventh inning or later, tying him with Prince Fielder and Aramis Ramirez for most in that category (thanks to the Elias Sports Bureau for those stats).

Quentin’s value has skyrocketed with the early hitting failures of White Sox sluggers Paul Konerko and Jim Thome. With the two struggling to find their swing, it is likely the White Sox offense would be in the same position they were a year ago without Quentin, as well as great offensive seasons by Jermaine Dye and rookie Alexei Ramirez.

Comparing Quentin to other possible MVP candidates, Quentin stacks up nicely. The most obvious candidate would be Texas Rangers slugger and feel-good story Josh Hamilton. People marveled over Hamilton’s swing during the Home Run Derby and his RBI numbers are near-record breaking.

However, if you stack up Hamilton with Quentin it’s darn close. Take a look:

Quentin:

.279 BA, 26 HR, 76 RBI, .930 OPS, 46 BB, 59 K.

Hamilton:

.305 BA, 22 HR, 98 RBI, .904 OPS, 39 BB, 71 K.

Hamilton has an obvious lead in the batting average and RBI categories. However, Quentin has a higher OPS, and a much better strikeout to walk ratio then Hamilton.

Couple these stats with the fact that Quentin’s team is in first place and Hamilton’s is fighting to stay in the playoff race. As well as the fact that Hamilton’s hitting in a lineup with three other All-Stars (Michael Young, Ian Kinsler, and Milton Bradley), and it’s hard to give Hamilton the edge, as feel-good as his story may be.

The other, more obvious, candidate would be Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau. Morneau has been incredibly valuable to the surprise Twins and is a former MVP winner already. Here are his stats to stack up to Quentin:

Morneau: .317 BA, 15 HR, 73 RBI, .898 OPS, 45 BB, 58 K.

Another close call with Quentin, as the only obvious advantage Morneau has to Quentin is batting average, and the only obvious lead Quentin has is home runs.

Again, it has to come down to the stats combined with overall value to the team’s success. It’s hard to say the Rangers would be any worse without Hamilton, as the team has always been a successful offensive club.

And his numbers are too close to those of Quentin and Morneau to give him the edge due to his team not being as good, so that leaves Morneau and Quentin.

The numbers, as previously stated, are too close to give either one the edge. Both have also carried otherwise sluggish offensive teams and turned them into contenders.

There’s still over two months to decide the MVP race, and it’s likely that a candidate from Boston, New York, Tampa Bay, or Detroit may emerge as well, and Guerrero is starting to heat up for the best-in-baseball Angels. But one thing’s for sure—the unlikeliest of candidates has sure made a case for himself to win the award.

The University of Illinois football team is in an interesting position entering 2008.

The team exceeded expectations by a mile in 2007, finishing tied for second in the Big Ten and earning a trip to the Rose Bowl.

However, the key pieces of that Rose Bowl team are long gone.  Leading rushing Rashard Mendenhall is in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and linebacker/team captain J Lemanhas graduated and moved on.

But unlike in 2002, when the team went into disarray after playing in the Sugar Bowl, this team is more prepared for their future.  That team was led by senior stars Kurt Kittner and Brandon Lloyd, who were recruiting gems of former coach Ron Turner.

Unfortunately for the Illini, Turner was not a master recruiter.  After the gems in Kittner and Lloyd, others bolted, Turner and the Illini were left in shambles, and Illinois was the laughingstock of the Big Ten for the next six years.

But after the Ron Zook hiring three years ago, the image of the Illini changed, and that will become apparent to fans in 2008.

While stars/fan favorites Mendenhall and Leman are gone, Zook’s recruiting has set the team up to succeed for the long haul.

With top recruits wide receiver Arrelious Benn and defensive end/linebacker Martez Wilson getting a full year under their belts and flashing signs of brilliance during their freshman seasons, expect big things out of them this season.

Additionally, the team has a proven defensive star incornerback Vontae Davis, younger brother of San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis.  Vontaeproved to be a shutdown corner last season.  Look for him to be a legitimate All-American performer in ‘08.

As far as losing Leman, your team’s leading tackler is never easy to replace, but senior linebacker Brit Miller has been improving every year.  If he’s able to take over as the team’s leader on the defensive side of the ball, the team shouldn’t lose any ground.

Regardless of the team’s defensive success, one thing’s for sure—the success or failure of the team rests squarely on the shoulders of junior quarterback Juice Williams.  Williams was the fan-appointed savior of the team when he came on and took his lumps during his freshman and sophomore seasons.

But at the same time, Williams has shown flashes of being the superstar Illini fans have envisioned for so long.  If Williams can take the team on his shoulders and play like the quarterback he has the potential to be, another trip to the Rose Bowl could be in store.

The 2008 schedule is a brutal one for the Illini—three of their first five games are tough road contests against legitimate National Championship contenders (Missouri, Penn State, Michigan).  The team also travels to Camp Randall for a road contest against Wisconsin later in the season.

If the team can go 2-2 in those four games, they still have a chance in the Big Ten—but that’s a big if.  They have Ohio State at home, and you can rest assured the Buckeyes will have revenge on their minds after Illinois ruined their perfect season in Columbus last season.

2008 will be an interesting season for the Illini.  They proved in 2007 they could compete with the top teams in the Big Ten by defeating Wisconsin, Penn State, and Ohio State, and nearly missing out on a win over Michigan.  They were also perhaps a Juice Williams injury away from handing Missouri their first loss in week one.

I am a diehard Green Bay Packers fan who has only known one quarterback in his life—Brett Favre.

When Favre announced his retirement in March, I was less surprised than most. I figured that Favre would have liked to go out giving absolutely everything he had, and let’s face it, last year was his last best chance at winning a Super Bowl.

Interception on his last throw or not, I figured he might retire and I had completely accepted (and somewhat looked forward to) what life would be like without Favre as my team’s quarterback.

Throughout the past couple of weeks where rumors surfaced that Favre wanted to come back and play in 2008, I had kept my mouth shut because I wasn’t quite sure how to feel.

Sure, Favre had a great season in 2007 and showed that he could still play at his age. But as the Packers’ front office brass had continuously said, the Packers had moved on and Aaron Rodgers was their quarterback. And I felt the same way.

Of course, if the Packers had welcomed Favre back with open arms I wouldn’t have been disappointed. But the fact of the matter was that the Packers were ready to move on.

As much of a hero Favre was to Green Bay and as much as he has done for the organization, the constant retirement speculation had grown tiresome and when he finally announced he was retiring, I’m sure the organization let out a collective sigh of relief.

The ordeal was over and as much as they were going to miss having Favre around, they could finally move on.

Then, a few weeks ago rumors started surfacing that Favre wanted to come back. I’m sure that Packers’ General Manager Ted Thompson’s feelings were much similar to mine—here we go again.

I, as a fan, had put all my emotions for Favre as a player aside and accepted his retirement. The Packers, by all accounts, had done the same thing. On an emotional level and on a player personnel level.

It’s unlikely that Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn would have been drafted if Favre was still on the roster. They would have used those picks to fill more immediate needs such as the secondary or the defensive line.

So while the rest of the world remains shocked that the Packers would say no to the most legendary player in the organization’s rich history, I’m not. And while the talking heads onESPN ponder the difficult predicament the organization is in with Favre asking for his release, the question is a lot more simple then they’re making it out to be.

The Packers basically told Favre no about coming back, so why not just say no to releasing him?

Pundits say the organization can’t do such a thing. Favre has given the team so much over the years that he deserves for the team to do what he demands so that he can continue playing for another team. But that’s not the case.

When Barry Sanders retired from the NFL, it was because he no longer wanted to play for the Detroit Lions and the Lions, reasonably so, refused to trade or release him. Thus, he stayed retired. So why can’t the Packers do the same thing with Favre?

True, it would make for some pretty horrible publicity for Thompson to decide to pretty much force Favre to stay retired. But not nearly as bad as it would look for the Packers to allow Favre to play for the Bears or the Vikings next year and lead them to the playoffs or beyond.

Morally, the right thing for the Packers to do would be to release Favre and allow him to do what he wants with the remainder of his career. But the Packers are in the league to win football games, and from an organizational standpoint, the smartest move would be to not allow Favre to play for them or for anyone else.

The Packers aren’t being forced to do anything. Pressured, yes. But forced? As much as people say that Favre holds the upper hand and is holding the Packers hostage, that isn’t the case anymore. The Packers hold his rights for two more years and can do what they want, just as the Lions did with Sanders.

Will fans be furious? Yes, for the time being. But they’ll get over it and move on, just as Favre will. People forget that the Packers have one of the brightest, most talented upcoming teams for the 2008 season and nothing erases bad publicity like success.

So the Packers should move on, succeed with Aaron Rodgers, and try their best to put this ugly mess behind them.

Dale Tallon, John McDonough, and Rocky Wirtz should be proud.

The Chicago Blackhawks’ general manager, president, and chairman, respectively, have brought a franchise back from the dead.

Okay, it may be a little too early to anoint the Blackhawks as 2008-09 Stanley Cup Champions just yet. But the work done by the front office to bring the ‘Hawks from being ranked in a fan poll in ESPN the Magazine as the worst franchise in the four major sports in America (baseball, basketball, football, and hockey) only three years ago has been phenomenal.

The sad and morbid truth of the matter is that the team’s uprising began on September 26 of last year when former team chairman, Bill Wirtz, passed away.

Since the elder Wirtz’s death, son Rocky has begun a transformation that has brough estranged fans back to the team they loved, all while attracting new and younger fans.

The transformation, which began towards the end of the Bill Wirtz era with the drafting of young sensations Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, hit it’s highest point to date this past season when the young ‘Hawks provided flashes of brilliance in finishing with 88 points, only three out of the eighth playoff spot in the West.

And it continued Tuesday, with the signings Brian Campbell, the top defenseman on the free agent market, and Cristobal Huet, a much needed upgrade at goalie.

The money Tallon agreed to shell out, $7.1 million a year over eight to Campbell and $5.6 million a year over five to Huet, is a sum unheard of by the Blackhawks over the years, as fans are more accustomed to seeing big-name free agents leave, rather than arrive.

But the signings are just a piece of the huge transformation project the team has undergone under the new front office’s reign.

To say that Bill Wirtz wasn’t the most fan-friendly would be an understatement. The late chairman did the unheard of, blacking out local broadcasts of home games under the mentality that if fans wouldn’t buy a ticket why should they give it to them for free on TV?

Last month Rocky Wirtz announced a new TV deal that would broadcast every single regular-season game between two Chicago stations.

But with all the front office can do to bring fans back, the most important factor is simple: win.

The ‘Hawks have only reached the playoffs once in the past 11 years, a short-lived 2002 appearance, and haven’t reached the Stanley Cup Finals since being swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992. And their last Stanley Cup Championship was 48 years ago and counting.

So is it possible that the ‘Hawks can become the contenders we all forgot they can be? Kane and Toews are future NHL stars, and they have a front office that is prepared to keep that core group of stars together, something that wasn’t the case with the likes of Roenick, Amonte, or Chelios, among others.

Campbell should provide an immediate defensive impact that is badly needed, and Huet is an upgrade over the past-his-prime Nikolai Khabibulin.

The ‘Hawks will contend for the playoffs, that’s for sure. But can they get over the hump and bring the team back to being regular contenders?

One thing’s for sure, the front office thinks they can.