Yo Adrian

Finally some hockey news comes to the Sports Toilet. Well...sort of. I came across this story about some Pittsburgh Penguin fans who are rumored to be playing a prank on Flyers fans--and the city of Brotherly love as whole--by putting a Sid the Kid jersey on the Rocky statue. No revealing pictures have surfaced yet, but I sure hope they do. That would certainly add some fuel to this in-state rivalry. Especially if someone responds to the craigslist posting asking for a Flyers fan to step up and perform a similar act of immaturity on a landmark in Pitts. I am a big fan of rivalries and pranks like this. Its always fun when sports fans logic goes down the sports toilet, and they revert back to their behavior from college. On second thought, the pranksters are probably in college right now. Still it is great to see two fan bases unite to support their team (and embarrass the opponent). Oh, and for those of you who don't follow hockey, this would probably be a good time to mention that the Pens and Flyers are currently playing each other in the Eastern Conference Finals. One other thing, look at that statue of Rocky. It is glorious. Best statue ever created of a fictitious character. Seriously, I dare you to find one better. Send me a picture if you can. But you can't. Only one slight problem: now when I look at it, I keep thinking of this Dwayne Wade-Chuck Barkley commercial. It got me thinking...would anyone go out of their way to deface a statue of Sir Charles?

AFC Prediction

After a season dominated by Brady's Bunch and a crushing Super Bowl loss, it's safe to say anything can happen in this division. The Pats are still the obvious favorite to win it all but I think a Super Bowl Champ from only a couple years previous has a great shot to take it again this season. After a solid draft and a pretty good season last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers look like a serious contender in a very deep AFC.

They somehow managed to have a respectable 10-6 record without, "Fast" Willie Parker, for a lot of the season and one of the top defensive players in the league, Troy Polamalu. With everyone healthy, Ben Roethlisberger coming off a strong season and a strong draft, they look tough going into the 08-09 season. Rookie editions Rashard Mendenhall (RB), Limas Sweed (WR) and the new "Slash" Dennis Dixon give Ben Roethlisberger and Willie Parker the help they needed last year. The Parker/ Mendenhall combo is as strong as any one-two in the league. The defense also added UCLA's Bruce Davis (DE), which will add even more pressure on opposing QB's and will allow Polamalu to control the secondary. The Colts have not done enough to match the likes of Pittsburgh or New England and another AFC contender, the San Diego charges didn't quite right the ship this off-season. Taking Anton Cason, although he was a late round steal, the U of A corner when cornerback was not a necessity this draft. Therefore, the Steelers and coach, Mike Tomlin, are in great position to battle the Patriots for AFC supremacy, and go on to win this year's Superbowl.

The Knicks may be on to something...

As bad as they have been in the Isaiah Thomas era, things may be on the up and up for the Knicks. I'm not saying it's a guarantee that they are a team to be reckoned with for years to come, but they have a chance. Getting Mike D'Antoni, an Italian, and a decent coach will please the people of New York, for now. Isaiah is out and that's even better. A few things have to happen for this mess to be cleared up in New York. The new GM, Donnie Walsh, has to look at this roster and set aside all the guys with baggage and trade them to teams who don't mind sitting on contracts, much like Portland's Kevin Prichard has been doing over the last three seasons in Portland. Eddy Curry, Jerome James, Jared Jeffries, Stephon Marbury, Zack Randolph, Quentin Richardson and Malik Rose all have to go. They must be traded for anything. 2nd round picks, D-Leaguers, foreign players still in the development process, pretty much anything but Kwame Brown. Let the young talent like, Nate Robinson, David Lee and Wilson Chandler develop. As good as Jamal Crawford has been, he is the key because his value can draw a more D'Antoni friendly player into NY via trade. Jamal Crawford for Richard Jefferson(Nets), would be a near perfect solution. A guy with little to no baggage and enough entertainment and scoring value to please the fans. Another huge factor is the draft pick they get. If they get number 1 they are all set, you get Derrick Rose, but if they get a 5-10 pick, look for them to get former Indiana Hoosier, Eric Gordon. This is a run and gun, D'Antoni friendly player that would work very well in his system. If the Knicks could have a starting lineup of Nate Robinson, Derrick Rose/ Eric Gordon, Richard Jefferson, David Lee and Wilson Chandler, while not a sexy lineup, it could be strong enough to earn a playoff spot in the very thin east. By the end of next season after cap space is freed and new players develop, they could be in good position to sign a 2009 free agent big man and make a run in the very soft east with D'Antoni at the helm.