If your head did not explode from reading the title of this post, I suspect you are probably laughing or are confused as to what the hell the Beanpot is.  In the grand scheme of sporting events, yes, comparing the two is bombastic.  It’d be like comparing, ladies and gentlemen, sex with a model to that first awkward drunken make-out/groping session you had freshman year of college.

While the Super Bowl is the grandaddy of all American sporting events (so grandaddy-licious this year that it’s the most watched broadcast event in history), the Beanpot is a tournament involving Boston’s 4 big schools: Harvard, Northeastern, Boston College, and my alma mater, Boston University.  Each year, the 4 schools are paired off for a 2 week tournament for the coveted Beanpot trophy.  More importantly, these four schools play for pride and bragging rights…and yes, ads do not cost $3 million for 30 seconds.

If you watched BC’s 4-3 Beanpot victory on Monday night at a local sports bar, it made for an unbelievably satisfying sports dessert to The Big Game’s main course.  As a BU alum, it was disappointing to lose, especially to our hated rival (Thank god for $1 dollar draft Mondays at Third & Long) and I was not exactly thrilled wake up and watch ESPN’s Top 10 yesterday morning.  What was the #1 play you ask?  Chris Kreider, BC’s 18 year old freshman, deking out BU freshman Max Nicastro and finishing with a fluid backhander past BU goalie Kieran Millan to put BC up 3-1 during the Beanpot.

Now, I can drunkenly berate the other 3 BC goals (and believe me, I did) but none of us could argue this was a helluva play.  Oddly enough, I quickly changed my tune since, if you watched the game, you’d know BU’s David Warsofsky had an equally amazing top-shelf backhander later on.  Surprisingly, I was happy.  I was happy that college hockey, a sport that doesn’t get nearly enough recognition and is the pride of the BU faithful, was getting it’s due on Sportscenter.  Hopefully next year, we’ll reclaim the trophy for a tournament that’s continually ours (29 titles and running).  Until then…

What? You didn’t think I’d really end this on a sad note and praising the enemy, did you? GO B.U.

Anybody hit the number last night?

According to Mark McGuire, from TimesUnion.com, it was only the second time 1-7 was the winning combination in Super Bowl box gambling lore. Based on McGuire’s research, seven has actually hit 19 times in 44 Super Bowls, with the most common winning score being 27 and the most common losing score being - get this - 17!

Not only am I nerd, because I just dropped that information on you, but I’m also a huge jerk because I remembered I love Super Bowl boxes about the time that Jay-Z and his symphony asked you to pledge allegiance to the Roc Nation (approx. 6:03). Alas, I didn’t get to participate.

If you reigned victorious, hit me with a story (How much you won? Which friend you berated first - your pitiful buddy who got stuck with 2-2?). I love a good gambling success story, and the only one I’ve heard out of this Super Bowl so far is from my degenerate coworker Leon* who bet heads on the coin toss.

*Not his real name, changed b/c betting on the coin toss is ultra degenerate.

Photos via LA Times & Idolator

Truthfully, I turned on the game briefly - just long enough to get a sense of Mike Tirico blase approach to commentating such an abomination of a football game, which was funny.

After that fleeting tune-in (don’t count me in the tune-in numbers, Nielsen folks), I watched The Fantastic Mr. Fox (1:20 movie; so, roughly an 1:18:56 more time invested than the game) and Big Love (Happy to see that the show is not going with the Ben’s Alt-Christian band storyline, but rather him mired in a good old fashion seduction with Margene).

Smokey & The Bandit was also on - if I hadn’t already seen it six times…

Anyone else catch anything good last night while they were skipping the game? Because unless your name is Tirico you probably watched something good while skipping the game - I’m sure Gruden checked out and had the engineer pipe Burt Reynolds and Sally Field on HBO Comedy into the booth on his monitor at the beginning of the third quarter.

Brief update on the gutting situation at the old Giants stadium - not in reference to Rotund Rex per say - as the Jets and Giants get set to move into an enormous new building next year.

FOUND ON EBAY: The X-Ray System from the old Giants stadium

According to the ad, the unit is in excellent shape and was used by both teams during games for injuries, physical exams for Giant players, World Cup Soccer, College football games and all other events which required diagnostic imaging services.

Not sure how old it is, but it looks old.

So if you know any lucrative radiologists - they want 4 Gs for this bad sally - who are looking to wow their patients with fun facts like, this is where Dave Meggett got screened after Bill Romanowski tried to rip his finger off, pass it along.

In related news, the aforementioned Rex Ryan would like all New York fans to know that the Jets are now the biggest show in town. And in other New Jersey news, Xanadu (this fully-erect, but not yet fully built building next to Meadowlands) might be the biggest real estate blunder in history.

Stadium photos via Flickr

I don’t always read Chad Ochocinco’s Twitter feed, but when I do I prefer unbridled shenanigans.

I was monitoring it pretty closely yesterday to see what sort of post-game bromance between Chad and Darelle Revis would ensue, strangely - mind-boggling inexplicably actually - nothing too excited came of that; he alluded he might make good on his promise to change his name back to Chad Johnson, then a few more bruh, bruh’s, and that’s about it.





In far more engaging, and whimsical, developments yesterday via Twitter, Ochocinco personally sought out Giants stadium staple, and the face of the J-E-T-S chants, Fireman Ed.





Chad’s query was answered by ESPN producer Jason Romano, which garnered him a shout out from a thankful Ocho who apparently is going to hook Fireman Ed with a trip to Cincy (”Enjoy the jungle”) for the game on Saturday.





Last week, Fireman Ed was made the subject of some of Ocho’s more inventive trash talk directed at the Jets and Revis, saying he was going to get his own Bengals fire hat made (no idea if he did), get up on the goal post or a linebacker’s shoulders, then quiet the Giants stadium crowd and get them to chant O-C-H-O.

The Daily News reported at the time…

“I have one that is going to be so good. Everybody listening? You know the guy in the stands with the fireman hat (Fireman Ed) that quiets the stadium? OK, I have my own fireman hat made, but it doesn’t say Jets. It’s a Bengals fireman hat. When I score, I’m going to sit on top of the goal post and then I’m going to quiet the stadium like he does…

“I had this planned in the offseason. All I could think about is the guy who gets on the big guy’s shoulders and he quiets the stadium and does the Jets-Jets-Jets thing. Hopefully the fans of New York will give me the same respect. When I score, I’m going to get on my lineman’s shoulders and I’m going to quiet the stadium.

“I want everybody to say Ocho, O-C-H-O. You guys write about that. Get it out there and tell them to please cooperate.”

After Sunday night’s loss, Ocho’s clearly showing Fireman Ed much respect - strangely so were the broadcast team of Chris Collinsworth and Al Michaels at one point during the game. Just don’t be surprised if this Saturday the Bengals win and Chad brings out a whole troupe of Hooters girls wearing orange fire hats.

…

In other news, Collinsworth has a rapier wit. Did anyone catch this exchange?

Michaels: You think [Rex Ryan] has a layer of thermals on under there?

Collinsworth: I think he was born with a layer of thermal.

And with that, we close the book on another NFL regular season.

Just saying, it’d be a lot cooler if he had.

And with that sarcastic slight, here’s links to all the best CJ posts percolating in the blogs today:

Chris Johnson 2006 = MVP? (Intentional Foul)
Chris Johnson And Usain Bolt Want To Race Each Other (No Guts, No Glory)
Chris Johnson’s 2009: Best ever season by a running back? (The Shutdown Corner)
A Cheetah, Chris Johnson, and Usain Bolt: Who Ya Got? (SB Nation)
Chris Johnson Tops 2,000 Yards Rushing (Fanhouse)

What are you most anticipating? Adam Schefter’s follow-up report or Ochocinco’s follow-up Twitter press conference concerning Usain Bolt.

By this time next week, the first week of NFL playoff match-ups will be abundantly clear, and the media landscape will be lousy with speculation - prediction: an unnecessary amount of people picking Philly or Dallas to make a dark horse Superbowl run. As it stands right now, 10 of 12 teams are at their very least in, with two spots in the AFC no less than wide open. Of those 10 teams, seven are playing games in the last week of the season that have some sort of playoff implications. Even so, after the Colts conceded victory vs. the Jets on Sunday, one can’t help but wonder who of the teams that are in regardless plan to rest their starters in the final contest of the regular season.

As I see it, you can eliminate three teams from that debate instantaneously, and a few others fairly quickly. The top seeds in their respective conferences, New Orleans and Indy, each backed their way into resting their starters in Week 17. And San Diego didn’t have to earn it - and they did beating up on Tennessee - but with a firm hold on the #2 seed they’ll sit their first string too.

The obvious candidates to play their starters this Sunday are Philly and Dallas, who meet to decide who takes the NFC East title. It’s just as much of a no-brainer for Minnesota and Arizona to put their starters out there. Minnesota needs to win to stay eligible for a bye. If a few things fall into place (MIN loss, PHI loss), Arizona can play their way to a bye to the following week.

That leaves three teams to consider - New England, Cincinnati and Green Bay. All three of these teams are playing a game on Sunday that affects the playoff picture, just not necessarily in a huge way personally. None of these teams have a chance at a bye, and Green Bay has no chance to get higher than a fifth seed. For New England and Cincy, on the surface it’s really only a question of rest - beneath the surface it’s a question of how bad do we not want to go into Indy in the divisional round?

Here’s the brief on GB, NE and the Queen City’s match-up on Sunday, and the context of each. Hit the poll at the bottom on who you think most needs to rest their starters on Sunday:

New England

vs. Houston

Implications:

Houston needs to win to get in. And realistically, they need so much help that the round-the league scoreboard will garner as much attention as Tom Brady and Randy Moss. The third seed in the AFC is New England’s to relinquish with a loss and a Cincinnati win. However, at this point it’s hard to wish for a second-round jaunt to the left coast to face San Diego over a rematch with Indy, who’ll be dusting off considerably for that divisional game.

I say sit the A-team at half time, Bill - who, ever the contrarian, called a QB dive with Brady twice on the final drive vs. Jacksonville on Sunday, up 35-7 in the fourth.

Cincinnati

vs. Jets

Implications:

Jets win, and their in. And with the Jets playing at home and the master of their own destiny, Cincy can count on getting the Jets’ best punch in the mouth. Still, if the Bengals knock out the Jets and a few other chips fall their way (NE loss, BAL win), they could be set-up to take on Baltimore in the first round, who they swept in the division during the regular season. Sounds complicated, but really it’s really as simple as living by the out-of-town scoreboard - if at any point New England wraps up Houston and that third seed is, pull Palmer.

Green Bay

vs. Arizona

Implications:

Arizona wins, and Minnesota and Philly lose, the defending NFC champs all of a sudden earned a week off, which is great for them, but does it really do anything for Green Bay? Rodgers and crew are looking at the 5th or 6th seed regardless of what happens on Sunday. But somehow, other than New Orleans, they’ve managed to have the least to play for this week. And, it’s almost a sure thing, that no matter where they’ve got to go in the first round, they’ll face a third or fourth seed that either played their way or got themselves beaten down into that position. May not hurt to be the rested team in that scenario.

…

My smart money prediction: Green Bay conducts business as usual, and plays the starters, New England and Cincinnati pull the first string at half time.

Vote for the team you most think should rest their starters this week in the poll below.

You know you’re poor at Fantasy Football when your team’s most harrowing performance of the year comes from a middling running back in Week 15 of the NFL Season, or as far as your fantasy team is concerned - the second round robin round of the consolation ladder. Also, you left this player on your bench (where he belonged for most of the season).

Mostly underwhelming all year, Jerome Harrison was truly unstoppable yesterday in the Browns’ win over Kansas City, grabbing 286 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Even more impressive, he shattered Jim Brown’s previous team record of 237 yds. Most impressive, that’s 52 fantasy points. As such, a performance of this magnitude can’t help but make me question: undrafted keeper in 2010?

Conflicted isn’t the right word, but it’s the first word that comes to mind.

Wish You’da Had Harrison Huh? (AZ Star)

Fantasy Football Wrap: Jerome Harrison’s Shocking Explosion (Fanhouse)

WK 15: Jerome Harrison highlights (NFL.com)

(Photo via)

Every game is this game.

And while we’re throwing some jabs the Lions way, fast forward four days in the future from their Doofus Bowl against the Browns…

This Thanksgiving marks the 5th anniversary of Detroit retiring Barry Sanders #20 - and it’s been at least that long since they should be allowed to host a Thanksgiving Day NFL football game. Since that 2004 game that honored Sanders, Detroit is 0-5 on Thanksgiving and has been outscored 179 - 62 by their opponents. The last time Detroit won on Thanksgiving was in 2003 against Green Bay, the team they face this year as a matter of fact. Also, the team that beat them 26-0 in Week 6.

The Thanksgiving games have been been a league tradition since 1920, and Detroit has been a host since 1934. However, what’s more important - league tradition or league integrity?

I’m not a league official, I’m just a guy who asks questions.

For fans everywhere of speaking loudly for the sake of trying to make a stale point sound important,  I’m sure you’ll all be real fired up to hear that Jon Gruden inked a multiyear extension with Monday Night Football today. Plus, they’re gonna let him be a part of like five other projects.

Via the ESPN.com wire services…

ESPN “Monday Night Football” analyst and former longtime NFL coach Jon Gruden has agreed to a multiyear extension with the network.

Gruden, who joined ESPN in September to replace Tony Kornheiser in the MNF booth, will also appear on ESPN’s Super Bowl week and NFL Draft coverage, will call the 2010 NFL Pro Bowl and will serve as an analyst for ESPN Radio’s 2010 Rose Bowl and BCS title game broadcasts, where he will again team with MNF play-by-play caller Mike Tirico.

That means multiple more years of Gruden insight (“this guy’s a football player”) and in depth analysis (“this guy’s a running back”) on MNF. Personally, I can’t get enough of his inability to keep a straight face during those rare moments where the camera focuses in on the booth. Unprofessional, yes. A clear-cut indication that he’s just tuned Jaw’s out, why hell yes.

Gruden, ESPN agree to multiyear deal (ESPN)