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And how is your distal bicep this morning? An interesting aspect of the Marty Brodeur story is the identity of the new Devil’s backup. It’s ex Leaf and Marlie Scott Clemmensen…Dallas Star Fabian Brunnstrom, much coveted by the Leafs and Red Wings as an off season free agent, scored a hat trick in his first NHL game three weeks ago. Today? He’s in the doghouse and on the verge of demotion to the minors based on an inability to find his way back to the defensive zone…Alex Auld has made six straight starts between the pipes for the Ottawa Senators. Martin Gerber has, again, been found wanting…Sports Illustrated botched a headline yesterday. While an article proclaimed Mats Sundin was determined to return for a contending team, the title grafted on top announced, “Sundin Interested in Kings”! The article was about the Anaheim Ducks, but I tell ya, the headline sure caused me to cough up my Kashi…Thursday NFL games commence this evening. The initial match will feature the professional debut of second year pro and ex Notre Dame star Brady Quinn, starting at QB for the Cleveland Browns. The backdrop for the decision relies as much on the success of wonder rookies Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan as it does with the perceived strengths of Brady. It is hard to justify waiting on Quinn when neophytes are leading the Ravens and the Falcons to winning seasons…and the days when a rookie would be cultivated for years before starting seem to be behind us. I remember reading Ken Stabler’s autobiography where he detailed three years of weight training and carrying clipboards before starting for the Oakland Raiders. Stabler parlayed the foundation obtained in those grunt days into a Super Bowl and Pro Bowl career…if you’re not aware, Quinn is absolutely ripped and his beefcake photos have made him an icon in the gay community…think there is an opportunity to make a score tonight. The Broncos desperately need a win and the Sporting News Scouts report Quinn is not close to being ready for primetime. Take the field goal and the Broncos…Daunte Culpepper reportedly took the majority of snaps in practice for the Detroit Lions yesterday. Unbelievably, the Lions appear close to starting Daunte this Sunday against a starving pack of Jaguars…David Tyree, hero of last years Superbowl, is out for the remainder of the year. The “helmet catch guy” has battled knee and hamstring injuries…with the Blue Jays set to assume a virtual minor league roster next year you have to wonder when Roy Halladay asks for a ticket out of town. He has two years remaining on his contract…next up to clear cap space for the 2010 free agent class? Vince Carter, say goodbye to the New Jersey Nets …Scott Foster, friend of disgraced NBA ref Tim Donaghy, was caught up in the FBI investigation of match fixing when it was reported he had 134 phone conversations with Donaghy between Oct 2006 and April 2007. Foster is still employed as a referee in the NBA…there are two races remaining in the NASCAR season. Slumping Jeff Gordon, who has racked up at least one win per season for fifteen consecutive years, is running out of time. A failure to grab a win at Phoenix or Homestead would end one of the great streaks in auto sports…boxer Joe Mesi was unsuccessful Tuesday in his attempt to win a seat in the New York legislature. Hopefully Mesi, a victim of a brain bleed after a decision win against Monte Barrett, does not opt to resume his fighting career. He can’t fight even a wee bit, and the brain injury thing, well, it just makes the whole exercise seem unpalatable…yeah, I opened my new tax free saving account at Scotia today, and yeah I did it because the Scotia advertisements told me it would be good for me, and yeah, I do feel meek, mild and oh so Canadian right now…we had two of six winners yesterday at the Rexdale zoo but generally picked an awful night to go shooting for boxcar scores. We’ll pass on today’s offering…