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GRID IRON..the baffled Tampa Bay head coach Raheem Morris is now talking about starting Josh Freeman for the 0-5 Bucs. Freeman would be the third QB utilized by the franchise in what has been a futile season…the much heralded Buffalo Bill “no huddle” offense has been shelved. With a trade of Terrell Owens seemingly imminent, the Bills seem to be settling in for a protracted bout of mediocrity. This shouldn’t be a surprise. Head coach Dick Jauron is the worst in the business and is destined to destroy any team he mentors…the NFL trading deadline is Oct 20^th…New York Giant coach Tom Coughlin demoted Kurt Warner when his research demonstrated that the QB needed 3.8 seconds to effectively throw the ball. Coughlin started Eli Manning, who can dispense the pigskin in 2.5 seconds if required, and the rest, as they say, is history…the New York Giants are recording a sack on a staggering 10% of their defensive plays. The Giants are a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks. The mouth waters in anticipation of this unit going up against the high octane New Orleans offense. Lads, you know what to do; this is a Giants play all the way…ICE..Vinnie Lecavalier has not scored in 12 games. With the mercurial Alex Tanguay on his wing the expectation was that a big bounce back year was in the offing for the Lightning star…is anyone surprised that Martin Havlat, ex of the Blackhawks and currently with the Wild, is on the shelf? The Minnesota team sent Marian Gaborik packing but then opted to replace his abundant skills with another injury prone player. Havlat is, according to Rotoworld, day to day…Bruce Boudreau is living dangerously by splitting up Alex Ovechkin and Niklas Backstrom. It is a very surprising development. Backstrom has proved so adept at feeding the disc to Alex the Great that one would have thought their relationship was untouchable. Ovechkin will now play with Brendan Morrison and Mike Knuble. Backstrom will centre Alex Semin and Brooks Laich…the latest Sporting News rankings have the Toronto Maple Leafs listed as the worst team in hockey…I heard a caller to the radio suggest he was happy that the Leafs were last in the League as this would ensure the number 1 pick in the 2010 draft. Guess he didn’t read the fine print of the Phil Kessel deal…FOOTIE..my man Lenny, proprietor of The Rails and Ales, ventured across the ocean to take in the Barcelona - Athletico Madrid match on Sept 19^th. Len was heading to Greece for a well deserved vacation and opted to make a quick stop in Spain to watch the Champions League victors. After purchasing a ticket online, Len found himself sitting in the fifth row, dead center. I’m constantly amazed the type of seat you can purchase when you only require one. The game started at the unholy hour of 10pm! The description of the passion of the Spanish people, the gorgeous nightlife, the stupendous party atmosphere, all had me riveted. Len left a nightclub at 6am (his flight to Greece was a few hours later) and he noted people were still pouring in! That’s a long way from life in the Big Smoke. Barcelona won 5-2 with the sublime Lionel Messi notching a goal…and Happy Birthday Len, hope you survive tomorrow night…PUG LIFE..the fight community collectively gasped as budding superstar Juan Manuel Lopez unexpectedly “hit the wall” in the 10^th round of his slugfest Saturday night with Rogers Mtagwa. Lopez was blasted from post to pillar for the final nine minutes of the fight. Boxing has just recently had to deal with the huge upset of Jorge Linares and it appeared another potential superstar was going to be carried out. But Lopez showed remarkable heart and determination. He is all fighter. He gutted it out and was rewarded with a narrow but deserved decision win. Next up for JuanMa is a fight with the flashy Yuriorkas Gamboa… Odlanier Solis, 15-0, is garnering attention as the next big heavyweight prospect. He was pitted against fringe contender Monte Barrett this past weekend. Solis showed up at a spectacularly fat 271 pounds. Though he won the fight the stench of the division revolts all but the most implacable fans…