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GRID IRON..the Sporting News Scouts give a big shout out to Philadelphia Eagles GM Tom Heckert for assembling a roster of tremendous depth and talent. A forgotten man, submerged behind the hype machine darlings Andy Reid and Jeff Lurie, Heckert has quietly assembled a group of players competent at every position…Real GM speculates one of the rare miscues in Philadelphia was the hiring of Michael Vick. Word on the street suggests his days are numbered as a big league player. I’ll tell you, as a massive fight fan, I was “in the know” about athletes leaving prison. Any man in jail eats an abysmal diet, one full of processed foods and sugar. He may look tough, appear strong, have the pimp swagger, but boxing fans have always known a man out of the Big House required many months to regain true fitness. Big tough looking ex-cons are regularly brushed aside in gyms until a nutritious diet can re-establish strength and endurance…the Scouts are also warning the Pack about the inordinate amount of punishment they are allowing Aaron Rodgers to endure. He’s only human and cannot be expected to spend Sunday afternoons running for his life. It is suggested a less aggressive approach, with less players running routes, is the key to protect their erstwhile punching bag…

ICE..I’m planning to head out tonight to catch the Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils. I’m curious to see who will fill the leadership void with the Caps minus Alex Ovechkin. Backstrom? Green? Could Semin step forward?…and, as always, I’m a keen observer of the Canadian Olympic Team prospective goaltenders. What better way to get a grip on the current form of Martin Brodeur than to watch him play against the Caps, even minus their prodigious scoring leader…cannot say enough about Phil Kessel’s debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs last night. While obviously a bit out of synch, Kessel delivered an elite level performance, slamming ten shots at net while clanging a goal post and a crossbar…an important concern, however, was the continued incompetent play of his linemate Jason Blake. The little weasel is not popping goals and seems indifferent to the demands of professional hockey. Off in his own world, Blake is adamant that his game remain pain and effort free. I was a defender of Blake in the latter part of last season as he demonstrated real ability while paired with Dominic Moore. But watching him drift aimlessly through the Leaf orbit has become an aggravation. I suspect Brian Burke feels the same way…an interesting piece by writer Craig Custance speaks to the inability of the Boston Bruins to replace Kessel. The return of Marco Sturm had Mark Recchi yelping, “We’ve replaced one 30 goal scorer with another”. Sturm has plodded his way to two goals this season. Kessel stretches the ice with his speed and ignites the offensive flow with his aggressive approach. Bruins fans and Leaf Nation are realizing, at roughly the same time, just how good he truly is…two first round picks are going to look like a Leaf steal, and, yep, I’ve been saying that from the time the trade was made…sorry, still not caring about the NHLPA political miscues. And I strongly disagree with Steve Simmons assertion in the Toronto Sun that the manoeuvrings of illiterate millionaires constitutes “news”…

TURN LEFT..here’s a way to reverse the rapidly waning interest in the Chase. Let A J Allmendinger get torched on rum, Jeremy Mayfield ripped on crank, and let the two race before the big show starts at Texas this weekend. While you may not be watching, I’ve always wondered how a booze hound and a druggie would make out swapping paint at 200 miles an hour…

THE BASKET..Allen Iverson has had enough. The player, an emblem of basketball royalty, stoically endured his mistreatment in Memphis before exploding,” I’m not a bench player. I’m not a sixth man…I had a problem with my butt sitting on the bench for so long”. Thus concludes The Answers first game as a Grizzly. Good luck, Memphis…

PONIES..the best site for updates on the Breeders Cup is Equidaily.com…the races from Santa Anita will be staged this coming Friday and Saturday. I’m boycotting the Friday races, believing it is insulting to stage the races on a day when the working stiff cannot attend and, further, at a time when the working class are routinely fired if caught wagering from work. Unbelievably short sighted and stupid…I’ll post my Saturday plays the morning of the races. My approach will be an attempt to suss out some Europeans with hidden virtues in order to land phat scores…