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GRID IRON..can’t shake the feeling that people are underestimating the effect Dwight Feeney’s absence may have on the Indianapolis Colts in this weekend’s Superbowl. Feeney’s boisterous excursions into the opposition’s territory allow the Colts to create a serious rush using only their line. Without a 100% Feeney, the whole outlook of their D must be changed. It is not outlandish to suggest Feeney’s status could be a critical factor in the Superbowl. For instance, the Tennessee Titans without Albert Haynesworth were seriously diminished - with their one man wrecking crew absent, they had to change their approach and bring in an assortment of blitzes. The Colts are facing the same conundrum without a healthy Feeney. In order to get pressure on Drew Brees, a must, they are going to have to alter the fundamental nature of their attack. Not something you want to have to do against New Orleans, not something you want to have to do in the season’s most important game. A match-up that bored me is slowly attracting my interest, and any confirmation that Feeney has been ruled out will pique my interest in the Saints…

ICE..Craig Custance of the Sporting News is reporting the Tomas Kaberle for Jeff Carter trade is being talked about again. The Philadelphia Flyers, as devoted to suitors in the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes, could be making allot of noise as we approach the trade deadline. Acquiring Carter obviously makes enormous sense for Brain Burke and the Toronto Maple Leafs… Custance also believes trades involving Garnet Exelby and Alexi Ponikarovsky are imminent…the new top line in Calgary is Niklas Hagman, Matt Stajan and Jerome Iginla. Stajan scored off a pass from Iginla last night but, no, this is not going to end well for the Flames. Iginla may beat Stajan to death before the season ends…Olli Jokinen was brought to the New York Rangers to play alongside Marion Gaborik, this despite his failure to mesh with Jarome Iginla in Calgary. Well, the Blueshirts watched their new top line for two periods and have now dumped Jokinen to the second line with Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky…Jason Blake is paired with Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne in Anaheim. He was pointless in his first game (pun intended - his entire existence is pointless)…Henrik Sedin’s lead in the NHL scoring race has shrunk to a single point. Alex the Great is yapping at the Swede’s heels…Detroit is back on the outside of the Western Conference playoff race. Team Sweden is accusing the Red Wings of rushing Johan Franzen back to action because of their tenuous position in the standings. Team Sweden should mind their own damned business…is Carey Price’s charmed life as a Hab coming to an end? Jaroslav Halak has started five of the Canadiens last six games and has been excellent…why would the Philadelphia Flyers tell their number one goalie, Ray Emery, not to even bother dressing last night if, as they claim, he is not injured? Something going on with Mr Emery?…

PUG LIFE..there is just such a shadow cast over the May 1^st  Floyd Mayweather - Shane Mosley fight that it is difficult to feel any enthusiasm. Mayweather launched a vicious assault on Manny Pacquiao, a fighter that has never failed a drug test, nor one who had been tarnished by whispers and innuendo (something that has certainly changed after the Team Mayweather attack), and then cancels that fight to face a confirmed cheat? As Serena Williams would exclaim, “Are you serious?” What Mosley will show up? The bedraggled specimen who struggled against Ricardo Mayorga, or the well oiled fighting machine that demolished Antonio Margarito. And, critically, just what will determine which model of Mosley we see on May 1^st? The machinations of this fight, a Golden Boy umbrella cast over the combatants, conjure dark suspicions and unsettling reservations. Count me out. Mosley has campaigned long and hard for this lucrative payday and the circumstance surrounding his achievement (the collapse of two fights was required), seems rather mysterious. I’ll be very interested in tracking the betting patterns. Yes, Mayweather signed after the inclusion of a “guaranteed rematch” clause should he lose, but I perceive that as a red herring. A vigorous program of drug testing will likely reveal a severely diminished Mosley on the first Saturday in May, one whom will be easily swept aside by “Money”…I like HBO’s nixing of Jesse Brinkley as an opponent for Lucian Bute on their April 17^th broadcast. Canadian Bute has been told to gear up for a dose of Edison Miranda, a ferocious offensive fighter, if he wants a taste of the Home Box Office coin. Miranda is the closest thing the middleweights have to a “gatekeeper” at the moment. He has been vulnerable against the division’s best but a tremendous opponent for just about anyone else…perennial heavyweight contender John Ruiz has spoken out in favour of a lifetime ban for Antonio Margarito. Didn’t know John had the stones…

PONIES..Oaklawn has offered five freakin’ million dollars for the April 3rd Apple Blossom Handicap if Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta both agree to show. Don’t be tempted, my queen! Resting Rachel won’t be at her peak until summer…ominous bit of news for racetrack managers; Harrah’s Entertainment has purportedly offered the state of Iowa 49 million bucks if they agree to let the company run their “racino’, uh, without the racing. Harrah’s wants to ditch dog racing and just run their lucrative slots. Horse industry officials, I assure you, are going to be watching this anxiously, the famed ”thin edge of the wedge” deal. The slots subsidize racing and Harrah’s has crafted an argument that questions this arrangement.  Legislative allowances have traditionally been made for horse and dog racing. The struggling industries invited the devil (slots) in for dinner, and it appears he’s going to want the menu changed. Live animals are labour intensive and costly. Metal machines spit out enormous profits without being fed or contacting viruses. A very interesting development and one sure to be played out  across North America in the coming years…believe me, on the backstretch in Toronto one of the most common discussions concerning Woodbine Entertainment centres around the question; are they just stupid? Or are they trying to put us out of business?…the prohibitive takeout rates in horse racing are killing any potential growth. A novice gambler has so much information at his/her fingertips these days. One is quickly acquainted with the “juice” that is extracted from the pot and, with rates ranging up to 28%, horse racing is no longer competitive. Its death spiral is an inevitability unless a new model is created…

MEDIA..hmmm, Ticketmaster is currently offering a two-for-one deal on Mariah Carey tickets for her Feb 9^th ACC show. The configuration for the gig also doesn’t employ the whole stadium, instead offering that “intimate bowl” layout. Is Mimi having trouble moving tickets? All the cool kids, I’m told, will be at Laura Marling’s show at Lee’s Palace that night. No, I was never that cool, and I do need my Diva fix…