On the Jets and whether the Steelers are the Yankees of the NFL

I watched the AFC Championship Game with Squawker Jon on Sunday, and I felt like somebody punched me in the stomach during the first half. So that's what it means to root for the Jets? Yikes!

At least the Jets showed some real fight after getting knocked down, the way the Yankees really didn't in last year's ALCS, so they've got that going for them.

But so much for my great "Jets are gonna win the Super Bowl" prediction. Grrrrrr. It figures that the Rex Ryan tribute t-shirt I ordered didn't arrive until Monday, just in time for me to miss wearing it during the game. Kind of like how the Jets' offense got there a little too late for them to win. Anyhow, Jon noted that at least I only had a day pass for the Jets' bandwagon! Heh.

I cannot claim to be a "long-suffering Jets fan," but I do have experience, though, waiting for a long time for a team I root for to win. It was 18 years between championships for the Yankees. And it was over 35 years between Texas Longhorns football titles, and given that the previous one happened when I was in the playpen, I basically waited my entire life for that championship.

Anyhow, I griped to Squawker Jon Sunday that I couldn't possibly root for Pittsburgh, as I was sick of seeing them over and over in the Super Bowl. He noted that some baseball fans felt the same way about seeing the Yankees in the World Series. To which my brother later noted, the Yanks have only been in one WS since 2003!

So, despite whatever parallels there are between the Steelers and the Yankees, I will be rooting for Green Bay -- what better way to stick it to Brett Favre than to have them win it all without him! 

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Brett Favre, Derek Jeter, and why the whole "Face of the Franchise" concept is way overrated

It's hard to think of Brett Favre these days in a positive way, but there was a time, not all that long ago, when Favre actually used to be arguably the most admired and respected players in football. He had a humble, aw-shucks persona the media and fans loved.

Then he started believing all the hype, and started thinking he was bigger than whatever team he's on. Now Favre, once known as a team-first athlete, has become shorthand for describing the me-first type of player who puts himself above the team. My brother derisively refers to the Vikings as the Minnesota Favres, because everything is all about making Brett happy.

I can't help but look at how much Derek Jeter wants in these contract negotiations, and hear how his agent Casey Close is baffled by the Yankees' stance here, and wonder that Jeter is becoming the new Favre. I've heard some fans say that the Yanks have to give Jeter whatever he wants because he's the face of the franchise. Because it's "his team." Because Jeter will be unhappy if they don't give him $25 million a year for as long as he wants to play. Because fans will stop rooting for the team if Jeter is gone.

Excuse me? I root for the New York Yankees, not the New York Jeters. When A-Rod opted out, I didn't walk out with him, even though I was a big fan of his. Just the opposite -- I was furious that he cost the Yankees money, and said "good riddance."

What does this whole "face of the franchise" thing mean, anyway? It seems to be incongruous to what Jeter is supposed to represent. One of the few things I like about Red Sox fans is the way they refer to the 2004 Boston team as "the 25." Not just Curt Schilling, or David Ortiz, or Manny Ramirez, but the entire team as the whole.

But calling Jeter the "face of the franchise" that the media and some fans are pushing elevates Jeter as being bigger than the team. Very strange, especially since the captain has defined himself, and his supporters have defined him, as being the team-first guy. The opposite of the 24-and-1 player. The lifelong Yankee fan whose dream from childhood was to wear the pinstripes. The gutty, gritty player who will do whatever it takes to win. He never was as good a player as A-Rod, but he was supposed to be a better person. A better leader. Somebody who put the Yankees above himself. What are all those intangibles about, after all?

Now we're seeing a different side of Jeter than the media has shown us for the past 15 years. And now we're hearing about how the Yankees have to give an aging shortstop with a .710 OPS whatever he wants, or he'll pout. I keep on coming back to this, when I hear about Jeter's ridiculous contract demands -- he wanted as much as a six-year, $150 million deal after the worst year of his career. Imagine how much he'd be asking for if he had had a good season!

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Jet fans should chant "Pants on the Ground" to Brett Favre

Longtime Squawker readers know that Brett Favre is my least favorite NFL player. So I've been gleeful to hear about him being accused of "sexting," as the kids call it. And I think I have the perfect chant for Jets Nation to do at the New Meadowlands Stadium Monday night in honor of Favre -- "Pants on the Ground!"

Remember last winter, when Favre and the Vikings won a playoff game, and he led the team in a rousing rendition of the "Pants on the Ground" song from "American Idol"? (See video below.) Well, given those nude photos Favre allegedly sent Jets employee Jenn Sterger, that phrase has a whole new meaning! "Pants on the ground, pants on the ground, looking like a fool with your pants on the ground!"



Look, I pretty much expect most athletes to cheat on their spouses. But to reportedly hit on an employee of the Jets' organization -- and to get somebody in the Jets to get contact info for her to do so -- is a bit much.

Not to mention those X-rated photos. Favre is one of the most famous athletes in America; how reckless is it to allegedly send at least three different shots of his genitals to somebody who wasn't interested? What a creep.

Anyhow, I hope Jets fans sing "Pants on the Ground" back at Favre. And maybe a J-E-R-K JERK JERK JERK chant, too! What fun!

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Brett Favre and Roger Clemens: Are they the same person?

I was watching last night's New Orleans Saints-Minnesota Vikings game, and the media's Brett Favre worship drove me to write this on Facebook (click here to friend me): "Is there anybody more insufferable, more self-aggrandizing in the NFL than Brett Favre? That is all."

I got a lot of positive responses to that status update, and I also got people "liking" this subsequent comment on Favre: "He's like Roger Clemens with a Mississippi drawl, instead of a Texas accent."

Anyhow, I expanded my rant into this article for The Faster Times, "Do Brett Favre and Roger Clemens Share the Same Brain?" Check it out. And while you're there, also check out my article about the three Mets who skipped out on going to Walter Reed.

What do you think? Tell us about it!