It was a different time in American history. The biggest threat to our national security was Russia as long-time cold war rivals.  President Jimmy Carter was considering a boycott of the Summer Olympics in Moscow and Captain & Tennille were had the #1 song in the country with “Do That To Me One More Time.”  Rich Eisen was 10 years old and John Madden was 54.

The U.S. Olympic Hockey squad was made up of both college players and amateurs – no professional NHL stars.  The team was incredible underdogs but pulled out a win and gave the country a new chant (U-S-A! U-S-A!) and the validation that hockey was indeed a sport America could be a contender in.

Thirteen of the twenty men on the team went on to play in the NHL.  Neal Broten was the only athlete in the sport to win at the college and Olympic level before going on to a Stanley Cup winning team with the New Jersey Devils.  In addition, he was a two-time All-Star that amassed 923 points during his long NHL career.  Ken Morrow went to the New York Islanders in 1980 and became the only athlete to win Olympic gold and a Stanley Cup in the same year.

This historic win has since been featured in motion pictures and television.  It has its own folklore fueled by X-Files, Scrubs, and The Simpsons episodes.  In addition, it is a great example in history when the entire country was united.  Personally, one reason I love sports is the fact that it has the power to unite many of us who would otherwise have nothing in common.

Many fans of the NFL have been a bit superstitious over the years with players and curses. There’s the Sports Illustrated Curse, the Chunky Soup Curse, and the Madden Curse to name a few. Now that the New York Giants QB Eli Manning has been named the cover boy for John Madden’s football video game, Madden NFL 09, the Internet is abuzz with speculation about whether he will be the next victim.

Yeah, pretty superstitious! It’s all for good reason, sort of. Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb, Daunte Culpepper, and Marshall Faulk are just a few athletes that experienced a drop in performance after appearing on the cover.

Chunky Soup is blamed for ruining LaDainian Tomlinson, Ben Roethelisberger, and Kurt Warner to name a few.  Sports Illustrated is also blamed for ruining careers after athletes appear on their cover. In fact, they have an archive of misfortunes that happened after cover appearances over the decades.

Personally, as a numbers nerd, I would like to actually analyze those statistics. Certainly there must be a more viable explanation. One could be that those who do well or don’t have problems after appearing are not highlighted. Those stories wouldn’t get readers, now would they?

In spite of the Mitchell Report and the hearing with Roger Clemens, I refuse to give up on Major League Baseball. Sure, there were some bad apples. Think about it – every profession has its share of them! For me, I am looking forward to the new season for a few reasons.

1. Joe Torre – Okay, so I am biased! I can’t wait to see what he can do with my hometown Los Angeles Dodgers. There have been some important acquisitions with players also…

2. Excitement – One of my favorite things to do is go to one of those early games in the MLB season. The stands are packed, the hopes are high!

3. Anticipation – Especially in the early months of the season – I love the anticipation of seeing whether my team is going to do well.

4. Long season – From the time pitchers and catchers report in February to the World Series in October, there are really only three months out of the year we don’t have baseball!

5. There are still good guys! In spite of the scandals and investigations, there are many admirable players and coaches in the league. I’m not ready to give up!

Ohmigosh! They did it! All that skepticism and doubt – poof! The New York Giants have won Super Bowl XLII!  Congratulations G-Men! Here’s the 5 keys to the game that I think did it for you:

1. Eli Manning: Wow! I am a believer now. I seriously had him written off as a viable starting QB. As I have said before, I stand corrected. That 3rd and 5 play where he avoided the sack and threw that pass…wow!

2. David Tyree: Circus catches and focus! Did you see that catch? He got bent every which way and still held on to the ball in that important 4th quarter scoring drive.

3. Amani Toomer and Plaxico Burress: Toomer’s 38 yard catch with the acute awareness of his position was great! Buress scored the winning TD and you could just see the overwhelming feeling of gratitude hit him.

4. Michael Strahan and the D: This unit managed to do five times what was only done 21 times the entire season – sack Tom Brady. In fact, they made him look a lot more ordinary!

5. Bill Belichick: He spent nearly the entire quarter adjusting the defense while his offense was on the field. Maybe he should have paid more attention to this unit – did I mention that Brady was sacked and sacked again, and again, and again…

Call me a traitor to women everywhere, but I don’t want chocolates, flowers, or lingerie. Please don’t expect me to get excited about dinner and a movie. Don’t be surprised when I scoff at the notion of taking a limousine ride to some “romantic location”. Seriously, I won’t even get mad if you completely forget that it is Valentine’s Day. Chances are, I’ll forget myself until the day is almost over and I look at the date.

Yes, I am dead serious. I think it is totally absurd to say that I only love my spouse on one day of the year. Why should we be together if we aren’t in love every day (which, I am happy to report, we are)! So if you run into my husband, tell him that this is the list of what I really want for Valentine’s Day:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers Season Tickets

2. An NFL franchise in Los Angeles

3. The Los Angeles Lakers to get it together and bring home another title

4. An all-expense paid trip to Canton, Ohio and Cooperstown, NY

5. Dinner with you, me, Tommy Lasorda, and Fernando Valenzuela 

You New England Patriots players are a laugh riot! Imagine, Donté Stallworth or Wes Welker taking over as quarterback from Tom Brady. Actually, it was rather amusing. Each of these players calmly answered the speculation of their MVP’s health by saying Bill Belichick had asked them to take over the helm. Each never flinched, as if to say how absurd the speculation is. I agree, Tom Brady is likely just fine and will play remarkably in Glendale, Az on February 3. In case you haven’t noticed, QBs often play when hurt – case in point Philip Rivers. Don’t forget that the offensive line gives Brady all day to throw the ball, so even if his leg hurts a bit he’ll likely play up to par.

Speaking of funny – did you hear Michael Strahan? At the New York Giants press conference he owned up to dirty ball. I guess someone asked him whether there were “dirty” players in the NFL. He emphatically replied – DUH! In fact, this defensive star replied that he laughs every time he hears a news report of a dirty player. They are all dirty as far as he is concerned! You have to be a bit of a nut to play in the NFL according to Michael. He admitted that he takes cheap shots when he can. You gotta love honesty! At least someone has the nerve to say it!

Yeah, you heard me – the Los Angeles Raiders. This is the team that still lives in my mind. The only team to bring my hometown a Super Bowl win. Sure, I follow other clubs in the NFL now. It is hard not to when yours has deserted you! At any rate, I drive around town in my black car with the black Raiders license plate frames in honor of days long passed…

Now, oh my goodness! Have you seen the state that the team is in today? Ugh! Al Davis is back to his nutty tricks and has asked Lane Kiffin to resign. Huh? Really? Yeah, the Oakland Raiders have turned in an embarrassing season where they were nearly last in every measurable category. Since the departure of John Gruden, they have been on a depressing, downward spiral. I wasn’t very excited about Norv Turner, but he proved me wrong by taking the San Diego Chargers almost there this season. This tells me he wasn’t all bad. But asking Lane Kiffin to resign? I don’t get it? Surely he will be able to get it together. I mean, after all, he is the son of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive genius Monte Kiffin. I am not so sure that asking him to leave is the answer to the team’s problems. Maybe asking the owner to resign would be more fruitful?

I remember when Shaq came on the scene as the big guy on the Orlando Magic. He had the silly rap and the even sillier movies but was quite an admirable player. When he came to Los Angeles to play for my hometown Lakers – I was so pumped! The Big Aristotle was awesome to watch and added to the mystique and legend of the team.

Later, the feuds with Kobe Bryant were quite depressing. The year that the team lost both Phil Jackson and Shaquille O’Neal was one of the low points in the team’s history. I remember feeling very pessimistic about the future… Well, Phil Jackson returned but Shaq did not. I remember that first pre-season game that Phil came back to us. Lucky to be in attendance, I was part of the standing ovation that rejoiced in his homecoming.

As I was perusing the web I came across an article that gave me that sad feeling again. The Miami Heat have lost 14 in a row. The rumblings now are that Shaq should retire instead of “limping through his last years”. At 36, he is definitely ripe for NBA retirement. I can’t help but feel sad, as I have watched the Heat simply because he was there (well, that and I went to college in Florida). He certainly has nothing to lose and is a prime candidate for a successful career in being an NBA analyst. Whatever he decides, he has been an asset to the game and has nothing to be ashamed of!

I was not a believer in Eli Manning until the last few games I watched him play. I seriously had the New York Giants written off as Super Bowl contenders. Also, I assumed that Eli would never actually come into his own and learn how to be effective in the NFL. Written off as nepotism, I was one of those naysayers that figured he would be a back-up QB sooner rather than later.

I was wrong!

Of course, he is not his brother Peyton Manning but is quite a formidable player that deserves respect. When he ripped my heart out by not committing his then-signature turnovers when he played against my Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I was forced to take notice. I did not remember seeing him play so well before that.

So congratulations New York Giants fans! The last time your team was in the Super Bowl they were defeated by the Baltimore Ravens. They certainly have a tall order this time – but it is doable! With statistics and the law of averages on their side, they have a shot at ruining perfection for the New England Patriots.

Maybe Eli Manning will get to have more speaking roles in the commercials with his brother now!

As we near the last – sniff – weekend of the NFL season to decide who is going to the Super Bowl, I realize that empty feeling is coming back. You dedicated fans know what I am talking about! It’s that feeling you get when your beloved jersey gets ripped, your lucky hat disappears, or the store is out of your favorite beer. Yep – that vacant, lonely feeling that begins to creep in this same time every year. Sure, we savor this last weekend and then spend two weeks planning for the big day. Afterward, we are numb and feign interest in the Pro Bowl, just kidding ourselves that it is an actual game.

This season has been pretty wild! I got to attend one game – in San Francisco – and it was electric! I was even more excited when I realized that it was Bryant Young’s last home game before retirement. I’ve been ultra-impressed with Brett Favre, David Garrard, LaDainian Tomlinson, and even Terrell Owens. We’ve seen great commercials, inspiring coaches, and the loss of iconic figures.

Pretty soon, March Madness will be upon us and then the start of the MLB season! While these are awesome events that I definitely look forward to, I can’t help but feel sad and long for the next NFL season. In the meantime, please don’t bother me tomorrow – I’ll be intently watching every play!