Remember when we all use to look forward to Monday night? How we all looked forward to that big game that capped off the weekend? Remember when we used to hope that our favorite team would play on Monday night, simply because of the prestige of winning on Monday night?

Well, that was a very different time. Back when Monday Night Football was not only available to those who have cable. Back when the great voices of Howard Cosell, and later Al Michaels and John Madden, were calling the games. Back when some of the greatest games of the year were played on Monday Night. Why, oh why, did MNF switch over to ESPN?

Now, we're stuck with lousy announcers. Mike Tirico? Bless his heart, he tries so hard. But he's just not cut out to commentate what used to be the sports worlds' most prestigious regular-season event. Ron Jaworski offers some great football insight on Sportscenter, but I can't take 3 straight hours of him.

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Last week's blowout win against the Carolina Panthers got me thinking, can the Atlanta Falcons win it all?

It starts with their remaining 5 regular-season games, which are against teams with a combined 26-29 record. Their toughest game, against Tampa Bay(8-3), will come at home in Week 15. Their final game of the season against St Louis(2-9) will also be a home game. The other three games are on the road against San Diego(4-7), New Orleans(6-5), and Minnesota(6-5). All of these games can be won, but 4 out of 5 should get the Falcons into the playoffs with an 11-5 record.

If the Falcons do not win the division, they would face either Arizona, the NFC south winner, or the NFC north winner in the first round on the road. All of these opponents would be tough, but the Falcons are an improving team and they might be able to pull off a win, even in Tampa or Charlotte. If they win the division, their first game would be in Atlanta. Assuming they don't have a performance like they did against Denver, they should move on to the divisional round.

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I'd like to take a few moments to discuss the five most intriguing professional sports. These sports give us something to live for at times. The top 5 will be based off of the skill it takes to play these sports, how much guts are involved in these sports, and the excitement they bring to the table.

5. Boxing: How many of you would like to be placed in a ring with a giant who's ultimate goal is to beat the living snot out of you? That's what I thought. This sport made the top 5 because of the guts it takes to play. However, it is not ranked higher because of the lack of excitement it brings to the table. I'm sorry, but two guys beating the snot out of each other isn't exactly my cup of tea.

4. Baseball: It takes a bit of skill (and guts) to hit a ball traveling towards you at 100 miles per hour. It takes even more skill to catch a ball flying at you at roughly the same speed. But to do both in one night, and to do the latter nine times in a game, that requires guts/skill/a wee bit of insanity. This sport also didn't rank higher because of the excitement factor, seeing as there's only action in about 10% of the 3 hours it takes to watch a game. It's rewarding if you have the patience for it. Some people have it, some people don't.

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Here are 5 very bizarre, very real sports. The first two you've probably heard of, as they are Olympic sports. And some of these, you've probably actually played. Like this one:

5. Table Tennis: Also known as ping-pong, this sport is a Chinese tradition, and was introduced to the Olympics in summer of 2008. As you can probably guess, the Chinese won the gold in the event.

4. Field Hockey: Also an Olympic sport, field hockey is played on a soccer field. Like ice hockey, the players hold a stick, but attempt to hit a small, hard ball, into the net. The game is played with little, if any, face protection. Thus, many teeth are lost, just like in ice hockey.

3. Gaming: You know, like video games. Major League Gaming(MLG) holds championships to see who is/are the best player(s) in the video games of Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, Gears of War 2, and Rainbow 6 Vegas 2. Looks like you don't need to have a life to make a decent living after all.

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The upcoming game between the Atlanta Falcons and the San Diego Chargers is a huge one for both teams. For the Falcons, they are playing in an extremely tough NFC south division, and need every win they can get. For the Chargers, a loss could mean the end of a playoff run, as they would fall to 4-8.

2004,Last meeting: Atlanta:21 San Diego:20

Let's start with the field. The Chargers have three of their four wins at home, while 3 of the Falcons' 4 losses have come on the road. The Falcons had no trouble on their last trip out west, shuting out a terrible Oakland team. The last time an NFC south team traveled to So-Cal, Carolina defeated the Chargers 26-24. However, those are two very different scenarios for both teams, and let's remember, San Diego lost that one in the final second. Advantage: Chargers

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Besides bragging rights, a lot was riding on this in-state rivalry for the Georgia Bulldogs. A win would put them in a good position as far as the BCS was concerned. A loss would almost certainly knock them out of the running for a BCS berth.

For Georgia Tech, their fate didn't even ride on this game. They would be scoreboard watching throughout the afternoon, as Virginia had to defeat Virginia Tech in order for the Jackets to have a shot at a BCS berth. Still, the Yellow Jackets were trying to end a 7-game losing streak to the Dawgs.

Georgia got off to a fast start, scoring within 4 minutes, as Matthew Stafford threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Tripp Chandler. It was Chandler's first touchdown reception of the year. Later in the first quarter, Stafford threw another touchdown pass, only this one was to the other team. Georgia Tech would botch the PAT snap, making the score 7-6 Georgia. Stafford would wind up with four touchdown passes in the first half, three to senior Mohammad Massaquai. And Georgia's defense held Georgia Tech's option offense to just 6 points in the first half. The halftime score: 28-12 in favor of Georgia.

Continue reading "Tech Ends UGA's BCS Run; Victory Bitter-Sweet"

For anybody who watched the Colts-Browns game and was confused by the call made just before halftime concerning Peyton Manning's fumble at the 1-yard-line: The rule states that, inside two minutes, if a player fumbles the football forward, only that player can recover the football for his team. If somebody else on that player's team recovers the fumble, it is that teams' ball where the ball was fumbled. Since it was fourth down, the ball returned to the 1-yard-line, which is where Manning fumbled it, and thus it was Cleveland's football. If There had been more than two minutes remaining in the half, the touchdown would have stood. If the ball had been fumbled backwards, anybody would have been allowed to recover it and advance it. But because there were less than two minutes remaining in t

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Anybody who expects me to believe that the BCS system is fair is freaking insane! The BCS is suppose to be the "Great Equalizer" for teams who face tougher schedules. The problem is, it doesn't help them. In fact, it hurts them. The reason I say that is because a team like USC can go out and run up the score against a weak team like Washington, while a team like Georgia or Texas goes out and beats a really tough team by 10 or 14, and USC gets "style points" while a team like Georgia or Texas really doesn't get a whole lot of love. Notice that Texas had to play 4 consecutive games against top 10 teams, while USC, Penn State, and Ohio State combined didn't even play that many top 10 teams. And then you've got Texas Tech, whose schedule was just as brutal. They aren't even going to be in a BCS game because of the way the system is set up. Only two teams per conference are allowed in BCS games.

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