Aw snap. Jelly Roll (I hate J-Roll and all of those first letter of first name, first four letters of last names combos. They’re played out. But Jelly Roll is fun.) is on fire, and Phillies-Mets could honestly become a great rivalry this year. First Rollins said that we’re the team to beat. David Wright of the Mets got offended. Jimmy fired back:
After he took part in the team’s first full-squad workout, he reiterated those feelings and dismissed Wright’s concerns.

“If they needed motivation to play this game, then they’re playing the wrong game,” Rollins said. “They had a chance last year to get to the World Series. Last year’s over.”

And this is the Phillies’ year?

“I want to put that pressure on [his teammates]. And myself.”

Might that not have an adverse effect?

“If you’re afraid, then I don’t want you on this team, anyway.”

I think Jelly Roll may be my new man crush. Now come on, Gillick. Get us a reliever for Lieber and it is ON!
Fun Fact: Last year, Rollins and Utley became the first pair of middle infielders in National League history to each hit more than 25 home runs in the same season.

Damn, getting these opening day Phillies tix ain’t easy. Won’t let me buy more than one online and the phone number won’t even go thru. Guess I’m gonna have to drive down there. This jawn could be sold out already.

I just can’t help but like Shaq. I tried so hard to hate him for so many years, but that damn smile and sunny disposition finally wore me down. He’s funny, he seems like a genuinely kool guy, and he seems to get it. He showed further evidence of his class and intelligence when speaking about gay former NBA player John Amaechi. (which to me is a hell of a lot more interesting than the Anna Nicole Smith debacle.)

”If he was on my team, I guess I would have to protect him from the outsiders,” O’Neal said in Boston on Wednesday night. ”I’m not homophobic or anything…. I’m not the type who judges people. I wish him well.”

It has taken working with kids to realize how powerful Shaq’s words are. Hardaway is a washup and a has been, while Shaq is still as superstar. And while his words will not get as much attention, they carry a heck of a lot more weight when I try to teach tolerance to the kids on my team. Another reason I like Shaq is that even though he certainly didn’t need it, he went back to school and graduated college a couple of years ago, again setting a positive example. Now, he’s not perfect (he’s had children by three different women, though the last one is his wife), but none of us are. Perhaps he decided to go back to school after he gave us one of my favorite quotes of all time: “My game is like the Pythagorean theorem; no-one can figure it out.”
RELATED: Writer Kevin Hench absolutely destroys Tim Hardaway.

Wow, two Sixers who nobody outside of Billy King and Hip Hop the Rabbit even knew existed came out, so to speak, to embarrass themselves on the topic of John Amaechi and homosexuality (Michael Wilbon in the Washington Post). Stephen Hunter, who you may best know as “That tall black guy you always see on the Sixers bench”, said “For real? He’s gay for real? Nowadays it’s proven that people can live double lives. I watch a lot of TV, so I see a lot of sick perverted stuff about married men running around with gay guys and all types of foolishness.” Hey Stephen, how about a little less TV and a little more working on your post game?

Shavlik Randolph, who you may best know as “That tall white guy you always see on the Sixers bench,” decided he would one-up Hunter in the dumb comment department. He said, “As long as you don’t bring your gayness on me, I’m fine.” What? What does that even mean? Man, wouldn’t it be completely awesome if the local gay community had “Bring Our Gayness Day” at the Wachovia Center, where they all “brought their gayness” on Randolph throughout the whole game?

Oh, and PS, Randolph went to Duke, so apparently that’s where he became so enlightened. As if we needed more fuel to flame the “Duke sucks” fire.

So I’m cruising in the the Crown Victoria last night, and I flipped it to WIP, and lo and behold, Eskin and TO are going at it (Click on the podcast to the right side of the page). Say what you will about TO, but he’s a hell of a lot more entertaining than most athletes today, and I really think that he’s a pretty smart dude (though I think he has a mental illness).

Oh, there was another thing he said that I almost forgot about. I think it was about midway thru the 2nd quarter, after it had been raining for about an hour and a half, and one of the quarterbacks made a really bad pass. Simms said, w/o sarcasm or irony but to help us better understand the game of football, “I think there might be some moisture on that ball.” GEE WHIZ, PHIL, YA THINK SO??? What makes you say that, the five fumbles so far or the pouring rain that has drenched everything below it? I mean, seriously, how high of an IQ do you think a person has to have to make the deduction that after an hour and a half of pouring down rain, “there might be some moisture on the football”? I’d say 30. So I’m gonna guess that Phil Simms has an IQ hovering around 29.

You know it’s a rough time in Philly sports when the lead story in the Inky sports section is about ice skater Johnny Weir. Yes, that Johnny Weir, the one who makes Liberace look like John Wayne. I mean, if you guys are gonna do a story about winter sports, do one about Apolo Anton Ohno (above). He is dreamy. What? Oh, like the sight of Apolo Anton Ohno’s gorgeous mane doesn’t bump you up to a 2.5 on the Kinsey scale. Puh-leeez.

Well, shows you what we know. In last weeks poll, over 30% of you thought that the Saints would win the Super Bowl, 29% thought the Pats, and the Colts and the Bears were 3rd and 4th, respectively. I’ve just posted a new poll. That Colts-Pats game last night was incredible. I was rooting for the Colts, b/c I like Tony Dungy a lot, and I had all but given up when it was 21-3. But that 2nd half was the most wildly exciting 2nd half of NFL football I’ve seen since that Patriots-Panthers Super Bowl, and now I don’t know who to root for in the Super Bowl. Like I said, I love Tony Dungy, but I hate the Irsay family for what they did to the people of Baltimore. That move was much worse than what Modell did to Cleveland. On the other hand, I’m sick of hearing Chicago fans whine about the Cubs when they got to enjoy the greatest athlete in the history of the world for 15 years, MJ. And, like someone said in the comments section when I was on my trip, I’m also sick of how great everyone from Chicago seems to think Chicago is. I think, in the long run, I’ll probably root for the Colts, b/c I want Tony Dungy to win it all.

Pitchers and catchers report in 31 days.

I got the Eagles, 30-27. Drew Brees is the type of QB who always gives us trouble, becuase his quick release makes it all but impossible to put pressure on him. I think our offense has to score a lot to win. I really think that the winner of this game and the winner of the Chargers-Patriots game are gonna be the two teams in the Super Bowl. Anyway, post your prediction for a final score below. I’ll buy a beer for whomever comes closest. (Not total points, but closest to each teams final score.)