'UConn Jack'

Walker is averaging 26.9 ppg in 2010-11

The college basketball season really doesn't start until conference play starts.  Sure there are some good non-conference matchups but no one is paying attention to those when the NBA is starting up and the NFL is solidly in the stretch run of the season.  Lemme get you updated.  In case you don't know, the front runner for National Player of the Year honors is UConn junior point guard Kemba Walker, who has gone from being a quality player at the "1" to a scoring machine that takes over games and comes through in the clutch.  Walker, the nation's leading scorer at 26.9 ppg, has dropped 29 or more in six of the 12 games played so far this season and has scored atleast 18 points in every game.  He was especially spectacular in a 83-79 UConn win against Wichita State in Hawaii at the Maui Invitational in November, where 29 of his 31 points came in the second half.  With the Huskies (10-1, #4 ranked by Associated Press) trailing the Shockers 73-70 with 4:07 left, Walker went on a rampage, scoring 13 of UConn's final 14 points down the stretch to help seal the win and avoid the upset.  No doubt, Kemba has been ballin'.  Here are some other players around the NCAA doin' their thing.

Jared Sullinger, Forward, Ohio State Buckeyes.  The highly touted freshman has delivered early on and is averaging 17-and-10 on the year.  Sullinger is light on his feet despite his size (6-9 280) and his great hands.  Attributes that allowed him to drop 40 (12-17 FG, 16-23 FT) on IUPUI earlier this season allong with 13 boards.

Rick Jackson, Forward, Syracuse Orange.  The senior from Neumann-Goretti H.S. in Philly is finally coming into his own for Jim Boeheim's squad as a dominant inside man in the vaunted 2-3 zone defense and as a productive offensive player in the post.  Jackson's 14-and-12 average is a big improvement from his previous career high averages (9.7 ppg, 7 rpg, as a junior) and he has proved that he can come up big no matter what the stage or competition (17 points and 16 rebounds in a 72-58 against Michigan State 12/7/10 at Madison Square Garden).

Can McCamey continue the hot shooting in Big Ten play?

Demetri McCamey, Guard, Illinois Fighting Illini.  McCamey has improved his draft stock considerably so far this year.  The senior is shooting the lights out from three (49 percent) and he has shown the ability to be a consistent playmaker, averaging 7.1 assists per game, good for sixth in the country.

Terrence Jones, Forward, Kenucky Wildcats.  Jones is the next Wildcat one-and-done to the NBA player and it ain't hard to tell why when you see him play.  Though still very raw, Jones, a freshman, posses guard skills for his 6-8 244 pound frame.  He can play multiple positions at the college level and be affective at each.  Jones has proven this by filling up the stat sheet this year, averaging 18.2 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2 blocks, 1.4 steals, and shooting a decent 33-percent from the 3-point line.

No sophomore slump for Williams. (18.2 ppg, 11.9 rpg)

Other Players To Watch:
F - Jordan Williams, Maryland
G - Austin Freeman, Georgetown

G - Nolan Smith, Duke

G - Brandon Knight, Kentucky

F - JaJuan Johnson, Purdue

G - Corey Stokes, Villanova

G - Quincy Acy, Baylor

F - Marcus Morris, Kansas

G - Ashton Gibbs, Pitt

G - Scotty Hopson, Tennessee

F - Tristan Thompson, Texas

G - Chris Wright, Georgetown

G - LaceDarius Dunn, Baylor

G - Josh Selby, Kansas

Throwbackz: Whateva happened to . . . ?

Jamaal Tinsley a.k.a. Mel-Mel Tha Destroyer

Holiday Cheers & Jeers

Gotta luv the holidays.  People that aren't normally nice say things like 'HI!" and "Merry Christmas!" at least until the 27th rolls around; then, business as usual.  I didn't ask for any gifts but I still got some anyway (a Sharper Image six-piece tool kit, 2011 calendar with a bball hoop attached to it, and a coffee mug with a Bible verse on it).  I can't complain.  I currently don't have a job so no one got anything from me.  Except for this:

The gift that keeps on giving

It was the least I could do.  Anyway, some people besides me had really good holidays and others, well, better luck next year . . .

Mike Singletary out as Niners coach

Singletary got dumped the day after Christmas like re-gifted fruit cake.

The 49ers have been ho, ho, ho-rrible this year and someone had to get the ax, namely NFL Hall of Fame player, but not HOF coach, Mike Singletary.   He's had some inspiring times as head coach of Frisco, and some hilarious press conferences, but bottom line, he had to go.  The owner Jed York came out earlier in the year and texted Adam Shefter on live TV that the Niners were going to make the playoffs.  Talk about having your coaches back!  San Fran was 5-9 coming into the game Sunday (a 25-17 loss to the St. Louis Rams) and controlled their own destiny!!!  That means they could finish the season 7-9 and still win the division (the worst division in the history of sports, the 2010 NFC West, click here)!!!!  This is an epic fail.  Furthermore, Singletary couldn't decide which Smith to start at quarterback, Alex or Troy.  Throw in a few starts from league nobody Shaun Hill and this tenure was certain for doom. 

Celtics and Lakers lose on Christmas Day

Don't adjust your television, the shoes are just that ugly.

It was like looking inside you're stocking and getting coal.  That's the feeling I felt as a Celtics fan as Jameer Nelson and the Orlando Magic played Grinch, ripping victory out of the hands of the Boston Celtics in the final minutes of the game and ending the C's 14-game win streak.  Even worse is looking forward, the Magic are a threat with the new acquisitions of Gilbert Arenas and Jason Richardson, and the re-acquistion of Hedo Turkoglu.  The Eastern Conference just got that more interesting folks.  Not to mention that the Miami Heat are finally rolling.  They dismantled the lacksadasical Lakers in L.A. in front of a star-studded crowd and atleast 10 million viewers at home.  What was more embarrasing was that no Laker not named Kobe Bryant really seemed to care.  Throw in the national debut of the most hideous sneaker that Nike has ever released and Christmas was a sad day for the two most storied franchises in NBA History.

Hell Up in Harlem

Hazell, victim of a Harlem Scrooge.

What kind of Scrooge is out there trying to rob people on Christmas Day? Seton Hall senior guard Jeremy Hazell was back home for the holidays in his native Harlem Saturday night when he was shot under his right arm in an apparent robbery attempt.  The details of what exactly happened that night has yet to be specified but one thing we do know is that someone out there was either not hugged enough as a kid or never got what he wanted for Christmas, so he stole it.  Now I know why Cam'ron said "That's Harlem". 

The Year of the Quarterback: The Good, Bad, and Ugly

The hit heard 'round the world

The 2010 baseball season was deemed as the Year of the Pitcher because of the amount of dominant individual pithching performances that seemingly occured on weekly basis throughout the season.  This year in pro football, the headline stories have been dominated by quarterback play; but not always because of dominant performances.  We have witnessed the entire spectrum: from normally great quarterbacks playing awful to guys flat-out playing out of their minds.  These are the top stories.

Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings.  With Favre almost leading the Vikes to the Super Bowl last season, and in the process having a career year, Vikings fans had plenty of optimism for the 2010 season.   But things started to go sour when Favre's performance wasn't stellar early on (wide receivers Percy Harvin and Sidney Rice missed significant playing time) and then-coach Brad Childress and Favre began to butt heads.  Next thing you know, some chic named Jenn Sterger

Favre couldn't resist. Could you?

comes out talking about dirty text messages Favre sent her and the league taking action.  The 41-year-old took things in stride and continued to play, even with the short-lived experience with the disgruntled Randy Moss, and the subsequent firing of Childress.  But the injuries got too much for the NFL's iron man to handle and his record consecutive games played streak ended at 297.  I'm not counting on Favre retiring just yet, but if he does, he would have to part ways with his career in a year when he had one of the ugliest seasons ever for a pro quarterback.                                                         

Peyton Manning, Indianappolis Colts.  The juggernaut that is the Colts offense, coming off a tough loss in the Super Bowl, was expected to continue rolling with almost every key part returning.  In addition, the oft-injured Bob Sanders would be healthy again and add more talent and depth to the defensive secondary.  But the injury bug came along and guys started dropping like flies.  Sanders got hurt again and to date has not played in any game.  Wide receivers Anthony Gonzalez and Austin Collie have missed significant time, as well as Peyton's favorite target over the years, All-Pro tight end Dallas Clark.  The running game took a hit too with starting back Joseph Addai sidelined with a pinched nerve in his shoulder.  Manning was forced to throw the ball alot with the running game being non-existent and it led to a stretch where he threw 11 interceptions in three games against the Patriots, Chargers, and Cowboys with four of those picks going back for touchdowns.  If not for Peyton rallying the Colts against the Jaguars last week to regain control of the AFC south, he would be graded as ugly.  Because if they hold on and earn a spot in the playoffs any thing can happen and the bad could turn into very good.

VY has issues.

Vince Young, Tennessee Titans.  The Titans were terrible (0-6) last year until Vince Young took over for Kerry Collins as starting quarterback midway through the season.  VY finished out the season with an 8-2 record and almost carrying the team to a playoff berth.  The Sporting News named him 2009 Comeback Player of the Year.  Things were looking up for Vince until he got into an altercation at a Dallas strip club during the offseason.  Bad Start.  The Titans were doing o.k. to start this season until Young injured his thumb in Week 11 against the Redskins and had to come out of the game.  Vince wanted to go back in, but coach Jeff Fisher kept him on the sidelines.  VY responded by throwing a hissy-fit, leading to Fisher placing Young on season-ending IR.  Titans owner Bud Adams still supports having Vince as the starting qb once he's healthy but the feeling is that Fisher has had it with him.  Something's gotta give in this ugly situation.
Tom Brady, New England Patriots.   Brady had a good year last year and was having another good year this year, but things didn't start to turn until Randy Moss was traded to Minnesota, and the Patriots acquired a former Brady favorite, wide receiver Deoin Branch, from the Seattle Seahawks.  All Brady has done this year is lead New England (13-2) as the top scoring team in the NFL, averaging 33 pts per game, and setting the all-time single season record for most pass attempts without an interception (319 and counting).  Even coach Bill Belichik might say that Brady has been pretty good this year (but I wouldn't hold my breath).

Brady vs. Vick - Who ya got fa MVP?

Mike Vick, Philadelphia Eagles.  Vick has come a long way from his days as the #1 overall pick for the Atlanta Falcons coming out of college.  After that prison stint for the dogfighting ring, the Eagles were willing to give Vick a shot last year, but he was basically the 3rd string quarterback behind Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb.  After McNabb was traded in the offseason, Vick got moved up to the backup position as coach Andy Reid named Kolb the starter.  When Kolb went down with an injury, Vick finally got his chance to be a starting quarterback in the league again and did he ever take advantage of it.  He played good enough that Reid said even when Kolb was healthy, Vick would remain the guy.  All the guy has done is lead Philly to a 10-4 record, including monster wins over the Redskins and Falcons, and the legendary fourth quarter comeback against the Giants at the new Meadowlands.  I don't think anyone could have imagined Vick coming out of prison and being this good.
Donovan McNabb, Washington Redskins.  The Eagles look pretty smart right now by trading away McNabb when they did.  Not to say that Donovan doesn't still have it in him to be a Pro Bowl type quarterback, but Redskins coach Mike Shanahan atleast sure doesn't think so.  After a disappointing year for McNabb (14TDs, 15 INTs, 77.1 passer rating) his coach utterly disrespected him by benching him for Rex Grossman (37 TDs, 38 INTs, 70.6 passer rating career) and designating John Beck (1 career TD pass) as the backup.  No love for D-Mac in D.C.?  Straight up ugly.

Honorable mention GOOD: Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers. Matt Cassell, Kansas City Chiefs. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints. Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Honorable mention BAD:  Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions. Chad Henne, Miami Dolphins. Jake Delhomme, Cleveland Browns. Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers. Rusty Smith, Tennessee Titans.

Too UGLY to mention:  Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys. Carson Palmer, Cincinatti Bengals. Derek Anderson, Arizona Cardinals. Brian St. Pierre, Matt Moore, and Jimmy Clausen, Carolina Panthers.

Buck-ed Up

Pryor must pay $2,500 to charity for rules violations

Ohio State has received a black mark for the first time in the Jim Tressel era (I don't include the Maurice Clarett saga because frankly he or no one else had any control over Clarett's bipolar ass) as junior quarterback Terrelle Pryor and five other players got suspended for five games to start the 2011 season for trying to make some money by selling stuff they received from the university and thought was their's to own, but now know for sure that it wasn't the case.  Apparently, guys sold awards, rings, game worn jerseys, and other autographed memorabilia to a Colombus, OH tattoo parlor in exchange for money and of course free tatts.  Guys need cash when you're in college, I understand that because I've been there.  And tattoos are expensive, so why not take advantage of your 'celebrity' in order to get free ones?  The regular American can understand why these kids did what they did but the NCAA has different rules.  The rules of the NCAA are basically this: "We get to make tons of money off of your athletic ability and subsequent celebrity for the whole time you are in college and you don't get to make any money for yourself until you decide to go pro." 

Green missed 4 games this year for selling his jersey

Unfortunately, we have not really seen this rule being followed lately, especially in college football (see A.J. Green of Georgia, Marcel Dareus of Alabama, basically the whole UNC starting defense).  I understand that guys do it because they don't think they're gonna get caught, and they have so many people treating them like superstars, and they have friends that are pros and ballin', and they want that life already, so they do what they gotta do for that and forget the integrity of the NCAA rules.  Look, its a damn shame that the NCAA do what they do but until the rules change thats just the way it is and every player knows that they are risking tarnishing their reputation as well as the university they are enrolled in if they get caught.

Posey ranked #11 WR for 2011 NFL Draft by nfldraftscout.com

As for Pryor, junior running back Daniel "Boom" Herron, and junior wide receiver DeVier Posey, I think the most sensible business decision for them now is to leave school and enter the NFL draft, although its not as easy of a decision considering the current labor negotiations going on and the threat of a possible lockout next year.  However, the NCAA has virtually laid down the hammer on you and basically told you who the daddy is by suspending you for half of your season while at the same time saying that you can play in the Sugar Bowl, one of their big-money games, so they don't lose any viewers who would definitely not watch the game if Pryor, Herron, and Posey, were also watching from the sidelines.  The thing is all three guys could have used another year in college to polish their skills.  Of the three though I think Pryor would've benefited the most from another amateur year because his NFL passing ability is very similar to a currently maligned former star college quarterback: Vince Young.  Pryor is 30-4 as the Buckeye starting quarterback but struggled in high-profile games this year against Miami (FL), Wisconsin, and Iowa (44-88 passing, 2 TDs and 3 INTs combined).  Herron, (1,068 rushing yards, 15 TDs) was just starting to come into his own as the feature back but still is a solid prospect if he were to enter the draft now.  Posey, in my opinion, will eventually be the best pro out of this group because of his size (6-2, 213) and ability to put up solid numbers (50 receptions, 778 yards, 6 TDs in 2010) despite Pryor not always being able to get him the ball exactly where it needed to be.

Ballin' Outta Control



On tha ground, or in tha air, Peppers delivers.

 
Julius Peppers is a beast.  The man ain't no ordinary defensive end; he's an all around athlete with the agility of a free safety and the body frame of Frankenstein. We've seen Julius on the gridiron, a steam engine, plowing through offensive lineman en route to the quarterback. But have you ever seen him on the hardwood, running the floor on the break and skying above the rim to catch and throwdown alley-oops?  Yeah, Peppers was big man on campus at North Carolina for the Tar Heels in the early 2000s, playing in the NCAA Tournament twice in his career.  He's not the only guy in the NFL though that could hoop in college.  Donovan McNabb played for Jim Boeheim at Syracuse long before Melo did and Antonio Gates didn't even put on pads while at Kent State; he was too busy averaging 17-and-8 for the Golden Flashes basketball team.  There's alotta guys in the NFL that I think would've been nice at ball too, even thought they didn't play in college . . .

The Johnson Brothers

5.  Andre Johnson, WR, Houston Texans, 6-3 225.  I can picture this smooth route runner pushing the rock in transition and going in for a Jason Richardson-like tomahawk dunk or pulling up for the outside 'J' like, say, Joe Johnson . . . they kinda look alike anyway.

4.  Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots, 6-4 225.  He's not quick but tell me he wouldn't be the smartest player on the floor!?!?  I can see Tom Terrific being  a combination of Larry Bird and Steve Nash.  Bird for the court vision, pinpoint passing and anticipation, and knack for coming up big when it matters the most.  Nash because of the haircut. (I can see Brady tucking his hair back behind his ears while standing at the free-throw line  and waiting for the ref to hand him the ball, bending his knees while repeating his follow through, then blowing a kiss to Giselle in the stands.)

The Greatest Boston Athlete Ever

3.  Chad Ochocinco, WR, Cincinnati Bengals, 6-1 192.  The only player in the league with a big enough ego to compete with LeBron's.  The antics would be so hilarious that David Stern would hate him immediately.  (How about the Black Mamba vs. The Black Mexican?)He'd be like A.I., the Glove, Rodman, and Shaq rolled into one.  He'd be the biggest trash-talker on the court: "You think anyone in tha league could guard me????, CHILD PLEASE."

2.  Brian Urlacher, LB, Chicago Bears, 6-4 258.  I'd bring him in off the bench as a defender and enforcer; ya know, throw around his weight and rough up Kobe.

1.  Mike Vick, QB, Philadelphia Eagles, 6-0 215.  A throwback floor general in the mold of Isaiah Thomas. Outside of Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo, no one in the league would be faster with the ball in their hands than Vick.  If you don't think so just watch his NFL highlight reel and witness the ridiculous ability to change direction and just flat out make people look stupid.  Nuff said.

DeSean Jackson = "Bad A$$"

He's not leading the league in receptions, yards, or touchdowns but he sure is first place in another category in my book: #1 Bad Ass.  Dude is leaving Ochocinco, T.O., and Randy Moss in the dust right now, as well as helpless would-be-tacklers.  The antics are too much for those old school football purists but for me, its pure entertainment.  And at the end of the day, ain't entertainment what sports are all about? But who else in the NFL is as entertaining as they are good?

5.  Jared Allen, Minnesota Vikings.  Haven't seen the 'calf roping' sack celebration for a while? That's 'cause the league banned it.  Apparently you're not allowed to do a celebration that involves going down to a knee.  Yup. And also Allen hasn't played very well this year (grow back the mullet, please).  Either way, I'm sure Aaron Rodgers still has nightmares about it after getting sacked 7.5 times by Allen last year.

4.  Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans.  That run against the Chargers this year was a CJ2K classic.  This guy has flash and flare; the trademark dreadlocks and gold teeth, and breakaway speed that makes Johnson an absolute nuisance.  Add in the Choppa City Juke touchdown celebration in Madden 11 and you have my friends what I call a bonafide HoodStar!

3.  Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars.  The boy is a basher between the tackles and explosive in the open field.  Highlight runs are scattered all over his resume, not to mention very innovative end zone celebrations.  Have you seen The Prada Store?

2.  Ed Reed, Baltimore Ravens.  Already a legend.  Hands down the most exciting defensive player to watch once he gets his hands on the ball.  He can run it back himself or let a teammate handle things, like when he picked-and-pitched to Dawan Landry for a TD against the Panthers this year.

1.  DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles.  As if stopping on the Dallas one yardline and falling backwards after a crazy catch and run wasn't enough last week, D-Jack bobbles the punt return against the Giants, goes BACKWARDS, then cuts through the New York special teams before running baseline on the end zone and just ripping the guts out of the Giants in the new Meadowlands.  Bad A$$.

Capitol Punishment

Mike Shanahan better know what he is doing, because he is shaking things up pretty quickly, much like the former coach of his former team, Josh McDaniels of the Denver Broncos.  Remember McDaniels got into beefs with Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler and within a year they had both been traded?  It looks like the same thing is gonna happen in D.C.  Obviously, Donovan McNabb has not played well this year (looks like the Philly organization knew what they were doing when they got rid of him when they did)  and the situation with Albert Haynesworth was doomed from the start, because Shanahan refused to budge. 

The problem I see with this coach is how he went about doing things.  He put Haynesworth through that conditioning test that was outrageous and the two were never able to patch things up ever since.  And pulling McNabb in the fourth quarter of a game in place of Rex Grossman?????  Ultimate slap in the face!  The big question is how are other players in the league that witnessed what transpired in D.C. going to respond to coach Shanahan's tactics?  If I'm a free agent, I see how Haynesworth got played by the coach with all those impossible conditioning drills, then he made the man play in a defensive scheme that he doesn't fit in even though he's the highest paid defensive player in the league, and then he gets suspended without pay for the last four games.  And then look how he disrespected the quarterback!!!!  All I'm saying is that Shanahan better have a solid plan to turn this thing around or he's gonna end up being a coaching pariah.

The Art Of Facials

Lost in tha game yesterday cuz of the PP buzzer beater was this dunk . . . These are my favorite kind of dunks in tha NBA and I really don't care how racist it sounds. Theres just something about goofy Euro guys getting dunked on that makes me laugh 100 out of 100 times. My top 5 of all-time would go something like this . . .

 

5.  Baron Davis mushes Andrei Kirilenko with the left hand and jams on his head with the right hand off a baseline drive in the 2007 Western Conference semis. Watch this clip.

4.  Shaq bringing down the entire backboard for the second time in his young career at the Meadowlands in New Jersey against the Nets and almost hitting Dwayne Schintzius in the head with it.

3.  Kevin Garnett with the two-handed putback slam over Pau Gasol to put the dagger in the Lakers for Game 1 of the 2008 Finals.

2.  Blake Griffin absolutely abusing the Knicks earlier this year at Staples Center; Danilo Gallinari off the spin move and two disgusting dunks on Timofey Mozgov where both times nuts were between chin and shoulder level (I might start refering to these type of dunks as 'Mozgovs'). Watch here.

1.  Half man. Half amazing. Vince Carter in his prime, on the USA team, rockin' like a 4 or 5-piece and the Nike Shox clearing over Frederic Weis in the 2000 Olympics from Sydney.  See it one mo' again . . .

He got T'd up, and now he might catch an "F"

Saw this on CNN this morning, kid gets called for a technical by the ref and takes him down.  They sent the police report to the state district attorney's office and he might get charged with a felony.
P.S. For those that don't get tha title, if you catch an "F", that means you get convicted of a felony, see Big L "Ebonics" The Big Picture, circa 1997.
http://www.youtube.com/comment_servlet?all_comments=1&v=Lvk8J18I7L4

Iron Man vs. Gunslinger

Everyone is talking about the Brett Favre streak but I ask just how impressive is it? A WCVB Boston poll asked if Favre's consecutive games started streak was more impressive than Cal Ripken, Jr.'s consecutive games played streak and an overwhelming 82% of fans said that Ripken's streak was more impressive. I think that many casual fans would favor Cal because, overall, he was a very likeable guy. Favre has gotten under our skin over the past four years due to his waffling about whether or not he was going to play or retire. But lets put this streak into perspective by asking two questions: (1) What are the chances of the record ever being broken and (2) How does it compare to other consecutive games played streaks? 297 consecutive starts is impressive and great but when I look at records in the sports world I don't see this record as one that will never be broken and the main reason why is that Peyton Manning has started 205 consecutive games. Peyton is 34 and if he starts for five more years and nine games, he will pass Favre (and that is assuming the league doesn't go to an 18 game schedule and there is no lockout of games entirely). That doesn't seem very unlikely considering that of any NFL quarterback of this generation, Peyton Manning's jersey seems to stay the cleanest at the end of games. The guy never gets hit and he doesn't scramble out of the pocket to buy time. He is a quick release guy; a guy that watches film and studies the defense and makes quick decisions, not someone like Favre, a certified gunslinger who could turn a broken play into a big play by moving out of the pocket and often taking a brutal hit. Manning is the picture of stability and as long as he decides he wants to continue playing the game I strongly believe the record will eventually be his.

Ripken played in a MLB record 2,632 consecutive games. The player that had the best chance of catching him was Miguel Tejada, who had a streak of 1,152 before his wrist was broken by a pitch in 2007. The current player with the longest consecutive games played streak is Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp. His streak is at 204. In today's game, it is not realistic to think anyone will even come close to Cal's record because managers give players days off all the time whether they want them or not. Also, there are so many games played during the season that sometimes it makes sense to have a guy sit a game or two against a bad team to have him fresh for an upcoming series against a team you might be battling with in the standings. I don't ever see anyone in today's game approaching what Tejada did, and he didn't even make it to half the games played that Ripken did.  Favre's record is most impressive when you look at it like this. Since Ripken played in a 162 game season and Favre played in a 16 game season, lets round the season to 160 games and divide Ripken's games played by 10, in order to even the playing field. So Ripken, on a scale of a 16 game season would've had around 263 consecutive games played to Favre's 297. That's a 30 game advantage for Brett. Add in the fact that he played in a far more physically demanding sport and #4 does deserve all the attention. In my opinion, Favre was a throwback to the sport we will never see the likes of again, a true warrior. But his record appears to be reachable and therefore I would focus more on other attributes and great things he brought to the table more than his consecutive games played streak.