I want you to imagine winning the jackpot on any lottery ticket. It could be a few hundred dollars or several million. Now, I want you to imagine giving it back because they didn’t give you crisp, new bills. Unless you already have a lot of money laying around, that sounds pretty stupid. That is how I feel about any team not willing to take a chance on Peyton Manning’s health. At least any team that hasn’t already hit the jackpot with a Tom Brady, Drew Brees, or Aaron Rodgers.

Peyton is due a $28 million dollar bonus in March if he is still with the Colts. Several people believe that he will be cut because of the timing and his health. If that is the case, where would he want to play? Here is my top five if I were Peyton.

5. Tennessee Titans – Manning would get to return to the state where he is still worshiped. Few players are still loved like he is in Tennessee. Even though he never won a national championship, he is arguably the best player to play on “Rocky Top”. The Titans also have a good running back and capable receivers. They also gave up the second fewest sacks last season.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars – Don’t you think Maurice Jones-Drew deserves someone like Manning? The entire team does, really. Last season they finished 6th in total defense and MJD was the NFL rushing leader. The Jags do have first year quarterback Gabbert, but after finishing 32nd in passing yards last season, he could learn a lot from Manning.

3. New York Jets – New York is probably the only city big enough for two Mannings. Peyton would be in a major market, which I think he would like. He has had a ton of commercials and his Saturday Night Live United Way skit is hilarious. He could be the missing piece for the Jets. Shonn Greene ran for over 1,000 yards. Receivers Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress both finished, tied for 11th in the NFL, with 8 touchdowns. I’m not sure he would want to deal with the current Jets drama but winning would fix everything.

2. Miami Dolphins – The Dolphins struggled early last season, but rallied to win six of their last nine. However, that didn’t save their coach. Joe Philbin was hired as head coach and named Mike Sherman his offensive coordinator. Sherman and Manning would make a great pair. Sherman has plenty of head coaching experience, including his time in Green Bay. In 2003, Brett Favre led the NFL touchdowns passes under Sherman. There, he would have 1,000 yard guys in Brandon Marshall and Reggie Bush.

1. Houston Texans – Current quarterback Matt Shaub only has one year left on his contract and is coming off of a foot injury. It would make plenty of sense to trade him and pick up Manning. The Texans could get something for Shaub before he becomes a free agent and Manning would make the Texans a Super Bowl contender. Peyton would give them the right amount of time to decide on Yates or draft a quarterback later. Manning paired with the running game of the Texans and Andre Johnson really doesn’t seem fair. That combination paired with the NFL’s 2nd ranked defense would be tough to beat.

All of the teams except New York are in states that don’t have an income tax. That could be a factor in his decision but I think winning a Super Bowl will be the biggest. Three of the teams are in the AFC South. If I were Peyton I would want every chance to make the Colts regret cutting me. The Texans give him the best chance at beating them twice a year, winning a Super Bowl, and making a little more money.

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Peyton Manning and Jim Irsay are trying to dispel “rumors” that there’s a rift between them. Jim Irsay said that he wished Peyton would have kept his issues “within the family.” When the franchise player of a proud organization sits down with Bob Kravitz to air out his problems, I’m sure his attempts to keep it “within the family” went unheard.

Tiger Woods is tied for 1st Place at -11 with Robert Rock after the third round of the Abu Dhabi Classic.

The United States Women’s Soccer team defeated Costa Rica 3-0 to capture a bid to the Olympic games. Hope Solo, battling a quad injury, pitched a shutout.

Victoria Azarenka defeated Maria Sharapova to claim the Australian Open title.

Virginia Tech takes on Maryland today at 2:30. The Hokies have lost 5 of 6 and are coming off a loss at home to BYU. They played the worst offense I have seen in the first 10 minutes of a basketball game, only to come back and lose by 2. Maryland has lost 3 straight. 2 of those were to Duke and Florida State.

It’s hard to pick out any dynamite games in college basketball today. We’ll have to see how the day goes.

Take Marquette (-3) @ Villanova. That line is ridiculous. Look in your bank account. Whatever you’ve got in there, bet it on Marquette to win by 3 today.

Duke is overrated. Take St. Johns (+18) today in Cameron Indoor.

Virginia and N.C. State will be a low scoring affair. Take Under (124).

The West Virginia/Syracuse game will be physical and high scoring. Take Over (139)

The NFL season is almost over and the 2011 fantasy football season has been over for a few weeks. Before this season is forgotten and we move on to baseball, I thought I would take a look back and see how the first round should have gone. All of my rankings will be based on standard scoring and a ten team draft. My rankings are largely on how well they performed in weeks 14, 15, and 16. I don’t think week 17 should be a playoff week because so many of the star players are being rested. Otherwise, I would have to rank week 17 scoring leader, Matt Flynn, on this list. Also, it will be based on a few strategies I have developed;  many of which are simple things. Don’t draft a kicker until the last round (unless you’re doing an auction) and take a defense in the last few rounds. Others can be more risky. Unless you’re getting a great deal, don’t take a quarterback too early; same with a tight end. I got Gronkowski in round 13 in my 14 team draft. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don’t.

1. Ray Rice – Rice led all running backs and receivers in points scored this season. He posted an impressive average of 15 points in weeks 14-16. If you were lucky enough to play your championship game in week 17, he got you 31 points. That was versus a tough Bengals run defense.

2. LeSean McCoy – He finished 2nd among running backs and receivers in points scored and 1st in touchdowns. Even though he only put up 4 points in week 16, he finished with an average of 16 points per game in weeks 14-16.

3. Arian Foster – Foster scored the 5th most points among running backs and receivers, which is pretty impressive considering that in three games he had zero attempts. Darren Sproles led all running backs with 86 catches for 710 yards, but Foster did more with his catches. Foster had an impressive 11.6 yards per catch and 617 yards. He will likely be your number 1 pick next year.

4. Maurice Jones-Drew – MJD finished the season with 249 points. He was the only threat on the Jaguar’s team this season. As a result, he never had less than 8 points in any game and finished by scoring double digits in his last nine games. At a time in the season when many backs start to get run down, MJD got stronger, posting an insane 22 point average in weeks 14-16.

5. Calvin Johnson – The first receiver on the list. I know many of you would put Rodgers, Brees, or Brady here, but that is not my style. Megatron didn’t have the most receptions or targets this season, but did have more yards and touchdowns than any other receiver. Johnson had a terrible week 14, but averaged 17 points in weeks 14-16. If you add his 30 points in week 17, this jumps to 20.5.

6. Aaron Rodgers – Rodgers scored the most fantasy points this season, even though he didn’t play in week 17. In the 15 weeks he did play, he averaged 25.7 points per game. Sounds pretty good, but you can get similar production from the next four quarterbacks on my list. Rodgers’ touchdown to interception ratio(45-6) is what separates him from the others, including an incredible week 16 performance against the Bears. In that game he threw five touchdowns and zero interceptions.

7. Marshawn Lynch – Lynch made it rain skittles for the Seahawks in weeks 9-16. In those weeks, he never touched the ball less than 22 times per game. In that stretch, he averaged almost 19 points per game; not far from his 17 point average in weeks 14-16.

8. Rob Gronkowski – I know I said to wait on a tight end, but Gronkowski is the exception. Only five receivers had more yards but none of them found the end zone as many times. Jimmy Graham was the only tight end close to being on the same level as Gronkowski. They were the only two to have over 1,000 yards and double digit touchdowns. Gronkowski was the only one to have over 200 fantasy points. If you add the point totals of the 3rd and 4th ranked tight ends, they only scored 17 more points. He was 15th in overall scoring; that’s better than Vick, Roethlisberger, Turner, Welker, and Lynch. I would have ranked him higher had it not been for his 6 point average in weeks 15 and 16.

9. Jordy Nelson – Nelson outperformed the Packer’s number one receiver in every category, except targets. Even though he only had 1 more catch than Greg Jennings, Nelson had 314 more yards and 6 more touchdowns. His 15 receiving touchdowns were 3rd best in the NFL. Calvin Johnson was the only receiver to have more touchdowns, but he had 62 more targets than Nelson. Whether you played your championship game in week 16 or 17, Nelson did his part to help you win. In those two weeks he had 15 catches for 277 yards and 5 touchdowns.

10. Drew Brees – Brees broke many records this year and had the second most points this year. He was your NFL leader in completions, yards, and passing touchdowns. He threw for over 300 yards 13 times and had at least 3 touchdowns in 9 games. The only thing that stopped me from ranking Brees higher were his 14 interceptions.

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Prince Fielder could be signed as soon as today. Don’t hold your breath.

Alexander Ovechkin was suspended for 3 games for his hit on Milan Michalek. Ovechkin left his feet to launch himself into Michalek, prompting the suspension. In a classy move, Ovechkin pulled out of the All-Star game because he doesn’t feel he deserves to be there being a suspended player.

The Big East will add Navy in 2015. At least they’re actually in the East.

Tiger Woods could play at Torrey Pines this week for a slice of a 6 million dollar purse. Instead, he is playing in Abu Dhabi for a piece of a $2.7 million pie. Why? He’s getting paid just to show up. The US tour doesn’t allow for appearance bonuses.

The Washington Wizards fired Head Coach Flip Saunders today. His team won 2 games this season.

Bob Kravitz sat down with Peyton Manning for an extensive interview. Manning is very unhappy with the way the organization has been handled recently. It’s a good read and includes some telling stuff.

The Washington Capitals host the Boston Bruins tonight. Without Green, Ovechkin, and Backstrom, tonight’s match-up heavily favors the Bruins. Although, the Capitals have a 17-6-1 home record. Tim Thomas of the Bruins skipped out on their White House visit, citing his disapproval with today’s senior politicians, regardless of political party affiliation.

Prince Fielder has yet to sign. If he did, you’d see a little red bar on ESPN for hours saying “Breaking News.” Scott Boras is inevitably looking for a huge contract for Prince Fielder. The teams “interested” are reportedly the Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, and Las Angeles Dodgers. The Nationals and Rangers are the two teams that have openly discussed signing him.

Although the Nationals are currently discussing a contract with Fielder, they Nationals have Adam LaRoche penciled in at first. Michael Morse could move to first if the Nationals sign a center fielder, which would push LaRoche out. Signing Fielder would do the same. The Nationals could be a slugger away from contending. I expect Fielder to wear a curly W on his hat this spring.

The Rangers put a ton of money into Yu Darvish. Josh Hamilton is looking for more money and the Rangers’ payroll, altogether, is going up. They have the money to sign Fielder, but do they have the money to sign Fielder AND give Hamilton a raise?

The Orioles are trying to keep their poker face on and hoping the price comes way down. By not expressing definite interest in Fielder, they can sit back and wait to see what the market is for Fielder instead of meeting with Boras and making an offer that will simply drive the price up. That said, don’t expect Fielder to land in Baltimore. The Orioles simply won’t put up the money.

The Dodgers are in an interesting situation with Frank McCourt in the process of selling the team. The franchise’s value raises with Prince Fielder at first base, but the priority is the sale of the team.

Seattle is a possible landing spot for fielder. Justin Smoak was a promising prospect at first, but turned in a .234 average in his second season with only 15 home runs in 123 games. I don’t see Seattle putting up the money.

Alexander Ovechkin has been suspended by the NHL for his FANTASTIC hit on Michalek in Sunday’s game against the Penguins. Apparently, sweet hits that bash the opponent’s head into the glass are frowned upon in this establishment. Possible disablement is a small price to pay for skull-crushing blows to the head. Let them play, sir. Ovechkin will miss 3 games and over $150,000. The Capitals host the conference leading Boston Bruins tomorrow. If you missed the hit, you’re lucky to have it at your disposal right down there.

It doesn’t matter how you played in the AFC Championship, Joe Flacco. It doesn’t matter if you think you’re a good quarterback or whether everyone else thinks you’re good or not. All that matters is your dumb-ass, hillbilly, handlebar mustache. I couldn’t focus on your play because I had to watch your irresponsible facial hair choice in HD. And don’t do interviews after the game until you shave. Thanks.

The 49ers completed ONE third down the ENTIRE game. Also, Kyle Williams fumbled away any chance of San Francisco pulling that game out. TWICE.

The Washington Capitals went down 0-2 to the Penguins, scored 3 straight goals, then lost 4-3 in OT. The rivalry included many exciting moments, fights, comebacks, and overtime.

Kobe and Gasol had bad nights from the field as the Lakers lost their 3rd straight.

Jorge Posada will retire.

Virginia Tech upset Virginia in Charlottesville last night in a snoozer. The game had a great finish but, with a 23-19 score at half-time, unless you like watching missed shots, you could have done without the first 35 minutes of the game. The Cavaliers had 22 free throw attempts to the Hokies’ 7.

If you would have told me in September that either Eli Manning or Alex Smith would be playing in the Super Bowl, I would have thought you were crazy. If you would have told me that they would beat Rodgers and Brees to get there, I would have lost all respect for your sports knowledge. So now, when people tell me Eli is an elite quarterback, maybe I should listen. Or, maybe he will have to win two more playoff games.

ESPN has been gushing over Eli and his 4th quarter heroics. They have told us all week about his playoff greatness. Some writers have even gone as far to say he is better than Peyton. I’m not buying it.

If you have to win games in the 4th quarter you’re not winning them in the first three. In the first half of games this season, his numbers are not that great. Eli threw for 335 fewer yards with 13 more attempts but 21 less completions. His completion percentage is 56.1 and his quarterback rating is 83.2 in the first half of games. He also has a not-so-elite 11 touchdowns to 7 interceptions. If you want see what and elite quarterback looks like, check out how consistent Brady was this year http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/splits/_/id/2330/tom-brady.

Prisoners of the moment. That is the term that I feel best defines the Giants, especially their defense. A lot of people have become believers in their defensive line and how well they rush the passer. Once again, I’m not convinced. To be such at great pass rush they have only 6 sacks in 87 chances this post season. Only once have they been able to intercept a pass in those 87 opportunities. They did a good job of stopping Michael Turner in their first game, but allowed the 27th ranked rushing offense of the Packers to run for 6.4 yards per carry. Most of that was to Rodgers, but Smith averaged 4.5 yards per attempt in the first game with the Giants.

San Francisco averaged 6.5 yards per attempt last week against the 6th ranked rush defense. They have a great duo of backs in Gore and Hunter. Gore averaged 6.8 yards per carry last week. Hunter filled in for an injured Gore in the first game versus New York. He did pretty well, rushing for 6.7 yards per attempt and 1 touchdown.

Alex Smith passed the ball pretty well in the last meeting. He went 19 of 30 for 242 yards and a touchdown. He also had one interception. I don’t think he will have one in this game. All season he only had five and last week he didn’t throw any. He completed 24 of 42 passes, for 299 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also ran for another. Not bad for a game manager.

San Francisco’s defense sets the tempo for most games. This one wont be any different. When you think about hard hitting defenses, Pittsburgh and Baltimore are the first teams that come to mind. That’s about to change. The 49ers might have the most physical defense in the NFL. Just ask anyone who caught a pass for the Saints last week. I have a feeling the Giants might have trouble holding onto the football.

The weather and both teams ability to run the ball will be the difference. Both teams will connect on some long touchdown passes, thanks to a wet field. The 49ers will beat up on the Giants backs and receivers, with or without the ball. The Giants wont be able to run the ball versus the best rush defense in the NFL. Turnovers and dropped passes will be too much for the Giants to overcome.

49ers 34 – Giants 20

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The Patriots will prove today that good offense trumps good defense. The Packers’ 3 fumbles and 8 dropped passes didn’t help prove that. Patriots shoot down the Ravens, 31 to 20.

It has become the biggest cliché to talk about the Giants’ pass rush. Watch ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown, CBS’ NFL Today, or FOX NFL Sunday and drink every time they mention the Giants’ pass rush. The 49ers run the West Coast offense. They have quick drops and quick releases. Alex Smith won’t give the Giants’ pass rush enough time to get to him. 49ers win 17-13. Oh, and drink 3 times.

CBS misreported Joe Paterno’s death last night. OOPSIE! Joe Paterno has since passed away. Queue week-long coverage of Joe Paterno’s legacy.

The Capitals and Penguins renew their rivalry at 12:30 in Pittsburgh. The Capitals currently find themselves, even after winning 6 of 10, in the 8th Conference spot for the NHL playoffs. The way the seeding works, though, they’re 2 points behind division leader Florida, which means 2 points from the 3rd seed.

The Heat won again without Wade. You only need 2 stars on a team to succeed in the NBA. Once you get to 3, they take shot attempts away from each other.

The Lakers are back out west tonight as they host the Pacers in the STAPLES Center. The Lakers are 9-1 at home. Kobe is slumping with 3 straight games under 40 points. Unacceptable.

Jay-Z rapped about Knicks and Nets giving him high-fives. They are a combined 10-22. Way to pick a couple terrible New York teams to rap about. You’re making the “Knicks hat more famous than a Knick can.”

The Wizards are BAD, but, if they can beat the reeling Celtics today, they could pull the last straw on the break-up of the Big 3.

Virginia Tech, losers of 4 straight, desperately need a win at #17 Virginia today. The Hoos can get revenge for their embarrassing football loss by sending the Hokies to a disparaging 0-5 in the ACC. Virginia Tech needs today’s game to avoid 0-5 AND as a victory over a top opponent.

Notre Dame upset Syracuse yesterday in South Bend. The Orange shot a horrific 34% from the field and were out-rebounded 37-24. When your team’s average height is 6′6″, how are you going to get out-rebounded?

Florida State upset Duke in Cameron Indoor last night. How many times do I have to say that Duke is overrated this year? And Florida State? We picked them to beat North Carolina.

#10 Murray State (WHO?) is the only remaining undefeated team in Division 1 college basketball with 20 wins. If you can tell me, without looking it up, what state Murray State is in, you win a pat on the back.

Does anyone want Prince Fielder? Better question: Does anyone want to pay Prince Fielder 20+ million dollars a year?

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The AFC and NFC Championship games are strikingly similar. Both feature elite quarterbacks versus quarterbacks trying to prove they belong. The elite quarterbacks will be playing against defenses that ranked third and fourth. The unproven quarterbacks are playing the 31st and 27th ranked defenses. We will soon get to find out if a great quarterback or great defense is more important. Or, maybe we will just find out which quarterbacks are elite and which ones are pretty good.

The AFC championship has some familiar faces from both teams. The Patriots get here for the first time since losing to the Giants in the Super Bowl. This makes their 5th appearance since 2002. The Ravens lost the last time they made it this far, back in 2008. Before that, their last appearance was in 2000, in which they won the Super Bowl with one of the best defensive units to ever take the field and Trent Dilfer at quarterback.

Baltimore’s defense isn’t as good as the 2000 version, but the offense is much better. The Ravens defense is being questioned after giving up 100 yard days to Arian Foster and Andre Johnson. If you played fantasy football this year, you probably didn’t get either of those guys in the second round. The rest of the team totaled 50 yards on 1 run and 4 receptions. Foster was the only Texan to find the end zone. Rookie T.J. Yates and his 3 interceptions made the difference in that game.

There are even more questions on the other side of the ball; most of them about Joe Flacco. Last week he was sacked 5 times and failed to reach 200 yards passing. He did throw 2 touchdowns and no interceptions, but I think people are forgetting how good Houston’s defense was this year. The Texans were third in passing defense, fourth in rushing defense, and second in total yards allowed. The most troubling stat from the Texans/Ravens game was that Ray Rice only averaged 2.9 yards per carry on 21 attempts. He will have to do way better if he wants to beat New England.

The Patriots are way more diverse on offense but are nowhere close to the Ravens, defensively. New England has the best quarterback left in the playoffs. If he wins another Super Bowl, he could go down as the best to play the position. Tom Brady can turn receivers into stars. Just ask Randy Moss how much he misses being in Boston. The Patriots finished 20th in rushing yards per game, mainly because they were 2nd in passing yards per game with over 300 per game. The Patriots averaged a respectable 4 yards per carry.

New England isn’t very good on defense, statistically. They ranked 31st in passing yards allowed and 17th in rushing yards allowed. I blame this on Tom Brady. He usually has teams playing from behind. The Patriots (15th) were slightly better than average in points allowed. More importantly, they had the best turnover margin of all AFC teams. New England tied for 2nd in the NFL with 23 interceptions. No team in the AFC was even close. New England finished the season +17. The next closest AFC team was +7. All of this can be blamed on one guy…Tom Brady. He doesn’t turn the ball over

Brady is the only elite quarterback left in the playoffs. I apologize to all those who jumped on the Eli bandwagon. As long as Brady stays healthy, the Patriots will win. There will be plenty of yards and points in this game. The Ravens will need the opposite to happen to win. The Patriots will use all of their weapons early, resulting in a lead that they will not give up. Baltimore will abandon the run and Flacco will turn the ball over late.

Patriots – 31 Ravens – 20

Milky Mike’s Guest Prediction

Ravens win 30-27, thanks to 3 Tom Brady interceptions.

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