Super Sunday Smorgasbord 2-4

• Two weeks ago I Whoop-Dee-Dooed Lovie Smith becoming the first black coach to make it to the Super Bowl because I said he would be the first black coach to lose a Super Bowl. Well, the 29-17 final score is deceptively close because the Bears were never really in the game today after the opening kickoff return for a touchdown as Indy just about had their way with Chicago. The only notable thing about today's game was it being the first game in the 41 years of the Super Bowl to have been played in inclement weather. The rain certainly had an effect as turnovers were the order of the day and made the game ugly to watch. This is why the NFL chooses to play the game in the warm weather cities and/or indoors. That being said, Dan Snyder could build a domed stadium here in D.C. and the NFL still wouldn't put a Super Bowl in D.C. simply because the other owners dislike him so much.
• However, there is no bleepin' excuse for Art Monk to be passed over once again for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. What is especially galling is that Michael Irvin gets inducted and Monk continues to be left out. I won't run down the numbers for you to illustrate how Monk outclassed Irvin both on and off the field because plenty of other people have already done that. But here are a few things to chew on, NOBODY currently in the PFHoF (including Irvin who is about to be inducted) has more catches than Monk. NOBODY. Once Jerry Rice is inducted, then there will be somebody, but Rice isn't eligible for a few more years. Secondly, Monk played football when it was considered odd to throw the ball on first down. In addition, he played for a coach for whom throwing the ball on first down was borderline scandalous. The fact that Monk was able to put the numbers that he did shows what a great player he was. What makes it all the more odd is the excuses used to keep him out. Monk "doesn't have any signature catches." Well what praytel defines a "signature catch" The self-anointed Dean of NFL Journalists Peter King claims that the Giants (the team he was beat writer for) were more worried about Gary Clark than Art Monk. Yet why isn't King pushing Gary Clark for the PFHoF? Bottom line is though, the selection process for the PFHoF is a downright joke. Now more than ever, the process favors shameless self-promoters over truly great players. This is why voting needs to be taken away from journalists and placed in the hands of people who have actually played the game. Then maybe some dignity could be restored to the process. Considering the garbage Monk has had to go through, I wouldn't doubt for a second that Darrell Green suffers the same fate as Monk while Deion Sanders makes it in ahead of both Monk and Green.
• And of course the snubs didn't end with Art Monk. Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue was also denied entry yesterday in his first year of eligibility. Once again the self-important self-appointed Dean of NFL Journalists Peter King has publicly stated that he does not believe that anybody deserves selection to the PFHoF in their first year of eligibility, except of course Harry Carson. (Who??? My thoughts exactly) If there is anybody who deserves entry in their first year, it is Paul Tagliabue who lead the NFL to greater heights than ever imagined. Yet, he too is denied over a shameless self-promoter like Irvin and a so-so running back Thurman Thomas. The worst part of yesterday's announcement was listening the NFL Channel "Journalists" fluff both Irvin and Thomas. I don't know who the clown was, but he pointed out how Thomas made it to four consecutive Super Bowls. Well, whoop-dee-doo, how many of those Super Bowls did Thomas take over and win? Bottom line on Thomas is that he was a decent back on a good team that played in a bad conference. Loserville, Buffalo, got beaten worse and worse as they kept making the Super Bowl. How does a guy like Thurman Thomas make it in over Paul Tagliabue?
• Anyway, enough of the PFHoF selection nonsense, at the Caps game today I noticed that the Caps are now taking $100 deposits on season tickets for the 2007-2008 season. I asked one of the reps about the prices for next year and I was told that they are not changing. However, I still overheard some Caps fans complaining about "ticket prices being too high if they insist on fielding an AHL team." Huh? Except for the blueline, I don't know where that complaint is coming from. One clown even said Ted Leonsis should sell the team to Winnipeg and stop torturing us. I about blew a gasket on that guy. But in a sign as to how bad are things right now, (Com)Post beat writer Tarik El Bashir called out Darwin's Waiting Room for expecting the Caps to make the playoffs. Well, first of all Mr. Bashir, I said on opening night that the Caps were not making the playoffs this year or next year and I repeated that during the All-Star break. Even your colleague Dan Steinberg noticed. So do I get a cookie for stating the bleedingly obvious? (Which of course is why Darwin's Waiting Room doesn't get it and rubbing their noses in it does no good)
• However Mr. Bashir, you are dead wrong about correlating wins to a team's payroll. Go look up Philadelphia, the Rangers, and Toronto's payrolls and get back to me. Those are three teams right around the salary cap and they currently are not in a playoff position. As a matter of fact, the Flyers have a hammer lock on last place overall. Because of the salary cap, the Caps need to keep space available because according to this, Brian Sutherby, Kris Beech, Brooks "and Dunn" Laich, Steve Eminger, Milan Jurcina and John Erskine Bowles will be restricted free agents after this season is over. Beech is likely to be gone but I think the rest will get new contracts and that very likely means a raise of some sort. Guess, what, we need space under the cap to do that. But before the Caps deal with those guys, they have to make decisions on Richard Zednik (who is likely to be traded IMHO), Dainius Zubrus (who should be traded IMHO because his trade value will never be higher than it is right now), Mr. Donald Brashear, Jamie "Home Run" Heward, Bryan Muir, and Lawrence Nycholat will be unrestricted free agents. While I think Muir and Zednik are gone and Heward may or may not be, you will need some big bucks to keep Zubrus. And after the fun of this coming offseason, next year A.O., Alexander Semin, and Olie Kolzig all have their contracts expire. Care to spend all of Ted's $$$$$ to win now Tarik?
• Ok, this week, the Caps continue their homestand on Tuesday night when Jurcina gets to exact revenge on the team who traded him when the Bruins visit. On Thursday night, the L.A. Kings show up in the Phone Booth before a sellout crowd greets the New York Rangers on Saturday night. All three games will start at 7 pm. The Terp men are back home in the Cable Box for two games. First UVA shows up on Wednesday night at 9 pm and then the annual Dook Riot will take place after the game on Sunday night that starts at 5 pm on Fox Sportsnet's ACC Sunday Night Hoops.
• As always, please send all comments, questions, criticisms, corrections, suggestions, and invitations for me to ignore to "capsnut" over at gmail dot com.