President Barack Obama made a few headlines in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl when he openly admitted that he was going to be cheering for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII.
Some people made a big deal about it, but, frankly, he should be allowed to cheer for whoever he wants, just as John McCain should have been able to cheer for the Cardinals had he been the man in the White House. Just because you're the President doesn't mean you're not allowed to be a fan.
But, don't worry, Cardinals fans, the President hasn't forgotten about your team, either.
I really couldn't beat this lead if I tried, so I will step back and let FightonState.com take the reins for a minute.
Months of speculation that Penn State might be operating under a hip, new coach in 2009 is about to come to an end. Instead, the Nittany Lions will have, well, a coach with a slick new hip in '09.
That, ladies and gents, is the perfect way to say that 81-year-old Joe Paterno, who spent most of the year away from the sidelines and in a booth, has landed a three-year extension from Penn State, making him unofficially the oldest human to ever live (haven't checked the facts yet).
FightOnState.com has learned from several university sources that Paterno and Penn State have agreed in principle to a multi-year contract extension that will keep him at the helm of the Nittany Lion football program for at least three more seasons. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The deal is expected to be signed and announced by the end of the week.
I would have to say, Paterno is really breaking the trend of "old men struggling in 2008." John McCain lost the election, Bobby Bowden finished a disappointing 5-3 in the ACC and Lute Olson quit after pulling the college basketball equivalent of a Brett Favre.
If there is one gripe most people would have about Tiger Woods, it's that the man who has such a great opportunity as a famous black athlete normally hits the mute button at any sign of controversy.
Honestly, Woods almost goes out of his way to avoid ruffling any feathers, which makes the following all the more important.
Woods, who has stayed quiet on any questions centering around the presidential contest, told some reporters that he was happy with the choice of Barack Obama as the next president of the United States.
One of the great/stupid things about sports is how numbers can be worked and re-worked into something that are supposed to have meaning. The fact that the fate of the Presidency and the election of the next leader of the free world hinges on an NFL game goes right up to the top of those silly numbers.
Since the Redskins have arrived in Washington, how they perform in their final home game determines the presidential election. It's true.
It's called the Redskins Rule, and it has an accuracy rate of either 94 or 100 percent depending on how it's applied. Every time the Redskins win their final home game before a presidential election, the candidate representing the incumbent party remains in office. Every time they lose, the incumbent party's candidate loses as well. It's a predictor that has worked in 16 of 17 presidential elections since the Redskins arrived in Washington. (Some argue the rule is 17-for-17; more on that in a second.)
In 2004, the Redskins lost to the Packers 28-14, suggesting Bush should have lost to John Kerry. Hirdt changed the way the rule is applied to have it refer to the previous winner of the popular vote, not the electoral vote.
That's good news for Barack Obama and the Democrats. The Redskins lost to the Steelers, 23-6, which means the incumbent Republicans are looking at a bad day. Why even hold the election? Just crown Obama the President at FedEx Field.
Barack came out hot talking about humility and then was asked a "If you could change one thing about sports, what would it be?" by Berman ... and he came with "KILL THE BCS!" Actually, he said we need a playoff, but he might have just pulled by swing vote with that statement right there.
Boomer naturally asked him about the Bears ... oh no. Wait. He only asked two questions. Then he said "Go Bears!". It was, however, a nice touch for Barack to tell everyone to vote regardless of who you vote for; I don't actually believe him, but whatever.
John McCain and Barack Obama are shuttling across the country today, trying to close the deal on an election that's coming to an end after what feels like a decade of campaigning. In a couple of swing states, they're getting help from baseball players who are trying to use their popularity to try and rally votes in their candidate's direction.
"The size of the payroll has nothing to do with the heart and talent of the team. They'd have you believe that we're down 3-0, but let me tell you I have a little bit of experience with that and it doesn't mean anything."
Unlike most weeks, there hasn't been much jibber-jabbering between the Steelers and Redskins in anticipation of Monday Night's get-together (complete with halftime horse-and-pony show featuring Chris Berman, with guest appearances by Barack Obama and John McCain).
In fact, Washington players have been downright complimentary, even when talking about the scourge of the NFL, that cheap-shot artist, Hines Ward.
ESPN has announced that both Obama and McCain will be interviewed during halftime of the Monday Night Football game between the Redskins and Steelers.
Chris Berman will interview both candidates separately. The interviews will be taped during the day on Monday and will air at halftime.
Who better than Chris Berman to do these interviews? What we need to hear from these candidates are their favorite 1970s rock songs and nicknames for their VP picks (Sarah "Lunch" Palin?). I don't need to hear Arizona senator John McCain chatting about the Arizona Cardinals.
I understand the significance of the Monday nighter in Washington. It is Election Day Eve and that city will be sitting on pins and needles as many of those people are gearing up for the biggest day of their professional lives.
There's a little mini-scuffle in the political realm today about Barack Obama's big paid half-hour closing argument tonight. Obama will be on all three major networks laying out his final case for the presidency, something John McCain can't afford to do because he doesn't know how to use the internet.
Anyway, the baseball game will begin around 8:37, 20 minutes later than usual, prompting John McCain to say that as president he'd never allow baseball to be pushed back, or something. Interesting proposal. FOX? They're noticeably less concerned (HT: Shysterball)
"By no means did they push to get us to accommodate them with Game Six," said Coppola, whom the Obama campaign suggested I call. "We're just missing the pregame, which isn't a big deal for us. It was a business decision."
That might seem strange at first, but it really makes perfect sense. Any network that sets Jeanie Zelasko, Mark Grace, and Kevin Kennedy in the same frame and mandates them to talk baseball can't possibly consider the program to be a "big deal." That would imply some sort of interest in what your analysts are saying, and ... ha! FOX clearly doesn't have that.
Recently, a study indicated that in the 2008 presidential election, Senator John McCain has received substantially more negative reporting than Senator Barack Obama. The study's authors suggest that this may be less a reflection of bias, but more a reflection of Obama running a more effective campaign. (Or perhaps not being photographed making goofy faces after a debate.)
Rick Reilly wrote a gushing essay relating his experience getting Obama to help him with his fantasy football team. He wanted to "see what sort of president" they'd make. I'm not sure I'd want fantasy football obsessives running the free world, or else you'd end up with these people with their fingers on the button. <shudder>
To be fair and balanced, Reilly contacted both campaigns to see if they would do it, but only Obama took him up on it. Given McCain's high profile football mixup, McCain's campaign probably doesn't want him doing picks.
So Reilly meets Obama, and it results in a massive Reilly mancrush. Really, it is slightly embarrassing. Probably even to Obama. But if you are the sort of voter who wants to know whether a candidate is the sort of person you'd like to share a beer with, I guess this is that sort of essay.
President Barack Obama made a few headlines in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl when he openly admitted that he was going to be cheering for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII. 
If there is one gripe most people would have about 
One of the great/stupid things about sports is how numbers can be worked and re-worked into something that are supposed to have meaning. The fact that the 
John McCain
Unlike most weeks, there hasn't been much jibber-jabbering between the Steelers and Redskins in anticipation of Monday Night's get-together (complete with 
I'm sure everyone was happy about 
There's a little mini-scuffle in the political realm today about 
Recently, a study indicated that in the 2008 presidential election, Senator 
