I’m all for guys looking for mental edges when it comes to competing on the field. If a player thinks he’s going to win because he has one sock on inside-out, or because he watched his favorite movie the night before, or because he ate his special meal before the game, so be it. I have no problem with guys using mental ploys to try and gain an edge. The one exception I have is when it comes to religion. Why would God be invoked in a football game, particularly if players on both teams pray? Did some pray better than others? Or what about injuries sustained during the game, how are those accounted for? Kurt Warner’s gratitude for Jesus is well-documented, and Ken Whisenhunt has gone so far as to say it gives them an edge, as pointed out by my boy Arnie Spanier:

Karlos Dansby, who along with Mr. Warner is one of about 15 Cardinals that attend chapel together before games, said “you have to put God first in everything you do.”

Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt went so far as to say the religious nature of his team had helped them win. “I see it as a belief that mirrors our team,” Mr. Whisenhunt said. “A team is about believing in something that is larger than yourself.”

Much like Tim Tebow with Florida, the invocation of religion/Jesus/God to football games is too much for me. And how can Ken Whisenhunt agree that it gives them an edge? Is the opposing team getting shafted? Too bad these stories about the Cardinals have to get in the way of some really good ones on their, like the great deeds of Edgerrin James.

It wasn’t long ago that Manny dropped one of the best lines by an athlete in recent memory. In October of last year, while Manny was crushing NL pitching, my stock portfolio was riding high, and gas was $4 a gallon, Manny proclaimed, “I want to see who is the highest bidder. Gas is up and so am I.” Unfortunately for Manny, the declaration of a national recession has curbed spending and free agents have settled for less than market value based on previous years. As fate would have it, Manny who loafed it in Boston to escape the bounds of a contract that would have paid him well over $40 million for two more years, now might not be able to score that kind of loot. His asking price probably hasn’t changed much, and he’s feeling left out:

Albert Pujols is encouraging the St. Louis Cardinals to sign Manny Ramirez.

“I speak with Manny every three days and he tells me, ‘Man, no one wants to sign me,’ Pujols said today during a news conference. “I’m not an agent or general manager, but I can’t understand how Manny has not signed.”

Plenty of teams would want Manny’s stick in their lineup, but I’m sure none want to meet his asking price. They’re probably still seeking nine figures and Boras having negotiated a nearly $200 million deal for Mark Teixeira means he’s probably inclined to keep waiting until the sticker price is met. No one wants to sign me? Yeah, at four years for $100 mil. Drop that to two years for 30, and I’m sure you’ll find plenty of takers. Perhaps karma is taking its toll.

Alright, so I’ve already done my share of ripping Joe Torre for co-authoring his “don’t call it a tell-all” tell-all book. I reserved some judgment because I hadn’t yet read it, but still considered the entire gesture to be pretty poor on his part. No need to reveal some of the locker room gossip from the Yankee days. Well, there was an excerpt in SI that confirmed what I had read about the book — Torre harbors bitter feelings toward Brian Cashman for the way things ended. Anyway, once Torre spilled the beans you figured the players would start bad-mouthing him Jon Gruden-style. First in line as you might have imagined was David Wells. Check out what Boomer served up on The Monty Show on Sporting News Radio:

[Joe Torre] should be called J-Fraud. He managed guys like Jeter — guys that were very easy to manage — those everyday players. But when there were guys under the bubble that were struggling, or basket cases like me I guess, he didn’t want anything to do with us.
…
Joe, he wasn’t tough on guys, he just treated you like crap. If you weren’t in his little circle — the circle of trust — then he could care less about you. I’ve had quite a few confrontations with him. It’s like guys get to fly early … I had to fly with the team — it’s stuff like that. If you’re going to do it for one guy, you might as well do it for the rest, and that’s what he didn’t do with the majority of guys.

I’m not sure which players were given the preferential treatment, but I’m guessing it’s pretty easy to figure out. Boomer also said that the ‘98 team was so close it was like they didn’t need a manager; guys always hung out together and went to restaurants together. Wells told the hosts that they could have managed the team that year, confirming what I’ve said all along. If players were going to come out and start bad-mouthing Torre now that he’s spewing all, no surprise it’s starting with Wells. I expect more to come. And I’m looking forward to more Roger Clemens testicle-rub down stories, too.

If there’s one thing that’s near and dear to my heart, it’s definitely mascot folly. We haven’t had a ton of it lately unfortunately, leaving me to watch the Oregon Duck/Houston Cougar fight to get my fix. But on Wednesday night in the Rice/Tulane game, Rice’s Sammy the Owl got the heave-ho from referee Quick Draw Curtis Shaw, whose reputation precedes him.

I dunno, pretty hard to act tough when you’re suited up in an owl costume. I guess I understand where he’s coming from — he probably has a serious case of mascot envy. Honestly, how much rhino balls would it suck to be an owl when the other mascots in your conference are ferocious beasts like Tigers, Mustangs, and Cougars? He must have had a lot of pent up frustration he let out with the headbutt on Shaw. And credit to Carter Blackburn for absolutely nailing the call! By the way, who knew that Ben Braun was coaching Rice these days?!?

Thanks to FanHouse via Ballhype for the vid

One of the major, unavoidable topics of the week, has been whether or not Kurt Warner is a Hall of Famer. In fact, the pregame talk leading up to the NFC Championship game centered on how much bearing it had on the impending legacy of both Warner and Donovan McNabb. Warner obviously got the edge on that one cementing his legacy as a big-game quarterback, and McNabb as a guy who could get you to a big game but not further than that (which is still a major accomplishment in my eyes). Seems like many people have since been swept up in the euphoria of the Kurt Warner cyclone and want to throw him in the Hall of Fame already. Some people are more rational and feel his performance on Sunday will dictate his place in history. Me? I need to see Kurt Warner have another two stellar seasons and take his team to the playoffs two more times to be sold.

While I have no problem calling Kurt a big-game quarterback, I’m not down with all this talk about him being the best quarterback in football and a Hall of Famer. Here’s my main beef: how many Hall of Fame quarterbacks disappeared for five years after being a stud QB? How can you vote for a guy as a Hall of Famer when he stuck during the prime of his career? I guess it’s pretty easy for everyone else to just erase the past, but it’s not for me. I remember Kurt vividly as a turnover machine. The guy was either burping the ball from center or throwing picks. He stunk up the joint completely in his last two years with the Rams, his year with the Giants, and his first two years with the Cards. Don’t remember him fumbling six times against the Giants in ‘03? I do.

I’m not saying that Warner isn’t a pretty spectacular quarterback when he’s well-protected, healthy, and playing with lethal weapons — he is. I’m just saying that there were times in his career — a five-year stretch — when he was a below average quarterback in the National Football League. And that to me, does not a Hall of Famer make.

With the economy going south and the big three automakers in Detroit possibly going under, it’s great to know that one of our true Patriots is doing all he can to help his country. Oops!

Randy Moss Motorsports announced Wednesday that it will partner with Toyota for the 2009 Camping World Truck Series season.

“We are extremely excited to be joining the Toyota team this season,” co-owner Randy Moss said. “Toyota has proven year in and year out that they are competitive on the track and can provide the resources to run for a championship. We are pleased to be a part of their camp.”

Moss’ team plans to compete full-time this season which is impressive in itself considering some teams had to merge or cancel cars altogether because of a lack of sponsorship. I guess that’s not the case for Moss whose checks keep rolling in from the Krafts. Would have been nice to see Moss’ team go American with their product, but then again, would have been nice to see an 11-5 team in the playoffs rather than a 9-7 in the Super Bowl.