I'M FEELIN' YA', DAWG

Something to consider while wondering why it's legal to "text message" your pick for NBA finals MVP and win $10,000...

Having just watched the Pistons hijack the Laker dynasty and dump it at the chop shop, I want to underscore an interesting development for anyone with "a sporting interest:"

While I'm not a hardcore, always bet the dog guy, you can't argue the benefits when it comes time to lay a unit on the championship. Especially after the line makers factor in all the amatuer money that pours in for the final tilt of a given season, and give the dog even more points than they may deserve.

We are talking major trend here, my brothers and sisters of the shtoink -- just take a gander at recent history:

NBA: Pistons upset hugley favored Lakers -- they even cover by a country mile when they finally end up getting 3 points in the last game.

MLB:
2003: The Marlins stun the mighty Yankees
2002: The Angels come out of nowhere to beat the Giants
2001: The D-backs once again stun the mighty Yankees

NFL:
2003: The Panthers cover easily and almost upset the favored Pats
2002: The Buccs cover and crush the favored Raiders
2001: The Pats cover and upset the hugely favored Rams
2000: The Ravens cover and upset the favored Giants

What do all these champs have in common? They came into the championship game as hopeless causes, and the bigger the favorite, the harder they fall. What would you give to hop into the wayback machine, bet the spread, and sprinkle a demi-unit on the moneyline? Maybe some of us did...

FREE AGENT ROULETE:
While we're scoping trends, beware of teams that load up with expensive free agents: It's too late to capitalize on what happened with the artists formerly known as The Mailman and The Glove, but jumping ahead to the gridiron, this can't be good news if you're an Eagle fan. Just like the Lakers, Philly is a playoff team who loaded up on the two proverbial missing pieces of the puzzle. As we languish here in mini-campville, aren't the Kearse/Owens signings garnering the same buzz Malone and Payton did? Granted, the newest Eagles are younger, but T.O.'s an acknowleged head-case who isn't gonna like Mcnabb's struggles with accuracy, and Kearse remains an injury waiting to happen. In an era of team oriented champs over star-driven champs, buyer beware.