The Sports Roundtable

MVP?

Will Memphis make it out of your Carillon pool bracket?

Giants or Pats? Brady or (Eli) Manning? New York or Boston?

Mills: The only aspect of this entire question that I don’t hate is the city of Boston. But, I’m still cheering for the Giants. Why? Because it would be a better story than a team of cheaters going 19-0.
Reid: Fuck the Giants, New York, and the whole Manning family. Super Bowl XVII may as well be called the Arizona Chainsaw Massacre, because it looks to get ugly. No way are the Pats losing this undefeated season to the fricking Giants. It just doesn’t happen.
Kerr: Unless Brady spends the days leading up to the Super Bowl in Mexico with Jessica Simpson, it’s Pats all the way.
Boutilier: On this one, all I’m doing is rooting for the over. My prediction is that Eli Manning will begin once again playing like only he can, giving up lazy interceptions on poorly called plays. And Tom Coughlin’s face seriously looked liked a tomato last week. So to recap – it’ll be Hobo over Tomatoeface, and the best quarterback in the league over the interception factory.

Which athlete is the most indispensable to his/her team?

Kerr: I know he’s not an athlete, but the person most indispensable to his team is Bill Belichick. When he's not taping the Jets defensive signals, Belichick's fine drafting and superb coaching ensures the Patriots will always be successful, despite the restrictions of the salary cap era.
Boutilier: Kobe. Without Kobe Bryant, the Lakers are worse than the Clippers. Look back at the near-trades involving Kobe, and every single one of them involved the team getting Kobe sending over at least 2 or 3 everyday starters or top prospects. Without Kobe, the Lakers haven’t got a whole lot, as most of the players on that team are just a supporting cast to an extremely talented player.
Reid: Well I could make my obligatory Kobe plug here, but for once I’ll refrain. I really and truly think that Tom Brady is indispensable to the Patriots. He is the heart and soul of what could potentially become the biggest dynasty in football history. No one else is even close.
Mills: Steve Nash is the first name that comes to mind. I’m sure someone will say Crosby, Reid will say Brady, Bryant, or maybe even Lebron, and Geiger will go with his boy-toy Peyton Manning. The problem is all of those answers are so cliché. Lets forget the whole athlete thing. Who is the MVP of team sports? Bill Belichick. He’s a fat, ugly, probably smelly, and a convicted cheater. I hate him - but his teams win. And they win a lot.

With Kent Austin out of the picture (again), do the Riders slip a bit in 2008?

Mills: Hell no. In Tillman we trust. As long as we don’t make Tom Higgins our Head Coach - I envision another 12-win season.
Boutilier: Probably. The Riders really weren’t the best team in the league last year, they just got hot at the right time. Most champions slip a little the next year, but I think the young nucleus of talent that the Riders have built should keep them right in the middle of the playoff picture for the entire season.
Reid: I just hope that with Kent Austin out of the picture we don’t slip a lot. I can't handle anymore Western finals’ being lost to the Lions. Seriously though, it shouldn’t be a big dip. The team is still loaded with talent, and that tends to go a long way.
Kerr: I don’t see how they’d slip up. It's not like Hamilton, Edmonton, and Calgary are getting any better. The Riders might not be as dominant, but they’ll still finish in the top half of the standings.

I know you’re excited – but how are you containing this bubbling anticipation of the Carillon’s campus-wide March Madness pool?

Kerr: The only way to contain this kind of excitement is to watch a period of a Toronto Maple Leafs game, preferably one with Pierre Maguire doing the colour commentary. That kind of train wreck will ruin anyone’s day.
Mills: I’ve already come to terms with the fact that I’m going to win it all – how do ya like them apples U of R?
Boutilier: I keep myself occupied by making prop bets on random events, such as the Super Bowl coin toss. Heads is -105. Also, I know nothing of College basketball. I just always bet on Gonzaga, because they have a cool name. Try saying it, really. Gonzaga. Gonzaaaaaaaaaga. Now you’ll bet on them too, won't you? If you do, I demand 15% of all total winnings, for giving you the advice that got you to where you are.
Reid: Being one of the founders of the idea, I’m especially pumped. I can’t stress enough how easy it is for someone to win knowing nothing about basketball and, really, the more people we get the more prizes there are. Tell everybody! This could become a multi-thousand dollar operation.