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It was just over a year ago, after the Colts lost to the Pats in their post-season contest, that Boomer Esiason said on national television, “I think maybe Peyton (Manning) is this generation’s Dan Marino.” Esiason went on to state that Manning “is a great football player, but he’s not going to get to the Super Bowl, I’m telling you, not with that defense.”

Marino, who was on the set, took umbrage at the reference and shot back, “Oh, wait a minute. I got to a Super Bowl.” Marino made a good point, but still, Esiason seemed to be on target by not blaming either quarterback for their failings but, rather, the guys on the other side of the ball-their weak defenses.

Fast forward to January 15, 2006, almost exactly a year to the date that Esiason made his comments. What was different this time for Peyton Manning and the Colts? The Colts seemed to have the full package-a great running and passing attack, a solid offensive line, and a fine defense. Everything was aligned for Manning-Mania to take full effect, especially after such a spectacular regular season.

But once again, under the glare of the national spotlight, in a huge playoff game, and under the kind of pressure he had rarely seen all season, Peyton Manning crumbled. This latest derailment of the Colt’s Super Bowl Express drew a barrage of disparaging comments from many writers and commentators, including the NY Times’ William C. Rhoden. Two days after the loss, Rhoden dubbed Manning “the king of statistics but the prince of NFL quarterbacks” in that although he can generate statistics, he may be incapable of closing the deal and ever bringing a championship to Indianapolis.

No matter how much you respect Peyton Manning and his amazing regular season performances, it’s difficult to argue with the facts. In eight seasons the Colt QB has led his team to the playoffs six times where he is 3-6. In those nine games he’s hit for 15 TDs, while throwing 8 INTs and being sacked 13 times. There are quarterbacks, most recently Tom Brady, who usually manage to rise to the occasion in the big game, ably dealing with a panoply of adversity. And then there are those like Manning, usually able to run like finely tuned, precision machines, which means when everything is copacetic they hum along but let something like a blitz throw off their rhythm and they breakdown.

Some people point out that maybe he has too much control over the offense, constantly changing and adjusting plays at the line of scrimmage, and when things go awry it’s almost impossible for Manning to adapt. Others claim that he simply can’t handle the pressure of a big game situation. Some blame others on the team. After losing to the Steelers this post-season, Peyton Manning did something he’s never done before; point the finger at his teammates.

Then there’s Peyton’s younger brother Eli, who just finished his second NFL season and his first professional post-season. Against the Carolina Panthers Eli Manning completed 10 of 18 passes, threw three interceptions, was sacked four times and lost one fumble as the Giants were humbled by their opponents 23 to zip. At one point in the game it seemed as if Eli Manning thought his job was to get the ball to the Panthers as boos echoed throughout Giants Stadium and fans hustled for the exits.

Coolness under pressure-is this a Manning characteristic? Or do Peyton and Eli share some sort of panic gene? For Eli it’s simply too early to tell and with Peyton, there’s still time left to turn the tide.

Perhaps one should ask, “What would dad and former NFL QB Archie Manning do?” There’s no answer to that question-in 15 NFL seasons Archie never came close to making it to the playoffs.

Time will tell what the true legacy of the Manning brothers will be. Dan Marino-Move over?

This article was written by Paul Mrocza sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com. If you’re looking for tickets for the next football game, look no further than Stubhub.com where fans buy and sell the hottest sports tickets. Reproductions of this article are encouraged but must include a link back to http://www.stubhub.com.

Golf has a crazy way of telling who we truly are as a person. Many people judge us by the way we play the game. Everyone has a favorite quote they live by, whether in business or in their personal lives. Here are five humorous golf quotes that will get you thinking about what is really important in life as seen through the game of golf:

“Golf is the most fun you can have without taking your clothes off.” –Chi Chi Rodriguez

Always have something to look forward to each day. It may something you ordered by mail and are anxiously awaiting its arrival or just relaxing on a quiet Friday night cooking for yourself with some soft music. Treat yourself often. Golf has a way of taking your mind away from the daily grind.

“Golf is a game in which you yell ‘Fore’, shoot six, and write down five.”
–Paul Harvey

Never cheat yourself out of anything. If you practice that, you will less likely cheat anybody or at anything. Remember, there is always an extra pair of eyes watching what we do and how we do it, especially in organizations.

“Golf is a hard game to figure. One day you’ll go out and slice it and shank it, hit it in all the traps and miss every green. The next day you go out and for now reason at all you really stink.”
–Bob Hope

Don’t take life so seriously. Get out of your own self’s way and let things happen. There is a reason why things happen to usjust listen for the answer and don’t over analyze it. Our success in is determined by which path we take in life-follow the one that has a heart.

“If you break 100, watch your golf. If you break 80, watch your business.”
–Joey Adams

Be sure to put balance in all aspects of your life. We realistically cannot be the best at everything. Concentrate on your strengths, not your weaknesses. Most successful men and women do just that. They delegate or hire their weak areas to others. It is the same for successful organizations-they concentrate on their strengths, not their weaknesses.

“If you think it’s hard to meet new people, pick up the wrong ball.”
–Blake Lochrie

Show genuine interest in everyone you meet. Ask them about themselves instead of trying to impress them with your credentials. Remember, the top questions to ask anyone that will make a positive impression are: who, what, when, where, how, and why.

Ryan James (R.J.) Lancaster is the president of the Education & Learning Institute, a research, seminar and publishing company. He helps organizations and individuals think differently to ensure their success. He is also a professional speaker and author of E-books.

Contact information: (602) 274-4609
Email: rlancaster5@cox.net
Website: http://www.rjlancaster.com

After many trips through the rumor mill, Mark Prior accepted the Chicago Cubs’ offer on January 27 to a one-year, $3.65 million contract. That is $900,000 more than the salary he would have earned under the contract he voided in November. Since Prior’s definitive season in 2003 (18-6), he has cooled off somewhat, and has only managed to go 17-11 over the past two seasons. The Cubs were within five outs of reaching the World Series in 2003, due, in part, to Prior’s performance. A sore elbow put him on the disabled list early last season, and when he entered the normal rotation again, he was hit on the same elbow by a scorching line drive. He finished the 2005 season going 11-7 with a 3.67 ERA over 27 games.

The Chicago Cubs’ pitcher, whose name has been mentioned as possible trade bait this off-season, said that he was not too upset at the rumors because he figured they were just that — rumors. Rumor had it that he was going to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for outfielder Bobby Abreu, but that wasn’t to be. During the holidays, he was supposed to be traded to Baltimore for shortstop Miguel Tejada. That also did not happen. “It’s part of the game,” Prior said. “Obviously, when somebody requests a trade, a team has to look into it. I don’t really validate the rumors a whole lot unless I hear that ‘[general manager] Jim Hendry’ says or ‘[team president] Andy MacPhail says’ or ‘[manager] Dusty [Baker] says’ — otherwise, they’re just rumors. It seems like there are a lot of MLB sources this year. Unless somebody calls me up and says, ‘Hey, we’re serious about doing this,’ there’s not a whole lot for me to think about because I don’t have a whole lot to say.”

If the fans had any say in it, Prior would never wear another uniform besides his Cubs No. 22 jersey. When the right-hander was introduced to the crowd jammed inside the Grand Ballroom at the Hilton Chicago during opening ceremonies for the 21st Cubs Convention, he was greeted with the chant, “No trade, no trade.” Most Cubs fans remember that Prior’s 10 strikeouts in his very first start was the most by any Cubs pitcher in over 30 years. “I’ve never been ticked or anything,” Prior said. “I felt if anything was going to be done, somebody would’ve called me and said something. Otherwise, it was business as usual. I was obviously going to pitch for somebody this season, and I had to get ready.”

There was also a rumor that Prior decided to void the last year of his contract because he was angry at the Cubs. That also was not true. “That was something that was written in the contract,” he said of his ability to be eligible for arbitration. “That was in the negotiations five years ago. We felt it was fair at the time. It was basically the last two years [of the contract] – if I’m eligible for arbitration, I have the privilege to go to arbitration.” Prior will make more money in 2006 thanks to this foresight.

“I’ve been spending this off season trying to iron out some things and correct some habits that I fell into because of what happened with my elbow,” Prior said. “One thing I did learn, and after I’ve been reflecting, is how fortunate and valuable the time is when you’re healthy. At any moment, anything can happen. “The other day I was home watching [NFL quarterback] Drew Brees get hurt, and I see Carson Palmer go down two plays into the game. It’s a very fragile existence from that standpoint.” He’s well aware of the business side of baseball, too. “As far as everything I’ve heard, they weren’t dangling me out there and trying to get rid of me,” Prior said. He’d like to stay with the Cubs. “I love playing here. I have no desire to leave,” he said. “I love playing in the city of Chicago; I love this town. I don’t think I could’ve been as fortunate as I was to fall here out of college. Not too many people get the luxury of coming to a city like Chicago. It’s a great city, a great town and I love being here. It’s a great town to play baseball in.”

Prior had become arbitration eligible when he used his option to void the final year of his original contract signed in 2001. Under the original terms, he was to make $2.75 million this year. Prior had asked for $4 million, while the Cubs countered with an offer of $3.3 million. Arbitration arrived at the $3.65 million figure. “We’re certainly glad to have it done,” said Cubs’ general manager Jim Hendry. “Our stance is always to try to work with the representative, John Boggs, to a conclusion of fairness to avoid the process if we can. This was something we wanted to do, and hopefully Mark will have a great 2006.”

Other current Cubs arbitration-eligible players include infielder Jerry Hairston, outfielder Juan Pierre, and pitchers Will Ohman and Carlos Zambrano. Cubs’ general manager Jim Hendry and team president Andy MacPhail have never gone to arbitration with a player. Hendry said he is continuing to negotiate with the players’ representatives in hopes of reaching an agreement.

Players with at least three years seniority in the Major Leagues, plus the longest active 17 percent of those with between two and three years service, are eligible for salary arbitration. Mark Prior, for example, now has three years, 131 days of Major League service time.

How does arbitration work? Players and teams exchange figures, and if no agreement is reached between the two, the case is referred to an arbitrator. Pierre, 28, whom the Cubs acquired from the Florida Marlins for three Minor League pitchers, made $3.7 million in 2005. He is coming off a season in which he hit .276 with two homers, 47 RBIs and 57 stolen bases in 162 games. The center fielder asked for $6.5 million, while the Cubs offered $5 million.

Cubs’ pitcher Zambrano earned $3.76 million last season and led the Cubs in wins with 14. He established career highs in starts (33), innings pitched (223 1/3) and strikeouts (202). Zambrano asked for $7.2 million, while the Cubs countered with an offer of $6 million. In his first season with the Cubs, Hairston, 29, made $1.8 million last season. He batted .261, hit four homers, 25 doubles and had 30 RBI. Hairston requested $2.6 million in 2006, while the Cubs offered $1.95 million. Ohman, 28, is seeking $775,000, while the Cubs offered $500,000. Ohman, who has three years, 40 days of Major League service time, made $320,000 in 2005 in his return to the big leagues. The left-hander, who has spent much time on the disabled list because of three elbow surgeries, was 2-2 with a 2.91 ERA in 69 games.

This article was written by F.R. Penn sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com If you’re looking for online sports tickets for the next baseball game, look no further than Stubhub.com where fans buy and sell the hottest tickets. Reproductions of this article are encouraged but must include a link back to http://www.stubhub.com

It’s the middle of the second quarter, inside the opposing teams 20 yard line. Aaron Brooks throws a strike to Joe Horn for his second touchdown of the game. But instead of giving the ball to the ref and running back to the sideline, Joe runs over to the goal post, lifts up the pad and pulls out a cell phone! Horn dials his home phone number and calls his son. That call may have been the most expensive call of Horn’s life.

“I had told my kids to be at home, watching the game, and I told my momma, Mom, if I score the second one, I’m going to get my cell phone out.” Joe said. But the NFL didn’t see it as a joke and fined Horn $15,000 for exclusive celebrating. Horn said he was sorry, but later said it was all worth it.

A similar incident came in a game last year between the San Fransico 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks. Terrell Owens had his second touchdown grab and then did the unthinkable; he pulled a sharpie out of his sock, autographed the ball, and gave it to a nearby fan. T.O. said it was all in good taste but the NFL fined him $5000. The game was on Monday night so the whole nation was watching and that was when he decided to make his mark. You have to remember, Terrell scored earlier in the game and didn’t do any celebration, so that means Owens was so confident that he would score again that he held off until later (as with the case of Joe Horn, he pulled out the cell phone on his second of FOUR touchdowns that night). That touchdown celebration may have been the greatest and most original of all time.

As memorable as those are, no one can forget about Tony Gonzales’ “slam-dunk” over the goal post, and teammate Johnny Mortin’s “Worm.” Bengal wide receiver, Chad Johnson, also stepped into the spotlight with a nice touchdown catch then running over to grab his letter. Chad holds up an orange poster-board that reads: “Dear NFL, Please don’t fine me AGAIN.” They did, that letter that contained no vulgarity and didn’t hurt or offend anyone cost Johnson $30,000.

For professional athletes $30,000 isn’t such a big deal, but why fine somone that much for something so innocent. If the NFL is going to fine anyone that amount of money, make it Warren Sapp when he shakes his 300+ pound “booty” after he makes a 1 yard touchdown grab. No one cares to see that anyway. Oh well, with professional athletes doing more and more to gain attention, it looks like the NFL will have to put up with it or find a new way to stop it. By the way, can’t wait for T.O.’s next touchdown celebration to see if he tries to top Joe Horn’s.

About The Author

Fortier is 15 and soon to become a stand-out cornerback for Michigan. Leding his divsion in interceptions and tackles, Fortier will be the player to watch in the near future.

Fortier617@aol.com