Kurt Warner decided yesterday to hang up his cleats and call it a career.  He played 12 years in the NFL appearing in 125 games in which he completed 2,666 of 4,070 passes (65.5%) for 32,344 yards with 208 TD passes and 128 INTs (93.7 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 173 times for 286 yards (1.7 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  I was talking to my brother yesterday and he asked me if I thought Warner was a Hall of Famer.  I said maybe.  A first glance at his stats shows that he is #26 all-time in both TD passes and passing yards.  But, he also is #2 all-time in completion % and he is #6 in career QB Rating.  The tiebreaker with me was Warner’s Super Bowl production which is out of this world.  He is the all-time leader in passing yards in Super Bowl history with 1,156 and he did that in only three games!  The amazing Kurt Warner has the three highest yardage totals in Super Bowl history (414, 377 and 365) and with that in mind I would say that yes he is a Hall of Fame QB.

First of all, I am 40 years old so my time goes back to the late 70’s on.  I would rank Steve Carlton right behind Randy Johnson if I were to rank the best lefty starting pitchers that my two eyes have seen.  He was a lot like the Big Unit as he had a good fastball and a outstanding slider.  Carlton pitched 24 seasons in his major league career appearing in 741 games (709 starts) in which he was 329-244, with 2 saves, a 3.22 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP.  Carlton won 4 Cy Young Awards with the Phillies in 1972, 1977, 1980 and 1982.  But, Carlton was at his best in 1972.  That was the year he won his first Cy Young Award with the Phillies.  He did it by starting 41 games in which he was 27-10 with a 1.97 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP.  He threw a stunning 30 complete games that season including 8 that were shutouts.  The most amazing thing about Carlton’s 1972 season was just how bad his team (the Phillies) were that year as they finished up with a 59-97 record!  Carlton led the majors in wins three times (the N.L. 4 times) and he led the N.L. in strikeouts 5 times.  Carlton is #63 all-time in major league history in games pitched (741), #6 in games started (709), #11 in wins (324), #75 in complete games (254), tied for 14th in shutouts (55), #9 in innings pitched (5,217 1/3) and he is #4 in strikeouts (4,136).  Carlton was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994.

The Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints will be facing off in Super Bowl XLIV on February 7th in Miami, Florida.  This will be the Saints first appearance in the Super Bowl and the Colts fourth.  The Colts won Super Bowl XL, which was also held in Miami.  Both of these teams have very good quarterbacks and high-scoring offenses, so this should be a fun Super Bowl to watch.  For a recap of the Conference Championship games, just click on the team name.

NFC Championship

Minnesota Vikings 28, New Orleans Saints 31 OT

AFC Championship

New York Jets 17, Indianapolis Colts 30

The 2010 NBA All-Star game takes place at the new Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas on February 14th and the fan-votes are final for this year’s All-Star game starters.  Since the starters are voted in by the fans, there are a few names I don’t think should be starting (most notably Allen Iverson), but as long as the fans are the deciding factor there will always be a few undeserving starters.  Well, here are your starters for the 2010 All-Star game:

Eastern Conference

G     Allen Iverson - Philadelphia 76ers (11th All-Star game)

G     Dwayne Wade - Miami Heat (6th All-Star game)

F     LeBron James * - Cleveland Cavaliers (6th All-Star game)

F     Kevin Garnett - Boston Celtics (13th All-Star game)

C     Dwight Howard - Orlando Magic (4th All-Star game)

Western Conference

G    Steve Nash - Phoenix Suns (7th All-Star game)

G     Kobe Bryant * - Los Angeles Lakers (12th All-Star game)

F     Carmelo Anthony - Denver Nuggets (3rd All-Star game)

F     Tim Duncan - San Antonio Spurs (12th All-Star game)

C    Amar’e Stoudemire - Phoenix Suns (5th All-Star game)

* Top Conference Vote-Getter

I agree with most of the picks in the West, however I think Dirk Nowitzki should get the start over Tim Duncan.  In the East, I don’t think Iverson or Garnett should start.  Iverson shouldn’t even be in the game let alone start and I almost feel the same way about Garnett too.  Both have missed a lot of games this season and there are plenty of players more deserving to start.  In my opinion, Joe Johnson should be the starter over Iverson and Chris Bosh should start instead of Garnett.  The reserves have yet to be announced, but here is who I think should get the nod:

Eastern Conference:  G - Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls), G - Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks), F - Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors), F - Gerald Wallace (Charlotte Bobcats), C - David Lee, G/F - Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics), F - Josh Smith (Atlanta Hawks)

Western Conference:  G - Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets), G - Monta Ellis (Golden State Warriors), F - Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks), F - Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), C - Al Jefferson (Minnesota Timberwolves), G - Brandon Roy (Portland Trail Blazers), F/C Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz)

It has been a pretty exciting postseason so far in the NFL and the Super Bowl is just around the corner.  Only four teams remain in the hunt and the matchups Sunday are looking like some good ones.  Here are our predictions for Sunday’s games and for a preview just click on the team name.

NFC Championship prediction

New Orleans Saints 31, Minnesota Vikings 28

AFC Championship prediction

Indianapolis Colts 21, New York Jets 17