Disgruntled Steelers' Fan? And Is Any Pitcher Really Worth That Much?

I really like football. Really. But seven days of nonstop Super Bowl coverage on the Fan (How many guys does it take to cover one story? Apparently at least eight -- if you are a NY Metro area sports station.) has made me start thinking about baseball, though I am equally sick of hearing the boys on the Fan yammer on about Johan Santana, the Minnesota Twins ace pitcher the Mets are intent on signing (deadline is supposedly tonight at 5 p.m. Eastern Time, though there's talk of an extension).

I don't care if the guy can throw a ball 100 mph or whatever they've clocked him at. It is insulting to me to have to hear about whether the guy will get $140 million or $150 million or $170 million over five or six or seven years or whatever. All of these figures are absurd. No human being, not even Tom Brady, is worth that. While these "marquee" athletes are clearly talented and bring in the fans, and revenue (which, let's be real, is what the owners really care about), you want to talk about "heroes" and people who deserve bigger salaries, let's talk about teachers and cops and firefighters.

But I digress.

What set me off this morning (football-wise) was this article in today's New York Times Online, which reports on why the "ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee [Pennsylvanian Arlen Specter] wants N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell to explain why the league destroyed evidence related to spying by the New England Patriots."

Destroyed the evidence? You kidding me?

The whole thing makes me shake my head. Yeah, I know Belichick and the team were fined. (What's the fine for stupidity? You think your former assistant wouldn't have an inkling, Bill?) Interestingly, this whole incident has disproved the saying "cheaters never prosper." New phrase of the day: "Whatever you do, don't get caught. And if you do, make sure you have Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and Wes Welker on your team."

While certainly knowing ahead of time the opposing team's signals could be a big help, you still need great athletes, and good coaches (preferably ones who don't cheat), to win a game.

I don't know if any of this will have any impact on Sunday's Big Game. (Hey, did you hear? This Sunday is the Super Bowl!) What I do know is that although I will miss football Sundays, I'm ready for a break from all the Super Bowl-related hype and speculation.