Concussions

Here's something I find curious and wish some intrepid reporter would look more into - hopefully the NY Times which has helped raise national attention about the problem of concussions in the NFL and all professional sports.

To wit, how is it that NHL players like Sydney Crosby and now Chris Pronger are losing entire seasons to concussions and yet not a single NFL player misses more than a week or two? Is there something about the hits the hockey players take that are different than football? Is it related to the head protection each wears? Or is it a different culture among the players wear NHLers aren't afraid to speak up while NFLers hide concussions?

It's worth exploring further.

Playoffs!?

Crazy to see that the Eagles are eliminated from the wildcard but at 6-8 still have a decent shot at winning the division. My friend Scott puts the odds of everything breaking the Eags way - winning the last two games, the Giants losing this week, and beating the Cowgirls next week - at 50%. Not great odds but ones you would certainly take a week ago.

My brother and I started to talk logistics of a playoff game (I know we're getting ahead of ourselves, but still).

In any case, have the Eagles sent any info out about playoff tickets because as a division winner they would host a game in the first round of the playoffs? Complicating things is that Monday is a national holiday so that the earliest a letter could go out to season ticket holders is Tuesday the 27th. And then the ticketholders' response would be delayed by the next national holiday on Monday, January 2nd. Which wouldn't give the team much time to turn around such ticket orders because it's entirely possible the Eagles could play on SATURDAY, January 7th.

Compounding the sensitivity and logistics of the issue are: 1) Reid fatigue. 2) Asking ticketholders to pony up for playoff tickets at a time when said team will still have a losing record. 3) The fact that the team doesn't refund playoff ticket payments but applies them to next year's bill and 4) and a not insignificant point, as a division winner the Eagles have the possibility of hosting the NFC Championship so the ticket appeal is for payment for TWO playoff games - a situation that only reinforces points 2 and 3.

Anyway, here's hoping that everything breaks the Eagles way today. They may not make the playoffs when everything is said and done, but it would be a fun week to see Cowboys fans catatonic, Giants fans despairing of another late season collapse, Eagles fans euphoric that a season which was lost 2 months ago could yield a playoff berth, and national attention to the possibility that the previously written off Eagles could be playoff bound.

Awesome!

Happy holidays.

Which is it

Last week's Bloomberg article on the Fed's massive $7.7 trillion loans to wall street banks included quotes from Judd Gregg and Barney Frank saying they had no idea of the magnitude of the Fed's lending. (interestingly, the quotes from the now retired Gregg and the soon to retire Frank are the EXACT SAME. Are they using the same talking points?)

In any case, Fed chairman Ben Bernanke has now issued a letter refuting the Bloomberg report and asserting that Congress was kept apprised of the Fed's loans. So which is it Mssrs. Gregg and Frank? Were you completely unaware of the Fed's loans or did Ben Bernanke keep you updated on all of this? Obviously, if it is the latter, Bernanke is lying.