Hey Peeps and anyone else checking in. A special "Hey" goes out to Hazel Mae if she is checking in.

For those of you who are new to the page - we like to start each week (we're a little late this week) by taking a look back at some of the more notable newmakers from the week that was in the world of sports. To those who have risen above the rest, we salute them by honouring them as one of Hazel's Heroes and awarding the Champs a "Hazie". On the flip side, we look at those who have distinguished themselves for less than stellar performances - The Chumps.

While Hazel hasn't officially approved this week's list of winners and "runners-up", we'd like to think she would give her trademark smile and thumbs up.


HAZEL'S HEROES - THE CHAMPS

FOOTBALL
New England Patriots QB Tom Brady had another great game against the Bills completing 23 of 29 passes for 311 yards and 4 TD passes. What might be the most impressive part of Brady's game is that he hasn't changed a thing to try to keep Randy Moss happy - he continues to do what he has always done...distribute the ball and keep each and every one of his teammates happy. Speaking of Randy Moss, to all of you who thought he was a bad fit for the Patriots - how do you like him now?

Dallas Cowboys CB Anthony Henry picked off two Rex Grossman passes, taking one back for a touchdown, in the Cowboy's 34-10 win over the Bears; Henry had two interceptions in week 2 against the Dolphins - we have to show him some love this week, because the way he gets burned he might never be on this list again. Honourable mention goes to Tony Romo who passed for over 329 yards and two TDs against the vaunted Bears D (ok, they were missing a couple of guys) and Marion Barber who had 108 yards, including a 54 yard run, and two TDs.

Philadelphia Eagles WR Kevin Curtis had 11 receptions for 221 yards and 3 TDs in a 56-21 win over the Detroit Lions...whatever. In case you were wondering, McNabb gets no love here - he's still on probation for being a chump last week. Come to think of it, he might be one of the All-Time Chumps here.


BASEBALL
Boston Red Sox P Josh Beckett won his 20th game of the season last week and hosted a charity bowling event to help out children in need - that qualifies him as a champ.


EUROPEAN FOOTBALL
Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho parted ways with his employer last week - "by mutual consent" were the words used in Chelsea's official announcement. The British press has hounded him since he got to England three years ago - tauntingly referring to him as "the special one" - but they can't argue with the success he had there; six trophies in three years, including Premiership championships in his first two years. Mourinho stood up for what he believed in - that the team concept was more important that star power. When he called the shots - Chelsea won; when the owner got involved, they floundered. We'll let you decide who the Champ is. Bemvindo a Seleccao das Quinas Jose - Welcome to the Quinas Jose.



HAZEL'S ZEROES - THE CHUMPS

FOOTBALL
Green Bay Packers QB Brett Favre made headlines on Sunday - for leading the Pack to a 3-0 start and throwing his 420th career TD pass, tying him with Dan Marino for first on the all-time list. We're putting Favre on the Chumps list for his post-game comments. When asked about tying Marino, Favre responded by saying that it wouldn't have mattered had the Pack not won. Let us be the first to call bullshit on Favre - it does matter to him, it is the ONLY reason he came back to play this year. Favre didn't think the Pack would win this year - calling out his management for not going after Randy Moss when he was available. Favre came back for one reason and one reason only - to set that record...he didn't give a rat's ass about the Pack.

Chicago Bears QB Rex Grossman had another forgettable game Sunday night against Dallas. While we would love to credit the Cowboys' dominant defence for smothering Grossman - we don't have stars in our eyes. Grossman was 15 for 32 for 195 yards and threw 3 INTS. The Bears defence could be included here too - the vaunted Bears D was shredded by Tony Romo. Memo to Lovie Smith - when Adam Archuleta is starting at safety for you, your team is in trouble.

Atlanta Falcons CB DeAngelo Hall had a meltdown on Sunday against the Panthers and likely cost his team the game. Hall was called flagged three times for 67 yards leading to a Panthers touchdown - which ended up being the winning margin. Most coaches would have cut him yesterday morning - maybe that's what Hall was hoping for. Hey, Dallas signed Tank Johnson - why not DeAngelo Hall?

San Diego Head Coach Norv Turner has to be considered one of the worst head coaches in the NFL. For the record, we love Turner as an offensive co-coordinator - he was a big part of Dallas' success in the 90's when he groomed Troy Aikman. But the fact of the matter is that his head coaching career has been an abject failure. We accept that the Raiders and Redskins were awful when he took over - but the Chargers were supposed to be Super Bowl contenders; under Turner they'll be luckily to win a very weak AFC West.

The New Orleans Saints and Head Coach Sean Payton. More in next week's entry.


BASEBALL
The New York Yankees get a team award this week - we can hear members of Red Sox Nation saying "Hell ya". The Yankees, closed to within a game and a half of the Red Sox going into last weekend's series against the depleted Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees, facing what was essentially the Syracuse Sky Chiefs lineup, split a four game series against the Jays in the Bronx. Pathetic doesn't even begin to describe their weekend against Toronto.


HOCKEY
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced that C Kyle Wellwood would miss the next 3-4 weeks after undergoing surgery on his groin. At the end of last season, Leafs Management spoke to Wellwood about working on his strength and conditioning in preparation to start the season as the Leafs number two center. Instead, according to his father, Wellwood relaxed this summer and tried to get away from hockey. Way to go dickhead.


EUROPEAN FOOTBALL
Chelsea's billionaire owner Roman Abromovich was the driving force behind Jose Mourinho's departure. The eccentric Russian had been at odds with Mourinho over the last couple of years because they didn't play the flamboyant style of football played by Manchester United and other top European teams - Abromovich was also upset Chelsea didn't manage to win Champions League. Winning the world's most prestigious domestic championship in his first two years wasn't good enough for Abromovich - Chelsea went out and lost to Manchester United by a 2-0 count in their first game without Jose. Karma huh Roman?


CYCLING
American Cyclist Floyd Landis was stripped of his Tour de France win after an independent panel judged that, based on the evidence presented, he had used performance enhancing drugs. Landis has maintained his innocence - claiming that he is more of a man than anyone, so much so that his body produces testosterone outside his body...never mind, we can't come up with a clever joke for Floyd.

MONDAY'S THREE STARS
Toronto Blue Jays P Jesse "Rojo" Litsch shut the Yankees down yesterday, giving up one earned run on five hits and no walks over 7.2 innings. We pretty sure the loudest cheers came from Hazel who could admit to being a fan of the Blue Jays for the day.

Tennessee Titans LB Keith Bulluck had three interceptions in the Titans 31-14 beat down of the New Orleans Saints.

San Francisco Giants SS Omar Vizquel had three hits and drove in four runs in a 9-4 win over San Diego.

TUESDAY THREE PLAY
We had a tough afternoon on Sunday - finishing the day at - $90 and finishing the week at -$245. So we are at - $250 for the year (after two weeks). Today's suggestions:

Boston over Oakland - we're going with our man Quikdraw on this one. We could give you some half-assed reason to go with the Sox - but know this, Quikdraw is HOT - predicting the Yankees would split with Toronto and that the Sox would win 2 of 3 in Tampa...good enough for us to say Boston wins Lay $100 on the Sox - $230.

Seattle over Cleveland - the Indians are probably still hungover after winning the AL Central. Felix Hernandez gets the nod over Aaron Laffey in this one. Lay $100 on the Mariners - $140.

Red Sox West over Colorado - Brad Penny has owned the Rockies this season and throughout his career - best to stay with the trend as the Dodgers try to avoid finishing fourth. Lay $100 on the Dodgers - $150.

That's it for this morning gang - thanks for taking the time to check in. Have a great one peeps.

Hazel, we hope things are groovy in your world.

We're Out!