And Pacman has once again been suspended by the NFL. I’m starting to think he actually is Pacman. Every time he gets in trouble, it’s like those ghosts are chasing him so he starts to be good, then the second they leave him alone and turn blue, he immediately loses it and just starts destroying everything. This time he’s gone for at least four weeks because he punched his league appointed bodyguard in a public restroom. That’s right, he was given a babysitter as part of Goodell’s no tolerance policy and he ended up fighting the guy. Classy.

But let’s face it, that in itself is not really a big deal anymore in today’s NFL. What gets me though is all the Cowboy fans who feel they’re getting the raw end of the deal from the NFL. This is why I generally can’t stand the Cowboys. They had a chance to discipline Pacman and, in keeping with team tradition, they of course did nothing. So Goodell stepped in because he was on a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY. That’s what happens when the cops get called out to see you 473 times in a three year span. For Cowboy fans who don’t grasp the concept of a zero tolerance policy, I can’t help you. Let’s just say too many cops equals bad and we’ll leave it at that. Oh, and for the record, Pacman has four career interceptions. Four. If I’m not mistaken, Kurt Warner nearly threw that in one game a few weeks ago. The last time I saw him, he was picking apart Pacman and the Dallas secondary on Sunday.  If they can’t overcome the loss of four career interceptions in their defensive backfield, they have bigger issues to address.

Let me put it in terms that will usher us nicely into the holiday season. We’ll use the story of a Christmas Carol. Think of Pacman as Ebeneezer Scrooge. He’s not exactly walked the straight and narrow. In fact, he’s had a lot of transgressions. But he was given one final chance, as if he were visited by three spirits -  three Roger Goodell’s if you will. And how did he respond? He woke up Christmas morning ecstatic for a new lease on life. Then he promptly punched Tiny Tim in the back of the head. While he was at a urinal.

For some reason, that part’s not in the Disney version.

Sunday was another night of firsts for the Coyotes. A day earlier, the team emerged victorious in their first game of the year as offseason acquisition Olli Jokinen got his first goal as a Coyote and rookie Kevin Porter registered his first NHL point. Tonight, the Coyotes went into Orange County and stunned the Anaheim Ducks, getting goals from rookies Mikkel Boedker and Kyle Turris - the first of both their careers - in a 4-2 win.

                So what exactly does this all mean? Well for one, they’re going to run out of pucks at these games at some point because all the youngsters keep taking them home and putting them on their mantles. Beyond that, we really could be on the brink of something special here. In a conference where getting off to a quick start is imperative, the team is 2-0 to begin the year, something they haven’t done since before the 2004 lockout. In fact, last year they opened the year 3-6, the year before they started an impressive 4-12, and in the ‘05-’06 season they went a robust 1-4-1 to get things going. So the fact that they’re 2-0 is a big deal. Especially when you consider the fact that the schedule makers apparently hate them as they still face the up and coming Blackhawks, and legitimate contenders Montreal and Ottawa just on this road trip. Then they get Ovechkin and the Caps, Iginla and the Flames, and Crosby and Malkin and the Penguins to wrap up October. Nice, huh? What a way to break in a young team. So, with all due respect to the Blue Jackets, beating the Ducks - a team that hoisted the Cup two seasons ago and is considered by many to be a top contender again this year - is a more impressive win than Saturday’s home opener and one the team really needed. Add in the fact that this was Anaheim’s home opener after a tough loss up north on the I-5 to San Jose on Thursday, and Coyote fans have to be impressed.

                But it’s not a 2-0 record that has me pondering the possibility of something special. Let’s be realistic - there’s 80 more games so talk of playoffs right now is premature for any team in the league (except the Red Wings because they’re the Yankees of hockey but that’s a different story for a different time). It’s the fact that the Coyotes not only have all this young talent, but that it’s developing together.

                Let’s just look at the four main rookies - Boedker, Turris, Kevin Porter, and Viktor Tikhonov. They all bring something distinctly different to the team. Boedker, the team’s first pick in June brings speed. Turris - last year’s first rounder - brings an uncanny ability to know exactly where to be on the ice and ridiculous passing ability. Porter won the Hobey Baker award last year at the University of Michigan and is an impressive two way player who not only gets it done on offense (two assists already and he could have about three more if not for some decent goaltending) but skates back and plays solid defense as well. That’s extremely rare for a talented young forward. And then you have Tikhonov who has yet to get on the board through two games (I know, what’s he waiting for? They should deal him and bring Roenick back again right?). He was the team’s other first round pick in June and the one that most hockey people seem to think will be the best of the four when all is said and done.

                And that’s the best part. These guys can push each other to do better, they can develop chemistry on the ice, and they can grow up together as an extremely young and talented core that, if things all go according to plan, could be leading this team for awhile. When you look at it that way, the fact that they’re 2-0 is gravy. Oh yeah, let’s not forget all the second year guys like Peter Mueller, Daniel Carcillo, and Daniel Winnik, to name a few. I grew up a Penguins fan and what this team potentially has right now is very similar to what the Penguins had a couple of years ago (note: I said potentially. So if they finish the year 2-80, I don’t want your emails laughing at me). Granted, they don’t have a Sidney Crosby - those come around once a generation. But they do have better goaltending than the Penguins did at the time and they also have strong veteran leadership from guys like Shane Doan, Jokinen, and Derek Morris - something else the Penguins didn’t really have at the beginning.

                The team’s got a long way to go, but it’s nice to have a 2-0 record to be excited about. And it’s also nice to know the team should be getting better all the time.

So here we are, Suns fans - the second round of the NBA Playoffs hasn’t even begun and the focus of Phoenix hoops has already shifted from a potential deep postseason run to an early off-season, peppered with talk of coaching changes and missed opportunities.

So we have two options:

a) We can sit around wondering whether or not Mike D’Antoni will be back next year (if things don’t work out and he ends up with the Bulls or Raptors, that’s life and maybe it's for the better in the end. If he voluntarily ends up with the Knicks, we as a city should be insulted and carry a grudge for the next 30 years the way Philly fans carry a grudge towards, well, everyone up to and including Santa Claus. Honestly, I understand that he and Steve Kerr have philosophical differences they need to work through, but coaching the Knicks is never, ever the best option. That’s like disagreeing with a friend and deciding that slamming your own fingers in a car door is the only way to resolve it.)

b) We can pick one of the remaining teams to pull for for the rest of the season. Let me be clear, I’m not advocating you switch allegiances here. But the NBA has an unusually large number of storylines to follow this year (yeah, David Stern did pay me to say that) and, since the playoffs are structured so that they milk every last penny out of the viewing public (no, I don’t know how to milk pennies) and thus stretch on for another 38 months, you may as well settle in. So let’s sift through what’s left together and see if there’s anyone worth pulling for…

Rockets - You could pull for these guys - it'd be cool to see T-Mac finally get out of the first round - but I'm talking about teams that are still legitimately in it. This piece should take me about 15 second to actually post to XTRA's website. I fully expect the Rockets to be out of it by then. Next.

Pull for the Rockets if you like: being disappointed

*note – They were eliminated within two hours of me writing this. Go figure.

Spurs – This is a tough one. On the one hand, it makes the Suns look better if they at least got knocked out by the eventual champs. On the other hand, that’s one of the dumbest arguments I’ve ever heard and if you’re a true Suns fan, how can you really pull for the Spurs over anyone? If you’re still tempted, think of Tony Parker. If that doesn’t sway you, Bruce Bowen’s probably out in your yard kicking your dog as we speak.

Pull for the Spurs if you like: inexplicably falling over with your arms in the air like you just stepped into an open sewer every time someone comes within four feet of you.

Lakers - No, you can't pull for them. What's wrong with you? Do you like the Yankees, Red Wings, and whichever college football team is preseason ranked #1 in any given year too? Go popular team! Pull yourself together.

Pull for the Lakers if you like: punching innocent babies in the face.

Jazz – They have an entertaining young team that some people actually think could challenge the Lakers in the second round. I’m not really one of those people, but I do have a lot of respect for what Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams can do on the court, so I wouldn’t be completely shocked at a six or seven game series.

Now, I know that Jazz fans can be mildly annoying at times but, as you read on, you’re slowly going to realize we don’t have a whole lot of better options left this year. And you have to admit it would be kind of cool to see Mehmet Okur – the least athletic looking player in the NBA – win the title and then have to muster the energy to lift the trophy over his head. Honestly, he looks like he should be passing out on a couch somewhere with a half eaten bag of potato chips sliding off his stomach and knocking over his cup of Berry Blue Kool-Aid on the floor. Instead, he averages a double-double in the playoffs while draining the occasional three.

Pull for the Jazz if you like: the underdog

Hornets – Hard not to pull for these guys. Chris Paul already got screwed over on the MVP award and is there really a city more deserving of something positive than New Orleans? Plus, they weren’t on anybody’s radar to actually win the whole thing at the beginning of the year, so they’d at least be a breath of fresh air.

Pull for the Hornets if you like: feel good stories.

Pistons - If it's Detroit and San Antonio again, I'm throwing my TV out the window. Hopefully, it will land on someone else's TV and do them a favor as well.

Pull for the Pistons if you like: eating unsalted crackers and watching paint dry

Celtics - Can America handle another team from Boston winning a championship? I actually think we can for five reasons: a) It's not the Red Sox or the Patriots (though Belichick is watching you right now so be good and maybe simulate an NFL offense so he doesn’t feel like he’s wasting his time), b) the Bruins have been so miserable for so long that it keeps the city from crumbling under so many inflated sports egos, c) it would be a modern miracle for Doc Rivers to successfully manage any team - even this one - to a title, d) at least they would make a series against the Spurs watchable, and e) Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce are all likeable guys who have done their time and deserve a ring. It's not their fault Red Sox fans can be obnoxious at times or that the Patriots as a team are flat out annoying. Seriously, Garnett had to endure 12 years of making that face in Minnesota while Kevin McHale routinely surrounded him with guys like Mark Madsen and Michael Olowokandi, Paul Pierce flat out got stabbed and never missed a beat, and Ray Allen has spent his career playing for the Sonics just as new owners were brought in specifically to move the team to Oklahoma (don't get me started) and the Bucks. They’ve earned it.

Pull for the Celtics if you like: years of hard work finally paying off

Cavaliers – This wouldn’t be bad simply because we haven’t had one guy single-handedly win the NBA title in awhile. And whenever LeBron finally does that, guys like Skip Bayless who try to make a name for themselves by taking ridiculous stances just to be different will finally have to shut up. Does he honestly think LeBron James is that overrated? Its one thing to go against public opinion to stand out, but trying to make LeBron out to be a failure is like going against oncoming traffic to stand out.

Pull for the Cavaliers if you like: Drew Gooden’s crazy Amish beard. Granted, he's a Bull now. But the Amish facial hair really caught on earlier in the year while he was still in Cleveland and, quite frankly, it's reached a point where it needs to be a factor you consider when choosing a playoff team.

Hawks – Just getting three wins in the first round against Boston is more impressive than anything anyone else has done so far in the playoffs. If they somehow pull the upset in game seven, it will lead to talk of the best upsets of all time and Suns fans everywhere screaming Joe Johnson’s name in pain.

Pull for the Hawks if you like: being delusional

Magic – Its hard not to pull for Dwight Howard after what he did in the dunk contest and considering he dropped 20 and 20 on the Raptors three times in the five game first round series. Plus, is there a more riveting storyline than Hedo Turkoglu winning the sixth man award? I didn’t think so.

Pull for the Magic if you like: anyone that might possibly have a shot at knocking out the Pistons

The verdict:

It should be: Hornets-Celtics

It will be: Spurs-Pistons. Because no one I like ever wins anything. Have a nice day.
  -LL