NFL Free Agency Begins

Free Agency began this morning at 12:01 a.m., and the Saints have been active thus far. This past week, the team resigned WR Terrance Copper, K Martin Gramatica, OL Jonathan Goodwin and OL Jamar Nesbit. The team also parted ways with K Olindo Mare, after he refused a paycut. Now that free agency has official started, rumors of deals going down are flying around the league, and the Saints are involved in many.

Saints make a trade
The biggest deal that is being reported is the Saints trading a conditional draft pick (2009) to the Jets for LB Jonathan Vilma. The Saints have had their eye on Vilma ever since the 2004 NFL draft. Vilma was selected 12th overall by the Jets and went on to win rookie of the year. With the Jets switching to a 3-4 scheme, Vilma was out of place as a 4-3 middle linebacker. Adding to that frustration, he suffered a knee injury last year and his days in New York were numbered.

The Saints have been looking for a steady presence in the middle for years. They brought in Dan Morgan and Zach Thomas for visits and even offered Thomas a contract before he landed in Dallas. Getting Vilma, if healthy, should sure up the position for years. He is a young, active linebacker and will settle in nicely in New Orleans. The trade also opens up their draft options more, as they aren't tied to finding a starting LB in the draft now.

Saints resign two of their own
Two other signings are being reported for the Saints -- DT Bryan Young and LB Mark Simoneau. Young has been a steady DT for the Saints, but can't seem to stay healthy. The team is looking to bring in another DT, either through trade or in the draft, but Young has been a leader on the d-line and his signing is a good one. Resigning Simoneau is a more curious move. Simoneau had been a rumored target of the Dolphins and with the trade for Vilma, he looks to have lost his starting spot. He now gives the Saints good depth and experience off the bench, but I'm not sure why he didn't want to go somewhere else with a better opportunity to start. The move could also mean the end of Brian Simmons time with the Black and Gold. Simmons was signed last year to be the starting MLB, but failed to beat out Simoneau. He is too overpaid to be a backup, so the team may decide to part ways with him.

Tampa Bay raids the Saints
The Buccaneers have struck the biggest free agent deal thus far in signing Saints center Jeff Faine. The Saints saw this move coming as they resigned Goodwin earlier this week. Faine becomes the highest paid center in the league. While he was a good player for the Saints, that type of money was too much, especially when long-term deals need to be done with Marques Colston, Will Smith and Jahri Evans. The Bucs are also planning to bring in Saints RB Aaron Stecker for a visit, so they may raid the roster even more.

Initial Thoughts on The Constant

WOW! Desmond episodes always seem to blow our minds, but this episode was unreal.

I don't even know where to start or how to digest this episode. So is the "sickness" finally explained? Have all the Losties been going through the same thing as Desmond all along (i.e., have all the flashbacks/flashforwards been them jumping through time), only Desmond is experiencing it on 11? Does this explain the dead people walking freely on the island? or Charlie's visit to Hurley in the first episode of season 4?

This was one of the most confusing episodes ever of Lost. But it also gave us lots of new information to digest and discuss. I'm just not sure what I just watched. I'll try to figure out what I think's going on and post a recap later on this awesome episode.

Eggtown

We have official confirmation that Kate is part of the Oceanic 6 with last night's Eggtown episode. She is not in hiding as some have speculated (including me). I felt that not much was revealed in the episode as far as the mysteries of the show, but it was still interesting nonetheless. The big swerve came at the very end, and it was a really good one.

All about the Benjamins
Kate is worried about leaving the island after Sawyer's talk with her last week so she seeks out Miles to find out if her crimes are known in the outside world. Miles makes a deal with her and wants one minute with Ben. With the help of Sawyer, Kate manages to get Ben and Miles together and some interesting dialog was had between the two.

Miles truly is a conman is only in this for the money. He tries to work out a deal with Ben, where he tells his employer that Ben is dead in exchange for $3.2 million. While that was interesting enough, the real meat of the conversation was the talk about who Ben really is. Miles told Ben not to talk to him like he's one of them (the Losties who don't know much about Ben). So who is Ben really? Who is Miles working for (Ben already knows)? How does Ben have access to that much money?

All we've seen of Ben's back story is how he came to the island and killed off his dad and the rest of the Dharma people. So when did he become an international man of mystery? I also wonder about the Ben character in general. I believe that the producers had said that Michael Emerson, who plays Ben, was originally written for just a couple of episodes, but since he was so awesome, they kept him on the show. So was the Ben character part of the original plan for the show, or has that evolved?

Once Miles has his time with Ben, Kate wants her answer. Miles tells her that he knows all about her and her history. He suggests that she stay on the island.

Jack's Story
During Kate's trial, Dr. Jack Sheppard is called in as a character witness. He goes on to say how they crashed on an island and only 8 survived. Kate is said to be the hero who gave them first aid, found food and water and helped them survive. They obviously all decided or were told to use this version of the story, especially to help Kate's case when they got back, but who were the other two who didn't make it? Since the Oceanic 6 survive, why did they say that 8 survived the crash? Also, he says that they crashed on an island, then says that they were all in the water, and Kate pulled them to safety. So by saying they crashed in the water, is that a cover-up for the plane found at the bottom of the ocean? He did mention the island though, which I thought was interesting. Won't people ask more about this island that they lived on before getting rescued?

When Jack is cross-examined, the attorney only asks if he's in love with Kate. We all know he is, but he says, "Not anymore." What's that supposed to mean? I know near the end, he tells Kate he didn't mean it, but did something happen that the public knows about their relationship? There's definately more to this part of the story.

Kate ends up accepting a bargain from the attorney, since her mom wouldn't take the stand against her. Does this play a part in why she told Jack they can't go back to the island? Part of her deal is that she can't leave the state.

Daniel's game of memory
We got another hint that something is up with Daniel in this episode. Charlotte is helping him regain his memory using playing cards. At first I thought he was able to see what the flipped cards were and she was testing his ability, but the scene played out like he couldn't remember which cards were originally shown to him. He gets two out of three right before being interrupted by Jack, so we didn't get the full details of what's happened to him.

The Helicopter
Jack had been trying to reach the freighter all day, but he couldn't get through. Finally, he asks Charlotte and Daniel about it, since all Juliette provided was a joke about calling 911. The freighter folk tell him about an emergency only number. When they call it, they learn that the chopper hadn't arrived at the freighter yet. Could this have something to do with the time difference on the island? Will it take way longer than expected to reach the freighter or did Frank not stay on the exact bearing as Daniel said? Remember, Desmond tried and tried to sail away from the island, and every time, he kept sailing right back to it. He called it a snow globe.

Kate's Pregnancy/The Swerve
For a while now, they have been teasing that Kate is pregnant. When it was revealed in her flashforward that she has a son, the pregnancy seemed to be confirmed. Kate's lawyer wanted to use her son during the trial for sympathy. With this, my assumption was that her child was disabled in some way. Since he would have been conceived on the island, I guessed that something was wrong with him. I still thought this when they showed him sleeping at the end too, but that theory was shot out of whack when she said his name...Aaron. Wow! Wow! Wow!

So Kate gets off the island with Aaron and raises him as her own -- he called her mom. So what happens to Claire? Desmond's vision saw her and Aaron boarding a helicopter. Does something happen to her after that or did she never get a chance to leave? I'm also interested to see how they pulled off passing off Kate as Aaron's mom since she wasn't pregnant before the crash. I guess since she was on the run, she can say that she was. Her mom has never seen Aaron and tries to make a deal with Kate to see her "grandson." Also, what about all the stuff from way back when about Claire wanting to give up the baby, and her being told that she has to raise the child. No one else should raise him...well, now that person is Kate and not Claire.

Then there's the conversation she had with Jack in the parking garage. She told him that she's knows why he doesn't want to see the kid. With this conversation, I was thinking the child may be Jack's and not Sawyer's or that something bad happened to Sawyer, so Jack can't bring himself to see their child. But we now know its Aaron, so did something bad happen to Claire and Jack doesn't want to remember? Did Jack find out that Claire is his half-sister and can't bring himself to see his own nephew?

I'm glad they got the Kate's pregnant question out of the way so soon in this season. With this show, mysteries usually aren't solved very swiftly, so for this one to be put on the shelf is a major plus, especially since fans often complain that they don't answer anything. We're also back to the love triangle with Kate, Jack and Sawyer. Sawyer even referenced it on the island when he told Kate that she'd be back to him in a week after running back to Jack. As we can see from Jack and Kate's off island relationship, it doesn't look like this will be solved anytime soon.

*Photos from Lost-Media.com

Hornets make a deal

Yesterday afternoon, the NBA's Western Conference leaders joined other conference powers who'd already been active and made a deal to land Bonzi Wells and Mike James from the Houston Rockets. The Hornets gave up Bobby Jackson, Adam Huluska and a 2nd round pick, while also sending Marcus Vinicius to Memphis.

I wasn't sure how I felt about the trade at the time, but after learning more about the players involved and what the Hornets have in mind for the rest of the roster, I think it was a good move. While Bobby Jackson has been a solid contributer and hit some big 3's in the Dallas game earlier this week, he wasn't what the team needed off the bench. Jannero Pargo has been a solid back up point guard and scorer off the bench, and they were looking for more size.

Wells can play guard or small forward and was an exciting player earlier in his career. Hopefully, he doesn't become the distraction or locker room problem that his reputation says that he could be. I don't know much about Mike James, but he has stints of being a decent player in the past as well.

The other move (or moves) that the Hornets are said pursuing is resigning the retired P.J. Brown and monitoring Chris "The Birdman" Andersen's reinstatement attempt to the league. Both would provide size off the bench and Brown is a home state hero who would be great in the locker room.

PreCombine Mock Draft

The NFL Combine starts this week, meaning the NFL Draft isn't far off. Let's take a look at my first attempt at a mock draft prior to all the 40 yard dashes and measurements that are sure to change our views on the top prospects:

First Round
1. Miami Dolphins: Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College: The Dolphins have needs across the board and could go in a number of directions with the first choice. But without a top-notch signal caller on board (Cleo Lemon and John Beck are their options), they go with Ryan at this spot.

2. St. Louis Rams: Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU: Mock drafts across the internet have Dorsey going anywhere from #1 to #10. I don't see how his stock has dropped since dominating the National Championship game last month. He is still a top 3 pick, and the Rams would love to have him take the spot of the aging La'Roi Glover.

3*. Atlanta Falcons: Jake Long, OT, Michigan: The Falcons are cleaning house and have released many of their top veterans. Their needs are far and wide as well, and when rebuilding, why not grab a cornerstone left tackle and forget about that position for many years to come? While not the sexy pick, selecting offensive tackles this high is usually a safer bet than QB or other skill positions.

3*. Oakland Raiders: Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas: While RB is not the Raiders biggest need (they resigned Justin Fargas after his solid performance last season), McFadden looks to be a rare talent at RB that you just don't want to pass up, especially if your name is Al Davis.

3*. Kansas City Chiefs: Chris Long, DE, Virginia: With OT and DB being a more pressing need, the Chiefs are forced to take the best player available instead of reaching at this spot. Chris Long is getting some play as the #1 pick, so to get him at #5 would be a great move by the Chiefs.

6. New York Jets: Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC: While many projections don't have Ellis as the best fit in a 3-4 defense, he is just too good to pass up here. He was the best player in Mobile at the Senior Bowl, and the Jets certainly could use help stopping the run. Vernon Gholston is another option since he may be best suited as a rush linebacker in the 3-4.

7. New England Patriots (from San Francisco) : Vernon Gholston, DE/LB, Ohio State: The rich get richer. A few years ago, Coach Belichick showed interested in another Ohio State DE, Will Smith. When he fell to the Saints spot, the Patriots called with trade offers. The Saints decided to keep the pick, and Belichick told them they got a great player. Fast forward a few years, and the Pats finally get to select the top DE from Ohio State in Gholston.

8. Baltimore Ravens: DeSean Jackson, WR, Cal: The Ravens need a QB, but look for them to go after another veteran in free agency and not reach for one here. Other options include OT, since Jonathan Ogden has been contemplating retirement for the past couple of seasons, but selecting a playmaker like Jackson is their best option here. He will add deep speed to the WR corps and also provide special teams ability to be paired with speedster Yamon Figures in the return game.

9. Cincinnati Bengals: Keith Rivers, LB, USC: Like teammate Sedrick Ellis, Rivers was one of the top players at the Senior Bowl. He solidified his spot as the top true linebacker in this year's class. The Bengals will be looking for help along the defensive line and linebacker in this year's draft, and Rivers is the best available of their needs.

10. New Orleans Saints: Mike Jenkins, CB, USF: The Saints are in desperate need of secondary help. Jenkins is getting play as the top corner in the draft, so he's the pick here. But that could all change at the Combine with good workouts by Troy's Leodis McKelvin or Kansas's Aqib Tallib. Tennessee State's Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has seen his stock soar, but he'd may still be a reach here. The Saints haven't shied away from small school prospects recently, so McKelvin or Rodgers-Cromartie will get a hard look. Regardless, they will be looking for defensive help, especially in the secondary, and Jenkins is my pick here.

11. Buffalo Bills: Malcolm Kelly, WR, Oklahoma: Almost every mock draft has the Bills taking a WR with this pick. Is that their only need? While they could use help at LB or D-Line, I'll go with the chalk pick and give them a WR as well. Kelly is a big target who would complement Lee Evans well in the passing game.

12. Denver Broncos: Ryan Clady, OT, Boise St.: The Broncos have had a solid offensive line for years. Age and retirements are forcing them to reload. Clady is seen by some as a top-10 pick, so he makes sense here.

13. Carolina Panthers: Kenny Phillips, S, Miami: The Panthers thought they solved their safety position a few years ago with Thomas Davis, but he has since been moved to LB. Safety Chris Harris is a good player and adding Phillips will give them a good pair in the back of their defense.

14. Chicago Bears: Chris Williams, OT, Vandy: The Bears could go in a number of directions, including QB. But they recently released tackle Fred Miller and needed to get younger on the offensive line anyway.

15. Detroit Lions: Aquib Talib, CB, Kansas: Detroit needs help in the secondary, and Talib should perform well at the combine and solidify his position as a top-15 pick. He has great size and ball skills with 13 career interceptions in college.

16. Arizona Cardinals: Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida: The Cardinals need help upfront and another end to pair with Darnell Dockett is the choice here. Harvey had 8.5 sacks last season for the Gators.

17. Minnesota Vikings: Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville: The Vikings may make a play for a QB in free agency as they already have a youngster on the roster. If they stay pat with the QBs they have, then Brohm becomes an intriguing choice if still available at this point. Once thought of as a top-5/10 pick, he has slipped recently. With solid workouts, he could be right back in the mix as the second QB off the board.

18. Houston Texans: Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon: The Texans used a number of running backs last year due to injuries. Getting a big back like Stewart would solve their rushing issues for years to come.

19. Philadelphia Eagles: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Tenn. St.: Rodgers-Cromartie wowed scouts in the all-star games and went from virtual unknown to first round prospect. The Eagles have announced that they are shopping CB Lito Sheppard, so they must have a plan in place for his successor and that could be Rodgers-Cromartie.

20. Tampa Bay Bucs: Kentwan Balmer, DT, North Carolina: The Bucs have been missing a big man to take up the middle of the defensive line since they parted ways with Warren Sapp and Booger McFarland. Balmer is the consensus #3 DT and could be off the board before the Bucs even get on the clock. John Gruden loves offensive playmakers, so don't rule out a wide receiver or running back, especially with Cadillac Williams' injury, with this pick either.

21. Washington Redskins: Calais Campbell, DE, Miami: The Redskins need pass rushers, and Campbell provides that and more with his 6'8" frame. He had a more productive sophomore season than his junior one, but all-in-all he recorded 19 sacks at the U.

22. Dallas Cowboys (from Cleveland): Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy: Dallas is a prime candidate to trade up in this draft with two first round picks. Jerry Jones is rumored to be interested in McFadden, but he may have to give up too much to get him. If they stay put, secondary help is one of their needs. They've already struck gold with Troy's DeMarcus Ware, so why not visit the school again and grab McKelvin?

23. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jeff Otah, OT, Pittsburgh: The Steelers stay in their home state to pick up their next clog in their solid offensive line. Alan Faneca likely has played his last game with the Steelers. By drafting Otah they can move someone else inside and plug him in at tackle.

24. Tennessee Titans: Limas Sweed, WR, Texas: The Titans go back to the University of Texas to get Vince Young some offensive help. Sweed is a big target who Young is familiar with. He missed some time last season with injuries, but if he shows that he's fully recovered, he could be one of the pieces that the Titans need to go further in the playoffs.

25. Seattle Seahawks: Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois: While on the surface, RB wouldn't look to be an immediate need for the Seahawks, Shaun Alexander was a shell of his for self last year. The team actually looked better when they went to a more air-it-out attack when Alexander was injured. Bringing in a stud like Mendenhall will stop any worries about the running game. With Jim Mora set to take over next year, he has not ties to Alexander, so this could be his last season in the Pacific Northwest.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars: Phillip Merling, DE, Clemson: The Jaguars will be looking for depth at defensive end and with new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams on board, look for the defense to be a focus early in the draft. Merling could move up in the draft after the combine and individual workouts.

27. San Diego Chargers: Quentin Groves, DE/LB, Auburn: The Chargers may be looking for help on the defensive line and linebacker spots, and Groves could help in both areas. His future may be at LB, but he could fill in at end as well. He should have solid workouts and while not considered a first round lock right now, in a few weeks, he could be.

28. Dallas Cowboys: Felix Jones, RB, Arkansas: The Cowboys will likely lose RB Julius Jones during free agency. While they do have pro bowl back Marion Barber ready to be the starter (he was the better back anyway), the two RB system has worked for Dallas so far. Jones comes to the NFL having played along side Darren McFadden in the Razorbacks' two-back system. Coming from Jerry Jones' alma matter won't hurt either.

29. San Francisco 49ers (from Indianapolis): Early Doucet, WR, LSU: The 49ers were one of the more disappointing teams last year. Their offense couldn't get out of first gear with Alex Smith or Trent Dilfer at the helm. They've brought in new offensive coordinator Mike Martz to jump start that side of the ball, and he will look for playmakers. Two LSU WR went in the first round last year, which should help Doucet's case even with his injury-marred senior season. The 49ers showed interest him at the Senior Bowl, and if he's over his injuries, he would be a solid pickup.

30. Green Bay Packers: Sam Baker, OT, USC: The Packers were a surprise team last year, making it the the conference championship. They are a relatively young team and getting better on the offensive line never hurts. Baker provides great value here.

31. New England Patriots: Pick Forfeited: The Patriots cheated and lost their first round pick.

32. New York Giants: Reggie Smith, CB/S, Oklahoma: The Giants secondary was picked on in the playoffs, but youngsters like Corey Webster and Aaron Ross stepped up to the challenge in most instances. Adding a good, young safety like Smith to the mix will help out their coverages, allow the front four to do more damage.

*Order to be determined by coin toss at Combine

For more draft information, check out NFL Draft Countown, WalterFootball.com and HailRedskins.com.

The Economist

I wasn't as thrilled with "The Economist" as I was with season 4 of Lost's other two episodes. I won't say I was disappointed either, but with the first two shows being so action packed and filled with info, this one seemed to just drag along a bit.

The Flash Forward
Let's start with the biggest reveal of all, Sayid ends up working for Ben. Who saw this coming? I guess we should have when Sayid said "The day I start trusting him (Ben) is the day I will have sold my soul." Well, consider it sold, Sayid.

When he shot the guy on the golf course at the beginning, I immediately thought that Sayid had joined the freighter people in his off island life. I was off, but not by much. As soon as Ben started talking at the end (in a deeper voice to tease the audience), I knew it was him. So the reveal of his face wasn't as big a shock to me. Now, I'm eager to see this play out. What happens on the ship and back on the island for Sayid to agree to this. How is he protecting his friends? Who did Elsa work for? Does Sayid even know what he is in the middle of?

Ben, the traveling man
When Sayid found the secret room in Ben's house, I had no clue what he was going to find. It turns out Ben does quite a bit of traveling with lots of cash from different countries and passports for his aliases hidden in there. How does he get off island? Surely, he didn't catch the sub every time he wanted off. Remember, Juliet joked that they were building a runway on the Hydra island last year. Maybe there already is a runway on the main island.

Daniel's Experiment
The most interesting point of the episode came with Daniel's experiment. There have been hints that time passes differently on the island than off it in the past, but this is the first real confirmation of that theory. The rocket's clock and the on island clock were 31 minutes apart when the rocket finally got to the island. What does this mean? I have no clue, but Daniel is on to something. He made sure to tell Frank to maintain the exact same bearing when leaving in the helicopter that they did on the way in. What does Daniel fear? Is he worried the chopper might find a worm hole and end up somewhere else, like Africa maybe?

Another thing that interested me just before the helicopter took off was that Charlotte didn't want to go because she has work to do. What sort of work will she be doing? She is an archaeologist, so I wonder if she'll visit the four-toed statue anytime soon or maybe check out Adam and Eve back at the caves.

Kate/Sawyer
The island's criminal couple is back together. Looks like Jack lost Kate once again. He sent her along with Sayid and Miles to ensure that Locke wouldn't do anything drastic, but it seems to have backfired now that Kate is staying with Sawyer. Did she really choose to stay or was she just locked up with Sawyer the whole time and was never asked if she wanted to go back? From the looks of the previews, it looks like we'll get more information next week on Kate.

Jacob's Cabin
Locke led his group to the believed location of Jacob's cabin, despite Hurley's continued references that the cabin was in the other direction, and alas, the shack was not there. Will Locke's faith be tarnished if he can't contact Jacob? When will he confront Hurley about his seeing of the cabin as well? Will Ben provide more information on the cabin's location or its ability to move?

Another interesting related moment came when Hurley was setting up Sayid and company in Othersville. Hurley mentions that Locke is taking direction from Walt and this peeks Sayid's interest right away. Remember way back in Season 2 when Sayid was charming Shannon. Her downfall came at the hands of Anna Lucia, but remember that she was out in the jungle because she had seen visions of Walt and was searching for him. Sayid ended up seeing him as well. Wonder what he thinks about Locke seeing Walt on the island too.

Penelope Widmore
Finally, fan favorite Desmond got in on the season 4 action. When he confronted Frank and Daniel about their knowledge of Penny, the look they gave each other told the whole story. They definately know who she is, or at least know what Widmore is. Penny is rumored to be involved this season, so it will be interesting to see where this goes. Is Widmore behind the freighter (even though Charlie told us its "Not Penny's Boat") or maybe the fake crash site for Oceanic 815? Regardless, the freighter people know more than they are letting on, especially since Naomi was looking for Desmond when she landed on the island originally and there was no mention of him in her flashback meeting with Matthew Abaddon.

Happy Valentine's Day

Confirmed Dead

Last night's Lost episode, Confirmed Dead, was the type of blow your mind story that the show is famous for. It provided a couple of answers, but also threw out whole lot of new questions. Where do I begin?

"Are they still alive?"
Mysterious "attorney" Matthew Abaddon asked Hurley this question in season 4's premiere. It was believed that he was talking about the Oceanic 815 survivors, but now signs point to the freighter crew. Since Abaddon looks to be the mastermind of the freighter's journey to the island, he wants to know if his crew is still alive.

Oceanic Flight 815
The plane that was found underwater is obviously a decoy. But on this show, when something is obvious, it usually turns out not to be what you thought it would be. If it is a decoy, who would go through the trouble to make everyone think that 815 crashed in the water and there were no survivors? Is it the Maxwell Group, Penny's dad, Sun's dad, Dharma, the Hanso Foundation, the others, Mr. Cluck's Chicken, some unknown entity we have yet to see?

Also, what was the public reaction when the Oceanic 6 were publicized? Oceanic says in the video that the bodies of all on board are inside the plane. But the "pilot" underwater doesn't have a wedding ring on. The pilot in season 1 did indeed have on his wedding ring. So who are the bodies in the plane?

Polar Bears in Africa?
When the excavation crew discovered skeletal remains in Africa, you knew that a twist was coming. Not only were they bones of a polar bear, but new character Charlotte Staples Lewis (C.S. Lewis) discovered a Dharma Hydra Station collar in the sand next to the remains. This was the biggest whoa moment of the episode for me. Is the island actually in Africa? Was time travel involved in this? Was Dharma just doing an experiment to see if the bear could survive in intense heat of the African desert?

But after reading other theories, I think this video may explain what happened:

This is a video that was shown at last year's Comic Con. Notice how the rabbit teleports around the room. Could Dharma have been conducting teleportation experiments and sent a polar bear to the African deserts?

We're here for Benjamin Linus!
What do they want with Ben? How do they know about him? Ben has been one step ahead of everyone else on this show since his first appearance in season 2. Has he encountered these people before? Daniel Farady was especially moved by seeing the wreckage of 815 and Charlotte is so giddy when she lands on the island, you might think she'd been there before.

Ben always has something up his sleeve. Sure I believe that he doesn't know what the smoke monster is...yeah right. But when he started spitting out all the info on Charlotte and the people on the freighter, I thought it was awesome. How does he remember all the info that he has on everyone. He remembers dates, locations, family history...everything. He officially gets the crown as King of Google to get all that info.

Oh yeah, he said he knows it b/c he has a man on their boat. Speculation online is that his mole is either Michael or Mikhail (aka Patchy). As awesome as it would be to see Mikhail again (he was Ben's information man on the island), I'm putting my money on Michael.

There were lots of other stuff in this episode. It was so packed with new info that I could spend all day analyzing it. From Daniel's comment about the light not scattering normally on the island to Miles the ghost hunter to the reveal from Frank that he was supposed to pilot 815, this episode will give Lost fans lots to talk about until next Thursday.

One more thing on Miles being able to contact the dead. I immediately wanted them to bring him to the caves so we could find out who "Adam and Eve" really are. Come on, give us an answer on this.

John Brady Out?

A few local media outlets are reporting a 1 p.m. press conference today to announce the firing of LSU Coach John Brady. He left practice early yesterday, and supposedly, that's when the firing came. He'll still coach this weekend's game against Tennessee, but he's done after that.

So what's next for LSU? Is Bob Knight in the Tigers future? Check out http://firejohnbrady.net/ for a list of potential replacements.

The Oceanic 6

Ever since the Lost premiere last week, blogs and message boards are speculating about who the Oceanic 6 could be. Of course, there are spoilers out there confirming who they are, but I prefer to stay away from those. But I did read a theory this morning that got me thinking.

Many are assuming that the Oceanic 6 are the six survivors of Flight 815 who make it off the island. There is also assumption that everyone else is either dead or was left on the island. But what if more than six make it off the island? It was pointed out that Jack and Hurley are semi-famous after getting rescued. But is Kate also famous? She is a fugitive and might still be on the run. She may not be one of the Oceanic 6. She has to meet up with Jack in secret and may be hiding out now that's she off island.

This also lends to the theories of who is in the coffin during the Season 3 finale, Through the Looking Glass. If the deceased is one of the famous Oceanic 6, wouldn't the media or "fans" show up at their funeral? This adds to the possibility of it being Ben, who wasn't on Flight 815 and therefore wouldn't be part of the Oceanic 6. He could have made it off island (or was forced off island), then died in America. He has no family or friends, so no one attends his funeral...except Jack. Desmond was not on the flight, but I think he will make it off island as well. He has to be reunited with Penny. There's just too much buildup for it not to happen.

I have no idea right now who the Oceanic 6 are, but it's fun to guess. I'm going to rule out Kate since she would need to lay low. That leaves Jack and Hurley with four open spots. Since Desmond saw Claire and Aaron get on a helicopter in his vision (but where did the helicopter go? was it to rescue?), people are putting them in the six.

Another who is getting plenty of mention is Sun, but not Jin. Sun is pregnant and may get "rescued" due to pregnant women dying on the island during child birth. Why would Jin not make it though? I don't think Bernard and Rose leave due to Rose's cancer. Same with Locke. He will never leave the island -- willingly. That leaves Sawyer and Sayid of the main cast who were on the plane. Something about Sawyer's character makes me think he won't make it.

As you can see, I'm clueless and don't feel confident, but my choices for the Oceanic 6 are Jack, Hurley, Claire, Aaron, Sun and Sayid.

Best.Super Bowl.Ever.

Super Bowl XLII definitely lived up to the hype, but not for reasons that the media and many fans thought. A record number of people tuned in (making it the most watched Super Bowl ever) to see the undefeated Patriots take it on the chin and fall the NFC's 5th seeded Giants. I loved every minute of it.

A few years ago -- or if it were any other team -- I would have openly rooted for an undefeated season, but I just couldn't get behind the Patriots. From the constant coverage on ESPN to their hard to root for head coach to the golden boy celebrity Tom Brady. I just couldn't get excited about seeing them go 19-0. I rooted against them each week, complained when they caught breaks and hoped like heck that they would lose in the playoffs. Once the Super Bowl came, I instantly became a Giants fan. Was I not interested in seeing history be made with a perfect season? Actually, no I was not. I was more interested in seeing the 18-0 Patriots fall flat on their face.

When the last drive stated for the Giants, I was on the edge of my seat. Cheering for every first down. Freaking out about the Eli Manning scramble then laser pass to David Tyree. I let out a YES! when Manning finally hit Plaxico Burris with the final TD with only 35 seconds left. Seeing Coach Belichick run off the field with a play still left to be ran was fitting. It just adds to the fire that people have against him and gave us one more reason to dislike him.

Seeing Eli Manning win the MVP was great too. Especially with the rivalry between Eli's brother, Peyton, and Brady. To have Brady lose to the younger Manning in the Super Bowl was a great end to the season.

I'll give Brady all the credit in the world and do believe he is a great QB. He has three rings and still have plenty of his career ahead of him, but now the national media can stop calling him the best ever. He now has a blemish on his spectacular Super Bowl record. Joe Montana never lost on the grandest stage, neither did Terry Bradshaw. Brady may get his fourth Super Bowl victory one day and join this elite group, but he shouldn't be mentioned above those two greats.

Now we enter the offseason and the Patriots are favorites to win Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa. Will they be able to make it back after tasting defeat? Will the Giants show that they aren't a fluke champion? Who else will step up and surprise the league? It's going to be a long and interesting offseason.

Super Bowl XLII

The Patriots or the Giants? Who is going to make history this weekend and win Super Bowl XLII?

The Pats are going for a perfect 19-0 season and to be remembered as perhaps the best team in NFL history. The Giants get a second shot at history to be the team that gives the Pats their first, and only defeat.

Eli Manning vs. Tom Brady. The Super Bowl is always billed as a battle of the marquee QBs. Brady's been here and done that. Eli has just come into his own in this year's playoffs. Can he keep it going in the biggest game of his life?

With these two teams meeting in the last game of the regular season, they know how the other will play them. The Giants played New England well in that game and gained the confidence they needed to run through the NFC playoffs. New England pulled out the victory, but they have to know that the Giants won't be intimidated by their record. So who's going to pull it out?

Prediction:
New York: 37
New England: 30

MVP: Brandon Jacobs, RB, NY Giants

So it begins...

Last night Lost returned in full force. We got a few answers and of course we got more questions. All in all though, it looks like the shortened season 4 (unless the strike ends soon) will provide plenty of action.

The best scenes of the entire episode were the ones with Jacob's shack. I had no idea that we'd see Jacob again this soon. While still providing plenty of mystery, they threw us another curveball with what looks to be Jack's dad, Cristian Shepard, sitting in the rocking chair of the shack. So is he Jacob? Can Jacob take different forms? Can the shack move locations? The other big mystery about the shack is the eye that pops up in the window. Initially, I thought it was Locke's, but now I'm not so sure.

Seeing Charlie again interacting with Hurley was great. He said that he is dead, so how can Hurley talk with him. Is Hurley just imagining him? But the other patient saw him as well. As usual with this show, everything you see just raises more questions.

Now, rescue has arrived on the island...or has it. From previews, it doesn't look like Naomi's people are there to rescue anyone. I guess will just have to wait and see where that goes. We do know that Jack, Kate and Hurley get off the island. Hurley said he is one of the Oceanic 6, so we can assume that six people make it off. But who are the other three and what happens to everyone else. It seems that Jack and Hurley were told not to talk about the island or the ones left behind because in both their flashforwards they talk about not lying or telling what they know.

Man, this show is awesome!