A Super Bowl with the most pressure: Minnesota Vikings vs. Buffalo Bills

The Vikings and the Bills both have 0-4 Super Bowl records. What would happen if they met in the title game?

Losing a championship game - especially your fourth Super Bowl - can be pretty awful, but at least New England Patriots fans can take some solace in the fact their team has also won three Super Bowls. The Denver Broncos have two wins, somewhat making up for their four losses. However, the Bills and the Vikings don't have any victories to go along with their four defeats. Buffalo lost all four of their Super Bowls in consecutive years. Yikes.

So what would be a pressure-packed Super Bowl in 2013? Minnesota versus Buffalo. One would be the first team in NFL history to lose five Super Bowls. What's worse, the loser still would not have any wins in the big game. People would be talking about it for two weeks prior to Super Sunday. Television ratings for the game might go even higher than this past year.

For fans of the Bills and Vikings, the stress of this game would be immense, probably more so than for the players. I would not be surprised if many of the players weren't even aware of their franchise's history, and wouldn't know much about the significance of the game until after it was over.

But fans know. Players and coaches come and go, but fans remain. A fifth Super Bowl loss without a win for the Vikings or Bills might finally send some of us looking for something else to do with our Sundays in the fall.

Why doesn't the NFL let teams try to block extra points?

The NFL reportedly is considering doing away with the extra point attempt after a team scores a touchdown. While it is true that it has become almost automatic for kickers to make the extra point, it is also true that players on the defending side make zero effort to try and block the kick.

Why not let defenses line up all eleven guys and put some effort into making a block? Guys in the middle could jump high, guys next to them try to break through, guys on the end try to use speed to come around the edge, make a dive and block the kick.

Right now no one is allowed to line up across from the center, which is silly. One guy in the middle might put up his arm, but the other ten defenders just stand around and watch. That's dumb.

Also a blocked extra point could be made returnable - make it so that the defending team can pick it up and run it back for a touchdown, just like a field goal.

Back in the 1970's the Minnesota Vikings made blocking kicks an art form.  The powers that be in the NFL need to learn their history. Blocking kicks can become an important part of the game. One point can sometimes mean the difference winning and losing.

Will the Denver Broncos be the first team to lose 5 Super Bowls?

The pressure is on the Denver Broncos.

While the franchise has two Super Bowl victories to its credit, it has also lost four - tying the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings for most Super Bowl losses in NFL history.

So Peyton Manning and company are facing the added stress of not becoming the first team to lose five Super Bowls. Certainly fans of the Bills and Vikings will be rooting for the Seahawks on February 2.

The Broncos are up against a Seattle team that has dominated opponents all year, so a win will not come easily. Manning will have to put up a lot of points and the Bronco defense will have to resemble that of its "Orange Crush" heyday to come away with a victory in the Super Bowl.

Close all Puppy Mills!

Puppy Mill Resources | Best Friends Animal Society

15 Things You Can Do to Help Stop Puppy Mills

• Adopt your next pet. You may have your heart set on a puppy or a particular breed, but please don't support puppy mills by buying pets online or in stores. We guarantee that the perfect pet is waiting for you at one of the thousands of shelters or rescue groups across the country - and they're not hard to find. First, visit your local shelter. If you don't find the right pet there, visit www.petfinder.com. You can also find a dog of a particular breed by contacting a breed-rescue organization. To find breed rescue groups, do a search online: Go to www.google.com (or another search engine), enter a city or state, the name of the breed you are looking for, and the word "rescue."
• Don't buy a puppy online or from a pet store. If you buy a puppy online or from a pet store, you are most likely supporting the puppy mill industry because these are the two ways that puppy millers sell millions of dogs each year. If you intend to buy a puppy, do your homework and read "How to Be Sure Your Next Dog Isn't from a Puppy Mill."
• Take action against pet stores that sell dogs supplied by puppy mills. Ask pet stores to consider switching to a humane business model, one that promotes adopting instead of selling puppies from breeders. (Click here for a list of stores that have paved the way.) If the store chooses not to change, you can hold peaceful rallies to help educate the public and change store policy. To learn how, download the action kit called "How to Organize a Peaceful Pet Store Demonstration."
• Support legislation that regulates and reduces breeding of animals. To help change your city, county and state laws, sign up to receive alerts from Best Friends' Voices for No More Homeless Pets. We make it quick and easy for you to support laws in your area that fight puppy mills. Go to yourvoice.bestfriends.org to sign up.
• Become an expert on the subject. Get familiar with how the puppy mill industry works by looking through Best Friends' resource library. You can watch breeder video footage, read USDA documents, and learn how to research pet stores in your community. Click here to start learning.
• Know the existing laws. Many states have laws that regulate breeders and/or retail pet sellers. To find out how your state stacks up, click here.animallaw.info/articles/ovuspuppymilltable.htm
• Ask government officials to pass stricter laws for pet stores and dog breeders. Write or call your city, county, state and federal officials and ask them to take these issues seriously. Read "How to Write a Letter to Legislators and Newspapers About Puppy Mills" to help compose a message and contact the right people. Keep your call, letter or email brief, respectful and to the point. You may not receive a response, but know that these communications are counted and can really influence legislators.
• Speak out in your community. Write letters to the editors of newspapers about puppy mills and breeders who keep their animals in unacceptable conditions. Note how many ads for dogs, puppies, kittens and other animals there are in the paper's classified section, while shelters overflow with unwanted pets.
• Donate to Best Friends' puppy mill initiatives. Your donation will be used to fight puppy mills and to give former puppy mill dogs a chance to have what all dogs deserve: safety, good care, happiness and love from a family of their own.
• Elect animal-friendly candidates. Before any election (local, state or federal), ask candidates if they would support laws regulating commercial breeders and what they would do about puppy mills in the community.
• Report bad puppy stores. If you have bought a puppy from a store and the puppy is sick, read "What to Do If You've Bought a Sick Puppy."
• Infiltrate the ads. In your newspaper's classifieds section, you've seen the numerous ads that sell puppies. To plant the idea of adopting instead, place classified ads promoting your local shelter or breed rescue group via Petfinder.com.
• Raise awareness and/or donations. Host an awareness-raising or fundraising event in your community. To educate the public about puppy mills and/or raise awareness and funding for local rescue groups, organize a walk, conduct a bake sale or set up a table at local events and hand out information.
• Spread the word. Educate your friends, family and coworkers - especially those looking to obtain a pet - about the cruelty of puppy mills and the joys of pet adoption. Share adoption websites, such as Petfinder.com, and breed rescue websites with people who are looking for purebred dogs.
• Don't give up. The fight against puppy mills and bad breeders has been going on for decades. Things won't change overnight, but we are making progress and each little change helps. If you educate just one person about the horrors of puppy mills or convince just one person to adopt rather than buy a pet, you've made a difference.

Here's where to find $6 billion to fund unemployment benefits

Republicans in Congress are willing to fund extended unemployment benefits if Democrats agree to cut around $6 billion from other parts of the budget to pay for it.

Fair enough.

Here's an idea: Take the approximately $3 billion in aid given to Israel, the approximately $2 billion given to Egypt, and another $1 billion given to various other countries for who knows what, and pay for unemployment benefits that way.

This way American citizens are getting their own money back.

Still, it has to be pointed out that cutting foreign aid will hurt American workers, since some of the funds aren’t given directly to other governments, but to American companies that produce weapons or other products that are then sent to these countries. Less foreign aid means fewer jobs for Americans.

So unfortunately, as members of Congress refuse to admit in public, and as many Americans are too dumb to figure out, there's no easy way of the budget mess. Fixing things will require both cutting spending and raising taxes - neither of which anyone, Congress or the public, wants to do.

Hey CNN: change the name of "Crossfire" to "The Most Boring People in America"

I don't sit and watch TV news. I might have it on in the background if I'm doing something.  I never have talk shows on as background though, nor do I sit and watch them. Or listen to talk radio. To hear pundits and regular folks ramble on about various conspiracies is annoying. Plus I've got better things to do with my time.

I did watch a few minutes on CNN's "Crossfire."  Whew. Talk about boring. Liberal Van Jones and conservative S.E. Cupp make a few bland points about a topic and then smile at each other. Okay. And the point is...what?  Why anyone in the United States would watch these dullards is beyond me. Except for a person has insomnia. Crossfire would be a cure.

It's no wonder that Crossfire's return was the brilliant idea of one Jeff Zucker, the dope who kept Jay Leno on at 10:00 p.m. for an hour-long variety show, and then had Conan O'Brien doing pretty much the same show at 11:35 for the Tonight Show. Funny how TV executives make a lot of money, and cost the networks they work for billions of dollars, for making these silly decisions. Come on, at least baseball players have a skill!  TV executives don't seem to have any skills.

Do us a favor, CNN.  Just go back to reporting news and keep these ridiculous pundits off of our television screens, and let them do stuff like write their own blogs.

Alan Trammell, Tim Raines, Lee Smith belong in Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame

With major league baseball's hall of fame voting for 2014 due out soon, there's a few first time nominees who are likely to earn enough votes to get inducted - pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, and first baseman Frank Thomas.

Three other former players also deserve to be enshrined - Alan Trammell, Lee Smith, and Tim Raines.

Shortstop Alan Trammell played 20 years with the Detroit Tigers, and the six time all-star’s offensive and defensive numbers match up well with Larkin's. In 20 years Trammell hit .285 with 185 home runs, 1,003 RBI's, 236 stolen bases, and had a .977 fielding percentage. He also batted .333 in postseason games. Larkin played 19 years with the Reds, compiling a .295 batting average, 198 home runs, 960 RBI's, 379 stolen bases, and a .975 fielding percentage while hitting .338 in the postseason.

Relief pitcher Lee Smith, a seven time All Star, ranks third in major league history with 478 saves, behind only legends Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera. Smith led the National League in saves in four seasons, and his career ERA of 3.03 compares well with Hall of Fame relievers Bruce Sutter's 2.83 and Rollie Fingers' 2.90.

Outfielder Tim Raines, also a seven time All Star selection, ranks fifth in baseball history with 808 stolen bases, but he also had a career batting average of .294 and an on base percentage of .385. He was a player who set the table for his teams, which included the Expos, White Sox, and Yankees, among others.

Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame is certain to be getting a lot of attention in the upcoming months and years. A number of outstanding former players will be listed on voters' ballots; some will certainly be inducted in their first year of eligibility. Stars such as Randy Johnson in 2015, pitchers John Smoltz and Pedro Martinez in 2016, and currently eligible Jeff Bagwell may get in within the next couple of years.

An intriguing storyline involves four former players who all almost certainly would have been inducted in their first year - if they hadn't been implicated in the steroid investigation. Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens are all entering their first year of eligibility in 2013; with Rafael Palmiero earning a small percentage of the votes the last two years, even with his 569 home runs and 3,020 hits, it doesn't look good for Sammy, Barry, and Roger at this point.