Question of the Week

Noah, San Francisco, CA
Subj: Hindsight is 20/20
How many quarterbacks were drafted before Tom Brady?

Believe it or not, NFL personnel selected five other quarterbacks before the New England Patriots snatched Tom Brady with the 199th pick of the 2000 draft. Although each of those prospects was highly regarded at the time, the list now reads like a roll call for the witness protection program. The Jets selected Chad Pennington with the 18th pick, the 49ers selected Giovanni Carmazzi with the 65th pick, the Ravens selected Chris Redman with the 75th pick, the Steelers selected Tee Martin with the 163rd pick, the Saints selected Marc Bulger with the 168th pick and the Browns selected Spergon Wynn with the 183rd pick. If you remove Bulger and Pennington from the equation, the remaining signal callers have combined for 6 starts, 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Brady, meanwhile, has started 159 games, thrown 300 touchdowns, won three Super Bowls and been named to the Pro Bowl seven times. As if that weren’t impressive enough, he’s also married to a supermodel and he impregnated a Hollywood starlet. Take that Giovanni Carmazzi!

In The Spotlight

It isn’t often that college football players spurn the NFL, especially when they’re the prohibitive favorite to be selected first overall in the league’s annual amateur draft. But that’s precisely what Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck did on January 6, 2011, when he announced he would be turning down a $50 million-payday to return to school and complete his degree. “A big part of going to a university like Stanford is to get a degree and graduate and have that opportunity to go into the business world or whatever world it is with a Stanford degree,” he said at the time. “It’s a big deal.” Luck’s bold decision sent shock waves throughout the U.S., as pundits alternate between questioning his sanity and praising his maturity. Learn more about Luck by clicking here.

You've Got To Be Joking

Sit back and relax as you enjoy this week’s Sports Shorts.

The Twins have only made one error all year. Two if you count building an outdoor stadium in Minnesota.

The NBA is projecting a higher salary cap than expected. That’s especially good news for Gilbert Arenas, who could use all the bail money he can get his hands on.

The Cubs have sent Carlos Zambrano to the bullpen. Mainly because they can’t send him to the gallows.

Pitcher Stephen Strasburg has been promoted to AAA Syracuse. No word yet on when he’ll be demoted to the Nationals.

USA Swimming has unveiled a multi-step plan to eliminate rampant sexual misconduct within its ranks. Step #1: Stop inviting Ben Roethlisberger to its meets.

Pirates’ pitcher Chris Jakubauskas was recently hit in the head with a line drive. Great, now he’ll never be able to spell his last name.

The NCAA plans to expand March Madness from 65 to 68 teams. That’s great news is you’re a basketball fan and horrible news if your retirement strategy hinges on picking a perfect bracket.

Subway has created a life-size bust of Ndamukong Suh made out of 1,000 slices of pepperoni. We haven’t seen a draft bust that big since Ryan Leaf.

The 2010 NFL Draft is finally over. The three day process lasted longer than the careers of many of the players selected.

ESPN's three-day telecast of the NFL Draft attracted 3.7 million viewers. That sounds impressive until you realize that a video of a cat playing a keyboard has attracted 12 million viewers on YouTube.

Joe Paterno says he has a "gut feeling" that the Pac-10 will expand before the Big Ten. Then again he also had a gut feeling that the British would win the Revolutionary War.

A new study has found that it takes Prince Fielder 21 seconds to round the bases after hitting a homerun. That’s probably because he always stops at second base to have a snack.

Question of the Week

Noah, San Francisco, CA
Subj: Hindsight is 20/20
How many quarterbacks were drafted before Tom Brady?

Believe it or not, NFL personnel selected five other quarterbacks before the New England Patriots snatched Tom Brady with the 199th pick of the 2000 draft. Although each of those prospects was highly regarded at the time, the list now reads like a roll call for the witness protection program. The Jets selected Chad Pennington with the 18th pick, the 49ers selected Giovanni Carmazzi with the 65th pick, the Ravens selected Chris Redman with the 75th pick, the Steelers selected Tee Martin with the 163rd pick, the Saints selected Marc Bulger with the 168th pick and the Browns selected Spergon Wynn with the 183rd pick. If you remove Bulger and Pennington from the equation, the remaining signal callers have combined for 6 starts, 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Brady, meanwhile, has started 128 games, thrown 225 touchdowns, won three Super Bowls and been named to the Pro Bowl five times. As if that weren’t impressive enough, he’s also now married to the world's most sought-after supermodel. Take that Giovanni Carmazzi!

Getting Animated

It’s time for another hilarious episode of Sports Talk Weekly, the show that trashes athletes and sports via animated shorts. This week’s installment takes aim at the Detroit Lions, the Boston Celtics, Tony Parker, Phil Mickelson, Chein-Ming Wang, Charles Barkley, Dikembe Mutombo, Rick Fox, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and much, much more! Check it out by clicking here.

You've Got To Be Joking

Sit back and relax as you enjoy this week’s Sports Shorts.

President Barack Obama recently played a round of golf for the first time since taking office. It's nice to know that John McCain isn't the only white thing he's capable of knocking around.

Flip Saunders has received a four-year, $18 million contract with the Washington Wizards. $2 million is for coaching the team and $16 million is for dealing with Gilbert Arenas.

Commissioner Roger Goodell says Michael Vick has to show genuine regret in order to return to the NFL. In other words, he simply has to act like a Detroit Lions season ticket holder.

Majestic Athletic company has apologized for supplying Washington with jerseys reading "Natinals." On the positive side, the team can easily rectify the problem by borrowing a couple of o’s from their win column.

Phil Jackson has spliced clips of the movie Miracle at St. Anna into Lakers video sessions as part of his attempt to add a certain theme to every playoff series. Evidentially the theme of this year’s playoffs is horrible movies.

Former Jacksonville Jaguars star Jimmy Smith was arrested with crack cocaine and marijuana in his car. The 40-year-old vet played wide receiver for 10 seasons in the NFL, but is now expected to be just another tight end in prison.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has said he doesn’t believe in Twitter or MySpace. That’s understandable since many of his fans also don’t believe in the Big Bang or evolution.

Thousands of grasshoppers recently descended on Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Sadly, it’s one of the first times all season the stadium has actually looked full.

A 12-year-old girl from New Jersey recently threw a perfect game against a group of boys. Then again, it was the Nationals.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have introduced new team uniforms, because if you're going to lose 12 games you might as well look good doing it.

Alex Rodriguez has said he expects to see action next week. No word yet on whether it will be on a baseball diamond.