The Weak Ender

Everybody should have seen this coming. Barry Zito once dated Alyssa Milano who starred in the show Charmed, based in San Francisco. So it is only natural that Zito is now a member of the San Francisco Giants.

Damn, it was so obvious.

(And yes, if this wasn't the biggest stretch to get a hot chick to headline the Weak Ender, it certainly is close.)

JASON TAYLOR IS A FEMALE DOG

Jason Taylor has certainly gone into full whine mode when it comes to Shawne Merriman. Taylor doesn't believe that Merriman should be considered for defensive player of the year because of his steroid violation. That is sends a bad message to younger kids about the dangers of steroids.

Oh shut your trap, Taylor. Merriman served his punishment already. Having him pay for his mistake twice would send a bad message to kids. Right? Merriman missed four games (and four paychecks) if he is voted defensive POY or the Pro Bowl, he deserves.

But don't worry, Merriman got over on Taylor as he sent him a "Lights Out" hat and cap, and a bag of popcorn so he could watch the Chargers in the playoffs.

Do the kids still say, "Owned?"

WARNER TIME

Kurt Warner will start for the Birds this week against the Chargers. Warner told reporters this week that he will return next season to back up Matt Leinart. And that's good news. The number of people who believe that Warner could still be a viable quarterbacks is a short list that only includes Warner, Brenda Warner, Dick Vermeil and THN.

Although, Brenda is starting to hedge her bets.

Warner could still be a quarterback in this league. Imagine Warner playing for a competent team like, say, Chicago. He might not be what he was for the St. Louis football team in 1999, but the Bears would be in a much better position with Warner. In fact, the Bears should seriously consider Warner during the offseason. They need a veteran who can win in the short term. The window of opportunity is going to close really soon in Chicago and they need to make a move while they can.

• Leonard Little said that he was a little upset that he didn't make it to the Pro Bowl. He said it kind of ruined his Christmas not to be recognized. You know who else's Christmas was ruined? The family of the woman he killed in 1999. The women's two children spent another Christmas without their mother, but you can imagine they likely had a lot of empathy for Little and his loss. Where is Jason Taylor�s outrage on this subject?
  
  And you might want to reason that Little shouldn't pay for his crime twice. And you would be right, if he actually, you know, paid for it the first time.

• Lil' Hater is reporting that during the Cowboys and Eagles game, Jeff Garcia yelled, "Who's the (European cigarette) now, T.O.?" as the receiver short-armed another pass down the sideline. Please let that story be true.

• Looking back at the NFL Network, we owe them a debt of gratitude for taking one of the worst games of the week and hiding on a network that nobody has. Maybe the Giants can have all of their games television on NFL Network next year. Is there any way to make this happen? Fourteen of the Giants 16 games were shown here in Southern California. Even with the Giants meltdown this season and Eli Messiah regressing into Rick Mirer, that is still too many games.

• The Panthers are not going to make us believe that they can win this week. Totally not.

• Despite what Pittsburgh did last season, there is no way to get fired up for the remaining ham-and-eggers struggling to reach the .500 mark and make the playoffs. Did you see the list of scenarios the Packers need to make it to the playoffs? They need a win and a strength of victory that would require that Arizona, Detroit, Miami, Minnesota and San Francisco all win and Carolina, Houston and Tampa Bay all lose. The Giants qualify as long as Joe Buck mentions Tiki Barber and the phrase "glorious career" at least six times. Alright, that last part was made up, though it sounded the most reasonable.

• Congratulations to the Pac-10 for finally winning a bowl game this season. Maybe one of these days they can match the bowl record of the WAC and Mountain West conference. And really, if you had to take your pick on the one Pac-10 coach that was going to win its bowl, Jeff Tedford would be far, far, down the list. This will likely be the only win the Pac-10 gets into the bowl games.

• Does something in the world of college basketball seem right to you today? It should because UNLV matters again. This really needed to happen.

• Take the Panthers and the points.

AND FINALLY
Here is some career advice for Nick Saban: Take the Alabama job. Being over-hyped and failing to reach expectations would make you a perfect fit for the Crimson Tide. You clearly aren't cut out for the NFL game. And while you are at it, take Dennis Green with you. Have you noticed that Miami and Arizona have torn up the league once they started 1-5? Peter King has already penned in Miami and Arizona for Super Bowl 42.