Newz Forum: OTHER: Dean's List: Miller Time

Bill Mueller and Kevin Millar weren't enough, so the Red Sox snatched Wade Miller from the free agent market less than 48 hours after the Astros declined to offer him a contract.

And if there was any question before, it's now officially "Miller Time" at Fenway. Somewhere in Boston, Sam Adams is rolling over in his grave...

The NHL season is on ice. At 13-2, the Eagles are flying high atop the NFC. Over in the AFC, the 14-1 Steelers look unbreakable. With 11 straight wins, the 22-7 Heat are the hottest team in the East. And with an 11-game winning streak of their own, the 24-3 Suns are the hottest team in the West. Finally, things are starting to make sense in the sports world...

As the Steelers wrapped up home-field in the AFC this past Sunday, Pro Bowl receiver Hines Ward was eager to reflect on his team's chances in the playoffs. "When a team has home-field advantage," said Ward. "Other teams are at a disadvantage." In a related story, if Jane has more apples than Dick, then Dick has less apples than Jane...

Remember when ESPN analyst Tom Jackson vowed that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick had "lost his team" after a Week One loss to Buffalo in 2003? As the story goes, Belichick was named Coach of the Year and New England won Super Bowl XXXVIII. And sadly, it seems Jackson's foot is still lodged deeply inside of his big mouth. The former All-Pro linebacker is now endorsing Steelers running back Jerome Bettis for the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year. Sure, Bettis has bounced back from numerous benchings to lead the league's most feared rushing attack. But what about Panthers linebacker Mark Fields, who's battled back from Hodgkin's disease to restake his claim as a leader on the Carolina defense (52 tackles, three sacks and one interception)? Maybe Jackson has a point. Maybe beating cancer and returning to star in the NFL isn't as impressive as getting up off the bench and cashing in on a dominant offensive line. And maybe, just maybe, Tom Jackson likes the taste of his own toes...

They've had just one losing season in the past 27 years. But with a 4-11 record in 2004, the Dolphins and rookie center Rex Hadnot have quickly become the Have-Nots of the AFC...

Despite a season-ending ankle injury, Eagles wide-out Terrell Owens remains optimistic about his team's chances in the playoffs. "Somebody will have to step in and step up,'' Owens preached. ''There's no reason for the team to get down.'' To be clear, Owens meant that the Eagle should stay positive, not refrain from dancing in the end zone. But I think that's only common sense...

The loss of Owens is nothing short of a disaster for the long-suffering Eagles, but they asked for it. After all, they're the ones who spent millions on a Kearse in the off-season...

Amidst the sociopolitical fallout from the Pistons/Pacers brawl that ravaged the sports world this past November, the NBA has taken considerable steps to repair its tarnished image. But many social activists aren't satisfied, and they're using the incident as a springboard to further their message of peace. First on their list? The elimination of fighting in hockey. Next up? The wholesale eradication of tackling in football, punching in boxing and crashing in NASCAR...

The SBC BCS championship on CBS would be the marketing coup of the young century. The tagline aside, CBS would be free to plug such "CS"-laden programming as "NCIS," "CSI," "CSI: Miami" and "CSI: New York." I'm DC: Dean Christopher...