Can Red Heads Play Quarterback?

Does the color of one's hair effect the level of success one may achieve as a quarterback?  It may sound asinine, but in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, Peter King discussed the types of scrutiny that NFL head coaches factor in when assessing possible draft picks, particularity at the quarterback position.  And one NFL head coach, speaking anonymously, wonder if the redheaded QB Andy Dalton, out of TCU, was missing something.

"Has there ever been a redheaded quarterback in the NFL that's done well?", the coach asked.

In a business such as the NFL, where every move and decision is crucial.  Coaches around the league are starting to feel the pressure as the NFL draft is next week.  The future of teams is highly dependent on making the right draft choice.  One bad pick, one wrong assessment and a franchise might find itself in the leagues gutter.  With so much at stake for NFL teams, maybe it is a fair question.  For argumentative purposes, lets take a look.

First, it should be noted that only 1%-2% of the world's population have red hair. And most of them are leprechauns.

Second, of the some 9000 athletes that play college football each year, roughly 2% of them will make it to the NFL.  Go to class fellas!

Given that information, it is no wonder why few, if any, names come to mind regarding redheaded quarterbacks.  The odds are stacked tremendously against the gingers becoming high-profile quarterbacks at the highest level.

The one and only name that came to my mind was Jeff Garcia.  Does he qualify?  Let's see, red head?  The little amount of hair Garcia has left is red.  Check!  Did he do "well" in the NFL?  In his career, Garcia made four pro-bowl teams, played decent for 7 different teams, taking 3 of them to the playoffs, and he is married to 2004 Playboy playmate of the year, Carmella Decesare, despite his debilitating appearance. So yeah, I'd say he's done real well.

I seriously doubt hair color has even the slightest effect on an athletes ability.  On the other hand, being an NFL quarterback can greatly enhance your chances of marrying a supermodel.  Andy Dalton, who is no looker himself, shouldn't worry about his hair.  He should be ecstatic that he will soon be an NFL quarterback and that he too may be able to marry a supermodel.

Facebook Fan Page is up!

Our Mostly Sports with J.Owen fan page is finally up!

Join us on Facebook and "Like" our page today.

Mostly Sports with JOwen Fan Page

You will find a collection of current sport stories as reported by ESPN, Yahoo, other bloggers, etc. on this page.

Hockey - The Forgotten Sport

Ever since the NHL lockout that resulted in the canalization of the 2004-2005 season, hockey has seemed to be forgotten and the NHL has been lost amongst the thousands of TV channels available today.  NHL games are typically broadcasted on Versus., a network most people have never heard of. And if they have, they probably can't tell you which channel it is found on.  Besides a few minor highlights of the top teams, the NHL rarely makes SportsCenter.  Before the lockout, ESPN had a nightly show dedicated to hockey, NHL Tonight.  They would also televise games on a weekly basis.

Now the powerhouse network cannot be bothered to spend more than a couple minutes a night on the great sport of hockey, but they will spend hours talking about whether or not there is going to be a NFL season.  How about giving some love to a sport that is playing its games, and commend its players for yet another competitive season?  With the NHL Playoffs starting, here's 4 reasons why you should watch the NHL again...

1.  It's the fastest game on the planet.  Players can reach speeds of greater than 20 MPH while out on the ice.  This creates a tempo not found in any other sport.  And with lightning quick speeds, comes devastating collisions.  There is nothing like the sound of a defensemen slamming a forwards body into the boards, causing him to spill onto the ice.  Or an open ice hit that nearly takes a guy out of his skates, hits that would make Ray Lewis proud.

2.  Fighting is allowed!  And even some what encouraged.  Typically the refs will let guys duke it out until their bodies hit the ice.  Since they are on ice skates, that usually doesn't take long.  Win or lose, both guys will be going to the penalty box for 5 minutes.  Sports are obviously highly competitive and emotions run high. With fighting, hockey players are able to unleash some aggression and/or frustration.  After, they get to cool down for a bit, before eventually returning to action.  Let's be honest, who doesn't love a good fight?

3.  So what if you can't pronounce any of their names.  Some people have the belief that hockey isn't as popular as it once was because of the lack of star power and the fact that their names are just too hard to say and learn.  Sure, Anze Kopitar, Valtteri Filppula, and Teemu Selanne might be a little tough to say, and even tougher to spell, but all these guys will be in the playoffs fighting for their respective teams.  Plus, just because you can't pronounce a guys name, doesn't mean you can't respect his skills out on the pond.

4. Anything can happen!  In hockey, the separation between the top teams and the bottom teams isn't as dramatic as you'd find in other sports.  And in the playoffs, that notion is highlighted.  In the NBA it is almost impossible to see an 8 seed defeat a 1 seed in a playoffs series. (The Nuggets beat the Sonics in 1994 and the Knicks beat the Heat in 1999.  Both were 5 games series vs the 7 game format you find in the NHL and in modern day NBA.)  In the NHL playoffs, an 8 seed has beaten a 1 seed in each of the past two years and 9 times since the NHL expanded to an 8 team format.  In the 2011 NHL playoffs, a lot of experts are picking the New York Rangers to upset the Washington Capitals in round one.  The Capitals were also upset as a 1 seed in last years playoffs by the Montreal Canadiens.

These are just a small sample of the countless reasons to watch the NHL.  Over the next two months the NHL's top 16 teams will be competing for the honor of having their names etched on to the Stanley Cup and the right to be called a Champion.  Tune into a game or two and I bet you'll fall back in love with hockey, just as I have.

The Masters: Tiger's Jungle

Augusta, Georgia, home of golf's most prestigious event, The Masters. 

For many players it's the Super Bowl of golf.  The event they circle on their calenders and look forward to all year as if it were Christmas morning.  Augusta National truly is golf's sanctuary, evident by a comment posted on Luke Donald's twitter page after his first round, "Bit up and down today, hated the slow start but loved the run on 14,15 and 16.  Looking forward to another perfect day in paradise [tomorrow]."

After two days in paradise, Donald has gotten himself back on track shooting a 4-under 68 to get him within 6 strokes of the up and coming star, 21 year-old, Rory McIlroy, who sits at 10-under.  McIlroy is the second youngest player to lead the Masters after two rounds. (21 years 339 days)  The youngest ever?  Tiger Woods of course, who was 21 years-old and 100 days, back in 1997.  Tiger would go on to win the Masters and his first of four green jackets, by an incredible 12 stroke margin.

Will McIlroy follow in Tiger's paw prints and claim his first Major this Sunday?  I doubt it. Tiger has found his roar and looks poised to finally silence the critics and reclaim the number 1 world golf ranking.

Leading up to the 2011 Masters Championship, the "experts" have been spitting out ignorant statements such as: "Tiger is not ready to contend.", "His swing just isn't there." etc.  They claim Tiger has been struggling on tour.  Sure, he hasn't won a tournament yet, but he hadn't played in a major yet either.  Tiger's goal, as it has always been, is to win majors and beat Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 career majors.  Tiger doesn't care about winning the Houston Shell Open or the Buick Invitational, now the Farmers Insurance Open.  He cares about the big boys.  While most people watched Tiger in the first handful of tournaments this season, they saw him losing.  I saw him practising - getting his swing together so that he could compete where it matters most, at Augusta.

All that practising has paid off, as Tiger has been dialed in and on target all week.  After two rounds, Tiger sits at 7-under, just 3 strokes off the lead.  There are two men between Tiger and first place.  The combined PGA Tour victories of those men, is 2 with no majors.  Tiger Woods on the other hand, has 71 PGA Tour victories, including 14 majors.

Going in to the most pressure filled weekend in golf, I'll put my money on the man that has been to the rodeo before.  I learned a long time ago, to never count Tiger out.  Sunday, April, 10th, everybody else will learn the same.  The waiting will be over and Tiger Woods will retake his thrown, as the best golfer on the planet.