The Joys of (200)6: Hitman's Year in Review, Part I

Top 6 Things and People to Leave Behind in '06:

6. Dennis Green: The Cardinals were exactly who I thought they were.

5. Barry Bonds: Retire. Please. Ben Johnson didn't get the silver medal, so be content with your lot and find yourself a nice, peaceful, secluded, shark-infested beach.

4. No-Name Bowls: We really don't need a January 7, 2007 International Bowl in Toronto. We don't need 6-6 teams playing anytime after their conference schedules are done. May 2007 be free from all bowl games (a) sponsored by companies we've never heard of, (b) in places we'd never go, and (c) featuring teams that don't have winning records.

3. Tom Coughlin: I picked the Giants to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. I didn't have faith in them to win it, but I thought - as many did - that there was enough talent to run the NFC table. You know what? There is enough talent on the G-Men to come in first in the weak NFC. There is no excuse why the Giants are 7-8, not with the raw ability they have. To be fair, the team's collapse and infighting isn't necessarily or even primarily Coughlin's fault - but when a coach loses total control over a team that underachieves in the way the Giants have, the coach's head must roll.

2. The Atlantic Division: These five teams aren't even close to .500. The NBA should just sit this group down until fall, and let the East play a 6-team playoffs, NFL-style. Division winners get the byes, and let the others duke it out. Do we need to waste the Bulls' or Cavs' time in sweeping the pathetic #4 seed that will come out of the Atlantic?

1. NFL hyper-parity: I love parity when it gives each team a chance to improve in each off-season enough to at least make the playoffs the following year. I hate parity when it levels the playing field too much. The NFC features five 7-8 teams that could make the playoffs - and that lucky winner could go in at 7-9. There needs to be a greater spread in each conference - and 9-7 playoff teams should be the minimum, and 10-6 should be more common than that. Jacksonville's still in this? The Niners were just eliminated this past Sunday? Yuck.