Ha, Ha. It's Back! The A2K NFL "Pick-Um" Game!

They gave us the Beatles and the Stones. They gave us James Bond and Robin Hood. They gave us Shakespeare and Newton.

And, in return, we're giving them the Bucs?

What did the English ever do to us to deserve this?

They gave us Monty Python and the Lord of the Rings. They gave us King Arthur and Sherlock Holmes. They gave us the rubber band and the mousetrap.

And, despite that, we're giving them the Bucs?

When you think about it, isn't this worse than dumping all that tea into the harbor?

What we have here is an international incident in the making. The Bucs, the winless, clueless, hopeless Bucs, are about to invade England Sunday for their latest attempt to play American football. What? Do we think the Brits are paying such little attention they won't recognize the difference between a real NFL team and this one?

Here's a question: Once the Bucs get to London, are we absolutely certain they can clear customs? Wouldn't they be stopped for the same reason a visitor cannot bring rotten fruit into a country?

Somehow, I keep imagining this scene: Bucs coach Raheem Morris approaches the passport agent, who looks at Morris, then at the passport, and then at the NFL standings.

"Tell me,'' the agent says. "Are you really here on business, or did you get deported by America?''

"We're here to play football,'' Morris replies. "American football. You know, in American football, you can use your hands.''

"Not the way your wide receivers play,'' the agent says.

When you think about it, doesn't this game violate some sort of international trade agreement? Last Nov. 30, on the day this game was announced, the Bucs were a 9-3 team that seemed to be headed for the playoffs for a second straight year. They still had Derrick Brooks and Warrick Dunn, players who have some familiarity among those who follow the NFL from afar. They still had Jon Gruden, the man who inspired all those Parliamentary debates of "Who Gets Credit for the Super Bowl " Gruden or Dungy?''

"We're here to play football,'' Morris replies. "American football.
You know, in American football, you can use your hands.''

"Not the way your wide receivers play,'' the agent says.

(is 17 a possible option?)

George was 10-4 and the top ESPN guy was only 9-5????

What are the chances of that?