across the universe.

as compared to the tales recounted by that giant fan who snuck into the team’s private celebration last week, i don’t have anything quite so interesting to say. nevertheless, i think i am finally done with my super bowl hangover and ready to get back into the swing of things. i thought a sports-related post might serve as a nice little transition… so without further adieu, here is me pontificating about the athletic achievements of others:

- the lakers look pretty damned serious now that pau gasol is playing in los angeles. all the talk about kobe skipping town has subsided – i guess bitching and whining truly does net you some results in this world. i wouldn’t expect that this is a championship formula for the lakers, but who knows? no other western conference team has really stood up to claim the “top dog” position.

some folks think that phoenix acquiring shaq makes them serious players. i’m not a believer yet, simply because the big man’s body has broken down (even during miami’s title run). the suns like up-tempo basketball, and need to preserve shaq’s health for the playoffs. when the tempo slows to the typical post-season crawl, he may turn out to be effective. i will say this: i would pay all sorts of cash money to see kobe versus shaq in the playoffs this year.

- paul williams had no business losing to carlos quintana on saturday night. so much for his being touted as the man who had the talent to beat floyd mayweather. williams was hit by every left-handed punch possible. seriously, did he spend the entire time training for this bout against amputees? i’m pretty sure that after the fight i saw an elderly woman in the parking lot land a solid left to paul williams’ jaw.

that was an embarrassing fight for williams, but this bout proved to be another proud moment for puerto rican boxing. the ricans have three welterweight boxing champions at the same time (miguel cotto, kermit cintron, and now quintana). too bad miguel cotto already wiped the floor with carlos quintana, or we might have to stage a boricua elimination match.

- the success of quintana only slightly dulls the pain felt after watching the once legendary felix “tito” trinidad get butchered by roy jones jr. this was a fight that never should have occurred in the first place. why? for the simple reason that in order to calculate the combined ages of these fighters one needs access to radioactive carbon dating equipment.

tito has never in his life been able to find success against boxers who naturally fight in higher weight classes (see: bernard hopkins). in addition to that, trinidad had been on the shelf for a few years while roy had been busy fighting the chump of the month. all the pre-fight indicators spelled doom – and doom is exactly what trinidad received. hopefully, tito will keep his ass on the sidelines and stop ruining his own legacy.

- it’s been a week, now. the moment after i forked over some money to buy the sports illustrated fanboy “thrill pack,” i put in some research time and tried to find another play that could top it. no results. the final tallies are in… this play is without a doubt the greatest in super bowl history:

- it sucks that HBO has finally cancelled “inside the NFL.” while the commentary was always mediocre, i absolutely loved their unique brand of highlights. for those of you who don’t appreciate the sport, i invite you to check out some field-level slow motion video of game action. baring witness to the physics of professional football can be pretty jaw dropping.

i’ve always compared it to watching slow motion replays of pool balls ricocheting off one another, or frame by frame photos of a bullet being fired from a gun. those shots, along with the candid commentary of players and coaches on the sidelines made the program worthwhile. i expect the NFL network will co-opt this type of programming somehow, but i’m still sad to learn such a brilliant show has come to an end.

- it would appear that the best pitcher in baseball – johan santana – is now a new york met. while i applaud general manager omar minaya’s plan to transform queens into the mecca of latino baseball, i’m not sure this move is enough to win my heart back. the sting of last season’s collapse is too harsh. this was the type of move the mets needed LAST SEASON in order to slow their free fall. hopefully, santana can help prevent any similar slides from occurring this go ‘round. i remain skeptical, and cautiously optimistic.

- the miami dolphins are officially groupies for the 2007 ny giants. even so i have to admit that the perfectville ads during the super bowl were great comedy. peace to reebok for also releasing the alternate version that featured the patriots winning the game. another fine twist: these commercials invited me to recall fiona apple’s cover of across the universe, which was done for the pleasantville soundtrack. “nothing’s gonna change my world,” indeed, 1972 undefeated dolphins…

jai guru deva om.

(RIP maharishi mahesh yogi)