Sponsored By Astroglide,The 2011 NFL Hall Of Fame Voting

Or, alternative title, "Gonzo's Fourth-Annual 'Why In The Hell Isn't Cris Carter In The Hall Of Fame Yet' Post."

I went into today with optimism as a fan of the Minnesota Vikings. Why? Because today was Hall of Fame selection day, and the Minnesota Vikings had two very worthy candidates that were up for enshrinement in Canton. Defensive end Chris Doleman was considered to be a bit of a long shot, to be sure, but he had still made the cut down to the final 15 players that were eligible.

The main reason for my optimism, however, was because I thought that today was the day that legendary wide receiver Cris Carter would finally get the call to football immortality. Carter, who still ranks third in NFL history in receptions with 1,101, fourth in receiving touchdowns with 130, and eighth in receiving yards with 13,899 despite not having played an NFL game since 2002, would surely get in this year, wouldn't he? I mean, there was nobody blocking him this year. . .in his first year of eligibility, he got passed over in favor of Art Monk, and last year was Jerry Rice's year, and no other wide receiver was going to share the stage with him. But this year, this would finally be the year that Carter would break through and get the recognition that he deserved in his first year of eligibility.

Yeah. . .not so much, no.

Star-divide

The Hall of Fame selection process had narrowed their list of modern-era players down to 15 going into today's proceedings. From there, today's voting was set to progress in stages. The first stage was to narrow their list from 15 down to 10. Following that, the list would get sliced from 10 to 5. Finally, there would be an "up or down" vote on the remaining five candidates, although with a class as strong as this year's, there would be little doubt that all five of the final individuals selected would get in.

As I watched the NFL Network stream of the selection show, I saw a man. . .whose name escapes me at the moment, stride to the podium and say, "The list of the final ten candidates for enshrinement is as follows. . ."

So, I start paying a bit more attention. . .

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Puppy Bowl VII:Super Bowl 2011’s Hairy Underbelly

We’re coming up on Super Bowl Sunday, and I have to admit I’ve never been much of a football fan (read: most women in fact are fans). I do, however, enjoy the Super Bowl for its quintessential American traditions. A gathering of friends. Time-tested chili and nacho recipes. The unveiling of big-budget ads.

For these reasons I was amused and, yes, even pleased to learn that another, under-hyped tradition will be making women smile this year. That’s right, Animal Planet’s annual Puppy Bowl–an extravaganza of canine athletics and clucking chicken cheerleaders–enjoys a mostly female audience. Women were 60% of viewers for last year’s special, which pulled a record 8.6 million audience, according to the cable channel owned by Discovery.

This year, the furry fun is back, airing at 3 o’clock on Feb. 6 before the top of the food chain takes the field. From the clips I’ve seen so far, be warned: it is extremely cute. Perhaps women are suckers for the adorable, or maybe its long-time executive producer Melinda Toporoff knows her audience. Either way, I’ll be tuning in for some pre-game paws and awws this Sunday.

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Puppy Bowl 2011

Puppy Bowl 2011, Next to the Super Bowl, the Puppy Cup, this time of year also brings us the Wing Bowl, which is the Super Bowl of competitive eating. It was held in Philadelphia for 19 years and on Friday (February 4), Jonathan they sang “Super” as the winner Squibb 2011.

It was the third victory in a row Squibb, but it is remarkable because he ate a record of 255 wings, beating the former record of 241 Joey Chestnut. Wow. It’s … both wings in 30 minutes, no less. Runner-up El Wingador ate 254, so that these boys came to play this year, apparently.

CBSPhilly told 20,000 people gathered in the Wells Fargo Center to watch the event this year, with tailgating begin at 4:00 Hells yeah.

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Zap2it's top 5 picks in the Puppy Bowl 2011 starting lineup

The 2011 Super Bowl is almost upon us. And with it, we also get the seventh (can you believe it?) incarnation of Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl -- that adorable distraction for the non-sporting and those weary of overproduced halftime shows.

Airing Feb. 6 at 3:00 p.m. ET, and repeating several times afterward, PBVII has 34 dogs on the field and waiting in on the sidelines.

But who's poised for success and the prized title of "Most Valuable Puppy?" We've taken all of their stats into consideration and come up with the five most athletically viable canines (read: we looked at pictures of puppies and randomly selected our favorites). Here's how they stack up:

amy-320-puppy-bowl.jpg5. Amy

Breed: Golden Retriever/Corgi mix; Age: 18-weeks

Part Golden Retriever, this little gal has athleticism in her blood. But genetics could also be her downfall. There's a fair amount of Corgi in there too, and we all know the royal sense of entitlement they tend to carry. At the very least, she has size and age on her side.

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