Let the weaning begin

By Steven Lienert

Hi. I'm Steve, and I'm an addict.

Every year about this time, thanks to the drug dealer that is the NFL, I go into football withdrawal.

Sure, they start you off with the small stuff -- fantasy football drafts, training camp, preseason. But then they hit you with stronger stuff to get the fix -- thus opening day.

And after the season starts, we get our fix every Sunday for 21 consecutive weeks. That is until the bye week before the Super Bowl. Because that's when it hits you -- you have one more week of real football.

But, like any good dealer, the NFL gives you one, last humongous hit -- the Super Bowl. The week after, the league gives its fans the equivalent of methadone -- the Pro Bowl.

After that we are on our own until draft day. And it sucks.

Now's usually the time I start paying real attention to the Flyers and Sixers. Too bad for them, because the Flyers are buried deeper than Jimmy Hoffa.

And the Sixers are doing their fan base an injustice by winning so much. They went from being a mortal lock to have a top-two pick in one of the deepest drafts in years to a team that has had to struggle to get to mediocrity.

Is it really necessary to just hand the Celtics Greg Oden or Kevin Durant?

Football season is over. The hockey team is a lost cause and the only thing we have to root for is the Sixers to lose more often than they are.

I'd never thought I'd say this, but I'm looking forward to pitchers and catchers reporting on Valentine's Day. Until then, let's go Soul!