Final LLWS Update: Saugus lost the third place game to the team from the Netherlands Antilles. Hensley Meulens would be proud.

Both JQ and Dwight talk about some important pre-season injuries in the NFL (and I join Dwight's fraught watch on the Eagles, which is especially concerning given that my fantasy team's success will fairly well mirror that team's actual success).

JQ marvels at the gall of charging full-price to mostly watch guys you last saw at the Kelly Tire Blue-Grey Game, but seems more at peace with doing so that I would be.

I tend to think the exhibition season is too long. The CFL gives each team 2 games, which should be fine for the NFL as well. Given the off-season conditioning and the in-camp scrimmages against other teams, how many practice games to teams really need to get into playing shape? I know, it's about the money, but do you think that the injuries to Vick and Pennington are really going to help the bottom line?

I know that fewer games would also cut into the NFL's drive to become the One Great American Sport. Then again, without those young stars, Tag and the boys won't be able to make their takeover complete (then again again, if they're still available as players on the latest version of Madden, many football fans [or "fans"] won't care if they're playing in real life).

(CFL aside: the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, four years removed from winning the Grey Cup, are 0-10. Please send your condolences to Mike Burger at...)