No one in the Connecticut media is more guilty of hyper-localizing sports than me. I admit, it will always be Cheshire's Brian Leetch and not the Rangers. And if I Heisman winner eats at a McDonalds off of I-95, I may cover it. I am guilty as charged.

But we do actually have a lot of Connecticut connections here at the Super Bowl in Arizona. Giants guard Chris Snee told me today that he bought a Southern CT State sweatshirt. It was his way of busting on two of his coaches--Chris Palmer and Kevin Gilbride---both Southern Alums. Gilbride, who is from North Haven originally joked with me that the shirt is the Giants key to success.

The CT ties do not end there. Palmer was the Head Coach at New Haven, Gilbride at Southern. Palmer and two other Giants assistants coached at various times at UConn. Patriots Coach Bill Belichick went to Wesleyan while Pats VP Scott Pioli is a Central alum. Maybe Gilbride is right: CT is the cradle of coaches.

The Rangers retired Brian Leetch's #2 tonight. Where does the time go?

Some of you remember Leetch growing up in Cheshire where he was a star hockey player and baseball pitcher. I actually heard about Leetch when I was 12 and my friends in New Hampshire lost to Leetch and Cheshire in a national youth hockey tournament in Michigan.

I got my own first hand experience of Leetch's greatness in high school. For a brief time, I was the backup goalie for Phillips Andover. Our first game was against Leetch and Avon Old Farms. It was 1986. Leetch and I were both seniors. May the hockey comparisons end there.

Our starting goalie took a puck to the throat in warmups and so I was stuck in goal. Scary. Here I was, a baseball/football player who was convinced to tryout for hockey by a couple of friends. Little did I know I would actually make the team. The truth is that I could barely skate and we had no other backup.

Fortunately, our starting netminder got bandaged up and played. I think the final was 13-1. Leetch must have had 8 points. I'm not making that up. And I can only imagine what the final might have been had I been in the nets. Needless to say, I was mesmerized sitting on the bench and watching Leetch. He made the game look like it was in slow motion. Two years later, he was an Olympian and then a New York Ranger.

The rest, as they say, is history: 11 All-Stars games, 2 Norris Trophies (given to the NHL's best defenseman), the 1994 Conn Smythe Trophy (playoffs MVP) and that memorable 1994 Stanley Cup. As someone who originally grew up on Long Island a Rangers fan, I can honestly say he's the best Ranger of all-time. He is also the greatest American born hockey player ever.

On top of everything else, Brian Leetch is a modest, decent man. I met him at a charity dinner for CF last November and he could not have been any more genuine and humble. It's pretty neat when someone you've followed for 20 years actually turns out to be a really good guy.

So good for the Rangers in retiring Brian Leetch's number 2. He is number one in my book.

I feel really bad for Mel Thomas. She is a senior and will not get another shot to play for the Huskies unless Geno Auriemma pulls another Nykesha Sales trick and suits her up for one basket. What makes this so hard is that unlike Kalana Greene, there is no next season for Mel--at least not in Storrs.

A few weeks ago, I thought the Huskies were a lock for the Final Four. Now, nothing is a layup. I still think they have enough talent to win a 6th National Championship. But clearly, they are not as deep with the loss of two starters. And at some point, that has to take its toll, right?

The UConn men need to get their season going. After losing some close games to good teams, they got wiped out by a "pretty" good Providence squad. With a six game stretch coming up of Marquette, Cincinnati, Indiana, Louisville, Pittsburgh and Syracuse, the Huskies better start playing a lot of better or it will be a long season. A 3-3 record over this stretch would actually be very good.

I like the Patriots and Packers to win this weekend. I think the Chargers keep it close for a half, if Phillip Rivers can play. Otherwise, it could get ugly. Bottom line, how can you not pick the undefeated Pats at home?

I know, how can you not go with the Giants on the road. Big Blue has won 9 in a row on the road. But I think the dream ends at Green Bay Sunay. The Packers are playing very well. They are home and I just think the Pack is a little better than the Giants. I hope I am wrong. Wouldn't be the first time. Enjoy the weekend and all the games.

Let me be absolutely blunt: I think Roger Clemens is absolutely guilty of taking steroids. I watched his "60 Minutes" interview and his entire news conference today in Houston. I just cannot believe anything this guy is saying.

Today Clemens and his lawyer played an audio tape of a phone conversation of Clemens and his former trainer Brian McNamee (who is the one who accused Clemens of taking steroids in the Mitchell Report). To me the most telling thing in this conversation was whenever Clemens denied taking steroids and said it was not true, McNamee never once said anything like, "I know its not true". McNamee sounded scared and confused, and I think Clemens was taking the role of the bully by controlling the conversation.

Also, both today and in the "60 Minutes" interview he said he had no knowledge of Andy Pettitte taking human growth hormones (HGH). I don't buy that one bit. Pettitte and him are so close. Pettitte treats Clemens like an older brother and I just can't believe that those two wouldn't have discussed this. In addition, why would McNamee (who was also Pettitte's trainer) lie about Clemens and tell the truth about Pettitte. It just doesn't make any sense.

Clemens filed a defamation lawsuit against McNamee yesterday. This is probably going to turn into a long legal battle, but in the "court of public opinion" is he already guilty? I know in my head, right now he is. Roger may not ever pitch again in the Major Leagues, but I don't think the Rocket will be going away anytime soon.

Wow! Did I really get a picture of Bill Belichick smiling? Actually, the Associated Press did. And for that, they deserve some sort of award. But my blog entry today is actually about the award bestowed by the Associated Press on the Patriots Head Coach.

Bill Belichick wins Associated Press coach of the years honors for the second time in 4 years. Now to some of you, myself included, this is a no brainer. But the "Spygate" conspiracy theorists will argue otherwise.

I have no problem with the way the NFL punished Belichick and the Pats for their alleged video taping and "spying" on the Jets. I think losing a first round pick and fining Belichick and the Pats was the right thing to do. But how can you not give this guy coach of the years honors?

Belichick led the Pats to the first "16-0" regular season in history. The '72 Dolphins went 14-0. In hindsight, we can all question the rest of the league for not going after Randy Moss and Wes Welker. But would these guys have done this well catching the football elsewhere? Probably not. Sure, Belichick has Tom Brady throwing to these guys. But the coach, known for his defensive schemes, ultimately calls the shots on offense too. And his decision to use Welker as much as he has a possession receiver has been nothing short of brilliant. Moreover, how many Randy Moss incidents have there been. Zero off the field . 23 in the endzone--his record total of receiving td's. Belichick has gotten one of football's most talented, yet selfish players, to buy into the concept of team. The results speak for themselves. Even with "Spygate" on Belichick's '07 resume. He totally deserves coach of the year honors.

As an aside, if you ever want to know more about Belichick, read the late David Halberstam's book "The Education of a Coach." It is an absolutely fantastic read.

Lastly, kudos to you UConn fans who flew to the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte. Good call. With much of my family having migrated to the Charlotte area, we opted to pack the three kids into the family mini-van and drive down. Yikes. 17 hours on the way down! "Only "13 1/2 coming back. My wife was right...again. The dvd player in the car was a good investment.

Happy New Year everyone!