I've got the Mighty Os Holes in Fantasy this week. I'm not fooled at all by their 0-3 start. I've got a feeling J.T. O'Sullivan's gonna go off on New Orleans, and my squad, Blowcho Cinco, may be in trouble.

But what got me really fired up wasn't his vanilla comments, like, "we're not very good," or "I want my money back," or "there's not a chance I'm playing next year."

He told me he's sitting Ben Roethlisberger. That got me fired up.

See, Fantasy Football is a sacred thing between guys, and competitors step up to play when they're properly motivated. I had no reason to want to play until Os started talking trash.

Now I've got my bulletin board material. I wouldn't be able to get up for the game without out.

Sound ridiculous?

Steelers rookie running back Rashard Mendenhall allegedly sent a few text messages to friend and Ravens running back Ray Rice, apparently, suggesting Mendenhall was going to have a big game Monday night.

Allegedly, Rice beelined it straight over to the Ravens defensive players, and showed them the texts. That fired up the outspoken Bart Scott, who ESPN's James Walker quoted as saying:

"He said later that he was just joking, but it's too late. Thanks for the bulletin-board material, rookie.

What a pussy.

Bart, I took you for a real competitor. My mistake. The media give us the impression this is a really big game for both teams. I would think playing on Monday Night for the lead of the AFC North against your biggest rival would be enough in itself.

Apparently, you need text messages coming from rookie running backs to motivate you to play. That's gutsy, man.

The same way Os fired me up is going to motivate you to play better. All Steelers players are going to remember to steer clear of your verbal tirade when you or one of your Ravens buddies over-exaggerate a tackle, or celebrate a six-yard gain because you know you're on TV.

Here's some more bulletin board material for you:

Your defense consists of a bunch of pile-jumping, stats-before-team prima donnas.

Jason Whitlock once wrote: "Call me when the Ravens win a playoff game."

That was sometime around 2004. His phone's been silent since. Perhaps that's because you need a wireless device communicae between friends to get ready to play.

Labels: News