By updating RealClearSports I read hundreds of articles every week but sometimes there are particularly passages that need highlighting. And to make these passages more palatable I'm doing them in award form! The awards are completely random and will change weekly.

The NFL recently mandated that stadiums post fantasy stats on scoreboards. The league realizes that fans care just as much about their fantasy team as they do their actual team (especially when those actual teams quickly work their way out of the playoff picture). But will flashing how many receiving yards Jacoby Ford has really keep fans coming to stadiums? The idea of putting fantasy stats on scoreboards seems to have come about 10-15 years too late. Now the majority of fans that go to NFL games have smartphones. They are checking fantasy stats in real-time and don't have to wait for the scoreboard to flash their players on the board. Many even have a service through Verizon where they can watch the NFL Network and NFL RedZone.

The way the NFL should get fans more involved is through interactive smartphone applications. These apps could tell fans where a former player is signing autographs, have trivia questions in which fans can win prizes, offer discounts on certain concessions and provide in-game replays. Some stadiums have jumped on board the technology bandwagon with free Wi-Fi or devices that have replays and other video options but will it be enough to keep fans coming back?

I don't understand why fans go in the first place. Unless you have seats on the 50-yard line or in a luxury box with a butler, free food and heating and air conditioning I don't see why you would go - especially if you have a family. I'm not even talking about security issues, what with fans getting tased at games (and worse). Monte Poole of the Oakland Tribune: The average cost for a family of four to attend an NFL game is more than $400. DirecTV's Sunday Ticket package, offering a full schedule of games for the entire regular season, costs a little more than $300.

A ticket means traffic, before and after the game. It means paying a steep price for parking.

No thanks. Give me my own couch, my own TV, my own team, my own snacks and the ability to pause and replay all I want in a controlled climate any day of the week.  On to the awards!

Insane Stat of the Week

Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer rattles off a bunch of cumulative stats while Paterno has coached Penn State: The numbers that matter have nothing to do with the 1,077 lettermen during his tenure, the record 37 bowl games the Nittany Lions have played under him, or the 26 sets of fathers and sons he has coached. (And if you want to bet against his coaching a father-son-grandson combination, go ahead. I'll fade the old man on that one.)

26 sets of fathers and sons?? That's unbelievable. No snarky comments here - just ridiculous.

Fun With Logic

Yahoo! Sports has their "absurdly premature 2011 playoff picture" and MJD comes with some logic I like: There's nothing in there that's a terribly bold choice. However, since there's almost always at least a 50 percent turnover rate in playoff teams from one year to the next, and I have significantly less than that, couldn't that itself be considered bold? I say yes, because sometimes I convince myself of ridiculous things in order to boost my self-esteem.

Me too. Me too.

Positive Story of the Week

It's become trendy among sports fans to make fun of Dick Vitale. He's too loud. He loves Duke and the ACC too much. He's too loud. But for those that "hate" Vitale, you should read this article by Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star about all the positive things Vitale does in the community.

Taking the Easy Target

Bill Plaschke of the LA Times takes aim at Rex Ryan: The NFL season hasn't even started yet and officials already need to throw a flag.

Can somebody please penalize Rex Ryan for illegal procedure of his mouth?

Ryan, the giant coach of the New York Jets who talks like he eats -- in huge quantities, sometimes making a huge mess -- has crossed the line from dumb to dangerous.

On Wednesday afternoon, talking about the Dallas Cowboy fans who are expected to show up at MetLife Stadium on Sunday for the season opener, Ryan said, "I don't know why they'd be here. They're coming into our stadium. It's probably not recommended that you wear Cowboys stuff, I would think."

Give it a rest. That's just coach talk. Why blame Ryan for fans' actions? I have a novel idea - blame the fans. These are grown adults. They make their own decisions and must deal with those consequences.

Tackling a Tougher Target

Steve Nash is practically a God in Canada. Canada has produced plenty of comedians and female singers but not too many professional athletes. Not only did Steve Nash make it in the NBA but he's twice been named the MVP. But Steve Buffery of the Toronto Sun doesn't think he has done enough for his country: I guess busting some moves at a hip-hop festival, goofing around with Biebs and pretending to be a pro soccer player was more important to Steve Nash than helping his country qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.

Buffery is angry that Nash isn't playing for Team Canada. Nash is 37 years old and is often seen laying on his back when he heads to the bench. He has done plenty for Canada and Canadian basketball just by being him. He's an ambassador of the sport and if he doesn't want to put his body through more wear and tear during his time off then that's his prerogative.

Hard-Hitting Analysis

Someone should thank Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun for his advice on how the Ravens could beat the Steelers: Somebody make a play.

In the NFL, a head coach's responsibility is to have his team in position to win in the last four minutes of every game. Then, players have to make plays. Against the Steelers, the Ravens haven't had many players consistently make plays. ... On the other side, Pittsburgh has many guys who make plays.

Make PLAYS. Ohhhhh. That's what the Ravens had been doing wrong. They forgot to make plays. Also, isn't the coach just as important (if not more so) in the final four minutes of the game? He has to put the players in the right spots to make plays and attempt to predict the opponent's strategy. But looks like the Ravens took his advice and made plays as they beat the Steelers, 35-7.

Idea I Thought Was Crazy But Looking More Sane Now

Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports thinks the Colts are going to be bad. So bad that they should tank the season for the chance to draft Andrew Luck. At first this seemed crazy because the Colts shouldn't be THAT bad without Manning. But then they played their opener and were killed by the Texans. I still think it's a little crazy to assume they will be this bad for the rest of the season and if more teams took his advice it would make for some hilarious games late in the year with two teams trying to lose games but maybe he's on to something with this one.

Using the Same Joke Twice

Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune was not impressed with McNabb's debut with the Vikings. He must've been so upset he used the same joke twice: In the second half of his debut, McNabb threw for fewer yards than there are Kardashian sisters. ... Poor planning prompted him to waste 37 of those yards in the first half, leaving only 2 -- that's a 2 followed by a decimal point and as many zeros as you like -- for the second half. He could have presented a yard each as a gift to Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, but Khloe would have been out of luck.

Was this for emphasis? Did he really mean to say it twice? It reminds me of a comedian that doesn't get a laugh on the punchline so they repeat it and still no one laughs.

And on an emotional evening that marked the 10-year anniversary of the 9-11 attacks, the Jets found a way to put a consoling smile on the faces of New Yorkers everywhere Sunday night. ... If you believe in karma, however, the outcome -- Jets 27, Cowboys 24 -- was meant to be.

For the Cowboys, karma meant a quarterback Tony Romo fumble at the Jets' 3-yard line, just as Dallas was about to reach the end zone and move into a commanding two-touchdown lead.

It meant a blocked punt, transformed into a touchdown by the Jets' Isaiah Trufant.

It meant a woefully underthrown pass by Romo -- Tony Oh-no! -- that was intercepted by Darrelle Revis to set up Nick Folk's game-winning 50-yard field goal.

And karma, on this night, meant that the Cowboys somehow squandered a tenacious defensive effort.

"I honestly don't know the answer," Serena said.

She should.

Does it really matter that it happened on September 11th? Wouldn't her outburst have been inappropriate no matter what day it happened on? You could argue that the sporting event shouldn't have taken place on the anniversary but since it did it the athlete shouldn't act or be treated any differently on that day. The way Serena berated the official is uncalled for whether it happened on September 11th or September 12th.

Call for Tillman into Hall of Fame

I recently watched the Pat Tillman documentary, "The Tillman Story," but it seems Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel has not watched it: After watching many of the emotional 9/11 tributes at football games across the nation over the weekend, I think this is a good time to revisit a topic I wrote about a few years ago:

Shouldn't Pat Tillman, a true American hero, be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

I'm no expert on Tillman. Like I mentioned above, I've just recently seen the documentary about his death and the subsequent cover-up. But what I gathered from that was that Tillman wouldn't want to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame just because he gave up football and died for his country. He wanted to stay out of the limelight and I think he'd view getting into the Hall of Fame not based on his production on the field as an insult. He wouldn't want to be pitied nor would his family want that. His induction would also be another promotion for the military and that's something his family definitely wouldn't want. They were very disillusioned with the military and government after they exploited their son's death as a recruiting tool. Tillman will always be remembered for his bravery but to put him in the Hall of Fame just wouldn't be right.