It's time for another "off-kilter" look at the world of sports. This time around we look at the Thrashers, who are falling, the A-Rod-Jeter thing, which seems overblown, and Tom Brady, who just might pass the immortal Shawn Kemp. But, even crazier, why the Toronto Raptors might end up as the Eastern Conference's number two seed.

Is there a doctor in the house? Probably not, so let's get started…

ONE: For those who are shocked at the Atlanta Thrasher's complete and utter collapse I have one question for you – whose the number four goal scorer on the team?

Take your time, I'll go get some coffee…

Yeah, tough one huh? It's 29-year-old journeyman Jon Sim – with 15. In a nutshell, that's the Thrasher's problems. While their expansion brethren have largely been able to create deep squads (if nothing else), the birds have a great top line – and little else.

And, that top line is soft. So without a second line to help out Atlanta can struggle mightily against more determined foes (read: anyone). While the Thrashers do have a lunch-bucket brigade, those players just aren't that good.

Add to that the fact Atlanta has neither an offensive or defensively dominating blue-liner, and it shouldn't come as a surprise that the team has won just four of its last 23 games in regulation.

While Atlanta has righted things slightly the other night against Carolina, Atlanta is no lock for a play-off spot.

TWO: Before the season began, I picked the Nashville Predators to win the Stanley Cup (I than quietly cursed not going with Anaheim and their two all-universe defensemen).

I think GM David Poile has made a GREAT move adding Peter Forsberg though, and not just for this season. There seems to be this sense that this is a rental player move at best. But, why? Forsberg doesn't seem ready to hang up the skates. In fact he's more likely to be one of those guys who hangs on a little too long if anything – his competitive desire is THAT strong.

If "Foppa" wanted back to Sweden, he never would have come back from the lockout – case closed.

But, even if Peter does walk away, as a free agent or otherwise, how much did the Preds really give up? Yes, it's true it's basically the equivalent of three first round picks, but the Preds DON'T need more youth.

Besides, Scottie Upshall is what he is, and probably not good enough for the second line on a good team. Ryan Parent could be very good, but we won't know for years. And, the first rounder in next year's draft – it'll be one of the three worst picks (and with Bobby Clarke and his admittedly excellent drafting decisions gone, who knows what the Flyers will make of it).

I still wonder if Nashville is big enough to win, and I still wonder if they have the shutdown blue-liner that is so valuable. But, this team is very deep. It does have rugged pieces (Scott Hartnell will be invaluable in the post-season) and now they have the greatest NHL power-forward of his time.

Seems like a decent gamble to me.

ONE: Anyone else as worried as I am that the Jays have left NO room for their young pitchers to take the next step?

Right now, one of the kids would have to have a BLOW-AWAY spring-training to make the rotation, and even that might not be enough if vets like John Thomson and Toma Ohka pitch like they can (not to mention the possibility Josh Towers makes like Lazarus).

Even more disturbingly, someone I know who makes his living covering baseball hinted that GM J.P. Riccardi is unlikely to give any of the kids a chance because he feels the pressure to win now.

That means players like Casey Janssen, Shawn Marcum and Dustin McGowan may have to go elsewhere.

Yes, in the short term the Jays may be better off with a rotation that goes Roy Halladay-A.J. Burnett-Gustavo Chacin-John Thomson-Tomo Ohka. But, it isn't hard to see that the Jays future success (and this is NOT an old team) hinges on if a young name or two can fight its way into the rotation the way Chien-Ming Wang did in New York, or Eric Bedard did in Baltimore. 

Because if the Gil Meche and Ted Lilly chase taught Toronto fans anything, it's that the Jays can't count on the free-agency market.

TWO: This A-Rod Jeter flap is ridiculous – even by New York standards.

Watch the tape. A-Rod says he still respects Jeter, is still his friend, it's just "we don't go out to dinner every night like we used to."

Uh, isn't that the relationship between EVERY male once he hits 25?

It's just another example of the media creating something out of nothing. So, I'm going to stop doing my part right now.

ONE: Am I pig for wanting to high five Tom Brady after learning he impregnated his very hot and (ex) girlfriend Bridget Moynahan?

Ok… just checking.

TWO: Seriously, really? Because what Tom did is pretty impressive….

(work safe picture here: http://members.lycos.nl/mikeyrubens/hpbimg/Bridget%20Moynahan.jpg

I'm just saying….

TWO AND A HALF: If Tom plays this right, do you think he could possibly reconcile with his rumored to be current girlfriend Gisele Bundchen?

(Another hot pic – http://www.glamourparis.com/uploads/tx_usersmilealbum/gisele-bundchen-2.jpg)

If Tom pulls that off how many statues get built? I'm thinking somewhere between George Washington and Neil Armstrong territory here.

(Of course that's going to be tricky because you have to assume Gisele – yes we're old friends – opted out of girlfriend status about 35 micro-seconds after the news hit the wires).

But if Tom does do this -- what about remaking his life into one of those classic 50's style family sitcoms – you know, "Tom, and Bridget and Gisele and three children make six?"

TWO AND THREE QUARTERS: (Whoa, this is new territory here)... And, since we all know the first time of ANYTHING is the hardest one – is there a remote chance Brady could challenge Shawn Kemp in the illegitimate children sweepstakes?

Right now you have to figure Brady is like 60-1, but if, and I'm just spit-balling here, Brady gets traded to Cincinnati, I think that HAS to brings the odds down to even.

(And, on that same vein, if "the Rainman" had been traded at the end of his career to Portland, would everyone be a Kemp?)

ONE: The truly sad part about the NBA All-Star game is it COULD be very exciting. A couple of years ago when Allen Iverson rallied the EAST to a late win against a WEST side nobody though the EAST had a chance against, the fourth quarter was incredible.

Bill Simmons has a great article about the 1987 All-Star game, which even reading about a decade later sounds transcendent.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/070215

So, clearly it can happen.

What the NBA really needs to do is to get a few more Chauncey Billups in the game. Billups you may have read was openly lobbying his EAST teammates to try to win the game.

So, help Chauncey out and invite those guys. (and, this would go against conventional wisdom a little, but a lot of those guys are probably stars on losing teams – who just want to win something).

What this may mean is using fan All-Star balloting as only a factor in the decision to put together the team. Let the coaches pick a squad of players they'd want to go to war with – winners, in other words. Then if there was a situation where the coaches were split, go to the fan balloting as the deciding factor.

Or choose the starting five from last year's conference finalists, and round the bench out with other stars, making it more of a team game (and also rewarding the team concept, which the NBA is trying so hard to spread across the league).

Anyway you look at it, the NBA has to find a way to get NBA stars caring about winning the game. It seems to me you do that by putting in players who are likely to care, guys who just want to win. Then you can get the All-Star mystique back where it should be – to a place where the players feel legitimately honored for being there, where they know they are there because people who really understand the game say they should be.

It's not impossible. In Major League Baseball the All-Star Game is usually tightly contested. And, that's before the World Series "kicker" was added.

So, why not the NBA?

TWO: Now comes the hard part for Raptor coach Sam Mitchell.

Until now the Raps have been a feel good story. But with the team playing so well, expectations are high for the first time in Mitchell's tenure. There is a growing feeling that not only should the Raps win the Atlantic, they should be able to host a round of the playoffs. Some feel the Raps should even be disappointed if they can't win a round.

That means Mitchell's X's and O's skills will be tested. And, while the coach has grown in leaps and bounds in that department since he first started, it's not exactly his strong suit.

Specifically, with the Raps interior defense and rebounding weak, Mitchell will have a tough decision to make on Rasho Nesterovic's playing time. When Rasho is on the court, he can legitimately guard any NBA big-man who relies on power. The seven-foot tall Slovenian is also savvy enough to slow foes who have an athletic advantage.

When the Raps lost to Detroit right before the All-Star break, the Pistons Chris Webber and Rasheed Wallace killed the Raps talented but slender big men Chris Bosh and rookie Andrea Bargnani.

While Mitchell doesn't want to detract from Bargnani's growth, he will have to pick his spots in big games for the youngster.

Remember, the Raps started their turnaround when Bosh was hurt and Rasho received more consistent burn. As the center, he helped give the Raps a credible defensive backcourt, allowing players like Jorge Garbajosa and Anthony Parker to focus more on man-to-man defense instead of constantly having to double down.

If Sam plays Rasho too much, he loses the offensive threat that is Barngani (not to mention he'll be accused of stifling the Italian's potential), but if he sticks with Andrea late in games against good offensive rebounding teams like Detroit and Cleveland he may very well be doing his team a disservice.

How Mitchell chooses to handle this problem will go a long way to deciding his employment status for next year.

TWO AND A HALF: And while we're on the Raps -- here is my crazed prediction: Toronto will be battling it out with Miami for the second seed in the East.

Detroit is going to run and hide on the pack in the East – that's a given. But, after that, it is wide open. If Chicago adds Pau Gasol and DOESN'T give up Luol Deng, than they probably snag the two seed by finishing behind Detroit. But if not? The Bulls have been plenty up and down and lack a legit inside presence, making them live and die on the jumper.

If Chicago doesn't make a move, than Cleveland stays ahead of them. But I have to say I don't love the Cleveland cast, and the team has been so up and down this year, I don't think they are capable of a long sustained run.

Even without Antawn Jamison, the Washington Wizards' record was better than they deserved. An offensive team has to hit its shots and a bad defensive team gives up lay-ups. Now that they have lost Antawn, Washington will struggle to play their style and as a result I could see them slip closer to .500.

That leaves Toronto, Indiana and Miami. I look at the Pacers as a better version of the Cavs, but without the one key talent needed to go on long runs. So they're out.

The Raps have a favorable schedule (LOTS of division games left), and they have a truly excellent offence. With Bosh able to score at will on the inside, the Raps plethora of solid shooters get open looks, and there really isn't a single player on the team who can't hit an open jumper. Add to that the ball movement they are getting from the two-headed point-guard monster (we'll call him T.J. Calderon), and its rare Toronto makes more than two trips in a row down the court without getting a high-percentage shot.

While the Raps don't rebound well, they do defend decently, so if they can limit second
chance opportunities they can keep opponents in check.

Meanwhile, Miami has two all-world players, and some excellent role-players who excel at what they are asked to do (guys like Udonis Haslem, and three-point champ Jason Kapono). Miami also has a sweetheart schedule, and should easily be able to eat up the four-game lead Washington has on them in the Southeast.

Look for both teams to get within spitting distance of 50 wins (yes, the Raps are actually that tough an out). While it's possible that may not put them ahead of the second-best Central team, I believe the winner of the Heat-Raptors race will end up with the number two seed.