Newspapers and websites are burning up with talk about a possible Alex Rodriquez for Manny Ramirez trade. If you can believe what you read, Rodriquez would like to come to Boston and Ramirez is willing to head to Texas. If the Sox pulled off this trade, they would receive the best player in the game and a guy that could easily bash 55 homers and drive in 150 runs in the middle of a potent lineup. With all due respect to Nomar, A-Rod would also be a defensive upgrade at shortstop. The trade would allow the Sox to rid themselves of Manny’s Ramirez’s poor attitude, which is not likely to improve if he’s forced to remain in Boston. The downside is an extra $5 million per year in salary over the next five years and an extra $27 million per year in 2009 and 2010. The Sox may also need to give up a pitcher in a deal with Texas. This would be a reasonable request from the Rangers given that A-Rod is a better player than Ramirez. What is unreasonable is any request by Texas that the Red Sox subsidize a portion of Manny’s contract. This trade would save the Rangers about $86 million over the next seven years. To ask for more money is outrageous and I don’t think the Sox would consider it.

If an A-Rod for Manny trade does become a reality, the Sox would quickly turn their attention to working on trading Nomar Garciaparra, more than likely to Los Angeles or Anaheim. The Dodgers are pursuing Japanese shortstop Kaz Matsui and the Angels are a possibility for Miguel Tejada so if both LA area teams landed shortstops, the market for Nomar would dry up quickly. The good news is that Matsui appears to be close to going to the Mets and Tejada is talking seriously with the Mariners. In a best case scenario, the Angels and Dodgers would be competing for Garciaparra. The Angels have several offensive players that might interest the Sox, though it is unclear which players the Angels would be willing to part with. Based on what I have read, the Angels have severely overvalued their talent. Both the Angels and Dodgers could offer pitching, either in a trade for Garciaparra or as part of a three-way deal involving Texas and both Garciaparra and Ramirez.

Speaking of the Dodgers, I heard rumors this week of a possible trade that would send Kevin Brown to the Red Sox. I cannot think of anything worse. Kevin Brown is by far the biggest jerk in baseball. I would rather have two Carl Everett’s on the roster than one Kevin Brown. He is a microcosm for everything that is wrong with today’s athlete and is an injury waiting to happen. I have faith in the new Red Sox management and I know that he would never consider a trade that would leave the Red Sox with Brown and his $15 million per year contract. Previous rumors had Brown heading to the Yankees. This makes perfect sense. Brown and Gary Sheffield fit the Yankee mold perfectly.

The dunces that run Major League Baseball once again made it clear that they will do whatever they can to help the Yankees win. Last week, the MLB Expos sent one of the best young pitchers in the game, Javier Vazquez, to the Yankees for Nick “.284 average, 14 homers” Johnson and two lawn gnomes. The Expos received 30 cents on the dollar in this deal and everyone knows it. To give up Vazquez for anything less than Alfonso Soriano is criminal. I can’t deny that Major League Baseball is a healthier business when the Yankees are winning, but does the league need to be this obvious about helping to ensure that it happens? Did I miss the memo where the Expos became the Yankee AAAA minor league affiliate? “Conflict of Interest” does not even begin to describe what is going on with Major League Baseball and the Expos.

If you use the Vazquez deal as a barometer, the Red Sox should be able to acquire Jose Vidro from the Expos for Jeremy Giambi, Ramiro Mendoza and Damian Jackson.

I am getting very tired of hearing the inaccuracies coming from New York Newsday regarding trade talks in major league baseball. I would love to know who these “sources” are that they reference in the paper. Huggy Bear? Sporty James from Hunter? People on internet message boards inventing fake trades? The two worst major newspapers in America are both published in New York City. Coincidence? I think not.

There were so many things to like about the Curt Schilling trade/signing. I love the fact that Theo Epstein and Larry Luchino were able to sell the Red Sox to Schilling. There is absolutely no way that Dan Duquette could have closed the deal. I was also astonished that Schilling spent several hours after midnight on the Sons of Sam Horn Sox message board chatting with fans and finding out about the team and the city. Schilling’s decision may have actually turned because of his positive experience with those diehard Sox fans. Best of all was the fact that Schilling represented himself in the contract negotiations. The Sox and Schilling will have a little more money in their pockets because no agent was involved. Schilling even indicated that he didn’t think an agreement could have been reached had an agent been involved. I hope that more players follow Curt’s lead and dump their agents. It makes me feel better knowing that some snake won’t collect $2 million because of Schilling’s hard work on the mound.

In one of the stranger stories of the year, a naked man suffering from a gunshot wound appeared at Cal Ripken’s front door on Thanksgiving night, pleading for help. The man claims that he was kidnapped on Thanksgiving Day, held captive for nine hours, forced into the trunk of a car, ordered to strip off his clothes and run, then shot as he ran away. Ripken called 911 and help arrived immediately. The man was released from the hospital the next day.

On Friday, Ripken’s streak of consecutive days in which a naked man with a gunshot wound appeared at his front door ended at one.

As of right now, the road to the Superbowl goes through Foxboro. If the Patriots win their last three games (all against teams with losing records) they will guarantee themselves the #1 seed in the AFC Playoffs. If both the Patriots and the Chiefs win their final three games and finish 14-2, New England would get the #1 seed because of a better conference record. If the Pats win two of their final three, they will clinch a bye in the first round of the playoffs which comes with a home game in the second round. The Patriots hold the tiebreaker against Indianapolis thanks to last week’s victory.

The Patriots are now 7-0 against teams with records of 8-5 or better (Miami (twice), Indianapolis, Tennessee, Denver, Dallas and Philadelphia). Clearly, the Patriots fear no one. They are playing with incredible confidence both at home and on the road. In the last four games at Foxboro, the Patriots have given up just nine points (Nine!) and no touchdowns. The 2003 Pats are the first team since the 1930's to go four games at home without giving up a touchdown. On the down side, the Pats have scored only 50 points in those games (12.5 per game). They seem to be a better defensive team at home and a better offensive team on the road.

The Patriots may have received some good news when Virginia Tech Junior Kevin Jones announced that he will make himself eligible for next year’s NFL Draft. The Patriots will almost certainly look to get a running back in the first round and Jones will probably be the second best back in the draft, after Steven Jackson of Oregon State. The Pats will have their own first round pick plus a first rounder acquired from Baltimore in the 2003 Draft. Most Pats fans didn’t realize it, but the referee who failed to restart the clock in the Seattle-Baltimore game two weeks ago (which gave Baltimore a win that they did not deserve) may have hurt the Patriots draft position in the process.

Former Boston College quarterbacks started in three NFL games for the second consecutive Sunday. Matt Hasselbeck’s Seahawks lost to Minnesota while brother Tim Hasselbeck (Redskins) and Doug Flutie (Chargers) led their teams to victory. Brian St. Pierre did not see any action for the Steelers.

Is there a more arrogant person on the planet than Jim Calhoun? Boston College’s shift to the ACC may or may not be a good move, but I couldn’t be happier about separating ourselves from Calhoun, whiner-extraordinaire Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and UConn’s beer-can throwing students and fans. Calhoun stated that he will not play Boston College again once they leave the Big East as if the decision is completely up to him. I’ve got news for you Jim, it’s Boston College that wants to leave you in the rear view mirror. I wish nothing but the worst for your program and your gargantuan ego.

It is always nice to see Notre Dame get their domes handed to them as they did against Syracuse in the season finale (38-12), but it was particularly satisfying given the ending of last week’s Stanford-Notre Dame game in Palo Alto. In case you missed it, the Irish ran a fake punt ahead 57-7 against Stanford. Ty Willingham appears to be following in the classless footsteps of Lou Holtz who called for a fake punt against Boston College in 1992 while ahead 37-0 (I should know because I was there). To be perfectly honest, I have always liked Tyrone Willingham and was very surprised and disappointed by his actions last week. Notre Dame finished the season 5-7, but they were very lucky to have that many wins. I wonder if it will be the conferences that will reject Notre Dame this time around. Note to the Big Ten: if you decide to expand to twelve teams, do yourselves a favor and take Pittsburgh.

What can I say about the BCS? USC finished #1 in both polls but will not be participating in the BCS “Championship Game” at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. This is yet another embarrassing situation for the NCAA and the people involved with college football and the BCS. I’d like to believe that this will be the final stake in the heart of the BCS, but I know better. The NCAA seems determined to stick with a system that 98% of the fans, and probably an equal percentage of coaches, despise. I can’t believe that I’m saying this, but I feel terrible for Pete Carroll. His Trojans were the best team in America at the end of last season, but because there is no playoff in college football, they didn’t get a chance to prove it. Today, both the coaches and sportswriters agreed that USC is the top team in the country, but again the Trojans will be left out in the cold because of a bunch of guys that have probably watched Lord of the Rings more times than they have watched college football over the past three months. I couldn’t care less about USC one way or another, but I know a travesty when I see it. What’s worse is that USC’s one loss was in overtime. As much as I love the excitement and drama of college football’s overtime system, it is a terrible way to decide an important game. The polls take this into account, the computers do not. Please visit bceaglesfootball.com later this week to see my 2003 Playoff Proposal and matchups.

My 2002 NCAA Playoff Proposal

What is most upsetting about the Manny Ramirez situation is that the existence of his bloated contract may force the Red Sox to trade Nomar Garciaparra. I'm sure that the Red Sox would much rather have Nomar at around $14 million per year than Alex Rodriguez at $25 million per year. Clearly, A-Rod is a better player than Nomar both offensively and defensively, but given the choice between A-Rod alone or Nomar plus an additional $11 million to spend in other places, the Sox would clearly take the latter. On the other hand, if Texas were to offer Rodriguez straight-up for Manny Ramirez, the Red Sox would be foolish not to accept the deal. Getting rid of Ramirez would be a dream come true for Theo Epstein and getting the best player in the game in return isn't a bad deal even at $25 million per year. It would also allow the Sox to trade Garciaparra and get something very substantial in return. The Angels could offer any number of players that the Sox would love. They could do a straight-up for Garret Anderson who would take Ramirez's place in left field. They might offer Jarrod Washburn and either David Eckstein (who could be moved to second base) or Adam Kennedy. They may even part with closer Troy Percival or one of their great middle relievers plus a prospect or two. The Dodgers might be interested as well and have pitching to give up. The rest of the league might be hesitant to make a trade for Garciaparra for fear that he will bolt when he becomes a free agent after 2004. If he doesn't resign with Boston, just about everyone expects him to be playing for a Southern California team by 2005.

Just when I think I can't be any more disgusted with Manny Ramirez, he raises the bar a little more. Manny claims that he is unhappy in Boston and wants to be traded, yet he is unwilling to restructure his contract to facilitate a trade. The Red Sox offered to tear up Manny's contract and allow him to become a free agent but he refused. If Manny would take a pay cut from his current $20 million per year to $15 million per year, Texas might be willing to bite on an A-Rod for Manny swap, especially if the Sox threw in a decent prospect. I'm sure it isn't worth it for the Rangers to downgrade from A-Rod to Manny to save only $5 million per year, but if they could save $10 million per year, it might be a different story. The numbers would be as follows:

• Ramirez has already been paid $60 million by the Sox and probably earned $30 million during his time in Cleveland, putting his career earnings at $90 million. If he plays for the Red Sox for the next five years, he will earn another $100 million for a total of $190 million by the time he's 36 years old.
• If he agrees to a $5 million per year pay cut, he'll still earn $75 million over the next five for a total of $165 million by age 36.

A major part of the problem is Manny's agent/snake Jeff Moorad. Manny was close to resigning with Cleveland in 1999 for $135 million ($25 million less than Boston offered) but Moorad talked him out of it. I'm sure Moorad is putting his own agenda ahead of his client's interests once again.

The other problem is the Player's Association, which may not let Ramirez reduce the value of his contract even if he wanted to. Talk about greed.

I sincerely hope that the Red Sox are not serious about signing Andy Pettitte. Didn't Theo Epstein learn anything from the Ramiro Mendoza debacle? Andy Pettitte has been a solid major league pitcher for nearly a decade, but I'm sure that he would fall apart the minute that he put on a Red Sox uniform. I'm also trying to figure out why Pettitte is commanding so much money. This is a guy who had a 4.02 ERA last season and has a total ERA of 4.13 over the past five years. Let someone else tie up $55 million dollars. I'd rather have Bartolo Colon or Curt Schilling.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Pedro Martinez this winter. As I've said before, the Red Sox would love to extend Pedro's contract but they cannot afford to give him more than a three year extension because his durability remains such a question mark. It is difficult to determine how much per year Pedro will demand. He seemed rather upset when the Sox excercised his $17.5 million option for 2004, claiming that the team was costing him money. No one seems to know what he meant by this but I can almost guarantee that he won't get that much from Boston or anyone else in 2005. Pedro is still a great pitcher but his value has diminished because he's only good for about 30 starts per year and 100 pitches per game. He can still dominate for six or seven innings but can't finish a game like Bartolo Colon or Kerry Wood. I haven't heard it mentioned yet, but if Pedro is resigned, wouldn't it make sense to move him to a closer's role in a couple of years? These days, a seven inning outing is sufficient for a starter, but at this rate Pedro will be fading out in the fifth or sixth inning within a couple of years. At that point, he will not be a successful starter no matter how dominant he is over the first five innings. As a closer, Pedro could come in and throw fire for an inning or two. His control is exceptional, which is a great asset for a closer. Is this scenario in Theo Epstein's mind? I hope so.

I think the Red Sox should petition the league and request a transfer to the National League East. The Sox have finished second to the Yankees in the American League East in each of the past six seasons. This is infuriating. If New York and Boston had the same payroll, the Sox would have won at least three of those division titles. Truth be told, no one should have to compete for a division title with the Yankees. The Yankees are in a league of their own financially, so why not put them in a league of their own literally? Below is my restructured version of the American and National Leagues, but instead of separating the teams geographically, I have separated them according to financial means. Under this plan the Yankees are a one-team division (they are going to buy a playoff spot anyway, so why not just give it to them up front?). In my new scenario, the American League will have four divisions and no Wild Card. The National League will retain the Wild Card. I have named the Divisions based on automobiles and placed the teams based on how I think they would finish in 2004.

Is it my imagination or are football referees getting very lazy? Lately I've noticed that the officials often fail to bring out the chains even when it looks like the ball may be short of a first down. It seems that anything close to ten yards is called a first down. Referee laziness hit a new low point during last Monday Night's Patriots-Broncos game. In the first quarter, Tom Brady quite clearly pounced on his own fumble before a Bronco could get near the ball, but the officials gave Denver possession without even bothering to check who had recovered.

With so many draft picks next Spring, I think the Patriots can afford to take a punter/kickoff specialist in one of the later rounds. Ken Walter is awful and I'm getting a little tired of Adam Vinatieri's kickoffs landing on the 15-yard-line. Not only has the Patriot defense been stingy when it comes to surrendering points, but they have done it with the opponent being given great starting field position on nearly every drive.

Speaking of comparisons, the AFC North Division reminds me of the race for the Democratic Presidential nomination. All the candidates are pretty lousy but in the end someone has to win.

Graduates of Notre Dame, appropriately enough, are starting to remind me of the French. Both Notre Dame grads and the French government have retained a superiority complex despite the fact that they have absolutely nothing to feel superior about. Both Notre Dame and the French are denial about the fact that they are no longer superpowers and have been mediocre (at best) for a long time. Both love to live in past when questioned about the present. Both are disgusting ingrates (Notre Dame to the Big East who resurrected their basketball program and France to the United States who has saved their cowardly behinds on more than one occasion). Lastly, both are prone to delusions of grandeur. There are differences, however. I've never known a Notre Dame graduate to smell bad and I'm sure no member of the French Army would participate in anything as dangerous as football game.

There has been a lot of talk about college football's overtime rule of late. My feelings on the subject are mixed. On one hand, college football's overtime is extremely exciting. I have seen two of the Arkansas Razorback's seven-overtime classics (one against Ole Miss a couple of years ago, the other against Kentucky this season) and loved every minute. On the other hand, the current overtime system is a ludicrous way to determine the winner of an important game (such as last year's championship). Also, the overtime rule distorts team and player statistics. The Arkansas 71-65 win over Kentucky was 24-24 going into overtime. The overtime rule also allows a quarterback or running back to stock up on touchdowns. For instance, a quarterback could set a school record with six TD passes even though he had just two in regulation. That just isn't right. My solution would be to play a regular overtime period like the NFL does, but require that each team has at least one possession. If the team that receives the overtime kickoff scores on their first possession, they would be forced to kickoff to the opponent. If the second team to get the ball ties the score on that possession then the game becomes a sudden-death overtime. If they don't score, they lose. If they score more points than the first team did, they win. If a team fumbles an overtime kickoff and the kicking team recovers, that would be considered a possession for the receiving team. However, if the kicking team recovers an onside kick, the receiving team would not be charged with a possession. An onside kick would be defined as any kick that does not go at least 25 yards.

How is it possible that Subway is still doing Jared commercials? The American public was sick of this guy three years ago. I wonder if Jared threated to get really fat and go on the talk show circuit if Subway took him off the air.

I have never really cared about the University of Michigan, but tomorrow I will become a huge Wolverines fan for a day. The thought of Ohio State reaching another championship game sickens me. Ohio State football is by far the dirtiest, most classless college athletics program since the late 1980's University of Miami football program. Ohio State leads the world in player arrests over the past three years, lowlighted by the actions of star running back Maurice Clarett who falsified a police report concerning items of his that were supposedly stolen from a car he had borrowed. More recently there have been reports that Clarett may not be eligible to play next season because he is flunking his classes. I think my dog could graduate from Ohio State with honors so how Clarett could be flunking is a mystery. Maybe he is being tutored by Andy Katzenmoyer. What is most disturbing of all is that Ohio State suspended linebacker Robert Reynolds for just one game for violently choking Wisconsin quarterback Jim Sorgi on the field earlier this season. One game is the price you pay for nearly choking a person to death if you play for Jim Tressel. I wonder what kind of suspension Reynolds would have received had he actually killed Sorgi. Two games? The Ohio State football program is a disgrace. Students and alumni should feel ashamed to be Buckeyes. Residents of Ohio should be ashamed by the university's complete lack of morals. Tressel and Ohio State have made it clear winning is all that matters.

Ohio State is also undeserving of their success because they have survived on dumb luck for so long. No team in the history of sports has ever had a run of luck like the Buckeyes have had the past two years. Eleven of OSU's last 17 wins have been by seven points or less, many of those against bad teams. Not only have they won close games, but they have received every break imaginable. Any good team will win some close games, but Ohio State's run has been ludicrous. I can't imagine Michigan winning by less than 20, but if Ohio State somehow survives the game against the inconsistent Wolverines, we may see Oklahoma put up 100 on the Buckeyes in the Sugar Bowl. Then again, with Ohio State's limitless good fortune the entire Oklahoma team may get food poisoning the night before the game.

Is there a new Screen Actor's Guild bylaw that states that all single actresses in their thirties must date talentless punks in their early twenties? Are Demi Moore, Naomi Watts and Cameron Diaz really that desperate to be noticed by the 18-25 demographic? When Tim Robbins got together with Susan Sarandon it was a little creepy. I miss those days.

The Celtics are almost too upsetting to even talk about. Danny Ainge's first major move as Celtics President was to trade his second best player with a two-year contractual obligation for another team's eighth best player with a six-year contract obligation. It looks like Ainge is more than ready to follow in the footsteps of M.L. Carr and Rick Pitino. I was not entirely against trading Antoine Walker, but this move makes no sense especially when you consider that Walker came into this season twenty pounds lighter and his stock could only rise after last year's miserable season. Ainge could have waited until next year to make a deal with Walker, but he let his personal feelings cloud his judgement (at least I hope that's the case). Ainge certainly didn't need to take on Raef LaFrentz for six years and $60 million.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Well, the Red Sox were kind enough to give Dan Shaughnessy another chapter for his next “Curse of the Bambino” book. The A’s had the Sox exactly where they wanted them – ahead with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. The only surprising thing was that the A’s tied the game with two outs and one strike, not two. In the bottom of the 12th, the Athletics won the game on a two-out, bunt single by the catcher. Only the Red Sox.

Here are a few more observations:

• It says a lot about the Sox bullpen that Grady Little felt the need to use his Game 3 starter in the 11th inning of Game 1 despite having one reliever already in the game and four others still available.
  
  
• It says even more that Grady felt compelled to remove his “closer” with two outs in the ninth when he hadn’t given up a run. Alan Embree gave up the game-tying hit, but the fault lies with “Korean Calvin Schiraldi” who walked the #8 batter then hit the #9 batter.
  
  
• Manny Ramirez is now 0-for-9 with one walk and no sacrifice flies this season with the bases loaded. No wonder Manny had only 104 RBI’s despite batting cleanup on a team that set the major league record for slugging percentage.
  
  
• The home plate umpire was very consistent in Game 1. He consistently screwed the Red Sox in the first nine innings, then consistently screwed the A’s throughout extra innings.
  
  
• The “Third Knuckleheaded Ex-Jock in the Booth” Award goes to David Justice for suggesting that the Red Sox should pinch-hit for Todd Walker who was already 3-for-3 with a homer. Walker promptly blasted a two-run homer to right field.
  
  
• Some members of the media actually think Grady is obligated to start Pedro in Game 4 if the Sox are trailing in the series. This came up in 1998 as well. Their argument is that you cannot get to a Game 5 if you don’t win Game 4. This is very dumb logic. In either case, you need to win two games. Pedro is going to pitch one of them. He has a much better chance to win on four days rest than three and your odds of winning Game 5 with Tim Wakefield cannot be that much better than your odds with John Burkett in Game 4. The A’s are smart to start Tim Hudson in Game 4, not because it matters whether your best guy pitches in Game 4 or Game 5, but because they would rather have Zito pitch twice than use Zito once and Harden once. It is your #2 and #4 starters that impact this decision, not your #1 guy.
  
  
• The Sox not only lost Game 1, but the manner in which they lost hindered their chances of winning in Game 2, 3 and 4 as well. Game 2 becomes a problem because the jet-lagged Sox will have to play just 13 hours after a devastating loss that ended at 3am East Coast time. Game 3 is jeopardized because Derek Lowe had to pitch in extra innings and will clearly not be as rested for his start on Saturday. In Game 4 (or 5), Pedro Martinez will probably not be at his best after throwing a season-high 130 pitches in Game 1. I think Grady needs to allow John Burkett to start Game 3 which will allow Derek Lowe to pitch Game 4 with an extra day of rest then Pedro can pitch Game 5 on a full four days rest.
  
  
• Both the Red Sox fans in Oakland and the Cubs fans in Atlanta made their presence felt. I guess it helps when the home team can’t even sellout their ballpark for playoff games.
  
  
• The Sox loss to the A's in Game 1 makes them 0-10 in one-run playoff games since the sixth game of the 1986 World Series. In Boston’s five playoff wins since 1998, they have won by an average of 9.2 runs. The Red Sox have outscored their opponents by 14 runs in their last 15 playoff games. They are 5-10 over that time.

More Random Notes

Let me see if I have this straight: In college football, Washington State walloped Oregon, Oregon easily took care of Michigan and Michigan pounded Notre Dame. Yet Notre Dame beat Washington State. You've got to love the unpredictability of college football.

The 2003 Patriots were starting to remind me of the 1989 Patriots. That season, the Pats lost three key defensive starters – Andre Tippett, Ronnie Lippett and Garin Veris – to season-ending injuries in the final game of the preseason. The Pats nearly reached the playoffs in 1988, but fell to 5-11 in 1989.

During the off-season, Theo Epstein not only needs to sign Nomar Garciaparra to a long-term contract, but he should also sign Nomar and Mia Hamm’s first born son. Their kids have a chance to be freakishly athletic.

Speaking of Mia Hamm, I have a few comments about the return of Women’s World Cup Soccer:

• I noticed that a woman is now coaching Team USA. What happened to Freddie Mercury?
  
  
• Some argue that women’s sports are not on par with men’s sports. Where soccer is concerned, I totally disagree. Women’s soccer is every bit as dull as the men’s game.
  
  
• I was so disappointed to hear that golden girl Brandi Chastain is injured and may not play in the World Cup. I imagine that this will significantly reduce the number of male viewers who were anxiously awaiting a second installment of Girls Gone Wild: Soccer Style.

The Raiders need to trade for the Cowboys Darren Woodson. That would give them a secondary that includes Rod Woodson, Charles Woodson and Darren Woodson.

There is one mistake that college and pro football coaches make repeatedly. If your team is down by 15 points early in the fourth quarter, you know that you need two touchdowns and one two-point conversion to tie the game. The problem is that nearly all coaches will kick the extra point to cut the lead to eight points after their first touchdown instead of going for two after the first TD. In either case, if you score two touchdowns and make one two-point conversion you tie the game. But what if your two-point conversion fails? If the two-point conversion failure happens after the second TD, it is probably too late to get another score (unless the desperate onside kick is successful). If the failure happens after the first TD, you will know that you need two scores and will have time to plan accordingly. I’m not sure why coaches don’t employ this strategy.