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(SportsNetwork.com) - When it comes to the Pro Bowl, its time to tap out. And pulling the plug on the NFLs All-Star game wouldnt exactly be comparable to Daniel Cormier begging off to Jon Jones on the UFCs biggest stage. Ending this fruitless exercise would be more like a tree falling in the forest and its not going to spark any meaningful debate with the dozens and dozens who actually still care about it. Interestingly it was Andy Daltons Pro Bowl recognition on Tuesday that set Twitter off as if an average quarterback playing in a meaningless football game is some kind of calamity. The laughable aspect of Daltons inclusion to the detractors is the fact that he was the seventh alternate at his particular position, a development that really highlighted the ridiculousness of the process. Originally, six QBs were named to the Pro Bowl and just two remain from that pool, Andrew Luck and Tony Romo. Ben Roethlisberger and Peyton Manning were the first to drop out due to injury and top alternate Drew Brees was tabbed to replace Big Ben. Philip Rivers was next in line to take Peytons place but the veteran Chargers star begged off due to his own injury. Third alternate Russell Wilson is busy with Super Bowl business so the fourth option, Detroits Matthew Stafford, got Mannings spot. When the Patriots won the AFC Championship Game last Sunday, that took Tom Brady, who was part of the original six, out of the equation and No. 5, Atlantas Matt Ryan, stepped up. It was only a matter of time before likely MVP Aaron Rodgers would throw his get-out-of-jail-free card into the middle of the table because of his high- profile calf injury and that domino fell Tuesday, making room for Baltimores Joe Flacco expect for the fact January Joe had no interest because his wife is expecting their third child. And thats how you end up with the seventh alternate playing quarterback in the Pro Bowl. Im expecting my invitation on Saturday. While Daltons presence magnifies the nonsense that is the actual game, the real jump-the-shark moment for the Pro Bowl came last year when the NFL pulled the plug on the traditional conference format to cater to the millennial audience with a fantasy football for real mentality. These days players are assigned to two teams through a draft and this year Pro Football Hall of Fame receivers Cris Carter and Michael Irvin are serving as alumni team captains for their Pro Bowl squads -- Team Carter and Team Irvin. Fellow Hall of Famers and former teammates John Randle (Team Carter) and Darren Woodson (Team Irvin) serve as defensive co-captains and the ex-Vikings and former Cowboys handled the draft process while being assisted by two active player captains and the winner of the NFLs Fantasy Coach of the Year program. Full disclosure forces me to admit a deep dislike for fantasy football, an activity thats lone contribution to society in my mind is FXXs laugh-out- loud sitcom The League. However, it would be disingenuous to say fantasy hasnt proven to be a cash cow for the NFL and everything from the Red Zone channel to rule changes skewed toward the offense have been put in place with an eye on picking the pocket of the short-attention-span crowd. And from a purely business perspective its a sound short-term strategy. On an average week, Ill do about a dozen radio hits across the country and the who should I play this week people now far outnumber the astute football fans, who are actually invested in the strategy of the game. Catering to the least common denominator, though, is never the long-term solution because theyre moving on quickly and not really invested in the product. Even fellow fantasy fans have no interest in watching one of their own live out his wet dream while Rich Eisen pretends its relevant. Which brings me to my biggest fantasy, halting the goofy game known as the Pro Bowl. Joey Gallo Jersey . No, the San Antonio star didnt announce retirement plans during an off day at the NBA Finals on Wednesday. Matt Moore Jersey . The top-ranked Williams carried her winning momentum from 2013 into the new season, beating No. 2-ranked Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 7-5 on Saturday to defend her title at the Brisbane International and set the tone for the Australian Open. http://www.officialrangersgearshop.com/ ... ds-Jersey/. While coach Doc Rivers high-fived fans and pumped his fist at the crowd, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul quietly congratulated each other. Cole Hamels Jersey . Future Hall of Famer Ricky Ray is in his prime and back for a third season in double blue. The 34-year old was magnificent in 2013, throwing for just under 2,900 yards despite missing eight games, tossing an impressive 21 touchdowns against just two interceptions, completing 66 per cent of his passes in the process. Jon Niese Jersey . LOUIS -- The St.SEATTLE - By the time Trevor Crowe came to the plate in the ninth inning, everything was going right for the Houston Astros. So much so that even a simple foul pop up to the first baseman turned into a run. Houstons four-run rally in the ninth inning to beat the Seattle Mariners 6-4 on Monday night was capped by a bizarre play that started as Crowe fouled out to first baseman Justin Smoak with runners on second and third. Smoaks throw to the plate hit Crowe crouched in foul territory and bounced away, allowing Jonathan Villar to score. "I put my head down, and I felt something hit me," Crowe said. "I looked to the right, and there goes the baseball, and I see Villar scampering home." The crazy run was fitting for a game that featured the Astros rallying for only the third time this season when trailing after eight inning in front of the smallest crowd in Safeco Field history, as well as two rookie starters making their final appearance of the season. "To come back in the ninth was huge. Young team learning how to win games, we did that today. Really good comeback," said Crowe, who also had a single and a run-scoring double in the game. Abraham Almontes first major league homer, a two-run shot in the seventh inning, gave the Mariners a 3-2 lead. Seattle reliever Charlie Furbush got out of a jam in the eighth, but in the ninth the Astros broke through. Danny Farquhar (0-3) walked Marc Krauss and Carlos Corporan with one out, and Jimmy Paredes run-scoring single tied the game at 3. Villar then gave Houston a two-run lead with his hit to centre. "It was good just to see the quality of the at-bats during that ninth inning," Houston manager Bo Porter said. "From the two walks to the base hits by Jimmy and Villar — we strung together good at-bat after good at-bat." It was the fourth blown save of the season for Farquhar, but only his second in the closer role. "Its going to be hard to sleep tonight," Farquhar said. "But its the same thing as usual, whether you pitch good or pitch bad, learn from your mistakes. ... Theres nothing you can do — if you dwell on it youll drive yourself nuts." Kevin Chapman (1-1) pitched a scoreless eighth to earn the win, and Josh Fields pitched the ninth for his fourth save in five chances despite giving up a solo homer to Brad Miller. The announced attendance of 9,808 was 10 fewer than the previous low at the 14-year-old paark, set April 29 against the Orioles.dddddddddddd Before this season, the previous low was 11,352 — a mark set April 18, 2012, against Cleveland. This year, the Mariners have drawn fewer than that number five times. Houston starter Jarred Cosart gave up an unearned run on two hits, struck out three and walked six. Before the game Porter told him this would be his final start of the season, and hed be limited to five innings, unless he had a no-hitter or a shutout going. "They said go out there, leave it all out there, and I did," Cosart said. "I honestly dont have much left, my bodys tired." Cosart has pitched a total of 153 innings between Triple-A and 10 starts with Houston. He may not have much left, but what hes done has been impressive, as he finishes with a major league ERA of 1.95. Seattle starter Taijuan Walker ended his brief inaugural major league season with a no-decision despite striking out eight over five innings and retiring the final nine batters he faced. The Mariners said leading up to the game it would be Walkers final appearance since he had thrown 151 1-3 inning between his minor and major league starts going into Mondays outing. Two of his three starts in the majors have been against Houston. Walker picked up the win in his debut on Aug. 30, but this time the Astros picked up a pair of runs off five hits. Paredes drove in the first with a sacrifice fly in the second, and Jose Altuve and Crowe opened the third with back-to-back doubles to give the Astros a 2-1 lead. Seattles pitchers retired the next 15 batters but Carter Capps got into a jam in the eighth before Furbush bailed him out. Furbush came on with one out, runners on second and third, and the Mariners clinging to their 3-2 lead. He struck out pinch-hitter Brandon Laird and got Matt Dominguez to ground out, but all it did was delay the rally until the ninth inning. NOTES: Seattle ace Felix Hernandez will not make his scheduled start on Wednesday, the second time his turn in the rotation has been pushed back due to soreness. "I guess youd call it a minor oblique strain on the left side, if you had to put a label on it, but it was more just stiffness," manager Eric Wedge said. Hernandez will throw from flat ground at the end of the week when the team travels to St. Louis. ... The Astros reinstated C Carlos Corporan from the seven-day concussion disabled list before the game and he started at catcher. Cheap Baseball Braves Jerseys Cheap Baseball Marlins Jerseys Cheap Baseball Mets Jerseys Cheap Baseball Phillies Jerseys Cheap Baseball Nationals Jerseys Cheap Baseball Cubs Jerseys Cheap Baseball Reds Jerseys Cheap Baseball Brewers Jerseys Cheap Baseball Pirates Jerseys Cheap Baseball Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Baseball Diamondbacks Jerseys Cheap Baseball Rockies Jerseys Cheap Baseball Dodgers Jerseys Cheap Baseball Padres Jerseys Cheap Baseball Giants Jerseys ' ' '