NFL: So who is the best team in the NFL? Well, if you look at the records, the Indianapolis Colts (7-0) have the best mark. Quarterback Peyton Manning has had a quiet year numbers-wise, but the Colts’ improved defense is what’s getting the attention of the league.

Of course, they have to beat the New England Patriots on Nov. 6, something they have not done when the lights shine the brightest.

NFL players are not only providing action on the field, but away from the stadium as well. By now, everyone has heard about the Vikings aboard the ships in Lake Minnetonka.

They weren’t the ones from Scandinavia that you have learned about in history class. No, these Vikings were not traveling to Europe, but cruising the lake with strippers and allegedly engaging in excessive drinking and lewd sexual acts. I thought they would have been at home playing “Madden ’06.”

Seattle Seahawks safety Ken Hamlin was in intensive care last week after he was beaten outside of a Seattle nightclub. After the incident, coach Mike Holmgren ordered his players to stay away from the area where the nightclub is located.

Why can’t athletes act like grown-ups? The trouble is that not many of them think about the consequences of their actions.

MLB: And then there were two. Nobody could have predicted at the start of the season that the Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox would be left standing when the smoke cleared. Both teams like to play small-ball, but have some big boppers in their lineups.

The Northsiders have Paul “Show Me The Money” Konerko and the Astros incorporate Lance Berkman and Morgan Ensberg. Look for this match-up to go the distance.

NCAA Football: Many times, players or games don’t live up to the pre-game hype. With the case of the USC-Notre Dame game, the attention lived up and then some.

Maybe USC tailback Reggie Bush pushed quarterback Matt Leinart on the final play for the quarterback sneak touchdown, but so what? Both teams played great in front of the nation when they had to.

The sad thing is that many of the BCS championship games don’t provide as much excitement as a mid-October game.

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