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Now go catch a pass, Big Mac

Is anybody out there really still watching baseball?

Yeah, yeah, the Red Sox just had a courageous comeback against the Indians and now have to go up against the New York Yankees, who seem to be baseball's recent immortals, but who cares?

New York will probably take them in four games, and even if Boston extends the series to the limit, all the action in the 28 hours of sports won't even come close to what an NFL game has in one quarter of play.

So, is baseball still the National Pastime? No way.

Baseball was the National Pastime back near the turn of the century when gods like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Shoeless Joe Jackson trotted around the diamond.

Ruth's 59 homeruns in 1921 is a statistic to admire. McGwire's creatine and andro induced 70 in 1998 isn't.

The 59 homeruns that the Great Bambino hit that year was roughly 12 percent of the total homeruns hit in the league that year. Had a baseball player wanted to accomplish that feat this year, he would have had to muscle out over 320 dingers. Now that is a goal to shoot for Sammy.

Since any little leaguer growing up has a shot at breaking the 60 homerun barrier and a decent season is no longer a .300 batting average but is .320, football has overtaken baseball as America's National Pastime.

The NFL is practically a religion in the United Sates. Millions of Americans glue themselves to their television sets every Sunday to watch warriors like Dana Stubblefield and Tony Boscelli battle it out in the trenches, while athletes of perfection like Randy Moss make graceful catches, dodging blood thirsty defensive backs.

The NFL breeds every type of athlete. There is the quick and nimble receivers and running backs who's sprinting skills rival those of an Olympic runner, and the ferocious savages on the offensive and defensive lines that could be placed into a Roman gladiator ring and dominate there as well.

Then there are the complete packages that NFL use at either tight end or fullback. These athletes will catch a steaming pass at 60 mph, lower the shoulders and run over a linebacker, then gain a speed burst to burn past two cornerbacks and a free safety.

No matter if you're looking for the elegance and splendor of an agile athlete or a fan of the fierce, thuggish battles fought by 300 pounders every 45 seconds, the NFL's got your game. It truly has become America's new National Pastime.