Talk about a wakeup call. Coming off an impressive win against a less-than-impressive Pine Bush team, Kingston was brought back down to Earth by Monroe-Woodbury.

Now nobody really could have expected a win against the No. 1 team in the state, but Friday's 44-6 loss showed just how far the Tigers have to go before they could be considered an elite team in Section 9.

It seems as though it's been quite a long time since Kingston has been considered a true contender in the section, and Monroe doesn't look like it's going away anytime soon. But it would be nice to at least put Kingston in the discussion as a threat.

Here's hoping that happens sooner rather than later.

I know things are magnified when you play for the Yankees, but after all the talk on TV and sports radio about Derek Jeter and whether he's a cheater, I just have to ask, "Are we seriously wasting time talking about this?"

For those of you who have been living under a rock, in Wednesday night's Yankees' game at Tampa Bay, Jeter was awarded first base after the umpire ruled he was hit by a pitch. Replays CLEARLY showed the ball hit off the knob of Jeter's bat, but the Yankee captain did a great acting job selling he was hit. The Yankee trainer came out to check on him as he was bent over like he was in pain.

Rays' manager Joe Maddon was ejected for arguing the call and Jeter -- after the game -- admitted the ball indeed hit his bat. Maddon, to his credit, said after the game that although the call was wrong, he didn't fault Jeter.

"If our guys had did it, I would have applauded that," Maddon was quoted by the Associated Press in Thursday's Freeman.

What Jeter did was no different than those players we see all the time claiming they got hit by an inside pitch when they didn't or the ones that act like they've hit a foul ball off their spikes when they merely just hit a weak ground ball or the outfielders that sell a catch they made when they know they clearly trapped it.

Yet, I don't recall seeing those highlights becoming the major talk of the sports airways.

Because it's Jeter and the Yankees, we feel we need to make a big deal of it.

It's funny but I hear Yankee detractors say all the time that it's unfair the Bombers are held in such high esteem. Yet, when something as completely minor as what happened last night to Jeter happens, all we hear is how this is a big deal because Jeter and the Yankees should be held to a higher standard.

It's all pretty ridiculous when you think of it.

Some losses are harder to take than others.

For the Jets, Monday night's season-opening loss to the Ravens is one of those losses.

I know it's only one game, but the loss comes after an offseason in which Gang Green spent the majority of their time puffing out their chests and telling the rest of the NFL just how good they were going to be this season.

Mark Sanchez looked like he should be holding a clipboard rather than running an offense. The Jets' secondary, with the exception of Darrelle Revis, looked ordinary at best. And perhaps worst of all, defensive lineman Kris Jenkins is now lost for the season with a torn ACL in his knee.

Not exactly the way the Jets wanted to open their new stadium and it doesn't get any easier from here.

Here's hoping for a quick turnaround.

By the way, did you see how my Super Bowl picks did in Week 1? Great start for me, too, don't you think?

With kickoff only a few hours away (I know the Saints beat the Vikings on Thursday) I know all of you are anxiously waiting my Super Bowl predictions.

In the AFC: I know the Ravens and the Jets are the chic pick by many, which will make Monday's showdown all the more interesting. But I think this is the year for the San Diego Chargers. The Indianapolis Colts will be right there in the end -- as usual -- but Phillip Rivers is ready to take that next step to be mentioned with Peytom Manning and Tom Brady as the top quarterbacks in the NFL.

In the NFC: New Orleans, Minnesota and the Green Packers are the chic picks. I mean, how can u pick against the defending champs or Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers? I'll go with the Dallas Cowboys. Call this one a complete hunch, but the Cowboys are kind of flying under the radar -- at least as much as America's Team can, but they have put together a pretty solid team.

So, I have the Chargers beating the Cowboys for the title. Take it to the bank. Unless you're paying attention to my high school picks, then you might want to go with the Ravens and Packers.

With the temperatures dropping, the days getting shorter, you know football is here.

A great start to area football with Onteora breaking a 31-game losing streak and Rondout Valley hitting the field again after a year hiatus. Although the Ganders lost, just getting on the field was a start.

Too many other times in other sports, once a varsity sport is taken away, it's tough for it to come back.

Let's hope better days are ahead for both Rondout and Onteora, which found itself in Rondout's shoes not too long ago.