The Front Row: Expect the unexpected

SERIOUSLY?: Yeah, Sunday’s NFL picks were terrible. But I can hardly be blamed for it this time.

When the Arizona Cardinals — yes, the Arizona Cardinals — make the NFC championship game, all bets are off.

Only the red-hot Philadelphia Eagles stand in their way of what has to be the most unexpected Super Bowl run I can remember.

The bandwagon has been overrun, with thousands of people who wouldn’t recognize Anquan Boldin if he were sitting next to them at a restaurant suddenly becoming “die-hard, long-suffering” Cardinals fans.

This Sunday’s column will cover most of what makes this year’s Cardinals team the most uplifting story Arizona sports fans have seen in years. If the Cardinals can do it, anybody can.

Seriously, anybody.

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A DECADE WITHOUT ‘AIR’: Has it really been 10 years?

Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of Michael Jordan’s second (and most important) retirement from basketball, and it’s become abundantly clear that we’ll never see an athlete like him again.

On ESPN.com, columnist J.A. Adande wrote a terrific piece about what it was like to cover that momentous event, with more than 800 reporters from around the world converging on the United Center in Chicago.

Jordan was an icon like no other. He transcended the very idea of what it meant to be an athlete in today’s multimedia world.

Dozens have attempted to fill his void (with LeBron James being the latest in line), but nobody has come close.

It wasn’t enough for Jordan to simply win — he needed to bury his opponents and break their will. His relentless domination turned the NBA into a global product, but it also developed into an impossible act to follow.

Even though the NBA is full of outstanding athletes and terrific spokesmen, the last decade has seemed underwhelming since Jordan hung up his sneakers.

There was his ill-fated comeback with the Wizards that ultimately proved that everyone is human — even the superstars.

But it was 10 years ago yesterday when Michael Jordan bid farewell to the Chicago Bulls, and we all bid farewell to his Airness.

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