• The Falcons showed Michael Vick some love on their way to a 34-14 loss to the Saints.
• Falcons owner Arthur Blank hopped in the MNF booth last night and said that as long as Michael Vick doesn’t get too out of shape eating fried chicken and fries in jail, the Falcons may be an option upon his release. Give the man the benefit of the doubt — Blank and Vick were best buddies so we can assume they knew what food each other liked. Let’s not get too carried away on what could be interpreted as racial undertones.
• Ex-Baltimore Oriole, David Segui, admitted to using steroids and will reportedly be in the Mitchell report when released.
• A little Washingtonian excitement for the Nationals signing former Mets and Dodger catcher Paul Lo Duca.
• The New York Knicks sexual harassment suit was settled out of court for $11.5 million. Lucky for them, Forbes has the Knicks listed as the most profitable NBA franchise.

• Maybe my vote tilted the scale? Ok, not so much. With a majority of 47% the fans have spoken: brand Bonds’ No. 756 with an asterisk and sent it to the hall. The move will be historic, monumental and hopefully remind people of baseball’s overall issues with integrity not just with players, but also within their leadership. Ecko will work work with the Hall of Fame to be sure “the whole story is told.”
• Even you have to agree with Mariotti here: Rex had a reign of error over those Bears. Now Lovie Smith plans on benching Grossman in favor of Brian Griese. Yes, Grossman was the man at the offensive helm during the Bears’ Super Bowl run last year but how many times did he shoot them in the foot? Pretty soon, after Griese has a bad game or two, those thoughts of McNabb flying the Eagles’ coup in favor of his hometown will become much more real.
• Sorry for lingering on this hometown lovin’ but those beleaguered Nationals keep handing L’s to playoff teams — ask those first-place Mets.
• Years ago, in the wee hours of the night I watched as a group of guys played cricket outside in an empty shopping center parking lot and could not, for the life of me, understand how to play. I still do not have a clue how to play but if they keep making the game leaner, fast and furious, I’ll lift it from its current spot of 792329 on the ranking of sports I enjoy. (we enjoy only what we understand, no?)

Ask any popular baseball analyst what MLB team is destined to lose roundabout 100 games this season and without pause they will mention the Washington Nationals.

D.C. folks do not want to hear that their team is already in the battle for best draft position next year. The Nats did quite well in that same battle last year, “earning” the 6th pick in the upcoming 2007 draft. Not to mention they have 5 total picks in the top 75 overall picks thanks to shipping away the likes of their best now-talent.

The best of the talent by far let go was the new member of the 40-40 club (home runs and stolen bases), Alphonso Soriano. Though his first days in DC were mixed with controversy involving his change of position (second base to left field), he reluctantly accepted what was laid out for him and proceeded to have one of his best seasons ever.

And as the trade deadline loomed last July, some of us DC folks begged for the Nats to pony up a few extra pennies and keep Sori — the league’s most potent, well-rounded offensive weapon and lead-off man — or at the very least trade him away in order to receive some form of compensation before he headed off to free agency at season’s end.

The trade deadline came and went, yet Sori remained.

What happened after that can be summed up with an extremely large dollar amount ($136 million) and an extremely happy Sori. The Chicago Cubs paid more money for players in the off-season than any other team, letting it be known that they are looking to win a championship very soon. The Nationals, by letting 19 of the top 25 paid players go in the offseason, let it be known that they aren’t planning on winning any time soon.

But according to the Post’s Thomas Boswell, Washingtonians should look to raise expectations rather quickly.

The playoff run in the Nats’ inaugural year spoiled hometown fans. Trading for Sori provided a shot of excitement. But now, fans are back down to ground level again.

When business folks say they’re headed in “another direction,” no high-paid consultant is needed to step in and explain.

The Nats wouldn’t unlock their wallet to pay for a big name this year. And we are in the midst of an era where many under-achieving athletes are extremely overpaid.

But Sori’s placement in the rare, 14 member, $100 million+ Club is well-deserved. He went through ups and downs and now finds himself on a competitive team, in a win-hungry town with owners who spared no expense in proving their dedication to winning a world championship.

Maybe come this time next year the same will be said about fresh Nats lead owner Ted Lerner and the Washington, DC area. But, for the love of Nats baseball, if Washington ever happens upon another gem as talented as the potent-swinging Sori, they need not let him slip from their grasp.