Now that I'm in the real world and living in a remake of Office Space (no sports job yet, but I'm working on it), I don't get to let sports consume every fiber of my being like I'd like to;  however, you do find that over the course of the work day someone will come up to you and ask you about something related to the world of sports.  So here are some of the biggest topics being talked about at water coolers across the country in a new installment I like to call "Around the Water Cooler."

*How bout them Texans?  While everyone knew that the NFL's 32nd franchise, the Houston Texans, had acquired some grade A talent in the expansion draft including #1 pick Fresno State quarterback David Carr, no one figured the Texans would win their first ever game against the supposed kings of Texas football, the Dallas Cowboys.  After all, only one expansion team had ever owned their first ever game and that was the Vikings back in 1961.  But Carr proved that he was worth the number one pick displaying a rocket arm and savvy beyond his rookie status.  While the Texans proved they have a lot of guts and a lot of heart, the Cowboys, who were supposed to be dominant on the defensive side of the ball, proved that they could be in for a long season.

*Vick Impressive:  That guy who used to throw the ball 20 minutes from RU, Michael Vick looked very impressive in the opening game of the Falcon's season.  Vick was 10 for 10 for 186 with two touchdowns, one passing and one rushing, in the first half alone and finished the game completing 15 of 23 passes for 209 yards and rushed for 72 yards.

*What happened to USA basketball?  The only thing more pathetic than losing to an expansion team on opening day is playing basketball with the letters U, S, and A on your jersey and walking off the court a loser not once but TWICE!  It is absolutely unacceptable that the USA did not win the basketball world championships in Indiana.  Losing to Argentina was flat out unacceptable and they shouldn't have lost at all.  They won 50 million games in a row without a loss since they started using NBA players to represent the US.  Don't give me that "they didn't have time to practice crap," they stunk it up.  This should be a wake up to all the NBA's big time superstars to stop ditching these events because they're "worn out."  Guys like Shaq, Kobe, Kevin Garnett and the rest of the A-list guys should have been there, instead of Jermaine O'Neal, Dale Davis and Michael Finley.  The effort was pathetic and it was blatently obvious that the US team walked on the court thinking they'd have a cake walk through the tournament.  Get some real players or from now on use the Lakers to represent the US.  Every player on that team should be ashamed of themselves and should be booed when they are seen on NBA courts this year.

*The Masters, or as I like to call it, Tiger Woods personal playground, is under heavy scrutiny from many women's groups for still not allowing women to be members. Come on!  After all, this is the masters.  The name alone tells you who you're dealing with.  This is the ORIGINAL good ol' boys, if-they-don't-look-like-us-don't-let-them-in-club.  Heck, if not for Tiger do you think they'd have any Black or Asian members.  The fight against The Masters is a good one, but these are powerful men and don't be surprised if nothing changes.  Do, however, expect Tiger to take the Michael Jordan approach to the controversy and not give his opinion at all despite the power his opinion possesses.  Way to blend in Tiger.

*Serena Williams cat-suit outfit:  So what if Serena's playing tennis in spandex?  She's the best tennis player in the world right now as well as the most entertaining.  She could walk out wearing something from Lil' Kim's closet and it wouldn't matter because whoever is on the other side of the net is destined to get a butt kicking.  Not even older sister Venus, who is just coming off ruling the women's tennis circuit can hang with her little sis anymore.  Serena is the best player in tennis, so stop sweating the wardrobe.  You never hear this crap when Kournakova is wipping sweat off of her forehead with her skirt.

Those were the hot topics around the cooler this week.  See you next time!