Nick has a rat problem. We’ll get to that later.

First, we start with the handball that may change the fate of soccer around the world. Thierry Henry’s handball that led to a header by William Gallas that led to France qualifying for the World Cup over Ireland is one of the most blatantly missed calls in, well, the history of sport.

It’s amazing that a play like that can decide the fate of two countries. If there was every a case for universal replay in sports -- and yes, I’ve been against more replay in some sports -- this was it. Simply amazing.

We also run down the full list of teams for next year’s World Cup. If this is the way the World Cup season starts, it’s going to be a crazy year.

Political Safari:

Phillip Stutts, a frequent guest of the show during the election season last year and former campaign manager on several high profile political campaigns for the GOP, joins the show to talk about Sarah Palin’s media tour.

We spend a lot of time on the Newsweek cover issue, including the fact that the photograph they took from Runners World (or wherever they got it) just isn’t that good of a photo -- it’s awkwardly staged, the flag is lazily thrown over a chair and the two phones just looks dumb. And so does Newsweek for using the image.

We spin that to a talk about Palin and why, in his mind, she’d write the book. As someone who has worked on Presidential campaigns before, does he find her recent actions ‘Presidential?’ Does Stutts think Paiin will run for office, or was her visit to Oprah’s couch a way to push books while showing people how good she looks kibitzing on a couch during the day? Could one of the cable news networks build a show around her? Heck, with Leno’s ratings in the tank, could one of the networks look to someone like Palin to host a late night show? Who knows where this woman will be in three years.

We also talk about the recent midterm elections, specifically the gubernatorial race in New Jersey. Did Chris Christie really win, or was he just the lucky sucker who got to run on the Not Corzine ticket? Obama campaigned like crazy for Corzine, but was he backing a lame duck? Could Obama have saved New Jersey for the Dems a different way?

Inside the Press Box:

Today Sporting News is unveiling their list of Top 25 Football Announcers and I was asked to do a rebuttal for The Sporting Blog. Rather than go with the ’10 worst announcers’ I took a different tact, going with a list that should be Also Receiving Votes. We discuss some of the names, but you’ll have to go over there to read the descriptions.

Housekeeping:

This is really a soapbox segment. Nick has a rat. It lives with him. He gives detail. Let’s hope you’re not eating.

Thanks for listening. Nick isn’t around tomorrow and I have to get the kid a swine flu shot (I hope) so likely no show. If one pops up, we’ll be sure to let you know.