MVN: Most Valuable Network

On weekdays we highlight posts from Most Valuable Network that are considered to be a cut above the rest. This work is the best of MVN, the posts that made us think -- and we want to make sure you see it, too. Consider nominating a post for recognition via e-mail.

Mike Zoran notes that the true character of his favorite football team was shown on Sunday. The Baltimore Ravens outlasted the Dallas Cowboys, winning 33-24 and moving to 10-5 on the season. Thanks to that victory, the Ravens control their own destiny: Win Sunday at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars and earn the AFC's final playoff berth.

From Ravens Roost:

The character of any team begins and ends with how they face adversity. When the Baltimore Ravens lost three straight earlier in the season they had every excuse to give up. Instead they stood proud and won four straight. When they lost at home to the Steelers, and the chance at a division championship, last week, they had yet another excuse to quit. Against Dallas on Saturday night, again the offense struggled while the defense executed. But as a team, they rose up and won on the road in what quickly became a gunfight in the fourth quarter.

The Cleveland Indians could use another arm in the middle of their rotation, writes Michael Taylor. Mr. Taylor considers the projected rotations of each AL Central team along with members' statistics.

From Tribe Report:

Looking at the AL Central starting rotations as they stand December 22, the Indians likely fall right in the middle of the pack with the White Sox and the Royals, and arguably could be ranked fourth until Fausto Carmona or another pitcher solidifies the No. 2 role on the staff. The Twins have the best rotation, which again will continue to carry them onward to playoff contention, while the Tigers look to be at the bottom of the division with their staff.

2008 is quickly drawing to a close, and so Tim Starks has compiled his year-end list of the top 20 pound-for-pound fighters in the sport of boxing. It's no surprise that the Pacman sits at No. 1 after his technical knockout of Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya in the "Dream Match" on December 6 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

From The Queensberry Rules:

Whereas before you could make an argument, however weak, for Juan Manuel Marquez or Joe Calzaghe to deserve the top pound-for-pound spot, Manny Pacquiao's destruction of De La Hoya -- a man I (with others) had ranked at around #15 -- in a weight class well above where he started the year should have ended all that debate. He's the best. Case closed. Anyone who doesn't have Pacquiao ranked #1 either doesn't consider Floyd Mayweather, Jr. retired (and even then I question their judgment) or may have some kind of animus against the Pacman. A nearly signed bout for next summer with Ricky Hatton in which he should be the heavy favorite offers him a chance nonetheless to re-establish himself as the best against elite competition.

Mike Gartner will have his number retired by the Washington Capitals Sunday night, and pucksandbrooks had the chance to interview the fleet-footed former winger on Monday. Discussion ranged from what it would be like to play on the right side of a line featuring Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom to Capital rivalries of today and yesteryear.

From On Frozen Blog:

Known for his Lamborghini speed, Gartner would merit special attention in the Toronto Hall if it built an exhibit honoring players with the greatest jets.

I wanted to know a little about the genesis of those jets. I referenced the adage of great skaters being born rather than developed, and asked No. 11 if he believed that and if he'd done anything special to develop that blazing stride.

"There's a lot of truth to that [adage]," he said. "I was the fastest kid on the ice when I was 5, so there was no training [involved] there. But then it's what you do with it."

Gartner in fact did do something special with his genetic gift. While many other young hockey prodigies in Canada attended traditional summer hockey camps, Gartner went off to power skating camps, summer after summer. And he didn't much care for them -- if you've been through but a single power skating instructing course, you'd know why. But that labor sure paid off.