$150 million for Jeter? You've got to be joking.

Pretty solid day of NFL action yesterday, especially the New Orleans at Dallas game which looked like it'd be over before the first quarter was done, but the Cowboys gamely fought back and might have won it if not for Roy Williams not knowing how to protect the ball in the shadows of the opposing goalposts against a team that constantly looks for turnovers.  In the end, a good result for Dallas even in a 30-27 loss: they competed, but still lost to keep the draft pick for 2011 nice and high.  Detroit looked fantastic in the first half against New England, but in the second half, they remembered they're Detroit and they got smoked 45-24.  And in the late game, Derrell Revis showed Terrell Owens just what an "average" cornerback can do, holding T.O. to three catches and 17 yards in the Jets 26-10 win.

Phil Simms to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson after the latter broke down the Lions/Pats game: "good analyzation there". Yeah, great "analyzation," Phil.

Derek Jeter is said to be after 6 years and $150 million from the New York Yankees.  I'd sooner see a terrorist be given a cache of nukes before giving Jeter that term or dollar amount.  Strange, coming from The Guy Who Wants To Win More Than Anything.

Cathal Kelly at the Toronto Star hammers the idea that MLS is floating about lining up its schedule to match the rest of the world's, which would see the league run through the winter instead of the summer.  I'm sure that would be a lot of fun attending games in Toronto, Seattle, Portland, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, Colorado, Kansas City, New England, Columbus, D.C.,  and soon, Montreal.  That leaves about a handful of cities where it would work.

Good news, Buffalo Bills fans.  Forbes has a piece on who the best quarterback for the dollar is this year in the NFL and it is Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Toronto FC is still apologizing to its fans for the Mo Johnston/Preki team of 2010, ditching five players closely tied with the two.

A great bit from The Sports Pickle on using sports cliche's in everyday life.

Check out these NBA cheerleaders slam dunking.

The latest FIFA Goal of the Year nominee sees Arsenal's Samir Nasri shred FC Porto's defence.  Awesome.

Philly grabs one back

It didn't start pretty with the San Francisco Giants out to an early 2-0 lead, and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay tweaked his groin batting, but the Phillies clawed back and were 4-2 winners to cut the series lead to 3-2 for the Giants.  They'll tangle again at 3:57 (Eastern) tomorrow back in Philly.  Up tonight, it is game six in the ALCS.  Maybe it is loyalty, but I've got a funny feeling the New York Yankees even it up and send it to - gulp! - a game seven against Cliff Lee tomorrow night.

New England Patriot QB Tom Brady isn't a guy that talks a whole lot, but his "they talk a lot for a team that has beat us once in nine years" crack on the Baltimore Ravens is absolutely nuclear.  Awesome.

Things are going to get real interesting on the labour front in the NBA if Commissioner David Stern is serious about rolling back player salaries by a third, or $750-$800 million across the board.  If he's serious, there is no way there is a season to start 2011/12, no?

9,802 in Columbus to see the Blue Jackets on Wednesday with the Anaheim Ducks in town, 8,820 in Atlanta on the same night to see the visiting Buffalo Sabres.  I know Gary Bettman's argument against more Canadian teams is they won't draw well in the U.S., but here's a thought: neither do some U.S. teams.  GB will look real smart if Atlanta fails a second time.  Oh, and not to be outdone, the Phoenix Coyotes drew 6,706 last night.  Picture of league health at right.

The NFL has released its "hits" video that went to all teams this week.  Check it out here.  After yesterday, I'm tempted to suggest this problem is all the result of shoddy officiating, just for fun.  If you're wondering what I'm referring to, check out the discussion that yesterday's crack on officials brought here.

After all that ink wasted, Wayne Rooney has signed with Manchester United for another five years.  It'll be interesting to see if his anger over them saving money on players sold rather than acquiring new ones makes a difference come January's transfer window.

In ESPN The Magazine's "Lists" issue, New Orleans Hornet Chris Paul was asked to name the five best passers in the game. Who did he have tops? Chris Paul.

Also listed, Brett Favre's final pass in a playoff game went to a member of his team six times. Intercepted?  Five. Nice.

Talk about punching above your class: LA Laker Sasha Vujacic is engaged to Maria Sharapova.

I managed to catch a minute of the Toronto Maple Leafs/New York Rangers game last night. Didn't better my life a bit.

Philadelphia Phillies Ryan Howard, batting cleanup, has yet to cash an RBI this playoffs. That's hard to believe, but speaks to the very streaky Phillies offence.

The Dallas Cowboys are using officials in practice this week in an effort to cut down on the penalties they're drawing.  Up next week: using a head coach.

The very evolved NFL analyst Mark Schlereth says that if the NFL continues to look at ways to remove hitting from the game, they'll end up being soccer.  I'd love to get Schlereth on the field some day with a Nigel De Jong say, and show him how little contact there is.  Know what you're talking about, MS, otherwise you look like a pure jerkoff.  Oh, guess the league isn't removing contact entirely if Pittsburgh Steeler James Harrison backing off retirement talk is any measure.  What a shock.

If the stories are to be believed, looks like Boston Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell - experience: zero - is in line to be the new manager of the Toronto Blue Jays.  The largest downside of this hiring for AL East rivals: the Sox pitching is bound to improve after the not-so-great work Farrell did with Josh Beckett, John Lackey and Jonathan Papelbon.

Not sure what is more impressive in this clip from a youth hockey game.  The celebration after the goal, or that it looks like they drew a bigger crowd than the NHL cities named above.

Hockey snow angels @ Yahoo! Video

4:20, Bob

Seems there are some baseball people concerned that the new Yankee Stadium is a homer launching pad, particularly to right field. I'm going to guess the early totals are more an aberration, aided by "The Wang Effect" more than anything...is it just me, or does it seem everytime Toronto FC gives up a goal, the incredibly overrated Jim Brennan is in the vicinity and barking at someone else that they're to blame? All too common. TFC lost 3-2 at Dallas last night, victimized by a very bad penalty kick call in the dying minutes. Adrian Serioux? Stud. Best move of the off-season so far. Shame he's surrounded by such mediocre - being nice - defenders...Manchester United took an FA Cup semi-final win over Everton for granted judging by their resting of several prominent players yesterday, and they paid for it, losing in penalties. No quintuple this season, but a quad is still doable. Everton moves on to face Chelsea in the final May 30th..if you were asked to guess which Toronto Blue Jay is hitting .208 with no homers and six RBI, you probably guess a bench player, maybe John McDonald. But not Alex Rios, who if he doesn't get it turned around soon, he'll be in the running for worst Toronto pro signing since Bryan McCabe, Jason Kapono and Vernon Wells for the what he's produced since signing an extension two offseasons ago. Shocking it hasn't cost the Blue Jays, who are off to an impressive start...Randy Johnson is the latest pitcher in an early season trend of guys taking no-hitters into the late innings. Also a crazy trend: batters hitting for cycles. Most years you're lucky to see one. There have been 3? already this year...finally caught the Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leites fight at UFC 97. Perhaps the dullest main event in UFC history. Even UFC head honcho Dana White called it embarrassing...the San Jose Sharks, nearly bullet proof at home this season, are now down 2-0 in the series after a pair of home losses against the Anaheim Ducks and are in need of the Heimlich Manoeuvre . I'm not saying they're done, but they can't be a confident bunch given their playoff history. Looking strong are the Vancouver Canucks, a game from sweeping the St. Louis Blues. If the old adage is true that it isn't a series until a team has lost at home, then the Philadelphia Flyers are in business after a 6-3 win to cut Pittsburgh's series lead to 2-1. Yes, that was 9 goals in a game...one team that wasn't about to open any doors at home for the visitors was the LA Lakers, who hammered the Utah Jazz in the curtain raiser on that series. At the opposite end of that are the Orlando Magic, who turned an 18-point lead into a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Betting Stan Van Jeremy is wound tighter than a snare drum right now...the Miami Heat scored all of 64 points in a 90-64 loss at Atlanta. Thanks for coming...back with your PTP later...finally today, in honour of it being 4:20, the always hilarious contestant on The Price Is Right working in 4:20. View below.

What'cha gonna do?!?!?!

In one of the most amazing stories you'll ever read, Hulk Hogan sounds ready to channel O.J. Simpson in spirit and in fact over his ex-wife Linda shacking up in his 20,000 square foot house with one of their daughter's 19-year old friends. Don't take my word for it, check out this quote: "I could have turned everything into a crime scene like O.J., cutting everybody's throat. You live half a mile from the 20,000-square-foot home you can't go to anymore, you're driving through downtown Clearwater [Florida] and see a 19-year-old boy driving your Escalade, and you know that a 19-year-old boy is sleeping in your bed, with your wife...I totally understand O.J. I get it." Amazing...Less than half of NFL teams are starting quarterbacks they themselves drafted so if your team is drafting a QB later this month, don't get too excited...what a week for New York Yankee Nick Swisher who started the season 10 days ago as a bench player. Since, he's hammered a bunch of home runs, hit north of .400, pitched a shut out inning, and the guy he was behind on the depth chart - Xavier Nady - is now out for the year. As statistically the fourth unluckiest hitter in 2008, he's got the mojo working in 2009...speaking of the Yankees, they finally open their $1.3 billion stadium today. USA Today has a tidy graphic that details nine things you didn't know. Worth a look here. Coverage is on SportsNet at 1:05...Cristiano Ronaldo scored an absolute screamer in the 6th minute to dagger his compatriots FC Porto and send Manchester United into a Champions League semi-final date with Arsenal, who rolled Villareal. It is also the second straight year where three English Premier League teams made the semis at the most prestigious club competition. Does anyone think it'll be something other than Man U vs. Barcelona in the finals?...if Marc-Andre Fleury is shutting you down, don't make long term plans for the playoffs, Philadelphia Flyers...is it just me, or do none of the NBA Eastern conference playoff matchups look at all attractive? The West, however, is loaded with intrigue. Check them out here. That said, if Kevin Garnett is out for the playoffs, you have to think the defending champion Boston Celtics aren't going deep...nice to see Isaiah Thomas introduced as the new coach at his Florida International University presser as Isaiah "Thompson". If that don't tell you what kind of job that is, nothing will...St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter is the latest arm to go down after getting hurt batting. I know purists love NL style ball, but doesn't protecting guys who are already more injury prone outweigh that?...finally, testing out something at RM today - how much these ads are counted. Be sure to click here. If I see a spike, I'll know they do actually work...have a great day, back with your PTP later.

Follow the Leader

Tiger Woods didn't advance in his first tourney in nearly a year. The world will move on...NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell clearly understands the public relations game better than most. With the economic struggles, and a potential labour battle in the offing, he's taken a 20% pay cut. Tough for a union to declare all is well when the man at the top is taking a voluntary chop...hard as it may be to believe, but three CFL teams - Saskatchewan, Winnipeg and Hamilton - are looking to build new stadia along with a potential fourth in Ottawa...Baseball Prospectus has A-Rod playing through the 2019 season and falling short of Barry Bonds home run record of 763 with 730. That said, he's currently on pace to break the record some time in 2013, fitting given his jersey number. ESPN's Peter Keating says he's going to make it...the internet never ceases to amaze me. Take this, for example: a fine place to go when you need another word for "vagina"...AskMen is back with the Top 10 MMA submission moves...former NBA super agent David Falk - Michael Jordan's agent for a time - told Drive This, and was quoted in the New York Times, saying that unless the NBA players union is prepared to give up some serious concessions when the new labour deal goes into place when the current deal expires in 2011, the NBA could be looking at a two or three year period of no games. He says NBA Commissioner David Stern will push for a hard salary cap, shorter contracts, a higher age limit on incoming players, elimination of the mid-level cap exception and an overall reduction in the players' percentage of revenue. Not only that, Falk predicts he'll achieve it. And, Falk said, Stern will probably get what he wants. Of course, if the economy turns around by then - which it should and then some - that could have a way of calming the hardline that Stern will be pushing. Or, this period could just serve to remind them how many holes there are in their current deal...the internet never ceases to amaze me. Somebody took the time to put every swear word in the history of The Sopranos in chronological order in one video. This is mesmerizing...malapropism's are awesome. After A-Rod dropped the "I made my bed, I'm going to have to sit in it," here's a list of others that have come from the sports world...and after getting into a vehicle with the very same cousin he used performance enhancing drugs with, A-Rod has been told by the New York Yankees that said cousin is not welcome around the team. Look, he can hang around anyone he wants, but when he brings a guy whose association with him has brought a cloud over the player and therefore team, that's just not smart...It is amazing he needed to be told that...the Georges St. Pierre/BJ Penn spat over the vaseline allegedly on GSP's back at their fight last month has yet to subside. GSP's camp finally responded publicly and it is a gem, as they said the complaints are "nothing more than Mr. Penn's desperate attempt to protect his reputation and commercial value after being totally dominated by a superior athlete"...12:01am today was the start of NFL free agency. Sounds like run stuff Albert Haynesworth may be going to the place where talent goes to die. Namely, the Washington Redskins. After dumping Derrick Brooks and Warrick Dunn - no country music jokes, please - the Tampa Bay Bucs are over $50 million under the cap...as for the PTP, bet the New York Knicks tonight -2.5 -110 as they host the Philadelphia 76ers...have a great day, back later with your PTP.

Thursday, December 25th, 2008 - Merry Christmas!

It has been a fantastic year in sports, and AskMen presents a look at the Top 10 moments of the year and you could easily argue for others...thankfully, the NBA will break the sporting darkness that started with the conclusion of the Notre Dame-Hawaii game last night, including three games getting TV coverage. The big one goes at 5pm as the LA Lakers host the Boston Celtics in a rematch of last year's championship series...I know leagues value divisional setups for the rivalries they create, and how teams stay in playoff races longer. But something seems wrong with the idea that the San Diego Chargers could be in at 8-8 while the 11-5 New England Patriots could be out in the cold come playoff time...ESPN's Rob Neyer says that after the three big moves, the New York Yankees are indeed the team to beat in 2009. Me, I cannot wait to see if it pans out that way...so there are no college bowl games today, only a handful of hoops games, and the NHL has no games scheduled? Makes no sense to me, either. But at least the Toronto Maple Leafs Brian Burke's moratorium on not trading players withing the 10 days leading up to Christmas is up. Ought to be some interesting moves in the offing now for Tomas Kaberle and others...have a great Christmas. Back tomorrow.

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008 - Beantown Bandwagon Empties

Teams from Florida - the Marlins and Rays - have never lost a playoff series to date...for the seventh time in eight years, baseball will have a different World Series winner...when Gary Bettman talks of how NHL season tickets are up 4%, he might want to mention that the Chicago Black Hawks are carrying most of that. Their figure went up from 3,500 to 14,000...Sargeant Kellen Winslow says that his latest illness is another bout of staph infection, the sixth time a Cleveland Browns player has had to deal with that. Does wonders for the image of Cleveland, I'm sure...good of the Green Bay Packers to hammer that fake named Brett Favre for allegedly calling the Detroit Lions to tip them off on some of what the Packers would run when they played a couple weeks back. It didn't work for the Lions, and only serves to show what a prick Favre really is. Losing to Oakland looked good on him. It won't be the last this year in a season going nowhere for 'ol Brett...hard to believe, but Ben Wallace is actually making more - about $100k more - than some teammate named Lebron James this year...so who thought New England had that kind of performance in them? And what happened to the smoking hot Denver Broncos of September?...as far as Champions League matchups go, hard to get too many that are more appealing than Real Madrid travelling to Turin to face Juventus. That, and seven other Champions League games go off today at 2:45 Eastern...good to see Kansas City Chief Larry Johnson has that anger under wraps. I mean, why else would a guy spit in a woman's face?...have a great Tuesday.

This might be the best thing I've seen in some time...

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