Gold at last!

Alexandre Bilodeau will forever be the man that won Canada's first gold medal on home soil after two Olympics where gold never came to the red and white. Bilodeau won in men's moguls, and if you didn't get swept up in the win and the story of his brother, you don't have a heart beating.

Damien Cox of the Toronto Star asks a pretty valid question via Twitter: "Imagine if Toronto had screwed up the Olympic cauldron lightning? Criticism from the rest of Canada would be withering." Yes, it would indeed. And frankly, more hilarious.

Good to see that NBC - partner of the NHL, allegedly - values hockey so much that this Sunday's Canada vs. U.S. men's game will be relegated to MSNBC in favor of who knows what else. I can see why NHL Commish Gary Bettman isn't the biggest fan of the Olympic involvement for that reason. That said, he's a fool if he thinks he can extricate his players now. One, they want to play. Two, they will play if guys like Alex Ovechkin are saying they're going regardless of the consequences.

Speaking of Ovechkin, he and Sidney Crosby go into Olympic break tied at 42 goals each, setting up what should be a wild Rocket Richard Trophy race.

One thing I'm absolutely certain of is I'll never have much of an interest in NASCAR. But, hearing of what a disaster their most important race was yesterday as the Daytona 500 had to be stopped twice for pot holes on the track is pure entertainment and worthy of a mention. The only way this all could've ended better is if a foreign driver in a Toyota would've won it.

Ryan Getzlaf ought to have put any questions as to his health to bed with a two goal, two assist showing last night in the Anaheim Ducks 7-3 win. Then again, it was only the Edmonton Oilers. I hate that I can say that.

I cannot believe 108,713 caught the NBA All-Star Game at all, nevermind that they were in attendance live at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The East were 141-139 winners thanks to a huge Deron Williams brain cramp down the stretch where he fouled with the game tied, thinking the West was losing.

Why is it Cristiano Ronaldo has to always talk of moves to other teams down the road? Stay where you are, play your rear off, stop talking. Ronaldo's latest talk is of going back to Manchester United because they're his "family". Right.

Have a great Family Day.

2 NHL teams to Canada?

Here's a juicy one to open the day, on a day where readership is generally the lowest. Word came to a good friend of mine from a recent employee of the MTS Centre in Winnipeg that they've got an NHL team coming back to the 'peg (details on who coming...read on!). He starts looking into it and talks to a mutual friend who is well connected in NHL circles who asks one contact if it is true, and the contact doesn't deny he's heard the same story. Who is potentially moving, you wonder? Not one team, but two. The Phoenix Coyotes are going to ultimately head back to Winnipeg, and the Atlanta Thrashers to Quebec City. The source wouldn't deny he had heard that possibility, and said things will remain quiet during the Olympics. Juicy, juicy stuff if that pans out. I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'.

Joel Sherman at the NY Post has a great piece on why the New York Mets might want to look at Alex Rodriguez as their patron saint because a turnaround need not be so far off. The Mets have a lot of redemption work to do, they've got a public profile in New York only slightly cleaner than Al-Qaeda.

Chelsea defender Ashley Cole is the latest to participate in the alarming early 2010 athlete trend of having their junk displayed for all the world to see. I think it'd only be fair if his wife got naked for us all. Come on Cheryl, you can do it.

Is the Slam Dunk contest over yet?

When you see a Canadian short tracker labeled favorite and he finishes fourth, and Jenn Heil takes silver in the moguls instead of the gold she had last time out, you start getting the feeling that this whole "own the podium" thing might not happen, no? But hey, at least our women's hockey team throttled Slovakia 18-0. That has to leave us feeling good about ourselves.

It is one of my favorite phrases: "pitchers and catchers report this week". Love me some baseball!

In a sure sign of the Cleveland Cavaliers intentions for this season, they're close to dealing for Amare Stoudemire. I get why they'd want him, but they do know him and Shaq didn't exactly play well together in Shaq's time in Phoenix, right?

Miami Heat (...er?) Dwayne Wade is dealing with some nasty accusations from his ex-wife, who is talking of his philandering ways that led to STD's, talking of how his kids don't even recognize him for all the time he's spent with them, and how he held "drug parties" at a business associate's condo. Your move, D-Wade.

Speaking of Wade, here's an interesting piece from ESPN Insider, where Wade talks about recruiting other players over the All-Star Weekend: "We all are pretty cordial as it is, but at All-Star Weekend we do talk more. We communicate. We're not stupid, we know what's going on around the league. There's a lot of secret recruiting going on." Though Wade didn't get too specific here, according to [Insider] there's one guy in particular he's trying to woo this weekend: Toronto's big man Chris Bosh.

Steve Nash is The Most Ridiculous Man In The World. Side note: Vitamin Water kicks ass, love that stuff, XXX and Recover most significantly.

3 of 4 will have to do

Does a luger luge his life or lose? Of all the articles I read on the death of the Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili yesterday, none were better than this one from SI.com which points the blame squarely at Canadian officials for creating such a ridiculously fast course, and then not allowing other teams extensive access to it so they'd have some experience on it. Worse, somebody didn't bother to think that maybe covering exposed steel beams at a corner might be a good idea, even football figured that one out and their guys aren't going 135km/h with no pads on. Nice home advantage, Canada, get the other athletes killed. Chilling pictures that there's no need to pass on here as all have seen them. And now I see the show will indeed go on.

How much Red Bull do you figure those dancing for the entire Olympic Opening Ceremony march downed before the event? And is it me, or was Rey Mysterio in the dignitaries box? How did anyone from B.C. with a music career of any success get used except for 54:40 and Loverboy? No respect. KD Lang is looking more like PeeWee Herman by the day. And how about the one moment you want right, the torch being lit, being botched when one of the hydraulics didn't come up? Well done, VANOC. Great idea having Wayne Gretzky ride in the back of a truck in the pouring rain trying to wave and not fall out the back at the same time to get to the waterfront to light the outdoor cauldron too. Moses parting the Red Sea had an easier time getting to a point than they did getting him through the crowd that was run alongside of and in front of the vehicle.

It is NBA All-Star weekend and I won't go into my usual rant of how All-Star games suck in most sports because they don't resemble the regular game more often than not, baseball excepted, or how lame the dunk contest is. What should be impressive and actually of interest is how many NBAers and their entourage's get in trouble in Dallas' myriad of strip joints. The game itself goes tomorrow at Dallas Cowboys Stadium, and is expected to draw 100,000, or a point per attendee.

Check out this loser going on at length how the New Orleans Saints onside kicking to start the second half was dirty pool and there should be a rule against that because the coin toss says you chose to receive to start or defer to the second half. They received alright, right in Hank Baskett's facemask. Gonna go out on a very thick branch here and suggest this guy is either an Indianapolis Colts fan, or lost something over a dollar on them.

It seems the St. Louis Rams definitely won't be coming north to Toronto, unless it is to visit the Buffalo Bills in the coming years. The Rams were sold to a buyer who wants to keep them in St. Louis.

It'll take you 35 clicks, but well worth seeing the 35 Funniest TV Captions of All The Times.

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini says that if asked, defender Wayne Bridge would not decline an England invite despite the shit show that has gone down the last month over the John Terry affair. Wonder if that dressing room would be at all awkward with those two in it and playing side by side?

No English Premier League action this weekend, no NBA, and no NFL. That leaves the last few games of the NHL season before the Olympic break as the focal point of the sports weekend, Olympics aside.

Speaking of John Terry, who do you suppose talked up how his affair with a former teammates (now ex) girlfriend and mother of his child would be applauded in some countries? Very progressive thinking, FIFA President Sepp Blatter. Why not just excuse racism because it is "acceptable" in some countries?

I've got a hell of a story for you to open tomorrow. That's all I'll say for now.

Light that torch, Gretz!

The Olympic opening ceremonies go tonight and I'd be shocked if it is anyone but Wayne Gretzky who lights the torch. While not a decorated Olympian, few athletes are more well known globally than The Great One.

Loved the Toronto Star headline a few days back in the print edition on the new owner of the Toronto Argos, David Braley, also being the owner of the B.C. Lions: "Major embarrassment for a minor league." Check out Damien Cox skewering of the Argos and CFL
here.

Indianapolis Colts owner Bill Polian has taken to the media to blame Sunday's Super Bowl loss on the offensive line and special teams. Guess he missed the terribly conservative game plan coach Jim Caldwell was working, and that for three quarters, the Colts defence couldn't make any plays? Oh, and that ill-advised pass by Peyton Manning that landed square in Tracy Porter's chest. Maybe the fact he forgot Herm Edwards "you play to win the game" speech down the stretch when they yanked starters had something to do with it?

Speaking of people who should never speak, MLSE head honcho Richard Peddie says that Toronto Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo is not, as has been rumored, moving to the New Jersey Nets or New York Knicks and he'll stick around to the end of his contract which ends after the 2010-11 season. Peddie would be wise to start working on an extension for Colangelo, though I suspect Colangelo will decide if he stays based on if stud player Chris Bosh stays.

Chelsea and England defender Ashley Cole broke his ankle and is out three months, leaving his fitness for the World Cup in doubt. Guessing Wayne Bridge is pretty torn whether to step in and play next to John Terry who, of course, tapped his baby mama. And how about the break coming during a collision with Landon Donovan, of Everton and the U.S.? The U.S. and England of course will face each other in group play.

Who but the Cincinnati Bengals would look to work out Pacman Jones and Matt Jones, two guys charged with crimes?

And hey, whatever happened to Bigheadedjerk?

Turns out that when you're going onto the ice to play hockey, your skate guards being on do more harm than good.

Plenty of good seats available!

That picture is not some trick photography. That's what 1,016 fans looks like at an NBA game in New Jersey last night.

From 1999 through 2002, the Atlanta Thrashers had four picks in top two of the NHL draft - Patrik Stefan, Dany Heatley, Ilya Kovalchuk and Kari Lehtonen. Not one of them remains with the team.

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan, not exactly the poster boy for health, was given a Carolina Hurricane's jersey to replace a Philadelphia Flyers one he was wearing at a game a couple nights ago. Unfortunately, when he yanked off the Flyers jersey, the shirt he was wearing underneath it also came off. Photograph evidence not for the weak stomached, of the weak stomached, here. ESPN's Josh Elliott on Ryan's wardrobe change: "HD is a punishing technology."

Interesting to hear that the Champions League final will be broadcast live on Fox in the U.S.

Over the course of their 14 game winning streak, which ended with a 6-5 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens last night, the Washington Capitals outscored opponents 30-6 in the third period of games.

Wild afternoon of English Premier League action yesterday, as Arsenal downed Liverpool, which, with Chelsea losing to Everton 2-1 and Manchester United drawing at Aston Villa, leaves the top of the table slightly more compact. Tottenham appears to be fading some, they lost to Wolves. In other Arsenal news, Gunners captain and one of the world's top players Cesc Fabregas is denying there is a deal in place to have him move to Barcelona this summer. Barcelona is issuing similar denials. Translation? Expect Fabregas move to Barcelona to be confirmed this summer. Bet on it.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney ranks the top five pitching staffs as the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Anaheim Angels, and St. Louis Cardinals. Interestingly, the Philadelphia Phillies didn't make the cut, though Olney says had they kept Cliff Lee, they'd be tops.

Check out the Top 10 most ridiculously over the top calls by commentators:

No fewer than six NHL teams will start next season with games in Europe. The NHL announced on Tuesday that the Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild, Phoenix Coyotes and San Jose Sharks will play a total of six games combined at the outset of the 2010-11 season. Now, I think the idea is lame in general, but how does the PA agree to send teams that already pull high revenue at home - think San Jose, Boston, Columbus, Minny - and send them to Europe where they'll play in smaller buildings and therefore pull less revenue? Presumably each team is playing one "home" and one "away" game, no? Surprised they're not sending Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Florida and those kinds of squads.

The Washington Redskins are interviewing Bill Romanowski for the strength coach job. What, Ben Johnson wasn't available? Hiring a guy to work in an area when he was previously suspended for steroid usage seems so very Redskin. It is times like this I miss Michael Jackson, as I always loved referencing him. For example: interviewing Romo to be your team's strength coach would be like hiring Michael Jackson to coach your kids T-ball team.

Listening to Eli Manning and others talk on The Michael Kay Show of how Peyton's Indianapolis Colts would be 6-10 if not for Peyton is absolutely laughable. He's fantastic, the best even, but that's an insult to logic to say he carried the team to 14-2 or 8 wins better on his own.

Next stop on the A-Rod Man Whore tour is Cameron Diaz. Bring a paper bag, A-Rod, she's not what she once was when she debuted in Mask.

Check out the 20 hottest female athlete photo shoots here, with plenty of jumping off points to more pics. Great stuff, especially Gina Carano, Maria Kirlineko and a couple of the usual suspects.

A bunch of Minnesota Vikings fans have pulled together some coin to buy a billboard to woo OHB to return. Pretty clever, except he would probably need someone to read it for him.

Worried about the spread of H1N1 - remember when that was big? - the Cleveland Cavaliers removed water fountains at their arena and replaced them with signs that fans could line up for a courtesy cup of water or pay for a $4 bottle. Love the Cavs spokesman claiming that the idea of increased sales never crossed the organization's minds.

In case you missed Kansas' Brady Morningstar's free throw attempt of a couple nights back, here it is in all its glory. Awesome work, BM.

9/02/10

For those keeping score at home, Peyton Manning is 9-9 in his career for the playoffs, and also went Lebron James in not shaking hands with the champions. Stay classy, Peyton. I'm sure he'll get a pass though, being who he is. But when Bill Belichick didn't stick around when his New England Patriots lost, he was killed for weeks over it.

Bob Gainey has resigned as GM of the Montreal Canadiens. Must not have wanted to trade another goalie. Michael Farber at SI.com takes a look at Gainey's struggles over his 5+ years as GM in Montreal. Chris Stevenson at the Toronto Sun looks at new Habs GM Pierre Gauthier.

Nigel Reed of CBC makes a 5-point argument for why Toronto FC will make the playoffs this year. I've still got one point why they may not: Nick Garcia is still with the club.

In other MLS news, the Thierry Henry to New York Red Bull talk is firing up again, aided no doubt by NYRB's being in Europe for pre-season training and games. That'd be a hell of a get for the Red Bulls.

Brooklyn Decker, aka "Mrs. Andy Roddick", is the 2010 SI Swimsuit Issue cover girl. Damn you, A-Rodd.

Another week of EPL action starts today with all the teams in action over the next couple days. Arsenal host Liverpool tomorrow in the featured match of the week, alongside Manchester United at Aston Villa. For Arsenal, they'll have played United, Chelsea and Liverpool in a ten day span. Did they piss off the schedule maker in the past?

Good of that stiff Vesa Toskala to talk of how he couldn't wait to get the blue and white off his goalie mask now that he's no longer a Toronto Maple Leaf. Am quite sure that the Leafs would love to have that colour off his gear too, that's why they traded the clown. That, and because his gear didn't have nearly enough black markings on it. He's also the same guy who thinks he is #1 goalie material in Anaheim but a week after arriving. He must not have noticed that Jonas Hiller is not only there, but light year's ahead of that plank.

After cracking on Wince Carter's 28% shooting January, he's now finding his stroke. Carturd drained 48 points last night in the Orlando Magic's come from behind 123-117 win over the New Orleans Saints.

If you're wondering who your fav NFL team has on the schedule next season, check it out here. Not happy to hear the Dallas Cowboys, who will try to be the first team to host the Super Bowl and participate in it, have the league's toughest schedule.

Check out this New Orleans Saints playoff run: beat Arizona, retired Kurt Warner. Beat Minnesota, (possibly/hopefully) retired OHB, and beat the allegedly invincible Indianapolis Colts and brought back "The Manning Face". Tracy Porter not only had the pick six on Manning on Sunday, but it was also him who picked off OHB's ill advised throw as the fourth quarter ended in the Conference finals. Not bad.

Have a great Tuesday.

Saints stun Colts

The Super Bowl looked like it would be a blowout early as the Indianapolis Colts raced out to a 10-0 lead and looked like they'd score on every possession, if not for New Orleans eating up almost the entire clock in the second quarter. Momentum turned when the Saints went for a ballsy on side kick, and one they recovered. From there, they rolled to a convincing 31-17 win. What better way for the Colts season to go down the drain then for Peyton Manning to throw an interception that goes back for the game breaking touchdown? Turns out he is indeed human. Was it me, or was that the loudest crowd you've seen in a Super Bowl? Sounded like the Saints were at home.

Best part of the halftime show was not seeing the lame "fans" running onto the field and going wild around the stage as The Who played. Worst part of the halftime show is it is so bloody long.

Rape charges for Michael Irvin, battery for Warren Sapp? Quite the homecoming for "The U" this past week in Miami.

Hell of a hockey game yesterday afternoon in Washington as the Capitals rallied from a 4-1 second period deficit to win 5-4 in overtime over the Pittsburgh Penguins, thanks in large part to an Alexander Ovechkin hat trick. These two have to play in the playoffs. That's 14 straight wins for the Caps.

Chelsea showed why they're in a different class than Arsenal in a 2-0 win, who don't have the finish in the final third right now to compete with the big boys of the English Premier League and in Europe. Didier Drogba scored both Chelsea goals.

A 17-year old Colorado student enlisted the help of several MMA fighters, and worked several YouTube videos and begged UFC ring girl Arianny Celeste to be his prom date and eventually, she agreed. Check her out here. Awesome work.

Terrell Owens says he'll change his name to Ochouno if he ends up on the Cincinnati Bengals.

No need to get into the Super Bowl any more than I have all week. We've heard enough, time for the game. Me, I'm saying "geaux Saints". I'm going to call the upset here, and say it is a 30-24 Saints win.

Chelsea will face Arsenal in a huge London derby this morning at 11am on The Score. For Chelsea, they need a bounce back after a surprising 1-1 draw with Hull City, not to mention the John Terry fiasco the last week. Arsenal is in a far more desperate position after getting crushed by Manchester United last weekend, and anything less than a win is the death of their championship aspirations this year. Given their record against the top sides, hard to like Arsenal today.

I can't get the "Who Dat?" song out of my head this week. Here are the Top 10 New Orleans Saints Songs.

Jose Canseco is talking junk and wants a piece of Herschel Walker. I know Strikeforce is attempting to be a serious MMA outfit, but they need to make this happen, so Canseco can be even more exposed as a total joke. I'd love to see Walker dummy him.

Troy Aikman told The Jim Rome Show that Tony Romo is now a legitimate leader in Dallas and has grown leaps and bounds, and the Dallas Cowboys will benefit greatly from it next year. Love me that Troy.

Toronto Raptor Hedo Turkoglu doesn't want to wear a mask to protect his fractured orbital bone when he returns to action today as the Raps host Sacramento because he finds it uncomfortable. Also uncomfortable for Hedo: razors, and braces. In the end, Turkoglu has relented to the team's wishes and will sport the protective gear.

Randy Couture beat Marc Coleman in a battle of old warhorses with a second round stoppage. Seriously though, can we get past Couture as a main eventer? He's not there anymore.

The Euro 2012 draw went this morning and the results can be seen here. This Croatian is very happy with a group that includes Malta, Georgia, Latvia, Israel, and Greece.

Two games, two straight shutouts for new Toronto Maple Leafs goalie J.S. Giguere after last night's 5-0 beating of the Ottawa Senators, the Sens first loss after 11 straight wins.

The Everton/Liverpool game yesterday, a 1-0 win for 'pool, was as chippy a game as you'll see with nasty tackles flying around early and often. Hilites here.

Leafs blown away late

Madden 2010 - yes, the video game - has correctly picked the winner of five of the last six Super Bowl's and the latest simulation has the New Orleans Saints winning. So, we've no heard from experts, celebs, and video games. Is there anyone or anything left out? Madden 2010 has the final a 35-31.

If there is a sporting god, this has to happen: Chad Ochocinco says that Terrell Owens will be joining him in Cincinnati. Can you imagine the quotes that will come out of that locker room the next time Carson Palmer flutters a pass out to the sidelines?

Aren't new stadia supposed to help teams with their revenue streams? How then do you explain that the San Diego Padres are thinking they cannot afford to keep local boy and hitting machine Adrian Gonzalez? If you can't keep that guy, you can't afford to keep the team. Period. Gonzalez has been rumoured to be heading to the Boston Red Sox much of the off-season.

If you like rock, be sure to catch Saturday Night Live tonight when Them Crooked Vultures are the musical guest. As an added bonus, you'll get to witness the hilarity that is Kristin Wiig.

Why I think this year and decade are off to a fantastic start: Orlando Magic(ian?) Vince Carter shot 28% for the month of January. Why I think this year and decade are off to a terrible start: "defender" Nick Garcia is still with Toronto FC.

When Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada won their first World Series in 1995, they were paid $5.55 million...combined. In 2010 they'll collect slightly under $62 million.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia is one of five managers in Major League Baseball history to average 90+ wins a year in his first ten years as a manager.

No-nonsense England manager Fabio Capello decided it best to ditch John Terry as captain after this week's revelations. Frankly, I'd think booting him from the team would be a better move. Now, even as a Manchester United guy, I find it laughable Capello chose the incredibly overrated Rio Ferdinand as the new England captain. He's barely worthy of a spot on the team, much less captain.

The LA Clippers are contemplating Isaiah Thomas as their next head coach and GM . Because they're not already a joke.

As collapses go, last nights 4-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils by the Toronto Maple Leafs in a game they led 3-1 with under four minutes to go was an absolutely historic one.

Looks like Tom Hicks will be selling the Dallas Stars after all. For the North American readers here, that's a serious statement of where the dollars are at when you have a guy that owned the Texas Rangers in baseball and the Dallas Stars in hockey and unloaded both, or is in the process of doing so, and partners with a guy who unloaded the holy grail of hockey franchises in the Montreal Canadians in George Gillette to keep their stake in Liverpool of the English Premier League.

Former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy talks a far bigger game when he's not involved. He thinks the Colts are going to blow out the Saints, based mostly on the Saints last performance. Guess he missed their performances across common opponents:
vs. New England. NO beat them 38-17, Indy 35-34.
vs. Arizona. NO beat them 45-14, Indy 31-10.
vs. NY Jets. NO beat them 24-10, Indy lost 29-15 and won 30-17.
vs. Miami. NO beat them 46-34. Indy won 27-23.
vs. Buffalo. NO beat them 27-7. Indy lost 30-7 (Week 17)
Seems New Orleans had better results, scored more and on average, gave up fewer points.

Is it just me, or did the Atlanta Thrashers pick up not very much in their deal with New Jersey for Ilya Kovalchuk?

UFC 109 goes tonight from Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas and it's pretty uninspiring at the top end of the card, with two old war horses headlining in Randy Couture and Mark Coleman. Most impressive? Check out the seating map and how many tickets are $1000 per for tonight. Dana White has to be a genius. Full card here.

Have a great Saturday.

Kovy a Devil

Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Biscotti claims that several NFL teams are struggling to make a profit, which of course will lead to a union response of asking to see the teams accounting books to determine how legitimate this stance is. I'm going to guess that the owners are not happy Biscotti opened his mouth on this one as the labour talks continue. And speaking of, the always thought provoking and occasionally infuriating Jason Whitlock says the talk of a lockout is pure madness and won't happen. "Zero chance" to use his exact words, because guys like Jerry Jones, Daniel Snyder and Paul Allen will not allow it. I think he's dead on. NFL Union boss DeMaurice Smith thinks differently, and says on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the most likely, a lockout is a "14". At least he's not being overly pessimistic.

Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt is one of three coaches that faced both Super Bowl contestants this year, and he offers his breakdown of the game here. He's definitely leaning towards the Colts.

Ilya Kovalchuk was dealt from the Atlanta Thrashers to the New Jersey Devils for forward Niclas Bergfors, defenceman Johnny Oduya, prospect Patrice Cormier and a first rounder in this year's draft. He'll now take on the appearance of a 17-goal scorer but his plus/minus will go through the roof. Can't imagine New Jersey resigns him, not when he turned down $101 million over 8 years already.

The following is graphic in nature. The Wall Street Journal takes Chelsea and England captain John Terry out to the woodshed detailing years of misdeeds, leading up to the affair with former teammate and best friend Wayne Bridge's ex-girlfriend. Didn't figure on the Journal to have such in depth sporting coverage. If Terry were wise, and there's not much to suggest he is, he ditches the captaincy fast. The distraction to England in World Cup 2010 will be incredible.

The Pittsburgh Pistons? It could happen, if you believe the rumours coming out of Pittsburgh with a new arena on the rise. Can't imagine the NBA losing a team in Detroit, as beaten up as that market is.

Sometimes, it is best to leave the words to Fark.com: "Eighty percent of Canadians think hockey has become too violent, while 20 percent are going to high-stick your nosy ass if you ask another question. Full article, and additional stats from a recent survey are here.

Have a great day.

Coaching moves

TMZ.com thinks that Reggie Bush and a few New Orleans Saints teammates out late on South Beach is a story. These guys are from New Orleans...being out late is an expectation.

Do rival SEC coaches know something about the Dallas Cowboys that the Cowboys aren't telling everyone, including coach Wade Phillips? Some unnamed coaches are telling recruits that Urban Meyer will leave Florida to take over in Dallas sooner or later. Now, if a guy like Meyer has health issues working a far easier college schedule, doesn't he become a ticking timebomb working the far more strenuous NFL grind?

If you believe that history tends to repeat itself, then Canada has to be feeling pretty good about its gold medal chances in hockey, or as it'll lamely be referred to, "men's ice hockey". The last time Canada went top of the podium in 2002, Ken Hitchock was fired as coach of the Dallas Stars just before the Salt Lake games. And yesterday, with the games 10 days away, Hitchock was axed by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Funny what a difference a hot and this year, not, Steve Mason in goal makes.

You know the Super Bowl stats machines are working overdrive when you find out that no team has ever lost to the Tampa Bay Bucs in a season and went on to win the Super Bowl. Of course, the New Orleans Saints lost to the Bucs in Week 16.

Yep, it wasn't a joke that I was throwing out there a month or three back: the Toronto Raptors did indeed have Vanilla Ice as their half time "entertainment" last night. The Raps won their 12th of 13 at home, 108-99 over the lowly New Jersey Nets.

Vegas Watch, a fantastic blog, has a breakdown of the most ridiculous Super Bowl prop bets. I think I might get down on the over/under of 1 minute and 38.5 seconds for Carrie Underwood to sing the U.S. national anthem.

Check out TNT announcers Doug Collins and Kevin Harlan absolutely ripping Oakland Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell for all the bling he's rocking courtside at a game last week, and for how much better a QB he'd be if he spent as much time working on his game as in the jewelry store. Amazing.

Good of Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter to demand a trade by taking to the airwaves of the Jim Rome Show. Nutjob.

More Miranda Kerr is a good thing for 2010.

Have a great Thursday.

All Colts, all the time

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay plans to fix the joke that is Eli Manning being the highest paid player in the NFL, and make brother Peyton the man with a record setting deal. It'll be interesting to see if Peyton chooses to leave some on the table like Tom Brady did to help the team keep and acquire other talent. It isn't like he's hurting for cash at his current rate, not to mention a ridiculous number of endorsements.

Indianapolis Colts lineman Jeff Saturday was asked at media day how he felt about the team taking the foot off the gas and not going for a perfect season and he left no confusion as to his disdain for the move that was not decided by the players or even coaches.

Here are 38 celebs weighing in with their picks for the Super Bowl, for what it is worth. Dick Vitale has the Colts, so that is one reason to look to the Saints to cover/win.

Is there anybody that is giving the New Orleans Saints a chance in the Super Bowl this Sunday? You'd think they're the worst team to ever compete for it the way they're being ignored in all-Colts-all-the-time media coverage. Starting to like the Saints more by the minute as a result, knowing that when everyone is on one side, you run - don't walk - to the other. You?

For the gamblers out there, the Colts are 12-5-1 against the number this year, while the Saints are 9-9 after opening 6-0 to start.

The Toronto Maple Leaf centres lat night were Tyler Bozek, John Mitchell, Rickard Wallin and Wayne Primeau, who have combined for all of six goals this year. Brian Burke's got loads of work to do, despite a decent start in the Dion Phaneuf run last night in a 3-0 win over New Jersey.

Got some new wallpaper on the 'ol desktop today, shots of OHB's ankle and hamstring after the New Orleans Saints went prison style on him last Sunday.

The MLS schedule is expected to be released today at 2:30pm, says GBVH. If they were wise, they'd announce a labour agreement alongside it.

Have a great Wednesday.

The truth as victim

Anytime a Super Bowl comes around, or football talk in general, you get a lot of military or war type talk. And in war, the old saying says that the first casualty is the truth, the same has to be said of Super Bowl week as the disinformation and misinformation campaign is on hard after word leaked that Indianapolis Colt Dwight Freeney has a torn ankle ligament and is questionable, something the Colts deny. Colts wideout Reggie Wayne, as noted by Don Banks at SI.com, said on the sidelines of the Pro Bowl that even if he were on the sideline coaching his team along it would be helpful. So who's right? Seems the Colts are laying it on a little too thick for it to not have some substance to it.

This Super Bowl is the first being contested by teams from non-Major League Baseball cities in 18 years.

Seth Meyers of Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update on Tim Tebow's anti-abortion ad: "if he's running the option as a pro, you know he's going to keep it."

According to Initiative Futures Sports and Entertainment, the Champions League final topped the Super Bowl as the most watched sporting event on TV in the world for 2009, the first time that has happened. Frankly, I'd question the methodology if that is the first time as the Super Bowl is mostly a North American thing while soccer has far more global appeal. What's next, they're gonna tell us next that rock has finally eclipsed country music globally?

Michael Vick says he's still a top 10 quarterback. Presumably he means in the NFC East, or more likely, the Philadelphia Eagles.

The famed blue turf of Boise State's stadium is the site of numerous bird deaths, as they meet their demise dive bombing the turf thinking it is water. Awesome.

Ahh, Leafs Nation. Dion Phaneuf isn't a Leaf for even 48 hours and people are talking of how he should be captain. There's a reason Calgary was willing to deal him, and a reason that Steve Yzerman didn't include him on the Olympic team. He may well turn it around and become the elite player he was expected to be, but let's not get crazy and name him captain quite yet. He'll have enough weight on him just trying to meet expectations for his own career, nevermind the added weight of Toronto's media spotlight.

Have a great Tuesday.

Burke shakes up the Leafs

Manchester United rode a dominating first half, mostly on the backs of Nani and Wayne Rooney, to a no-doubt 3-1 win at Arsenal.

Brian Burke's agenda as Toronto Maple Leaf's GM was laid bare yesterday as he continued to clean house of John Ferguson's guys. One move saw Jason Blake and Vesa Toskala moved to the Anaheim Ducks for J.S. Giguere, and he should win Executive of the Year on dumping Blake alone (I am exaggerating there for effect). The big deal saw the Leafs send Ian White, Niklas Hagman, Matt Stajan and the proverbial bag of pucks known as Jamal Mayers for Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom, and Keith Aulie. Very interesting, and right or wrong, needed. As an added bonus, Elisha Cuthbert is now a Leafs fan. Altogether now: "woooooooah sloppy seconds!" Clearly, Burke thinks coach Ron Wilson simply doesn't have the players to compete and isn't to blame, and says he's not done dealing. Scott Burnside at ESPN.com called it a panic move for the Flames. The Leafs will hope this one turns out the way their last major deal with the Flames did, when they landed Doug Gilmour. Phaneuf will need to turn things around as word is he's gone a bit Hollywood in Calgary, and he's now in the middle of a year where his once-sure-thing Olympic inclusion didn't happen, and now he's been traded.

Chelsea and England captain John Terry is some kind of guy, now that word comes out he's been getting busy with a model and mother of one. The model also happens to be the now ex-girlfriend of Manchester City's Wayne Bridge, formerly of Chelsea, and also an England teammate and alleged best friend. And if that wasn't bad enough, Terry is married with twin boys at home and proudly accepted England's "Father of the Year" award last year. Stay classy, JT.

It'll be a shame if Carl Robinson is gone from Toronto FC, but he is too much of the same player Julian De Guzman is and JDG makes more money and is Canadian, so only a matter of when. Seems TFC is looking to bring Manchester United in for a game this summer. Me likey!

If the Dallas Cowboys are going places in the 2010 NFL season, they'll have to earn it with a meatgrinder schedule that is the toughest in the NFC with only Washington (twice) and Detroit as easier games. The rest of their opponents - including Indy, New Orleans, Green Bay, Arizona, Philly and Minnesota - are a combined 129-79 (.620) this year.

It is Super Bowl week, get ready for a deluge of coverage here, there and everywhere.

Have a great Monday.

The big game of the English Premier League weekend sees Manchester United visiting London today where they'll take on Arsenal in a huge game for both sides. The winner will have second place with room to breathe, the loser will have a mountain to climb if they're to take the championship in the end. Check it out on The Score at 11am, in glorious high definition.

Terrell Owens rightly won the NFL receiver of the decade title at USA Today, and left no doubt that he thinks he'd be tops in all numbers - yes, ahead of Jerry Rice - if not for a career dealing with some substandard QB's. Not sure how you win that award by yourself, but apparently T.O. thinks he did. The rest of the all-decade by position series can be viewed here.

The less said about the Pro Bowl today, the better. We'll leave it at that.

With the Vancouver 2010 Olympics less than two weeks away, here's a look at 25 hot Olympians to keep an eye out for. Yes, they're all female.

If you're ever in a pinch and need to chill a beer in 30 seconds, here's how to do it. You're welcome.

So if only 19 of the 53 men on the New Orleans Saints roster are home grown, why is it nobody is saying they "bought" their way to the Super Bowl?

Former NFLer Herschel Walker made his MMA debut yesterday at age 47, and emerged a winner. Said Sports Pickle: Nice win, Herschel Walker. Strikeforce will now trade you for the future Emmitt Smith, D.Woodson and R.Maryland of MMA.

Roger Federer won his 16th career major in a straight sets win over Andy Murray. Bonus points to RF for talking smack of how Great Britain hasn't produced a champion in 150,000 years, and saying his losses to the all-defence Murray were more about him losing than Murray winning. Brilliant!

Great videos here of the top 10 most outrageous sports calls.

There are three groups in the running to buy the St. Louis Rams, and one is said to be from Toronto. Interesting.

Check out these championship rings, starting with Sidney Crosby's Stanley Cup winning ring from last season.

Baseball Prospectus has run its annual projections of what each team will do and there are some interesting developments in the AL West and the NL East especially. Projected worst in the AL and second last in all of baseball? Toronto.

Have a great Sunday.

Who are you? Who, who?

I'm sure guitarist Pete Townsend of The Who, slated to play the Super Bowl halftime show next weekend, is thrilled to have a postcard (see right) being sent to parents in the Miami area to alert them of his presence. While he was never convicted, he did spend time as a registered sex offender in England for his "internet research".

Scarlett Johannson is hot for Mango? Nice.

With all the overtime rule change possibilities I've heard this week for the NFL, the only ones I like are (1) each team is guaranteed a possession and sudden death and (2) play 10 minutes of straight up football, leader at end wins. Repeat as necessary. Not at all a fan of the college system or anything that doesn't resemble normal play, nor am I a fan of the current system where the coin toss winner wins 60% of the time.

With the NFL season winding down and only one game that matters left, the sporting calendar is going into arguably the worst month or so of the year, at least until March Madness cranks up and then passes the batton to baseball. Can't wait!

Frequent reader Bukakke passed on this great Tiger Woods game. Hours of fun.

Another piece of OHB schadenfreude. This is the same station that brought this awesome call to the close of the game, in case you didn't hear it.

Bill Simmons - The Sports Guy - has a great column up this week where he ranks the most tortured franchises in sports. Congratulations, Maple Leafs fans, you rank #7! Well worth your time.

I've got a nice EPL parlay this morning of Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool that pays about 3.5 to 1. Get on over to Pinnacle Sports at the link above and get in and get your own action down.

Have a great Saturday!

Turko-douche

Classy of the NFL to send their legal team after New Orleans business people who are selling "who dat?" gear. All year it was fine but now that they're in the Super Bowl, the league wants its cut.

Won't it be a bit weird if the Indianapolis Colts win the Super Bowl the year after Tony Dungy left as head coach, same as the Tampa Bay Bucs did the year after he left them?

Michael Farber at ESPN.com looks at the Montreal Canadiens goaltending situation and decides that given Carey Price youth, it might not be too wise to give up on him just yet, provided of course he and Jaroslav Halak don't divide the locker room. Can't disagree with that logic.

One of Tiger Woods playtoys, a former Playboy model named Loredana Jolie, says that his sex fantasies were "not normal". Jolie also said that Eldrick was into gay sex as well. Woods also sent a text message to Rachel Uchitel saying he envisioned her having sex with Derek Jeter and Bones star David Boreanaz at the same time. Well at least this isn't getting weird.

The LA Kings are a prime contender to acquire high-scoring left wing Ilya Kovalchuk from Atlanta, but they're competing with Vancouver, Boston and another Eastern team for the two-time 50-goal scorer. Rest easy Maple Leafs fans, it won't be Toronto.

Roger Federer has advanced to the finals of the Aussie Open where he'll face Andy Murray. That's 23 straight semi-final appearances for Federer in a Grand Slam, and he's been in the final of 18 of the last 19 majors. Murray has played only one set above the minimum en route to the final, and has beaten Federer 6 of 10 times. On the women's side, Serena Williams will face Justine Henin in the final.

Minnesota Vikings QB legend Fran Tarkenton, who railed against OHB moving to the purple and gold in the summer, spared no feelings when he piled on after Sunday's meltdown, calling the play "stupid" and saying that quarterbacks of lesser stature wouldn't have made such a play. He finished with this gem: "We all get hit but he is flapping around and jumping around and he is getting hit and he talks in the soft voice. I would rather it be about the team and not [OHB]. I get the idea that it is more about [OHB] than the team. A quarterback is to make his teammates better but he is not about that." For the kids of the 80's that read here: That's Incredible!

Hedo Turkoglu likely had his best game as a Toronto Raptors in last night's come from behind win in New York, but he's got a long way to go before he'll be seen as a likeable guy by this fan when he handles a post-game interview with Jack Armstrong like this. I don't think Kobe Bryant or LeBron James would act like that. Asshat.

Kurt Warner is expected to announce his retirement from the NFL today. Somehow, I suspect he'll actually mean it, even though he's still more than capable of playing despite having a #1 pick waiting behind him. Next stop, Canton.

Former Pittsburgh Steeler Eric Green forcibly sodomized a transgendered woman. I only mention this because you don't hear that very often.

Have a great Friday, back in the morn.

Derek Jeter...sex addict?

After the New Orleans Saints punched their ticket to the Super Bowl, there are four teams who have yet to appear in the Super Bowl? Any guesses? Answer at bottom.

SportsByBrooks asks how is it that Tiger Woods can be called a sex addict because of his 15 partners, but Derek Jeter isn't. Now, I'm not here to pass judgment. Rather, I'm here to express awe at Jeter's list of 15 here. Amazing.

There have been loads of reasons why the Buffalo Bills lost four straight Super Bowls discussed over the years, but former Dallas Cowboy and three time Super Bowl Champion Darren Woodson offers up a new one: nobody partied harder than the Bills in the week leading up to the game. Way to go, Buffalo!

Does the Toronto Raptors being in fifth in the Eastern Conference say something about how they've turned around, or how weak the East is? Both? The Raps beat the Miami Heat last night 111-103 on big nights from Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani, a recurring theme of late. They've got to try something they struggle with tonight: doing it on back to back nights, with a trip to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Knicks.

This will end badly: the NFL is going to offer the Red Zone Channel on cell phones next year. As if you needed another distraction while driving.

New England Patriot Vince Wilfork is objecting to talks he may be hit with the "franchise" tag as he enters free agency, saying it is a slap in the face. Yeah, real kick in the teeth knowing you'll be paid the average of the top five players at your position or 120% of your previous year's deal, whichever is greater.

According to Baseball Reference, Randy Winn leads active players with 1,601 games and no post-season appearance. He's 162 games from ending that run now that he's signed with the New York Yankees, officially ending Johnny Damon's days in The Bronx.

Washington Wizards Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton both saw their season's come to an end thanks to NBA Commissioner David Stern's ruling on their gun play being a suspension for the rest of the year.

The Edmonton Oilers have won one game in the last 19, that of course by beating the Toronto Maple Leafs.

A freaking figure skater with fur is on the cover of the Toronto Star sports section two days running. The Olympics can't end fast enough.

The Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars are the only teams who have yet to make a Super Bowl appearance.

Have a great day.