Saturday, December 6th, 2008

Starting to look more and more like AJ Burnett will be an Atlanta Brave, as they're willing to go five years with him...the NFC South is an incredible 22-2 at home this year...somehow, the Indianapolis Colts have only one win by six points or more all year. That is a team that is battle tested and getting it done in the clutch. Best beware of them come playoff time...in NCAA football, #1 ranked Alabama is facing #2 ranked Oklahoma as both look to book their trip to the national championship game...Emmitt Smith, who famously once said "don't even quit, don't EVEN quit!" says this edition of the Dallas Cowboys is mediocre. Someone might want to ask 22 if he knows what that means...it'll be at least nine years in the clink and maybe as many as 33 for O.J. Simpson as justice finally caught up to the man...add a 27 point loss to the previous 39 point loss and it is clear that Jay Triano has some serious work to do with a very flawed Toronto Raptors squad...should be some easy matchups for the top squads in the English Premier League this weekend, but we've seen all stumble at various points this season. Look for Manchester United to pound Sunderland, particularly with former United captain Roy Keane no longer coaching them....in what is being hyped as boxing's biggest fight of the year, Oscar De La Hoya faces Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas...bad news for Dallas Cowboys fans: Marion Barber missed his fourth straight practice yesterday with a bad toe and seems doubtful to go in Pittsburgh tomorrow...have a great Saturday.

Friday, December 5th, 2008 - Triano Loves Rock

The best name I've heard so far for Plaxico Burress: 2-Plax...why the World Baseball Classic seems amateur: Alex Rodriguez played for the U.S. in the inaugural edition. Next time around, he's playing for the Dominican Republic. Part of me hopes it is as a shortstop just to remind some New York Yankee fans that the best shortstop on the team plays third...Don Cherry told Jim Rome that Sean UNS-Avery's™ comments were worse than a hit from behind. Not sure about that, Grapes. As classless and out of line as it was, nobody's spine was under threat. Why I think Avery is done in Dallas, and perhaps the NHL: when you're willing to leak personal information, how is your own team to trust you? I'm quite sure Avery has seen some things with teams past and present - guys straying from their wives while on the road, drugs and such - and nobody wants a guy like that around that will say anything to anyone. He's Jose Canseco without waiting until he's done in the game. Word is the Stars are looking to get out of the contract signed this past summer. Check out his exchange with an elderly fan in Nashville earlier this season, which the NHL allegedly knows about. How was he not booted from the league for that? Avery got six games, and has been ordered to go to counselling...the Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins game in Toronto this weekend is sold out, we're told. Anybody else smell a work?...Jay Triano - 1-0 lifetime as Toronto Raptors head coach after winning a game last year - makes his debut with a toughie at Utah. Memo to Triano: Welcome to 1-1...Toronto Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson benched Tomas Kaberle for the first period of a 6-3 loss last night in Phoenix, and he promptly went out and played horribly. His days in Toronto are winding down fast...have a great Friday.

Thursday, December 4th, 2008 - You could see it in Bosh's eyes...

How smalltime is hockey in the U.S.? It takes something like Sean "Uns"Avery - my creation, don't steal it - spouting off to make the top story at ESPN...when your team does everything but wave a white flag in a 39-point loss, and your team is a bit of a disappointment and 3-9 in the last dozen, somebody has to pay the price, and that somebody was Sam Mitchell, axed as Toronto Raptors head coach and keeping with the tradition of a Coach of the Year getting axed shortly thereafter. Don't feel bad for SMitch though, he's got $10 million coming his way as a parting gift, and has accumulated a fine collection of suits..it seems incredibly odd that for all the talk, there have still been no free agent signings. Not sure what CC Sabathia is waiting on, but if somebody - anybody - offered me $140 million, I'd be signing immediately rather than living in fear of some freak injury in the meantime while playing Guitar Hero, or more likely in Sabathia's case, cutting off a finger while eating...in telling Charles Barkley to shut up, Lebron James is the first Nike athlete of any significance to ever say anything remotely colourful. Think about it: Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, (snore) - vanilla thinks these guys are boring...former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Paul Maurice didn't set the world on fire in Toronto, and other than a finals appearance with the Carolina Hurricanes, didn't distinguish himself there, but somehow, he's back in Carolina after Peter Laviolette was turfed...under the "Department of Bargain", you'll find Boston Red Sox and 2008 AL MVP Dustin Pedroia, signed for 6 years and $40.5 million...in a move that can only be about saving money, Notre Dame is keeping Charlie Weis on as its head coach. Didn't Ty Willingham get axed after fewer years and even better performance?...if you've ever been to a sporting event, you've likely navigated the short steps while holding a beer or two, wondering if you might slip and fall. One Ottawa man did just that, and not only did he fall, he fell 25 feet to the deck below...another Prime Time Pick for you tonight, and the ledger stands at 15-11. Oakland visits San Diego in a matchup that means little, unless you're talking about the piss-poor AFC West, where .500 might get you in. To do that, both teams would have to go on quite the roll. The Bolts are 10 point favs and based on their current level of play - and commitment - tough to see them covering that number. Hell, it wouldn't shock me if the Raiders won outright. Take the Raiders and the points, happy Thursday night...have a great day.

The WORST dive of all time, and the ref got hooked...

Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008

Memo to Brett Hull: next time you survey your players about signing a guy like Sean Avery and they say "don't do it" - or Avery himself - you best listen. Avery has been suspended by the league, and would have been by the Dallas Stars, for referencing Calgary Flames defenceman Dion Phaneuf's girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert as his "sloppy seconds". On the ice, that stuff is the norm. Off it and to the media? Juvenile in the extreme. He's likely done in Dallas like Debbie, and what GM would pick up a guy that would bring that kind of infamy to the league? I've got one: Brian Burke...New York Giants receiver Steve Smith was robbed at gunpoint last Thurday. Anybody know if Plaxico Burress has an alibi? I'm a little sour it only came to me today after Burress self-inflicted gunshot wound: Plaxico beat another safety. Word is that he faces a minimum 3.5 years in the crowbar motel if convicted and New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has already gone on record as saying he'd be disappointed if he wasn't convicted. Nice knowing you, Plax. He's done for the season, and playoffs...after New England Patriot Wes Welker got de-cleated Sunday, here's fifteen fantastic hits in the NFL this year...and while we are at it, how about some great stadium sex acts...finally in today's video fun: Florida State Tuba Players vs. Wet Football Field. Who ya got?...as always, USC coach Pete Carroll is showing his opposition all kinds of respect. NCAA rules specify that a visiting team wears white or they'll forfeit a timeout per half. Pretty hefty penalty for such a triviality, no, timeouts being important and all? No biggie to Carroll. He wants his Trojans in red when they face UCLA...in a decision that should surprise nobody, Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo earned the Ballon d'Or as European player of the year. Unlike his EPL award for the same earlier, he actually thanked his teammates for this one...a mere 39 point loss for the Toronto Raptors as they visited Denver last night. Sam Mitchell needs to go. His "best before" date is about as gone as Charlie Weis...have a great Wednesday.

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008

How good is Kobe Bryant? If he could've scored another 15 points on Sunday against the Toronto Raptors, and we all know he's treated them like a hotel employee in Denver over the years, he would have reached 22,000 at the age of 30 years and 99 days, beating Wilt Chamberlain by one day to become the youngest to achieve that mark in league history...Cris Collinsworth on NBC's Football Night In America: "I was an idiot for believing in the Jets."...Bob Costas, same show: "when is the last time a player brought a gun to a public place that helped make the situation better?" Sounds more and more like Plaxico Burress time with Big Blue is done. The big loss will be if Antonio Pierce gets suspended by the league for helping him dispose of the gun...remember that mess that the Pittsburgh Steelers called Heinz "Field" last year when they replaced the grass late in the year? Well, they've done it again, and it could be a big factor come Sunday when they host the Dallas Cowboys in the game of the week, though you could argue that Tampa visiting Carolina is just as big in terms of playoff implications...it wasn't the three point bulge they wanted, but Liverpool went top of the table with a draw against West Ham to give them a one point lead. Wonder if the NHL will ever see the wisdom of the three points for a win system?...when Stephanie McMahon says she'll make Monday Night Raw "bigger", and you only see her shot from the chest up, you have to wonder if she is referring to herself literally...one angle that the Bills in Toronto haven't tried - yet - the return of Ricky Williams to his old stomping grounds. That is about the only stone left unturned in their desperate bid to sell out. Well, that and to buy tickets in honour of the now-deceased Ted Rogers...speaking of Rogers, wonder what his departure from this mortal coil means for the Toronto Blue Jays? Interesting times ahead...the Week 12 NFL average for points was a whopping 52.3. And the CFL thinks it has the market cornered on high scoring football. Nope, not even close. In fact, the two are moving in opposite directions...just what the world needed: a Toronto Maple Leafs team 2-0 since hiring Brian Burke after beating L.A. 3-1 last night. The Leafs Nation no doubt thinks the turnaround will be that easy and fast...have a great Tuesday.

Monday, December 1st, 2008

Manchester United has yet to play a game on the road in EPL action against a team that wasn't in the top half of the standings last year. Translation? The schedule will lighten up with trips to Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal all completed and they're well in range to win the title for the third straight year. Oh, and Cristiano Ronaldo? You mockingly clap a refs call in his face and you may as well punch him in the mouth because you're mere moments from getting tossed. Man U downed Man City in their chippy matchup yesterday...if you thought the cookie lick race ad was bad, just think how bad it could get if we see a Manning vs. Manning Super Bowl?...that's 0-12 on the year against the spread for the team that beat the Detroit Lions the week prior. Next up to not cover: Tennessee...Dan Dierdorf continues to murder the English language, calling the Plaxico Burress news "distractional". Speaking of Burress, here's ten reasons why he shot himself...losing Shawne Merriman doesn't turn you into a 4-8 team. Norv Turner sure can though. That's his track record after all...so about all that "this game in Toronto is wildly important" talk for the Buffalo Bills: nevermind. Think Rian Lindell's Monday Night wide right is still rattling around in his brain? He had two more misses yesterday, including one from 20 yards as the Bills came out flatter than piss on a plate in a 10-6 home loss. To San Francisco...wonder if Atlanta Falcon Michael Turner enjoyed pounding his former team yesterday? Methinks the San Diego Chargers kept the wrong running back...most impressive win of the day? Has to be the Pittsburgh Steelers destroying the New England Patriots, especially that it came in the second half of the game, a time the Pats notoriously dominate...Chelsea dropped another game at home to an amped up Arsenal and suddenly, the top of the English Premier League is very crowded. Liverpool could go top of the table with a win today over West Ham. When's the last time Liverpool was tops in December?...a very easy cover for the Minnesota Vikings to bring the Prime Time Picks to 15-10. Tonight, we're riding the mercurial Jacksonville Jaguars at +3.5 over the home Houston Texans...Las Vegas did it again. The LA Lakers were a 12.5 point fav over the Toronto Raptors, and won by 13...have a great Monday.

Sunday, November 30th, 2008 - "Yes, that actually is a gun in my pocket"

Brian Burke was the Vancouver Canucks GM when Todd Bertuzzi suckered Steve Moore. Wonder how current Maple Leaf and Steve Moore's brother Dominic feels about his new GM?...I'm sure NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will be thrilled that New York Giant Plaxico Burress was packing heat in a New York bar. The gun went off and Burress shot himself in the leg. Giant teammate Antonio Pearce tried to hide the gun, and Burress is expected to be arrested on felony weapons charges any day now. That said, if you've read the latest issue of ESPN The Magazine, you'll see that NFL players have significant security concerns and live in constant fear...New York Knicks GM Donnie Walsh says that Stephon Marbury's status will be "resolved" come Monday. To me, if the guy refused to play and honour his contract, that should be a firing offence where there's no buyout...14-10 now on Prime Time Picks after three straight losses but up comfortably on the year. 15-10 is a tidy 60% so it'll have to be a winner tonight to do just that. Minnesota (-1.5) hosts Chicago and tough to not like the Vikes in this one: they're 4-1 at home, and have the revenge factor in play after losing 48-41 to the Bears on October 19th. The winner on this one could well be playoff bound while the loser is left reeling at .500. Also loving Buffalo today (-6.5) and New Orleans (+4.5), the latter simply because the team that beats Detroit the week prior still has yet to cover the following week, and that'd be Tampa Bay in this case. Get your gamble on at Pinnacle...thanks to the Detroit Lions historic run. 3-13 may only get you the 5th pick in the 2009 draft when since 2002, it has guaranteed you the #2...Gabe Morency, who needs no introduction, has a fantastic new website up. Check it out...in college hoops, the University of Dayton missed all 24 three point attempts they took, and still won. That 0-24 showing is a record...Andy Pettitte is feeling unloved by the New York Yankees, and may join old manager Joe Torre in L.A. as a result. Sorry, Pettitte, but you're not worth $16 million anymore, not after that season, and if the Yanks are playing footsie with younger, more talented guys, such is life...have a great Sunday.