Sid The Kid bows to the pressure

Classy move of former-Tampa Bay Ray and now Boston Red Sock Rocco Baldelli to take out an ad in the Tampa papers thanking them for the support over the years. I'm sure both their fans appreciate it...if the Jacksonville Jaguars are the "Jags", the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the "Bucs", what does that make the Tennessee Titans? Blame the latest Playboy for that one - it was a party joke in the February 2009 issue...for a team that isn't exactly lighting the world on fire, the belief that the Toronto Maple Leafs can pull high draft picks and young talent for some of their talent seems awfully ambitions. Shame they didn't do that Tomas Kaberle for Jeff Carter deal last year, no?...sounds like the threat of being forced to sit a game because of skipping the all-star game has convinced Sidney Crosby to make the trip to Montreal, though he won't play. Not so much for Niklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk, who will miss Detroit's game Tuesday. How lame of the league to mess with the competitive integrity of its season for a nothing game...Toronto FC finally signed an extension with local boy Dwayne DeRosario that most importantly, will not see him tagged as a designated player, so TFC still has that option available to them...Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones continues to fumble the ball. One of the obvious moves would be to fire Wade Phillips and hire a proven winner like Mike Shanahan. Instead, Jones is dawdling and will more than likely see Shanahan continue his tour of the AFC West by taking the now-vacant Kansas City Chiefs job after Herm Edwards was axed...and as if my beloved Cowboys weren't a circus enough, they're working on a reality show that will see one of 12 make the 80-man training camp in the summer. Lovely...Gabe Morency of Drive This on Troy Aikman's criticism of Tony Romo: "if a classy guy like Aikman is calling him out like that, what do you think the rest of the guys on that team think of Romo?" Morency has to be the sharpest sporting mind in this country, and the sharpest tongue to boot...that's three on the spin for Prime Time Picks, and look for the fourth later today, most likely NBA. After all, streaks only end once!...no EPL action today, but there are some F.A. Cup matches being played, with the featured one being Tottenham facing Manchester United...have a great Saturday.

PRIME TIME PICK: Just posted the play of the day - the "under" on the New York Knicks/Philadelphia 76ers game. Liked it at 206, and when I saw it moved to 207, I liked it that much more. Good luck, four straight, comin' up!

Two straight for Prime Time Picks!

Kobe Bryant has said he could play wideout for his hometown Philadelphia Eagles or left field for the LA Dodgers. Not sure about the wideout thing, but after a couple months of ManRam in left last year, who couldn't see themselves playing left?...the status of fighting in the NHL is going to be on the table at the next GM meetings, and if you believe that Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland is among the smarter people in the game, it will get a serious look. Holland, and no doubt others, are starting to wonder if it has a place in the game. Ultimately, I think there will be peace in the Middle East before some of the dinosaurs in the game see the light and push fighting out of the game...the pending trade that sends Toronto Raptor Jermaine O'Neal to Miami for Shawn Marion, among others, is the bold sort of move Raps GM Bryan Colangelo needs to make if they're to retain Chris Bosh beyond next season. Matrix either re-signs or the Raps have $17 million plus to play with this off-season. Good move either way, sure better than the original trade for sl-O'Neal...Sidney Crosby is out of the NHL All-Star game this weekend with his nagging knee issue. Only the NHL would lose its golden boy on one of its marquee events. Well, that and both the representatives from the defending champions in Nik Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk...scratch Ryan Dempster and Rich Harden as pitching possibilities for Canada in the World Baseball Classic...is Kurt Warner better than Peyton Manning? Here's one article that makes a hell of an argument for that. Incredible stat: as measured by passer rating, Manning's worst game of the season in 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006 came in a playoff game. Ouch...the Minnesota Vikings are said to be watching developments in LA for a new stadium that may be built in Industry City, California. That leaves the Timberwolves as the lone team in Minny that hasn't threatened to move or be shut down by its league. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com also cites the Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams and San Francisco 49ers as possible teams to move to LA, and there could even be two teams to do so...the Detroit Pistons haven't lost to the Toronto Raptors since 2003...Mark McGwire's brother seems to have implicated his brother as a steroid and HGH user. Shame that didn't happen last week before the Hall of Fame balloting was completed, would've been interesting to see if he managed the minimum to stay on the ballot...Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo says he's going to be more of a leader next year. Well, it is January - a time to make resolutions. Unfortunately, we know how most of those end...last night's Prime Time Pick has to be the easiest to date with the under coming in 22 points under the spread. Stay tuned for tonight's pick later. Could well be a third straight NBA pick looking for a third straight winner...have a great Friday.

Prime Time Pick - sticking with what is working and playing yet another NBA game (not that there are tonnes of options in the pro ranks tonight). Get down on the New York Knicks at -5.5 -110 at Pinnacle FAST before this one goes up. Three straight, coming up!

Back in the saddle!

Football has to be the only sport to roll credits during a game, putting into question the brilliant quote that GBVH once said, "football is just what they show between commercials"...Max Kellerman calls Isaiah Thomas the New York Knicks George W. Bush, with the role of Barack Obama occupied by Donnie Walsh. I think Zeke got off light there...could Ben Sheets end up a Yankee on an incentive laden deal? Could be, says Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal. As risky as Sheets is, he's also got huge upside for any team that signs him if he stay's healthy because he's got nasty stuff...how bad are the Toronto Raptors? Bad enough that I flipped to the Maple Leaf game instead of watching them on the wrong end of a senseless slaughter again...with a Super Bowl win next Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be the winningest franchise in the NFL. Expect to hear that repeated about 26,212 times ahead of the game....Troy Aikman has never been one to go out of his way to say anything that stirs any pots, though not to the embarrassing Derek Jeter level where he'd go mute when asked if the sky was blue. So when he lays out Tony Romo for not recognizing that perception of effort plays a very big part in a career, Romo best take notes...if you don't find Kurt Warner creepy, perhaps this will help you: Warner draws out what God looks like in his mind...New York Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro is out for the year with a knee injury. Good thing he's got another 12 years left on his contract to make up for it...thank you, Houston Rockets, for righting the listing good ship PTP. Back later with tonight's pick...if tonight's Office is half as good as last week's, not sure my ribs will be able to handle it...have a great Thursday.

Prime Time Pick: with a small selection of games tonight, going with a total play for the first time. Taking the "Under" on 192.5 (-109) in the Boston/Orlando game.

In a move that would more than likely fix all of the Dallas Cowboys discipline, accountability and divisiveness issues by his sheer presence, the squad might be hotly pursuing Baltimore Ravens free agent Ray Lewis. Wonder if Terrell Owens will do his Lewis dance impression again if that happens? Hell, if I'm Jerry Jones, I make the offer, and give him the head coaching job while he's at it...the Super Bowl coverage has yet to start, but one thing for certain: nobody else will be publishing a Top 10 Quarterback WAG's - Wives and Girlfriends - list like this...the Atlanta Braves are looking to add Andruw Jones after he was released by the L.A. Dodgers. Frankly, for a mere $400k, with the Dodgers picking up the other $20 million and change, I'm shocked more teams aren't looking to gamble. Word is Jones has shed a few pounds, that's a start...if anybody can figure out why Dallas Mavs owner Mark Cuban, in keeping his tradition of matching fines received by the NBA with donations to charities, is looking to make a donation to the NHL Players Association Goals and Dreams Fund in the names of Steve Moore and Todd Bertuzzi, I'd love ti hear it...in a five month period ending last year, 41 WWE wrestlers tested positive for marijuana. Well, if you can't pop painkillers like candy anymore, what else are these busted up guys to do?...interesting English Premier League stat: if you take away the final five minutes of the game, here's how the standings would look with the points on 85 minutes, with the actual position and points in parenthesis. 1. Arsenal - 45 (41, 5th); 2. Chelsea - 44 (45, 3rd); 3. Manchester United - 43 (47, 1st), Liverpool - 43 (47, 2nd), Aston Villa - 43 (44, 4th)...interesting point about the idea salary caps promote parity: in the last 30 years, there have been 20 champions in Major League Baseball. In the NBA, with a cap? 9...Washington Capital star - and one of the world's most electric players in any sport - Alexander Ovechkin has taken over 100 shots on goal more than the next player in the league...quick poll at the right, enjoy...have a great Wednesday.

Ron Wilson: health ad-visor

If it isn't a first, it is at least a first in a long time: the Toronto Maple Leafs can be called forward thinking. Or at least, coach Ron Wilson can. Wilson thinks all players should be wearing properly fitted helmets and visors because they protect from injury. Given what players are paid and what injuries can do to a team's playoff hopes, it is shocking teams, if not the league, aren't pushing heavily for it...who knew the Toronto Raptors had three point guards capable of running the team not named Jose, and all cheaper than Jose?...well that didn't take long. World Baseball Classic tickets can now be bought one game at a time. Betting the "strip" method that forced you to buy tickets to all game at a given venue went over like a fart in church...in six games with the Vancouver Canucks, Mats Sundin's most impressive stat is that he's been in the penalty box when the Canucks gave up three game-losing goals...ESPN is taking a run at picking up the English Premier League broadcast rights for the U.S. for 2010-2013, stealing them from Setanta Sports. Meantime, nobody wants the NHL for any meaningful price...the always hilarious Noel Gallagher of Oasis chimed in on Arsenal's Arsene Wenger whining about his fav team Manchester City breaking the bank for star players...what a death spiral Prime Time Picks are in right now. Damn you, Tim Cahill, and your late goal!. Back with today's death sentence - err - lock - later...could the Hartford Whalers be back? Word is city of Hartford officials met with the NHL to discuss the return of a team. Good luck trying to figure out which of the half dozen teams could be on the move...it is a big day south of the border and around the world, if you're buying the hype. Here's hoping Barrack Obama can live up to the hope people have in him not as a black President, but as one of the world's leaders and the responsibility that goes with that...have a great Tuesday.

PTP: Chicago Bulls -4 -108. Send me a winner, Lord!

Had the Philadelphia Eagles shown up to play at all in the first half, they'd have easily ran away with the game yesterday. Instead, they dug too deep a hole, and despite leading in the fourth, couldn't hold on as the Arizona Cardinals left only the Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jags and Cleveland Browns as the only teams to never make a Super Bowl appearance. Oddly, the Cardinals could've made the playoffs with two fewer wins, being they're in the feeble NFC West.....there were more hard hits in the Baltimore and Pittsburgh game than the Dallas Cowboys delivered in December. Willis McGahee is gonna be awfully sore after that de-cleating job at the end of the Ravens loss that saw him stretchered out...the Steelers are 6.5 point favs going into the big game 13 days from now. Who do you like?...not sure this has happened in the NHL before: two players from the same team both scored their 300th career goals on the same night. Colorado Avs Ryan Smyth and Milan Hejduk did the deed...if you thought the existance of competitive eating contests or the Rock, Paper, Scissors championship was hilarity, how about a Beer Pong championship? This story from ESPN's Rick Reilly is well worth a read...last minute PTP selection with minutes to go before kickoff - which may be just as well for you all the way it has gone the last week. Taking Liverpool -1 +113. Yes, it may push, but didn't want to play the split line for record keeping purposes here. Good luck!...have a great MLK Day.

At least the Ontario Hockey League gets it. Hot on the heels of an amateur player dying after cracking his dome off the ice, the league has mandated that any player that takes his bucket off for a fight is tossed from that game and suspended for the next, and that should a player's helmet come off during a fight, the linesmen are to immediately intervene. In junior, where players where shields by rule, one Kitchener Ranger said that the new rules are going to wipe out almost all fights. That's not a bad thing...on the Max Kellerman Show, Stephen A. Smith talked about the Dallas Cowboys problems at length and boiled it down to a severe lack of trust among the players and the culprit is not Terrell Owens as one might suspect, but coordinator Jason Garrett and Tight End Jason Witten. Smith said that while T.O. may be juvenile in how he handles things and is overly sensitive, in this case, he is right, confirmed by several players on the team from both sides of the ball. Also taking a beating was Tony Romo, who some players say has "gone Hollywood" and is more concerned with Jessica Simpson than with the team. Smtih said the blame has to lay at the feet of Wade Phillips for allowing things to spiral to this point all the while saying things are fine. Interesting times in Big D...some time ago, your faithful blogger mentioned a severe disdain for the "Fox Robot". Come to find out it has a name - "Cleatus". Also come to find that one Conan O'Brien isn't a fan either, as you'll see in the vid here. Tremendous...Coed Magazine thinks they've got the 8 potential cover girls for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Check them out, and vote here. Sing along, "I love this Bar..."...clearly, Manchester City are not messing about. With Kaka looking like he's heading there from AC Milan, City are looking to get a top notch coach in the person of Jose Morinho, even talking of doubling his salary to 18 million (Euros). The Gallagher brothers have to be pretty thrilled with that...as mentioned a couple times now, the Philadelphia Eagles are your PTP today. Bet 'em hard...have a great Sunday.