Best promo ever?

The Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL are running a promo called "Don't Be Like Mike" after Michael Phelps bonging South Carolina. Here's the deal: anyone named Michael, Phelps, Cheech, Chong or Mary-Jane, or anyone who has won an Olympic gold medal gets a discount to a game next week. It gets better, if the Admirals score at 4:20, somebody in the arena will win season's tickets. As an added bonus, somebody will take home a weed wacker...the LA Galaxy say that David Beckham will return on March 9th after a deal was not completed by yesterday's deadline with AC Milan. Like any negotiation where the first offer isn't the best one, I'd wager that in this one, the first deadline isn't the last. He can walk after this season for nothing. The Galaxy would be crazy not to make a deal, it makes too much financial $ense...the Phoenix Suns are said to be looking to dump $40 million in salary - and pronto - as a result of their owner "lost" about $253 million in the stock market. Here's hoping somebody can save the great Steve Nash from that mess...among the witnesses of that plane crash just outside Buffalo on Thursday night include several Buffalo Sabres. GBVH passed on this incredible story of an AHL ref who switched to a different flight when a flight attendant told him he wouldn't want to bring his kids on the ill-fated flight because it was going to be especially turbulent..A-Rod was in the Bahamas as the steroid story was breaking last Saturday, partying with two lovely ladies, and gettin' his Goose on too, as you can see here...the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat finally got together on a trade that sends Jermaine O'Neal to Miami and brings back "The Matrix" Shawn Marion. The deal gives the Raptors loads of flexibility in this all-important off-season approaching and they'll need to make some big moves if they have any hope of retaining Chris Bosh. Frankly, with how Bryan Colangelo has operated of late - the original deal for O'Neal, the overpaying of Josee Caleron, the horrible Jason Kapono deal - I'm not sure there's much hope in Raptorland...good of LA Dodgers manager Joe Torre to wax on about A-Rod's drug usage. Funny, I don't remember him being so opinionated when he had Jason Giambi or Andy Petttitte on his team, but now he's going to talk about other teams players?...it is the NBA All-Star weekend, not that anyone should much care, but as is becoming tradition in these parts, we've got the Top 10 NBA WAGs...after selling 13,000 tickets in the pre-sale - incredible - there is now talk that UFC97 in Montreal could be in trouble because such fights are against the law. Better still, the governing body says it didn't know about last year's card. Really? If so, how are you fit to govern anything?...kind of hard to believe that the Toronto Maple Leafs have only scored four fewer goals than the Pittsburgh Penguins, no? They face each other tonight at The Hanger, and the Pens are your PTP for tonight on the puck line at -0.5 +118. Altogether now: "value"...and yes, last night's game needed an empty netter from the Montreal Canadiens to cover the 1.5 goals. Sometimes you get those breaks, sometimes you don't. At +275 though, that's a damn good break...have a great Saturday.

The Late Show with David Letterman had the Top 10 Messages Left on Alex Rodriguez’s Answering Machine on Tuesday:

10. “Hey, it’s Mark McGwire. Want to get together this week and not talk about the past?”

9. “Joe Torre here—thanks for helping book sales”8. “Could you find a steroid that keeps you from choking in the playoffs?”

7. “Are you worried this will taint all the championships you didn’t win?”

6. “It’s Bernie Madoff. Nice try but I’m still the most hated man in New York”

5. “Michael Phelps here. Got any snacks?”

4. “This is Sammy Sosa. Just pretend you don’t speak English”

3. “Michael Phelps again. Did I call you or did you call me?”

2. “Hey, it’s Rod Blagojevich—I’ll say you’re innocent, if you say I am”

1. “It’s Madonna. You got a phone number for Jeter?”

On Canucking fire!

If you thought the NFL was tough on coaches, the English Premier League has seen its 19th managers axed in 19 months including three at Chelsea. Not included in that is Newcastle who, when not firing coaches, are seeing them go to the hospital for heart surgery...the Portand Trail Blazers are in the market for a point guard. Somebody alert Bryan Colangelo. Oh, they want an ELITE point guard? Moving on. Doesn't look like Amare Stoudamire will be heading to Portland, though Miami remains in the running...how about that Vancouver Canucks PTP last night? Down 3-1 in the third, they rallied for three to win 4-3 and pick up a nice +$117 for PTP followers hammering it at Pinnacle...good to see the Philadelphia Flyers mugging for pictures with Porn Star Gina Lynn...who could have leaked A-Rod's failed drug test news to Selena Roberts at SI? Try A-Rod's ex-wife Cynthia, for one possibility...speaking of jilted lovers, who would tell the world their ex has AIDS? Try this girl, for one - Roberto Alomar's ex...check out this amazing list of Spring Training cliche's, complete with who said them last year. The final one from Dontrelle Willis turned out to be entirely comical...AC Milan has today as a deadline to sort out a transfer deal with the LA Galaxy to keep David Beckham in Milan beyond the March 9th loan date. I'd wager it gets done, both sides should want it to happen really. Beck's and AC Milan face cross-town rivals Inter Milan in the big match of the weekend...back later with your PTP. Have a great Friday.

10:55AM Update: your PTP tonight is a bit of a departure in that we're giving a puck and a half on the Montreal Canadiens to beat the Colorado Avs comfortably. If you're skittish, play the straight money line at -104. If you like value, go the -1.5 +275 on the puck line to make a nice chunk of change.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Favre

Brett Favre is said to be retiring. Now more than ever Brett, don't go away feeling you'll be missed. He did the NY Jets a huge favor to get them out of cap hell, though that is more accident than design given Favre's always been about looking out for #4. I'll give him credit though, he's the only guy in history - I guarantee it - who will see interceptions end his career both times he retired. Very fitting..how exactly has Phoenix Suns GM Steve Kerr kept his job? And how is he even allowed to explore a trade of Amare Stoudamire? They could well be a bigger disappointment than the Toronto Raptors, scary as that sounds...Jon Gruden - unemployed coach - says Tim Tebow could revolutionize the quarterback position. Gruden in love with a QB? Good to know e things never change...and there I was yesterday blasting the U.S. Congress for pursuing drug usage in baseball - something they've since let go in the case of A-Rod - and then you get an even bigger waste of time: there have been eight arrests in the Michael Phelps Bong Incident. South Carolina must be the safest place in the world to live if the cops have time to pursue something like this. Guess them hillbillies aren't brewing moonshine anymore...Terrell Owens is recruiting Ray Lewis to come play for the Dallas Cowboys. See, the Cowboys do have a leader...Roko Ukic had a dynamite game in a shocking Toronto Raptors win over the San Antonio Spurs. Josee Caleron is now the first NBA player in history to miss another game from being "sore"...if you haven't heard the Roberto Alomar story, he's being sued by an ex-girlfriend who claims he has full blown AIDS and had unprotected sex with her. Weird. Gobbie is denying that he's got AIDS. I'm a little sour that if he does, I'm not the first to say he caught more than the taste...last night's PTP might have been the easiest wager I've ever won in my life. The total finished at 155 on an over/under of 209.5. Awesome. Another pick comes later on the always tricky short Thursday board...have a great Thursday.

Raising the Bar

It didn't take long for the Congress grandstanding to begin. One Congressman wants A-Rod called on the carpet to see what else they can find out. Right, because the first time was so illuminating. Since these clowns figure they can review what happened in baseball five years ago and criticize, wonder who gets to call Congress on the carpet for letting the Wall Streeters take the global economy down the toilet? Way to keep your eye on the prize, fools...hope Tony Romo's girlfriend isn't a listener of the Jim Rome Show, where one caller dubbed her Jessicow Blimpson...Minnesota Wild defenceman Cal Clutterbuck has been the target of Don Cherry of late, and one Wild fan fired back with probably the best thing you could call Grapes on a variety of levels: Liberace. Amazing. Thanks to ROTR for passing this my way...good of an Ontario Provincial Police officer to get nailed - on duty - for breaking the province's racing laws, driving 165 kph in a 100 zone...the pressure of the Prime Time Picks got to me. I admit it. So I hit some 'roids. Forgive me for last nights dud of a pick...there are several soccer friendlies - and not so friendlies, like Mexico visiting the U.S. tonight - including England travelling to Spain to face the European Champions. English captain John Terry has vowed that if the Spanish fans continue with rascist taunts of England's black players, they'll walk off the field. Good for England. I'm sure, like the ill advised Spanish Olympic hoops picture, that the taunts are in tribute to the black players. Or not...it is no secret that I'm not a huge fan of Derek Jeter's personality - ask him if the sky is blue and he'll waffle on an answer - and even less a fan of the results of his leadership. But his plan to address the A-Rod steroids situation once and only once when camp gets together for the media is a great one. It'll minimize the distraction, at least to him, by not letting it become a daily discussion...Baseball Prospectus ran its projected finishes for the 2009 season for all teams and has the Boston Red Sox and Yankees finishing a game apart at the top of the AL East with the top records in the AL. A .500 season is forecast for the Toronto Blue Jays - I've got the under there. The Hardball Times ran 100 trials of the 2009 season and had the Yankees first in the East with an average of 101 wins...the NHL's best of the west - San Jose - dropped in to face the beasts of the east in Boston last night, and the Sharks exploded for three goals in a little over six minutes to win 5-2...Bar Rafaeli rode a RM plug last month to the cover of SI's Swimsuit Issue. Good stuff. More Bar from SI here. Also shockingly impressive in this issue is Danica Patrick..have a great Wednesday, back with your PTP later.

3:37pm UPDATE: Your PTP is up.

An unqualified "yes" from A-Rod

Well, at least A-Rod didn't go with the tried (anagram: tired) and true "I didn't knowingly..." or try to minimize his usage of PED's to one or two times to "deal with an injury" or apologize but not speak to what he was apologizing for, or a denial, and good for him for that. I'm sure he'll take plenty regardless, but this ought to save the Roger Clemens treatment at least. Oddest quote of the day goes to A-Rod's New York Yankee teammate Jorge Posada, who when if he would be on the list of 104 that were busted in 2003, said "I hope not. I think I've done things right." Hope? Think? Maybe he's leaving some room in there for something he took from GNC that is now banned, but seems an odd quote...in discussing last the annihilation of BJ Penn and the vaseline controversy, Georges St. Pierre claimed it wasn't a factor but if Penn wanted a rematch, he'd be glad to oblige him this summer and of course, Penn responded that he's willing. No way Dana White and UFC doesn't take them up on that, considering the early returns say the fight was their best ever pay-per-view buy rate...speaking of UFC, UFC97 will be in Montreal on April 18th, with Anderson Silva facing Thales Leites, and Chuck Lidell taking on Shogun Rua. See the rest of the card - so far - here...the way the New York Rangers navigated the early part of the season when they played far more games than anyone and won the vast majority, you'd think they'd be cruising now with a lighter schedule. Instead, they don't score and are sliding down the standings...best line I've heard about Kellog's goal of "protecting children" by dumping Michael Phelps comes from Dave Ziron of ESPN: "if they want to protect children, stop making Frosted Flakes"...Big Phil Scolari is out as Chelsea manager after the side has struggled in form and results the last month. Strange timing with a crucial Champions League match with Juventus but two weeks away...frankly, I'm shocked at the beating the Toronto Raptors are taking in the poll this week. Am guessing a considerable chunk of that is about expectations, but still, for the voters to figure they'll have a worse 2009 than the Maple Leafs who are almost promising ugly results is telling...another PTP winner as the streak of winners continues to six. If you're not on board at Pinnacle yet, shame on you...does it seem like there are loads of long-term injuries of late in the NBA, or is it just me?...Charlie Axel Woods is the new name for Tiger Woods baby boy, delivered Sunday. I'm sure that kid will not have any pressure on him whatsoever...one A-Rod moment begs the question: if his yelling "ha!" was "bush", how is Jose Calderon's clapping his hands in the oppositions face when they're about to shoot not?...have a great Tuesday, back later with your PTP winner.

5:56pm UPDATE: Your pick for the night is the Cleveland Cavs -6.5 -105. Enjoy.

PTP

Not in love with this, but playing the Houston/Milwaukee Over 195 -105. Good luck!

Reveal 'em all, says Schilling

A strange voice of reason in the Alex Rodriguez juicing story - Curt Schilling. Schilling thinks all 104 names on the 2003 list should be revealed and put an end to the speculation and hopes the game can move forward. Generally, I find Schilling annoying, but he makes some good points in a solid piece here...one theory on why A-Rod refused to talk to Selena Roberts of Sports Illustrated is because she's got a book coming out called "Hit & Run: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez". Clearly, an unauthorized bio. An interesting view on unnamed sources comes from this spot...in case you missed the third annual ESPN NHL player poll, you can find that here. Some are interesting, like Marty Turco as the goalie most likely to make the best forward or defenceman, and some are entirely predictable, like Sidney Crosby as biggest whiner...hell of a week for the LA Lakers, with huge road wins at Boston and yesterday at Cleveland, the Cavs first loss at home this year, despite losing Andrew Bynum. Along the way, they added Adam Morrisson. Two out of three ain't bad...so you turn your defence around and make it to the Super Bowl where you narrowly lose. Your reward? Well, if you're Clancy Pendergrast, defensive coordinator, you get fired by the Arizona Cardinals...Manchester United midfield warhorse Ryan Giggs weaved through the West Ham defence and slotted home a beauty to the far corner to give United a 1-0 win - another clean sheet - and another winner for Prime Time Picks, 6-2 on the month now. Your Monday pick will be up by 6pm...honestly, is there anything more out of touch with "cool" than the Grammy's?...of all the footballers paid for by teams in history, none has cost teams more than Nicolas Anelka, now at Chelsea. Second? Once-again Tottenham striker Robbie Keane...Blue Jays fans rejoice! The USA Today list of 100 future stars has Jays outfielder/cannonball Travis Snider listed at second. Tampa Bay Rays pitcher David Price ranks first...the NFL Pro Bowl goes- oh, wait, missed it...most stunning contextualization of the trillion dollar economic bailout plan in the U.S.: if you were to spend a million dollars every single day since we started keeping score of years, you still wouldn't have spend a trillion dollars...have a great Monday.

1:23 PM - UPDATE - Word is A-Rod will be speaking to ESPN this afternoon.

Time to bat clean-up

If Alex Rodriguez is at all smart, or has even paid a bit of attention, he'd best come clean now and say that he used in 2003, that he's sorry, and it has never happened since and never will again - even if he never used at the time. The way things went for Roger Clemens in his denial in the face of (some) evidence is nothing he wants any part of. I'll repeat what I said years back: baseball should have declared amnesty to everyone who came forward with the promise of no punishment, with the understanding you'd be treated far more rashly if you were later implicated. The whole "secret" tests of 2003 was a sham, and Bud "$18 million man" Selig should lose his job for presiding over such a mess...shame about that Atlanta Hawks pick when Mike Bibby ends up getting scratched at the last minute, but finally back to .500 on PTP for the year, and off to a strong start for February. Today, playing Manchester United at -0.5 -155, kickoff at 11am as the leaders travel to London to face West Ham, coverage on The Score (in HD!) at 11am...Chelsea dropped points at home again yesterday in a scoreless draw with Hull, and look nowhere near the side that was dominating in August through October. Liverpool won 3-2 at Pompey to jump well ahead of Chelsea...the Toronto Raptors scored all of 70 points in their latest loss at not-so-mighty Memphis. That they're not blowing away the field in the latest poll question is shocking...can't say I saw the Toronto Maple Leafs performance coming last night, a 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs just don't seem right at the moment...if you can figure out why the LA Lakers deal Vladimir Radmanovic to the Charlotte Bobcats for Adam Morrison - other than they fear what he'll do around snow the coming all-star break - I'd love to hear it. I know the Lakers are looking to get bigger, but Morrison?...it took Alexander Ovechkin a mere 296 games to score his 200th goal of his career. That is damn impressive, fifth fastest all-time...for my money, Ste-rod is a far more clever nickname than A-Roid...today's picture comes courtesy of one of Raptorschat's finest posters, well done Scully... Have a great Sunday. Go Man U!