Big D visit The Big Easy

The NFL finds itself under pressure with tomorrow night's game - Dallas at New Orleans - buried on the NFL Network. Great idea, take one of your marquee teams, put them as the only game on a Saturday in December at a team most figured would be a contender and bury it on the NFL Network and have it turn out that one is fighting for its playoff life and the other is shooting for perfection. Sound familiar? Same thing happened two years ago when the New England Patriots were shooting for perfection on a Saturday when they visited the New York Giants. Of course, that isn't a problem in Canada, where the game airs regardless. I wouldn't bet the Cowboys to cover the +7 if you gave me the money. This one could get REAL ugly.

Tiger Woods made the cover of the New York Post yesterday for the 20th straight day, a record that surpassed something called "9-11". At least it isn't getting ridiculous. William Hill bookmakers are offering odds on how much Elin Nordegren will walk away with in the divorce settlement. Also yesterday came word that Tiger cut a deal with the National Enquirer in 2007 to keep pictures of him and a lady in a vehicle out of the rag.

The English Premier League sees its teams playing their third game in eight days today, and that means advantage to the big name teams as they generally have lots more depth. But with Liverpool already losing to last place Portsmouth, that theory could be seriously tested.

Remember the Philadelphia Phillies fan who offered to trade sex for World Series tickets? Come to find out she offered the two (undercover) cops a chance to "DP" her. Yep, double penetrate. Classy.

The Minnesota Wild had all their equipment torched in a fire in Ottawa. Are you like me, shocked that even fire would go near hockey gear without a HAZMAT suit? Somewhere, the crooks at Pro Line are getting ideas for a future ad.

Here's a quote:“If you made that big a mistake, you’ve got to come out and just be contrite, be honest and just tell the public that ‘I was wrong.’ Waiting a long time got a lot of people polarized. … If he would have come out earlier, he would’ve diffused a little more of it.” Subject: Michael Vick's handling of the story by not handling it after the dog fighting stories came to light. Who said it? Tiger Woods, back in 2007.

Have a great Saturday, see you tomorrow morning.

RM returns Saturday...

Two guys go to the cup

Another night, another loss well into double digits for the Toronto Raptors as they fell 118-99 in Orlando. 28 games in and they're 11-17. Is it too early to say the latest Bryan Colangelo version of the Raptors is a failure? Is it offside to say he's on the road to being JP Ricciardi, v2.0?

The Associated Press voted Tiger Woods the athlete of the decade, a particularly impressive feat for a guy who doesn't play a sport.

Could it be that the Philadelphia Flyers fortunes - losers of 11 of 14 - are a result of Jeff Carter banging Scott Hartnell's wife instead of banging home goals? That's one rumor coming out of the City of Brotherly Love.

Dom Bonvissutto at SI.com takes a peak at the playoff pretenders and contenders with three weeks to go in the NFL schedule. Check it out to find out which team he figures stays undefeated and which doesn't.

Next up for the Boston Red Sox: a trade for San Diego Padre Adrian Gonzalez. No clue why the Pads would trade a local boy and awesome player, other than they're the Padres and that's what they do.

The Houston Rockets are playing back to back games four times over the course of two weeks. Merry Christmas, Rockets!

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese was caught driving under the influence and blew a mere .232, exactly 100 points below his career batting average, albeit in only 17 games. Tool.

Check out this listing of the 40 Hottest Female Athletes of the Decade.

ESPN ranks the Top 100 baseball players of the decade, and have there ever been some incredible players this decade. You too can vote for your top guys here.

The NHL is looking to do a pair of Winter Classics next year, one New Year's Day as has been the recent tradition, and adding one on "Hockey Day in Canada" in February in Canada.

Toronto FC's Amado Guevara has left the team and signed with a club in his homeland of Honduras. With him having a less than great history with new TFC coach Preki, this is hardly surprising.

The Buffalo Bills have signed free agent Richie Incognito, which led to the injured BillsKawika Mitchell tweeting this gem linebacker : "BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT THIS YR. THE GUYS A BUM. DIRTY AND ALWAYS WILL BE. REALLY WISH I WAS PLAYIN RITE NOW. SERIOUSLY... I KNO WE'RE N NEED OF OLINE BUT THIS GUY SUKS BALLS." Lovely stuff.

Have a great Thurday.

The big trade: who won?

The three players that the Toronto Blue Jays acquired for Roy Halladay are all former first round draft picks, for what it's worth. About the only thing analysts agree on in analyzing the deal is that the Seattle Mariners are definitely on the plus side of the trade. Could actually be a rare one where all three end up winning once all is said and done. That said, the Jays are on the riskiest end of it simply because young talent is so hit and miss. Here's Jayson Stark's take at ESPN.com. Steve Simmons at the Toronto Sun offers up this great look at Halladay's time in Toronto.

In the 152 games last season played by Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal - the Big Four of the English Premier League - they combined to lose 17 games. This year, they've combined to lose 17 after a mere 63 games. There's another batch of EPL games going today as the busy Christmas season is now in full swing.

Rest easy, Toronto FC fans, the CFL has told the Argos that BMO Field is not suitable as a home for them. Something about too much atmosphere. But seriously, the Argos don't even have a lease at Rogers Centre. How hilarious would it be if they were shut out of there, too?

Check out New York Giant Terrell Thomas mocking Philadelphia Eagle Brent Celek when he was screaming for a penalty. Awesome.

The Oakland Raiders have signed QB JP Losman to a deal, because you can never have enough first round busts suiting up in black and silver.

Tiger's wife Elin is said to be ready to meet with a top divorce lawyer in California, and is targetting half of Eldrick's fortune. Tiger has been on the cover of the New York Post for 16 straight days. I'm sure he's thrilled by that coverage. In those 16 days, we've got one busted up Cadillac, four busted up teeth from a flying BlackBerry, at least 15 ladies he's had affairs with, allegations of prostitution, performance enhancing drugs, payoffs, lost sponsorship deals, and now possible divorce. Some guys don't achieve that in a lifetime. But fear not, Tiger, because Ron Artest has some advice for you. Ron Artest. Writes. Very. Poorly.

SI.com is running a poll on the decade's biggest NBA draft bust. Good news, Raptors fans, Rafael Araujo is representing.

Beck's "Loser" gets the "literal video" treatment. If you've not seen these before, well worth a view.

Dallas Cowboys wideout Roy Williams might want to stay in his lane and not bate the New Orleans Saints by saying the Cowboys will show up on Saturday and win in The Big Easy. They're more likely to get annihilated, truth told. Hate that guy.

The always off side Tucker Max tweets: Oral Roberts dead @ 91. Survived by his brother Anal Roberts & sister Vaginal Roberts. His brother's an asshole and his sister's a cunt.

Halladay dealt

It seems a Roy Halladay trade is a done deal though Toronto Blue Jays GM says he`ll have nothing to say for a few days, which sounds like a signing window for Halladay has been opened. The deal would see Halladay off to Philadelphia, with three Phillies - outfielder Michael Taylor, catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud and pitcher Kyle Drabek -- moving to Toronto. Also, Cliff Lee moves from the Phillies and goes to the Seattle Mariners for pitching prospect Phillippe Aumont. There is also talk of $6 million moving to Philadelphia as the scenarios keep changing.

Prediction: the Blue Jays will average fewer attendees per game than Toronto FC and the Argos next season. Another: they`ll finish last in the AL East.

A great one from the Toronto Sun`s Gary Loewen on the Jays dealing of Halladay: ``It seems they have failed to insist that pitcher J.A. Happ be included in any trade. Y’know, so we could quit calling them the hapless Jays.``

John Lackey signed with the Boston Red Sox for five years and $87.5 million. Ought to be fun seeing two of the bigger pricks in the game - Lackey and Josh Beckett - on the same side. The Yankees backed off of Lackey because of health concerns, and his annual arm troubles the last two years. Interesting that Boston jumped but desperate teams do desperate things.

Spent the night at the Air Canada Centre last night taking in the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators. Not sure who was more asleep, the crowd or Senators centre - say that fast three times! - Jason Spezza. Not sure Spezza broke a sweat last night. Incredible how many empty seats there are in the lower bowl, saw at least five in a row empty in the golds where I was four times, pairs too many times to count, and plenty of private boxes sitting vacant. The Leafs were 3-2 winners in an incredibly dull game, and while they sit 13th in the Eastern Conference, they`re also a mere six points out of third, thanks to the NHL`s convoluted point system. And don`t look now, Habs fans, but they`re two points behind Les Glorieux with a game in hand. Hope Don Cherry loves the picture at right, with four guys rocking shields.

Olivia Munn in Maxim. You`re welcome.

Frequent reader and occasional contributor TS wonders why the goal posts in the NFL aren`t higher to give a better view on some close kicks. Hell of a question.

GBVH passes on speculation that a Macedonia and Canada soccer game was fixed recently. Check this out. If stories like this interest you, be sure to get this book.

The Dallas Cowboys experimented with their giant screen on Sunday and airing the game in 3D. Problem was it left fans nauseated, though some might say that was happening with or without the screen. No confirmation if a close-up of Norv Turner sent some scurrying for barf bags.

And now comes word that a doctor who was treating Tiger Woods has been busted for possessing and allegedly distributing performance enhancing drugs. This is just getting better by the minute.

Indianapolis and New Orleans remain undefeated heading into Week 15. The Colts wrapped up home field advantage through the playoffs with their 28-16 win over Denver yesterday, a game in which receiver Brandon Marshall set a record with 21 receptions in the losing effort, beating Terrell Owens record of 20. The Saints narrowly beat the Atlanta Falcons 26-23 in another close win for them. And who, other than Miami Dolphins fans, wouldn't love to see both roll to the Super Bowl unbeaten to shut those bitter old men from 1972 up once and for all?

As of right now, the Miami Dolphins, despite losing their starting quarterback and running back that started the season, are sitting in a playoff position. Impressive.

San Diego has won 16 straight December games now and 8 straight this season after yesterday's 20-17 win at Dallas, and it wasn't as close as the score suggests. Chargers linebacker Tim Robbins laughed at the Cowboys play calling on offence and how predictable they were, particularly when they got the ball on the Chargers one yard line and tried three straight run plays, virtually identical. Safe to say that Jason Garrett's stock continues to fall. As for Tony Romo, he's played real well in the last two games, but not enough going on around him. And is it me, or does Marion Barber not look right? He's either hit the wall real young or he's hurt.

If you missed the Philadelphia Eagles visit to the Meadowlands in New Jersey to face the New York Giants last night, you missed a killer game. The Eagles won a slugfest 45-38 to move to the top of the NFC East at 9-4. The Giants are in trouble at 7-6. The Cowboys sit sandwiched between the two at 8-5 but with visits to New Orleans and Washington coming the next two weeks, and a close hosting Philly, it wouldn't shock me if they finished 8-8.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney said that at last count, there were 266 free agents in baseball. That's an incredible number, and you have to figure that there is going to be a flurry of activity soon and plenty of bargains to be had for those that aren't first tier guys.

A potential Team Canada hockey player for the 2010 Olympics had a rough bowel movement this morning. Coverage to follow at every major media outlet shortly.

The Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons tweets: "If the TTC won't Ashley Madison to advertise on their buses, maybe they should contact the PGA Tour for advertising." Or at least Tiger Woods. Ashley Madison, if you aren't aware, is a firm that hooks up discreet extra-marital affairs.

Speaking of Eldrick, Accenture - one of his major sponsors - has dropped him saying he's "no longer the right representative."

And going from fired to quit, cornerback Chris Gamble of the Carolina Panther's says that he thinks Randy Moss quit on the New England Patriots yesterday because he was frustrated early that he was being doubled and not getting the ball when he wanted it. Oh, no, not Randy Moss!?

Not sure how many of you venture in to read the responses that come, but if you've not been reading B. Kennedy's "air defends better than Jose Calderon, and I've got the stats to prove it!" stuff, you're missing out. Amazing stuff. Hilarious, and true apparently.

Have a great Monday.

Dirty Sanchez

The Dallas Cowboys struggles in December go well beyond Wade Phillips. They're 19-32 since 1996. No easy one today with San Diego visiting, but something tells me the Cowboys get it done today. They best, as things in the NFC East are getting real tight. A Dallas loss and a NY Giants win over Philadelphia would see all three tied at 8-5.

It'll be interesting to see if the Minnesota Vikings can beat a good team playing well today in the form of the Cincinnati Bengals.

UFC107 is in the books and the co-main events were explosive. Frank Mir dropped a bomb on Chiek Kongo and finished him with a guillotine just 1:12 into the first round. BJ Penn put on an incredible show in stopping Diego Sanchez in the fifth and final round. Total domination, and Penn looks untouchable at 155lbs. Sanchez looked like he'd been in a car wreck, especially a nasty cut to the forehead that led to the end of the fight, which was almost over in the first 30 seconds. Guess when Sanchez vowed "it's my time..." the unsaid part was "...to get whipped by BJ".

The fine folks at ProFootballTalk raise the idea that Tom Brady could be on the downward slope. Not sure I buy that for a guy just coming off a major knee surgery. Interesting to read the Pats have lost four games they lead at the half. Interesting debate I've heard this week: who is the QB of the decade, Brady or Peyton Manning?

Chelsea had two goals from Didier Drogba but blew two leads yesterday en route to a 3-3 draw with Everton. And with a chance to grab a piece of the lead had they beaten Aston Villa, Manchester United lost 1-0. Villa have beaten Man Utd, Liverpool, and Chelsea this season and now sit fourth in what is shaping up as the most volatile EPL season in years. Arsenal beat Liverpool this morning 2-1, continuing a terrible run for 'pool.

Michael Schumacher will come out of retirement next year to drive for the Mercedes team. I know what you're thinking and the answer is "yes, F1 still exists."

Don't assume the LA Lakers are going to continue to play .857 ball the rest of the year and run away with the Western Conference. They have played 17 of 21 games at home, after all.

Die Hard - Christmas movie or not?

See the video of the New Orleans Saints fan who thought the Saints would lose to the Redskins last week, and told his buddies they could shoot his TV if he was wrong? Hilarious. So much so very wrong with this video that it is right. Oh, and here's the significance of the "who dat?" that they keep repeating.