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.