Weekend wrap

Dimitar Berbatov scored a hat-trick for Manchester United, continuing a great run for him early in the EPL season, as United beat Liverpool 3-2. Check out his goals below. The second will be up there in most goal of the year contests.  Leaders Chelsea looked like they'd threaten double digits with three goals in the opening 30 minutes against Blackpool, but cruised to a 4-0 win.  Chelsea is averaging 5.2 goals a game so far this season.

About the only bright side to the Dallas Cowboys 0-2 start after yesterday's embarrassment at home to the Chicago Bears is the rest of the division is only a game ahead after the Washington Redskins pissed away a 27-10 lead and lost in overtime, the New York Giants got hammered 38-14 in Indy, and the Philadelphia Eagles got to 1-1 after a 35-32 win at Detroit in a game that ended four hours after it started. Is Tony RomoCowboys woes? to blame for the

Speaking of the Eagles, I get that they view Kevin Kolb as the quarterback of the future, but the present? Better teams have sat better quarterbacks than him - the New England Patriots sitting Drew Bledsoe springs to mind - and benefited, so not sure why they wouldn't at least ride Mike Vick while he's hot. Vick sure looks like he's got his legs back, and made a few plays yesterday that only he makes. Andy Reid is nuts if he doesn't see that. For Vick, the more he plays, the more he makes.

The Tampa Bay Rays are at Yankee Stadium for a four game set starting today. If it is anything like last week's series in Tampa, call it appointment viewing. The Yanks had a chance to enter the series a game and a half up but Mariano Rivera blew a save chance and the Bombers lost in 11.  The real good news though is Andy Pettitte returned and turned in 6 innings of 1 run baseball.

If  a quarterback was to take every snap in a game and spike it, their quarterback ranking would be 39.6.  Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco rated a 23.8 yesterday.  Ouch.

Three AFC teams are 2-0. Not sure many would have figured Miami with two games opening on the road, one at Minnesota. KC is also a surprise 2-0, and if they're a surprise, not sure what that makes the Pittsburgh Steelers, minus Ben Rapelesberger. NFC perfects so far include Chicago, Green Bay, Tampa Bay (no, really) and potentially New Orleans if they pull it out tonight in San Francisco, which it says here they do as your Prime Time Pick (3-1, +$198).

Chicago Cub Tyler Colvin is lucky to be alive today.  He was taken to hospital yesterday after a broken bat impaled him in the chest.  Only the Cubs.

Blackburn Rovers manager Sam Allardyce says that he's more suited to being the lead man with Inter Milan or Real Madrid.  He also said he'd win a league title every year if he was running Real or Manchester United.  Delusional much, Sam?  Memo to gamblers: mark down November 27th on your calendar.  Sir Alex Ferguson is going to have United wipe Blackburn up.

What, you thought I wasn't going to mention the OHB and his incredible performance yesterday did you?  Three picks, one fumble and back to back losses?  What do I think of his return now?  Best idea ever.  I suspect he's going to start "missing his family" a lot more in the near future.

Here's Dimitar Berbatov's beauty against Liverpool yesterday...


Check out Ray Lewis trash the officiating in yesterday's Ravens-Bengals game and Carson Palmer.  He can expect a fine here, but good for him.  Is it me or do him and The Rock have a strong resemblance to each other?

Serious Guacamole

How great is that caricature on the right? If you don't agree, you clearly haven't seen who is lounging on Jessica's couch...Shannon Sharpe says that on Super Bowl Sunday, there are enough avocado's consumed to stack them 18 feet high from endzone to endzone. Who figures this stuff out?...in 2008, there was only one left-handed starting pitcher who gave up fewer home runs, pitched more innings and had a lower rate of walks per 9 innings than the New York Yankees Andy Pettitte. That would be CC Sabathia. Two lefties at Yankee Stadium is going to be a real good thing..the Pittsburgh Steelers faced nine of the top 10 defenses this past season. Translation: they'll get theirs against the Arizona Cardinals who are not a top 10 team defensively...maybe it is just me, but I think I'm looking forward to Georges St. Pierre vs. BJ Penn at UFC 94 tomorrow as much as I am the Super Bowl this weekend. If you get a chance to see UFC Primetime - a three part preview of the fight that goes to each man's camp - check it out on Spike pre-fight today or tomorrow. This is gonna be a war. My money is on GSP, but no result would surprise me...it wasn't looking good for the "under" on 195 play last night at 111 points at the half but thanks to a 29 point half for the Cleveland Cavs and 76 on the half including the Orlando Magic, it was a comfortable under in the end and a 99-88 Magic win...it'll be Roger Federer against Rafael Nadal in the finals of the Australian Open. Great weekend for sports, to state the obvious...I get that TSN paid some big bucks to cover the Olympics, but that watermark they're using on screen is a touch oversized, no? Then again, it is more subtle than the four billion ads they ran over the last year plus telling everyone they had the Grey Cup...how has Joe Torre's upcoming book been received by his former employers? Not good. Best line on the subject: "David Wells will be named the team nutritionist before Torre is invited back to the Bronx." Hope it was worth it, Torre. No more number retirement, no Old Timers Day, nada. Asked what he'd do if he saw Torre now, Wells said he'd "knock him out"...Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famer Michael Irvin told Jim Rome that not only will Anquoin Boldin have a greater impact on the Super Bowl than Larry Fitzgerald, he's also a better receiver overall...as you may have seen from GBVH yesterday, Mickey Rourke will not be taking on Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania after all. I'd expect Vince McMahon to kill Rourke for backing out over the coming weeks, but the publicity will be well worth it for the WWE...the United States is putting in bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup's. Bet on them getting one of the two. The beauty of the World Cup is that you don't even need to say what sport it is. Really, it is the only true World Cup...back with the Friday night PTP later. Have a great day.

"Losers"?

A recent category called "Losers" on Jeopardy! had this for a $1000 answer: "one second from defeat in the 2008 Super Bowl, this losing head coach threw a hissy fit and stalked off the field." Question: "who is Bill Belichick?". Wow, that's incredible...Tony Romo has the NFL's biggest endorsement deal for Starter. Well, it is a good thing there isn't a product called Finisher, because he wouldn't be endorsing that. I'll stop hammering him and the Cowboys once we're a month out from that debacle in Philadelphia. Wade Phillips excepted, of course..anybody figured out yet how the NFL, NBA and MLB have all talked to varying degrees about economic concerns in the past few months, but Gary Bettman insists all is well in the NHL? Seriously, does anybody believe him? Emperor Nero thinks he's deluded...a full slate of English Premier League action today. Manchester United 'keeper Edwin van der Sar will set an EPL record for consecutive shutout minutes if he keeps a clean sheet against West Brom into the 84th minute today which would give him 1,026...just week's after panning "The Wrestler" as not representative of the business that is WWE, Vince McMahon sees opportunity knock and he tears the door off the hinges: star of "The Wrestler" and Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke will face Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania. Genius move by Vinnie Mac given how much pub that movie and Rourke are pulling right now. A genius move by you would be going to see this movie, it meets the hype and then some...under the Department of Bargain: Andy Pettitte at $5.5 million. Granted, he's got the chance to double that with incentives so it is a great deal for both the Yankees and Pettitte if he has a solid year. Pettitte is expected to pitch fourth as the Yanks try to manage Joba Chamberlain's innings. Still would have preferred Ben Sheets, but he's a huge injury concern...is Andrei Arshavin Arsenal bound? Sure looks that way...5 out of 6 now for PTP, life is good! Back later today with another winner...have a great Tuesday.

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.