Excorcising the demons in Boston

Free agent pitcher Ben Sheets is debating having surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in his pitching elbow. The recovery time for that is 9-10 months. Now, if you're a free agent, and know you've got an issue - there's a reason a guy with his numbers remains unsigned, and that is it - why not do the surgery last October or November and be that much closer to a return? Only Scott Boras has been giving worse advice this offseason...Memo to news anchor: when you're discussing one topic, make sure your production staff has the right video lined up, unless you're looking to produce something hilarious like this. Thanks to RM regular TS for this one...Lawrence Taylor and Stevie Wonder are being mentioned as possible contestants on Dancing With The Stars. I can think of dozens of great possibilities for this already...the San Antonio Spurs play one game at home in the next month, so expect them to be more likely to slip in the standings than to overtake the LA Lakers...the latest issue of Sports Illustrated has LeBron James as the runaway winner of the player poll for best all-round athlete in the NBA with 66% of the vote. If you witness LeBron play at all, you're bound to wonder where the other 34% went...you'll be seeing a lot more stories like this one in the coming months that suggest that Derek Jeter should not be the Yankees shortstop because of his sliding-into-the-abyss defence at that spot, and that he'd do his team a favor by moving to centre field...staying with the Yankees, Andruw Jones has declined an invite to the Yanks spring training as a non-roster invitee, claiming he's got other offers that would see him on rosters. Sure, and there's a huge field vying for ManRam...Baltimore Ravens free agent linebacker Ray Lewis will not be taking a hometown discount because "if you don't play less, you don't take less." How awesome is that explanation? He's also not opposed to looking elsewhere, and seems interested in the New York Jets...U.S. Swimming has suspended Michael Phelps three months from competition for his marijuana use, not that anybody will notice as it is in odd numbered, non-Olympic year...how awesome was that LA Lakers overtime win over the Boston Celtics last night? Even better if you were on board with the Prime Time Pick last night!...have a great Friday, back with your PTP by 5pm Eastern.

UPDATE: Your PTP for the night is up, continuing to ride NBA plays as per the last week and more aside from the Super Bowl. That may change tomorrow with a morning EPL play, so be sure to check in early Saturday.

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.

Rarefied air in Ottawa last night as the Senators not only won a game, but scored more than twice in so doing...
If you thought Isaiah Thomas charges were an interesting story, wait til you read about current New York Knicks nutritional overachiever Eddy Curry: soliciting sex from his limo driver, racial slurs and more. To a guy. Funny thing happened though, when Curry wouldn't pay $83,000 he owed the driver for other services, the limo driver went to court, and the press...LA Lakers coach Phil Jackson has never been one to pull too many punches, but have to love him going after his own player - Sasha Vujacic - and saying he doesn't "have a brain"...for those that didn't catch the Phil Kessel bomb yesterday, he's out with mononutleosis...one month until MLB training camps open - amen! - and the Atlanta Braves landed one of the few big arms left in Derek Lowe. Four years and $60 million for D. Lowe. Ben Sheets remains, but he's a huge injury concern despite incredible talent and results when right...with an assist to long-time RM reader YF, and a little luck, the Miami Heat pulled ahead in the dying moments of their game to win and cover, and send your Prime Time Picker into the black again at 7-6 (+$80)...Manchester United face Wigan today and are sure to narrow the Premier League gap at the top to two points with a win today. After Sunday's 3-0 win over Chelsea, you'd think there would be some let up but United tends to let the euphoria last a bit, so I anticipate a pounding today at Old Trafford. Translation? They're the Prime Time Pick for today at -1.5 -119. Coverage is on Setanta Sports at 3pm if you've wisely invested in that beauty of a channel...why is it that the further along the week gets that I'm starting to think that the Baltimore Ravens beat Pittsburgh on Sunday? The defenses are a wash, Pittsburgh has more weapons on offence and is at home and doesn't have a rookie at quarterback, yet I'm getting this feeling the Ravens just might do it...10 Things You Should Never Say to a Porn Star, but really should because it'd be damn funny...if you've been a baseball fan for any length of time, you know that Rickey Henderson stories are as good as they get. Here's five quotes from Rickey over the years that are worth a quick read, and here are a few other good ones...have a great Wednesday.

Friday, October 31st, 2008

The World Series is now over, and the next baseball season is upon us: Free Agency Season. Mark Teixera, Ben Sheets and Manny Ramirez wasted no time in filing and no doubt, will soon be joined by CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and loads, loads more. Even for this Yankee fan, it was a great season where it was hard not to be impressed by the Tampa Bay Rays and their boat load of talent, the plotlines that followed Manny Ramirez, the annual collapse of the New York Mets, the Chicago Cubs remaining losers, the Philadelphia Phillies are champions. It's a long way til February 14th though, when pitchers and catchers report to camp...got a few million to burn? Looking for a place in New York? Alex Rodriguez has a place for sale that might fit the bill...check out this Philadelphia Philly fan celebrating on top of a lamp post. Well, at least til another fan lobbed an empty bottle at him...I'm hardly a fan of NASCAR or Formula 1 racing, but those guys pull some seriously hot ladies. Here are one man's Top 10...it's been years since the NHL added the OTL column to their standings, and it is just as lame now as it was when first conceived...it is official, as of January 7th, David Beckham will be in AC Milan colours. Somebody alert Adidas to get their jersey production into overdrive...cannot believe how quickly the Ottawa Senators have become a bad, bad hockey team...Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark was fined by the NFL for paying tribute to his late friend Sean Taylor by "radically" altering his uniform, or at least that is how the league viewed him etching the number 21 in his eye black. Some days, the NFL makes accountants and the Tax Man look easy going...Bud Selig got booed worse in Philly than Apollo Creed back in the day...with that beard he's rocking, San Antonio Spurs coach Greg Popovich looks a lot like Donald Sutherland, no?...Derek Jeter talks. Derek Jeter says nothing. Again...the New York Rangers opened in Europe and a month in, have played at least two games more than anyone else in the NHL at 13, and six more than the Phoenix Coyotes who have only played seven. What was the schedule maker doing when he came up with that? Despite that, they've picked up 21 points. Giving up fewer than two goals a game will help that...have a great Friday.