Get a coffee, we're in for a long one today...

A wild one in Atlanta yesterday saw the San Francisco Giants working a shutout into the eighth before - who else? -  Eric Hinske hit a 2-run homer to give the Braves their only two runs of the game, and 2-1 lead. Hinske, you may recall, has been in the last three World Series with the Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, and New York Yankees. Could he make it four with Atlanta?  How crazy is that streak as it stands?  I digress.  The Giants came back and won it with a pair of their own in the 9th for a 3-2 win.  Probably helped that Braves 2B Brooks Conrad had a day for the ages with three brutal errors.  The Giants now lead that series 2-1.

The Philadelphia Phillies did the expected yesterday and eliminated the Cincinnati Reds with a dominant start from Cole Hamels, a complete game shutout, for a 2-0 win.  The Reds managed all of 11 hits in the series, not good for a team that led the NL in hitting this season.  Chase Utley was greeted by chants of "Cheater!" after selling a hit by pitch.  Funny, don't see the front page debate on that like it was when Derek Jeter did the same which, of course, was my point back then: if it isn't a Yankee, people don't care near so much.

Arizona Cardinals beat the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints yesterday. Guess if anyone is going to have a Super Bowl hangover, you'd have to bet on New Orleans. Looks like the Madden Curse is alive and well.

Phil "Any Dead Air" Simms is at least the spiritual brother of Pierre MacGuire, no?  Never a moment of silence. Loved his saying that Miles Austin is one of the key reasons the Dallas Cowboys got rid of Terrell Owens. That would've been some serious crystal ball work, since Austin surprised everyone last October after having no previous impact or even consideration, six months after they cut ties with T.O.  Keep swinging, Simms.   The Cowboys once again were their own worst enemies in a 34-27 loss to Tennessee.

The AFC South is a four-way tie at 3-2.

Word is the Brett Favre/Jenn Sterger case is on the fast track with the NFL. No word from Tiger...errr...Favre since. He may even be suspended. Somewhere, Ben Roethlesberger is smiling.

Had a debate recently over the merits of Carson Palmer, who I think has been ridiculously overrated in general, but especially since blowing out his knee almost five years back. Yesterday's showing against Tampa Bay convinced me he's more than just overrated, he's terrible.

Speaking of QB's having rough days, I didn't expect much from the Chicago Bears Todd Collins (4 INTs), but Aaron Rodgers brutal showing in a 16-13 loss in Washington was unexpected.

Settle down, Toronto Maple Leafs fans, the salute the players did to the fans at the end of Saturday's game is not something so original you should be celebrating. It is something teams like the New York Rangers have done for years, and something soccer teams the world over have done forever.  Stay in your lane, the season is but two games old.

Carolina, Buffalo and San Francisco are all 0-5 on the NFL season.  While Buffalo's mark isn't that surprising, and Carolina's you could have maybe seen coming, San Francisco's is something else when they were touted to win their (joke of a) division.  The Bills Donte Whitner says they're the "laughingstock of the league".  Don't be see hard on yourself, DW, you've got plenty of company.  That said, moving to a 3-4 defence hasn't done wonders, as the Bills have given up a league high 161 points.

After divorcing the Toronto Raptors and separating from the Leafs, I'm looking at counseling with the Dallas Cowboys.

A real tough call tonight for the Prime Time Picks (now sitting at 7-3, details on the right side of the page).  Minnesota badly needs at win and are visiting the New York Jets, who appear to be rolling.  Mix in Randy Moss on a Monday Night for the second straight week and you get even more plot-lines. My inital thought was Jets -4.5 (+102) and I'm sticking with that.

Love Chris Berman's Freudian slip here...

T.O. Shows

Remember the coverage in the media when Terrell Owens didn't show up for voluntary camp with the Buffalo Bills, and how little coverage there was that he was away partly from habit, and partly because he was getting an award for his charity work? Be sure to note how short the coverage will be now that he's in camp. When the Buffalo Bills play Indianapolis in Toronto this year - I'm told the third Sunday in November - ESPN The Magazine says they're changing the name of the city for the day to T.O.ronT.O. Seriously...the best nickname I've heard in sports in some time goes to Kansas City Royals closer Joaqim Soria: "The Mexicutioner". Yes, he's from Mexico...Quebec Premier Jean Charest vows the for-sale Montreal Canadiens will not be moving. That's some kind of statement. What's he going to say next? The sun will rise in the east? If Charest was really concerned about doing the right thing, he'd find a way to forbid Celine Dion from buying the team...it took 654 games, but the Columbus Blue Jackets know they will finally play one of the playoff variety. Ken Hitchcock will have a dangerous team ready to shut down whomever they draw. Also punching their tickets are the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens - the playoffs are better whenever those two are in..hope you enjoyed yesterdays PTP winner. At least for his first start, AJ Burnett earned his keep. Love me some baseball wagering...as sad as it was to hear about Anaheim Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart meeting his untimely demise in a car crash, it is hard to call it an accident when the loser that hit him was driving under the influence...six national team players on the Czech Republic soccer team - plus the coach - were dropped after they lost to Slovakia 2-1, not because of the loss, but because they were photographed with prostitutes. Well played, fellas...for today's PTP, play the Philadelphia Phillies and Cole Hamels at -1.5 +125. Tough to pass up that value, even if the half run will occasionally cost us a push. Also loving the Tampa Bay Rays at -1.5 +133. Enjoy...have a great Good Friday.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

The U.S. entry in the World Baseball Classic is suffering from enough injuries that manager Davey Johnson is talking about possibly forfeiting if they run out of bodies. Hey, if you can't beat 'em, quit...speaking of notable injuries, the Philadelphia Phillies are finding out that while winning the World Series is tough, defending it is even tougher as pitching stud Cole Hamels is suffering from the dreaded mysterious arm issues. 3,400 Club, anyone?...one of the best songs of the 80's - Bon Jovi's "Wanted: Dead or Alive" - done by Jon Bon Jovi with Charlie Weis and Bill Belichick on background vocals? You can't make this stuff up...if you're thinking you will lose your NCAA pool this year - and I haven't a clue why people refer to it as a "bracket" only - here's a list of the likely winners that will take you down...continuing his whining, Jay Cutler skipped the first Denver Broncos meeting..."The Rock" Dwayne Johnson admits using steroids in the past. A wrestler and football player. So, of course, it will barely register in the public. But a baseball player does it and get out the crucifix...it may be barely a handful of games, but the reviews of Sean Avery thus far - 4 goals in 6 games and a decidedly improved New York Rangers squad - have been glowingly positive...a rare bit of trivia from RM: what brother duo has the most goals combined in NHL history? Your answer tomorrow, if not later today if one of you nails it...Dallas Cowboys cornerback Terrance Newman admits in an interview that he believe Tony Romo's relationship with Jessica Simpson has affected his performance. Of course, because it wasn't Terrell Owens commenting, it barely gets noticed...I don't believe everything SI.com's Peter King says, but when he says he believes that the NFL owners will lock out players in 2011, that gets my attention...what do you get when you're Travis Henry, former NFLer, and have 9 kids with 9 women? An obligation to pay $170k a year in support. Shame that "former" bit is going to make that tough sledding...creepy vid of some guy named Kayvon stalking Derek Jeter in Toronto at the WBC...the PTP has me convinced I'm perhaps the streakiest gambler ever...have a great Wednesday.

Friday, December 12th, 2008

The picture to the left is not doctored in any way - that's UFCer Corey Hill's leg snapping like a twig when Dale Hartt blocked his kick at "UFC: Fight For The Troops" on Wednesday...I cannot recall the last time the Dallas Cowboys lost a game where there wasn't some sort of drama in the week that followed. The latest - just in time to face the New York Giants - is that Terrell Owens is sour (allegedly) over how tight Tony Romo and Jason Witten are, and that he thinks they secretly meet to sort out plays that would see the ball go to Witten more often. There are a whole heap of "behind the scenes" quotes from the dreaded Unnamed Source. Mark my words: the Cowboys will beat the Giants on Sunday night...the last two Phil Jackson-led teams to open 14-1 went on to win the NBA title. The LA Lakers are going to look to be the third...46-0 boxing champ Joe Calzaghe says boxing is a dying sport with too many champions and as a result, not enough stars. He also talked of how UFC's popularity has hurt the game stateside. Right about now, Jim Lampley is crafting an overly verbose retort to inform us that Calzaghe is being intellectually dishonest. Fact is, Calzaghe is dead on...the Mats Sundin sweepstakes are said to be down to the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers...Manny Ramirez is said to be so frustrated at the lack of movement in his contract discussions he's contemplating retirement. Yeah, that'll show the world, Man Ram! The upside? That'll be two straight years that super agent Scott Boras looks the fool with a big name client...Philadelphia Philly Cole Hamels has glossed the New York Mets "choke artists". How can you not love this guy?...if this isn't every photo of Marissa Miller ever published, it is damn close...Adam "Pacman" Jones neck injury could be career threatening? Somebody might want to check if Roger Goodell has a voodoo doll...have a great Friday.