It has been a couple days now since Adam "Pacman" Jones was released by the Dallas Cowboys. More than a little shocked he's not an Oakland Raider or Toronto Argo yet...as throwback unis go, the Cleveland Cavs versions - both - are top shelf...Charles Barkley blew a .149 a couple weeks back when he was pulled over for driving under the influence. Not good, Chuck. He's on a leave of absence from TNT as a result and one of sports best crews just got a lot weaker...interesting that Andrea Bargnani is looking far better since Jose Caleron went out, isn't it? The Raptors are surging minus Caleron and Jermaine O'Neal, and pounded the Memphis Grizzlies, as predicted in yesterdays Prime Time Picks, now 6-3 (+284) on the year. Today, you've got to move fast - we're playing Arsenal (-1.5 +115) in the English Premier League as they host Bolton...what do the Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Black Hawks and Pittsburgh Penguins have in common? Every starter in the NHL All-Star Game plays for those teams...Jason Spezza is -13 in the last month, and Dany Heatley hasn't scored in seven games. Strange days in the nation's capital...hockey coach Wayne Fleming, who has worked with the Canadian Olympic team in 2002 and 2006, was fired by his KHL team - that's the circling-the-drain Russian super league - between periods!...more on Cristiano Ronaldo wrecking his Ferrari: he had the car for all of two days. Wonder if speed was a factor? Word is teammate and Manchester United's goalie Edwin Van Der Sar was trailing him in his Bentley so there could well have been some racing going on...why look at the 50 hottest Victoria's Secret models? Because 49 just wouldn't be enough...best nickname for an athlete this week goes to San Diego punter Mike "Lou" Scifres...two of the divisional playoff games go in the NFL today with Baltimore at Tennessee and Arizona at Carolina. Have a feeling the Baltimore Ravens get it done though Jeff Fisher and the Titans tend to break out some surprises come playoff time, which they'll need when the Ravens defence is practically impenetrable. Cannot see Arizona even giving Carolina a game in the late affair as the Cards are terrible on the road and the Panthers are rolling...the Columbus Blue Jackets rookie goalie Steve Mason is having one hell of a year, he picked up his sixth shutout of the year last night with 45 saves against the Washington Capitals, who can score a couple goals here and there...have a great Saturday.

In a move that should surprise nobody after the Tom Brady setback stories surfaced last week, the talk is the New England Patriots will place the franchise tag on quarterback Matt Cassel, giving him a nice raise to $14 million giving the Pats $29 million in two quarterbacks. Seems crazy on the surface, but when your backup can bang off eleven wins in a season, you're crazy not to when Brady is a question mark...if the story I heard is true and that the Toronto Maple Leafs may ship Tomas Kaberle and Vesa Toskala to the Ottawa Senators for a draft pick and Jason Spezza, that is a trade Leafs GM Brian Burke needs to make now...after last night's New York Knicks loss and non-cover, Prime Time Picks sit at 4-2 for the year. Up today, taking Manchester United in Carling Cup play to top Derby at -1 -107. Yes, the Carling Cup is an annoyance in many ways, but United has enough depth to knock off a team from a division lower who set a Premier League record when they were up last year for fewest points in a season. And hey, all world defender Nemanja Vidic insists United are very much interested in winning this one. Mix in Derby is lacking a manager at the moment and United takes this one with ease. This game kicks off at 2:45 Eastern so get over to Pinnacle now. Coverage on Setanta Sports...here's one take on the 20 Hottest TV Sports Personalities "of all da times". Clearly, whoever put this together must not consider UFC a sport - wrong! - because there's no other way to explain how Rachelle Leah isn't top, well, two...wonder where the NHL ranks in the pecking order in the U.S.? In the new set-up at ESPN.com, it is printed furthest to the right of the page, behind soccer and the rest of the sports you'd expect. Now, I'm sure some will brush this off and look for things like alphabetical order and the like but let me assure you, there's no other reason than where it stands in the minds of "the worldwide leader" who know that people read left to right in most places...reading lists of athletes with illegitimate kids never ceases to amuse me. Here's an update...the Boston Celtics lost for the fifth time in seven games, this time to the lowly Charlotte Bobcats...have a great Wednesday.

Saturday, October 11th, 2008 - The Crocodile Hunter Dares Not Go Here

The Boston Red Sox rode a no-hitter into the seventh from Dice-K Matsuzaka and a pair of runs into a 2-0 win and a series lead. With three on the road in Boston to come after today, it is nothing short of a must-win for the Rays...pitcher Brett Myers has more hits than Ryan Howard, but that's not holding back the Philadelphia Phillies from taking a 2-0 lead over the LA Dodgers. They're now off to L.A. for three games..former Tampa Bay Lightning coach John Tortorella, who made a living out of banging on the media until he joined them, teed off on Ottawa Senator Jason Spezza for how he does interview. Weird. Almost as weird as the way Spezza is always smiling in his interview and finishes each thought with what he thinks is a punch line and then laughs...another round of World Cup qualifiers goes today, including Canada likely getting fisted at Honduras. As always, there are several interesting games going in Europe - Croatia at Ukraine, Russia at Germany, Portugal at Sweden and more...qualifiers will cost Toronto FC Carl Robinson (Wales), Amado Guevara (Honduras), Carlos Ruiz (Guatemala), Tyrone Marshal (Jamaica) and Kevin Harmse (Canada) as they travel to face FC Dallas in a must-win game, who, unfortunately, will have Kenny Cooper in the lineup...the first bout in the classic Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs rivalry goes in Toronto tonight. Habs win this one...talk about a tough week for Hugh Hefner. First, Holly Madison and Kendra Wilkinson jump ship. Then, there's talk he's near financial ruin. You know what fixes that? 19 year-old twins moving in...chicks may dig the long ball, but that don't mean success for your team in the NL. Ryan Howard is the first home run champion in the NL to advance to the League Championship Series since 1995...from the Department of Lame, the NFL fined Arizona Cardinal Adrian Wilson for the hit that left Buffalo Bill Trent Edwards concussed. Here's hoping they also fined the ground, because that looked like it rocked his head a lot harder than Wilson did...Cleveland Browns tight end Sargeant Kellen Winslow Jr. remains in hospital, allegedly for swollen nuts...have a great Saturday.