"What should I do?"

Troy Polamalu got all up in Roger Goodell's hair over the crackdown on hits in the NFL, saying that part of the problem may be that Goodell wields too much power and influence with no checks and balances like a proper government.  Silly Troy, thinking this is a democratic business he's in.

A quick peak at the NHL Albatross players.  Not surprisingly, other than he's just a dozen or so games into his contract, Ilya Kovalchuk leads the way.

Here's a peak at the ten issues facing the New York Yankees this off-season.  #2 is already taken care of.  Speaking of #2, Derek Jeter's people say his value to the team can't be overestimated.  Oh, but it can...and has.  One ring as the vaunted Captain, last I checked.  The always hilarious SportsPickle has a great article saying Jeter is demanding to be paid $1 million per intangible.

Fox Sports Soccer looks at the ultra convoluted playoff system employed by the MLS.  Memo to Don Garber: simple is good.  People get simple, especially if they're just new to your league.

Dallas Cowboy Roy Williams has had himself a nice year.  He's been one of the better Cowboys, for what that is worth.  But saying he thinks the Cowboys can win nine straight is comical.

Rogers announced yesterday that the Buffalo Bills hosting Chicago Bears game this Sunday in Toronto is sold out, even though you can easily get four tickets in the lower and upper bowls.  Word is the fine print of the announcement read "well, compared to a Toronto Blue Jays game the place sure will be packed."

For a few of you I know all too well, top 10 things you didn't know about Jägermeister.

A whole lot of Arianny Celeste pics, not including her Playboy pics from this month, which Hugh Hefner's legal team seems to be working overtime to keep off the 'net and pull off when they do hit.

Didn't take South Park long to lampoon LeBron James "What should I do?" Nike ads, mixing BP into the mix.

Here are the 25 least manly things in sports.  Pretty freaking comprehensive, it must be said.

Weird video from a soccer league in Brazil.  A player - and I can't imagine he's in the top flight given his physique - is getting ready to take a corner kick when a fan jumps out of the stands and, well, see for yourself.

Rangers/Caps going to seven tonight

Pedro Martinez, Toronto Blue Jay? If JP Ricciardi is smart - and able - why not? He's a proven big game guy, a gamer, looked good in the WBC, and he'd surely be motivated getting to face his former team in Boston and the hated New York Yankees again. At $5 million - pro-rated presumably - seems a good idea when you're feeling good about your chances...enjoy the San Antonio Spurs game tonight. The end of their era is tonight, if not soon...it is funny that a lot of people that know a lot more about hockey than they do about baseball have a great time cracking on A-Rod's recent playoff performances, but ignore that Joe Thornton flamed out - again. The Sharks went down 4-1 to the Anaheim Ducks in the game and lost the series 4-2...I know the Chicago Black Hawks swept the season series with Calgary, but didn't figure the Flames would go down so easy in the playoffs. Prediction: Mike Keenan will need to have his resume polished shortly...the New Orleans Hornets lost at home to the Denver Nuggets last night 121-63. That is not a typo, not a "6" that should be a "9" - 63 points, at home. They were outscored 60-24 in the second half...speaking of A-Rod, with the black hole at third base and the lack of hitting from his replacements, think Yankee fans have figured out how important he is to that team yet?...not sure why this is surfacing now, but there are pictures of departed New York Ranger prospect Alexei Cherapanov happily blood doping in bed the day before he went for the dirt nap...speaking of the Rangers, they've got game seven tonight at Washington in what should be a wild one. Donald Brashear picked up a six game suspension for his shot to Blair Betts head. Funny that Chris Pronger has had similar shots in recent years - and the plural is accurate - but only ever saw a game at most...pretty sure that when former NBAer Jayson Williams needed a lift to the hospital after being reportedly suicidal, there weren't too many limo drivers looking to hook him up...Reid Flair - son of Ric - wants to give his dad's rep for hard partying a run. He was busted for a DUI and had heroin in the vehicle. Heroin? Finally the offspring of a wrestler who is bound to be outlived by his father...former Toronto FC manager John Carver has finally come out of hiding, and in an interview with the Toronto Star, says that meddling from the MLS is what led to his departure, along with the feeling that his team was being harshly treated by referrees because of his run-ins with them...the first leg of a juicy Champions League semi-final goes today with Chelsea traveling to the Nou Camp in Barcelona to face the favored home side. Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink predicts a feast of attacking. Can't wait! Prediction: Barcelona go through. Chelsea is just giving up too many goals of late and the dynamic Barca attack should make them pay accordingly...and finally today, here's a list of John Daly milestones, compiled by the Arizona Republic's John Davis and printed in the Toronto Sun:

2 Major championships

2 Trips to alcohol rehab

4 Failed marriages

5 PGA Tour titles

5 Years since his last tour title

6 Months suspension, which is nearing an end

10 Withdrawals from tour events since 2005

43 Pounds lost since February

280 Pounds at his heaviest

787 Current world ranking

Back with your PTP later. It is hard picking losers like that of late!

Buy booze, get free hockey tickets

Nice marketing coming from the Phoenix Coyotes - buy a 1.75 litres of Smirnoff vodka and get a free ticket. No word on if you can bring the booze to the game. Shocking that a man with Polish roots like Wayne Gretzky would be pushing a Russian product...a report out of England says that 50% Liverpool owner and Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett will be divesting himself of the Canadiens. Seems unlikely the classy Gillett would let that information leak in the Habs 100th year, but that ship seems riddled with holes of late so hard to say...it amazes me that Terrell Owens not going to voluntary camp is even a story. He never has. And if you look at the guy, a camp where you only work out is more for other guys, not for a guy who looks like he was cut from granite. Of course, the fact he's getting a public service award will not get national media play (thanks to TS for that one)..there is talk that the Buffalo Bills will be having a second regular season game in Toronto this year. Why? It isn't like the first was a roaring success unless you guage that by disgruntled fans overpaying for everything...within 48 hours of being granted an MLS franchise, the Vancouver Whitecaps took deposits for 5,000 season tickets. Amazing. More amazing is that the 'caps will be playing in BC Place and making it look spectacular, thanks to $365 million in renovations. Check this rendering out...like a parent to a child, the New York Yankees have given A-Rod a serious talking-to about not being a distraction and focusing on baseball alone. Good luck with that. Sounds like A-Rod could be back soon, with some talk he's just days away from playing. My fantasy squad thanks you, A-Rod...wow, I pick Duke's ladies hoops team and out they go. I'm the kiss of death. The Duke men's hoops team best beware...hard as it may be to believe, but the Houston Rockets are a half game out of second in the very tough NBA West...Jerry Jones wouldn't trade quarterback Tony Romo for "anybody". It is that kind of thinking that has the Cowboys sans a playoff win in over a decade...have a great Tuesday. Back with another PTP death lock later as I look to curse teams I hate. Can't believe how tough this has been when I lit up the NFL Prime Time games all season.

Manny in or Manny out?

Finally the LA Dodgers and Manny Ramirez have gotten together and completed a two year, $45 million deal it appears, though ESPN.com reported it a done deal briefly last night before pulling back. Safe to assume that when Scott Boras pushed him to jump agencies over to him and opt out that he promised him a lot more than that when he was slated to pick up $40 million if he stayed with the Boston Red Sox...the World Baseball Classic is about to take another hit if the talk of there being a cyst in A-Rod's hip is accurate, as shown in a weekend exam. Maybe A-Rod is going the Jason Giambi route? First apologize, albeit with far greater detail than Giambi ever gave. Second, get some kind of mystery medical problem. Third step is to come back and kill the ball. Fourth, grow a moustache. Somehow, I think the latter would be impossible for A-Rod. Word is a cyst isn't a serious problem - just a bruise on bone - but will give the Yankees a good reason to pull A-Rod out of the WBC..tickets for the Tampa Bay Lightening can be had for $239. For the season. That's right, for $5.67 per game, you can get a seat in the upper bowl. Incredible value. And it isn't like only a handful of tickets are going at that rate - 20% of the arena is available at that price...the Seattle Sounders - the latest addition to MLS - are capping season tickets at 22,000 and will average north of 30,000 in their 32,000 configured Q-West Field...Chris Jericho could be the best heel in the history of wrestling...Andruw Jones is not exactly coming back hard after last year's terrible season: 1 for 9, 8 strikeouts...Manchester United's Darren Fletcher played last week's Champions League game hours after finding out his house in Manchester had been broken into while he was gone, and his fiancee threatened by a knife. He's the 14th player from Manchester or Liverpool - the cities and their four teams to be robbed this year while away...Nickelback's Chad Kroeger has a hockey rink in his basement big enough for three on three. Not a fan of them, but that's pretty freaking cool...the NHL Trade Deadline will be the talk of the day no doubt. Here's a look at some of the rumours overnight...tight PTP winner last night. Also had a narrow cover in the Houston Rockets as well. A sign of good things to come? Let's hope! Back with your pick later.

I think I've figured it out. If the stock market has risen this year, I've won my pick for PTP. If it has gone down, so has the PTP. Weird...returning with an all-new version tonight on the The Comedy Network - no joke - "The Gong Show". Hope they have a reprise of the famous Popsicle Twins...okay, Jerry Jones, the joke is over. Fire Wade Phillips already...Shaquille O'Neal is starting to hit his free throws after reviewing tape of his form as a teen, going 12 of 12 at one point and not missing over the course of two games, only the second time he's managed that in his career. Shaq has glossed himself "Shaqavic," saying guys whose last names end in "ic" all shoot well. Here's hoping Toronto Raptor Roko Ukic finds a consistent shot to make that more accurate...LaDanian Tomlinson - a religious man by all accounts - likens his treatment by the San Diego Chargers and they're contemplating trading him to being "crucified". It's a good thing LT isn't taking himself too seriously...Philadelphia Eagle Brian Westbrook missed practice yesterday because of a bum knee. I'm releasing my Sunday Prime Time Pick today and got down on the Eagles at -3.5 -107. Seldom have I liked a team more at this stage. They've got the secondary to limit Larry Fitzgerald and more importantly, turn the ball over their way. The Eagles will not self destruct the way the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers did and should pound them. Get in. Get in now at Pinnacle...best thing of this Toronto Raptor season regardless of how it ends: Andrea Bargnani is legit...could Terrell Owens be on his way out of Dallas? It could happen, if ESPN's Ed Werder and his typically anonymous sources are to be believed...turns out Man City's trillions can't buy Kaka - literally. Brazilian star Kaka has rejected a mammoth offer to move to City from AC Milan...Michael Irvin had someone in another vehicle pull a gun on him, only for them to not rob him when they realized who it was. I'm sure Irvin's "cousin's" crack pipe feels safer as a result...the NHL is looking at the Rose Bowl in California and the Vegas Strip as possible sites for the next Winter Classic. What says "winter" more than California or Nevada, after all?...the MLS draft goes today, and Toronto FC have three first round picks to use or package. I'd prefer the latter, myself...be back with tonight's Prime Time Pick later this afternoon, 4pm at the latest...saw an ad for the new episode of The Office tonight. Dwight and Andy fight - literally - to see who gets Angela after Andy hears his fiancee has been sleeping with Dwight. No doubt hilarity ensues...have a great day.

Prime Time Pick: Tonight, how about a load of fun? We're playing the Grand Salami "Under" 57.5 -106. For those unawares, that is an over/under total for all the NHL games combined. Always fun, and the under has been a generally good play of late, particularly when they're giving you 5.75 goals per game. Note: the stock market was up today. Just sayin'.

Monday, November 3rd, 2008

In the November 3rd issue of ESPN The Magazine, Bill Simmons says he honestly believes NBA commissioner David Stern sent former employee Gary Bettman to the NHL to sabotage it. Funny, and strangely believable...call me crazy or wildly optimistic, but I wouldn't be opposed to a firing of a certain Dallas Cowboys coach named Wade Phillips. That team is a disaster and it goes beyond Tony Romo, Terrance Newman and others being hurt. They've got top drawer talent, but lack the discipline to play well. They're not leading the league in penalties because they're playing smart, that's for sure...is there anything more played than the Fox robot during NFL broadcasts? Not sure if it was as annoying as all the political ads airing during games...the Memphis Grizzlies have sold all of 3,000 season tickets this year. How'd that move from Vancouver work out?...yesterday on Fan590's gambling show, the host referred to interceptions as "Brett's". I like it...Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine both have the Toronto Raptors pegged to finish 6th this season...Ilya Kovalchuk to the Toronto Maple Leafs? What could the Leafs possibly offer the Atlanta Thrashers to rip him from them?...nevermind they used the #1 overall pick to get JaMarcus Russell, but the Oakland Raiders - and who else could it be? - are interested in Michael Vick when he gets out of the Crowbar Motel...good of Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson for not taking the bait and getting into a war of words with the irrelavent Don Cherry, who has called Wilson "arrogant,"
typical American", and a "bully". The height of irony, thine incarnation is Don Cherry...good to see the MLS get a proper trophy for its champion...a nice and easy New England Patriots cover brings the Prime Time Picks to 9-6 (+310) on the year. Tonight, liking the Pittsburgh Steelers at +1.5 (+125). Get your wagers in at Pinnacle...have a great Monday.

Thursday, October 16th, 2008

Sure, visible minorities may be shrinking in number in baseball, but Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal posits that they may not be looking to sign with the Boston Red Sox because of the perception they are a very "white" team. The BoSox look to survive tonight in Game 5 at Fenway...the Philadelphia Phillies punched their ticket to the World Series, riding a dominant Cole Hamels start. They did this despite Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley hitting a combined .250 in the playoffs so far...Charles Barkley says in terms of point guards, Chris Paul is driving, with Deron Williams in the back seat. Steve Nash? He's in the trunk, says Sir Charles. That would put Jose Calderon somewhere around the tailpipe...my boy Wayne Rooney is in some kind of form for England, scoring his sixth goal in five games yesterday with a pair against Belarus. Would prefer he saves those up - all of them - for Manchester United...What year is this? Shaq's been vowing to make the free throws when they count for over a decade, but whining that Hack-A-Shaq doesn't work because a certain team didn't go all the way despite them knocking you out isn't the height of logic...Tony Romo will be giving it a go after all so to those that were salivating at beating the Cowboys and Brad Johnson - which only the Giants would've in the next three - dial it down. Sounds like Romo isn't the only QB in the NFC East that is hurting: Eli Manning is banged up, too..Madonna and Guy Ritchie are officially done. Expect a bevy of uninspired A-Rod comments today...Andy Pettitte wants to pitch for the Yankees in 2009. I love Pettitte, but it is time to shut it down Andy. Of course, I said the same about Mike Mussina last year and we know how that turned out...if you can pre-order, it must be true: Chinese Democracy is coming out next month. Is there any need to even say who the artist is?...New York Knick Eddy Curry maight want to mix in a salad: he sat on a resistance ball, and it blew up...a Vancouver group including Steve Nash, and a Montreal group including Habs and Liverpool owner George Gillett are among the seven bidders for two MLS franchises...and hey, what ever happened to YF?...have a great Thursday.

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 - Stop this senseless slaughter!

Mercifully, and inexplicably, the ALCS will take a day off today. Maybe that will help cool off the smoking hot Tampa Bay Rays, 13-4 winners (and 22-5 in two games at Fenway) to take a 3-1 series lead. I know Red Sox Nation will boast about 2004 and coming back from 3-0, but this year, not happening...Why I always said Manny Ramirez was a far better hitter than David Ortiz: Ortiz has one RBI in 31 postseason at-bats this season...this week's Sunday Night Football match-up may not be great, with Seattle visiting Tampa Bay, but the broadcast is about to get a whole lot better with news that John Madden is sitting this one out and the fantastic Cris Collinsworth is in...I'm not surprised Dana White went off about Elite XC being a threat to the credibility of the MMA game, just that it took this long...want a cheap NFL ticket? How about the Cincinnati Bengals, with 3,000 tickets available for Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on stubhub.com, including many at half price...Brett Favre called Tony Romo to offer encouragement after his broken finger shelved him. Of course, in typical self serving, "ain't-I-a-great-guy?" fashion he let it be know he called. He says Romo is a top five player in the NFL regardless of position. Sorry, Favre. Even as a Cowboy fan I can't agree with that right now, not based on his play this calendar year...speaking of the Cowboys, they made the only deal of significance at the NFL's way-too-early trade deadline, picking up Detroit Lions wideout Roy Williams. Question: can Williams play corner at all? They've got a huge need there with Pacman Jones suspended for at least four games. It says here that with Williams demanding a trade and the Lions going nowhere, the Cowboys gave up way too much for him unless he suddenly becomes all-pro...the Detroit Lions are 0-5 for the third time this decade...not sure what is more impressive, that soccer giant FC Barcelona is launching a bid for an MLS team for Miami, or that the MLS expansion fee is now up to $50 million (USD). By comparison, Toronto FC's fee to enter a mere three years back was $10 million...not sure where some of the sports media out there get the idea that a Boston Red Sox vs. L.A. Dodgers World Series would be a "disgrace" because the Sox are still paying Manny Ramirez' salary. Players DO NOT get paid in the playoffs. Period. Not to mention that seems a pretty unlikely matchup now...the New Jersey Nets move to Brooklyn is on hold until at least 2011. Wince Carturd's contract expires before the 2011 season. Seems to me Brooklyn wants to leave the toxic waste in Jersey. Wise move...have a great Wednesday.