KFC Yum!

The second leg's of Champion's League get under way today.  Barcelona host Arsenal needing to overcome a 2-1 road loss and really, I get the feeling they could drop a four or five goal curb stomping on the Gunners, who looked to be down Robin van Persie and coming off an uninspired Sunderland performance, until ti was revealed RVP will indeed start.  I recall previous year's where Arsenal would have Champions League/FA Cup and their EPL runs all end in consecutive games.  The latter might not happen this time, but the previous two just may. The other game today sees AS Roma at Shaktar Donetsk, with Shaktar winning the first leg last month and largely in cruise control for this one.

Amar'e Stoudamire and Carmelo Anthony were laughing it up over the reports of the Miami Heat having some players in tears after their latest loss.  I'm loving the Knicks more and more all the time, especially for how they openly disrespect the Heat.

The arena in Louisville, Kentucky is named the "KFC Yum! Arena". Only in Necktucky.

Why is it everytime the Toronto Maple Leafs lose of late - and it hasn't been often, it must be said - the papers start speculating that goalie James Reimer is tired?  Plenty of goalies lose games without being tired. Crazy, I know.

Saw a list for NHL Rookie of the Year that included Jeff Skinner, Logan Couture, Taylor Hall, James Reimer and...PK Subban? For me, Reimer hasn't played enough and Subban is only on if he's wearing Skinner's jersey again. The former Kitchener Ranger - Skinner - is a lock.  That's no knock on Subban, who I think will be a star and is a nice break from the cliche spewing NHL machine, I just don't think he's had a great year.

Poor LeBron James, he will only need his Miami Heat to go 19-0 to close out the season to win more games than he did last year in Cleveland. There's a hole in my soul.  Great bit here on the idea that Miami never considered the possibility of what Dwayne Wade would think of watching LeBron fail repeatedly when games mattered most.

While it will barely register insofar as important MLB announcements are, it will register presumably insofar as your enjoyment of Toronto Blue Jays broadcasts on Rogers SportsNet go: Gregg Zaun is retiring.  Here's hoping he doesn't make it back up north to ruin broadcasts.

Sidney Crosby's sister has a concussion as well, and it makes front page news.  Only in Canada.

Steve Simmons at the Toronto Sun checks in on the latest with the Steve Moore lawsuit of Todd Bertuzzi  and the former Vancouver Canucks owners expected to make its way to trial next year and the .  It was seven year's ago yesterday that Moore was driven into the ice and had his neck broken.  My how far the NHL has come since then! Simmons says this one has the potential to bring the NHL to its knees.

When you're Carlo Ancelotti, manager at Chelsea, and declare that the team isn't really your team because it is the owner making personnel decisions, isn't that essentially saying "if it doesn't go right, it isn't on me"?  Going to guess that's exactly how owner Roman Abramovich interprets it and Ancelotti, accurate or not, walks the plank for saying so.

Here are the 25 Most Overrated Wrestlers. Lost on me: who rates Finlay, never mind overrates him?

Since their February 18th blockbuster deal, the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues have gone a combined 3-12-1.  Wonder if TSN and SportsNet will devote a day of coverage to analyzing that?

Could the stories of Alex Rodriguez being on the downward slope be premature? If early indications are accurate, A-Rod could have a monster year.

Epic Meal Time...road trip! The crew rolled to Kingston this weekend, where everything is legal, as long as you don't get caught.


The NFL needs to come to a labour agreement, quick.  Or, we'll be treated to more horrific videos like Tom Brady getting his groove on at Carnival in Rio, with a disaster of a pony tail.


Check out this past weekend's Duke loss (yeah!) at North Carolina at three frames a second, with no Dick Vitale (even more "yeah!")

The first significant move of the MLB off-season went down yesterday, with the Florida Marlins Dan Uggla dealing 2B - sorry Toronto Blue Jays Fan, he's not coming to T.O. - for a surprisingly small package of Omar Infante and Mike Dunn, considering it was an intra division deal with the Atlanta Braves, whose offence looks decidedly better today for the cost of a utility man and a reliever.  As for the Marlins, they've added four solid relief options in the last week to a pen that struggled badly last year.  Things should pick up with the first batch of GM meetings on the go in Orlando.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, never short on opinion, is openly delighting in the Miami Heat's early season struggles.  While most are no doubt enjoying it, the key here is it is early.  Don't be writing them off just yet.

Had it nor aired on Monday Night Football, I'd swear this video of Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid in the punt, pass and kick competition was doctored.  Let's just say that Reid was a little bit bigger than the rest of the 13-year olds.

How very progressive of the President of the Croatian national soccer federation to declare that homosexual players will not be allowed to play for the national team and that "luckily, only normal people play football".  Am sure he thinks there's a test for that, too.

The most surprising thing about talk of an expanded playoffs in baseball is that MLB has had to say it seems unlikely to happen for next year.  That the question exists is an improvement.

Speaking of structural change, the NFL Players Union has offered its take on the proposed move to an 18-game schedule.  They want a dramatic cut in off-season workouts, two in-season bye weeks, and an increase in rosters from 53 to 56 or 57, a reduction in games needed to qualify for medical benefits and  pension.  Oh, and more money, of course.  All seems pretty reasonable to me.

Pitcher Brad Penny is engaged to Karina Smirnoff, WAG extraordinaire.  Nice work, BP.  You wrapped up a solid free agent, now to get yourself a job.

Here's a look at a bunch of sports conspiracy theories, and how believable they are, including the "Michael Jordan was suspended by the NBA for gambling when he went to play baseball."

If you're a Twitter fan, here's a list of MLBers confirmed as legit accounts on Twitter.  Not surprisingly, Vernon Wells is as electric on Twitter as he is in regular TV interviews, which is to say, he's not.

Starting tomorrow, I'll be including video of the FIFA Goal of the Year nominees each day until the entire short list is covered.  Some real gems in the mix.

Carmelo Anthony took a swipe at Chris Bosh - which is turning into its own sport of late - in saying he wouldn't leave the Denver Nuggets hanging when it came to his free agency.

Courtesy of GBVH, a fantastic little ditty called "F**k You, Hipsters".  Great stuff, though I'm all in favor or Hipster Hitler, as you know.

Big 2 and Ru

Baseball's free agency period is just about to launch (midnight tonight).  Here's a peak at the Top 50 talents available, and where they might land.  If this proves accurate, looks like more than a few new players are heading to Boston.  This piece says the Washington Nationals are lurking as a potential landing spot for Cliff Lee.  I won't pretend to know, but he'd have been lying on his "contender" requirement in that case.

The Miami Heat may have their "Big 3" (quotes very much needed), but I'm trademarking a new name for them: "Big 2 and Ru".  Not exactly a stellar start for CBdOne.

Part of the waffling over whether Randy Moss was being released earlier this week - he was, then wasn't, then was - is supposedly because Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf was considering keeping Moss and booting coach Brad Childress for, among other things, not consulting him or the GM on the move.  Here's a thought: he should have considered punting both.  Why, other than to save the money on Childress and the cost of hiring a new coach, does he keep the job for what has to be a fireable offence?

Guess which former Philadelphia Phillies wideout has weighed in on whether Donovan McNabb deserved to be benched and is a top QB?  Terrell Owens?  Yep.  But he's not alone, nor the worst offender.  Freddie Mitchell - remember him? - piled on too.

Check out the 100 hottest NBA cheerleaders.  The Toronto Raptors placed one in the top 100, at a lowly #88.

Rogers Communications says it has no plans to expand the Bills in Toronto series.  Yeah, there's a shocker.  A batch of games they wildly overpriced and have yet to see a physical sellout isn't something they want to perpetuate?  Don't exactly have to have a degree from the Wharton School of Business to figure that one out.

The Vancouver Whitecaps have launched ticket packages for their first MLS season next year, and they're intent on outdoing Toronto FC for the highest priced soccer ticket in the land.  File under "what are you thinking?"

We may be well into fall and steamrolling towards winter, but never a bad time for a little Summer.  Glau, that is.

LSU...today is gonna hurt.  Yours, Alabama. 

Back to some EPL action, have a great day.

Check out this Boston Celtics fan getting loose the other night.  Incredible.  Thanks to BH for that one.

Chickens are athletic

Any guesses as to which two numbers are retired by the Miami Heat? If you had Michael Jordan and Dan Marino - yes, THAT Dan Marino - you are correct...ESPN The Magazine on hockey in its January 26th issue: "goals are only a bit more common than broadcast deals."...Michael Vick thinks chicken are clever and agile. I predict cock fighting in the future...good to see former Major Leaguer and full-time white trash John Rocker hasn't learned to keep his hate to himself, going off about a Jew...the Cleveland Cavs are 20-0 at home to start the season. Of course, now that we're talking about it, you can bet they'll lose in the next week...at the NHL Skills Competition, how awkward was that standing ovation for Vincent Lecavalier and then prolonged wait for the introduction of Alexander Ovechkin to egg it on?...last night's Prime Time Pick went sour as easily as the previous two nights went sweetly. Today's pick comes between 3 and 4pm...having trouble deciding what is more lame: All-Star weekends including skills competitions in general, or people who buy All-Star jerseys of their fav player...one week from a fantastic sports weekend with UFC 94 with a BJ Penn vs. Georges St. Pierre main event on Saturday, and then the small matter of the Super Bowl Sunday. Will beat this weekend's washout...is it just me, or does Cristiano Ronaldo look really uninterested this season?...that the NHL asks people to pay to watch that Young Stars game is a joke. That was the most awful sporting event you'll see this year, and a half hour of my life I'll never get back...4-1 underdog "Sugar" Shane Mosley whipped Antonio Margarito in the first big boxing matchup of the year. Expect some serious gloating from Cam Stewart on Drive This on Monday - he was pumping up what a great value play Mosley was at 4-1...have a great Sunday.

PRIME TIME PICK: A bit earlier than anticipated. Playing the Boston Celtics today at -9 to crush the Dallas Mavs. Enjoy. Get down with Pinnacle.