$150 million for Jeter? You've got to be joking.

Pretty solid day of NFL action yesterday, especially the New Orleans at Dallas game which looked like it'd be over before the first quarter was done, but the Cowboys gamely fought back and might have won it if not for Roy Williams not knowing how to protect the ball in the shadows of the opposing goalposts against a team that constantly looks for turnovers.  In the end, a good result for Dallas even in a 30-27 loss: they competed, but still lost to keep the draft pick for 2011 nice and high.  Detroit looked fantastic in the first half against New England, but in the second half, they remembered they're Detroit and they got smoked 45-24.  And in the late game, Derrell Revis showed Terrell Owens just what an "average" cornerback can do, holding T.O. to three catches and 17 yards in the Jets 26-10 win.

Phil Simms to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson after the latter broke down the Lions/Pats game: "good analyzation there". Yeah, great "analyzation," Phil.

Derek Jeter is said to be after 6 years and $150 million from the New York Yankees.  I'd sooner see a terrorist be given a cache of nukes before giving Jeter that term or dollar amount.  Strange, coming from The Guy Who Wants To Win More Than Anything.

Cathal Kelly at the Toronto Star hammers the idea that MLS is floating about lining up its schedule to match the rest of the world's, which would see the league run through the winter instead of the summer.  I'm sure that would be a lot of fun attending games in Toronto, Seattle, Portland, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, Colorado, Kansas City, New England, Columbus, D.C.,  and soon, Montreal.  That leaves about a handful of cities where it would work.

Good news, Buffalo Bills fans.  Forbes has a piece on who the best quarterback for the dollar is this year in the NFL and it is Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Toronto FC is still apologizing to its fans for the Mo Johnston/Preki team of 2010, ditching five players closely tied with the two.

A great bit from The Sports Pickle on using sports cliche's in everyday life.

Check out these NBA cheerleaders slam dunking.

The latest FIFA Goal of the Year nominee sees Arsenal's Samir Nasri shred FC Porto's defence.  Awesome.

Simply a heroinic performance

Well that was fun. AJ Burnett was half decent through five before being inexplicably left in for the sixth, despite numerous long breaks while the Yankees were at bat throwing away chance after chance to blow open a 3-2 win.  His second last pitch, on an intentional walk, nearly sailed over catcher Francisco Cervelli's head.  You'd think maybe that was a sign to Yanks manager Joe Girardi, but nope, he let him go another batter.  Next pitch, outta the part for a three run shot and a 5-3 Texas lead.  Boat race on, 10-3 final and a 3-1 series lead.  Can the Yanks come back?  Possibly.  But seems pretty unlikely with a 3-1 deficit, two games left in Texas, and now they're minus Mark Teixera for the rest of the playoffs after a pulled hamstring.  Oh, and they're showing no signs of life.  Hello, offseason.   Credit where due though, Texas has simply been better in every way.  Josh Hamilton's home run exploits have been heroinic.

Have a strong feeling we could be in for a Texas-San Francisco World Series, and who would've figured that a week ago?  The Philadelphia Phillies are inexplicably sending Joe Blanton to the hill for Game 4 today with the Giants up 2-1.  Madison Baumgartner goes for the Giants, a far better starting option.


Champions League play resumes today with another 8 games after yesterday's eight.  If you were following (wagering) along with the three plays yesterday, they were all winners.  Today, playing Inter Milan -1, Valencia and Barcelona -2. 

Buster Olney at ESPN with a few Cliff Lee bits.  The lowest playoff ERA's with five starts or more: Sandy Koufax: 0.95, Christy Mathewson: 1.06, Cliff Lee: 1.26, Eddie Plank: 1.32.  Most 10-strikeout games in postseason history, again with a five start minimum: Cliff Lee: 5, Randy Johnson: 5, Bob Gibson: 5, John Smoltz: 4, Mike Mussina: 4.  Pretty healthy company for Mr. Lee.  Quoting here: "Nolan Ryan was in the Rangers' clubhouse after the game and was asked what it would take to keep Cliff Lee and he said, in so many words, to go ask the Yankees. In other words, the Yankees will bid heavily on the left-hander, and with every dominant performance Lee's bargaining position just gets better and better. There is no question he will get offers for something in the range of CC Sabathia's $23 million a year; the question will be whether he gets a five-year or six-year or seven-year offer. Typically, the Yankees would rather pay more annually for a shorter-term deal."


Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed yesterday what we had been speculating about a couple days ago: Wayne Rooney does indeed want out of Manchester United.  So much for his proclamations of how he'd never wear another jersey in the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo's departure, though word is that Man U's non-spending ways on big names is a part of Rooney's displeasure.Oh, and Jose Mourinho, Real MadridRooney will stay, manager, says continuing his streak of speaking definitively on topics that are more opinion than fact.

Word is Toronto FC has only seen about 35% of their season ticket base renew for next year with tomorrow's deadline fast approaching.  Way to blow the best sporting experience in Toronto, MLSE.  But hey, MLS Commish Don Garber says that TFC is still a "model franchise".  Presumably he means "among Canadian teams not currently in MLS".  John Molinaro thinks the honeymoon is over.  Yep, and divorce papers are being drafted for many.

Said Jon Gruden on The Jim Rome Show: "I try not to talk too much" on Monday Night Football.  Fail.  For the record, my money is on Gruden as the next Cowboys head coach.


Good of the Dallas Cowboys to implement a team rule that will forbid endzone celebrations after two huge penalties for that the last couple games, including one that essentially cost them a win against Tennessee two weeks back.

Jessica Alba, just because it has been a while.  And for the UFC fans out there, check out Arianny Celeste (NSFW, by the way).

Bob Elliott at the Toronto Sun says that Sandy Alomar Jr.'s interview with the Toronto Blue Jays yesterday lasted all day.

If you're at all a fan of Jersey Shore or South Park, be sure to check out the latter's skewering of Snooki in a recent episode, passed on by Bukakke.  Must be seen to be believed.

Check out Canucks meathead Rick Rypien suckerpunch a guy, and then even better, take a run at a fan who did...nothing.  Way to go, hockey.

We're back!

Expect a ridiculous amount of coverage on the hits delivered yesterday and the concussions that resulted, including a "severe" one for DeSean Jackson of the Philadelphia Eagles.  Also expect plenty of arms in the air about the safety of an 18-game schedule.  Was listening to ESPN Radio's coverage of the games yesterday and three concussions happened in a span of 8-10 minutes.  Pretty crazy.  Says former headhunter Rodney Harrison, now a commentator: "You didn't get my attention when you fined me five grand, 10 grand, 15 grand.  You got my attention when I got suspended...you have to suspend these guys. These guys are making millions of dollars. The NFL [has to say], 'We're going to really protect our players. We're going to suspend these guys, not one game, but possibly two or more games."

It was a tight Game 2 in the NLCS last night until the 8th, when the Philadelphia Phillies bought themselves some breathing room and jumped back into level territory with a 6-1 win over San Francisco.  That series now goes to San Francisco for three games starting tomorrow.

Admittedly, I'm become pretty used to the New York Yankees season going into October, but I don't recall too many seasons where they're still playing and the Dallas Cowboys are dead and buried for all intents and purposes.  Nice job, Wade Phillips.  Dust off that resume.  Take Jason Garrett with you, while you're at it.  That said, Jerry Jones says he won't even consider it.  One thing for certain: Dez Bryant is part man, part beast.  Not sure there are many stronger wideouts than that guy in the entire league.

Think there's much pressure on Andy Pettitte tonight?  Game 3, at home, with Cliff Lee on the bump for Texas.  Oh, and if you lose and are done early, the prospect of AJ Burnett in Game 4 and a blown out pen has to be real tantalizing.  Go get 'em, 46.

Congratulations, Toronto FC and MLSE.  Your handling of the franchise and poor treatment of your fans has even made the New York Times with this bang on piece sent to me by GBVH.

So it seems that a bad ankle isn't why Wayne Rooney has been lacking playing time with Manchester United.  Rooney says that he's fine and hasn't missed one practice which of course, now has brought the news out that he's fallen out with Sir Alex Ferguson, who is the Rocky Marciano of fights with his players - undefeated, untied - and Rooney is said to be on his way out of town in January, with leading candidates said to be Barcelona and Real Madrid.  Memo to Jerry Jones: get Sir Alex Ferguson as your coach.  If nothing else, your squad will know how to play disciplined.

The Philadelphia Phillies fans are still representing hard.  Check out this one yacking on Saturday night in the front row.

88 in for $55,000

After complaints of small crowds from Evan Longoria and David Price, the Tampa Bay Rays are giving away 20,000 tickets to tonights game. Get the feeling it won't matter, and they'll still have under 20,000 in attendance?  I suppose the fact they clinched a playoff spot last night won't help the cause, although the AL East remains up for grabs.

Had some suggest the crack about "Thank you Cito" night seeing the giveaways extended into next season was a bit out of line, and you're right. There's a good shot they get 35,000 tonight. After all, the Yankees are in town, although they'll be likely playing a heavily loaded with back-ups squad after clinching a playoff spot last night and no doubt tearing it up.  In news relating to the playoff spot, Losers are mobilizing to simultaneously cheer on seven teams.

If ML$E thinks those empty seats at Toronto FC's Champions League game are about a cool, rainy day, they're begging.  John Molinaro at the CBC says they've reached the crisis stage.

Finally Delonte West asked about sex with LeBron James' mom and he said he absolutely didn't sleep with her because they were up all night.  Something like that..And for all the times LeBron has talked, how is it that not once has he referenced his former teammates in any way?  Doesn't that strike you as odd?


In retrospect, guessing Dallas Cowboys rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant is going to wish he carried Roy Williams pads when asked at camp a couple months back.  Why?  Seems RW goes his revenge, as instead of just having DB pay for a dinner for the team's offensive players, RW invited the defense as well to a swank steakhouse.   The bill?  $55,000.  Ouch.

What a turnaround for Michael Vick. After an off-season shooting at his birthday party that almost saw him off the Philadelphia Eagles and out of the game, he's not only starting for the Eagles and playing as good as ever, but he's also selling a pile of jerseys.  Vick will face Donovan McNabb and the Washington Redskins this weekend. No storylines there.

The Jacksonville Jaguars appear to have picked up Buffalo Bills castoff Trent Edwards. Yeah, that'll fix it.


Check out this shizophrenic split for AJ Burnett that happened in early May:  "through May 6 — six starts — Burnett was 4-0 with a 1.99 ERA. His strike out totals — just 28 in 40.2 innings — were down, but he was keeping both runners off base and the ball in the park. Just one of the first 164 batters to face him homered. Since then, Burnett has, with the exception of a few good starts in July, been utterly abysmal. He’s 6-15 over his last 26 starts, and he’s averaging just over 5.1 innings per start. After [Monday's] 2.1-inning, seven-run fiasco, his ERA over those 140 innings is 6.30, and he’s allowed 23 home runs and 64 walks while striking out just 111 guys. Opponents have an OPS against him of approximately .860. In other words, A.J. Burnett’s opponents are putting up better offensive numbers than Mark Teixeira."  Ouch.

Have a great Wednesday.

The New York Yankees, as they are going, will not win the World Series this year.  Too many pitching question marks and they're now the Wild Card team after a 10-8 loss to Boston last night that was 10-1 in a heartbeat as Andy Pettitte had his worst start of the year.  While they've had a great year considering the ups and downs of Javier Vazquez and AJ Burnett, they can't go into the playoffs with only CC Sabathia a no-brainer.  Phil Hughes is running on fumes after never working this much, and too many question marks around the rest of the starters.  Now, when you've got a hot Curtis Granderson and a guy with Lance Berkman's abilities hitting at the bottom and Derek Jeter seemingly finding himself, you can make up for a lot, but this fan doesn't have the same feeling he typically does when the Yanks end up winning.  Right now, I'm thinking a Tampa and New York ALCS, with the winner getting beat by Philadelphia who should cruise through the NL.

Jose Bautista hit two more home runs last night to tally 52 on the season, now the biggest one season jump in MLB history.  Now, before this "MVP" train gets moving too quickly, consider this: nobody has ever won the award with a batting average in the .260's, much less a guy on a 4th place team.  Only four AL MVP's have even batted below .300. 

Manchester City were going to be in tough against rolling Chelsea regardless of the situation today, but with all their first choice defenders hurt or hurting, they could be in for a long day.  That one goes off early, 7:45am on Setanta Sports.

Toronto FC host the San Jose Earthquakes at 4pm today at BMO Field.  Coverage on CBC.  TFC need...you know the familiar drill.

Not only is Toronto Maple Leafs first round pick from 2009 Nazem Kadri not impressing at camp, he's not exactly impressing with his mouth either.  When asked why he wears #43, here was his dim response: "It was the number I was assigned.  As a kid, it was number 9. I liked that number because of Paul Kariya. Then he kind of went down the drain a little bit..."  Better a has been than a never was, Nazem. Respect Kariya.

Not exactly an awe inspiring main event in 2010 at UFC 119 from Indianapolis, where Frank Mir will fight Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.  Pretty obvious to most who I hope will win, but not sure who does.  What I do like is the fight to finish in the first round.  Also on the card, the undefeated Ryan Bader takes on Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in what should be a real interesting bout.  Full card here.

If you believe the rumors, Carmelo Anthony could be a New Jersey Net as soon as today as a four-team deal is being worked on.  Crazy how much talent is swinging to or looking to move to the East.

If you're an MLB team looking to host a "guaranteed win" night, your odds are stacked if you're doing it with the Pittsburgh Pirates in town.  The Pirates are 6-45 their last 51 road games.

I'm sure the LA Lakers will be thrilled to hear that Andrew Bynum postponed his knee surgery a month over the off-season so he could attend World Cup soccer games in South Africa.  It comes as no surprise then given Bynum's Pavano-esque recuperative powers that he's not going to be ready for the pre-season.

A Michigan man is giving the Travis Henry's and Evander Illegitimate-field's of the world a serious run for his money: he's got 23 kids with 14 different women.  Not shockingly, he's struggling to keep up with support payments.  The cure?  Not going to prison, which he is.

Back tomorrow with more, have a great Saturday.

Clean-up in the toy aisle...

Two straight games now the New York Yankees have scored eight runs against the allegedly superior Tampa Bay Rays pitching staff.  An 8-3 win last night stretched the Pinstripers lead at the top of the AL East to 2.5 games.  Getting the feeling more and more than homefield is going to be key for whoever comes out of the American League, with the Yanks, Tampa and Minnesota all being so strong at home this season. Also last night, Yanks catcher Jorge Posada took a page from The Captain and seemed to mile a questionable hit by pitch.  Listening to the Tampa Bay announcers get all indignant with it was pretty laughable, considering their own manager Joe Maddon - as clear and honest a voice in the game as there is - said he wished his own players would do the same.

Looks like Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid has seen the light after all, as he announced yesterday what anyone with a brain thought made sense: Michael Vick will remain the starter until further notice. Easiest move ever.

Not very classy of the allegedly classy Joe Torre to go on radio in New York while in town for the George Steinbrenner monument unveiling at Yankee Stadium and mention the New York Mets managerial job while Jerry Manuel is still the manager. Manuel, of course, is not impressed. 

The always great Jason Whitlock says that the OHB won't be long for the NFL with the way things are going.  Come on now, OHB, just when I was starting to come around to you.

Roy Halladay is the first 20 game winner in the National League after last night.  Pretty impressive, given it feels like Colorado Rockie Ubaldo Jiminez has been at 17 since like, April.  The Phillies now lead the sinking Atlanta Braves by five.

Toronto FC's visit to Mexico City to face Cruz Azul in CONCACAF Champions League play last night could've been a disaster.  Playing against a strong, revenge-minded team at altitude with short rest after Saturday's dramatic comeback, you'd think "beatdown", no?  Well, it wasn't.  In fact, Toronto FC showed the kind of heart we've rarely seen in their existence and fought their way to a scoreless draw.  Shocking.  Almost as shocking as a referee in this competition actually being competent.

In games that have been started by Josh Beckett and John Lackey, the Boston Red Sox are only 25-25.  That, as much as a brutal rash of injuries this year, is why they're all but mathematically out of it already.

Speculation is there could be as many as 16 managerial changes this baseball off-season, and that would be a record.  I'm going to throw an early suggestion at the Toronto Blue Jays: Willie Randolph.

There's no simpler way to describe this: man enters Wal-Mart.  Man picks up Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.  Man rubs one out in the toy aisle.

Check out some NHL third jerseys for this year and years past.  Winners: Buffalo, and anything work by the Montreal Canadiens save for the candystriped jersey (none pictured, however). Losers: Tampa Bay, Phoenix, LA, Anaheim.

New York Giant Brandon Jacobs is a piece of work, isn't he?  After tossing his helmet into the crowd in Indy in anger, he was benched, and of course, is now demanding a trade.  Check out the video from Sunday here:

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

Derek Cheater?

Had a couple discussions yesterday on the "Derek Cheater" bit from a couple nights ago where he sold that he got hit by a pitch when it clearly hit his bat, so I'll summarize here.  (1) if you think that Jeter is above doing what it takes to win, you're kidding yourself.  He's got as much ego as the next guy, or he would have moved to third when Alex Rodriguez came to the Yankees a few years back because A-Rod was a far better shortstop than Jeter.  (2) To pretend he's some pure and great guy that would never do such a thing is to ignore that when he hurt himself in Toronto years back colliding with Ken Huckaby, he treated Huckaby like he did something wrong when he was just playing the game the right way - something some act like only Jeter does - he wouldn't even answer Huckaby's calls to apologize, vilifying him for no reason.  A saint he is not.  (3) If A-Rod did this, he'd be absolutely annihilated by the media, but with Jeter, it is merely a discussion (3) Baseball isn't golf and guys don't call penalties on themselves or correct umpires for errant calls, so there's no big deal here.  In short, pretending he's somehow above the pack when it comes to morality is to ignore reality, and logic.  He's a competitive guy, and good for him for that, especially when he needs to get on base any way he can of late.  Oh, and Jeter admits he wasn't hit.  Am sure the umpire is thrilled.

It might be the most ridiculous stat I've heard all year in baseball: Canadian boy, and Cincinnati Red, Joey Votto has yet to pop out to the infield this season.  MVP?  In a league with Albert Pujols, just maybe.

Darrelle Revis kept Randy Moss to 58-yards over two games last year and called Moss a "slouch" in the aftermath, marking the first time in memory that word was used as smack talk. They'll be facing each other this weekend in Jersey. How much would a Jets loss ratchet up the pressure on Rex Ryan and the Jets?  Is there a neutral fan that isn't hoping the Patriots pound them?  And who would think that just a few years out of SpyGate, the Pats look like the class operation of the two?

Now that Entourage Season 7 has wrapped, Dallas Mavs owner Mark Cuban has more time to talk sports and he wasted no time in calling out LeBron James for how he "humiliated" Cleveland and Ohio in jumping to Miami. Oh, and there was a study conducted that says LeBron James isn't as popular as he used to be. Well, knock me over with a feather. 


Former Toronto FC coach - and the "former" sounds so good - Preki says that he has no regrets over his time in Toronto, while speaking of the comments made against his regime by Dwayne DeRosario and Julian De Guzman as merely that of "a couple Canadian guys".   All class, that Pricki.  Here's a bit of trivia on his replacement Nick Dasovic, who is nothing if not a breath of fresh air after that stale rain cloud departed: when he studied for his UEFA B coaching license, in his class was one Jose Mourinho.

The San Diego Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars game is going to be blacked out this weekend in the San Diego area.  7,000 tickets left over tends to do that.


Floyd Mayweather must really want no part of Manny Pacquiao, what with his ridiculous act of late that now sees him facing 8 charges, including 4 felonies, that could see him do 34 years if he were convicted on all charges and got the maximum sentence.


Derek Jeter's act...check out the look at the umpire.  Pretty sure the source of this video is an extra on Jersey Shore.



I've seen some bad fumbles in my time, but check this one out in last weekend's Toronto Argos game when Ronald Flemons drops the ball while touched by exactly nobody.

We're not gonna take it, any Mo...

What a series going in Tampa Bay this week, with the New York Yankees and Rays swapping first place with a pair of great games.  Monday's was a pitching duel that finished 1-0 in 11 innings.  Last night went 10, and was an 8-7 win for the Bronx Bombers.  The rubber match goes tonight with Phil Hughes and James Shields taking the bump.

A couple surprises in the opening day of Champions League group play yesterday. Manchester United were held to a scoreless draw with Glasgow Rangers at home, a big disappointment for the Red Devils to say the least. Worse was losing Antonio Valencia to a broken leg for what looks to be the year. Defending Champion Inter Milan were also held to a draw, 2-2 with Dutch side FC Twente. And then there was Barcelona, who hammered Panathanaikos 5-1. Lionel Messi scored a pair, the second as awesome as a goal gets.  8 more games go today at 2:45, highlited by last year's finalist Bayern Munich hosting AS Roma, though Roma have struggled out of the gate in Italy's Serie A. Also of interest is Real Madrid hosting Ajax Amsterdam. 

Toronto FC cleaned house yesterday, turfing Day One GM Mo Johnston after four mostly turbulent years, and his latest coaching hire Preki. Neither should leave feeling they'll be missed. TFC moves on with interim GM Earl Cochrane and interim Head Coach Nick Dasovic, Canadians both, and go right back at it tonight with a CONCACAF Champions League date at Real Salt Lake. Coverage on GolTV with a 10pm kickoff.

Tough break for the Green Bay Packers, losing starting Running Back Ryan Grant for the year with an ankle injury. The New York Jets will be minus Kris Jenkins for the year as he tore his ACL for the second straight year. I'm sure this will increase the concerns about moving to an 18-game schedule but seems to work just fine for the CFL. Besides, it's not like the 16-game schedule has helped the Buffalo Bills Paul Posluzny stay healthy. Yep, he's hurt again.

The centrepiece of the 416-bound contingent in the Roy Halladay trade from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Philadelphia Phillies - Kyle Drabek - makes his Jays debut on the mound tonight. Of course, most of the country won't see it unless they're Rogers Cable subscribers as the game is on SportsNet One. Such regard for their fans, them Jays. For all the heat over moving a pile of games to the channel, this is just throwing more gas on the fire.

There are still sporting outfits that are forward thinking. The UFC has another of its regular - and free - Fight Night cards on tonight. And where is it airing, you wonder? Why, SportsNet - coast to coast - of course, at 8pm. That will be followed by the first episode of Season 15 of The Ultimate Fighter, with coaches Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koschek.

In other MLS news, the league is expected to announce expansion to a 34-game regular season schedule for 2011. Also, the "Canadian" rule looks to be scrapped which will only increase the quality of players in the league overall, and on Toronto and Vancouver especially.

Scoring in the NFL was down in Week One, in case you were wondering.

This one is sure to get some people wound up.  Here are the 11 most effeminate things about football, the gridiron variety.

The first peak at the 2011 MLB schedule can be seen here.  The Majors are set to start on Thursday, March 31st with talk of a game going even the night prior, all with the aim of finishing the playoffs in October at the latest, unlike this year where it could run to November 4th.  Still don't understand why they don't do the first couple weeks with all dome or warm weather teams at home to minimize weather issues in the northern cities.

Speaking of the playoffs, yet another piece on how expanding the playoffs would make for a better regular season.  Me likes.

The Hot Tub Hottie is back with Week 2 NFL picks.  No clue how she's doing, and care almost as little.

Yep, ordered NFL Red Zone yesterday.  Jacked for Sunday.  Mrs. Mango?  Not so much.

If you missed Baltimore Raven Ray Lewis blowing up New York Jet Dustin Keller on Monday Night...enjoy.



Check out Manchester United's Antonio Valencia getting his leg broken in a fluke play. Can't imagine he comes back this season. Ouch.
<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video/?vid=0f64e33d-69ea-4676-8095-10becd12d137&from=IV2_en-us_foxsports_videocentral_player" target="_new" title="CL Update: Man Utd's Valencia injured">Video: CL Update: Man Utd's Valencia injured</a>

Barcelona vs. Panathanaikos hilites.  Lionel Messi's goal after a ridiculous buildup starts around :50...
<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video/?vid=bd83b289-2378-40a9-9c27-a7d0e72b80ff&from=IV2_en-us_foxsports_videocentral_player" target="_new" title="CL Highlights: Barcelona/Panathinaikos">Video: CL Highlights: Barcelona/Panathinaikos</a>

How's this for weird: Saturday's entry, on September 11th (aka 911) was blog entry #911 for yours truly.

Nice of the Buffalo Bills to kick their (wagering) fans in the nuts.  Down 13-10 in the dying minutes, the Bills, instead of punting, elected to give up a safety so they could free kick.  The move took the game from a push, to a Miami cover.  The other team that shot themselves in the foot in spectacular fashion were the Dallas Cowboys, 13-7 losers in Washington in a game they would've won comfortably if not their ridiculous penchant for penalties.  Guard Alex Barron was shakier than Michael J. Fox on Red Bull with all the penalties he took, one that negated a last second touchdown to win most significantly. Not good enough, Wade Phillips.  

Figured that the Houston Texans would give the Indianapolis Colts a tough game, but didn't figure they'd hammer them 34-24 in a game that wasn't even that close.  Also surprising whipping boys were the San Francisco 49ers, crushed by the Seattle Seahawks 31-6.

The worst team in the league shows up to BMO Field on Saturday with the hosts Toronto FC needing a win.  Easy money for the Reds, no?  Nope.  Not only were they outplayed and outscored, they were also outworked, which is especially embarrassing with your season essentially down the toilet now.  Yours truly is boycotting TFC for the remainder of the year.  No joke.  As for GM Mo Johnston, here's a little something to help get you on your way.  Rest of the MLS wrap here.

Tonight's home opener for the San Diego Chargers, hosting rival Kansas City, will most likely be blacked out in SoCal as it hasn't sold out.  Monday night, home opener, for a good team hosting a rising team.  Not good, NFL.

Damien Cox of the Toronto Star has a strong blog entry looking at how badly the Toronto Blue Jays are struggling at the gate, despite generally positive media support and a few young talents to get behind, and Jose Bautista approaching 50 homers.  Concludes Cox: "has to leave the Jays thoroughly puzzled as to what it will take - if anything - to bring the people back."

Hey Pittsburgh Penguins fans, rock some (fake) ink supporting your team.  Tap Out shirt not included.

Rick Reilly at ESPN, who always thinks he's a step quicker than everyone, puts together a list of things he'd tweet if he didn't hate Twitter.  Somebody ought to let him know a good chunk of his ideas are beyond 140 characters.

I'm sure everyone saw the show of union solidarity in Thursday's NFL opener in New Orleans.  Noticeably absent was one player.  I'll give you one guess.  Got it yet?  Yep, the FFF had his back turned to the rest of  the players. 

Even the most serious of soccer fans would tell you that they can't stand games getting solved by penalty kicks if still tied through overtime.  So what is FIFA President Sepp Blatter looking to do at the World Cup?  Have all tie games end with a round of PK's, of course.  Idiot.

A racist rant and domestic assault claims the last couple weeks weren't enough for Floyd Mayweather.  He also was arrested for stealing an iPhone.

Prime Time Picks (1-0, +$100 on the year) for tonight: Baltimore +1, KC +4.5.  Liking the road dogs!

Awesome penalty kick goal here, or maybe it is better termed "goalie fail"...

Canada wins!

Tom Verducci at SI.com comes up with a solid idea for how to expand baseball's playoffs without lengthening it one bit. I've long advocated that an extra wild card is the best and easiest way to help the AL East problem - and that's mostly what it is - and the idea of a one game, winner is in, between two wild cards would sure generate interest, and make winning a division that much more important.

The Toronto Maple Leafs haven't had a day of training camp and have already named J.S. Giguere the starting goalie. If anybody has a clue what good that accomplishes, I'd love to hear it. Maybe the clock has gone back to 2006 and he's still a clear cut #1 and I missed it.

Long-time San Diego Padre and current Milwaukee Brewers closer Trevor Hoffman picked up save number 600 last night.  Not bad for a guy who barely hits 84 on the gun these days.

Don Banks at SI.com's latest article has his picks to win each division, as well as who he's got to finish last. Bad news, Buffalo Bills fans: he's got you not only penciled to finish last, but to do so with 2 wins, lowest among all the teams he picks to finish last by a couple games.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jason Marquis has lowered his ERA in 6 straight starts.  Impressive, right?  Not as impressive as seeing it is still a ghastly 7.14, but that's what happens when you once had it as brutal as 20.52.

So much for the notion that Wayne Rooney would lose it in Switzerland after the talk of him tapping a pro surfaced over the weekend.  Rooney scored 10 minutes into England's Euro 2012 qualifier with Switzerland and his squad emerged 3-1 winners.  On the upset front, Slovakia stunned favored Russia in Russia with a 1-0 scoreline and Portugal dropped all the points in a 1-0 shocker at Norway.  Full Euro 2012 qualifying wrap here.  On the "friendly" side of things, Canada beat Honduras - who were a World Cup qualifier - with an impressive performance in a 2-1 win in Montreal. Strangely, they looked better minus Dwayne DeRosario and Julian De Guzman.  World Cup winners Spain travelled to Argentina for a game, and were thumped 4-1.  Shocking.  That's only Spain's third loss since 2006.

Good news, Toronto Raptors fans, your squad made an "all-time" list.  Yep, checking in on the 50 Worst Uniforms list.  Hey, it is something at least.

Two of the worst NFL teams last year were the Tampa Bay Bucs and Cleveland Browns, and they won't be a whole bunch better this year.  So why would the NFL put the two head to head to open the season on Sunday?  Only reason I can think is to narrow the field for nationally covered games.  Can't be many reasons beyond that.

So Reggie Bush can't keep his Heisman Trophy because he had his parents put up in a condo paid for by boosters, but O.J. Simpson still has his.  Sounds perfectly logical to somebody.

If I were to say "it is a must-win road game for Toronto FC if they're to make the playoffs this year", hopefully that wouldn't confuse everyone too badly into thinking this was 2009 and not 2010, but that's the situation that TFC are in as they are in Chicago to face the Fire.  I really have little expectation that they'll grab three points in this one, and barely more hope. SportsNet Ontario and Pacific have coverage with an 8:30 kickoff.

For those that enjoyed Friday's "bubbling" pictures, there are more.  You're welcome.

An interesting infographic to teach you most of what you need to know about MMA/UFC.

Check out this video from a Chinese media outlet of some sort, covering the Wayne Rooney-and-a-hooker story.  Freaking incredible, even for non-soccer fans.

Thank you, Winnipeg, for the best story of the year

See, if you're going to have a child, you're best off to actually say their given name out loud before you give it, with all possible permutations.  Just saying, Mr. and Mrs. Bonner.

Toronto FC host FC Dallas today at BMO Field with a 4pm kickoff (CBC for TV coverage) in a key MLS game for the Reds, who need to start grabbing three points for wins at home instead of the singles for ties, especially against a team like Dallas that they're fighting for a playoff birth against.  This is the middle of a three game week for TFC, with an August 27th Champions League date against Honduran side Club Deportivo Motagua on Tuesday night at BMO Field.  Speaking of TFC, Jason DeVos at the CBC looks at the squad at the roughly mid-point of the season.

A Muslim cleric in Malaysia has banned his 81 million followers from wearing Manchester United gear because their Red Devil logo promotes, well, satan.  Quoting from Deadspin here, so you're not thinking it was me editorializing: "Also banned: Barcelona, and the national jerseys of Brazil, Portugal, and Serbia (that one's probably not an issue) because they feature crosses on their crest. I'm going to assume Israel's jersey, because it doesn't feature any religious symbols, is totally kosher in Malaysia."

Love this story out of Winnipeg, where a local is in hot water after repeated calls to 911 demanding that they summon the RCMP and find a way to return some stolen property.  The property?  The Winnipeg Jets. Amazing.  But wait...it gets better.  When told that enough was enough and the police were coming, he asked "if you’re coming to get me, can you bring me some smokes?"  Best story of the year?  Just may be.

Not sure which of these Mike Vick stories I find harder to believe: that the Eagles viewed him as the least likely QB they'd deal entering this off-season, or that offensive co-ordinator Marty Mornhinweg says he's back and he expect some very big things out of him this year.

This report has the New York Yankees as the most likely to acquire Dan Haren.  Memo to Brian Cashman: do it, especially if the centrepiece is Joba Chamberlain.

Whatever happened to that creepy Nike ad with Tiger Woods and his dad doing the voiceover?

Disposable razors lasting months?  Thanks to this trick, maybe.  Haven't tested it but will with the new Shick Hydro 5 which I've found lasts a solid three weeks, and this is coming from a guy who shaves his head and face daily.

Pete Rose had a lot of hits in his career, but this might be the best one yet.  How is he pulling this?

The new coach of the French national soccer team - Laurent Blanc - has suspended the entire team for their opening game of Euro 2012 qualifying for their act in South Africa.  Yeah, boot a bunch of quitters for a game - that'll teach them!  But at least Frenchman Thierry Henry scored a beauty of a goal, and had a great start in New York Red Bull colours, according to this report.

I don't know who Cristiano Ronaldo's agent is, but this guy has Scott Boras and Jerry Macguire whipped. He's negotiated a deal with Real Madrid that will see his client collect £26m (about $46 million Canadian, $42 million U.S.) if Real fail to complete his transfer from Manchester United by the end of June - just two weeks away. This is the greatest no lose situation I've ever seen an athlete in: go to Real, probably get a huge raise. Stay at Man U, pocket enough money from the failed deal that the raise you would've had looks like pocket change and as an added bonus, you get to play on a great team. Yes, that was a none-too-subtle dig at Real...continuing a busy month in MMA, WEC has a card on the go tonight, on Versus if you've got it at 9pm. Mike Brown will fight Urijah Faber in the main event, a rematch of their epic 2008 fight. The rest of the card here...Fork? Meet Marco Velez. The Toronto FC player is the single worst defender I've ever seen that collects a pay cheque - anywhere - and was beat on both LA Galaxy goals as TFC lost 2-1...nice play by Toronto Blue Jay Alex Rios, responding with "who gives a fuck?" repeatedly when a fan cracked him on the streets for his five strikeout performance on Thursday night. Rios, you're a loser. Period. End of. Catch his act here. Thanks to GBVH for that one...Miami Dolphin Joey Porter says his team are "the champions until proven otherwise." Seriously. I didn't realize winning the division was such a big deal...if the old maxim that "it isn't a series until somebody loses at home," then the Stanley Cup finals is yet to be a series. That said, in a 5-0 beatdown of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Detroit Red Wings sure made it seem like it is about to become a series with game six in Pittsburgh. The Wings are up 3-2 and eyeing their fifth Cup in 12 years...have a great Sunday.

March of the Penguins in The D

A huge day of World Cup qualifying around the globe but as always, the focal point remains Europe. Some impactful matches: Ukraine at Croatia battle for second in Group 6, and Portugal and Sweden badly need wins to get back in the Group 1 mix...game five of the Stanley Cup finals goes tonight and the momentum seems to have moved towards the Pittsburgh Penguins anytime the pace picks up. But, this one is in Detroit and the home teams have held serve throughout so far, but something tells me the Pens are going to grab the series by the throat tonight, even with Pavel Datsyuk returning for the Wings...Toronto FC host the LA Galaxy who last year scored and conceded goals by the boat load. This year, they've tightened up considerably but are a crazy 1-1-9. Yes, one win, one loss and nine draws. Both teams will be minus some key players as a result of World Cup qualifying - Marvelle Wynne and Amado Guevara for Toronto, Landon Donovan for L.A. - but soldier on they must. Looks like TFC rookie 'keeper Stefan Frei is out with a foot infection...on The Score tonight (Showtime in the U.S.) starting at 9pm, Strike Force present their latest card, with Robbie Lawler facing Jake Shields in the main event. Nick Diaz and Scott Smith should be the fight of the night for my money. See the rest here..Stewart Cink on the PGA Tour tweets while playing. If you can tweet, email or anything resembling that while playing, how much of a sport are you playing, really?...Toronto Legacy as an expansion NHL franchise? Not with that name that makes the Minnesota "Wild" seem like a good idea. I'm sure the NHL would rather deal with that ownership group than Jim Balsillie, given how commissioner Gary Bettman - a former NBA man - operates. After all, the NBA once granted ownership of the Toronto Raptors to John Bitove when there were more suitable options (Dave Perkins)...the Toronto Blue Jays were the first to score on Zach Greinke this year, and now are the first to pound him without mercy. The Jays were 9-3 winners over Kansas City last night at Rogers Centre...the women's French Open final between Dinara Safina and Svetlana Kuznetsova goes this morning. Don't imagine anyone cares much...playing the Florida Marlins today at -128, England -2 -128 over Kazakhstan, Croatia -.5 -1 -103 over Ukraine (LOVE that line) and the New York Mets -1.5 +133 over the Washington Nats...have a great Saturday.

The Cups runeth over

Where's the arena to the left, you wonder? That's what Jim Balsillie is hoping to shape Copps Coliseum into. More here. And nice touch here having the hot ladies ogled by the creepy looking dude in the shades...the Toronto Blue Jays stopped their losing streak from reaching double digits with a 6-3 win over the Boston Red Sox. Mix in a New York Yankees win over Cleveland and the Bronx Bombers are alone in first place for the first time since the last day of the 2006 season...the LA Lakers are back in the NBA Finals after dispatching the Denver Nuggets. Have to say, I'm a bit surprised they turned it around as they did. They'll await the winner of Orlando and Cleveland's series, which sees game 6 tonight at the O-rena, or whatever they're calling it these days...Setanta Sports is carrying the FA Cup this morning, with Chelsea facing Everton at London's Wembley Stadium. Can't imagine Chelsea doesn't win this one comfortably. I'm in on the split line of -0.5 -1 -110 on Chelsea...Toronto FC star Dwayne De Rosario visits his former team - the Houston Dynamo - tonight. I'm guessing a very motivated DeRo puts on a show and TFC take three very key points on the road. Kickoff is 8:30 on SportsNet. I'm in on TFC at a great-value +383..not only is the Real Madrid at Toronto FC game happening, it will not be offered to season ticket holders as part of their one international friendly, for which they're already holding tickets. Ticket prices have not been announced, but my guess is MLSE is consulting with the New York Yankees about appropriate pricing models, starting with arm/leg and moving up to first born child and so on. Nice of MLSE to put a grass field in to accommodate Real, that has to make Toronto FC's players who've been begging to have grass installed for years feel great that it is good enough for an exhibition game, but not for the guys it pays every week. MLSE sucks, and we the fans swallow it all...the Stanley Cup starts tonight, and hard not to like the Pittsburgh Penguins at +134 for the series, I'm in on that too. Get down at Pinnacle. Pitt in 6 is my call, against the odds..today, I have gambling issues...have a great Saturday. May the winners be ours, and if not, at least mine.

Arsenal outgunned

The LA Dodgers are now a perfect - and MLB record - 12-0 at home to open the year. They're going to destroy that division and have it wrapped up by mid-August, if not sooner...Denver Nugget Carmelo Anthony gives the fourth most to charity in the U.S. Not just among athletes, anyone. That's damn impressive for a guy with a less than stellar reputation among most observers. Good for Melo...Bill Simmons ("The Sports Guy") asks if people really think that General Motors would have been worse off if it were run by Gary Bettman and Isaiah Thomas. Ouch...somebody get Jason Bay off of the New York Yankees. He pwns them, with three homers and 10RBI in five games this season, all Sox wins...see the video of Britney Spears where a fan jumped on stage and scared the life out of her? Watch her reaction at 2:15 and note the lack of change in audio...RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie is at it again, with an offer of $212.5 million in to buy the bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes. Would be nice to have the former Winnipeg Jets back in Canada, but given Bill Simmons question above as it pertains to Gary Bettman, you're as likely to see them land in Mexico. Now would be a great time for the Player's Union to recognize that their pay is based on revenues, and pushing for another team in Toronto/Ontario can only help them, not hurt them. A fight with Bettman should be a given...I've solved the New York Yankees problems by dropping a 140 kilotonne nuke on Boston. Very therapeutic website here...it didn't take long for Manchester United to essentially finish their semi-final with Arsenal. Two goals in the first 11 minutes will do that kind of thing, and they cruised to a 3-1 win. United defender Patrice Evra said it was 11 men playing against 11 boys, which is notable in that it is the first time a Frenchman is smack talking anyone as being weak. Three weeks from today, they'll meet the winner of the Chelsea/Barcelona semi-final, which goes today at 2:45 on TSN...New York Yankee outfielder, and former Red Sock, Johnny Damon on the difference between the two clubs and how the Sox treated captain Jason Varitek this off season: "I couldn’t believe that they were letting him walk and try to find a team. That’s the difference between New York and Boston...If you’re a part of New York, they’re going to keep you there: Posada, Jeter, Mariano, it’s the first time in history guys have been on the same team for 15 years. It goes to show you something about how the Yankees think, and how many Yankees players have been exclusive with one team. They keep them forever. (The Red Sox) were ready to let (Varitek) go." Not sure if Damon has paid much attention, but moving in younger, cheaper talent has served the Sox well, and Varitek didn't deserve a dime more than he got after a horrific 2008. The Yankees keeping Derek Jeter at short when he's as much a statue as those in monument park, or keeping a catcher past his mid-30's (Posada) has done what, exactly, other than weaken the defence and waste payroll? But good of Damon to back a guy who shares Scott Boras as an agent...Selena Roberts, the author of "A-Rod", was also the author who burried the Duke lacrosse players well in advance of them being 100% cleared of any wrongdoing - something she never retracted or apologized following, notes Jason Whitlock, who takes her to task for flimsy deductions and rushing to judgment...Toronto FC host the Vancouver Whitecaps tonight in the first game of the Canadian Championship. Kickoff is 8 bells on SportsNet...for tonight, play the Yankees/Rays over 10. Enjoy.

Tough on the 'ol ticker

Game 7 of the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics goes tonight. Wonder if Danny Ainge has a coronary doctor on standby? The way this series has gone, he may need one...into the final month of the English Premier League we go and you'd have to assume Manchester United gets it done with a lead and game in hand. They'll face Middlesboro this morning - 7:45 Eastern - and are your PTP for today at -1 +109. In other games of note, it'll be interesting to see how Chelsea fares in a London derby against Fulham, who have been a tough mark of late. Liverpool play tomorrow..in what should be an electric atmosphere given their fan support, Ricky Hatton will face Manny Paquiao in yet another compelling boxing matcup this year. With everyone banking on Paquiao, it is almost worth a small wager on The Hitman. He's +203 at Pinnacle...a little late for my NHL Playoff picks, but I've got Anaheim, Vancouver, Boston and Pittsburgh advancing. Who ya got?...shame that what should be a huge series - Pittsburgh and Washington - starts with a 1pm game today...Toronto FC host defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew today as they aim to go 3-0 under coach Chris Cummins...the Kentucky Derby goes today. Not going to pretend I know jack about it other than a lot of ladies will be wearing ridiculous hats...the Montreal Canadiens 100th year continues on in inglorious fashion. Guy Lafleur has been convicted of giving contradictory evidence in his son's trial, and facing jail time...best theory I've heard on Toronto Raptor Jose Calderon's finger injury, which required surgery: he hurt it with his incredibly lame, ineffectual hand clap defence. Awesome..have a great Saturday.

Ref killer

Come to find out that Tracy McGrady - Houston Rocket - picked the LA Lakers to win the NBA Championship. I appreciate honesty in athletes, but if I'm a teammate, I want to pop him in the mouth...not sure how the story of Slovak hockey player and Philadelphia Flyer prospect Ladislav Skurko escaped more widespread coverage. He is the guy who merely killed and buried a referee. No hyperbole or metaphors, he literally killed him. Thanks to RM reader Norway for passing that along...New York Yankee closer Mariano Rivera has blown 12 of 70 save opportunities against the Boston Red Sox. They own him more than they own Bud Selig...if not for the incredible performance of Arsenal's Manuel Almunia, Manchester United would be well on their way to the Champions League final. Almunia made at least three incredible saves to keep the United scoreline to 1-0, and was aided by his crossbar on a rocket from Cristiano Ronaldo. The second leg goes Tuesday...speaking of Ronaldo, I'm thinking his desire to go to Real Madrid will be more easily received from United given AC Milan star Kaka is reported to be wanting a move to United, and AC Milan management won't stand in his way. Talk about making an upgrade out of a seemingly lost position...Chicago and Vancouver will open their Western Conference semi-final tonight. Doesn't it feel like the Canucks have been off for weeks? Hopefully "Canada's Team" isn't too rusty from the layoff...Chris Cummins, 2-0 as Toronto FC's fill-in head coach, will take on coaching duties for the balance of the season...the Pittsburgh Pirates have now lost 18 straight at Miller Park in Milwaukee...the New York Jets have released Brett Favre from their reserve-retired list, but interestingly, it was Favre himself who was said to be clamoring for his release though he denies he's coming out of retirement. Surely he's not still thinking about a year in Minnesota, is he? This is becoming more embarrassing than Jerry Rice final years where he bounced from Oakland to Seattle to Denver...Zach Greinke finally gave up a run for the KC Royals - his first two of the year - but the Royals still pounded the Toronto Blue Jays 11-3 and Greinke is now 5-0...for your PTP today, play the LA Angels and Yankees over 10.5. May the winners be ours!

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!