This week in the NFL:

~New England over Tampa Bay- New England, in December...Rookie QB for TB

~NY Giants Over Kansas City - Lets say Giants because there is a Manning in the Game and it is at the Meadowlands

~Denver over Buffalo - Buffalo is just not that good and Denver is, Holcolmb won’t make that much of a difference

~Arizona over Houston- After that missed field goal last week, Houston seems to want no part of winning (plus they want Reggie Bush)

~Pittsburgh over Minnesota - Pittsburgh is just a better team, Minnesota hasn’t really beaten anyone that good

~Seattle over Tennessee - Seattle could be a Super Bowl team, Tennessee not so much

~Carolina over New Orleans - Carolina is inconsistent, but New orleans is just brutal (although no Brooks may be a good thing)

~Miami over the Jets - Miami has played decent of late and the Jets are 1a) with Houston

~Indianapolis over San Deigo - Indi is Indi, the triplets are playing and indi is winning, only thing that stops that is if LT goes off

~Jacksonville over San Francisco- Garrard should be able to dismantle the once powerful 49ers

~St Louis over Philadelphia- Pick’m, both these teams are just not good

~Cincinnati over Detroit - Cinci will roll and Detroit will bend over

~Cleveland over Oakland - Again, 2 inconsistent teams...coin flip, Depends on if Collins feels like showing up

~Washington over Dallas - Always a tight game, Skins had them beat earlier in the season then gave it away in the last 5 min of the game

~Atlanta over Chicago - Chicago needs a shutout because they can’t score enough to win the game

~Green Bay over Baltimore - Just going with Farve, he’s gotta win a game on his own at some point...is this the 8 time the Pack have played monday night?

Point Shots

~ Daunte Culpepper and three Minnesota Vikings teammates were charged Thursday with indecent, lewd and disorderly conduct for there alleged involvement with the sex boat fiasco. Each are up on 3 separate counts that carry a maximum 90 in prison on each count if convicted. This whole incident brought a new meaning to “tam bonding”. It is almost too bad that these players are now in trouble with the law as the Vikings are in the midst of at the very least a playoff push, something unthought of after the awful 1-4 start to the season. Maybe the Pittsburgh Penguins or St’ Lewis Blues should try something similar.

~ Tim Montgomery has announced that he plans to retire from sprinting. Probably a fairly easy decision to make after being suspended for 2 years, plus the fact that he is over 30. In his defense he never did actually test positive for doping, which sets a bad standard that you can be basicly convicted on circumstantial evidence and no hard proof. But when Track deems you a cheater they have no trouble dropping the hammer. Also in related news Montgomery said he and three-time Olympic gold medallist Marion Jones have split. up... when it rains it pours for Timmy.

~ Sao Paulo goalie Rogerio Ceni is the penalty and free kick specialist for his club team. If a free kick is awarded the goalie marches up the field to take the kick. That is like sending Martin Brodour out in a shootout.two questions: How bad is the team that a goalie is your best sniper and if he is so good why is he stuck in the net? The Guy must need too many oranges if he runs around too much and it would bankrupt the team in produce costs, Just another reason why soccer is stupid.

Colts Taking The Pole Position


The Indianapolis Colts have a rare opportunity that few ever even dream of, the chance to go back to the days of college and play on an undefeated team. Many people are waiting with baited breath to see how coach Tony Dungy decides to go about his business. To play this years version of the "triplets" (Harrison, Manning, and James) in the upcoming three games. A case has been made by some to play the triad for a few halfs or a quarter or series every now and again to minimalize the chance of injury. A valid point to be sure, but one not without it's pitfalls. One only has to go back as far as last year when the Colts rested their star players in the last week of the season, and that only got them as far as the Patriots from New England...Where their season came to an end. This year stacks up even tougher for the Colts. Take the no huddle offence that Manning uses in games, that type of offence is dependent on timing. If extensive time is taken off by using backups, it will give the offence that "rust" that announcers like to throw about. If the whole offence only plays sparaticly the last 3 games, coupled with the extra week they have off as a result of a first round bye, that would make the better part of a month without playing at actual game speed. That would make things far more difficult come January when the offence will need to be at game speed right away. There is also the momentum issue. It is never a good idea to back your way into the playoffs and expect a successful run. Just look at baseball for a recent example... Why are the wild card teams the one most likely to win the World Series? Because they are the ones fighting to the end just to get in and are "peaking" at the right time.

Colts need to do what they do, go out and play the game the way it is meant to be played, try to win the game just like they have all year up to this point. If they go 16-0 and happen to win the Super Bowl so be it... Leave it all on the field and maybe there will be some history made.

Point Shots


~ If batting .400 in baseball is like the mecca for consistency, and shooting 50% from the field is considered to be of all-star calibre in basketball, then what Tiger Woods has done since “Roaring” onto the PGA scene is unbelievable. In 9 pro seasons Woods has been named PGA player of the year 7 times. That works out to a 77% winning percentage. Woods won 6 tour titles with 2 Majors in the 2005 season that saw him eclipse the $10M mark. When you play probably less then any other player on tour (other then the really bad ones that can only get into a tournament when someone withdraws) and then end up winning more prize money then anyone on tour, chances are that you are having a pretty good season.

~ Ok, so we know how dominant Tiger has been, now lets look at Annika Sorenstam and how close the two are together in their respective leagues. Tiger had 6 wins in 21 tournaments earning $10,628,023. In comparison Sorenstam won 10 in just 20 tournaments. That in itself is just amazing, but here is the kicker for the women...Annika only earned $2,588,241 in prize money. A slight difference to that of Tiger. Her closest competitor in money earned had 2 wins in 25 events and earned only $1 million less.

~ Miguel Tejada wants out of Baltimore. Can you blame him? Sure he signed a huge deal with the O’s, but look what he has had to go through after 7 quiet but good productive years in Oakland. A team that spends money, though not wisely, a team that can’t seem to hold onto or hire good managers, and then to top it all off being accused of giving Rafael Pal-pornstache a B-12 shot “loaded with steroids. Can’t blame the guy for maybe wanting a fresh start somewhere else.

~ Some 300 million viewers are expected to watch the group draws for the next World Cup Tournament when it takes place Dec. 9 at 3:00pm ET. How is it that 300 million idiots can find the time to watch a selection show for and event that means nothing. The country's always seem to be playing each other anyway in “friendlies” or whatever, does soccer even have a league or or do they just meet up at the pubs for a drink or the grocery store to buy their oranges and decide to go run around and not try and not score? Gee i sure hope that Brazil doesn’t have the Netherlands in their group! That could spell disaster.

~ Ex-Purdue coach Gene Keady is ready to accept a job with the Toronto Raptors. Is Sam Mitchells job in jeopardy? Hard to say, but with the less then stellar record the Rap’s have seemed to put up thusfar one might question just how much rope Mitchell has to play with. Either way it is Rob Babcocks fault and he should be the one who takes the hit...at least first.

~ A Florida school is to erect statue of Vince Carter despite some complaints from board members. "There have been many students graduated from that school who have made wonderful contributions to their fellow man - in science, health, theater. Where are their statues?" said a board member. "I think we're saying we value you if you can make a lot of money, and that troubles me." However the best part of the story is where the sculpture is coming from. It is not from fundraising, or a vote from students, or even from Carter himself. The Sculpture was donated by Carter’s MOM. Looks like she is getting a little jealous of Donovan McNabbs mom and all the press she gets or Allen Iversons’s mom, who also doesn’t like practice surprisingly enough.

~ Good luck finding NASCAR in 2007. NASCAR signed an 8 year deal worth a whopping $4.48-billion deal with FOX, SPEED, Turner's TNT and ABC/ESPN. ABC/ESPN will get the final 17 races of the season, TNT will get 6 races in June and July and FOX will keep the beginning portion of the season. the deal money wise is almost double that of the current deal between FOX and NBC.

Point Shots


~ Saturday, December 10, 2005 expect this to be herd in Times Square: Reggie! Reggie! Reggie! Reggie! It is Heisman time and Reggie Bush looks to be a lock for the trophy, and most likley the first overall pickin the NFL draft if and when he decides to leave school early. Vince Young will get his shot next year and Matt Leinart already has his so get ready for Reggie! Reggie! Reggie! Reggie!

~ The Atlanta Braves have been vry active at the winter meetings, more so then any time in recent memory. The Braves have made a flurry of deals in the last few days that will hopefully help them compete with the many big names thatthe Mets have aquired. The Braves have picked up a little bullpen help by picking up Wes Obermueller, in somewhat of a bizzaar move forone time closer Dan Kolb. Kolb was traded last off season to become the closer for the Braves, that worked out not so well and was traded back to the Brewers less then 1 year later. The Braves, with the emergence of Brian McCann, were able to let go of Johnny Estrada and trade himto the Diamondbacks for a little more bullpen help in receiving Oscar Villarreal and Lance Cormier. The biggest deal thusfar would haveto be the aquisition of Edgar Renteria for third base prospect Andy Marte. Renteria will fill in a hole at shortstop that was made afterRafel Furcal signed with the Dodgers. The Braves are still in need of a quality proven closer but that could be a tall order after manyof the big names in the free agent market have all been snatched up. Will this be enough for the Braves to make yet another run for the pennent, only time willtell, but it is good to see the effort being made to boster the lineup.

~ J.P. Richardi has continued to place his stamp on the Blue Jays lineup. After 2 huge signings of closer B.J. Ryan and Starter A.J. Burnett, J.P. completed a deal thatbrought Lyle Overbay over from the brewers to solidify the first base position. Richardi made it clear that he wasn't done just yet and would like to getat least one more big bat. He has made some very bold moves that could prove to be a big gamble, but one thing is for sure, the Jays are at least putting thereneck out there. The most important deal is still yet to be made, and that is to dump Eric Hinskey and Miguel Batista and hope to get at leasta couple of bats and some pine tar.

~ What is wrong with the "New NHL"? Players are dropping like flys from an aray of various injuries. Groin pulls are the injury of most popularityof late, but it doesn't stop there. Many high profile players have missed much time or have been put on IR. The list continues to grow including such big names asMartin Havlat, Saku Koivu, Rick Nash, Danniel Brirre, Peter Bondra, Nick Boynton, and the better part of the Flyers lineup just to name a few.It is looking like teams lucky enough to avoid the plague of injuries will be able to position themselves into a possible playoff spot. Nothing can be won inthe first part of the season, but seasons can be lost in that same time period.

~ First Steve Yzerman declined an offer to play for Canada in the upcoming Turin Games, and now with recent heart problems Mario Lemieuxmay be forced out, the door may have opened just that much furthur for youngsters Jason Spezza, Eric Staal and Sydney Crosby.

~ Steve Nash was named the Lou Marsh Trophy award winner as Canada's most outstanding athlete. Nash the NBA MVP from last season beat outSidney Crosby, diver Alexandre Despatie, curler Randy Ferbey, long-track speed skater Cindy Klassen and soccer player Christine Sinclair.Only 1 question, how does a soccer player make the list as an outstanding athlete? Doesn't an athleteneed to actualy need to participate in an actual sport? Apparently not.

Point Shots

~Tom Brady has been named SI’s Sportsman of the Year. A deserving winner for sure. This gunslinger from the Mighty Wolverines of Michigan, has won 3 of the last 4 Super Bowls and has progressed to one of the best QB’s in the league. The guy is a winner plain and simple and one of the best players in the league. Only question is that Lance Armstrong was overlooked yet again after a record 7th straight tour win. Perhaps this is easier for SI in the event that numerous doping allegations toward Armstrong prove to be true, SI will have a little less of a firestorm on their hands. But if infact Armstrong is clean a large injustice has been done. What he has managed to do, and obstacles that he has overcome deserves that honour as much or more then anybody. But congrats to Brady none the less.

~The run is over for The Michigan Wolverines. After 9 straight seasons of playing in a January Bowl game the Wolverines have dropped to a less prestigious bowl game this year. The Wolverines and Huskers will play in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio on Dec. 28. Not a bad run for the boys in blue. Michigan keeps intact it’s record 31 straight years with a Bowl appearance, the longest streak in the country. A small consolation perhaps, but better then it looked like it would be at times after a 3-3 start to the season.

~Looks like the Mets aren’t holding anything back this year. With a wave of off season trades and signings it is looking like they may finally be able to de-throne the Braves in the NL East. Pickups such as Delgado, Wagner, and most recently Paul LoDuca is starting to solidify a lineup with some very large holes last year. The infield is now very solid, starting pitching may be a concern but with the Braves having difficulty holding onto some key players (Furcal signing with the Dodgers), the door is finally open for other teams to step in.

~With all the talk of the two big rookie threats (Crosby and Ovetchkin) 2 blueliners are being slightly overlooked. Andrej Mazaros in Ottawa is having a great start to the year. Mazaros isn’t a flashy player and you may only notice him when he makes a mistake but he quietly goes about his business and is playing well beyond his 20 years. Then there is the monster that plays out west in Calgary, Dion Phaneuf. Phaneuf started making a name for himself in last years gold medal win at the World Juniors and has continued to grow since. Phaneuf can hit like a freight train and can play both the roles of a shut down D-man or an offensive threat.

~The #1 ranked Duke Blue Devils needed a dramatic half court buzzer beater to beat Va. Tech in a play that reminded many of the historic tournament game back in the Grant Hill/ Christian Laettner era back in the early 90’s. It is believed that that may have been J.J. Redick’s freshman season, but for some reason Redick was on the floor yet again? Kinda strange.

~~The high technology ''smart ball'' won't be ready for use at next year's World Cup of soccer.....didn’t know there was a World cup of Soccer, hurry people go out and buy stocks and futures of oranges!! This new “smart ball” apparently has a chip in it that sends an electric current to a wristband worn by the referee that will indicate when the ball has crossed the goal line. In soccer how often can you miss a ball that size going into a net that big?? What kind of morons are officiating these games? Can they really be as slow as those who actually play the game?

Point Shots

~ Boston Bruins...or is it the LA Clippers? The Bruins traded their captain Joe Thornton in an absolute blockbuster move. Thornton was traded late last night for 3 serviceable players from San Jose (Brad Stuart, Marco Sturm and Wayne Primeau). It has been basicly not well received by all accounts from Bruins fans, and rightfully so. Boston got no big name back and only saved about $1.5 million in cap space. Thornton obviously fell out of favour with the management but was obviously happy enough to sign a 3 yr deal early in the season and convince Glenn Murray to re-sign in Bean Town. Don’t be surprised to see Murray next on the block out of town, or goaltender Andrew Raycroft after his comments about “sitting by the phone” and “lets hope it works out”.

~ After the recent news program from CBC’s Fifth Estate, it appears that Mike “don’t call me Jefferson” Danton was the real victim in a murder for hire plot. You can’t but feel for a weak impressionable child that was “brainwashed” by an adult in a position of power. Hopefully this person won’t slip through the cracks and gets the help he so desperately needs. Only time will tell how this story will play out, but be assured that there is more truth out there to be uncovered. Side note to this story Mike’s father was arrested this morning at his work for alleged phone harasment of David Frost. The father Jefferson apparently has left various phone messages to Frost telling him his time will come and he should be ashamed with himself. Yet another strange twist to this already shady story.

~The Raptors have finally showed what kind of team they really are, and it is about time! The Raptors fell to Memphis 92-66. Wow, uh, yeah....they blow. Executive of the year - Rob Babcock, is there any doubt?

~ Barry Bonds has told USA Baseball that he intends on playing for the USA’s entry into the inaugural World Cup of Baseball. Bonds also added that he plans on reporting about 40lbs. lighter to “take pressure off his ailing knee”. Yeah, ok Barry i am sure that your knee thanks you, but a very transparent comment for sure. Lets just see what kind of power numbers he puts up next season.

~ Big weekend in the works yet again, TV fans are treated yet again. Big rivalry game between #1 USC and #11 UCLA. This will either be a good test and a warm up for a national championship meeting in the Rose Bowl, or a crushing defeat that knocks out the 2 time defending champs.
~Jermain Taylor -vs- Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins. Hopkins contends he was “jobbed” in this defeat to the hands of Taylor in July. He contests that there is no way he will win a decision and will have to come out and knock out Taylor. Expect a good fight from top to bottom and should be a close contest right to the bitter end.
~ Plus any NFL... because it is the NFL.

~ The Red Sox have filed a lawsuit to obtain the world series ball from former 1st baseman Doug Mientkiewicz. What a joke, Mientkiewicz should just go Hong Kong and lease it to the Sox for 50 or 100 years or something and be done with it...or do it the way of the infamous “Bartman ball” in Chicago and have a public implosion of the ball, that will end the madness.

~ Tough break for Martin Havlat. Havlat dislocated his shoulder and could miss 4-6 weeks or worse case the entire season. The Sens finally have some adversity to deal with and it will be interesting to see how they respond.


~ Stacy Keibler was voted Babe of the Year in the WWE. WWE is entertainment but is also a version of sport, so why not spread some christmas cheer? Plus Stacy was a former Baltimore Ravens cheerleader in ‘98-‘99. So there is your connection. Perhaps this will be a new feature...nothing says sports like cheerleaders. It is good to show our support to these girls who help get us pumped up during our favorite sporting events or the really dirty ones who like to get it on in the bathrooms of bars.

Side note to this story, there will be no male cheerleaders involved in this feature if it is picked up.

~ WOOOOOOOO, WOOOOOOOO. A Warrant issued was for the arrest of Ric Flair. Hard to believe someone with the name Nature Boy would be in trouble with the law.

~ The Colts invited the Steelers into town Monday night, putting their undefeated streak on the line. It was thought by many that the Steelers smash mouth running game and the return of Big Ben may be the team to stop the Colts run. Indi did all that they had to to win the game easily and not show their hand in the event that the two teams meet up in the playoffs. The NFL will have to throw another lamb to these Colts next week and then we will see what happens when they meet up Wat San Diego and Seattle.

~ Apparently more moves are being done in Tampa's parking lot then on the football field.Sure it would be fun to go to a Bucs game and see Coach Chucky rip apart rookie Chris Simms,or Michael Pittman miss blocking assignments. But what would be more fun then attending the mobile strip club outside the stadium. Apparently Tampa authorities shut down a 40 ft trailer that was being used for lap dances before, during and/or after the game. Interesting idea,but it does raise the question on the quality of the talent involved. If you can't get a stripping job in a club and are reduced to performing dances in a motor home, how badly does a football fan really need to get a lap dance?? Only in Tampa.

~ Byron Leftwich won't have season-ending surgery for his broken ankle, but at least we won't have to see him playing for the Jags. It is still surprising that Leftwich is still the starter there? Maybe they should get Phillip Rivers out of San Diego.

~ Apparently the purse strings have broken in Toronto. On the heals of signing stopper BJ Ryan the Jays are heating up talks with AJ Burnett and have reportedly offered a 5yr $55 million contract to Brian Giles. Nice to see this perennial mid level team spending some money in hopes of making some advancement in the Eastern Division. Time will tell if it will be enough to make any headway on Baltimore, New York and Boston.

~ Didn't take long for teams to fall out of favour with their players. A minimum of 5 players were put on waivers today. Of note Jocelyn Thibault, Ron Hainsey, Simon Gamache, and Colton Orr(hard to believe that a player named Orr would be pushed out of Boston.

~ In one of the most creepy pieces of audio - Tapes released or obtained by The Fifth Estate(CBC Television Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET) between Mike Danton and David Frost were disturbing at best. It gives an insight of the very strange relationship between the player and agent. That may be a piece worth trying to see,but Frost did say that he loved Mike and made Danton say that he loved him too. The story was known to be messed up, but now it is just getting crazy.

~ Raptors loose yet another game, this time on a last second floater from Jason Terry versus the Dallas Mavs. Tune in next time to see who they loose to next.

~ Michael Irvin- please pick one storey and run with it. Three different stories aren't helping your credibility.

Point Shots

~ Another Grey Cup has come and gone. As usual it proved to be a competitive game with two evenly matched teams. If you can get past the lower end quality of play and some of the silly rules the league has implemented you can always be assured of a decent championship game.

~ Jay Feeley is one step from going the rout of Jose Cortez and getting cut. After the Giants kicker missed game winning field goals from 40, 54 and 40 yards. In a game that the Giants needed to win they had ample chances to do just that but a series of drives ended with kicks that landed well short of their destination. The Giants may be looking at this game as the reason that they aren't in the playoffs.

~ Pound for pound LT is the best player in the NFL. A powerful runner with quick lateral moves and supreme downhill speed. That total package single-handedly won the game for the Chargers over the Redskins.

~ The Lions fired coach Steve Mariucci. Only hard thing to understand about this move is why was Matt Millen not let go as well? Now he is in charge of hiring another coach and probably drafting another underachieving or injury prone wide receiver. Maybe it should be a clean sweep in the motor city, and start fresh.

~ The Senators game Saturday versus Boston started well and ended well for Jason Spezza. After striking just 34 seconds into the game on a Dany Heatley rebound he added "stole" a goal from Andrej Mezaros on a tip in on a rocket of a point shot then tallied 2 assists to figure in on all 4 of the Sens goals in the game. Spezza was also then honoured the weekly award for top offensive player in the NHL. Not a bad week for the young center.

~ Pete Rose's eligibility for the Hall of Fame has expired. Not that that means anything. If baseball decides to put Rose in, then he will be in, regardless of any "rules" that they may have in place. If the NHL can exempt Gretzky and Lemieux from the mandatory 5 yr wait (in which Mario has since come back to play), it will take very little to place Rose in the hall. Another "solid" stance by Major League Baseball.

~ One of two things are going to happen, the Braves are going to win a 15th division title in the East, or the Mets will have finally made the moves necessary to dethrone the most consistent team in baseball history. The Mets have bolstered their line-up with the recent transactions involving two very high profile players. Carlos Delgado (who will stand for God Bless America), and closer Billy Wagner. This is starting to look like another New York team throwing money around and hoping to get lucky with big name players.

~ Michael Irvin, if in fact you are telling the truth, please remember in the future to rid yourself of questionable material in your car and pay your tickets. We all know you have had some mis-adventures in your past and have owned up to them like a man. Keep on the straight and narrow...Remember "there's no hope with dope".

~ Chad Johnson's TD celebration was right up to "par" with the bar that he himself has set. After Scoring a TD Johnson took the back pilon out and used it as a putter to strike the ball as a tribute to Tiger Woods. Classic Johnson, can't wait till the next TD

~ Annika Sorenstam, despite being shut out for the second year in a row in the skins game, she is still the most dominate player on the LPGA tour and has been for some time. The LPGA doesn't get a lot of press, and rightfully so even though there are some up and comers that will make the tour more marketable in the near future, however, Sorenstam is either the Tiger of her tour OR Tiger is the Annika of his tour, many in the know believe it is the latter.

~Miguel Tejada says he isn't mad at former teammate Rafeal Palmero, but hey, people say things to the media they don't mean. Palmero is a porn-stasch weating, "blue" pill popping, "B-12" shooting liar (aledgedly). It would be very surprising if Tejada wasn't holding back a little after Palmero basically threw him under the bus buy trying to implicate him earlier in the year.

Point Shots

~ Leave it to the CFL, again. Every year they "impose" a freeze on teams activity during Grey Cup Week, and usually at least one team will provide some major announcement during this time. Now, again, reports are out that a deal that will send QB Jason Mass to the Ti Cats for Danny McManus. No big deal, except mass will probably serve some time under center in this weeks Grey Cup game. Kinda sounds like a bit of conflict for a player who will probably see game action in the leagues biggest game to be shipped out of town as soon as the final gun goes off. But I suppose it would be too much to expect this league to conduct itself in a professional manner.

~ News out of The New York Daily News has reported that the Blue Jays have signed reliever B.J. Ryan to a 5 yr $47 million contract. This really marks the first big money move for Toronto in a long time. Lets just hope that this closer works out better then Dan Kolb did in Atlanta ( Another big name closer that by mid May lost his confidence and his job). Only time will tell how this will work out.

~ Jim Thome is off to the World Champs White Sox. Well, that about signs the death warrant for one or both free agents Paul Konerko and Mr. White Sox Frank Thomas. I guess once you win it once shut it down for 80+ years then make another run.

~ Paul Tracy is looking for a full time ride in NASCAR next year. It would be great to have a Canadian to root for in the top racing stage of them all. It is too bad that once Tracy makes the jump we still won't have a Canadian to root for.

~ The Colts are looking to go 16-0 and win the Super Bowl. Which is better, run the table and stop those parties held by the '72 Dolphins which is just annoying or, have them loose so they don't have that extra distraction and un-needed pressure. Last year it was the TD record chase and not the Super Bowl, lets just see how this plays out. Hard to imagine that losing would be more beneficial then winning. But here we are.

~ parlor games are fun to play pool, ping pong (or table tennis as it may be), darts... All fun and a good way to pass the time. But then there is foosball, kinda way too close to soccer which is not a sport and barely classifies as a game. That is like saying bowling is a sport. In actual sports you don't get better the drunker you get (Wade Boggs and Leonard Little excepted)

Point Shots

~ What does it mean to be a true teammate? Lets take good ol' Manny Ramirez, here is a guy who left a solid team in Cleveland to cash in big in Boston, ok, who really wouldn't do that?However, ever since going to Boston he has been looking for a way out of Boston. Why? Because he is ManRam, and that's what he does, whatever he wants, whenever he wants...and continues to get away with it. What better situation could you want as a player, loads of money and free reign? In comparison look at a true team player. Chipper Jones has agreed to reduce his salary from $17 million next year to $11 Million, saving the team an estimated $15 million over the next 3 years. This unselfish move may help allow the Braves to either keep the team together and or go out and acquire some key components for the ballclub to chase an unpressidented 15th straight division title.

~ Back up Bo Jackson, Brian Jordan and all the other 2 sport stars. Takeru Kobayashi has taken his craft of slamming hot dogs faster then humanly possible one step further. He has entered into the world of competitive hamburger eating, and dominating that. Is there anything this guy can't eat in record time?

~ Is Mario setting the table to not be involved in the upcoming Olympics? He seems to be doing his best Drew Rosenhaus in promoting his "client" Sydney Crosby. Mario insinuated that perhaps Crosby should be the one going to Turin early in the new year. Maybe he is just laying the groundwork for him to either decline the invitation or just not outright make the team after a slow start.

~ If infact that Steve Yzerman and Lemieux don't represent Canada look for some nauseating conversation and stories from every Tom, DICK and Harry throwing out every Canadian forward or centerman into the mix to make the 2006 team.

~ Dany Heatley extends his point streak to 20 games with a goal on Friday on the Island. Still too early to call a winner on the Hossa trade but few from either team can be complaining about the play of either of these two players thusfar.

~ As this post is being created it is 22-21 for Texas A&M over the #2 Longhornes midway through the 3rd. Sure Texas will probably win and still win big, but wouldn't it be epic if it was the Aggies that squashed the National Championship hopes for Texas?

~ After all the Legal trouble Kobe Bryant has had, has he finally snapped and is setting the stage for him to become a drag queen? Seriously what is with the leggings that he has been wearing?How warm do his leg muscles need to be indoors playing basketball? Looks a little "fancy"from this perspective.

~ Certainly Duke is Duke, they are ranked first more times then Leave it to Beaver.....RE-RUNS

Point Shots

~ A week of hype is in store for us. That's right folks, it is CFL Grey Cup time. From recent reports there are no shortage of people looking to unload tickets to the big game. After the BC Lions got off to an 11-0 start tickets sold out early in the fall. Now after QB questions and questionable coaching decisions BC lost their West Finals game to the Esks, people have been putting tickets back up for re-sale. Apparently Vancouver is more of a fairweather city then one might think. You'd almost think this overall support or lack-there-of sounds more like Ottawa then Vancouver.

~ The Toronto Raptors cruised to victory for their second win of the season......errrr..... No they let ET aka Sam Cassell score 10 straight Clippers points in a 2:56 and let them back into the game late in the 4th and then promptly game the game away in a 103-100 loss to the Clippers. Leaving them still with 1 win. Hopefully there is a good rookie class this year and they will beable to score a nice lottery pick. But looking at it objectively, it won't matter. Unless Rob Babcock gets fired a Bryant Reeves esque player will be taken.

~ Those who read this blog may not be surprised to have learned that a tentative deal to send Carlos Delgado to the Mets with cash for prospects is in the works, you heard it here first people.

~ How bad off is your team if Bud Black won't even talk to you about becoming your manager. The LA Dodgers are not a strongly managed team from the top down, but that is not a good omen.

~ Turkey day at least dished us up one good game. The Lions played a typical uneven and unpredictable Lions game, and the Falcons just dominated from start to Finnish. In the Denver -v- Dallas all the billing was for a good game, and for once it delivered. The game went to OT and a surprising Bronco had the "big play" in the extra period to set up another Jason Elam game winning FG. For probably the first time since his college career Ron Dayne ran for more then 3.5 yrds with a 55 yard scamber. Sidebar, how awesome is it that Mike Andersons uniform says Mike Anderson?

Today or there abouts

First lets start out with some breaking news from the world of soccer. It is slow, uneventful, filled with fakers and all the oranges you want. That is all.

A horrible scene in Detroit last night. Juri Fischer, the Red Wings defenceman suddenly collapsed on the bench after apparently having a seizure resulting from or due to a cardiac problem. The only thing that was good about this is that it was a) a home game in Detroit so everything was readily available b) The team doctor ( an ER surgeon ) was sitting right at the players bench and c) everybody involved conducted themselves in a timely and calm manner. With all these factors working together we can now talk about Fischer his recovery and his hockey career and not when his funeral will be held. A+ work. It may not be a happy ending but it is much better then it could have been

Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett for 2 top prospects and a player to be named? How much money are the Red Sox Going to spend or better yet how much money is Florida going to get rid of? Is Carlos Delgado next on the block? Well this happened after the '98 World Series in Florida and they won it less then 10 years later so I guess pencil them to win the World Series in 2011.

Another "Super Weekend"

~ Another Sunday has come and gone, as is the hopes of a NASCAR Championship for Jimmie Johnson. Positioned 52 points behind championship leader Tony Stewart entering the last race of the season, JJ was in a spot to make a run for the championship. Stewart had a tough day on the track, but unfortunately for Johnson, so did he. With a blown rear tire that not only sent his #48 Lowes Monte Carlo spinning into the wall, but spinning him into an eventual 5th place Finnish in the final NEXTEL Cup Race for the championship. Another tough Finnish for Johnson who has finished 2nd for the last 2 years, last year only 8 points behind eventual winner Kurt Busch. Looks like this Hendrick Motorsports team will have too wait till next year to make another championship push. It is just dangerous to not take advantage and close the deal while they are still so close and have a legitimate chance to raise the trophy.

~ With Donvan and TO probably out for the season, it looks like the Eagles will be out of the playoffs for the first time in recent memory. Unless Brian Westbrook can get under centre and throw it to himself it looks like this year is just a write off.

~ The Ottawa Senators have now overtaken the Montreal Canadians for first in the division. Is now the time when they will stop looking up at teams but rather look down at them? Perhaps so. Based on strength of schedule thus far compared to other teams in the league things are looking promising. Especially when you look at the production from the top line with Dany Heatley's point streak with at least 1 point in ever game thusfar in the season and early Hart Trophy candidate Danniel Alfredson, and the you #1 center Jason Spezza.

~ Here is some math for you: Heisman + 1st overall draft pick X National Championship = Reggie Bush.

this kid from USC is one of those special players that don't come around every year. A little Marshall Faulk and dare I say it, a little Barry Sanders. After the show he put on in a tight fought game on the weekend, Bush showed just how complete a player he is and just how he can put a team on his back. The only bad thing about this is people are aware of who he is and will now be relegated to a crappy and/or mismanaged team when he does declare himself available for the NFL draft. Either way, barring injury Bush has the potential to be one of those special playes.

Arround The Horn On Sports

~ Another Nextel Cup season is nearing the end and it looks like the same old story. A dirty undeserving driver will win the championship (to be fair Tony Stewart is actually a good driver and isn't as dirty as he used to be, lets just call him greasy), and it also looks as if Jimmie Johnson will place himself in second place....yet again (possibly for the 3rd year in a row). Don't discoun't the hottest driver on the circut Carl Edwards but things are looking to shape up not well for Jimmie. Sometimes it looks like Johnson is trying to kick down a wall and not a door.

~ 50 games for 1st offence, 100 games for second offence and lifetime ban for 3rd offence. It is about time baseball trys to clean itself up, even if it was the governments prodding to actually make this happen. Basicly what this means is- Get Out and Stay out Rafael Palmeiro , take your pornstash and Viagra and stay at home

~ Congrats go out to Atlanta braves bench boss Bobby Cox on becoming the first manager in the majors to be named coach of the year 2 straight years and now have won the award 4 times tying Tony LaRussa for most all time.

~ Terrell Owens---- Sorry this is a TO free zone, can't give him any more undeserved publicity.

~ Michigan hosts their bitter rivals from Ohio this saturday, usually this is a crap shoot game, needless to say it won't be appearing on any of my proline ticket this week, however with that being said it seems that the team that has the most to lose, ends up losing. Stay tuned for yet another epic battle in the Big House in Ann Arbour.

~ USC -vs- Texas in the Rose Bowl...you heard it here first, or not whatever, still will be a good championship game. BCS still sucks either way.

~ Who would have thought that the Vancouver Grizzlies record for losses may be underfire this year, especially by their former cousins the Toronto Raptors. We know this team was bad but this is starting to not be funny anymore, what an embarrasment. How Rob Babcock keeps his job trought the season is beyond me.

~ Charlie Villanueva ..... wow, not an NBA star in the the making and still very ugly.

Line Changes

With the newly formed line of the Ottawa Senators with the likes of captain Daniel Alfredson, Jason Spezza, and newly acquired Dany Heatley there have been such debate on what this current powerhouse line should be called. Radio stations and print media in the nations capital have been running contests to name that line, and for the most part, simply....People are idiots. Sure this is a great line right now and can do no wrong, but you name a line and that is basically the kiss of death, the line will fall off in production, players will be moved around for new looks and/or secondary scoring. Even if they do stick for the entire season the names that have been batted about are weak at best, many taking a paragraph or the verbal equivalent to explain, some are just uninspired and most are just lame. Time that we just enjoy what they are able to accomplish thusfar into the season and call them Line 1, or Scoring Line 1. No different the Checking Line or Line 4. Sure, not overly creative but you don't sound like a jackass when you say it, and it is pretty much to the point. Nobody needs to be a hero on this, just shut up and enjoy

How enjoyable is this "New NHL"?

We are now closing in on the 20 game mark of the NHL schedule. Usually a point in the season that teams have had time to feel out their lineups have some time to evaluate if their talent and how they match up against other teams.

This season is of no exception, however after a year off it is of even more importance. Many pre-season favorites have fallen from early grace, eg. The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Some have taken this time to prove the nay Sayers wrong, like the Detroit Red Wings and the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadians. Others have just been as advertised, looking at the Ottawa Senators and the Philadelphia Flyers.

In the early part of the season teams have had to make many adjustments, new rules have had to be adapted and adopted by both players and coaches. Rule Changes/ actual enforcement of rules have proved to be of utmost importance. Players have lost the ability to stifle the talent and creativity of the elite players though the "clutching and grabbing". Goaltenders have had to adjust to new size changes in equipment as well as the dangers of playing the puck in the "forbidden zone". Coaches now have to work just that little bit harder to try and defend against the offensive explosion, as well as focus even more on special teams.

And what do all these things have in common...not a whole lot of complaints from either side, and that is terrific! The game has opened up, ties have been eliminated, shootouts have proved to be compelling, even if very few games have reached that point( with the vast majority of games being settles during regular or overtime play).

Fans, at least in Canada have embarrassed the return, and well, the US is the US and it will be a long time in the making for it to reach any standing south of the boarder, if it happens at all.

At the very least it is nice to see that things are progressing, and that is really all we can ask for right now.

Larry Robinson

Recently I was able to acquire a Larry Robinson autograph as he was playing in a golf tournament in the area. This coming on the heal of him being named as coach of the Devils for a second time. Perhaps some readers of this BLOG are familiar with another excellent new BLOG http://ninetoninethirtysports.blogspot.com/ where there is an entry about one of my co-workers and his cowardness in approaching goaltender Fred Brathwaite outside The Beer Store. Well lucky for me one of my other co-workers was covering the golf event and had the presence of mind, as well as the "guts", and thoughtfulness to procure this autograph for me. Perhaps in the future there will be no Fred Brathwaite fiascos and when opportunities arise autographs will follow.

Around The Horn On Sports

Hockey

~ 301 days later the NHL is back....Willl the fans come too?
~ Total draft lottery? Good idea, everyone has a shot at Sidney (as long as it is not the Leafs)
~ Next step..Ruleule changes how will this change the look of the game? We can only hope it allows the good players to actually shtheirier talents

MLB

~ This one counts!.Why.why do you not get rewarded for having the best record over the course of a 162 game schedule?
~ All Star gamNot. not very exciting, maybe with all the new faces this year it took away a little from the enjoymenAt.. at least Andruw Jones Poundmammothamoth blast off Sean Penn wannabe Kenny Rogers
~ Red Sox -V- YankeeLet.. let the fun begin, they started the season facing each other, start the second half doing the same and the season will end with the two teams facing off once agaNot.. not very subtle what MLB is trying

NBA

~NBA All Star Game in Las Vegas? Sure they don't have a team, but you can bet they will put on a good shGood.. good thing Shawn Kemp won't be playing, he may not make it to the actual game
~ What is up in Makewn? make up your mind, make Larry Brown stay or get rid oThism...this has been going on long enough and with playing in the media while your team is in the finals, this whole thing ridiculousdiculous, Joe Dumars must be almost loosing his mind
~ Charlie Villanueva seriously???. ... Rob Babcock is playing a back ally game of Dice with his job as Andkes...and as we all know...dice games usually end poorly

NCAA Football

~ We went a full day without a college football player getting in the news for all reasonsong resons... should we try for two? or is that getting greedy?
~ Go Blue....Michigan looks for their first national championship birth since the inceptawful the awfull BCS System.... time to start fresh after last Januarys Rose Bowl.....dirty, dirty Longhornes

Golf

~ Swan song for the Golden Bear, this years British Open will close the book on one of the best golfers ever....what an amazing career
~ Michelle Wie, your good... we get it, bshouldyconcentrateud concentrat on actually winning an LPGA event before hitting the PGA, if you can beat Annika Sorenstam then maybe wUntiltalk...untill then work on being just aconsistentre consistant

NASCAR

~ JR raceis first reace of the season... wow, errr, chasever
~ A chace with no JR or Gordon, that could be interesting
~ Why is Jimmie Johnson in a great position to be the bridesmaid agconsistent most consistancircuiter on the circut to date and yet with that brutal points system now in place, a 3/4 season of dominance can go down the drain in 1 race and have idiots like Biffle sneak in

NFL

~ Will Randy Moss Make it in the Back Hole, or will he fall in it...either way should be very interesting
~ Is Mike Vick the best QB in the league? NO... maybe the best runner or best athlete, not the best QB, although he is known for being a good "passer"

NHL lockout almost over

After today's announcement that an agreement of a new CBA, it is very apparent that the new landscape of hockey is upon us. It will be interesting to see when all the information is revealed but it looks like there will be more player movement then ever before. With now a definitive upper, middle and low class of players, there will be many inter-changeable parts. With most teams averaging around 10 players signed and more then 200+ players as free agents, coupled with the prospects of some higher range players possibly being bought-out, it stands as almost a free-for all dispersal draft. Who will land where and who gets let go? When play resumes most fans will have to do their homework in order to know where players are now and what the make-up of their favorite team is. This will effectively kill the trade deadline frenzy that we have been accustom to, but over the next month leading into training camp it will be a very exciting time for most fans as they watch their teams build for a run for the cup.

Who is this Ramon?

Nomar Garciaparra has got to be one of the most over rated players in all of baseball today...If we can even say that, as he has missed the better part of the last 2 seasons with injuries and has a history of getting hurt. The best move the Red Sox made last year in their quest for a World Series was to dump what was thought to be one of the cornerstones of the franchise, a fan favorite. But it just seems that he can't stay healthy enough to stay in a lineup and produce the way he is supposed to. The Cubs may have been fold into thinking that he was better and more reliable then he has been so far. He is thought to be back within 2-3 weeks, but we shall see how long he can stay in the lineup and how productive he will be. I guess wife Mia Hamm's chicken soup doesn't heal a torn groin...Actually let him deal with that joke of a sport soccer and put Mia up the middle, she probably has better range.

Home Run Derby

Leave it to Major League baseball to decide to fix something that wasn't broken. This years Home Run Derby has had a facelift. Instead of having the actual home run hitters participate they have decided to try and make the game more international and have a players represent 8 different countries. With players like: Bobby Abreau (18HR), Jason Bay (16), Hee-Seop Choi (13), Andrew Jones (27), Carlos Lee (22), David Ortiz (21), Ivan Rodriguez (6), and Mark Teixeira (25). At best only half of this field should have the honour of participating in this even. Basically the fans of this one are getting the shaft. People want to see the proven stars and players worthy of being in this competition. Where are the Alex Rodriguez's, Many Ramirez's and Albert Pujols'. Why try and make this international, it stands to make little or no benefit in the eyes of international fans, and as for American and Canadian fans...Who wants to see Choi strike out in a derby? The effort was there the rational not so solid. If you want to Grow the game concentrate on the World Cup of Baseball and let that do the job, it has more potential then batting practice for a bunch of double style hitters.

Tough day for Gordon...Decent for Hendrick

Jeff Gordon may now have to start seriously worrying about is quest for another NASCAR Cup Championship. After being knocked out of the USG Sheetrock 400 and with the strong finnish of teammate and employee Jimmie Johnson, Gordon is now in the 15th position and 502 points back of Nextel Cup leader Johnson. Gordon is known for putting together a string of wins and top 5 finishes, but he is running out of time to climb back into the top 10 or be within 400 pts. A chase without Dale Earnhardt Jr (winner of Sundays race in Chicago) and Gordon may look strange but at this point, very possible. As for other Hendrick drivers Johnson finished 3rd, Brian Vickers 4th, rookie Kyle Busch 14th and Gordon 33rd. As for 2nd place overall Greg Biffle he finished 11th, but really who cares because Biffle is an idiot!

Tough offseason for FSU

It is very hard to prepare for a college football season at the best of times, however very few programs have to deal with as much as the Florida State Seminoles. Between domestic violence charges against a starter for this program and other legal problems within the system, not to mention a player doing push-ups in the street and claiming to be a religious incarnate. Now the Seminoles have lost their quaterback for the season. Wyatt Sexton has been diagnosed with Lyme Disease. Sexton will miss the upcoming year of football. Looks like coach Bowden may have his work cut out for him this season...both on the field and off.

All Star Break is upon us

It is the half way point (or there about) of the MLB season at there are many interesting stories.

The emergence of an idiot pitcher Kenny Rogers. Rogers assaulted 2 camera men prior to a game earlier last week, which was caught on video. If that wasn't bad enough, it took him a weeks to address the media to "apologize" for his actions which were "out of character". Perhaps it was just his true colours coming to the forefront. Rogers was also during this time named to the Al All Star team. There was much speculation on weather or not he would accept the invitation, many figured he would decline in lou of what had transpired. But it looks like he will go to Detroit because he "earned it". This should have never have been an issue as MLB officials should have acted swiftly and properly...a 20 game suspension was handed down, perhaps just, but only equaling about 4 starts. Rogers appealed which is well within his rights, but the head boys in the commissioners office elected to hold the appeal until after the all star break, leaving it in Rogers hands. Doubtful that Paul Tagliabue would allow this in his league.

As Roy Halliday goes so do the Toronto Blue Jays. So with Halliday's recent injury after being hit on Saturday will miss at least four to six weeks with a fractured tibia in his left leg. Halliday will miss his appearance in the All Star Game obviously and has been replaced buy Matt Clement (Who should have been selected based on his solid start to his first season in Boston). After having a Cy Young caliber 1st half to the season, the already over-achieving Jays will have a rough road ahead. When Halliday goes to the mound every 4th or 5th day, you know what you are going to get, a lot of innings, a lot of strike outs and more often then not a very high percentage for a win. It will now be in the hads of an inexperienced rotation that will have to carey the load until Halliday returns, and can hopefully regain what he has to this point of the season.

The Washington Nationals are somewhat of a surprise, but then maybe not, they did have a decent core and with some quality moves in the off season have taken well to their new home. With over 30 wins at RFK Stadium so far it appears that having a stable home is what they needed. Manager Frank Robinson has been relying on closer Chad Cordero a lot so far so it will be seen if this may come back and bit them come August and September.

The Atlanta Braves continue to impress. The hit the Break trailing the Nationals by 2.5 games while rolling a line-up with a significant number of rookies in it and a pitching staff decimated by injuries. Team leader and cornerstone Chipper Jones, and starters John Thompson, Mike Hampton, and Tim Hudson are all on the DL and have been there for some time. It is good that the Braves have a healthy farm system and have been able to fill in so far. The second half should be interesting in the NL East in the second half.

How do they do it time and again?


Over the past 14 years the Atlanta Braves have been the cream of the crop of the baseball world. Sure many will bring up the fact that they have only won 1 World Series title during the unbelievable run of consecutive Division titles from 1990-Present, but at least they won one....No Buffalo Bills syndrome here.
All the credit has to go to three men:
1) John Schuerholz General Manager - has done what can only be deemed amazing. Year after year there is always a good degree of player movement (as with most clubs). Where Schuerholtz differs from other GM's is that it seems every year he will replace a star player with a less proven commodity, and it always seems to work out. Ether the player leaving has an off year, or the replacement in-turn has a break-out year.
2) Bobby Cox Manager - just look at what he has been able to accomplish in his time not only with the braves organization but also with the Toronto Blue Jays, not only as a coach but also and a GM. He seems to have a knack for motivating players, both veterans and rookies. By far one of the most under-appreciated managers in the game...Bobby always seems to get knocked for always having good pitching and good players to work with. How this lessens what he has been able to do is mind blowing. In professional sports it is usually harder to get a consistent effort from quality or star players then journeymen just trying to hang on.
3) Leo Mazonne Pitching Coach- Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz et al...Sure it is a luxury that most pitching coaches do not enjoy, and true Schuerholtz does continually make pitching priority 1, but to do what he has dome with the ever evolving staff is very impressive. Every young arm that comes in has the benefit of his teaching and has made them a better major league pitcher even after they move on (like Jason Schmidt and Kevin Millwood). Kyle Davies is no exception this year.

With these 3 pieces still in place you have to like the chances for another division title. Even with the high percentage of rookies on the roster ( with the recent call up of Jeff Francoeur) which now sits at 10.