January 29th update

Azarenka, Djokovic win down under

• The Australian Open came to a conclusion this weekend with Victoria Azarenka and Novak Djokovic winning the women’s and men’s titles in matches that could not have been any more different.
• Djokovic won his fifth Grand Slam Championship defeating Rafael Nadal in 5 sets in an epic back and forth battle that lasted nearly 6 hours, and a full hour longer than the longest final in any grand slam tournament in the open era. It was also longer than any Australian Open event ever and the fact that both players were still playing well by the end is a tribute to how incredible these two athletes are.
• It was not a perfect match by any means by Novak, and he had 69 unforced errors, but overcame a 4-2 disadvantage in the 5th set to win 7-5. Djokovic has beaten Nadal 7 times in a row now and has won the last two Grand Slam events (Wimbledon and US Open). He will look to be the first person since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slam Championships, at the same time, at the French Open in May, which would also give Djokovic the 'Career Grand Slam' or wins in all four events.
• The main court at the Australian Open is named after Laver, who was also at the trophy presentation.
• The women's final was not nearly as memorable as Azarenka defeated former world #1 Maria Sharapova soundly, preventing her from retaking that top position. Azarenka won 12 of the last 13 games of the match, and sent Sharapova home with a bitter taste in her mouth following a very solid run until the finals. It was Azarenka’s first Grand Slam Championship. Despite being ranked #3 in the world before the tournament, Azarenka will be ranked #1 in the world when the new rankings come out (Sharapova was #4 but also would have moved to #1 with a win).


Two Sports Hold All-Star Games

• The NHL All-Star game was Sunday afternoon in Ottawa. Under the rules the NHL implemented a few years ago, the teams were named after Captains (the massive Zdeno Chara and Daniel Alfredsson). The All-Stars were selected throughout the first half of the season, but on Thursday Chara and Alfredsson pretended they were in the backyard and drafted teams. Team Chara won 12 – 9.
• Even with MVP Marion Gaborik and Chara himself making noise (Gaborik for scoring 3 goals and had an assists, Chara scored the game winning goal), the biggest story was two players who were missing. Sidney Crosby is still out due to issues from a concussion he had last year, and Alexander Ovechkin took himself out of the game after he was suspended for an illegal hit.
• Brandon Marshall led the AFC to a 59-41 victory in the highest scoring Pro Bowl ever (the NFL’s All-Star Game). Marshall had 5 catches, including a few that will be on the highlight reels for years and had 4 touchdowns. This was fitting for a year in which lots of offensive records were bested. This generally unenthusiastic game was actually pretty tense at a few times, with a few big hits dealt out, especially by the AFC team.
• The NFC's Larry Fitzgerald had a stellar game himself, catching 6 passes for 111 yards and 3 touchdowns.

January 27th update

Politics split championship locker room

• One of the perks of winning a championship in most sports is a visit to the White House to meet the President. The NHL Stanley Cup Champions Boston Bruins had their opportunity on Monday but missing from the team was Stanley Cup MVP and Drew Carey lookalike Tim Thomas, the Bruins goalie. Thomas explained his decision by arguing that the Federal Government has grown too large, threatening the “rights, liberties and property of the people.” Thomas stressed this was not a decision based on President Obama personally.
• Many teammates expressed their disagreement with Thomas’ decision, while some backed him, saying it was his choice. “I obviously disagree” said defenseman Andrew Ference. Defenseman Steven Kampfer (the only American on the team other than Thomas) said, “It’s Timmy’s decision. It’s his right to do what he wants.” Kampfer went on to say that it was a dream of his to go to the White House and meet the president.
• Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said Thomas should have gone out of respect for the President’s offer. Senator Scott Brown (also from Massachusetts) echoed the sentiment saying, "I've been invited to the White House and I've gone. While I don't agree with everything the president does, you're going there out of respect for the president, regardless of who it is." Whether or not you agree with Thomas's choice, the statement he's trying to make is coming through loud and clear.


NFL coaching spots filled

• The stalwart: Jeff Fisher, the prize of the head coaching candidates, chose to coach the St Louis Rams after a courtship that also included the Miami Dolphins. Fisher was the longest tenured coach in the NFL when he was let go by the Tennessee Titans and came within inches (literally) of going to overtime in Super Bowl XXXIV.
• The Up-and-Comers: Romeo Crennel lost the interim tag on his job title, was given the full time head coaching job of the Kansas City Chiefs. He had been the defensive coordinator for the Chiefs and was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns in the early 2000's. Former Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano was named the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Schiano has been a hot name on the coaching circuit for a few years, and the Bucs were finally able to convince him to leave New Jersey. Mike Mularkey was the Head Coach of the Buffalo Bills for two years, but never was able to keep momentum. After going back and being a coordinator for a few years, the Jacksonville Jaguars are giving him another chance.
• The Relative Unknowns: Green Bay Packers Offensive Coordinator Joe Philbin was a surprise hire for the Miami Dolphins. Coming off a roller coaster season when he lead one of the greatest offenses in NFL history, but suffered a loss in their first playoff game, Philbin suffered a much more tragic loss just hours from the time he was interviewed. The Dolphins are hoping Philbin can help their offense continue to develop. Chuck Pagano, the former Baltimore Ravens Defensive Coordinator was hired to lead the rebuilding Indianapolis Colts and already has endorsements from former players. Denver Broncos’ Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen was hired away by division rival Oakland Raiders to be their 7th coach since 2001.

January 25th update

Wednesday Spotlight: Prince Fielder

• The Detroit Tigers announced Tuesday that they had come to terms with the biggest free agent fish left on the market, signing first baseman Prince Fielder to a 9-year, $214 million deal. Fielder will be following his father, Cecil, who also played first base for the Tigers into the early 90s. Prince will play first for the Tigers and Miguel Cabrera, who had been playing first, will move back to his natural third base position.
• Fielder is a large man, standing only 5’11” but tipping the scales at 285 pounds. He has turned this size to his advantage showing at times, prodigious power hitting 230 home runs in 7 season. Fielder has had a falling out with his father since he began his own Major League Career. Cecil and Prince were very close, and Cecil helped negotiate Prince’s first contract at the end of which Cecil demanded payment for this service. Unknown to most of the family at the time, Cecil had some major financial issues and has been fighting them for quite some time. Since that time, Prince and the other members of his family have cut Cecil largely out of their lives.
• Prince was a fixture in Major League clubhouses for the 14 years his father was playing. He also hit a home run in the old Tigers Stadium at the age of 12 while taking batting practice. Growing up surrounded by baseball, it came as a surprise to no one that Prince was drafted in the first round of the 2002 MLB draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. Fielder played for the Brewers from 2005 until last year. Prince and Cecil Fielder are the only father/son combination to ever hit 50 home runs in a single season. This is remarkable considering the great father/son combinations that have played baseball such as Bobby and Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. to name two.


Yankee Legend Retires

• New York Yankees longtime catcher Jorge Posada officially retired on Tuesday. Posada played every one of his 17 year career seasons in the Yankee pinstripes. Posada was a member of 4 World Champions, a 5-time All-Star and a 5-time Silver Slugger award winner (for best offensive player at his position).
• Posada was a member of the prolific “Yankee Core Four.” Four players who were part of 4 World Series Championships for the Yankees (most in the late 90s). Along with Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera, Posada anchored a dynasty in the Bronx.
• From Puerto Rico, Posada was originally drafted to play second base. After breaking his leg Posada switched to play behind the plate. A solid catcher and powerful hitter, Posada’s influence in the middle of the Yankees lineup is what he will be largely remembered for.

Love, T-Wolves yet to agree on extension
*Update* On Wednesday, Love signed a 4 year deal worth between $60 and $62 million.

• Kevin Love is one of the top young players in the NBA and is putting up numbers at a staggering pace, but that hasn't convinced the Minnesota Timberwolves that they should give him a maximum 5 year, $80 million extension typically given to big stars when they first become eligible. Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder just received his recently.
• Love's options, to this point, have been accepting a four-year deal from Minnesota or declining the offer and becoming a restricted free agent in July, with Minnesota then able to match any offer sheet Love would receive in free agency. To reach unrestricted free agency, Love would have to be willing to play out the 2012-13 season on a one-year qualifying offer worth just $6 million.
• Love is averaging a ridiculous 25 points and 14 rebounds per game. As a basis for comparison, Timberwolves legend Kevin Garnett's best season was 24.2 points and 13.9 rebounds and that didn't come until his 9th NBA season, after he'd a long time to be coached and to develop.

January 23th update

Giants and Patriots to meet again in Super Bowl

• The New York Giants are back in the Super Bowl after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 in OT, the second time in 3 years that the NFC championship game has been won on a FG in OT. Vernon Davis caught two long TD passes for the Niners but a fumbled punt in OT put the Giants in prime field position and they used the very short field to allow kicker Lawrence Tynes to make the game clincher quite easily.
• Eli Manning was beaten up all day by the 49ers tough defense, getting sacked 6 times and knocked down 12 times, but he kept popping back up and will now go to his second Super Bowl, this one in Indianapolis, the hometown of his brother Peyton no less (who has only played in one).
• Eli's Giants will go against Peyton's longtime rival, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. It's a rematch of the Super Bowl from 4 years ago when the Patriots entered the game 18-0 needing only one more win to become the first team in NFL history to finish a season 19-0. Instead the Giants upset them, keeping the Patriots from even winning the Super Bowl in a season where they may have been the best team in NFL history.
• The Patriots beat the Baltimore Ravens 23-20 after Ravens WR Lee Evans dropped a game winning touchdown that he had in his hands but was then knocked out by a Patriots defender, and then kicker Billy Cundiff missed a short FG that would have sent the game to OT.
• It was rough day for the Harbaugh family, as brother John and Jim are the head coaches of the two losing teams, the 49ers and the Ravens.


Paterno Dies of Cancer

• Legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno died on Sunday from complications from lung cancer. Paterno, the winningest coach in NCAA football history, passed away less than 2 months after his condition was initially divulged to the public.
• Paterno was fired from his position at PSU earlier this year due to allegations that he covered up child abuse reports involving his former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky. Whether or not you believe that Paterno should have been fired, or he was unjustly villified, he did plenty of good in his life and we will take some tine to review a bit of that life.
• Paterno and his wife were a fixture in the central Pennsylvania town of College Park. The library on campus, and other buildings on and around campus are named for the family. Patrons of many charities, Paterno and his wife have given countless hours and millions to different charitable organizations.
• Paterno will be remembered as a fantastic football coach and a beloved mentor. The number of lives he changed by giving an opportunity to play football, the number of coaches who have come from his coaching “tree” and the numerous charitable and philanthropic organizations he supported will be the bulk of the footprint Paterno leaves on this earth, to say nothing of the staggering numbers he put up in terms of wins, players drafted into the NFL and bowl game records, the likes of which will very likely never be seen again in the history of football.


USA Soccer has Big Month

• The Olympic qualifying tournament (Jan 20th-Jan 29th) for soccer is underway and the U.S. will try to first of all make the tournament, and then progress further than they have in the past. While the U.S. is not considered a favorite to win, they have been improving and will hope to make some noise. Argentina has won each of the past 2 Olympic tournaments, both in 2004 and 2008.
• The team defeated Venezuela 1-0 Saturday night for their first victory over a South American team since 2007. Much maligned US player Ricardo Clark headed in a corner kick in the 94th minute (extra time) to give the US the victory. It was Clark’s first goal since 2009, and a chance to help forget a blunder in the 2010 World Cup that cost the US team against Ghana.
• Meanwhile, earlier this month across the pond, US superstar Clint Dempsey became the first American to score a hat trick (3 goals) in the English Premier League. Dempsey and fellow US star Landon Donovan helped Everton advance in the FA Cup, a major knockout tournament of English soccer teams.

January 20th update

Super Bowl on line this Sunday

• Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots: 3 PM Sunday – The AFC held true to form as the #2 ranked Ravens travel to Boston to take on the #1 seeded Patriots. The Patriots are coming off of an easy victory over the Denver Tebo… err Broncos and will look to contain Ravens star RB Ray Rice just as they did Tebow. The Ravens and their aging but stellar defense will look to find a way to slow down the Patriots potent offense led by Tom Brady. Brady as he has all year long, will look for his two star tight ends, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.
• New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers: 6:30 PM Sunday – The Giants look to continue their white hot streak across the country taking on the 49ers. The 49ers, led by running back Frank Gore and quarterback Alex Smith, will look to build upon a big game last week which catapulted Smith from the realms of obscurity to the front page after leading his team back from two late deficits. The Giants are led by their passing game on offense with Eli Manning and two star receivers and a relentless pass-rush on defense featuring DL's Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka.


Pioneer X-Gamer dies after accident

• A story that we broke last week has gone from sad to tragic. Canadian Skier Sarah Burke died on Thursday after suffering severe brain injuries incurred during a training accident on January 10th. Burke, 29, was a free style skier, a sport closely related to free style snowboarding (made famous by Shaun White). Burke had won 6 gold medals at the X-Games (an ESPN sponsored event for extreme sports) and was instrumental in convincing organizers of the 2014 Olympics to include the sport.
• Married to a fellow skier, Burke leaves behind a legacy not only in actual competition but pioneering for changes within her sport. She had enough clout to convince the powers that be at the X-Games to include a few other forms of freestyle skiing into their competition, a feat that very few competitors in any sport can claim. She will not only be missed by everyone inside her sport, but by other athletes as well.


Mayweather calls Pacquiao, wants to fight on May 5th

• In an event that could be this generation's Ali-Frazier or "Fight of the Century" if it happens; the much anticipated Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight seems to be gaining some steam. Mayweather called his rival who is currently in the Phillippines where he acts as a legislator and one can only assume Mayweather reiterated his desire to fight on May 5th as he has been pining for for weeks.
• The two are unequivocably the two best boxers in the world today and a fight between the two would draw mind-boggling revenue, the likes of which will likely never have been seen before in any similar event.
• Just like Ali-Frazier, there's a brash, obnoxious loudmouth (Mayweather) and a quiet class act (Pacquiao or "Pac-Man). But these two take it even farther as Pacquiao gives back to his community in so many ways, not the least of which is acting as a Congressman despite being in his boxing prime while Mayweather won his last fight on a cheap shot and afterwords nearly picked a fight with boxing legend Larry Merchant who might not have been able to defend himself as he is over 80 years old. It would be a good vs. evil duel with the winner taking home the title of the best fighter of our generation. You better believe you'll be hearing a lot more about this if it actually does happen.

January 18th update

Wednesday spotlight: Eli Manning

• When the Super Bowl takes place in a little over 2 weeks in Peyton Manning's hometown of Indianapolis, there's a good chance that a Manning will be playing for the Super Bowl championship, but it will be Eli, not Peyton.
• After years of languishing in the giant shadow cast by his brother, Eli is starting to come into his own. Although many people called his Super Bowl win a few years ago a fluke (as the team barely snuck into the playoffs that season and then took advantage of David Tyree's miraculous catch) he's now beaten the two best regular season teams of the past decade in the playoffs, downing the 15-1 Green Bay Packers in addition to the 18-0 New England Patriots, the Giants' opponents that year in the Super Bowl.
• At the beginning of this season, Eli boldly stated that he should be mentioned in the same breath as Tom Brady and the general public's reaction was mostly derision (or questioning why he wouldn't name his brother as the standard bearer instead of Brady). But after a season in which he threw for 4'933 yards beating his career total by nearly 1'000 and a figure that would lead the NFL in most seasons as well as throwing for nearly twice as many TD's (29) as interceptions (16) it's time for people to start taking Eli seriously. The Green Bay Packers certainly will. And with Peyton's career in question after missing this entire season due to a neck injury, the time may have come where Eli is the predominant Manning in the NFL.
• Eli faces a big test this week, going to San Francisco to face the 49ers and one of the best defenses in the NFL this season.


Big Year at Baylor

• As previously noted here, the Baylor Bears had a very good football season. Led by Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III, the Bears finished 10-3 with a victory in the Alamo Bowl (one of the more exciting of the bowl games this year). But despite winning arguably the most coveted individual award in college sports, Griffin has some competition for the title of big man on campus, even if in this case it's not a man who he's competing with.
• The Baylor women’s basketball team is currently undefeated at 17-0 and ranked #1 in the nation. Led by superstar center Brittney Griner, the Lady Bears have not really been tested yet this year, through no fault of their own. There just hasn’t been anybody who can compete with the talent that head coach Kim Mulkey has assembled.
• Not to be outdone, the men’s basketball team is also undefeated at 17-0. If not for a fast start by the Syracuse Orange the Bears may be #1 in the Men's poll too. Led by super sophomore forward Perry Jones, the Bears have been tearing there way through Big 12 competition. Jones had the option to go to the NBA last year, and opted for another year under coach Scott Drew. Baylor's recent success has gone a great deal to making people forget about the major scandal that rocked Waco, Texas just 5 years ago.

January 16th update

Favorites tumble in NFC, coast in AFC

• The NFL playoffs always have a few twists and turns and this year has been no exception. The Two most impressive teams over the course of this season according to many were the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers, led by MVP favorite Aaron Rodgers and likely runner-up Drew Brees. However both lost over the weekend as the Saints couldnt survive a crazy 4th quarter against the San Francisco 49ers and the Packers fell flat at home against Eli Manning and the New York Giants.

• The Saints fell behind 17-0 early and looked to be in trouble but quickly recovered and actually took the lead twice late in the game. However, the Saints have not been good on defense all year and could not guard TE Vernon Davis who torched them for 3 TD's including two in the fourth quarter and one with 9 seconds left in the game to provide the final margin of victory for the Nniers.

• The biggest play of the Packers-Giants game undeniably came at the end of the first half. With the Giants on the Packers 37 yard line, clinging to a 13-10 lead with just seconds remaining in the half, coach Tom Coughlin opted not to kick a Field Goal, instead throwing a Hail Mary pass which was inexplicably caught by Giants WR Hakeem "the Dream" Nicks. Green Bay never recovered and lost 37-20.

•The other two games were less surprising as the Patriots obliterated the Tim Tebow-led Broncos 45-10 with Tom Brady throwing for a playoff recorde tying 6 TD's just minutes into the second half, 3 of which went to TE Rob Gronkowski. The Baltimore Ravens won with their standard formula of defense and mistake free football, committing 0 penalties and 0 turnovers to barely edge the upstart Houston Texans 20-13. San Francisco and New England will host the Championship games next week with the winner playing in the Super Bowl on February 5th.

Yankees Make Big Moves

• Entering this offseason, the biggest question for the New York Yankees was surrounding their starting pitching. After their ace CC Sabathia, the Yankees pitching staff was a large question mark. However, in a flurry of moves within about an hour of each other on Friday night the Yankees took two big steps to shore up the rest of their staff.
• The biggest move was acquiring Seattle pitching phenom Michael Pineda. Pineda will be a top 3 starter for the Yankees (joining Sabathia and Phil Hughes) and made the All-Star team last year at the ripe old age of 22. He's still raw and has the ability to improve but he's a bright star with a lot of upside that the Yankees hope will be realized. The Yankees gave up star catching prospect Jesus Montero in this trade, showing just how high they are Pineda.

• The other move was signing former Dodgers starter Hideki Kuroda to a one year deal which will give them a quality arm in 2012 and will probably allow their two young young minor league stars (Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances) another year to develop and be coached.
The last two spots of the rotation can be filled with a number of prospects or established veterans.

Australian Open Starts this Week

• The Australian Open, the start of the Tennis season, kicked off on Sunday in Sydney. Many of the stories of this years tournament have come off the court. Venus Williams pulled out prior to the tournament due to an autoimmune disease that has kept her out of competition since August. Additionally, interesting comments from her sister Serena made some doubt her commitment, and comments about gay marriage by Australian tennis legend Margaret Court have given the tournament yet another front page talking point.
• In the Women’s bracket, #1 seed Caroline Wozniacki should have a nice path to a championship. She may have to play Li Na (last year’s runner up) in the semifinals. The toughest bracket is the one containing Serena, world #3 Vera Zvonereva and former Grand Slam event champions Svetlana Kuznetsova and Maria Sharapova
• In the Men’s bracket, the usual suspects are around. World ranked #1 Novak Djokovic is the prohibitive favorite but he will have to face the standard bearers of the last 10 years in Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who have been feuding recently with regard to player's rights. Incredibly, in the past 27 Men's Grand Slam events, only one (the 2009 U.S. Open won by Juan Martin Del Potro) was won by someone other than Federer, Nadal or Djokovic.

January 13th update

Anirudh's NFL Playoff predictions

While generally speaking we simply stick to the facts and report news items we deem relevant, the NFL playoffs are so big that we thought we'd take a shot at predicting the next round of games. Without further ado:
• New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers, Saturday at 4:30 PM – The high flying Saints offense travels to California to take on a very stout 49ers defense. Drew Brees, off of a year where he broke most every record possible, looks to solve the puzzle created by 49ers rookie coach Jim Harbaugh. Sportico prediction: Saints 33 – 49ers 16
• Denver Broncos at New England Patriots, Saturday at 8PM – Patriots look to contain Tebow. A porous Patriots defense look to try to do what the #1 defense in the league couldn’t do last week. Tebow continues to amaze, and could really be a curveball in this game. Sportico prediction: Patriots 27 – Broncos 20
• Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens, Sunday at 1 PM – The Texans look to continue their improbably run against the Ravens tough defense. Ravens coach John Harbaugh will look to continue the progress of his inconsistent quarterback Joe Flacco. This game should come down to Ravens star RB Ray Rice, and the Texans having no real answer to Rice. Sportico Prediction: Ravens 20 – Texans 10
• New York Giants at Green Bay Packers, Sunday at 4:30 – Best game of the weekend features the feared Giants pass rush versus Packers superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers and his team are looking to be the first back-to-back Super Bowl winner since the 04-05 Patriots. The Giant’s Eli Manning is looking for his second Super Bowl ring, which would make him probably the least heralded 2-time winner. Sportico Prediction: Packers 42 – Giants 38


Selig gets 2 year extension

• The MLB Owners voted 29-1 on Thursday to give 77 year-old MLB commissioner Bud Selig a two-year contract extension through the 2014 season, which will further one of the great non-playing careers that the sport has seen. Selig has held the position and performed the duties since 1992, although it took 6 years for baseball to officially name his as the commissioner. If he stays until September 2016, he would surpass Kenesaw Mountain Landis (1920-44) as the longest-serving baseball commissioner.

• Selig's contract had been due to expire this Dec. 31 and he had talked of doing some teaching after leaving the job. But he said he began hearing lately from owners who wanted him to stay on. Selig has been one of the more creative minds in baseball to say the least, expanding the playoffs from 4 teams to 8 (and he wants to do so even more) and beginning interleague play. He's also overseen one of the biggest controversies in sports as the steroid scandal as well as the '94 strike which caused the World Series to be cancelled for only the second time in MLB's 100+ year history.

January 11th update

Wednesday spotlight: Lionel Messi

• Here at Sportico, we've recently been made aware that a good portion of the world refers to football as a game primarily played with your feet instead of your hands; a game which Americans know as soccer. To this point, the best soccer player in the world is a diminutive Argentinian named Lionel Messi so we're going to do our best to highlight his career so far.
• Messi has won the last 3 Player of the year honors in EuroCup play after scoring a staggering 37, 48 and 53 goals respectively the last 3 seasons. He also led his team in scoring in all 3 Champions league finals that Barcelona won under his leadership and the team has won 5 La Liga (the main league in Spain) titles as well. None of these honors come close to having your very own Sportico spotlight but they're none too shabby.
• Messi was the top scorer of the 2005 FIFA Youth Championship with six goals, including two in the final game. Soon aftewards, he became a member of Argentina's senior international team. In 2006, he became the youngest Argentine ever to play in the World Cup and he won a runners-up medal at the Copa America tournament the following year. At the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics he won his first international honor, an Olympic gold medal, with the Argentinian team.
• For those of you wondering why he plays internationally for Argentina but for a Spanish team in league play, it's simple: Europe is where the (soccer) money and prestige is just as America is with basketball.


Skier in coma after fall

• Sarah Burke, a 29 year old Canadian freestyle skier with eight Winter X game medals to her name is in a coma after a fall during a training run in Utah. According to Canadian team CEO Peter Judge, "It wasn't anything that looked like a catastrophic fall, so I'm a bit mystified," but nonetheless she is currently not conscious and is under observation after the training accident that occurred after a trick.
• Burke has won an ESPY for best female athlete and additionally was the first woman ever to land a triple spin (or 1080) in a competition. With halfpipe making its debut in the 2014 Winter Olympics she was considered one of the early favorites and may still be, depending on how bad her long term prognosis ends up being following this accident.
• Her husband, skier Rory Bushfield, and Burke’s mother are trying to find someone willing to let them use a private jet to shorten the travel time to Salt Lake City. "Sarah is a very, very strong human and she will be fine," Bushfield said in a statement. We hope he is correct and that this incident will be nothing more than a footnote during Burke's competition at the 2014 Olympics.


Boring Title Game leads to Questions

• The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the LSU Tigers 21-0 in Monday night’s NCAA Football Championship game. While there game was slightly higher scoring than the first game, the level of offensive play was still atrocious, especially from the #1 and undefeated LSU squad.
• The lack of offense was probably due in large part to the talent both teams had on defense. Until the final minutes of the game, LSU was able to hold Alabama to multiple field goal tries and the Alabama defense, which has been historically good, made the LSU offense look silly, keeping them off of their side of the field until well into the 3rd quarter. Both defenses have a plethora of future NFL players on their roster and were able to shut down the opposing offenses that averaged 30+ points a game this season.
• This victory throws the BSC championship into major question. While Alabama won the national championship game, LSU ended the season with one additional victory (13 to 12), a conference championship (Alabama didn't even play in the SEC championship game) and a victory earlier in the year against Alabama. The Associated Press (who have the second most widely recognized poll) gave Alabama their #1 spot by a wide margin but LSU or even Oklahoma State could stake claim to the top spot given the vague standards used to determine who is best.

January 9th update

Explosive shootout in the Bayou:

• The NFL Playoffs started this weekend and featured some amazing games. The New Orleans Saints defeated the Detroit Lions in the much anticipated matchup of 5'000 yard passing QB's Drew Brees and Matt Stafford. The Lions had a great first half, nursing a 14-10 lead going into halftime over the favored Saints, and they looked like they had the game under control. But then Drew Brees did would Drew Brees does and the Saints went on a tear in the second half, scoring 5 touchdowns while only allowing 2. A game with a slow start took off and put up more than 70 points on the board as the final score was 45-28 Saints. The Lions have been a feel good story this year, will look to build on this season next year.


Steelers get Tebow’d in Overtime

• The Denver Broncos shocked the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 in the final game of the weekend after Tim Tebow finally had a breakout passing game, going 10 for 21 for 316 yards and 2 TD's, a shocking 31.6 yards per completion. The Steelers went into storming comeback mode in the second half of the game after being 20-6 at the break.
• Pittsburgh was able to figure out the Broncos stout defense scoring 17 points in the second half, and holding the Tebow-led Broncos to only a field goal. Unfortunately they could not close out the game in regulation. The Broncos won the coin toss and scored on their first play when Tebow found fellow second year player Demaryius Thomas on a 20 yard pass over the middle of the field, which Thomas took to the house after stiff-arming one tackler and outrunning the others.
• Tebow's Broncos go on to play against the Patriots next week, and leave many football experts questioning what they actually know about the game after nearly everyone predicted that the experienced Steelers defense would stymie and Broncos offense that had struggled to three consecutive losses to finish the regular season.


Texans, Giants advance with ease

• The other two games were the Houston Texans defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 31-10 in the Texans first ever playoff game and the New York Giants defeating the Atlanta Falcons by the strange score of 24-2. Two blowouts were surprising as the teams seemed more even than the score would indicate. The Texans rode a strong performance by running back Arian Foster who ran for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Giants won largely due to their pass rush hammering the Falcons running and passing games all day. The Falcons looked anemic and failed to convert on two short fourth downs that may have changed the complexion of the game. It is the second straight year that the Falcons have lost badly in their first playoff game despite having one of the better records in the NFC during the regular season.

January 6th update

Kings fire coach after spat with player

• The Sacramento Kings made a strong statement in support of young Center Demarcus Cousins on Wednesday night, firing coach Paul Westphal after the two were in a fight. Apparently at the end of a game Cousins began shouting at his coach and demanded to be traded. This has been disputed, but nonetheless Westphal issued this statement through the team's website making it seem like Cousins may indeed be traded.
• Owners rarely side with players in situations like this however Westphal's almost immediate firing afterwards certainly comes as a strong commitment to the talented but mercurial Cousins. Perhaps owners Gavin and Joe Maloof realized that Westphal had permanently damaged his relationship with the center and that he wasn't going to help the team as much in the coming years as a potentially great tandem of Cousins and PG Tyreke Evans.
• Westphal's replacement is King's assistant coach Keith Smart. Smart only played one sesason in the NBA, but has been a coach in the League since 2000; including as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003 and the Golden State Warriors from 2010-2011. Smart is perhaps best known for a shot he hit in college. As a member of the Indiana Hoosiers in 1987, Smart hit a jump shot in the national championship game that that gave the Hoosiers a 74-73 lead at the buzzer to win the championship.


NFL Playoffs Begin this Weekend

• Saturday at 4:30: Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans – The Houston Texans limped into the playoffs but nonetheless get to play at home in their first ever playoff matchup. Starting their third string rookie quarterback and nursing injuries to many of their major position players the Texans are hurting. Luckily they start the playoffs against the Cincinnati Bengals who are a very young and untested team who also starts a rookie QB, Andy Dalton who some are calling "Shawshank" (since his first name is Andy and his hair is Red, the names of the two main characters from that movie).
• Saturday at 8:00: Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints – Only five times in the history of the NFL has a quarterback thrown for 5'000 yards and 2 of the five were achieved by the two starting QB's in this game (Drew Brees and Matt Stafford) in 2011. That being said it would appear that the Detroit Lions are heading into a buzz saw disguised in a Mardi Gras outfit. The New Orleans Saints are coming off of the best offensive season in NFL history, and will face a Detroit defense that has been kindly described as suspect. The Lions are back in the playoffs after more than a decade of ineptness, but many in Vegas are expecting this to be a blowout in favor of the Saints.
• Sunday at 1:00: Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants – Probably the most evenly matched game of the weekend features the Eli Manning led Giants against the Matt Ryan led Falcons. The Giants are looking to keep their momentum after a big win last weekend against the Dallas Cowboys, while the Falcons are looking to win a playoff game for the first time in more than 5 years.
• Sunday at 4:30: Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos – The Steelers will try and contain the Denver Broncos and QB Tim Tebow, who you may have heard of if you haven't been living under a rock. The Steelers are considered favorites but are dealing with multiple injuries. QB Ben Roethlisburger is nursing a bad ankle sprain, while Safety Ryan Clark and Running Back Rashard Mendenhall have already been ruled out of the game.

January 4th update

Wednesday Spotlight: Arian Foster

• Houston Texans running back Arian Foster’s story is one of rags to riches. After a storied high school career in San Diego, Foster chose to attend the University of Tennessee. After a redshirt season, Foster became a 3-year starter for the Volunteers. He had an impressive career and after his Junior season, Foster was graded as a second round pick in the NFL draft, but he chose to come back to college to try and improve on that.
• A poor senior season, and various off the field issues, made Foster’s draft stock to plummet. A poor showing at Tennessee’s pro day (a day each big school has to showcase their draft eligible players) caused Foster to not get drafted in the 2009 draft. A free agent after the draft Foster decided to sign with the Houston Texans.
• After not getting much attention in his first season, Foster came on like gang busters in his second year. In Week 1 of the 2010 season he rushed for 231 yards (a franchise record) and didn’t look back. Foster won the rushing title (for the most yards) and made the pro bowl in 2010. A injured hamstring which he famously posted an MRI of on twitter, labeling the injured portion "anti-awesomeness" (That's the picture above in case you were wondering) slowed Foster down in 2011, but he still made the Pro Bowl. Foster is one of the best Running Backs in the NFL, proving that the draft is not everything.


Black Monday sees substandard activity

• The first day after the end of the football’s regular season is called Black Monday, due to the fact that it's when lots of teams who underperformed during the season start to clean house. Generally a handful of coaches are fired in the first few days of the offseason but this year’s activity has been a little lighter than normal, with some owners who were presumed to be putting their houses up for sale getting votes of confidence from their bosses.
• The St Louis Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will begin next season with new coaches as Steve Spagnuolo and Rahim Morris, respectively, were fired. The Rams went 2-14 this year and have only won 10 games in the past 3 years and the Bucs have not won since Halloween weekend, a big drop for a team that is only a year removed from barely missing out on the playoffs. St. Louis also fired their General Manager Billy Devaney and the Chicago Bears fired their GM Jerry Angelo. Perhaps the biggest surprise was the ousting of Indianapolis Colts Chairman and GM Bill and Chris Polian respectively. Bill Polian (father to Chris) was the architect of three winning franchises and he was grooming his son to take his place. Surprisingly, Colts owner Jim Irsay decided that after locking down the #1 overall pick in the draft, he wanted new personnel in his front office handling the future.
• Surprisingly a few coaches rumored to be on the proverbial hot seat were told they would be back next year. San Diego Chargers coach Norv Turner, whose teams continually underperform and Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid, whose star studded team thudded this season, were both given a reprieve for this year's disappointment.


NFL Draft begins to take shape

• The top of next year’s NFL draft has began to take shape. The teams that fail to make the playoffs will have the first 20 picks of the draft in order of their record (from worst to best). The Indianapolis Colts locked in their chance to draft Andrew Luck by losing this weekend. The St Louis Rams also lost and lock in the second overall pick. Since Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo was fired (as pointed out above) the door for a new QB to be taken atop the draft and for Sam Bradford to be traded might be opened.
• The rest of the top 5 will likely look like this: Minnesota Vikings at #3 (whose coach Leslie Frazier was not axed mainly because this was his first full season), the Cleveland Browns at #4 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at #5.
• As for the top candidates to be drafted, a number of underclassmen have either declared or are reported to have declared. In addition to Luck, USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil and Baylor QB Robert Griffin III have declared for the draft and are likely top-5 picks.

January 2nd update

NFL Playoff Picture Set

• When the New Year began, a number of playoff spots were still up for grabs in the NFL but after a wild and crazy day of games, the playoff picture is finally set. There were not many surprises as the overall structure of the playoffs stayed relatively the same. There were no changes in the top three seeds in either conference but the bottom of the playoff set did see some slight changes as a number of teams who needed to win today lost.
• In the NFC, the Green Bay Packers did not have to win to gain homefield advantage throughout the playoffs but nonetheless set an all-time record for passing yards in a game... all with Aaron Rodgers watching from the bench). The San Fransisco 49ers beat the hapless St. Louis Rams to keep the #2 seed and the New Orleans Saints broke NFL records left and right blowing out the Carolina Panthers in the second half to keep the #3 seed. The #4 seed went to the New York Giants as they won their quasi-playoff game against their division rival, the Dallas Cowboys. The Atlanta Falcons leapfrogged the Detroit Lions to take the #5 spot while demolishing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This NFC portion of this weekend's wild-card playoff round will feature the Lions at the Saints, and the Falcons against the New York Giants.
• The AFC also stayed true to script as the New England Patriots somehow managed to win by 28 despite being down 21-0 early to the Buffalo Bills. Additionally, the Baltimore Ravens won against the Cincinnati Bengals to ensure the other first round bye. The Houston Texans were already locked in as the #3 seed and lost a meaningless game to the Tennessee Titans. The Denver Broncos won the #4 seed even though they lost their game this weekend to the Kansas City Chiefs, only scoring 3 points on offense. They will host the Pittsburgh Steelers who were locked into the playoffs as the #5 seed after Baltimore won, and last but not least, the Cincinnati Bengals got the #6 seed even though they also lost and ended up with the same record as a rival. They won the tiebreaker due to the fact that they defeated the Tennessee Titans, the other 9-7 team. This weekend the Steelers will play the Broncos and the Bengals will play in Houston against the Texans, who are playing their first ever playoff game.


Winter Classic ready to take off

• Beginning in 2008, the NHL has played an annual outdoor game dubbed the Winter Classic. This season's Winter Classic will feature the New York Rangers versus the Philadelphia Flyers at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia usually reserved for the MLB's Phillies.
• The Winter Classic is hockey's ambassador to the non-hockey world and has been a resounding success so far despite the fact that weather conditions play a part in this game unlike typical indoor hockey games. Game time is being pushed back from 1 PM until 3 PM (EST) to try to fit into the best pocket of weather according to local forecasts.
• The home fans will not get to see offseason acquisition Ilya Bryzgalov play but the goalie took his benching very good-naturedly, saying "I have great news and even better news. Great news, I'm not playing tomorrow night. Good news, we have a chance to win the game tomorrow night."


Biggest Day of College Bowls today

• If you're lucky enough to have the day off today there's plenty of college football for you to watch and if not, hopefully you can sneak in a few updates from the office as there are 6 games going on today, 5 of which match ranked teams against one another. The schedule is as follows:
12 PM: Houston vs Penn State. Penn State's tumultuous season ends against a record setting Houston offense and QB Case Keenum who missed out on a perfect regular season and BCS bid by losing their last game of the season.
1 PM: Ohio State vs Florida. The two annual powers struggled this season, going 6-6 but get a good bowl bid primarily because they have large fan bases and college football is more about money than results.
1 PM: Michigan State vs Georgia. The losers of the Big 10 and SEC championship games, respectively, face off in what should be a great game but should also have more Georgia fans as it is being played in Tampa, Florida.

1 PM: Nebraska vs South Carolina. In another Big Ten/SEC matchup, South Carolina hopes that it can finish off a terrific season despite no longer having starting QB Stephen Garcia (dismissed from team) or superstar RB Marcus Lattimore (Leg Injury).

The two biggest matchups of the day were previewed in Friday's update but just as a reminder, the Rose Bowl features to top 10 teams in Oregon and Wisconsin at 5 PM and the Fiesta Bowl features the top 2 ranked teams who are not in the National Championship game, Stanford and Oklahoma State (at 8 PM).