December 30th update

Bowl season heating up

• It might be cold outside but the bowl season is warming up as it's finally getting to the time of the year where exciting matchups are being played. With the current landscape of college football, nearly any team with 6 wins can make a bowl (as is evidenced by this sterling matchup) but most of the mediocre games are played earlier in the bowl season and now we have better games remaining, most of which begin in January.
• On Thursday, Florida State used a suffocating defense to recover from a 14-0 deficit to defeat Notre Dame 18-14 and are now the only team to win a bowl every year from 2008 to 2011 and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III led Baylor to a comeback win over Washington.
• On January 2nd you could spend all day watching great matchups as there are 6 games and except for Ohio State vs Florida (two national powers having a down year) every team playing is ranked. The best game will likely be the Fiesta Bowl which matches up high powered offenses; Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State against Andrew Luck's Stanford Cardinal, but the Rose Bowl claims the Pac-12 winner against the Big 10 winner (Oregon and Wisconsin respectively) and that game will be very entertaining as well. After the 2nd, there will be a few more games but no more than one per day and Sportico will preview most of those as well in a little more detail.


Trouble in paradise?

• In our Wednesday spotlight on Kevin Durant, we mentioned the fact that he plays alongside all-star point guard Russell Westbrook. The relationship between the two budding superstars has been reported to be strained. Durant is the more well known star, but Westbrook wants more attention for the work he does, which manifested itself a bit in the playoffs last year when Westbrook was criticized for taking (and missing) far too many shots.
• This strain bubbled over Wednesday night when the two stars got into a shouting match on the sidelines after Westbrook’s anger at a third teammate's shot selection spilled over. Both players downplayed the incident (as did Thunder coach Scotty Brooks) however it remains to be seen if this tension will continue to cause a schism on one of the best young teams in the league.
• Thursday night (as the NBA continues to play an absurd amount of games to fit as many games into their lockout-shortened schedule) Durant hit a game winning 3-pointer to defeat the Dallas Mavericks 104-102 in a rematch of last year's Western Conference Finals. The Thunder are 4-0 and will have a day off before playing again on New Years Eve.


NFL Playoff Picture clearing up

• The easy division: the NFC – The Packers have run away with this regular season. They have lost once, but have clinched the first round seed in the NFC. Both the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints have clinched their divisions, and will be the 2 and 3 seed depending on this weekend (if the 49ers win they have it, if the Saints win and the 49ers lose the Saints will be the number 2 seed). The two wild cards (5th and 6th seeds) have already been clinched by the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons. The one spot left to be filled is the 4th seed. The Dallas Cowboys travel to the New York Giants in a winner-take-all game.
• The AFC is a bit more confusing: The New England Patriots have clinched at least the #2 seed, and will be the #1 seed if the current #2 team (Baltimore Ravens) lose. If they win, they will clinch the #1 spot. The Ravens will clinch the #2 spot with either a victory or a Pittsburgh Steelers loss. The Steelers are currently the 5th seed (as the first wild card team) but can leap to the #2 seed if they win and the Ravens lose.
• The Houston Texans have clinched the #3 Spot. The #4 spot will go to the Denver Broncos if they win, or the Oakland Raiders lose while the Raiders will take it if they win and the Broncos lose. The 6th spot comes down to four teams. The Cincinnati Bengals have the inside track, if they win they have it, however they play the extremely tough Baltimore Ravens who, as we've noted, still have something to play for. The New York Jets, Tennessee Titans and Raiders each have a chance if a LOT of different things break their way. We will have a full recap of the weekend, and preview of the playoffs on Monday’s Sportico.

December 28th update

Sportico wishes all of our readers a Merry Christmas! Now back to the world of sports!

Pro Bowl rosters announced

• The NFL announced the rosters for its annual All-Star game, the Pro Bowl, on Tuesday and to no one's surprise, the best teams got the lion's share of the representees. The San Francisco 49ers have ridden a dominant defense to a likely #2 seed in the NFC and got 8 selections, a mark equaled by the New England Patriots and just missed by the Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers who each got 7.
• Was there controversy? A bit but not as much as in some years. Some people thought the rookie QB duo of Tim Tebow and Cam Newton should have made it over Philip Rivers and Eli Manning. Also Ndamukong Suh missed out and the Tennessee Titans did not have a single rep (incuding RB Chris Johnson, who might have made it on reputation alone if it were just a fan vote that determined the players). But without further ado, here are the rosters:

AFC:
Quarterbacks:
Tom Brady, New England
Philip Rivers, San Diego
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh

Running backs:
Arian Foster, Houston
Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville
Ray Rice, Baltimore

Fullback:
Vonta Leach, Baltimore

Wide receivers:
A. J. Green, Cincinnati
Brandon Marshall, Miami
Mike Wallace, Pittsburgh
Wes Welker, New England

Tight ends:
Antonio Gates, San Diego
Rob Gronkowski, New England

Offensive tackles:
D'Brickashaw Ferguson, New York Jets
Jake Long, Miami
Joe Thomas, Cleveland

Guards:
Logan Mankins, New England
Brian Waters, New England
Marshal Yanda, Baltimore

Centers:
Nick Mangold, New York Jets
Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh

Defensive ends:
Andre Carter, New England
Elvis Dumervil, Denver
Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis

Interior linemen:
Haloti Ngata, Baltimore
Richard Seymour, Oakland
Vince Wilfork, New England

Outside linebackers:
Tamba Hali, Kansas City
Von Miller, Denver
Terrell Suggs, Baltimore

Inside linebackers:
Ray Lewis, Baltimore
Derrick Johnson, Kansas City

Cornerbacks:
Champ Bailey, Denver
Johnathan Joseph, Houston
Darrelle Revis, New York Jets

Strong safety:
Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh

Free safeties:
Ed Reed, Baltimore
Eric Weddle, San Diego

Punter:
Shane Lechler, Oakland

Placekicker:
Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland

Kick returner:
Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh

Special teamer:
Matthew Slater, New England

NFC:
Quarterbacks:
Drew Brees, New Orleans
Eli Manning, New York Giants
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay

Running backs:
Matt Forte, Chicago
Frank Gore, San Francisco
LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia

Fullback:
John Kuhn, Green Bay

Wide receivers:
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona
Greg Jennings, Green Bay
Calvin Johnson, Detroit
Steve Smith, Carolina

Tight ends:
Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta
Jimmy Graham, New Orleans

Offensive tackles:
Jermon Bushrod, New Orleans
Jason Peters, Philadelphia
Joe Staley, San Francisco

Guards:
Davin Joseph, Tampa Bay
Carl Nicks, New Orleans

Centers:
Ryan Kalil, Carolina
Scott Wells, Green Bay

Defensive ends:
Jared Allen, Minnesota
Jason Babin, Philadelphia
Jason Pierre-Paul, New York Giants

Interior linemen:
B.J. Raji, Green Bay
Jay Ratliff, Dallas
Justin Smith, San Francisco

Outside linebackers:
Lance Briggs, Chicago
Clay Matthews. Green Bay
DeMarcus Ware, Dallas

Inside linebackers:
Brian Urlacher, Chicago
Patrick Willis, San Francisco

Cornerbacks:
Carlos Rogers, San Francisco
Charles Tillman, Chicago
Charles Woodson, Green Bay

Strong safety:
Adrian Wilson, Arizona

Free safeties:
Dashon Goldson, San Francisco
Earl Thomas, Seattle

Punter:
Andy Lee, San Francisco

Placekicker:
David Akers, San Francisco

Kick return specialist:
Patrick Peterson, Arizona

Special teamer:
Corey Graham, Chicago


Of the players taken, here were 44 first-round picks, 10 second-round picks, seven third-round picks, five fourth-round picks, three sixth-round picks, two seventh-round picks and eight undrafted players.

Some other fun tidbits:

- All but two AFC picks on defense — defensive end Elvis Dumervil and safety Eric Weddle – are first-round picks.

- After the first and second rounds, there are more undrafted Pro Bowl players than any other round.

- Of the six running backs selected for the Pro Bowl, none were first-round picks.

- All four inside linebackers who made the Pro Bowl were first-round picks.


Wednesday Spotlight: Kevin Durant

• Oklahoma City Thunder Small Forward Kevin Durant (pictured above) is off to a strong start to the season, which surprises absolutely no one. After leading the league in scoring in each of the past two seasons, Durant scored 63 points in the first two games of the season (against Minnesota and Orlando). One of the league’s best young players, Durant was the second pick in the 2007 draft (a highly analyzed pick, as the Portland Trail Blazers selected oft-injured Center Greg Oden with the first overall pick).
• Prior to the NBA, Durant was a superstar freshman at the University of Texas. ESPN’s hyperbole prone analyst Dick Vitale called Durant the “most prolific offensive skilled big perimeter” player ever. Durant was named the player of the year for the 2006-07 season, becoming the first player to win the award as a freshman. One of the reasons he's so lethal is that he's got the shooting ability of a guard but is 6'9" and very athletic, making him difficult for any player to guard.
• The "Durantula" is the leader of the young Oklahoma City Thunder, one of the most entertaining and talented teams in the league that also features high flying PG Russell Westbrook, shot-blocking phenom Serge Ibaka and former Celtic defensive ace Kendrick Perkins. The Thunder are considered a contender for this year’s title, and thanks to smart moves from their front office, should be contenders for years to come.

December 23rd update

"Unlucky" win for Colts?

• For most of the season, it has been assumed that the Indianapolis Colts would finish with the worst record in the NFL and gain the top pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, which would almost be certainly used on star QB Andrew Luck of Stanford either as trade bait or as a replacement for Peyton Manning. As the Colts were losing games left and right, the prevailing thought is that they would be fortunate just to win a game much less win enough to put that #1 pick in jeopardy. But after Thursday night's win over the fading Houston Texans (who are 0-10 all-time in Indy now) the Colts have as many wins as the St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikings and the question is obvious: "What is the tiebreaker?"
• The answer will be a relief to Colts fans as it will be very hard for the Colts not to gain the first pick as long as they don't win their final game in Jacksonville. The first tiebreaker involves strength of schedule, so if team x plays 16 games and each opponent won 12 games, their tiebreaker figure would be .75.
• If the Colts had lost to the Texans, the best their strength of schedule could be at the end of the season would have been .5469 and if the Vikings lose their final two games, the worst their strength of schedule could be also is .5469. However since the Texans now have one less win (and it's calculated twice since Indy played Houston twice) the Vikings have an outside chance of sneaking by on the tiebreaker. Basically the Vikings need the teams they've played this year to lose a lot. The Rams' strength of schedule could be at worst .5586, so they cannot land the No. 1 pick if the Colts lose a 14th game because Indy's best strength of schedule would be lower than the worst possible for St. Louis.
• In addition to Luck still likely going to Indy, other teams in need of a QB dealt with the bad news of seeing Matt Barkley of USC announce that he will return to USC for his senior season (who says kids these days don't value education?!?). Barkley was the next best QB in the draft and would probably be the #1 pick any other year (possibly the reason he decided to wait until 2013 to enter the NFL draft).

NBA Preview: Western Conference

• Now that we've covered the barrage of Big 3's in the East, it's time to move over to the Western Conference, which undoubtedly houses a more competitive group of teams from top to bottom. It all starts with the defending champion Dallas Mavericks and all-around superstar Dirk Nowitzki who will look to hold off a bevy of contenders including two teams from L.A.
  
• The Lakers are actually looking pretty weak and here at Sportico we would highly discourage any big bets being made on Kobe Bryant and the Lake Show capturing their 4th Western conference championship in 5 years. Let's count the reasons:
  

1. Kobe Bryant is already injured, plus he's dealing with emotional baggage as his wife just filed for divorce.
2. Lamar Odom, a highly productive and underrated player was given away to the Mavs after the botched Chris Paul deal hurt his feelings (for lack of a better phrase).
3. Phil Jackson will be watching from home or a mud hut in Argentina or wherever he decides to go in his retirement as opposed to the Lakers bench.
4. There are just too many good teams in the West.

• The Clippers have made the biggest strides this offseason, adding Chris Paul, Caron Butler and Chauncey Billups to their core group of players led by Blake Griffin and while they may not be ready to win titles just yet, they should be a fixture in the playoffs for years to come. Another young team a year or two ahead of the Clippers pace is the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by one of the games best players (Kevin Durant), one of the game's best young coaches (Scotty Brooks) and not to be discounted, the best classic rock entry song in the NBA by far.
• The Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns look to make some noise as well but time will only tell which team can put itself in a position to make a run to the NBA Finals this year in a shorter, but condensed 66 game season.
  

December 21st Update

Wednesday Spotlight: Derrick Rose

• Chicago Bulls Point Guard Derrick Rose was signed to a contract extension on Tuesday. The 5-year deal, worth $94.8 million, will make Rose one of the 10 highest paid players in the league this year. The Chicago native was happy to sign with his hometown team as he hopes to build a legacy in Illinois.
• Rose was the Number 1 overall pick of the 2008 draft out of Memphis. Rose’s time at Memphis was tumultuous. The Tigers made the championship game losing to the University of Kansas in one of the most exciting championship games in NCAA history. Soon after that loss it was discovered that Rose was not eligible to play at Memphis as some of his test scores were invalid after somebody else took the SAT for him.
• In the NBA, where there is no prerequisite for SAT or scruples, and Rose has excelled. After 2 excellent seasons, he was named the MVP of the 2010-11 season after leading the Bulls to a 62-20 record and a number 1 seed in the playoffs. Unfortunately they ran into a buzzsaw from Miami and lost in the Conference Championship series to the Heat. Rose’s MVP season allowed for him to get the sizable contract he could (part of the new collective bargaining agreement). This superstar should be the head of a young Bulls team for years to come

NBA Preview: Eastern Conference

• Now that the NBA season is finally about to get underway (the first games are on Christmas) we can begin to talk about the season without mentioning the lockout that dominated so much of the NBA chatter for the past few months. While a lot of noise has been made this offseason about the L.A. Clippers, L.A. Lakers and Houston Rockets, the East has quietly remained a force to be reckoned with.
• The Miami Heat's Big 3 of Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh look to improve upon last season's oft-tumultuous season that nonetheless saw them make it to the NBA Finals. While the Heat are considered the favorites by most, there are a number of contenders in their way including the Chicago Bulls and defending MVP Derrick Rose (mentioned above), the Dwight Howard-led Orlando Magic, the original big 3 of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett in Boston and possibly the most dynamic pair of forward teammates in NBA history with Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony in the bright lights of New York.
  Only time will tell if these will be the only contenders or if teams like Andrew Bogut's Bucks, the well-balanced Indiana Pacers or Deron Williams and Brook Lopez's New Jersey Nets will contend as well but it will be fun to watch.

Japanese Star on the Clock with the Rangers

• In each of the past two years the Texas Rangers have lost their best pitcher from the previous year. This year they are trying to hit back at the open market with a star Japanese pitcher. 25 year old Yu Darvish is trying to make a move from Japan to the US. A complex process (explained below) awarded the Texas Rangers the exclusive opportunity to negotiate with Darvish.
• Darvish has pitched in the Japanese major leagues for 7 years and has seven effective pitches (most major leaguers are happy to have four). Darvish was the star of the champion Japanese 2009 World Baseball Classic team.
• The process starts with major league teams making a closed bid, or “posting fee”, to Darvish’s Japanese team. During this process, teams will give the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters a number. The team will then evaluate and basically sell the rights to negotiate with Darvish to the highest bidder. If the Major League team is able to come to an agreement over the next 30 days they get that bid. The Rangers set a record with a $51.7 million dollar posting bid (the previous record was $51.1 million posted by the Red Sox in 2006). The Rangers now have a month to sign Darvish (or he returns to Japan and the Ham Fighters have to do this again next year).

December 19th update

Packers fall, Colts finally win

• If someone had told you Sunday morning that the vaunted 13-0 Green Bay Packers would lose while the listless 0-13 Indianapolis Colts, playing without franchise QB Peyton Manning would win, most people would think you were either crazy or joking, but you would have been right.
• The Packers and Aaron Rodgers were harrassed by a fearsome Kansas City Chiefs pass rush led by Tamba Hali and his 3 sacks (which leaves him 1 behind the AFC leader). The Packers never looked comfortable due to a great strategy by interim coach Romeo Crennel (he's taking over for Todd Haley who was fired this week) who had the Chiefs play 5+ speedy defensive backs to guard the Packers wide receivers on nearly every play. The Chiefs have lost most of their best players to injury this season but the one constant has been Hali who has certainly earned the 5 year, $60 million deal he signed this offseason.
• On the other side of the NFL landscape, the Indianapolis Colts were so bad that fans are ignoring the season and just wondering whether the team will keep Peyton Manning next year, trade him and start presumptive #1 pick Andrew Luck or keep both and have Manning mentor Luck. But despite playing a pretty good Tennessee Titans team, the Colts dominated in every aspect and won easily. Dan Orlovsky, the Colts QB in this game, won for the first time as a NFL starter and the Colts won for the first time with a QB other than Peyton Manning since this game (notice the date). The QB in that game was Jim Harbaugh, now the coach of the San Francisco 49ers, who play the Pittsburgh Steelers tonight in a matchup of 10-3 teams.
It was only the third time in NFL history that a team that was 10-0 or better lost and a team that was 0-10 or worse won on the same day.
• In other news, The Tebow train came to a screeching halt against the New England Patriots, the Baltimore Ravens (the first place team in the AFC) got crushed by the San Diego Chargers, and the Detroit Lions took a big step towards making the playoffs with another late comeback, this time beating the Oakland Raiders after being behind by 13 points with 5 minutes left.


Making it look Breesy

• The New Orleans Saints continue to win... again and Quarterback Drew Brees is currently on pace for a season never seen before in the NFL. While his Green Bay Packers counterpart Aaron Rodgers is getting a lot more publicity and more attention from car insurance agents, Brees is on the brink of breaking two of the most sacred quarterbacking records.
• From 1956-1960 Johnny Unitas had a streak of 47 consecutive games with a touchdown pass. Besides Brees the closest anybody has come to that streak in the last 50 years was Brett Favre’s streak of 36 straight games. Coming into this weekend, Brees’ streak stood at 40 straight games. Just to make sure there was no doubt about 41, Brees threw for 5 touchdowns on Sunday. Tom Brady also has a streak of note, with a TD in 29 straight games, the 5th longest in history.
• In 1984 Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins threw for 5,084 yards setting a single-season record that still stands today. In 2008 Brees came tantalizingly close to eclipsing that record but fell just short, throwing for 5,069 yards. This season Brees has thrown for 4,780 yards, and has two games left to get the additional 305 yards he needs to break the record. The craziest part of this is that Brees could very easily set a record that has stood for more than 25 years with a game to spare!


Note - Keep looking this week as we will have a preview of the major bowl games and a preview of the NBA season for your enjoyment.

December 16th update

Paul on the Move, Howard to Follow?

• As widely reported on Sportico and elsewhere, New Orleans Hornets Point Guard Chris Paul has been actively shopped around the NBA, and after a very questionable move by the NBA was finally dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers. In return, the Hornets would acquire 3 players and a first round draft pick.
• We're of a mixed opinion on Sportico as to who made out better in this deal. One of us feel that this move makes the Clippers markedly better, pairing arguably the best pure point guard and the best young big man, in Blake Griffin. The other one feels that the Clippers gave up too much, including superstar-in-the-making Eric Gordon and former All-Star and future Rogaine spokesman Chris Kaman. The lowly Clippers are looking to make moves to take themselves from the basement of the NBA to major basketball relevance. Even more important, it pushes the “big brother” Lakers to the back page of the Los Angeles newspapers (or websites, since who reads newspapers anymore?).
• Orlando Magic Center Dwight Howard is the last remaining major piece that is unsettled. It is widely assumed that he will not resign with the Magic next summer when he is a free agent, so it would behoove the Magic to trade him and receive something in return. It was reported that there was a deal close to completion with the New Jersey Nets before that fell apart. The Magic have claimed that Howard is no longer on the table, but that remains to be seen as this story seems to change every day.

NFL Week 15 Story Lines

• First Saturday game of the year: Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – this game would not be of any note if not for the fact that it is the first Saturday game of the year and the fact that no NFC East team is playing particularly well. The Bucs are coming off an awful stretch where they have lost 7 straight games, and have looked even worse than you'd expect while doing it. The Cowboys seem to be trying their hardest to fall out of the playoff race but continue to share first place with the New York Giants at 7-6.
• Sunday Night Brings Intrigue: Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers – the Ravens are known as a team that plays to the level of its competition; that is they play badly against bad teams, and well against good ones. The problem with the Chargers is that nobody’s quite sure which category they fall in. A supremely talented team (that generally plays very well in December) the Chargers are 6-7 (including losing 6 straight earlier in the season). This game pits the historically great Ravens defense against Philip Rivers and the always potent Chargers offense.
• Monday Night Showdown: Pittsburgh Steelers at San Francisco 49ers – After a bunch of less than interesting MNF games, this one should be good. Both teams are licking their wounds a bit as the Steelers stud QB Ben Roethlisburger is nursing a high ankle sprain that could cause him to not play, and the 49ers are coming off a stretch where they have lost 2 of their past 3 games. While they still hold a commanding division lead, the 49ers need to pick it up before the playoffs start, a demanding win against the Steelers could prove they are one of the teams to beat.

December 14th Update

Wednesday Spotlight: Ben Roethlisberger

• Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger ("Big Ben") is known as one of the toughest players in the NFL and we saw another reason why this past week. On Thursday night, late in the second quarter Roethlisberger got hit and had his leg twisted below him. He was helped off the field and diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, an injury that generally takes 2-6 weeks to heal. But after halftime, Big Ben limped out of the locker room onto the field and led his team to a decisive win over division rival (The word rival is used very loosely here) Cleveland Browns.
• Coming out of Miami University of Ohio, Ben was part of the highly touted class of 2004 (including Phillip Rivers and Eli Manning). He was the lowest drafted of the three, at 11th overall, has won more Super Bowl titles (2) than the others (1 combined). In 2005 and in 2008, losing the Super Bowl in 2010 to the Green Bay Packers. Roethlisberger never makes it look pretty, but always seems to find a way to get the ball to the right players and win games, he has never had a losing season.
• Roethlisberger has had some off the field issues, including crashing his motorcycle while not wearing a helmet and an allegation that he took advantage of an intoxicated female in a bathroom of a club. He has avoided negative headlines now for a while and has gotten married. Ben is already one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and is working his way up to the point where he may be voted into the Hall of Fame someday.

Paul Going to Other L.A. Team?

• Last week we reported that Chris Paul was traded to the Lakers only to have the deal vetoed because the Hornets are technically owned by the NBA and some owners complained. Now it looks like he could be going to the Lakers' cross-town rival (Again, the word rival is used very loosely here) the Clippers.
• The Hornets are asking for a kings ransom from the Clippers including up and coming star guard Eric Gordon, youngsters Al-Farouq Aminu and Eric Bledsoe, former All-Star center Chris Kaman and Minnesota's unprotected 2012 first-round draft pick. The Clippers however, have picked up former all-star guard Chauncey Billups this offseason which makes them less desperate to pick up a player like Paul. Even without acquiring him, a core of Billups, Gordon, Blake Griffin and Kaman should be good enough to put them in the playoffs which in recent years has been a rarity in the LA "rivalry".
• On another NBA related note, the Denver Nuggets resigned their Free Agent center Nene. The Brazilian player (who goes by his first name) was widely considered the best free agent left on the market. The Nuggets are in a tough spot with two of their players stuck playing in China until March because they signed there during the lockout and have no way out of their contract until the Chinese season is over.

December 12th update

RG3 strikes the pose

• Saturday night the Downtown Athletic Club awarded the 77th Annual Heisman Trophy award, for the best player in college football. Robert Griffin III, the quarterback from Baylor University, received the award, being the first player from his school to win the award.
• Griffin III is an athletic freak who, in addition to being one of the best college football players around, is an All-American and NCAA Track and Field champion. Griffin III, who is a Junior, has already graduated with a 3.67 GPA in Political Science. Griffin III is the picture of what a student-athlete should be.
• Stanford QB and preseason Heisman favorite Andrew Luck finished second in the voting. Luck will have the last laugh however, as he will be drafted #1 in next year's NFL Draft (OK, that's not official but it's a near certainty). Alabama running back Trent Richardson finished third, Wisconsin RB Monte Ball finished fourth and LSU cornerback/return specialist Tyrann "Honey Badger" Mathieu finished fifth.


Braun tests positive

• Just when you thought the steroid issue in MLB was beginning to die down, one of the game's best young players failed a drug test when it was determined that his body had well above the normal levels of testosterone and that it was not produced naturally.
• It's a huge blow not only for the Brewers, who rode the 1-2 punch off Braun and Prince Fielder to the NLCS last year and now face losing Fielder to free agency and Braun to a 50 game suspension, it's also a blow to the MLB in general who sees one of it's best young marketable stars take a permanent hit to his reputation. Braun who was the NL MVP this season hit .332 with 33 HRs and 111 RBIs and already has 161 HR's for his career despite playing for less than 5 full seasons, but now the question is how many of those statistics were obtained with help?
• He is the first legitimate star who came into baseball after drug testing was implemented to test positive (which makes this even worse, as unlike some older players, he wasn't around for the days when steroids were basically as easy to find as vitamins in a MLB clubhouse). Braun will appeal but these tests are rarely incorrect and it looks like one of Milwaukee and baseball's best players over the past 5 seasons and and one of its potential cornerstones for the next decade will be forever playing beneath the shadow of the steroid asterisk.


College Basketball Brawl Mars Rivalry Game

• The inter-Cincinnati rivalry of University of Cincinnati and Xavier University is always heated but on Saturday it boiled over in an ugly melee. At the end of the first half of the game, a Cincinnati player started jawing with a player on Xavier’s bench. The players got in each others faces but were separated by coaches and other players. This would set the tone for most of the second half.
• With 10 seconds left in the game and the outcome long decided, the smack talking hit a pinnacle. Exactly what was said is unclear but the benches for both team cleared and fists began to fly.
• The Cincinnati coach gave a very impassioned speech about the lack of maturity on both sides of the situation. On Sunday, each school suspended 4 players in reaction to the incident. Further penalties may come down the line if the NCAA determines that the school's penalties aren't harsh enough.

December 9th update

Los Angeles Angels Strike Gold

• The Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim) spent more than $325 million in a few hours on Thursday morning. In doing so they scored the two biggest prizes of the free agency class in what some people are calling questionable contracts.
• The first (and biggest) signing was Albert Pujols to a 10-year contract. The size of the contract is $250 million, which is greater than what any other team was offering. Additionally, Pujols was given a “no-trade clause” which gives him the ability to reject any attempt the Angels would make to trade him to another team (although he would be able to waive that clause if a future trade was to his agreement). Pujols, who will be 41 years old by the end of the contract, was looking for a 10-year deal. Some teams were reticent to give it to him, but it looks like the Angels are going to start spending the considerable money their owner, Artie Moreno, has.
• The second big signing was that of former Texas Rangers starting pitcher CJ Wilson. Wilson was the best pitcher on the market and the Angels were able to get him for a 5-year deal worth $77.5 million. The signing is especially meaningful for the Angels because the Rangers are the two time defending champions not only of the division the Angels play in (the AL West) but have represented the A.L. in the last 2 World Series.


Paul deal to Lakers nixed in NBA flurry

• Kobe Bryant almost had a dream backcourt mate as superstar Olympian PG Chris Paul seemed to be on his way to the city of Angels to join the Lake show in a 3 team deal that would have sent Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets and multiple lesser pieces to the New Orleans Hornets.
• However, the NBA technically owns the Hornets, whose former owner was broke and had the team repossessed so to speak a few years ago. Because of this unusual arrangement, the other NBA owners felt that it was unfair to have Paul go to an already dominant team like the Lakers although this makes it very tough for ANY team to get Paul as it seems that the precedent has been set and any team who does not acquire Paul could just complain and keep him from going anywhere else.
• In other deals, Caron Butler signed a 3 year, $24 million deal with the L.A. Clippers (who look like a team on the rise), another former Maverick, Tyson Chandler, looks to be on his way to New York to join Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, and Greg Oden looks like he will rejoin the Portland Trail Blazers where he hopes to avoid the debilitating injuries that have derailed his career so far.


Weekend NFL Preview

• Two teams going in opposite directions: Philadelphia Eagles at Miami Dolphins – The Philadelphia Eagles came into this season with expectations a mile high, and have fallen completely flat. The Dolphins started the season with 7 straight losses, but have won 4 of the last 5 games and actually look like a good team despite their mediocre record. This game is a textbook example of two teams with different expectations going in vastly different directions.
• Can the Lions Recover?: Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions – The Detroit Lions started the season strong winning 5 straight games. But they have since lost 5 of their next 7, including the last two which were on national TV against the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints, the two best teams in the NFC. They now get to take on one of the weakest teams in the league and restart their push toward the playoffs where they have not been since 1999.
• NFL Game of the Week: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys – The two top teams in the NFC East clash in Dallas. The Cowboys, coming off an embarrassing loss to the Arizona Cardinals last week, look to extend their division lead over the Giants. Eli Manning and the Giants are looking to tie the Cowboys atop the division but no matter who loses, they'll have a rematch just a few weeks later when the teams play again, this time in New York (well, technically New Jersey).

December 7th update

Don't like it? Well Suh me!

• Ndamukong Suh (pronounced 'sue' in case the cheesy header to this piece didn't make it clear) is an animal. Some people use this term to denote a player who is fierce competitor, improving his team through incredible plays made by that player's unique set of skills. Other use it to mean someone who a questionable human being, unable to act as a decent human being, instead choosing to act otherwise (or animalistic). I use this word because I submit that Suh fits both descriptions.
• Suh, a dominant Defensive Tackle who is extremely athletic for someone his size, probably should have won the Heisman Trophy award, which is supposed to go to the nation's best player, after the 2009 season (It might as well be called the QB or RB award because only 3 non-quarterbacks/running backs have won it since 1970) but lost to Mark Ingram and had to settle for being taken #2 in the NFL draft the following year by the Detroit Lions where he was expected to lead a resurgence for the team's awful defense.
• However, while he has put up incredible stats and the team has improved on the field, he's also come under fire for being a dirty player. In a preseason game his rookie year, he nearly ripped the head off of QB Jake Delhomme and he has been fined multiple times for his over-the-top hits.
• Then in the past couple weeks he was in a wreck and may have told women in the car with him to lie about their injuries and also repeatedly rammed an opponent's head into the turf and then stomped on the player's arm with his spikes (on Thanksgiving no less). He was suspended for two games for the stomp despite an explanation that seemed like something you'd see from a five year old who had been caught stealing cookies from the kitchen. If Suh can focus his anger and play aggressively while not behaving unacceptably, he stands a chance at becoming one of the greatest Defensive Tackles in NFL history. However, to this point, The Detroit Lion seems to think that wearing a helmet with an animal on it gives him the right to act like one.


Miami Marlins on spending spree

• The Baseball winter meetings kicked off in Dallas this week. This annual event generally signals the beginning off the offseason players moves, both in free agency and with trades. This year’s free agent class is headed by two of baseball's best players, Albert Pujols and Jose Reyes.
• The team who seems to be making the biggest splash so far is the newly minted Miami Marlins (formerly titled the Florida Marlins). The Marlins made the first free agent move of the offseason signing closer Heath Bell on a 3-year $27 million deal. They quickly trumped this deal by signing the aforementioned, Jose Reyes, a shortstop formerly of the New York Mets. Reyes, one of the jewels of the free agent market, signed a 6-year $106 million deal. The Reyes signing is interesting for the Marlins as their best player currently is Hanley Ramirez, who also plays shortstop
• Albert Pujols has also been made a long term offer by the Marlins. The 31-year old who has put up career numbers that put him in league with names such as Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Ted Williams has been looking for a 10-year deal from his current team (The St Louis Cardinals) but they are reticent to give it to him. Such a deal would be risky as even a player of Pujols's caliber would be likely to deteriorate greatly from his current production by the time he reaches 41 years old (and even before then). However, the Marlins are rumored to have made a 10-year offer for Pujols and are expecting a response from him sometime soon.


Rookie Quarterbacks Leading the NFL

• This year’s crop of rookie quarterbacks has been remarkable in leading their teams to strong seasons, which is unusual because apart from Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco a couple years ago, rookie quarterbacks have almost categorically struggled in the NFL over the past handful of seasons.
• The Carolina Panthers' signal-caller Cam Newton has been a dual threat throwing for 13 touchdowns and running for a baker’s dozen as well. Through 12 games, the Panthers have already doubled their win total from last year, and are looking like they are on the upswing. This past weekend, Newton rushed for 3 touchdowns to break the NFL record for quarterbacks in a single season, and he’s' only played 75% of the season. Newton is on pace to shatter many other rookie quarterback records, but he may need to be more judicious with what he does with the footballs afterwards.
• Andy Dalton, the second round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals, is Newton’s biggest competition for Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Bengals are 7-5 and have a chance at making the playoffs under the leadership of Dalton. Dalton's statistics are not quite as impressive as Newton, but his team has won more and has a chance at the playoffs.
• The rest of the Rookie quarterbacks have simply enough, shown growing pains. Christian Ponder of the Minnesota Vikings has shown a lot of promise with the young Vikings but the team has only won two games. Blaine Gabbert, of the Jacksonville Jaguars has been very spotty and Jake Locker seems to be a bigger hit on YouTube (this is really funny if you have a couple minutes) than he is with the Titans.

December 5th update

Tiger Woods Wins… Finally

• Tiger Woods for the first time since 2009 in his last action of 2011. Woods shot two birdies in on the last two holes to beat former Masters Champion Zach Johnson by one stroke. It was Woods’ first win in 749 days.
• This event is one hosted by Woods as a fundraiser for his foundation (Woods donated his winnings - $1.2 million – to his foundation as well). There were only 17 other golfers included in the field.
• Even with the short field this victory is raising hopes amongst golf fans that Woods (still the sport’s premier star) will be on his way back to glory after his extramarital scandal and subsequent swoon. Woods, who had the record for most consecutive weeks ranked #1, had been ranked #52 coming into this tournament. This victory catapults him to a more respectable #21.


Multiple thrillers headline the NFL

• Tim Tebow's Denver Broncos once again won a thrilling last second game, 35-32 over the Minnesota Vikings and this time Tebow actually had a pretty solid passing game. He only completed 10 passes but did so efficiently, as he only threw 15 total passes. He has 202 total yards and 2 long touchdown passes to Demaryius Thomas. The Broncos came back from 2 deficits in the last few minutes and after intercepting Vikings rookie Christian Ponder, made a field goal as time expired.
• Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers continued to win shootouts, this time beating the New York Giants 38-35 after the Giants had tied the game with less than a minute remaining. Rodgers and the Packers are 12-0, haven't lost in more than a calendar year and looks like he may set multiple NFL records. He's been so good that I'm seriously considering changing my car insurance to State Farm and getting my Discount Double Check.
• In other action, rookie quarterback T.J. Yates led the Houston Texans to their 6th straight win as they defeated the Atlanta Falcons 17-10. The Texans have sustained tons of injuries but continue to win. They've already tied their franchise record for wins with 9 (with 4 left to eclipse it) and look like a lock to play in their first playoff game ever. The Texans are currently the only team in America's 4 major sports (MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL) never to have won a playoff game.
• In other games, the Dallas Cowboys lost in OT to the Arizona Cardinals after Dallas's coach called a timeout before his own kicker made a game winning field goal and then watched as he missed the second attempt and the Indianapolis Colts showed signs of life but still lost 31-24 to the New England Patriots and look like they will very possibly go an entire season without winning a single game.


BCS Championship Will Feature SEC Rematch

• As opined on this site last week, this years college football title game will be a rematch of a general stinker from earlier in the year. The #2 Alabama Crimson Tide will this time travel to Louisiana to take on the #1 Louisiana State Tigers. Their November 5th matchup was a quite boring 9-6 victory by the Tigers. This is a highly controversial game because of the fact that Alabama already had a chance against LSU in the previous game while there are some other teams that seemingly have an argument to get their first chance against LSU (who is a unanimous #1).
• The Orange Bowl will feature the Big East Champion West Virginia Mountaineers vs the ACC champion Clemson Tigers. The Sugar Bowl will feature two wildcard teams with the Michigan Wolverines against the Virginia Tech Hokies. This is a bit of a surprise as the Hokies lost to Clemson this weekend in the ACC title game, Virginia Tech’s second loss to the Tigers this season.
• The Fiesta Bowl features presumptive Heisman Trophy winner Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal vs the Oklahoma State Cowboys (the Big 12 Champs). The final Bowl game will feature Pac 12 champions Oregon Ducks against the Big 10 champions Wisconsin Badgers.
• Update from Friday: We reported that if UCLA lost this weekend they would not be bowl eligible. Since then, they appealed this to the NCAA and were awarded bowl eligibility. They will be playing Illinois in the Kraft Fight Hunger bowl on December 31st.

December 2nd update

BCS: Big Confusing System

Note: Skip to bullet #2 if you're already familiar with the BCS system.
• Starting in 1998 college football went to a new system that set up a set of national championship games. This new system was coined the Bowl Championship Series (or BCS). A set of 4 games featured the winners of the 6 biggest (read: most profitable) conferences and two wild card teams (in 2006 a 5th game was added, adding 2 additional wild card teams). Over the past few years many people have had issues with the system saying it wasn’t a good representation of the best teams or it didn’t allow for smaller schools to get representation.
• The South Eastern Conference (SEC) has been the dominant conference in the BCS winning 7 of the 12 championships including the last 5 in a row. This year’s LSU and Alabama teams are currently ranked in the top 2 of the BCS. However, as they are in the same division only one (LSU) can play for the SEC championship (against Georgia this weekend) for that right. If LSU wins, they will most likely face Alabama in a rematch of their offensive explosion from earlier in the year. If LSU loses they will likely still play Alabama for the National Championship despite neither of them winning their own conference. If you’re confused, you’re not the only one.
• Of the other 5 major conferences, each of them sends their conference champion to one of the coveted BCS games. This year the Pac 12 championship features a team, UCLA, that can win their conference and go to a BCS game (and get all the money that comes along with it) with a 7-6 record. If UCLA loses the game they will be 6-7 and not be eligible for any bowl game. This situation makes even less sense than the SEC confusion scripted above. Additionally, the Big East’s presumptive champion, Louisville, is 7-5, but they will make a BCS game even with their mediocre record while teams with only one loss will likely be left out.
• College football is a jumbled mess that is beyond comical at this point. Why not just play a 3 or 4 round playoff that would occur during the regular bowl season? Here's a detailed look at how that scenario might look if it were in place this season.


Weekend Football Preview

• NCAA Conference Championship Games: In addition to the SEC and Pac 12 championship games listed above, the ACC championship game will feature #5 Virginia Tech taking on #20 Clemson. The Big 10’s championship game will feature #15 Wisconsin vs #13 Michigan State and the Big 12 Championship game will not happen this year because 12 teams are required and the no-longer appropriately named Big 12 only has 10 teams.
• The “Who Thought This Game Would Be Good” Game: Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers. The surprisingly competitive Cincinnati Bengals travel to Pittsburgh to take on the always Stout Steelers. The Bengals are 7-4 behind the power of their Rookie Quarterback and Wide Receiver (Andy Dalton and AJ Green) and their veteran Running Back (Cedric Benson). The Steelers defeated the Bengals 3 weeks ago and are looking for the season sweep.
• NFL Game of the Week: Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints – The Saints are coming off of a Monday Night Football clobbering of the New York Giants are looking to continue clicking against the Detroit Lions. The Lions, who lost their star Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh to a suspension, are looking to rebound after having lost 4 of their last 6 games after starting the season with 5 straight wins.


NBA stars on the move?

• With the NBA lockout finally resolved, the most entertaining part of the NBA other than the games can finally begin: Offseason player movement and the potential for big names to switch teams.
• Superstar PG Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets has stated that he will not sign a long term deal and since he only has one year left on his contract the Hornets may try to trade him in order to get something in return. He's been linked to the Boston Celtics in a trade for defensive wizard Rajon Rondo but both teams have denied that rumor. Paul has stated that he wants to play in New York with good friends Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony.
• Orlando Magic Center Dwight Howard is in a similar position as Paul with only one year remaining on his contract and the New Jersey Nets have expressed interest in trading for him, likely giving up two first round picks and young Center Robin Lopez in return.
• If it happened, the Howard deal could convince superstar PG Deron Williams to change his mind about opting out of his current deal with the Nets as it seems that NBA stars nowadays trend towards pairing up with other big names. It's also worth noting, however, that Williams could opt out of his deal and still sign with the Nets, presumably for more money under the new collective bargaining rules.