NFL Daily Presents: Week 10 Picks ATS

Where has this last week gone? Where have my picking skills ran off to? Right now, my right picks are harder to find than a win for the Rams and Dolphins, and a certain Osama character combined. Unlike Hillary, I have opinions so here we go. Matt Williamson and Keith Kidd share some insights, and hopefully a blanket here in the chilly NY area.

-Both the Steelers and Browns are riding higher than the Fightin Illini right now, but the spread is so large. Matt Williamson chimes in:
"I see PGH handling them pretty well...as always. Clev's D will be abused this Sunday vs. both the run and pass. Clev will score points, but I also see PGH getting to and rattling DA."
Williamson is from Pittsburgh, so we may be getting a bit of an overdose on the bias here (sorry, Len) but the defense may be too much for Mister Anderson (in Dr Evil voice) and I'll take the Steelers in double digits which will ultimately mean victory for Cleveland.
-The Redskins and Eagles both struggled last week, but I saw much more doom and gloom in Philly, where the Iggles smelled worse than rancid cheesesteaks in a blowout loss to Dallas. If Portis can establish the run early, the Skins will win easy. I'll take Washington plus the four.
-Let's try to simplify this for you, the Panthers can NOT win if they don't get Steve Smith the ball more. Keith Kidd has more:
"Obviously, in each game plan, the Panthers are trying to get the ball to Steve Smith. Teams are trying to take the running game away while doubling Smith on the outside. Other players need to step up and make plays to open things up for Smith."
So if the Carolina QB (Carr, Moore, or Vinny, yikes) can't get the terrible supporting cast on offense in the act, then Steve Smith can't do well. This seems like a recipe for disaster of subprime mortgage proportions. So I'm not that bullish about the Panthers chances, despite the fact that the Falcons make the Hawks into Atlanta sports gods. I'll take the Falcons here, and if that makes the Bobcats the kings in Charlotte, God help us all.
-Speaking of godly people, the Saints are on a roll and the Rams have their horns stuck in something prickly. While the spread is around 11 points, I'm a sucker, so give me N'awlins and pass some jumbalaya and rolaids. Brees and Bush are going to run wilder than Lindsey Lohan in a hit & run.
-Miami are only 2.5 point dogs to Marshawn Madness and the Bills? Excuse me? You could have Todd Boeckman QB'ing Buffalo to this win. Buffalo is hot, the Phins are subarctic and the Bills will romp.
-Imagine this scenario: San Diego loses and the winner of Broncos-Chiefs will at least have a share of first place in the AFC West. It's frighteningly possible in what could be the saddest thing since that Bill Callahan guy tried to coach football at Nebraska (wait! you're kidding! no way he's still coaching there, right?). Keith Kidd goes through this one:
"I like Kansas City at home. Obviously, this Broncos team is not very good. I think the Chiefs defense will do enough in this game to give their offense a shorter field and give them a chance to score more points."
The Broncos were humiliated in Detroit last week, and KC will probably be without Larry Johnson in this one. And if Damon Huard isn't good tomorrow, we could see some Brodie Croyle action. That makes me wonder whether Brodie's Bunch will succeed as a nickname, it just sounds weird like the entire Brady Bunch cast sleeping with each other (wait! you're kidding!). All joking aside, I think Denver will cover 5.5 this week.
-The Titans will battle the Jags in a battle of good defenses, but I think that Tennessee will cover the spread. I don't know if J-Ville can come back so quickly after their mauling at the hands of the Saints.
-Mike McCarthy is not an idiot like Norv Turner. He will stop AP at all costs, and the Vikings have no pass defense to stop Brett Favre and the Packers. Green Bay, in Lambeau, TD plus.
-What happens when your cross a Raven with a Jail Cat? A bad football game! Wow, I'm killin it tonight. Kidding aside, I don't see anyone doing well in this game besides for Willis McGahee, and therefore I will pick Baltimore as long as they don't turn it over more than the times Gardner-Webb upset Kentucky (once).
-I love the Cowboys, and I do think that the Giants can play them close for a while, but talent will prevail and Dallas will come away with it. Flozell Adams did a tremendous job on Trent Cole last week, and will do the same against Osi Umenyiora.
-Why are the Cardinals favored against Detroit? Am I missing something? Lions win big.
-Chicago needs a win over Oakland to save their season. Why do I think they'll choke like Bush on a pretzel? Hmm, maybe because Da Bears blow this year. Raiders in the upset.
-Addai, all night, Colts win, plus the 3.5. Phil Rivers will have a bad game and I will destroy Norv Turner on Tuesday. Can't wait.
-Seahawks and Niners, what a morbid MNF'er. First team to 10 wins, I'll take the Hawks.

NBA Today

Last night on TNT, Richard Jefferson came through with two late free throws to come back and keep Washington winless 87-85. The Nets are 4-1 and the Wizards are 0-5; Antawn Jamison had 24 and 9. The Bulls got their first win 97-93 over Detroit despite 36 and 9 from Rasheed Wallace. Tyrus Thomas scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Chicago. 4-1 Dallas got some revenge against 0-5 Golden State as six players hit double figures in a 120-115 win. Baron Davis scored 37 in the Warriors loss.

TV Schedule
Friday- Melo, AI and Denver go to DC to take on Gilbert Arenas and the winless Wizards 8pm ESPN. At 8:30, all of China will be watching as Yi battles Yao in Houston. LeBron and the Cavs go west to take on Kevin Martin and Sacramento 10:30pm ESPN.
Saturday- The Big 3 Battle goes down in New Jersey as Kidd, Carter, Jefferson and the Nets take on Pierce, Allen, Garnett and Boston at 7:30 on NBATV.
Sunday- Respect your veterans. Detroit goes to Seattle to battle Durant and the Sonics at 9pm on NBATV.
Monday- LeBron and Cleveland continue their west quest as they head to Denver against Melo and the Nuggets. 9pm NBATV.
Tuesday- Kobe and the Lakers head deep in the heart of Texas to take on Tim Duncan and the Spurs 8:30pm on NBATV.
Wednesday- Watch Kobe take on all the Texas teams as they go to Houston to battle Yao, T-Mac and the Rockets 9pm ESPN.
Thursday- The best in the west play on TNT as San Antonio plays Dallas at 8, followed by Nash and the Suns hosting the Bulls at 10:30.

News
-Nene will be out 6 weeks with a thumb injury. Amare will play tonight for Phoenix against Miami. Chris Webber could go to Cleveland. Yao-Yi ratings in China could be higher than the Super Bowl. Milwaukee sent 2nd round pick rookie Ramon Sessions down to Tulsa of the D-League.

College Hoops Weekend Preview

Last night's scores, and a look at all the major teams and matchups for both Friday and Saturday as the season really gets into gear.

-In Norman, Denver held on with a 76-75 OT win over East Central. The Pioneers will play the Sooners, who got 18 and 13 from Freshman Blake Griffin and beat San Francisco 71-55. Dior Lowhorn scored 26 and grabbed 7 rebounds for the Dons. In Storrs, Morgan State beat Ohio Valley 77-66, and UConn got 24 from AJ Price in their 82-57 rout of Buffalo.

Friday Focus
Already today, Brown opened up its season with a 74-55 win at Eastern Michigan. In Cedar Rapids at 4:15 in the Basketball Travelers Classic, UMass opens it season against Cal Poly. 15 minutes later, Rick Majerus makes his Saint Louis coaching debut against UNCA&T. At 5, Boston U opens up at home against A-10's St Bonaventure. Bowling Green takes on Western Carolina in Cincinnati. San Francisco takes on East Central at 5 in the consolation game in Norman. At 6, Georgia Tech opens its season at home against UNC-Greensboro. Iowa State's Cyclone Challange begins at 6:30 when Centenary battles Lipscomb. At 7, Florida State opens up against Nicholls State. Also at 7, USF opens with Cleveland State, Towson hosts Loyola (MD), Michigan plays Radford, and Duke hosts NC Central. Also at 7pm, Wake hosts Fairfield, Fordham at Columbia, and New Mexico State at Ohio on Full Court. Drexel battles Penn, Pitt opens their tournament against Houston Baptist, Villanova hosts Stony Brook, VaTech hosts Elon, and FAU takes on Rhode Island in the Glen Wilkes Classic. The 7pm games continue with Butler playing Ball State,and finishes with a good match as Vermont plays at George Mason. At 7:30, Rutgers hosts Tennessee Tech, Miami and Charlotte open their respective seasons, UCSB plays Northwestern State in the BTC in Stanford, and Tennessee with Chris Lofton and co open up at home against Temple on Full Court. At 8, Florida raises its banner against North Dakota State (Full Court), DePaul plays at Creighton, and Denver finishes the opening part of the CVC against Oklahoma. Texas A&M opens up, Alabama hosts Troy (Full Court), Kansas is on Full Court, and Cincy, Davidson, K-State, South Carolina, and Arkansas all open at 8pm. At 8:30, Liberty plays SDSU in the World Vision Classic in Fresno. At 9, New Mexico is at Colorado, Georgia opens up, and Iowa State plays in their tournament. Utah, Iowa, Auburn plays at Tulane, and Northern Iowa plays in the BTC in Cedar Rapids. OK State and Wazzu start their campaigns at 9:30. Stanford hosts Harvard in the BTC, and UCLA hosts Portland State at 10:30.
Saturday Schedule
Georgetown hosts William & Mary at Noon. At 2, GW and Dayton open up, and Texas Tech opens up on Full Court. At 3, Minnesota and Ole Miss open up. At 4, USC, BC, Pitt plays in their tourney, and Belmont takes on Bowling Green in Cincy. Houston Baptist plays Saint Louis in Pittsburgh at 6:30, and UMass plays Northern Illinois in Cedar Rapids.
7pm
Hofstra @ Holy Cross, Albany @ Bucknell, Western Carolina @ Cincy, Pepperdine @ Oregon (WVI), Missouri State @ Toledo,
8pm
Bradley @ UIC, Rider @ Murray State, Austin Peay @ Vanderbilt, UAB @ Georgia State
8:30pm
IUPUI @ Marquette (Full Court), Liberty @ Fresno State (WVI),
The Rest- Western Michigan takes on Pacific at 9:30 in the WVI in Eugene. At 10, Stanford hosts Northwestern State in the BTC, and Portland takes on SDSU in Fresno.

College Hoops Thursday

Obviously, the CH world is abuzz over Gardner-Webb's shocking triumph over Kentucky last night. I'll go through that game with Andy Katz of ESPN, and talk about the other games from last night (yes, there were other games) and tonight's games as the wild Coaches vs Cancer Classic continues.

-First in football it was Appy State over Michigan, now just 109 miles away the Gardner-Webb Runnin Bulldogs win at Rupp Arena, and did it in convincing fashion. G-Webb got off to a jaw dropping 14-0 lead, and that advantage was never less than 7 points the rest of the way. Webb got 22 points from Grayson Flittner, and 21 and 10 from Thomas Sanders in this enormous upset. Ramel Bradley scored 24 for UK, but it wasn't enough as Gardner-Webb stormed into Rupp Arena and just flat out attacked Billy Gillispie's defense. Andy Katz has more of the factors that went into this upset:
"I saw the second half and I concur with GWebb coach Rick Scruggs. The Bulldogs attacked, attacked and attacked. The backdoor cuts they put in were perfect. This was a classic case of a team that had been together for at least a year, playing a team in Kentucky that was still figuring itself out under its new coach. Also, Kentucky is still limited in numbers with Derrick Jasper out."
So even if a team was bad the previous year, just that experience together coupled with great coaching can lead to a shocker like this. So the Bulldogs will be at MSG next week.
-At the first game in Storrs, Greg Gamble scored 25 points as Buffalo escaped with an 89-82 win over DII Ohio Valley. It'll be UConn next for the Bulls, who struggled to a 69-65 win over Morgan State. Jerome Dyson had 20 for the Huskies, and Curtis Kelly chipped in with 13 and 9 off the bench. Reggie Holmes scored 18 off the bench for the Golden Bears. In the consolation game in Lexington, Durrell Nevels had 13 points and got 20 boards as Central Arkansas came up with a 69-59 win over Alabama A&M. Defensive freak Mickell Gladness had 8 boards and 9 blocks in the loss.
-Today, the CvsC begins in Norman with East Central (who?) taking on Denver at 5:30. The Pioneers went 4-25 in the Sun Belt last year, and returns Soph Guard Tyler Bullock who averaged 11 points last year. At 6 in Storrs, Morgan State takes on Ohio Valley, which also happens to be a conference (confusing no?). The at 8, the Dons of San Francisco battle Oklahoma. The Dons went 13-18 in the WCC last year, and are led by combo Guard Manny Quezeda, who averaged just over 13 points per game last season. The Sooners were a disappointing 16-15 last season, and are led by Freshman sensation Blake Griffin. UConn and Buffalo will finish off the night at 9pm on ESPNU.

Connecticut 69, Morgan State 65

The UConn Huskies opened their season with a scare on Wednesday, barely scraping out a win against Morgan State. The unranked Huskies missed the postseason altogether last season, but tonight they showed some flashes of NCAA tournament-caliber talent. All those underclassmen from last year's team return, and they have a lot of talent with a year or two already under their belts. Morgan State kept it close, but I'm not too worried about UConn. They're defense was very impressive. Their offense will probably improve as the season goes on. Jeff Adrien continues to prove he is one of the better players in the big east, and he finished with 12 and 10. Jim Calhoun's squad will play Buffalo tomorrow night.

SEC Basketball Preview

I'm gonna start the college basketball preview with the SEC. I'll give a preview of each major conference plus a preview of the top mid-majors.

SEC All-Conference First Team
G- Chris Lofton (Tennessee)
G- Jamont Gordon (Mississippi State)
G- Patrick Beverly (Arkansas)
F- Shan Foster (Vanderbilt)
F- Charles Rhodes (Mississippi State)
Second Team
G- Sundiata Gaines (Georgia)
G- Joe Crawford (Kentucky)
G- Devan Downey (South Carolina)
F- Tasmin Mitchell (LSU)
F- Richard Hendrix (Alabama)


SEC All-Newcomer Team
G- Devan Downey (South Carolina)
G- Nick Calathes (Florida)
F- Tyler Smith (Tennessee)
F- Patrick Patterson (Kentucky)
C- Andrew Ogilvy (Vanderbilt)

Newcomer of the Year: Nick Calathes (Florida)- this guard out of the state of Florida can do a lot, and he'll make a big impact for a new Gators team. Runner up: Patrick Patterson (Kentucky)

Defensive player of year: Steven Hill (Arkansas)- Hill was the Defensive Player of Year last year in the SEC, so he's gotta be the favorite this year. He'll be a big presence in the middle for John Pelphrey's club. Runner Up: Devan Downey (South Carolina)

Player of Year: Chris Lofton (Tennessee)- Lofton is one of the best shooters in the country, from anywhere on the floor. He'll make clutch shots from 26 feet or from the free throw line. He will be a national player of the year candidate, and he will be a tough matchup in the SEC. Runner up: Jamont Gordon (Mississippi State)

Coach of the Year: Billy Donovan (Florida)- After flirting with the Orlando Magic coaching job, Donovan elected to stay in Gainesville to build on his dynasty. The top 6 players are gone from the Gators' magical back-to-back titles run, but Donovan brings in the number 1 recruiting class in the country. Donovan has proven to be one of the top coaches in the country and will get the most out of this inexperienced squad. Runner up: Bruce Pearl (Tennessee)

Postseason Predictions
SEC East
1. Tennesee- NCAA
2. Kentucky- NCAA
3. Florida- NCAA
4. Vanderbilt- NIT
5. Georgia- none
6. South Carolina- none
SEC West
1. Arkansas- NCAA
2. Mississippi State- NCAA
3. Alabama- NIT
4. LSU- NIT
5. Auburn- none
6. Ole Miss- none

Around The Majors- Wednesday

A lot of little notes and rumors filling the big picture.

-ESPN's Jerry Crsanick is at the GM Meetings, and has said that the Angels are the front runners for A-Rod. The A's are the likely suitors for Barry Bonds.
-Angels OF Gary Matthews met with baseball officials about HGH allegations. If the hunt's taken out of the witch hunt, then it's just a witch isn't it?
-In the worst kept secret since Watergate, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the Braves are interested in Tom Glavine. Wow, that was hard to admit. I guess y'all can hold the novacane, it's done.
-The Rangers still owe 9 million over 3 years for A-Rod, just think of it as a greedy and self centered mortgage.
-Juan Uribe signed a 1 year, 4.5 million dollar contract with the White Sox.
-The Mets resigned Marlon Anderson for 2 years and decline the option for Jose Valentin.
-The Yankees, Indians, and White Sox among others are interested in Miguel Cabrera according to various sources.
-Jorge Posada wants a 4 year deal worth 60 million and Mariano Rivera wants 3 for 45 says the Bergen Record.
-Kenny Rogers will likely return to Detroit next year, according to the Detroit Free Press.
-The Dodgers and Phillies are interested in Japanese pitcher Hiroki Kuroda. (Philadelphia and LA Daily News)
-The Giants are close to resigning Omar Vizquel, says the San Francisco Chronicle.
-The Kansas City Star reports that the Royals are still interested in Jose Guillen despite the recent allegations.
-Andrew Mongelluzzi, the agent for Paul Lo Duca said that the Mets led him to believe that he's not the team's top catching priority. (NY Post)
-Many teams are asking the Rangers about Gerald Laird and Hank Blalock. (Dallas Morning News)
-The Tampa Tribune reports that the Rays are up for any offer, and the Twins are interested in Rocco Baldelli.
-The Cubs are interested in Kaz Matsui, says the Denver Post. Colorado is interested in Brett Tomko.
-The Red Sox could go with a six man rotation next season, according to the Boston Herald.

College Hoops Wednesday

Recaps from yesterday, and a preview for today as the Coaches vs Cancer Classic continues its regional phase.

In Lexington, Gardner-Webb got off to a 34-23 halftime lead and won the game over Alabama A&M 69-55 in the first round. Mickell Gladness had 8 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 blocks in the loss. Aaron Linn had 24 in the win for G-W.
In the consolation game in Memphis, Tennessee-Martin edged Maine 66-62 behind 31 points and 6 rebounds from Lester Hudson. Two other players reached double figures for the Skyhawks. The Black Bears had 4 players in double figures, led by 14 and 6 from Brian Andre.
In the main attraction at Rupp Arena, Joe Crawford scored 20 off the bench to lead Kentucky to a big 67-40 win over Central Arkansas in the UK coaching debut for Billy Gillispie. The Wildcats still need some work.
Richmond hung really tough with Memphis in the first half, but fabulous freshman Derrick Rose rose to the occassion and scored 21 points and had 5 points as the Tigers pulled away from the Spiders 80-63 to capture the Memphis regional. Chris Douglas-Roberts had 19 and 9 in the win. David Gonzalvez had 25 in the loss for Richmond.

The Storrs regional opens up today at 4pm as DII Ohio Valley battles Buffalo. The Bulls of the MAC went 12-19 last year, but were 12th in the nation in rebounding margin. SG Andy Robinson averaged 10 points last year, and is their best returning player.
Next up is the consolation game in Lexington as Alabama A&M faces Central Arkansas.
The main event in Storrs has Morgan State playing the hosts the UConn Huskies at 7pm on ESPNU. The Golden Bears went 13-18 but competed for the MEAC title last year. 6'3 senior Guard Jamar Smith averaged 13 and 5 last year and shot 36% from beyond the arc. UConn missed the tournament last year in a rebuilding year, but coach Jim Calhoun has high hopes for this season. They went 17-14, and are once again led by Jeff Adrien and Andre Dyson.
The Lexington final is at 9pm on ESPNU as Kentucky battles Gardner-Webb.

NFL Daily Presents: Analytical Assault Week 9

Flying solo like Jets wins, this is SOS AKA the Assault Man giving you the week's best, worst, and Ravens.

Flash Forward
"The Transexual Circus"
"millions of doses of Paxil and Zoloft are being sent to the Cincnatti area"
"and I don't mean that in a Manny Ramirez or a Dennis Kucinich way"
"does Norv wake up in the morning and try to be a moron?"
"like A-Rod rips up contracts"


-Goreless, the 49ers are a terrible team. They had a college QB at RB, and Michael Robinson could have played better than Alex Smith on Sunday. The lack of a rushing attack forced the regressing Alex Smith to throw a whopping 38 times with 3 picks, and was so bad that he made Joey Harrington look like Bart Starr. Warrick Dunn was the difference in this one, as was four Frisco turnovers that made it easy for Atlanta to win, which is of course vital in any rare Falcons victory. Usually two teams that can't score under the big top would be called The Transexual Circus, in the ATL, they call it football. I never thought I'd say this, but stick to the Hawks.
-The Bills are headed up, and the Bengals are headed for a large decline. Cincy ran the ball 17 times for 28 yards, and Chad Johnson was carted off the field. Sucks to be y'all. Carson Palmer is amazing, but he can't do it all himself. But a good running game and playing with effort opens things up. Promising tailback Marshawn Lynch ran for a buck fifty three and a TD and threw for a score. That opened it up for JP Losman to lob it deep for Lee Evans, who looked great. Big ups for Dick Jauron, who has this team competing for a postseason berth and is revitalizing the Wing City. Meanwhile, rumor has it that millions of doses of Paxil and Zoloft are being sent to the Cincinatti area, and Marvin Lewis is spending a lot of time on Monster and CareerBuilder.
-It was just one of those days for the Broncos, when your QB gets hurt and you're team gets dominated in every facet of the game. You get beat to the tune of 44-7. Mike Martz will be the coach in Cincy next season, and Rod Marinelli should be a legit Coach of the Year candidate. I won't go much further in ridiculing Denver, they're just a rebuilding project this year. Four turnovers against a top notch O always spells trouble.
-Dare I say the Tennessee Titans have the best defense in the National Football League. And I'm beginning to appreciate what Jake Delhomme meant to this Carolina team, because not only is David Carr playing like rat feces, Steve Smith had 3 catches for 15 yards! Inexcusable! Just throw it deep and let him catches, he needs the ball in his hands by any means necessary. Vince Young has definitely regressed this year, but his defense is so good that they don't need his theatrics to win. LenDale White had a good game, but the Panthers aren't playing competetive football right now.
-Brett Favre is special, and I don't mean that in a Manny Ramirez or a Dennis Kucinich way. he threw another game winning bomb to Greg Jennings, and then a pick six thrown by Damon Huard sealed the deal. Green Bay is 7-1 without a running game, that to me is amazing. And the Chiefs played well, they just happened to have been witnessing greatness. They were just in awe like the Pistons were at LeBron in last year's east finals. Let the ride continue for Green Bay, it puts a smile on everyone's faces.
-Norv Turner had to game plan for one person, and failed at a historically miserable rate. I wonder what went on at meetings.....
"Well the Vikings have no QB or receivers, so I guess we should stop their running back. Oh wait, wouldn't that make sense, maybe we should just act like idiots and not focus on Adrian Peterson even though he's the only talented player they have on offense. God, I'm brilliant!"
I mean, does Norv wake up in the morning and try to be a moron? If Peterson is running it 30 times at almost 10 yards a carry, you do whatever it takes to stop him. Put 11 guys in the box for God's sake. Considering the starting QB left the game after 12 throws, I wonder what they were gonna do. Phil Rivers is not a good QB when he throws it more than 30 times, he trew it 42 times, the Bolts lost by 18. LT couldn't get going, but AP made up for his production. Too bad Peterson's talent is being wasted this season.
-Someone has lit a fire under Drew Brees' behind, because he's playing unbelievable right now. The Jaguars defense is tough and physical, but Brees tore it up like A-Rod rips up contracts. 35/49 for 445 and 3 TD's? That looks like VooDoo stats to me. Bush and Colston were great, and soap opera superstar Quinn Gray had to throw 33 times, which will always result in a loss. But can the Saints keep up this streak, and can J-Ville get it together in their quest for a WC spot?
-For the great team people say the Redskins have, they certainly don't blow bad teams out. But give credit to them for sticking to their game plan despite being down 17-3. Portis was excellent to offset the mediocre Jason Campbell, and Shaun Suisham knocked five field goals through including the OT winner. But Kellen Clemens and the Jets played well, and they probably would have won if not for some dropped passes in crunch time. But the Jets are tanking while looking competetive, which is certainly the way to go when you sport a 1-7 record. Props to them on that one. The slate gets tough for Washington, and they gotta pick up their play.
-The Bucs may not make it look pretty, but Jon Gruden gets his team ready, and Tampa is getting it done and they hold a division lead right now. They've been riding Earnest Graham recently, and he rushed for 124 and Jeff Garcia guided them to an amazing 12-21 on third downs. Kurt Warner was 10/30, which may be the worst QB performance of the season. That includes some Tarvaris and Harrington games. Rumor has it that to make fun of Warner, his wife Brenda practiced with the team, closed her eyes and completed 11 of 30. This of course if just a rumor. But it's either Warner, Tim Rattay, or they'll bring in Denny Green to throw passes. It could be a long rest of the year for the Cards if they have QB play like that.
-I have underestimated the Cleveland Browns. They could have felt bad for themselves in Seattle when they were down 21-6 in the 2nd quarter, but Coach of the Year candidate Romeo Crennel must have said something, because Cleveland came out playing passionate football and Jamal Lewis ran for 3 of his 4 TD's in the 2nd half to force OT and get the win. Derek Anderson is emerging as a top 10 QB, and Kellen Winslow was the main target. In an unbelievably easy NFC West, the Seahawks could have gotten bigtime separartion but failed. Who'd have thunk that the Browns would be in a position to claim a playoff spot? Put your hand down!
-The Colts had the Patriots on the ropes, but it seemes like their defense wore down late and New England gained control of the line of scrimmage and got two quick TD's to escape with the win. Each team had a player that impressed. Joseph Addai was rediculous in the first half, but Randy Moss was the star of the show in the 4th quarter. The Pats came through in crunch time, but a potential playoff game in New England is very winnable for Indy if they can pound it with Addai. It's like the Colts are the old Pats and the Pats are the old Colts. How weird is that?
-Rising from the depths of the earth to the Black Hole, the unlikely dynamic duo of Sage Rosenfels and Ron Dayne led the Texans to a huge first half, and they held off the Raiders in the 4th. If you're an Oakland fan and got beat by those two, hang your head in shame and/or go into hiding for 48 hours. Josh McCown made people screaming for any of their old QB's which includes Daunte Culpepper, Andrew Walter, Kerry Collins, Aaron Brooks, and Billy Beane. Well, maybe I made up that last one. Justin Fargas was good, but Ron and Sage were too much. Ron and Sage, gotta love that combo.
-In the 4th quarter at the Linc, it seemed like there were more people watching in my den (me) than there were in all of Philly. The Cowboys just straight up dominated then, and T.O. must have been higher than if he would have spent a week with the Williamses Ricky and Montell. Romo was really good, and Dallas gets a big confidence boost going to the Meadowlands.
-No Baltimore, this isn't a nightmare. Nobody will wake you up and tell you that everything is fine. As Shaq would likely say, the Ravens played horriawful. They turned it over, giving Big Ben a short field to work with to pick apart B'More's depleted secondary. Roehtlisberger threw it 16 times and had 5 TD's. James Harrison had a dream game, and the Steelers won big on their legends/throwback night. And Brian Billick's seat is once again warm.

College Hoops Tuesday

Analysis from last night's games and a preview of today's action as the Coaches vs Cancer Classic continues.
Memphis was in trouble a bit early, but they pulled away bigtime in the 2nd half against Tennessee-Martin. SOS College Hoops analyst Ilan Katz has the recap of the Tigers triumph:

The Memphis Tigers opened their season tonight with a 102-71 victory over Tennessee-Martin. Playing without their top big man Joey Dorsey, Memphis looked sloppy in the 1st half. They didn't have too many turnovers, but they let up a lot of threes and were down at one point by as many as 7. On the offensive end they couldn't hit a 3 as they shot 31% from long range and missing 24 treys. Highly touted freshman Derrick Rose was as good as advertised. He finished with 17 points on 8-16 shooting to go with 6 rebounds and 5 assists (he would have had at least 10 had his teammates hit some shots). He also had 2 blocks, one of them on the fast break after his lone turnover of the came. he caught up from behind and swatted it off the backboard and then led the fast break. This kid is really special. But Memphis as a whole had me a little worried. Their outside shooting has got to improve for them to be a national title contender. Other than that, this team showed tonight why it is ranked #3 in the nation in both major polls.

Memphis will battle the Richmond Spiders in the 2nd round as David Gonzalvez sunk two free throws with 3.6 seconds left in a 44-42 win over Maine. He led all scorers with 15 along with 4 rebounds. Black Bears Guard Mark Scobey had 14 points and 10 boards in the loss. Maine will play Tennessee-Martin in round two. Texas State beat DII Concordia 131-96 in exhibition play.

Today at 4pm from Lexington, Gardner-Webb takes on Alabama A&M in more CVC round one play. The Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs of the A-Sun went 9-21 last year and are led by 6'3 senior Thomas Sanders, who averaged 11 points and 7 rebounds last season. The Alabama A&M Bulldogs of the SWAC went 10-20 last year, but feature one of the nation's best defensive players. 6'11 senior Mickell Gladness averaged 7.6 points and 7.6 rebounds, but led the nation in blocks per game with an astounding 6.3 per contest. A&M returns all five of their starters.
At 6pm from Memphis, Maine will face Tennessee-Martin in the consolation game. The Skyhawks got 35 points and 10 rebounds from Guard Lester Hudson last night. At 7pm on ESPNU, Kentucky has their season opener at home against Central Arkansas. The Wildcats went 22-12 last season and are now led by head coach Billy Gillispie. They have the players to compete for the SEC title. They battle Central Arkansas Bears of the Southland conference. Clemson hosts Augusta tonight in exhibition action. Memphis hosts Richmond at 9pm tonight on ESPNU

Around The Majors- Monday

-The GM meetings are going on in Orlando, but most of the major news today wasn't being made there. On a stage in center field in Chavez Ravine, Joe Torre was formally introduced as Dodgers manager. He was flanked by Tommy Lasorda and Vin Scully, which would seem like a lot of pressure for most people until you realize that The Boss was constantly breathing down Joe's neck for over a decade. If familiarity breeds contempt, then there'll be a whole lot of that in the dugout as Don Mattingly and Larry Bowa will go with Torre to the Los Angeles staff.
-Nobody wanted the Pirates job. It got so bad, that they had to hire someone (John Russell) they just fired two years earlier. The former Pittsburgh 3rd base coach is now manager. This is the sign of a world class organization. Russell is certainly talking the talk:
"There are a lot of areas in which we can improve, but we have the pieces here to win games. And we're here to win."
After 15 consecutive losing seasons, one would wonder where the Pirates were the last decade and a half, because they were certainly not there to win.
"It's being a tireless instructor, it's being a tireless communicator," Said GM Neal Huntington, who reminded me more of a Goodyear salesman than someone who's running a baseball team. Neal then went for some baseballspeak:
"It's instilling pride and expecting things to be done the right way. It's holding the staff accountable and the players accountable."
-Something that did happen in Orlando, according to ESPN's Buster Olney was the Padres' agreement with Greg Maddux on a 1 year, 10 million dollar deal which also made agent Scott Boras richer. Ca-ching.
-Given Scott Rolen's murky relationship with Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, the third bagger could waive his no-trade clause, according to the St Louis Post Dispatch. A Pinstriped light has just gone off in my head.
-Add Seattle to the list of teams that could be after A-Rod, says the New York Daily News. Ah, sweet irony.
-The Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers are all interested in Coco Crisp says the Boston Herald.
-Richie Sexson and Pat Burrell are on the block, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.
-According to the St Petersburg Times, Kevin Costner's band will perform when the Rays unveil their new logo, colors, and uniforms which will maintain their images as complete failures.

College Hoops Opening Day

It's finally here at long last, and there are three games to get to. Richmond of the A-10 went 8-22 last year but return four starters led by 6'9 Soph Dan Geriot. They open up the season at Memphis in the Coaches vs Cancer Classic at 4pm against Maine. The middling America East school went 12-18 last year and have a starting lineup of players no shorter than 6'5. That's followed by the hosts and 3rd ranked Memphis taking on Tennessee-Martin at 7pm on ESPNU. The Skyhawks of the Ohio Valley conference went 8-23 last year and are led by 6'9 senior Gerald Robinson who led TM in points and rebounds last year. They'll face the tough task of facing John Calipari's Tigers, who reached the Elite 8 last season going 33-4 and return all 5 starters. This should be a blowout but It'll be good to see how good this Tigers team can be. They ripped through C-USA last year and will start their campaign off tonight. Then it will be a non Coaches game with Texas State hosting non Division I school Concordia (TX). Texas State was an awful 9-20 last year in the Southland conference but return 4 starters under first year head coach Doug Davalos. So get ready for a couple of exciting games today, and more will come tomorrow.

The Most Powerful Man In Baseball

If I had to give you a few guesses on who the most powerful man in Baseball is, you would likely guess a top player, manager, or executive. But uberagent Scott Boras has changed the economic landscape of the sport, and will continue to get his star players outlandishly lavish contracts. Just the name Scott Boras makes Baseball General Managers cringe like the year “1918” used to make Red Sox fans squirm, and his domination of player contracts range from the top in Alex Rodriguez, all the way down to the annual amateur draft.
Scott Boras is the agent to numerous baseball stars, and has obtained gigantic contracts for Baseball’s best and for the ridiculously overrated. Any man that can get nine million dollars for Jeff Weaver and 70 million bucks for oft-injured JD Drew has to be supremely powerful. Boras clients have received the largest contracts in Major League history, from getting 10 years and 252 million for Alex Rodriguez in 2001 to the pitching record 7 year, 126 million dollar deal Barry Zito got at the end of 2006. Boras also hauled in the first 100 million dollar contract when top starter Kevin Brown signed a 7 year 105 million dollar deal with the Dodgers after the 1998 season. His exploitation of all 30 Major League teams for maximum deals for his players has caused numerous teams to increase payroll and ticket prices, and the hatred of officials and fans alike.
Another facet of Boras’ power is that the teams that sign his players usually win, and win big. Soon after the Tigers signed Boras clients Magglio Ordonez, Pudge Rodriguez, and Kenny Rogers they reached the World Series in 2006. And this year’s champions the Boston Red Sox have six clients on their roster including Drew, reliever Eric Gagne, Japanese star hurler Daisuke Matsuzaka, and team captain Jason Varitek. The Mets earned instant success after inking Carlos Beltran and trading for Carlos Delgado; both star players had their deals negotiated by Boras. The list of All-Star players represented by Boras is almost endless, and he’ll continue to get huge contracts for his players, and teams will constantly be at his mercy for the foreseeable future.
But Boras’ powerful scope goes all the way down to the top amateur players looking for top dollar. It started in 1984 when he got top prospect Tim Belcher an unthinkable 150 thousand dollar signing bonus, and continues today when he got a record 7.28 million dollar bonus for pitcher Rick Porcello, who had just graduated High School. Boras has had such an impact on the draft, that M.L.B. instituted a recommended draft pick bonus slotting system so that Boras wouldn’t be able to control where young players go. In the past, teams that owned the top selection would not be able to draft the best player, because Boras would get more money out of that player than that team could afford. And despite the institution of the slotting system, Boras still exploited all the teams for top dollar as Porcello and Andrew Brackman went lower in the draft to richer teams because the top clubs couldn’t pay their large bonuses.
Most of the free world despises Scott Boras, but his clients absolutely swear by him. In a 2004 article in SI, JD Drew admitted that many people will badmouth his agent, but Drew admires Boras because he has to work through all that adversity.
"You hear, 'Hey, this guy is this and that.' But Scott understands that he's going to have to be the bad guy sometimes, and he takes a lot of the heat.''
Scott Boras also prepares for his negotiations like noone else. In preparation for his upcoming negotiations with A-Rod, Boras wrote a book on how Rodriguez is the greatest player in baseball history who not only could shatter Hank Aaron’s all time home run record, but also break Pete Rose’s mark for career hits. Boras wrote a similar 80 page book on Rodriguez that netted him his 252 million dollar contract, and he wrote a book for prospective teams on Barry Zito that allowed the former Oakland lefty to sign a 126 million dollar contract with the Giants. He has always said that preparation is key in negotiations for his dozens of superstars, and he gets cash for his clients like no other agent in the history of sports.Boras was villified last week by hundreds of media outlets for announcing Alex Rodriguez’s free agency just as Boston was about to capture the World Series, but I believe that the announcement made was one of Boras’ best moves he ever made. Boras knew that he would take a big hit with the announcement, but he was able to upstage the climax of the Major League season to get attention for his clients, which is exactly what he wanted. From the World Series, to baseball’s overall economy, all the way down to his domination of the amatuer draft, Boras dominates and conquers all that he sees and does and is undoubtedly the most powerful man in Baseball