FOOTBALL

In college football, even though he won’t be a first round pick, Tim Tebow has been the talk of the draft.  Sure, Tebow is one of the best college players of all time, but many don’t think his game will translate to the pro-level.  To add to this, Tebow didn’t even perform well on the Wunderlich test (which assesses quarterbacks intellectual abilities).  Vince Young was famous for failing this back in 2006.  Nobody knows who will nab Tebow or how long he will stay in the NFL.  However, that didn’t stop the league from inviting him to the draft.  This… will be awkward.  Tebow can probably expect at least a few rounds to go by before anybody calls his name.  This means that the cameras will constantly do updates on him, and it should be nothing but embarrassing for him and his family.  Let’s hope SOMEONE takes him so he doesn’t become the first player at the draft NOT drafted.

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And in the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers were hoping to win an easy home game against Indiana.  If they did, they would clinch the Central division.  But the Pacers wouldn’t make it easy.  In fact, they led most of the game behind stellar nights from big men Troy Murphy and Roy Hibbert (19 and 20 points respectively).  But then, LeBron turned into LeBron and went into “There’s no way we’re losing this game mode”.  He finished the night with 32 points as the Cavs powered back to beat the Pacers.  The win gives them the Central crown, and they will most likely nab the #1 seed soon.  Cleveland 99, Indiana 94.

Finally, today marks the start of March Madness.  So make sure you fill out your brackets.  Of course, nobody can complete a perfect bracket, but the odds on favorite is Kansas.  They’ve got, most likely, 6 future NBA players, and were ranked #1 for most of the season.  However, Kansas is easily in the toughest division, which includes #2 Ohio State (home to the NCAA player of the year, Evan Turner) and #3 Georgetown (who was an early season favorite to make the final four).  This year is going to be fun!

GOLF

It’s pretty close to official that Tiger Woods has decided upon a comeback day.  It looks like Tiger will be joining the best of the best for THE MASTERS.  He’ll have the next month to practice and get back into top form, but it’s curious to see whether he’ll be… good.  How will the field accept him?  Will they boo him?  Will anybody applaud if he hits a 12 foot putt?  Remember, he never got truly injured physically, except for his minor injuries suffered during his car accident.  He’s still the same dominant Tiger.  The question is… can he keep himself together mentally, as golf is just as much mental as it is physical.  Concentration is paramount.  This will be fascinating.

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And in the NBA, the Denver Nuggets were looking to get back on track after losing a nail-biter to Houston.  It wouldn’t be too hard either, as they played host to the lowly Wizards.  The most notable aspect of this game was their coach, George Karl, was back on the sidelines.  He had to go through several cancer treatments during their road trips, and the team was happy to have him back.  Carmelo Anthony put on a show for the Nuggets crowd, posting 29 points and 12 rebounds, and the Nuggets truly look like a championship contender right now.  Watch out Lakers!  Denver 97, Washington 87.

Finally, yesterday was the annual first game of the NCAA tournament.  Um, yeah, most people don’t know that.  For the past decade, the NCAA has allowed 65 teams into the tourney, with a play-in game on Tuesday between the 2 worst automatic bids.  This year that distinction went to Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Winthrop.  It may not be a big deal to us, but to these little guys, it means everything.  Well Arkansas-Pine Bluff came to play last night, and got a solid 14-point effort from Allen Smith.  They beat Winthrop handily, and now get to go the REAL Big Dance.  Their prize… #1 seed Duke.  Can they be the first #16 seed to beat a #1 seed? Arkansas Pine-Bluff 61, Winthrop 44.

FOOTBALL

Well, the Brady Quinn mystery didn’t last long.  It was uncertain which team would even want the Browns former golden-boy quarterback, but… it looks like a team felt he was useful.  The Denver Broncos decided to bring him in as a back-up to Kyle Orton.  Orton’s future is also in limbo with the Bronco organization.  He had a serviceable season last year, and even got Denver off to a surprising 6-0 start, but it’s still no guarantee he will be taking the snaps in 2010.  Quinn will surely be a back-up, but current Denver coach Josh McRoberts is a former QB coach, and perhaps he thinks he can mold Quinn into an effective weapon.  We shall see.

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In the NBA, with the end of the Dallas Mavericks win streak this weekend, the longest win streak belongs to the Denver Nuggets.  Denver only trails the Lakers for the #1 seed by 3 games.  Well the new-look Houston Rockets were hoping to stop the red-hot Nuggets.  They got off to a big lead, but in the second half, the Nuggets came surging back behind an amazing 45-POINT night from Carmelo Anthony. But, with just 2.5 seconds to go, tied at 123, Rockets point-guard Aaron Brooks hit a beautiful jump shot from above the foul line to give the Rockets the win.  He finished with 31 points.  Brooks is developing into an all-star for the Rockets, and to think they initially sent him to the D-League.  Houston 125, Denver 123.

Finally, Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas gave a very interesting interview to Esquire magazine about his suspension for the rest of the season for pulling a gun on a teammate.  In it, he mentions that he should have been punished, and that everything that he got he deserved.  He even said he felt he let down recently deceased Wizards owner Abe Polin.  In fact, when the incident happened, Arenas called Polin’s wife saying he would have had to call Abe to apologize, and so he intended to show Abe’s wife the same respect.  He concluded by weighing in on the Tiger Woods scandal, opining that he only thinks of Tiger as an amazing golfer — that his personal life was of no interest to him.  He sums this up by saying he has 3 Tiger Woods video games for XBox, and there is no picture on the cover of Tiger walking with his wife — “he’s just hitting shots”, Arenas said.

The major headlines in sports over the weekend circled all sports.

FOOTBALL

And in the NFL, things just keep getting worse for former golden boy Brady Quinn.  The Browns have already brought in QB Seneca Wallace from Seattle, and on Saturday, they brought in a BIG gun — signing long-time Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme.  Delhomme had a train wreck of a season last year, and knew his days were numbered in Carolina (even though they signed him to a monster contract just a season before).  Well, he got paid big money to leave Carolina and also big money to join Cleveland as a potential and likely starter.  Delhomme’s signing is pretty much an indicator that Brady Quinn is trade bait either before or during the NFL draft.  It is very likely he will play a back-up role next season.  Sorry Brady.

Elsewhere in the NFL, LaDainian Tomlinson has finally decided on a new home.  That home — New York, as Tomlinson signed with the Jets.  There was speculation that Tomlinson would join the Vikings, and many thought if he did, that’s a sure-fire indicator that Brett Favre is coming back.  But, he opted for the Jets, and that’s a great alternative.  The Jets will definitely be contenders next season, and if there’s anything that Tomlinson wants bad it’s that Super Bowl ring — something he was always so close to with the Chargers.  But, does he have anything left in the tank?

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In the NBA, the Dallas Mavericks were trying to protect a 13 game winning streak.  They’re the hottest team in the NBA right now, but keeping a streak alive in the NBA is very tough.  They needed to protect their home court against the New York Knicks.  The Knicks are abysmal this season, and many thought they would get clobbered, but you can never underestimate a “revenge game” in the NBA.  Earlier in the season, the Mavs went into New York and absolutely clobbered the Knicks.  They were up by as many as 53 at one point.  Well, NBA players don’t like this and don’t forget about it.  With that said, the Knicks went into Dallas and smushed them and their streak.  It was a complete blowout.  Maybe we all shouldn’t start picking the Mavs to win the title just yet.  New York 128, Dallas 94.
Finally, the March Madness brackets were released.  There was some mystery as to who would nab those #1 seeds, and the questions were finally answered.  It’ll be Kansas in the Midwest, Syracuse in the West, Kentucky in the East, and Duke in the South.  Now, while these are four great teams, this year, more than many in the past, is VERY tough to call.  The field is very deep this year, and all the #1 seeds have shown their vulnerability during the course of the season.  Kansas is shaky, Syracuse has some injury concerns, Duke is erratic, and Kentucky is very young and inexperienced.  There’s a chance none make it to the Final Four.  It’s going to be an amazing tourney!

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In college basketball, it’s conference tournament mania.  Most of the action came out of the Big East yesterday, and there were some incredible surprises.  First off, #10 Marquette faced off against a hungry Wildcat bunch.  And Marquette, behind Darius Johnson-Odom’s 24 points, bounced the Villanova Wildcats right out of the tourney.  Then, #3 Syracuse had to take on a resurrected Georgetown Hoyas team.  The Hoyas got a great game from guard Chris Wright and upset the might Syracuse Orange.  Whoa.  If two of the best teams in the country can lose this easily, what can we expect from March Madness this year.  Marquette 80, Villanova 76.  Georgetown 91, Syracuse 84.

FOOTBALL

And in the NFL, LaDainian Tomlinson’s job search continues.  Two days ago, Tomlinson met with the Vikings to discuss playing a part in their offense.  Well, now he’s got a new target… The New York Jets.  The Jets just parted ways with steady RB veteran Thomas Jones, and they will need someone to take the load off 2nd year man Shonn Greene.  Can Tomlinson be that guy?  If so, this would make the Jets offense more dynamic, as they need that theoretical threat on the field.

GOLF

Finally, the big news of the day came out of the golf world.  It looks like Tiger Woods has potentially decided on a comeback plan.  He hasn’t played in a major tournament since his story broke in December.  Well, now it looks like Tiger is eyeing a return for this year’s Masters.  Woods owns four green jackets (the trophy of winning the Masters), and he has never missed a Masters in his career.  If he came back for the Masters, that would give him about 4 weeks to prepare.  Previously, Woods said he was planning to take a year off, but clearly, Woods can’t stay away from the game.  He needs to play, and the Masters would make a perfect comeback location for him.  Then again, there’s a chance it could be a very uncomfortable outing for Wood

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In the NBA, the Dallas Mavericks are the hottest team in the NBA right now with a 12 game winning streak.  They are practically at full health, and new additions Caron Butler, DeShawn Stevenson, and Brendan Haywood from the Wizards are seemingly the missing pieces that could give the Mavs a title.  All they needed to do for the 13th win was beat the NBA worst New Jersey Nets in Dallas.   Well, oddly, this wasn’t easy.  In fact, New Jersey jumped out to a huge lead in the first half.  They led at the break 47-39.  Not too bad for the worst team in the league.  In the second half, however, the Mavs came surging back behind another marvelous night for Jason Kidd (20 points and 9 assists).  And all was said and done, the Mavs were on top.  That’s 14 in a row for Dallas.  Dallas 96, New Jersey 87.

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, as reported 2 days ago, the Cincinnati Bengals were apparently looking into nabbing free agent wide receiver Terrell Owens.  Their current star receiver, Chad Ochocinco, wanted them to pick up Owens to take pressure off him.  But, yesterday the Bengals added veteran Antonio Bryant to their roster.  Bryant served as a very efficient receiver for a lowly Tampa Bay team, and perhaps in a land with a better quarterback (Carson Palmer) he could truly have some great numbers.  This doesn’t mean Owens won’t play for the Bengals too, but it makes you think that Cincy is content at the wide receiver spot.

Over in Cleveland, the Browns just let go of back-up QB Derek Anderson.  And now, it appears that they are ready to do away with Brady Quinn as well.  Quinn was drafted by the Browns (in what seems like many moons ago) to be their golden boy quarterback.  Quinn was a standout at Notre Dame, but has simply not panned out in the NFL.  The Browns are hoping to get solid draft picks for Quinn and appear to be starting over in a big way.  Sorry Browns fans, your team may not make the playoffs for a few seasons.

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Two words:  North Texas.  They have won 10 straight games in college basketball in the Sun Belt conference.  Last night, in the division championship game, North Texas was hoping to nab an automatic bid to the Big Dance.  All they had to do was get through Troy.  Well, it wasn’t an easy task, but behind a big night from a BIG man Eric Tramiel, the North Texas Mean Green (and yes, that’s their real team name) edged Troy for their 11th straight win.  This is important news because North Texas is a popular Cinderella candidate this year.  They might sneak up and win two rounds.  With the unpredictability of this season, that wouldn’t be too much of a surprise.  So perhaps pick North Texas in your office pool and look smart when they pull a first round upset.  North Texas 66, Troy 63.

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, it looks like running back journeyman Thomas Jones has found a new home.  Jones is known around the league as a ‘get-it-done’ back.  He’s not a popular guy to pick in fantasy drafts, but he does put up numbers.  He helped the Bears get to the Super Bowl in the 2006 season, and has been a terrific fit on the NY Jets (who no longer need him because they have second year man Shonn Greene).  But if you need a guy to move the ball down the field, and pick up those crucial ‘3rd down and 2′ situations, Jones is your man.  Now, he will help the Kansas City Chiefs hopefully turn around their offense.  The Chiefs lost Pro Bowl running back Larry Johnson last year, but Jamaal Charles has come on strongly.  This tandem makes for a good one-two punch for the Chiefs.

Elsewhere in the NFL free agency market, some interesting meetings took place. First up, it looks like Terrell Owens is in search of a new home.  He took an interview with the Cincinnati Bengals.  They already have loud mouth Chad Ochocinco, but adding Owens into the mix gives them an interesting option on offense.  Having both of these playmakers could confuse defenses and enable the Bengals to be quite potent next season.  Plus, you would have the Top 2 “Kings of Touchdown Celebrations” on the same team.  Let’s hope this happens for entertainment value if nothing else.

And, in another interesting “talk”, LaDainian Tomlinson is finally meeting with his first suitor.  Sure, Tomlinson is definitely in the twilight of his career (a 9 year storied career that is), but he still has some use on the field because of the image he represents. Even though he’s not what he used to be, he still scares defenses when he’s in the offensive formation.  Well, the Minnesota Vikings know that BIG TIME.  They have Adrian Peterson, the best running back in the league, but they just lost his back-up Chester Taylor.  Adding Tomlinson to the mix gives them another strategic weapon that could be the difference maker if they can make it back to the NFC Championship again.

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In the NBA, the Dallas Mavericks were looking to extend their win streak to 12 games.  All that stood in their way were the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves.  However, the T-Wolves can be quite… ferocious when facing good teams.  How would the Mavs fare?  Well, they got out to an early lead behind a stellar performance from Shawn Marion (he’s really been coming on lately).  But, in the second half, the T-Wolves made their late surge (as they’ve been known to do). Al Jefferson had an amazing night for the Wolves with 36 points.  In the end, however, the Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs were just too much and they overpowered Minnesota for their 12th straight win.  This team has been on fire since the trade deadline.  Dallas 125, Minnesota 112.

And in women’s college basketball, the UCONN Huskies had a chance to make history.  They stood at 70 straight victories (dating back to last season) and that tied them for the all-time consecutive win category.  So, last night, the Huskies had to beat #7 Notre Dame to enter the history books.  And they did this handily.  Tina Charles had a great night for UCONN with 16 points, as the Huskies grabbed their 71st victory.  So, the big question is… can UCONN win two straight championships and finish two undefeated seasons in a row?  Anybody who beats UCONN right now would be responsible for one of the biggest upsets ever.  UCONN 59, Notre Dame 44.

Finally, Allen Iverson is going through one hot mess.  Iverson came back mid-season this year to hopefully salvage the last days of his career.  However, it has now come to light that Iverson has some serious family issues right now.  He just filed for divorce, he’s taking care of his sick daughter, and on top of all that it appears he has some serious issues with alcohol and gambling.  In fact, Iverson has been banned from several casinos in the past.  Now, the ONLY person that most people think can HELP Iverson is Iverson’s former coach at Georgetown, John Thompson.  His playing career is almost definitely over, so hopefully he can salvage his post-NBA career.

BASKETBALL

In the NBA, Sunday featured a Pre-Oscars rematch of last year’s NBA Finals:  The Los Angeles Lakers v. Orlando Magic.  The Magic have been playing great as of late, but the Lakers have struggled mightily.  They lost to the Heat this week, and then later were routed by the Charlotte Bobcats (who seem to be the only team in the NBA with the Lakers number).  Apparently, Kobe Bryant gave the Lakers a pep-talk before the game against the Magic telling them to shape up.  Thing is, even Kobe himself is playing pretty poorly.  Could they pull off the victory and get back on track?

The Lakers Ron Artest came out motivated, dying the word “defense” into his hair in three different languages.  It was pretty funny.  Well, the game was basically ruled by Orlando up until the 4th quarter when the Lakers came surging back.  Then, trailing 95-92, Kobe put up a brilliant 3-point shot to tie the game.  But, wait a minute, his foot was on the line and it was ruled a 2-pointer.  95-94 Orlando.  The Lakers fouled Vince Carter, and he missed a free throw.  96-94 Orlando, and the Lakers had one last shot.  Yep, Kobe got the ball, and he’s the best closer in the game.  This time, however, Kobe couldn’t connect, and the Magic held on for the win.  When are the Lakers going to turn it around?  Orlando 96, LA Lakers 94.

FOOTBALL

And in the NFL, the Chicago Bears had big expectations last season, especially after bringing in big name quarterback Jay Cutler.  Well, they underperformed… big time.  So, this off season, they have been very aggressive in the free agent market to show their fans that they’re Super Bowl minded.  Over the weekend, they roped in Pro Bowler Julius Peppers of the Carolina Panthers.  And, with the uncertain value of current running back Matt Forte, they brought in Chester Taylor, a very efficient running back, from the Vikings.  Now they will have the common multiple RB game, which actually makes their team more versatile.

Elsewhere in the NFL, the NY Jets brought in Pro Bowl cornerback Antonio Cromartie from the San Diego Chargers.  Now they will have Darrelle Revis (currently the best cornerback in the NFL) and another strong CB on the other side of the field.  This combo just makes a very tough defense even stronger.  It will be hard for even the best receivers to gain productive yards against the Jets next season.  So, the major question is, can the Jets get back to where they got this season… and take that next step to the Super Bowl?