Watch Betsy on The Today Show Friday at 8:00 am est

FOOTBALL

With the Super Bowl upon us, it represents the era of what could be a Indianapolis Colts dynasty.  It’s possible that Peyton Manning could win 2 or even 3 more Super Bowls over the next couple years.  However, another dynasty has most likely come to end.  It looks like LaDainian Tomlinson will move on from the San Diego Chargers organization next year.  Tomlinson was easily the most dominant running back in the league during this decade, and his moving on is a signal that his career is nearing an end.   He’s been plagued by injuries the past two seasons, and the Chargers will have a tough time replacing him.  We’ll see what team takes a chance on LT.

And in college football, some very weird news.  It looks like USC has received a verbal commitment from an extremely talented blue-chip recruit.  The catch… he’s 13 years old.  That’s right, David Sills was recruited by new coach Lane Kiffin, and he’s already looking ahead to the class of 2015.  Supposedly though, there’s validity here.  According to a USC expert coach who’s worked with many of the top QBs, this kid is incredible.  LeBron James was touted at this young an age, and clearly, the experts were right on that one.  So if the Trojans are correct, we can expect a fantastic season from them… in 5 years.

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In the NBA, Los Angeles Clippers head coach Mike Dunleavy has stepped down from the captain position.  Sure, the concept of “stepping down” isn’t exactly correct (he was most likely asked to leave), but according to Dunleavy he was asked to pick between coaching and general manager.  Dunleavy opted to remain as the team’s GM, but “step down” as head coach.  The Clips have been below average this year, and, honestly, they needed a coaching change.  However, the Clippers have a strong young team with Blake Griffin joining the squad next year, as well as some other young, exciting draft picks. Farewell to the Dunleavy era in LA.

Watch the Today Show at 10:30 am est to see Betsy talk Super Bowl “Who Knew”

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, Peyton Manning must be excited to be playing in his 2nd Super Bowl, but he is definitely thrilled about the Colts public intent to keep him a Colt for the remainder of his career.  There are speculations that, after the Super Bowl, Manning will receive the highest paid contract in NFL history.  Is he worth it?  Absolutely.  Without question, there is no player in the league more valuable than Peyton Manning.  He plays a position that requires extreme intellect, and he absolutely dominates it.  Essentially, he is their offensive coordinator, and everything is a chess game to him.  He may be getting older, but after this phenomenal year, you can assume he has at least 3 more years of his prime left.  That could equate to three more Super Bowl wins.
In the college football world, Wednesday is signing day.  This is when the top High School recruits in the country commit to one of the many schools that have been courting them.  There is a lot of drama and a lot of money wrapped up in this, for getting a #20 talent can instantly improve a team, get them TV time, and thus a lot of money.  The top prize this year is an Offensive Tackle from Minnesota, Seantrel Henderson.  Apparently 6 schools are after him, but most experts think he will opt to play at Ohio State.  We shall see.

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In college basketball, the #4 Syracuse Orange are off to their best start ever.  They play extremely well as a team, are well coached, and are dominating a major conference right now (The Big East).  Last night they played host to Providence and absolutely destroyed them.  Arinze Onuaku led the Orange with 20 points.  This team could sneak into the championship in the tourney and perhaps win the whole thing.  Syracuse 85, Providence 68.

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The big story out of the NBA was the potential to break the All-Time Los Angeles Laker scoring record currently held by “The Logo”, Jerry West (for those that don’t know, the NBA Logo silhouette is etched from a photo of Jerry West).  Kobe needed just 29 points to nab the record, and he would try to do it, coincidentally, against the team that Jerry West currently owns, the Memphis Grizzlies.  Well, Kobe wouldn’t just break the record last night, he would shatter it.  Kobe had 42 points, and then, with an open court, he slammed it home for his 44th point.  And with that Kobe has 25,208 and is the new leading scorer in Laker franchise history.  He’s got more than West, Kareem Abdul-Jabar, Elgin Baylor, and Magic Johnson.  That’s incredible!

Oddly, however, the more notable stat of the night was that the Lakers lost the game.  That’s right, a game that used to be an easy win (Memphis) was a genuine struggle.  Don’t look now, but Memphis is really good.  They have a winning record in a tough division, and are staffed by a young team afraid of no one.  Rudy Gay is a potential superstar, and O.J. Mayo has truly turned into the player that everybody thought he was.  Even Marc Gasol (Pau Gasol’s brother) is a substantial force in the middle.  Come playoff time, nobody will want to play these guys.  If they can beat a strong Lakers team, they can beat anybody.  Memphis 95, LA Lakers 93.

In the latest from the Gilbert Arenas saga, Gilbert has publicly stated that he hopes to turn this situation into a positive by rebuilding his relationship with the youth of D.C.  Arenas said he thought it was important to promote non-violence to kids, especially in a troubled area like D.C., and he will spend his time and energy spreading this message.  We’ll see how specifically goes about this.  Let’s hope it’s something inspiring and significant.

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And in the NFL, a struggling team has landed a solid offensive coordinator.  The Chicago Bears have been searching for an OC for a while now, but, apparently, nobody wants to work with their new quarterback Jay Cutler.  He’s described as, um, difficult.  Well, their search ended today, as they will bring in the man responsible for the explosive Rams offense earlier this decade.  Yes, Mike Martz will hopefully bring some offensive firepower to the Bears.  First, however, they will need some real wide receivers.  The draft should bring some nice prospects.

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In the NBA, the featured match-up of the night was the always thrilling Lakers v. Celtics.  At the beginning of the season, these teams were expected to face-off in the Finals again.  They’re both strong, yet shaky at times, so these previews can really give us an insight into what kind of action we could expect in June.  And from an action perspective, LA and Boston did not disappoint.

Both teams looked great coming out of the gate.  The hero for the Celtics was their young point-guard Rajon Rondo.  He finished the night with 21 points and 9 assists.  The Celtics began to run away, but the Lakers came back.  Towards the end of the game, the Celtics had the lead 89-88, but then Paul Pierce was whistled for a clumsy offensive foul.  Lakers ball.  And whom do you think the rock went to?  That’s right, Kobe Bryant.  He dribbled to the free throw line, did a couple fakes, and launched up a line-drive fade-away.  GOOD!!!  The Lakers take the lead.  The Celtics had one last chance, and they hurled into their 3-point marksman, Ray Allen.  He put it up, and it clanged against the rim.  Big win for the Lakers, and Kobe adds yet another game-winning shot to his resume.  LA Lakers 90, Boston 89.

Elsewhere in the NBA, LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers traveled to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers.  But it was as if the Clippers didn’t even show up.  In the first quarter alone, the Cavs put up, count ‘em, 46 points.  LeBron finished the night with 32 points and 11 assists as the Cavs continue to be dominant.  Right now, they are the favorite to come out of the East.  If LeBron wants to play in a bigger market, it’s hard to think that he won’t do everything in his power to finally win a title for Cleveland.  Cleveland 114, LA Clippers 89.

TENNIS

In tennis, it was the final of the Australian open between the incredible #1 seed Roger Federer and the British #5 seed Andy Murray.  Murray had no interest in losing and the match had to go into a playoff period.  The rule is a player has to win by two.  And these guys went back and forth for 11 points before Federer got the job done and won his 16th Grand Slam Title.  That is an incredible achievement.  Congrats to Roger.

FOOTBALL

Finally, the NFL tried an experiment this year and scheduled the Pro Bowl the weekend before the Super Bowl in Miami.  Typically, it’s after the Super Bowl (in Hawaii), but few watch it.  Perhaps while America still has football, you should serve them as much as possible?  Well, like it always is, the Pro Bowl was an offensive shootout.  This is because the defensive players don’t want to risk their career killing themselves in an exhibition game.  It was a back-and-forth battle with touchdown passes coming from favorites Aaron Rodgers, Matt Schaub, Tony Romo, but the winning touchdown belonged to the league’s best running-back this season, the Titans Chris Johnson.  The AFC locked up the Pro Bowl, but can the Colts continue the AFC dominance and win the Super Bowl?  AFC 41, NFC 34.

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In the NBA, the Washington Wizards have said they hope to ‘move forward’ regarding the debacle with Javaris Crittenden and Gilbert Arenas (they pulled guns on each other in practice).  Believe it or not, however, Wizards forward Antawn Jamison said they are still holding out hope for a playoff run. Considering that they have an atrocious record, and don’t seem to have any pieces that can make that happen, it’s a bit aloof.  Then again, stranger things have happened, and they might get someone good in a trade for Arenas.  Jamison continued to say that he would like Arenas to come back to the Wizards, but he said that’s not up to him, and solely up to the team’s manager, Ernie Grunfeld.

BASEBALL

Elsewhere, out of the baseball world, the Seattle Mariners’ Ken Griffey Jr., once named the best player in baseball, is now over 40 years old and still playing.  He had an average season last year for the M’s, but he just underwent knee surgery, and says he feels better than ever.  On top of all this, Griffey Jr. said he’s in great shape and is “ripped and ready” for spring training.  If he’s being honest, perhaps Griffey could actually be a contributor next season.  After all, they made a major improvement in pitching this off-season, acquiring former Cy Young Award Winner Cliff Lee.  Keep an eye on the Mariners this coming season.

FOOTBALL

Finally, out of the NFL, it looks like the immortal Kurt Warner will retire today.  Warner has had an amazing NFL career.  After all, he worked in a grocery store, played in various other leagues, and finally earned a spot on the Rams.  With that spot, Warner and the Rams ran one of the best offenses of the last 20 years, went to two Super Bowls, and won one.  And just when they thought he was done, he was the piece that finally made the theoretically potent offense in Arizona work.  He got the Cardinals to the Super Bowl — a team that used to be happy just having a decent season.  The NFL will surely miss Warner.

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As mentioned before, the Los Angeles Lakers are on an 8-game road trip.  Wednesday night’s stop was Indiana.  The Pacers are having a pretty bad year at 16-29, but everyone knows when you get to play the defending champions on your home floor… you turn it up a notch.

In order for the Pacers to win, they needed an A+ effort from their all-star, Danny Granger.  Indiana doesn’t match-up well with the Lakers, so they also needed for the Lakers to have an ‘off-night’ (not exactly the best winning strategy).  Well, that didn’t happen, as Kobe Bryant was red-hot.  He almost finished the night with a triple-double (29 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists).  And Granger — he was mediocre at best, putting up only 14 points.  The Pacers are certainly in a rebuilding stage right now.  They used to sit atop the Eastern Conference in the 90s and early part of this decade, but have since trailed off after the infamous “Artest Melee” with the Pistons (where Ron Artest attacked the crowd a few years ago).  Hopefully, they get a decent lottery pick and grab someone who can give them more identity.  LA Lakers 118, Indiana 96.

Elsewhere in the NBA, David Stern has issued a final ruling on the Gilbert Arenas / Javaris Crittenden debacle.  To refresh your memory, these two Washington Wizard players pulled a gun on each other during practice.  And you’re not supposed to draw weapons and point them at anybody during basketball practice.  Because of this, commissioner David Stern has banned them for the remainder of the year.  And Arenas could face possible jail time as well (depending on what the court thinks).  When Arenas returns, it’s unclear if anybody will sign him.  The Wizards are definitely done with him.

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The new #1 seed in college basketball is John Calipari’s Kentucky.  They have an unbelievable team of recruits led by big man DeMarcus Cousins, and superstar, freakish athlete John Wall. Just this week, the Wildcats were pronounced the #1 team in the nation.  The undefeated Kentucky team was even greeted with a phone call from the president (because their team raised a lot of money for Haiti).  Needless to say… they’re really good.

So a game against unranked South Carolina should be easy, right?  Well, not so much.  South Carolina has a guard named Devan Downey who is a 5′9 speedster with some extremely fancy moves.  Not even Kentucky’s big guns could contain him.  The game was close the whole way, but in the end South Carolina just kept coming at them.  They got it done down the stretch, and made very few mistakes.  Suddenly, the buzzer sounded, and the Gamecocks had more points.  Wait a minute… did undefeated juggernaut that is Kentucky lose their FIRST game after being appointed the #1 spot?  Yes, yes they did.  And this is what’s great about college sports:  Once you become #1, you have a huge target on your back.  Instantly, lesser teams bond together with a common purpose to pull the ‘ultimate upset’ — they become great, even if just for one night.  South Carolina 68, Kentucky 62.

And things just keep getting worse for former #1 overall draft pick Greg Oden.  Oden was injured earlier this season, and must sit out the remainder of the year.  That’s pretty much 2 years off for Oden from a potential 3-year career.  However, the latest in the Oden saga is that, yes, naked pictures are circulating of him on the Internet.  It appears Oden took some naked photos of himself with a cell phone 1.5 years ago intended for a former girlfriend.  Not… smart.  They, of course, got online.  Oden had to issue a public apology for the photos, and called them very embarrassing.  Portland fans… you should have drafted Kevin Durant.

FOOTBALL

Finally, in the NFL, with the season over for almost every team, it’s open season in the coaching market.  Well, the Oakland Raiders have brought Hue Jackson as their offensive coordinator.  The reason for this hire is simple:  Jackson used to be the quarterbacks coach for the Baltimore Ravens where he developed rookie Joe Flacco into a serviceable playoff quarterback. They are hoping that Jackson can work his magic again with the fledgling former #1 pick JaMarcus Russell.  The Raiders have a lot of money tied up in Russell, and they need production out of him.  Otherwise, they have to go QB shopping again.

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After all the football action of the weekend, the marquee match-up Monday night was out of the NBA for the always entertaining LeBron James / Dwayne Wade showdown.  And it was a superstar battle to get things going, with each star dazzling the crowd.  LeBron even hit a long 3-pointer to end the half.

But, in the second half, LeBron was the one to watch.  He was dunking it everywhere.  Wade, on the other hand, struggled down the stretch.  With the Heat up 1-point late, Wade had a chance to give them a 3-point lead from the free throw line.  And he MISSED THEM BOTH!! Sorry, but if you’re one of the 5 best players in the NBA, you just can’t do that.  Then, later, Wade threw an errant pass, that was picked off by LeBron.  James rushed the other way with it, and was fouled.  He hit two free throws that gave the Cavs the lead.  Wade had one last chance to win the game.  With just a second remaining, Wade tried to heave up a fade-away over LeBron, and just completely bricked it.  LeBron’s not the easiest person to shoot over.  And with that, the Cavs iced the victory.  Cleveland 92, Miami 91.

Elsewhere in the NBA, the Boston Celtics Glen Davis has long gone by the nickname “Big Baby”.  This derives from when Davis was a powerful, yet overweight giant while at LSU.  Just watching him on TV, you knew that he was monstrously bigger than the other players.  Well, he’s had a pretty decent NBA career, even hitting a game winning shot in the playoffs last year. However, he has publicly declared he was done with the “Big Baby” moniker.  He publicly solicited a nickname, and one reporter thought maybe he should go by the nickname, “Uno Uno”, like the Cincinnati Benglas’ Chad Johnson — whose jersey number is #85 (ocho-cinco in Spanish). Glen Davis immediately lit up to the sound of this, and hopes it will catch on.

Finally, not to start stirring the pot of drama, but Brett Favre announced today that playing in 2010 is unlikely.  As we’ve learned before… don’t hold him to that. Updates on the Future of Favre Volume III is coming soon.