NFL

The New York Giants have suspended their star wide-receiver, Plaxico Burress, for four games after he was arrested for illegal weapons possession, and um… shooting himself in the leg.  In other words, ‘Plax’ is done for the year, and will most likely not be in a Giants uniform next season.  They just can’t have that kind of negative energy around.  However, Plaxico might have bigger problems, as he could face 3.5 years in prison if he’s convicted.  The question is — why do NFL players carry guns into nightclubs in the first place?

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

There is a big rivalry this weekend in Los Angeles between the UCLA Bruins and the USC Trojans.  This game should be a bloodbath, as USC is far more powerful than the Bruins this year.  However, there is a bit of a controversy on what uniforms the teams will wear.  Since this game is technically a home game for both teams, USC (the visitor in this case) is lobbying to wear their home red jersey as opposed to being forced to wear a visitor’s white.  In the past, both teams wore their home jersey, and gave the field a nice aesthetic with powder blue and crimson running around on the field.  The NCAA has granted USC’s request to wear red, but has fined them with the forfeiture of a timeout.  However, thinking this unfair, UCLA has announced plans to call timeout on the first play in order to even things out.  Now that’s good, old-fashioned pageantry and sportsmanship.

NBA

The Indiana Pacers handed the Los Angeles Lakers their second loss of the season.  The Lakers are so deep and talented; they are projected to potentially finish with fewer than ten losses.  However, the Indiana Pacers rallied in the fourth quarter, and with just one second left on the clock, Pacers forward Troy Murphy tipped a ball that bobbled around the basket, and finally went in.  The Pacers are off to a sluggish 7-10 start, but beating a team as strong as the Lakers can really turn a team’s momentum around.  Indiana 118, LA Lakers 117.

NHL

The Dallas Stars’ ‘star’ player, Sean Avery, has been suspended for making lewd remarks about his ex-girlfriend — ’24”s Elisha Cuthbert (Jack Bauer’s daughter).  She is currently dating Calgary’s Dion Phaneuf, which apparently made Avery jealous, and he said some nasty things about her.  And it seems Avery has a history of saying inappropriate remarks to the media about people around the league. These aren’t funny, playful comments — they’re just mean.  Athletes say these things all the time behind closed doors, while Avery is making a name for himself for speaking directly to the public.  Read his full comments about Cuthbert.