NFL

Monday Night Football was supposed to be a hard fought battle between the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints.  Both teams were 5-5 coming into the contest, and a highly offensive game was expected.  Well, we got an offensive shootout, but it was pretty much only the Saints that were doing the shootings.  Saints quarterback Drew Brees WENT OFF, throwing for 323 yards and 4 Touchdowns.  The Packers looked like they were finally jelling last week, but now they need to re-examine themselves AGAIN.  The Saints on the other hand have quietly accrued a winning record, and could be the team that nobody wants to play in the first round come playoff time.  New Orleans 51, Green Bay 29.

Elsewhere in the NFL, even though Eagles QB Donovan McNabb was benched for his poor play, it only took him 24 hours to regain his starting job.  The Eagles play Arizona on Thanksgiving, and that’s just too short of notice to prepare back-up QB Kevin Kolb.  He’s just not ready yet.  Philly coach Andy Reid held a press conference yesterday to discuss this, and he said he wasn’t leaving until the press fully understood that McNabb is the starter.  Reid said, “I need to coach better, and Donovan needs to play better and the guys around Donovan need to play better”.  Well said, Andy.

NBA

Another one bites the dust.  Just a few days after the Oklahoma City Thunder fired their head coach, P.J. Carlesimo, the Washington Wizards have excused their head coach, Eddie Jordan.  Even though Jordan led the Wiz to the playoffs the past couple years, they started off this season 1-10.  Granted, they’re without their all-star Gilbert Arenas, and starting center Brendan Haywood, but 1-10 is 1-10.  They even lost to a Knicks team that only had 7 players available.  That’s just not acceptable.  Unfortunately, Washington needs a lot more help than just a coaching change.

Finally, General Motors Corp is parting ways with their leading pitchman, Tiger Woods.  Woods has been featured in many commercials for Buick over the past 9 years (with GM hoping it would give Buick a younger image), but now they are finally saying goodbye to Tiger.  The reason:  The economy.  They were looking to cut costs, and figured at this point in time they wouldn’t need Tiger Woods any more on the payroll.  Tiger didn’t mind however, saying he wanted more free time due to the birth of his second child.  If GM is looking for a more inexpensive endorsement — former Wizards head coach Eddie Jordan is now available.

NFL

It was a wild Sunday in the NFL.  Lets get right to it –

First and foremost — it was Brett Favre and the NY Jets (David) v. the undefeated Tennessee Titans (Goliath).  The Titans have been notorious for finding ways to win — even when down.  But yesterday, they didn’t have a clue.  Their super-defense has been banged up and sub-par the last couple of weeks, and it finally caught up to them.  Brett Favre threw for 224 yards and 2 TDs, and their ground game showed up to, with Lil’ Leon Washington running for 82 yards and 2 TDs himself.  The Titans unbeaten streak ends at 10, but they are still to be taken very seriously in the AFC playoffs.  NY Jets 34, Tennessee 13.

Also yesterday — the collapse of the Philadelphia Eagles.  They looked absolutely abysmal against a ferocious Baltimore Ravens team.  But this time was worse than normal, as Donovan McNabb seems to have forgotten how to play football.  Last week, he threw 3 picks, and had a key fumble in overtime; and, well… this week was no better.  He threw for a measly 59 yards, and also chucked two interceptions, and apparently that was all-she-wrote for Eagles coach Andy Reid.  He benched McNabb at the end of the first half in favor of second-year quarterback Kevin Kolb.  Unfortunately, he was no better, and the Eagles got stomped by the Ravens.  Now, their playoff hopes are pretty dim.  Baltimore 36, Philadelphia 7.

And the NY Giants headed back to where they won last year’s Super Bowl:  Arizona.  However, waiting for them — the surging Arizona Cardinals, led by 37-year old MVP candidate Kurt Warner.  This was a true test for the Cardinals, as a win would show they are a true force this season.  Well, they didn’t win, but they had a strong showing.  Warner put up big numbers again with 351 yards and 1 TD, but the Giants were just too much.  Their QB, Eil Manning, had 240 yards and 3 Touchdown passes, and Derrick Ward led their running game with 69 yards and a TD.  However, just because the Cardinals lost this contest doesn’t mean they can’t win a rematch.  A game that might just become the NFC Championship.  NY Giants 37, Arizona 29.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

There was a big shake-up in the college football BCS standings.  Alabama didn’t play this weekend, and remains at #1, but even after Oklahoma’s annihilation of #2 Texas Tech, the Sooners STILL aren’t in the top 2.  They’re in the #3 spot, right behind the new #2… Texas.  Texas beat Oklahoma earlier this season, and thus rank ahead of them.  However, many are complaining that these rankings don’t make sense, especially this season because of certain incredible teams being left out of BCS games completely.  Everyone wants a playoff system, but until then — whichever team is ranked #1 and #2 on December 7th will play in the BCS Championship Game.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

It was a great day in college football.

First up, the #8 Penn State Nittany Lions were looking to earn a ticket to the Rose Bowl.  All they had to do was get past #15 Michigan State Spartans.  But hey, when you can go to the ROSE BOWL, you don’t mess around.  Penn State destroyed the Spartans behind an incredible day from the quarterback Daryll Clark.  He threw for an amazing 341 yards and 4 TOUCHDOWNS!!!  And the Lions are headed to Pasadena in January.  Penn State 49, Michigan State 18.

Meanwhile, whom Penn State will face is still a question mark.  It will be either USC or Oregon State.  And all Oregon State has to do is win their remaining games.  If both USC and Oregon State win out, then Oregon State would hold the tiebreaker because they beat USC earlier in the season.  But — the Beavers got a true challenge from a feisty Arizona Wildcats team.  Arizona had the lead until the end, but Oregon State kicker Justin Kahut booted a clutch 24-yard field goal to win the game as time expired.  Now, if they can just beat their in-state rival Oregon Ducks, then the Beavers will take on Penn State in the Rose Bowl.  Oregon State 19, Arizona 17.

And over in Columbus, Ohio — one of the most vicious rivalries in college football took place.  It was Michigan v. Ohio State — a match up eagerly anticipated by both fan bases every year.  This season, however, Michigan is the worst they’ve ever been, and nobody expected this to be a contest.  Ohio State simply bowled over the Wolverines, behind their superstar running back Chris “Beanie” Wells.  Ohio State has won the last five meetings, and Ohio State’s highly recruited blue-chip quarterback, Terrelle Pryor, became the first freshman quarterback to beat Michigan since 1978.  Ohio State 42, Michigan 7.

NBA

This season, the Seattle Supersonics became the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the entire Seattle fan base felt that their NBA was stolen from them.  Essentially, this was a business move, with no consideration or respect given to the loyal fans.  However, sins like this come with a price, as the Thunder started this season 1-12.  And that was enough for management to fire their head coach, P.J. Carlesimo.  Former Supersonic supporters are definitely smirking at the Thunder’s atrocious start, but if you talk to any of them, they genuinely miss their team.

NBA

The New York Knicks are retooling.  They sent point-guard Jamal Crawford to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for forward Al Harrington.  They also shed forward Zach Randolph from their payroll by sending him to the Clippers for veterans Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley.  For the Knicks, the interesting thing about this trade is it really doesn’t have anything to with making their team better.  They are trying to free up cap room space for the exciting free agent summer of 2010.  That’s when franchise players such as Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and most importantly… Lebron James come on the market.  The Knicks are willing to remain uncompetitive for a few seasons in order to land a big money franchise player.  LeBron in a Knicks uniform would mean huge dollars for the organization in terms of merchandising and international exposure.  The victim here — Knicks fans.  They’ve basically been invited to watch two boring, meaningless seasons.

NFL

One of the high profile games this weekend will be Brett Favre and the surging Jets taking on the Goliath:  The 10-0 Tennessee Titans.  Currently, the Jets sit atop the NFC East, and the Titans will have their hands full as the Jets come into town.  And many experts feel that the Titans are due — and this could be the week.

OLYMPICS

A major American city is making a bid for the 2016 Olympics.  That city — Chicago, and who do you think they got to endorse Chi-town to the Olympics committee?  None other than President-elect Barack Obama.  In a videotaped message, he asked for the city to host the Olympics, and spoke about how he was such a fan of the momentous sporting event, stating how people of so many different backgrounds can come together and compete in a common competition.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

The match-up of a lifetime, as #2 Texas Tech will put it all on the line against #5 Oklahoma.  Prior to losing to Texas, Oklahoma became a strong favorite to win the National Championship, and since losing to Texas they haven’t been touched.  They are still dominating.  This game will either prove that Oklahoma’s loss was a rare fluke, or that Texas Tech is actually that incredible.  This is absolutely a can’t-miss-game.  It’s on tonight at 8:00 ET on ABC.  It’s going to be crazy.

NFL

The NFL keeps calling their Thursday night games “special”, but apparently not that special, as The NFL Network will be broadcasting a Thursday night game for the remainder of the season.

Last night’s game featured the Pittsburgh Steelers v. the Cincinnati Bengals.  The Bengals are horrible this season, so you’d think this game would just be a throw away, but there is a heated rivalry this season between the two teams.  It’s due to the first game they played this season, when Steelers WR laid a vicious block and wound up breaking a Bengals jaw in the process.  Cincinnati felt this was intentional and words have been spit back and forth ever since.  So, last night Hines Ward had to be terrified as they Bengals were out for his blood.

In terms of football, the Steelers dominated the game.  Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger was back to normal form, throwing for 248 yards and a touchdown, and the Bengals offense could do absolutely nothing against an airtight Pittsburgh defense.  They accumulated a pathetic 208 yards total offense.  But the story of the game was that revenge was still carried out, just not against Hines Ward, the intended target.  Ben Roethlisberger hit Santonio Holmes for a short pass, and we was absolutely drilled (extra hard) by the Bengals Chris Crocker.  Holmes had trouble getting up, and Roethlisberger came running up to him and apologized for throwing the ball in such a dangerous spot on the field.  Holmes didn’t stand a chance on that play, and he left the game with a serious concussion.   And the Bengals practically gave up at the end, not even bothering to try and come back.  They seriously need to do some major reorganizing this off-season.  Pittsburgh 27, Cincinnati 10.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

And there was a HUGE upset in college basketball.  Michigan, a team that once reigned dominant on the basketball courts in the late 80s and early 90s (namely because of the Fab 5) has slipped into the ether over the past 12 years.  They’ve been an afterthought in the NCAA ever since getting in trouble for recruiting players with gifts.  However, this season, they jumped out to an exciting 2-0 start, and would get their first true test with UCLA.  It was a back and forth game, but the Bruins didn’t look like themselves, accumulating 17 turnovers in the game.  Michigan, however, kept it together behind forward DeShawn Simms.  He had 18 on the night, and the Michigan Wolverines upset the #4 UCLA Bruins 55-52 to improve to 3-0.  They’ve earned the league’s respect, now the onus is on them to continue winning.

NBA

Some funny news.  The Washington Wizards are in last place in the Eastern Conference, and their star Point-Guard Gilbert Arenas said that this could actually be a good thing for the Wizards.  Not exactly what you want to hear your star player say.  His rationale:  “That’s what happened to San Antonio and that’s how they got Tim Duncan, and look at them now!”.  Unfortunately, the subtext of the whole thing is Arenas, who’s injured until January, has basically given up on the season.  Very disheartening for Wizards fans everywhere.

NBA

The Cavs were looking to win their 9TH STRAIGHT GAME!!  They are on fire this season, and seemingly nobody can stand in their way.  However, they had yet to face Allen Iverson and the new look Detroit Pistons.  LeBron James put up 25 points (as did Cavs point guard Mo Williams), but it just wasn’t enough to stop the red-hot Pistons.  Allen Iverson led Detroit with 23 points, but the man who really seems to be running things is the aging veteran Rasheed Wallace.  For each of the last 3 seasons, everyone thought that Rasheed must be on his last legs.  Yet Rasheed looks just as good as his prime years.  He hits 3′s with ease, and is constantly considered the Pistons go-to-guy at the end of the game.  Even though Wallace can be a loud mouth trouble maker at times, you still have to applaud his diligence and admire his skill set.  Detroit 96, Cleveland 89.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

The usually putrid Ball State Cardinals are undefeated this season.  This team is often marched out to be destroyed by big school opponents in front of alumni, but this season… they’re for real.  They put their perfect record on the line last night against a pretty good Central Michigan team.  Ball State trailed heading into the 4th quarter, but at the 7-minute mark, Ball State QB Nate Davis hit WR Briggs Orbson for an 11-yard touchdown strike.  Central Michigan had two chances to comeback, but they just couldn’t do it, and Ball State hung on to improve to 11-0.  Well done, guys.  Ball State 31, Central Michigan 24.

NFL

The Jacksonville Jaguars will visit the Minnesota Vikings this weekend, and for Jags Wide Receiver Troy Williamson, this has revived a long heated feud he’s had with Vikings coach Brad Childress.  To make a long story short, Troy Williamson was supposed to be the all-star replacement for Randy Moss in Minnesota.  However, he turned out to have the dropsies, and was practically a draft bust.  When Williamson’s grandmother died and his brother went into a coma, Williamson took off a game to deal with family issues.  And because of this, head coach Childress withheld Williamson’s paycheck.  This infuriated Williamson, and he said he lost all respect for his coach.  Last season Troy was traded to Jacksonville for a 6th Round Draft Pick, and now he wants to prove himself to Minnesota.  Unfortunately for Troy, he can’t play in the game because he’s injured, but he made a public report saying that he wanted to fight former coach Brad Childress on the middle of Minnesota’s field.  “I’ll fight him with my arms tied behind my back”, Williamson said.  Hey, some grudges never end.

Finally, some good news for Cowboys fans, as the NFL and Dallas owner Jerry Jones have decided to re-instate troublemaker Adam “Pac Man” Jones.  Jones was brought into Dallas to add some much needed defensive help, but he came with a HUGE risk-tag attached.  He’s paying some dividends this season, and even though he’s coming back, he still is suspended for two more games.  He’ll be back in the lineup for the Cowboys on December 7th.  At that point, they will be fighting hard for a playoff spot, and be sorely in need of his help.

NBA

The Cleveland Cavaliers were looking to win their 8th straight game.  This match would come against the New Jersey Nets, with Nets partial owner, rapper Jay-Z, on hand.  Jay-Z has become good friends with LeBron James, hoping to land him as a free agent when the Nets move to Brooklyn in 2010.  But… first things first, as the Cavs looked to extend that win streak.

That’s exactly what LeBron and his team did — especially in the 2nd half, as the Cavs opened the 3rd quarter on a 12-0 run.  King James had 31 points on the evening, and also became the youngest player to reach 11,000 points, as his Cavs cruised to eight straight wins.  However, on the other end, Nets point-guard Devin Harris had a solid game as well, putting up 23 points.  New Jersey obtained Harris in exchange for hall-of-famer Jason Kidd, and it looks like they got the better end of the bargain.  Kidd’s best days are way behind him, and he hasn’t done much to help the Dallas Mavericks improve.  Devin Harris meanwhile is playing superbly for the Nets, and could seriously become an all-star point guard for the franchise.  Cleveland 106, New Jersey 82.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

The team to beat is easily North Carolina.  Many of last year’s core team is still around (i.e. Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson), and after last year’s surprising loss to Kansas in the Final Four, UNC is looking to win-it-all this year before their star nucleus departs for the NBA.  They put their skills on display last night against another distinguished program — Kentucky.  But even without their star center Tyler Hansbrough on the floor, the Kentucky Wildcats were no match for the Tar Heels.  Forward Deon Thompson led the way for UNC with 20 points, and All-American point-guard Ty Lawson had 9 assists.  Keep a close eye on this entertaining Tar Heel team this season.  They will be VERY tough to beat.  North Carolina 77, Kentucky 58.

Elsewhere in college basketball, Davidson’s Stephen Curry had another big game.  As mentioned yesterday, he is the king of all the Cinderella/underdog stories, leading his team to the Elite Eight last year, and falling just one basket shy of a Final Four appearance.  Well, last night he put up 44 POINTS, but his team fell to the #12 Oklahoma Sooners.  This is just a bump in the road for Davidson, as their team is expected to make a HUGE splash in March.  Oklahoma 82, Davidson 78.

NFL

It was a wild Monday Night Football game in Buffalo, as the Cleveland Browns traveled to town to take on the sliding Buffalo Bills.  This game marked the 2nd appearance from new Browns quarterback, and former Notre Dame heartthrob, Brady Quinn.  Quinn put up below average numbers, throwing for only 185 yards and NO touchdowns.  However, his performance wasn’t as bad as Bills QB Trent Edwards.  Edwards had a TD pass, but was also picked off 3 times.

The game pretty much belonged to the special teams, as there were a total of 7 Field Goals in the game.  However, the Bills sure were hoping there would have been eight.  And here’s why:  With 1:39 left in the game, the Cleveland Browns marched down the field, and then their kicker Phil Dawson booted a beautiful 56-YARD KICK to put the Browns up 29-27.  The Bills had one last shot, and they put THEIR kicker, Rian Lindell, out there to win the game.  However, it just wasn’t the Bills night, as Lindell’s 47-yard kick went wide-right, which put the nail in their coffin.  Now the Bills, who started the season 4-0 looking like a Super Bowl contender, have dropped to 5-5 and will struggle to make the playoffs.  Ever since the 4-year Super Bowl appearance streak – it’s now a bummer to be a Bills fan.  Cleveland 29, Buffalo 27.

NBA

In the NBA, Dallas Mavericks loud-mouth owner, Mark Cuban, has been accused of insider-trading.  In basic terms, Cuban once invested in a new search engine company called Mamma.com.  He had 600,000 shares in the company and was told via phone call that those shares would sell below the current market price.  A few hours after the call, he told his broker to SELL SELL SELL!!!  That’s… insider trading, and Cuban’s situation is very similar to what Martha Stewart got in trouble for.   Of course, an investigation is pending, and more details will come out over the next couple weeks.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

A spotlight has been cast this season on Stephen Curry.  He was the star of the Cinderella Davidson team last season who ran amuck in the NCAA Tournament, and fell just a few points shy of going to the Final Four.  He could have gone pro after last season, and would have been picked relatively high, but he chose to stay in college, and has since gained national celebrity status.  This season, Davidson is ranked #20 and Curry put up 33 points in last night’s win against James Madison.  This year, teams will be gunning for Davidson as they are anything but an underdog.  Davidson 99, James Madison 64.

NFL

The Tennessee Titans put their undefeated streak on the line against the Jacksonville Jaguars.  The Jaguars have had a sub-par season due to some key injuries, but they are still one of those you-never-know teams, as any given week they can spring to life and beat anybody.  The Jags sprung out to a big lead on the Titans, getting two clutch touchdowns from their tiny running-back, Maurice Jones-Drew, and it looked like the Titans had finally met their match.  But, the Titans rallied back, not so much from their dual-headed RB ground game, but from a brilliant passing performance from Kerry Collins and his favorite receiver Justin Gage.  Collins threw for 230 yards and three TDS, and two of those touchdowns went to Justin Gage.  Gage finished off the day with a total of 147 yards, as the Titans took control of the game and improved to a perfect 10-0.  Tennessee 24, Jacksonville 14.

The day’s marquee match-up was a showdown of the explosive offense of New York Giants against the iron-wall defense of the Baltimore Ravens.  But… the Giants are just too powerful this season and Baltimore’s D was easy to dissect.  The Ravens usually stop opposing running games, but the Giants ran with ease.  Big man Brandon Jacobs ran for 73 yards and two TDs, and even 3rd string running back Ahmad Bradshaw had 96 yards on the ground for the G-Men.  Next week marks a huge showdown, as the NY Giants will head to Arizona to play the streaking Arizona Cardinals.  NY Giants 30, Baltimore 10.

Speaking of the Cardinals, they looked to do something this week that they hadn’t done in quite a while — win in Seattle.  The Seattle Seahawks have pretty much sat atop the NFC West for the past couple years, and they always used to demolish the Cardinals when they came up for a visit.  Larry Fitzgerald, the Cardinals star WR, told an Arizona paper that this season has been a thrill ride, but winning in Seattle would really make it special.  That would signify that things have changed for the Arizona organization.  Well, the Cards traveled to Seattle on a mission, and… prevailed.  Kurt Warner threw for his 4th straight 300-yards game, the Cards 3rd string running back, J.J. Arrington had two surprise TDs, and the talker, Larry Fitzgerald, had an amazing 151 yards receiving.  Arizona 26, Seattle 20.

This sets up a HUGE match-up next week, in what could be a preview of the NFC Championship Game.  The juggernaut NY Giants will head to Phoenix to take on Kurt Warner and the Cardinals.  This… is a can’t miss game, and won’t fall short in terms of excitement.  If the Cards edge the Giants, it will a big question mark on which team will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

The BCS rankings were released in college football, but there was no shake-up whatsoever.  #1 Alabama.  #2 Texas Tech.  #3 Texas.  #4 Florida.  #5 Oklahoma.  Some key games are coming up, however, and if one of the top two teams loses, we’ll have a gigantic mess in the BCS rankings — not to mention more backlash against the a highly controversial BCS system.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

First up, Alabama defended their #1 position against Mississippi State.  They got off to slow start, however, as they fell behind to the Bulldogs 7-5.  They rallied back in the first half, but only led 12-7 going into the half.  Not  a very convincing lead for a #1 team playing at home against an unranked team.  But, in the second half, it was all Alabama, and the Bulldogs defense could do nothing to stop them.  Next up for Alabama, in-state rival Auburn.  That should be an easy win, but… the surging Florida Gators await them in the SEC Championship game.  Alabama 32, Mississippi State 7.

Speaking of the Florida Gators, they look like a team possessed.  They took on #25 South Carolina (coached by former Florida coach Steve Spurrier), and it was anything but a contest.  Tim Tebow threw for 173 yards and twp Touchdowns, but it was the Gators running back, Percy Harvin who stole the show.  He ran for 167 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries.  Fortunately, as mentioned above, the Gators will get a chance to actually prove their worth against Alabama, as opposed to simply being ousted from the BCS Championship based on calculations.  That will be a game you don’t wanna miss.  Florida 56, South Carolina 6.

In some frustrating college football news, the Michigan Wolverines lost again, and this marks their worst season in the school’s 129-year history.  This current roster is now notorious, as they will always be remembered for being the worst Michigan football team ever.    They fell to Northwestern in a forgettable contest, but come this off-season, this Michigan program needs to sit down and ask some serious questions.  Northwestern 21, Michigan 14.

NFL

The marquee match up in the NFL today, and one you might want to go to a sports bar to see, is the New York Giants v. the Baltimore Ravens.  Essentially, it’s one of the leagues most explosive offenses taking on one of the league’s strongest defenses.  However, Baltimore’s offense has looked sharp lately, led by their rookie QB, Joe Flacco.  It seems the Ravens might finally have a passing game, and that could give them an edge in this match up.

UFC

Finally, in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) former WWE wrestler Brock Lesnar prevailed over former champion Randy Couture.  This was the most watched match in UFC history, and Lesnar proved that he is to be taken seriously as an athlete, and not just an entertainer from the fake pro-wrestling world.  The popularity of this bout is good news for the future of this relatively new sport.