NBA

It was the battle of the Superman.  Not quite literally, but certainly close.  “Superman” is the nickname of the Orlando Magic’s all-star center Dwight Howard, earned when he put on a red cape during the slam dunk contest and slammed it home from the foul line.  However, the original “Superman” moniker was that of Shaq.  He even called Howard out publicly saying that Howard was a good player, but that Shaq did it all first.  (And to Shaq’s credit, he has a point.  Shaq pulled down 2 backboards in his day, and won 3 championships).  Shaq followed this up by saying, “Once he gets out of the second round of the playoffs, then he can call himself Superman.”  Needless to say, Shaq’s pretty funny.

The game was a battle between the two big men, but the show really belonged to the Magic’s power-forward Rashard Lewis.  He was a beast out there with 29 points and 12 rebounds.  Shaq and Howard tussled a lot down low, but the prettier player (albeit much younger) was Howard.  He even hit an amazing bank-shot over Shaq while drawing the foul.  Shaq had nothing but amazement on his face.  The new best center in the league is born.  Orlando 111, Phoenix 99.

NFL

Kurt Warner has stated that he would like to be an Arizona Cardinal next season.  However, that jersey will come with a very high price tag.  After Warner stepped in this season and led the Cards to a Super Bowl (an achievement absolutely nobody saw coming), he would love to try and do it again.  That opportunity, that… chance will cost Arizona $23 million dollars over two years.  If you’re Arizona, you know Warner gives you the best chance to win, especially because he jells with that offense.  At the same time, Warner is old and injury prone, and that money could sit on the sidelines for the next two years.  When all is said and done, however, if you’re the Cardinals and have been completely irrelevant for the last 30 years, you take on Warner and hope for the best.  Hey… the fans are coming.

Finally, it appears that the Coast Guard has called off its search for missing NFL players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith.  The families have been overcome with grief during these past two days.  Unfortunately, they are in the Gulf of Mexico, which is a very cold body of water, and survival is quite difficult if you’re just lingering in the water.  The coast guard said if they were on top of the waters, they would have found them.  This is a very sad moment for their families, and we can only hope for a miracle.