FOOTBALL

In college football, this Saturday was the annual Heisman Trophy Presentation.  Prior to the season, everybody thought that Andrew Luck was an absolute shoe in for the award.  He was a finalist, to be sure, but was also joined by 4 other incredible candidates:  Tyrann Mathieu (LSU), Montee Ball (Wisconsin), Robert Griffin III (Baylor) and Trent Richardson (Alabama).  Any one of these guys could make a case for deserving the trophy, but at the end of the night, only one man was standing.  None other than RG3, Baylor’s Robert Griffin III.  This guy was responsible for posting gaudy numbers and running up the score, and put Baylor back on the map.  Congrats to RG3!

In the NFL, everyone wanted to see if Tim Tebow, 6-1 as a starter with Denver, could work his magic again.  At this point, the number of miracles these guys have pulled in the 4th quarter is astounding.  There’s no way they could get another one, right?  Not so fast….Tebow played quite poorly in the first half, and it looked like the Bears were on their way to a victory.  Even in the 4th quarter, with just over 2 minutes, the Bears were in position to end the game.  But then, Bears’ running-back Marion Barber accidentally went out of bounds, saving the Broncos a full 40 seconds.  The Bears had to punt, giving the Broncos a chance for “Tebow-Time”.  And, out of nowhere, he got them into Bears territory, giving their kicker Matt Prater a chance to tie the game with a 58-yard field goal.  And he kicked it so hard and so straight, that it would have been good for 68 yards.  Overtime.  Then, in overtime, the Bears looked like they had it again, when Marion Barber broke away and was about to run to daylight, when… he was miraculously stripped and fumbled the ball.  It came out of NOWHERE!  The Broncos got it back, headed into field goal range, and won the game.  Amazing!!!  Tebow’s miracles continue, and he will face Tom Brady and the Pats next week.  Denver 13, Chicago 10.

And on Sunday Night Football, a key game with playoff implications between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys.  Last week, the Cowboys lost in stunning fashion when they missed a field goal after their OWN coach called a timeout to seemingly ice their OWN kicker.  This week… they needed redemption.  The Cowboys started out strong with Tony Romo connecting on some  touchdown passes to Dez Bryant, Laurent Robinson, and John Phillips.  And just when they thought they had the game in their hands in the 4th quarter, the Giants launched their comeback.  With under 4 minutes to play, Eli Manning hit Jake Ballard for a touchdown, the Cowboys didn’t do anything on offense, the Giants got it back, Manning marched them down the field, and finally Brandon Jacobs got into the end zone.  The Giants also got the two point conversion to make it a 3-point game.  But… the Cowboys did get in field goal range — and here we go again.  Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey kicked one, but Giants coach Tom Coughlin called timeout.  For a second week in a row, he would have to do it again.  And on the second kick… BLOCKED!!!  And the Cowboys lost two straight and seriously hurt their playoff chances.   NY Giants 37, Dallas 34.

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, it was Thursday Night Football between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers.  This was a pretty dull game, with exception of Ben Roethlisberger getting hit hard and laying in the middle of the field convinced his leg was broken.  Fortunately, he was able to get up, and realize it was just a twisted ankle.  Most coaches would keep their star quarterback out of the game, but not Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.  He left Big Ben in the game, and in the 4th quarter, Roethlisberger connected with the ultra-speedy Antonio Brown for a 79 yard touchdown pass.  The Steelers are now 10-3 and trying to get that first round playoff bye.  Pittsburgh 14, Cleveland 3.

BASEBALL

The Albert Pujols sweepstakes are finally over.  The Cardinals said that they did everything in their power to keep Pujols as the key part of their organization.  But in the end, they just couldn’t make it happen.  So who was the lucky winner?  None other than the Angels of Los Angeles.  They signed the 2nd Highest Contract ever to make Pujols an Angel for the next 10 years (aka the rest of his career).  The deal is worth $252 Million dollars and should keep Pujols sleeping comfortably at night.  The Angels also added left-handed pitcher C.J. Wilson from the Rangers, and are clearly dead set on getting back into first place in the AL West.  All this spending most likely comes because of the woes of their cross town rival, the Dodgers.  The Dodgers are having ownership problems and it seems they probably won’t right the ship for at least the next few years.  This is a good time for the Angels to acquire a new younger fan base when they will have little competition.

BASKETBALL

Finally, the big news of the day came out of the NBA.  In a blockbuster trade, the Hornets agreed to send superstar Chris Paul to the Lakers in a 3-team deal.  The trade would send Paul to LA, who in turn would ship Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets and Lamar Odom to the Hornets.  Odom was completely shocked by the news, saying he didn’t even receive a phone call about it.  He felt disrespected by the Lakers, saying he thought he would be there for life.  But here’s the crazy thing — just 2 hours after the trade was executed, it was VETOED by David Stern.  This came from a protest by all the owners asking him to cancel the trade.  It remains to be seen why, but as of now, Paul isn’t reporting to either Lakers or Hornets camp.  This will most likely be settled soon, and when it is, it looks like the Lakers are back!  Now… can they get Dwight Howard?

BASEBALL

The most coveted free agent in baseball is, without a doubt, Albert Pujols.  He’s coming off a World Series win and is pretty much everyone’s unanimous decision for “Best Player In Baseball”.  The Cardinals definitely want him back, but it’s unclear if they can actually afford him.  And, after all, Pujols wanted a big contract going into the season, and they didn’t grant him one.  That may have left a bad taste in his mouth.  Now, he has two big suitors chasing after him.  First the Los Angeles Angels.  This team dominated the AL West until the Texas Rangers got good 2 years ago.  Having Pujols on their roster would get their big fan base excited and seriously increase their run totals.  The other suitor:  The Miami Marlins.  Yep, that’s right, Miami, as they’re re-branding their team to make their immediate city feel more involved.  They haven’t done well financially lately, and this is their shot to reinvigorate the franchise.  They just brought in Jose Reyes from the Mets, and getting Pujols would further enhance their attempt to pander to huge Latin fan base.  Although, it may be some time before we have a decision from Pujols.

FOOTBALL

And in college football, Stanford’s athletic director is being quite vocal about his disgust for the BCS system.  His team, who finished 4th in the BCS standings, will take on Oklahoma State, but won’t get a shot at the National Title Game.  He says that a “Plus-One Model” (meaning a 4-team playoff) is inevitable.
Also in college football, this is the time of year where some major coaching changes take place.  It seems like an odd time considering that some schools flush their head coach even though they’re headed to a bowl.  And it also works the other way, as good coaches heading to a bowl leave their school for another job that they won’t even assume until next year.  Seems unfair to the players.  The latest major change is at North Carolina — a school that had a burgeoning football program, and was expected to play very well this year, but completely fell off the rails after their coach Butch Davis was fired prior to the season.  Now, they’re bringing in Larry Fedora, a guy who led Southern Mississippi to a fantastic season and an upset win of undefeated Houston in the Conference USA Championship game.  This guy is a great coach who might be able to get the UNC program back on track.

BASKETBALL

In the NBA, we have even more suitors for New Orleans Hornets superstar Chris Paul.  Apparently the Golden State Warriors, now under new coach Mark Jackson, are interested in bringing Paul to town to boost their profile in the bay area.  Remember, the Warriors are in a rather major market and having a superstar like Paul would immediately put them on television more.  However, the Hornets are saying they want current Warriors star Stephan Curry in return.  Curry’s good, but if you have a chance to get Paul… you take it.  Also courting Paul, the Los Angeles Clippers, who are trying their hardest to eclipse the Lakers as the team to watch in LA.  Can you imagine a Chris Paul / Blake Griffin combo?  But the Hornets are asking for Clippers star guard Eric Gordon in return.  But again, with the exception of trading LeBron or Dwayne Wade, Chris Paul is just one of those you have to get on your team.

FOOTBALL

And in college football, the Big East division has pretty much fallen apart.  Next season, West Virginia is reportedly bolting for the Big 12, and Syracuse and UCONN are heading to the ACC (for football).  Possibly Pitt too.  So… that means they need to rebuild.  And they’re not exactly picky about where in the country those teams are coming from, pretty much rendering the moniker of Big EAST mute.  First up, Boise State (yes, in Boise Idaho).  These guys needed to leave, as being in a major conference would give them an automatic bid to a lucrative BCS bowl in if they win the conference.  People won’t have to debate them anymore.  The other teams  were looking for the same opportunity — those teams include SMU (Southern Methodist), UCF (Central Florida), San Diego State (very far from the east) and Houston (a team that looked fantastic this season).  This could become a very entertaining conference to watch.

Finally, in the NFL, former great Archie Manning (father to Peyton and Eli) said on the radio that he doesn’t think that Peyton would do well with Andrew Luck on the team.  The Colts are on pace to get the #1 pick in the draft, and that is unanimously Andrew Luck.  But Peyton still thinks he has some great years in him (if he can successfully recover from neck surgery).  Archie Manning said that Andrew Luck is the type of mature player who can walk right in and play.  He wouldn’t necessarily benefit from studying under Manning for a few years.  It could be a bad situation if they were on the same team, as eventually, one would have to go.  And all signs suggest that would be Peyton packing his bags.  The Colts may try to trade the #1 pick for maximum value and give Manning some incredible offensive and defensive support to help him win over the next few years.

FOOTBALL

In college football, the major bowls were announced.  In the Rose Bowl, we’ll see Oregon and Wisconsin — two teams with high-powered offenses that will surely run up the score.  In the Sugar Bowl, it’ll be Denard Robinson and Michigan against running-back David Wilson and Virginia Tech.  Down south in the Orange Bowl, we’ll see a Clemson team that just knocked off Virginia Tech for the ACC Title take on Big East Champion West Virginia.  Again, two offenses that are going to be tossing touchdown after touchdown.  And in the Fiesta Bowl — it’s Oklahoma State (fresh off a snub from the National Championship Game) against an Andrew Luck led Stanford squad.  Finally, the grandaddy of them all, the BCS Championship Game between #1 LSU and #2 Alabama. Sure, these two teams already played, but it took them an overtime to decide a winner.  You better believe this is going to be an amazing match-up, and they are, indeed, the best two teams in the nation.

Elsewhere in college football, the 5 Finalists for the coveted Heisman Trophy were announced yesterday.  We have quarterback Andrew Luck from Stanford, quarterback Robert Griffin III from Baylor, running-back Montee Ball from Wisconsin, running-back Trent Richardson from Alabama, and… the Honey-Badger, LSU’s cornerback Tyrann Mathieu.  This is actually the first year in a while where there wasn’t a clear #1.  It will be interesting to see whom the committee decides on Saturday.

BASKETBALL

Finally, in the NBA, rumors have circled everywhere that Dwight Howard and Chris Paul might be heading out of town.  First a rumor saw Dwight Howard coming to the Nets, and then everyone said Chris Paul was going to don a Celtics uniform.  Those stories were contradicted by other sources claiming that Paul wanted to play with his buddies Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire in New York to create a second BIG 3 to compete with the Heat.  But now, a new team has emerged — The Los Angeles Lakers.  And here’s the thing:  The Lakers want BOTH Dwight Howard and Chris Paul.  The Lakers have valuable trade chips to send around including Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom.  And they also have the money necessary to sign these two superstars.  This could get very interesting if Kobe ALSO had a Big 3.

FOOTBALL

It was a wild weekend in the NFL:

First up, Cam Newton has had a spectacular rookie season, but the Panthers have been struggling to put tick marks in the win column.  Everybody knew, it was only a matter of time before everything clicked in Carolina.  Sunday was that day as the Panthers took on a struggling Buccaneers team (donning their creamsicle uniforms from the era in which they weren’t so great).  And this was the game where Cam Newton caught fire.  He threw for 204 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for 3 touchdowns.  Newton is turning into the kind of explosive player that will definitely scare teams next season.  Plus, in the past few games, the Panthers have gotten their duel-headed rushing attack going of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.  They’re not going to make the playoffs, but the Panthers could definitely burst the bubbles of some teams that are vying for the post-season.  Carolina 38, Tampa Bay 19.

And, in Houston, with the Colts out of the way this season, the Texans are poised to get a first round bye in the playoffs.  Except… it seems like their whole team is falling apart at the wrong time.  They already lost their starting quarterback Matt Schaub for the year, then their back-up Matt Leinart went down with a collar bone injury.  This… after they lost their top defensive player, Mario Williams, early in the year.  Yet still, they’re 8-3 with a 3rd string rookie quarterback, T.J. Yates, hosting a tough Falcons team.  Fortunately, for the Texans, they’re a run-first team behind Arian Foster and Ben Tate.  Foster had 111 yards on the ground, and T.J. Yates did a good job playing mistake-free football to ensure that the Texans had a chance to win, throwing for 188 yards and a touchdown.  The Texans are now 9-3 and trying to hang on.  Houston 17, Atlanta 10.

Then, in the afternoon, the Packers were looking to defend their 11-0 start.  But, they would have to do it on the road against a New York Giants team looking for revenge after getting punished in New Orleans the week prior.  Plus, the Giants always play better when they’re expected to lose against a good team — that’s when they rise to the occasion.  They got out to a good start, as Eli Manning threw to tight-end Travis Beckum for an early touchdown.  Then, the Packers took off with Aaron Rodgers throwing touchdowns all over the place.  However, the Giants are a never-say-never team and Eli Manning connected with Hakeem Nicks, with a 2-point conversion from running-back Danny Ware to tie the game.  Except, the Giants made a common mistake — they left Aaron Rodgers with more than 1 second on the clock (53 seconds to be exact).  Rodgers took the ball and executed the perfect drive to put the Packers in field goal position.  It would have been about a 45 yard attempt for Packers kicker Mason Crosby, but Rodgers made it easier on him by completing another 20 yard pass.  What a nice favor.  Crosby kicked a basic 31-yard field goal to win the game and keep the Pack a perfect 12-0.  Green Bay 38, NY Giants 35.

BASKETBALL

In college basketball, North Carolina lost their #1 ranking when they lost to UNLV — a team that got hot from 3-point land.  But, last night, they were looking to start their campaign to regain that pole position by taking on a pesky Wisconsin Badger team (#7 in the land)  This year, North Carolina is essentially the team to beat.  They have superstar talent, and Harrison Barnes is one of the best players in the country.  Thanks to Barnes’ 20 points, the Tar Heels were able to keep it close, but the Badgers did take the lead late, forcing the Tar Heels to come from behind.  In the end, the Tar Heels clawed their way back and nabbed the win.  That should help get them back to the top.  North Carolina 60, Wisconsin 57.

FOOTBALL

In college football, Washington State has made a key coaching decision.  In the 90s, Washington State was a very relevant program, primarily for churning out high draft pick quarterbacks.  They gave us Drew Bledsoe and later Ryan Leaf.  But this past decade, the Washington State Cougars have slipped off the map.  They’ve been hanging out at the bottom of the Pac 10, and now Pac 12 conference, and are considered an easy win for most teams.  Most think their drop off is due to the ascension of a neighboring program:  Boise State.  Suddenly, Boise State became a high profile place to play (their blue field quite attractive.  That and BCS appearances).  Most think that Boise was stealing all the great recruits from the Washington area that would have gone to Washington State.  Now the Cougars are bringing in a new leader:  Former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach.  Leach took over the Texas Tech program for 5 years and immediately made them relevant.  He was an innovator in the spread offense, and we saw the Red Raiders putting up 50 and 60 points per game.  This offense is now more widely used both in college football and the pros.  You have to expect that Leach will turn the Cougars into an explosive offense.

Finally, we lost a good guy in the sports world.   Yesterday, former Raiders defensive lineman Chester McGlockton died at the age of 42.  McGlockton was a 4 time pro bowler in the NFL.  McGlockton was most famous, most likely, for being huge — just a behemoth of a man.  But after finishing his NFL career, he went back to receive his undergraduate degree from Tennessee-Martin, and then became an assistant coach at Stanford, which was his current job.  The Stanford coaching staff said that McGlockton was a wonderful member of their staff and a great friend to all.  He will be missed by the football community.