Saturday Morning Sports

THE ATHLETES OF LOST?

2009-02-05T16:05:00.004-05:00

LOST, ABC's popular drama has gained quite the reputation for twists, turns, and all out craziness that often overtake its storylines. The current season, the show's fifth, is even more imaginative and intriguing than previous years, and the interweaving stories in each episode continue to amaze and bewilder even the show's most ardent fans. But why, you must be asking, am I writing about a show on a sports blog? Well, it turns out, many of today's most well-known athletes and sports people relate quite well to some of the show's main characters. Here are five of the LOST protagonists along with their counterparts in the sports world.

Kate Austen- Brett Favre

Kate, one of the most popular characters on the show, just can't make up her mind. She loves Jack. Now she loves Sawyer. Now Jack. Now Sawyer. Pick one already! Her indecision is reminiscant of Favre's will he or won't he retire sentiment that seems to envelope NFL storylines each offseason. That, and they both absolutely love attention.

Ben Linus- Scott Boras

Ben Linus is evil. Everything he does, he does for his own personal gain. He doesn't care about people, their feelings, or their lives, he only cares about himself. He embellishes, tells "half truths", and often just flat out lies in order to get what he wants. All of that (and more) is true about Scott Boras. The superagent, who represents some of Major League Baseball's most talented and well-known players, is not above making up stories to get more money for his players. Earlier this offseason, Boras said the Red Sox were the front runners to land prized first baseman Mark Teixeira after Teixeira had already decided he wanted to become a Yankee. This drove up the price for New York and caused outrage in Boston. Linus is the Scott Boras of LOST.

John Locke- Paul Pierce

Locke spent the first few seasons of the show looking for his place, his calling. Always valuable, Locke only recently ascended to being a true leader, and is constantly willing to do whatever it takes for his people. Pierce toiled on terrible Celtics teams for nine years before KG and Ray Allen came along. Pierce, Boston's captain, is driven by his superstar teammates and has turned himself into one of the NBA's best players. Coming back from a knee injury during the NBA Finals isn't quite walking again after being paralyzed (a la John Locke), but his value to the team can't be questioned.

Aaron Littleton- Sidney Crosby

I know what your thinking. How can Claire's baby (born on the Island in season one) be compared to Sid the Kid? Well, much of the plot of the current season revolves around him. The entire storyline regarding Kate and (now) Sun and Jack have to do with Kate being able to keep Aaron. He's young, but incredibly important to the entire show. Crosby is also young, and just as important to the league. Since he was drafted first overall by the Penguins, Crosby has been known as the savior of the NHL. Everything (at least from a marketing standpoint) revolves around Sidney Crosby. Without him, the NHL is completely different. Without Aaron, the show changes considerably as well.

Jack Sheppard- Michael Phelps

Jack is, without a doubt, the main character of the show. He is only doctor among the survivors, and becomes their leader in season one. Everybody looks up to Jack, and more often than not, he delivers for them. Phelps' rise to fame during the Beijing Olympics put him at the top of the sports world. For quite awhile, America followed Phelps carefully, waiting with baited breath for every word (especially the media) he spoke. He led all American athletes at the Olympics with his eight gold medals, but has recently been getting criticized loudly. Both have gotten into drugs since returning (Jack from the Island, Phelps from Beijing). Jack's addiction to painkillers and booze hurt his relationships with the rest of the Oceanic Six. It's unclear, at this point, how the photos of Phelps ripping a bong at a friend's house will affect his relationships (with sponsors mainly) at this point in his career.

NO SHOW TOMORROW

2009-01-23T20:24:00.002-05:00

There will be no show tomorrow, Saturday, January 24, 2009. We'll be back next week at noon on 1550 am WNTN and WNTN.com.

RED SOX ALL-TIME GREATS TEAM

2009-01-23T19:53:00.004-05:00

The newly formed MLB Network was recently showing Red Sox: All-Time Greats, a show about the three best players at each position to ever play for the Sox. Here is my team roster for the ultimate Red Sox team, complete with a starting nine, a bench, a five man rotation, and a bullpen.

The Starting Lineup
1. Bobby Doerr- 2B
2. Wade Boggs- 3B
3. Jimmie Foxx- 1B
4. Ted Williams- LF
5. Fred Lynn- CF
6. Carlton Fisk- C
7. Dwight Evans- RF
8. Johnny Pesky- SS
9. Pitcher's spot

The Bench
Nomar Garciaparra- SS/IF, Tris Speaker-CF, Carl Yastrzemski-LF, Jason Varitek-C, Joe Cronin-IF

The Starting Rotation
1. Cy Young
2. Pedro Martinez
3. "Smokey" Joe Wood
4. Roger Clemens
5. Bruce Hurst

The Bullpen
Bill "Spaceman" Lee (Long Relief), Luis Tiant (Long Relief), Dennis Eckersley (Middle Relief), Ellis Kinder (Middle Relief), Bob Stanley (Set Up), Dick Radatz (Set Up), Jonathan Papelbon (Closer)

There it is. The Red Sox ultimate 25-man roster, complete with starting nine, rotation, bench, and bullpen. Any disagreements? Let us know.

CHECK OUT "THROUGH THE FIVE HOLE"

2009-01-21T18:30:00.002-05:00

Since I was writing primarily about the Bruins and the NHL for awhile, I decided it was time to start a blog entirely devoted to the sport. Check out "Through the Five Hole" for all your hockey needs. Of course, we will continue to post on here as well, and remember to listen to Saturday Morning Sports, noon to one every Saturday on 1550am WNTN, and WNTN.com.

BOSTON'S MOUNT RUSHMORE

2009-01-21T14:00:00.007-05:00

One of ESPN's new features is a state-by-state "Mount Rushmore of Sports" debate in which fans can decide on who would make their state's monument. The Boston sports scene is one of the hardest to do because so many superstar athletes have passed through this town, and each brought something different to the table. But if I had to pick the four faces for Boston's Mount Rushmore of Sports, they would be:

Ted Williams
You can't have a Mount Rushmore for Boston sports without "the greatest hitter who ever lived." The Splendid Splinter hit 521 homers for the Red Sox in 19 seasons, and averaged 130 RBI per year. A two-time American League MVP, Williams is the last player to hit over .400, hitting .406 in 1941.

Red Auerbach
With respect to Bill Russell and Larry Bird, who each could have made this list in their own right, I'm going with the man who signed both of them, Red Auerbach. Red coached the Celtics from 1950 through 1965 (and stayed on as GM for many more years), and won NBA Championships in eight straight years (1958-65). Quite simply, the Celtics have won more NBA Titles than any other franchise, and you don't have that unbelievable history without Red Auerbach.

Tom Brady
The Patriots sixth round pick in 2000, Brady took over for an injured Drew Bledsoe in just his second season in the league and turned the New England franchise around. A career record of 86-24 in the regular season and 14-3 in the playoffs makes Brady the most important player in team history. He is a three time Super Bowl Champion, a two-time Super Bowl MVP, and has the NFL record for touchdown passes in a single season with 50. Brady has a career passer rating of 92.9 and won nine playoff games in his first five seasons, the most of any starting quarterback in his first five seasons in NFL history.

Bobby Orr
Considered by many to be the greatest player to ever lace up skates, Orr forever changed the way the game was played. Despite only playing 10 seasons in Boston (12 in his career), Orr won eight Norris Trophies as the league's top defenseman, was a two-time Hart winner (League MVP), and a two-time Conn Smythe winner as the playoff MVP. He won two Stanley Cups with the Bruins, was a nine-time All-Star, and his 120 points in 1970-71 was unheard of for a defenseman. He is perhaps best remembered for his game winning goal in overtime of the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals against the St. Louis Blues.

WHY GARY BETTMAN IS THE WORST COMMISSIONER IN SPORTS

2009-01-15T16:50:00.004-05:00

When former NBA executive Gary Bettman took over the job of commissioner of the NHL on February 1, 1993, he wasn't exactly the most seasoned hockey mind. Bettman's lack of experience, in fact was so well known that famed hockey writer Pat Williams stated "I gave Gary a hockey puck once and he spent the rest of the day trying to open it." Nearly two decades later, Bettman is still hockey's head honcho, and it's not really clear how much he has learned. What is clear though, is the multitude of problems facing professional hockey, all of which make Bettman the worst commissioner in pro sports today.

Bettman started to ruin the sport by watering down the NHL with too many teams and moving existing teams into markets that clearly don't give a crap about hockey. While the Florida Panthers and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim had already been announced as expansion franchises when Bettman came into power, he has since added the Nashville Predators (1998), Atlanta Thrashers (1999), Minnesota Wild (2000), and Columbus Blue Jackets (2000). Minnesota, colloquially known as "the State of hockey", needed a team after the state's beloved North Stars moved south to Dallas in 1993.

Bettman further attempted to shift the NHL's focus into the American south by relocating teams from the hockey hotbed in the great white north. The Quebec Nordiques packed up and moved to Denver in 1995, the Winnipeg Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes one year later, and a year after that the Hartford Whalers moved to Raleigh and became the Carolina Hurricanes.

Furthermore, Bettman has been accused as having an anti-Canada bias, a seemingly ridiculous stance for the leader of a sport so popular north of the border to have. But when multi-millionaire Jim Balsillie reached a tentative agreement to buy the Predators with the hopes of moving them to Hamilton, Ontario, Bettman wouldn't allow it. The Preds had just finished their best regular season in team history, yet were ranked 21st in the league in average attendance. When Balsillie went to put season ticket orders for the Hamilton Predators on Ticketmaster, he received more than 7,000 deposits on the first day alone. Despite having somewhere around 12,000 deposits from Hamilton fans (more than the Nashville season ticket base), Balsillie, who had done this to prove Hamilton as a viable NHL market, had his bid rejected by the league for not putting forth "a good faith effort" to keep the team in it's current location.

Bettman, who was tabbed as commissioner primarily to end the league's labor problems, has been forced into lockouts on two separate occasions, in 1994-95, and again in 2004-05. The NHL became the first major professional sports league to cancel an entire season of play after the second of the lockouts could not be resolved in time to start the regular season in early October.

The league is still feeling the effects from the lockout, and may not fully recover for years to come. One major problem that has since developed is the lack of suitable television coverage. Hockey is probably the best sport to watch in high definition, yet nationally televised NHL games primarily appear on Versus, a small network that is hard to find for non-hockey fans. It's not something anybody is going to stumble across while channel surfing. Not a good way to attract more fans.

Now don't get me wrong, Bettman has done some good as commissioner of the NHL. His work to create a better salary cap has helped bring some parity to the league, and he has stabilized some of the league's financial troubles. On the whole though, Gary Bettman has been an overwhelmingly negative influence on the game of hockey.

Let's hope that one of these days he'll finally stop trying to open the puck and just drop it already.

LIFE AFTER PIOLI

2009-01-15T13:03:00.003-05:00

The Patriots have lost another top evaluator. First Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels bolted to take the reigns of the Denver Broncos, and now VP of Player Personnel Scott Pioli is moving west to take over as GM for the Kansas City Chiefs.

It will be very interesting how the Patriots respond. Pioli is obviously one of the top executives in all of football, and his loss is a huge one for a franchise that has been so successful in the new millennium. The Patriots have already named his successor in Pioli's former assistant, Nick Caserio.

In his column on Caserio in today's Boston Globe, beat writer Mike Reiss (friend of the blog) says that the Pats were right to name an in-house replacement because of how closely Bill Belichick works with the front office. Knowing exactly what kind of player the coach likes will save Caserio tons of time and should help the Pats remain one of the better teams in the AFC for years to come. Caserio is a system guy who has worked both on the field--as an offensive coaching assistant and wide receivers coach--and in the front office. He's an extremely hard worker and should fit right in in his new role.

And as long as Belichick is in charge of the team, the Patriots will be just fine.

MIDSEASON ROUNDUP

2009-01-14T13:18:00.003-05:00

I know I know. Another hockey post? Well I promise, we'll switch it up soon! But for now, with the NHL's All-Star festivities coming up, and the season already past the midway point (41 games), let's look at where we are in the various award races. Keep in mind, these are only our predictions, feel free to disagree.

Hart Trophy (MVP): Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
The former first overall pick is quickly becoming the face of the league, and has the Caps battling it out for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Other Candidates: Evgeni Malkin, Joe Thornton

Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year): Steve Mason, Columbus Blue Jackets
Mason has come out of nowhere to emerge as a serious candidate for the Vezina Trophy as the League's top goalie. As a rookie, his stellar play is all the more impressive. Other Candidates: Blake Wheeler, Kris Versteeg

Norris Trophy (Top Defenseman): Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins
The Captain of the best team in the Eastern Conference (and for now the NHL), Chara is the heart and soul of the League's top rated defense. Other Candidates: Mike Green, Nicklas Lidstrom

Vezina Trophy (Top Goalie): Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins
18-4-3 with a 2.04 goals against average, Thomas has (literally) stood on his head for this team. His play is one of the main reasons why they are in such good position. Other Candidates: Steve Mason, Nicklas Backstrom

Selke Trophy (Best Defensive Forward): Mike Richards, Philadelphia Flyers
Richards is near the top of the league in blocked shots and takeaways. His play on the penalty kill has been tremendous for Philly as well. Other Candidates: Pavel Datsyuk

Adams Award (Coach of the Year): Claude Julien, Boston Bruins
That's right, another Boston award. Deal with it! Nobody expected this from the B's this season, after finishing eighth in the Conference a year ago. Boston is 32-7-4 through 43 games this year. Other Candidates: Todd McLellan

TOUGH BREAK FOR BRUINS

2009-01-13T14:40:00.003-05:00

Just as everything was coming together for the Bruins, their top scorer gets shelved. Phil Kessel, Boston's 21-year-old superstar was placed on IR today with mono, and will miss anywhere from two weeks to a month. Kessel, who was one of the biggest All-Star snubs of the season, has had a breakout campaign so far this year, netting 24 goals and 17 assists for the East leading Bruins.

The timing of the sickness is the main issue for Claude Julien's club. The B's five games leading into the All-Star break include a showdown with arch rival Montreal, and a trip to the Nation's Capital to see Alexander Ovechkin and the red hot Washington Capitals. The Caps had won 12 of their last 13 games, including a 3-1 victory over Boston, before losing two straight. The Habs have won seven of their last eight, and four in a row overall.

It's fairly amazing that Boston has been able to sustain it's early season pace, given the absence of some big time players. Patrice Bergeron, who missed 72 games (plus seven playoff games) a year ago, has been out since December 20 after suffering another concussion. And Marco Sturm, a 27 goal scorer last season, has barely played this year, and will almost certainly miss the rest of this season.

So far, the Bruins have been able to plug in pieces and still get the job done. But with an extended absence from Kessel, who knows what will happen? B's fans shouldn't worry too much though. As long as Savard, Krejci, and especially Ryder continue to light the lamp (the B's are 14-0 in games when Ryder scores a goal), they will remain the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.

IS NFL OVERTIME WORTH FIXING?

2009-01-11T15:52:00.005-05:00

Going into their playoff matchup last week, most people expected the Indianapolis Colts, winners of nine straight, to roll over 8-8 San Diego. The Chargers had other ideas however, and behind running back Darren Sproles' spectacular effort, had the game knotted at 17 as the fourth quarter clock ticked down to 0:00. San Diego won the coin toss and never gave up the ball, eventually winning on Sproles' 22-yard scamper some three and a half minutes into the extra frame. So Indianapolis, who breezed through the second half of the season, was eliminated after picking incorrectly on the most basic question: heads or tails? While the simple answer is to play better defense, it's not always that easy. There is something that is just unfair about overtime in the NFL and that needs to be fixed.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, 44% of the overtime games since 2006 have been won on the first drive by the team that won the coin toss. All in all, 64% of OT games have been won by the team that gets the ball first. That's a really startling statistic, suggesting that NFL overtime, in it's current incarnation, really isn't fair for both teams. So, can anything be done to even the playing field? I don't think the College Football OT rules would translate well in the professional ranks. Another idea, as suggested by ESPN.com's Bill Simmons, says a team should essentially be able to match a field goal with a possession of their own. But this one comes across as confusing and gimmicky, something the NFL doesn't want or need.

One interesting suggestion is to leave overtime in the regular season alone, but change it in the playoffs to one full quarter of action. The coin toss would still determine which club would get the ball first, but the first possession wouldn't determine the outcome. It would be similar to the system used in the NHL, where five minutes of overtime (and, if necessary, a shootout) are played in the regular season, but the playoffs see continuous action until a team wins. Of course, now the football OT wouldn't be sudden death, but it would mean the outcomes would be decided by the players 100% of the time.

The Colts, of course, are still sitting at home watching the playoffs on TV (for the record, I'm happy about that). With any luck though, teams in that situation in the future will at least get a shot of their own. And who knows? Maybe Bill Polian will demand changes...again.

**For the record it was my dad that came up with the new playoff OT idea. Thanks Pops.

CHIARELLI DESERVES CREDIT FOR MUCH OF B'S SUCCESS

2009-01-10T16:32:00.005-05:00

Peter Chiarelli has a plan. That was all we heard when the Bruins hired Ottawa's Assistant GM to become their new General Manager in May, 2006. After a tough 2007 season, the B's improved drastically under new head coach Claude Julien a year ago. And now, less than two years since the hiring of Chiarelli, Boston has one of the best teams in all of hockey. After the club's 5-1 thrashing of Carolina earlier today at TD Banknorth Garden, the Bruins improved to 31-7-4, good for 66 points and a 12 point lead over the rival Canadiens in the Northeast Division. Much of the credit for the leaps and bounds this franchise has made in the past couple of years should go to their third year GM.

Since taking over for Mike O'Connell, Chiarelli has built a team ripe with young talent. Phil Kessel, the team's leading scorer, is only 21 and already one of the top forwards in all of hockey. Matt Hunwick, 22, Milan Lucic, 21, and David Krejci, 22, are all young talents coming into their own this season as well. Throw in free agent singing Blake Wheeler, the fifth overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft, and the Bruins are stocked with cheap young players that bring fun and energy to the rink every night.

Additionally, Chiarelli has signed some big name free agents to bolster the roster and provide veteran leadership. 6'9 defenseman Zdeno Chara signed a five year, $37.5 million contract in July, 2006, and has been an All-Star selection each of the past two seasons. The heart and soul of Boston's league leading defensive unit, Chara has averaged well over 20 minutes per game in each season with the club. Chiarelli signed Marc Savard that same offseason, and "Savvy" has been a whiz in the offensive end during his stint in Black and Gold. Savard, who makes $5.5 million annually, has 38 assists so far this season, good for second in the entire NHL in that category.

Chiarelli has also made some key trades to improve the team as well. The GM was harshly criticized for trading fan favorite Brad Boyes to St. Louis for puck moving defenseman Dennis Wideman, but that trade has largely worked out for Boston. The offensive minded Wideman has been tremendous for the Bruins with 27 points (third most among Eastern Conference defenseman), and is a plus-24, trailing only teammates Savard (plus-28) and Wheeler (plus-25) on the season.

Other Chiarelli pickups include Aaron Ward, Andrew Ference, Chuck Kobasew, and Stephane Yelle, with each playing key supporting roles in the Bruins' current run to the top of the standings. Only time will tell how far this team can go, but they certainly have the depth to make a run. Call-ups Byron Bitz, Martins Karsums, Martin St. Pierre, and Vladimir Sobotka have all made appearances with the big club in 2008-09, and all have held their own while wearing the Spoked-B. Regular season wins may not mean much in the grand scheme of things, but Chiarelli's boys appear to be in it for the long haul. A master plan indeed.

HOW IS PHIL KESSEL NOT AN ALL-STAR?

2009-01-09T13:52:00.005-05:00

Really? There are actually 12 better forwards in the Eastern Conference right now than Phil Kessel? I can understand Boston's 21-year-old forward not starting for the East squad, but missing the team entirely? Come on.

Kessel currently ranks fourth in the conference with 24 goals, only three behind the triumvirate of Ovechkin, Carter, and Vanek, all All-Stars themselves. He had a stretch of 18 consecutive games with at least one point earlier this season, and is currently a plus-17, good for seventh best in the league, despite playing only 16:46 per night, ranking him 68th among Eastern Conference forwards.

Compare Kessel's numbers to those of Carolina centerman Eric Staal (who did make the team), for example:

Kessel: 24 goals, 17 assists, 41 points, 143 shots, 16:46 average time on ice
Staal: 18 goals, 14 assists, 32 points, 176 shots, 21:20 average time on ice

Of course, the B's leading goal scorer was left off because the fans voted Alexei Kovalev into the game as a starter for the East. Nevermind the fact that his 11 goals have him tied for 48th in the conference, or that his 31 points put him in 32nd. The voting for All-Star starters is a lot like the race for class president in middle school. It's all about who is more popular, and unfortunately for Kessel, Kovalev won that battle.

There are plenty of other snubs and ridiculous selections for this year's game, but Kessel, along with Caps defenseman Mike Green, appear to be the biggest mistakes. Oh well, there will be plenty of other Bruins to root for on All-Star weekend. Tim Thomas, Marc Savard, and Zdeno Chara will be representing the East in the game, and Milan Lucic and Blake Wheeler will be facing off in the Young Stars Game.

TIME TO TRADE BUCHHOLZ?

2009-01-08T14:34:00.005-05:00

This offseason has been insane. Starting with the Phillies/Rays matchup that nobody saw coming, baseball has been on a roller coaster ride for the past three plus months. Twists and turns have swept up all 30 teams, and we have seen some ridiculous changes.

With the Yankees sweeping up all the top free agents, apparently trying to form some sort of fantasy baseball team, the Red Sox have struggled to counter. CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, and Mark Teixeira are all huge additions in the Big Apple, and in the view of many an "expert", have propelled the Yankees ahead of the Sox and Rays as the favorites to win the AL East this season. But in the words of Lee Corso, not so fast my friends! The Red Sox keep adding players, and will have a very formidable rotation come the regular season. But there is one more thing Boston should do to keep pace with New York: trade Clay Buchholz.

Having signed John Smoltz and Brady Penny, there is no room for Buchholz in the rotation this year. The club already is having issues finding a spot for young gun Justin Masterson, and Buchholz's shaky mechanics have no use in the bullpen. Should injuries occur, as they always seem to, Michael Bowden is ready to step up and take the hill for the big club.

Furthermore, Buchholz could be a centerpiece in a deal for a catcher or big bat for the lineup. Since the Sox missed out on Mark Teixeira, they are still looking for a big bat to replace the loss of Manny Ramirez, and Buchholz could be a big part of finding that missing piece. If Boston can use their young pitcher to land a catcher, like Texas' Jarrod Saltalamacchia, that would help immensely as well, for a roster that has only Josh Bard behind the plate.

A lineup of Ellsbury (CF), Pedroia (2B), Ortiz (DH), Lowell (3B), Youkilis (1B), Drew (RF), Bay (LF), Saltalamacchia (C), and Lowery (SS) would be quite formidable. With a rotation of Beckett, Matsuzaka, Lester, Penny, and Smoltz, the Sox would be one of the top teams in the AL this season.

All we know now though, is that this roller coaster will have gut-wrenching action right up until the end.

MY 5 FAVORITE BRUINS OF ALL-TIME

2009-01-07T13:59:00.006-05:00

The recent book Black and Gold: Four Decades of the Boston Bruins in Photographs is amazing. Photographer Steve Babineau has shot the B's for the past forty years or so, and has snapped some of the most memorable and transcendent pictures in hockey history. The book has reminded me countless times of my own past with the team. My first game, back in January, 1993 was between the Bruins and the fledgling San Jose Sharks. I remember the distinct smell of the old Boston Garden, an odd combination of age, cigarettes, and popcorn; and then B's forward Joey Juneau's collision with a Shark, causing his stick to fly straight up high into the air. As I grew up, I continued to follow the Bruins. I saw the Garden torn down and replaced by the new building, the third jerseys turn an ugly mustard yellow, and hall of fame worthy players come and go on numerous occasions. So, with that said, I think it's time for me to look back at five of my favorite players that I distinctly remember watching don the spoked B. This eliminates Bruins greats like Orr, Esposito, and O'Reilly, but those guys were all a little before my time. Here goes...

5. SERGEI SAMSONOV
The eighth overall pick of the 1997 draft, Samsonov is still lacing 'em up, now for the Carolina Hurricanes. The 5'8 winger was an incredibly gifted stickhandler, often confusing opponents with ridiculous dekes and drags. Just a couple years ago, Sammy scored a jaw dropping goal by taking a feed and wristing the puck between his legs and over the shoulder of the Philadelphia goalie. An immensely talented player.

4. JOE THORNTON
Sticking with Bruins first round picks in 1997, we come to Joe Thornton, the top overall selection that year. Thornton was a much maligned figure in Boston for some reason, as media members and fans jumped on his back for not winning the big one right away, and not deserving the captain's C. What I remember though, is one of the most talented, strong, tough players I've ever seen. He's one of the best passers in NHL history, and someone who was extremely fun to watch. Since his trade to San Jose, Thornton has thrived, helping the Sharks to one of the best starts in NHL history this season.

3. ANDY MOOG
One of my first memories as a Bruins fan was watching Andy Moog make some tremendous glove saves. My friends and I would imitate him playing hockey in my basement, always taking turns to see who could make the best save with the glove, just like Moog. He only played in Boston from 1988-93, but was great in that span, helping lead the B's to two Stanley Cup Finals appearances, both losses to his old team, the Edmonton Oilers.

2. CAM NEELY
Current Bruins President Cam Neely ranks number two on this list, as he was one of the most iconic and skilled Bruins ever. Neely played thirteen NHL seasons, the last 10 with Boston, but was forced to retire young because of knee and hip problems, largely because of cheap shots by Ulf Samuelsson over the years. But while he was on the ice, Neely was pretty much unstoppable. One of my favorite memories of Neely is him deking through the entire Ottawa Senators team, including the goalie, for an easy tally. Neely pretty much revolutionized the "power forward" position in the NHL as well.

1. RAY BOURQUE
Bourque was the reason I wore number 77 in my first year in hockey. His early years were before my time, but as I grew up, he remained one of the best players in league history. His offensive prowess was amazing for a defenseman, as he scored 410 goals in his illustrious career. Who can forget an aging Bourque, playing in the 1996 All-Star Game in front of him hometown fans at the Fleet Center, scoring in the final minute to give the East a 5-4 win and taking MVP honors to boot? Bourque was one of the best players to ever wear the spoked B, and that's why he ranks first on my all-time list.

MY NHL ALL-STAR PICKS

2009-01-06T14:30:00.004-05:00

The NHL All-Star starting lineups are out and, once again, the fans got it wrong. Of the six starters (including the goalie) representing the Eastern Conference, four are representing Montreal, and the other two are Pittsburgh Penguins. While fan voting for starters does leave something to be desired, here are my picks for the reserves for both the East and West rosters.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards (9):
Alexander Ovechkin, Capitals
Marc Savard, Bruins
Zach Parise, Devils
Phil Kessel, Bruins
Thomas Vanek, Sabres
Jeff Carter, Flyers
Simon Gagne, Flyers
Nicklas Backstrom, Capitals
David Krejci, Bruins

Defenseman (4):
Zdeno Chara, Bruins
Mike Green, Capitals
Mark Streit, Islanders
Dennis Wideman, Bruins

Goalies (2):
Tim Thomas, Bruins
Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards (9):
Jarome Iginla, Flames
Joe Thornton, Sharks
Pavel Datsyuk, Red Wings
Rick Nash, Blue Jackets
Loui Eriksson, Stars
Marian Hossa, Red Wings
Brad Boyes, Blues
Patrick Marleau, Sharks
Daniel Sedin, Canucks

Defenseman (4):
Dan Boyle, Sharks
Brian Rafalski, Red Wings
Nicklas Lidstrom, Red Wings
Duncan Keith, Blackhawks

Goalies (2):
Evgeni Nabokov, Sharks
Nicklas Backstrom, Wild

In case you're wondering about some deserving players not on my list, keep in mind that these are only reserves. The starters, as voted by the fans, are as follows:

LW: Evgeni Malin, Penguins
C: Sidney Crosby, Penguins
RW: Alexei Kovalev, Canadiens
D: Andrei Markov, Canadiens
D: Mike Komisarek, Canadiens
G: Carrie Price, Canadiens

LW: Ryan Getzlaf, Ducks
C: Jonathan Toews, Blackhawks
RW: Patrick Kane, Blackhawks
D: Brian Campbell, Blackhawks
D: Scott Niedermayer, Ducks
G: JS Giguere, Ducks

CAN STARBURY HELP THE CELTICS?

2009-01-05T15:05:00.004-05:00

After winning 19 straight games, something happened to the Boston Celtics. They lost three of four on the west coast, and then were embarrassed at Madison Square Garden by the lowly New York Knicks.

With the team struggling, rumors began to swirl about bringing in Knicks malcontent Stephon Marbury as a backup point guard. Marbury, who is still under contract in New York, would bring veteran depth to Boston's struggling bench, and would allow Eddie House to play his natural position, getting open and shooting the rock. But Starbury should only don the green and white if he can accept a few basic conditions:

Rajon Rondo is the starter, no questions asked. Marbury will be his backup, but Rondo will continue to start and get the crunch time minutes.
Steph will make next to nothing for the rest of the season. The Celtics shouldn't compromise any cap space on him, and he will only be signed for the rest of this year. Besides, it's not like he needs the money, New York is paying him $22 million not to play for them this season.
One strike and you're out. The Celtics have really good chemistry, which is one major reason they are currently the defending champs. Chemistry has never really been what Marbury is known for, so any kind of pouting should end this experiment quickly.

If Starbury can abide by these three rules, he can be a huge asset to a struggling Boston team. And if not, there's a nice seat for him on the bench at MSG.

MARK'S PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

2009-01-01T20:13:00.007-05:00

Wild Card Round:
Indianapolis @ San Diego (Sat 8 PM)
Colts 27, Chargers 6
-The Colts enter the playoffs as the league's hottest team. The Chargers come in on the momentum of defeating the Broncos in week 17 to win the West, and are probably the first 8-8 team to ever have a home playoff game. The key to beating Indianapolis is pounding them with the run, and LaDanian Tomlinson has been a huge disappointment this season. Combine that with the fact that Norv Turner refuses to use Darren Sproles enough, throw in the Colts tough pass D versus Philip Rivers, and the Indianapolis offense against a shaky Charger's D, and you have a recipe for a potential blowout.

Baltimore @ Miami (Sun 1 PM)
Ravens 20, Dolphins 14
-Miami got into the playoffs thanks to great coaching, an offense based on trick plays and unusual formations, not committing turnovers, and most importantly, Brett Favre, who singlehandedly affected the seasons of four different teams (only one of them positively): the Jets, Packers, Patriots, and Dolphins. Despite the great story the Dolphins have been, I don't see their offense of trickery working effectively against Baltimore. I see a consistent Ravens offense combined with a defensive touchdown leading them to victory.

Divisional Round:
Baltimore @ Tennessee
Titans 10, Ravens 3
-The Joe Flacco-Kerry Collins QB matchup combined with two great defenses, points should be at a premium in this one. And despite the fact that the last game the Titans played prior to this was a pathetic 23-0 loss to the Colts in week 17, I still think they're a better team than the Ravens.

Indianapolis @ Pittsburgh
Colts 20, Steelers 16
-The Colts beat the Steelers in the regular season thanks to some boneheaded plays from Ben Roethelisberger. I'll still take Peyton Manning and crew over the vaunted Steelers D, and I would not be surprised in the slightest if Roethelisberger made some more boneheaded plays.

AFC Championship
Indianapolis @ Tennessee
Colts 31, Titans 9
-Just a terrible matchup for the Titans. Collins should get shut down compeltely by a rejuvenated Colts pass D - the only shot Tennessee has in this one is Chris Johnson and Lendale White each running for over 100 yards. Manning and the Colts offense can pick apart an overrated Titans defense.

Wild Card Round:
Atlanta @ Arizona (Sat 4:30 PM)
Falcons 34, Cardinals 28
-A suspect Atlanta secondary could make this game much more winnable for Arizona than most people think. However, an even more suspect entire Cardinals' defense should not be able to stop the Turner/Ryan combo on offense. If the fumbling/interception throwing Kurt Warner shows up instead of the MVP-caliber one, it could get ugly fast for the Cards.

Philadelphia @ Minnesota (Sun 4:30 PM)
Eagles 22, Vikings 18
-I actually had no idea that Brad Childress had been a former assistant to Andy Reid - it is the absolute perfect explanation for his entire retarted coaching style. This should be the ugliest game of the weekend by far, and is going to be one of those classic "who wants it less" games, where each team is constantly just making mistakes and being completely inept until evenutally someone just has to win the game. A Vikings home field advantage could come into play, but I think Childress is still slightly dumber than Reid, and Philly is a bit more talented. Oh, and did I mention it's Tavaris Jackson vs. Donovan McNabb? I don't care what people say, McNabb is still a solid QB.

Divisional Round:
Philadelphia @ New York
Giants 27, Eagles 13
-This should be a cakewalk for the G-men, who given a healthy Brandon Jacobs should have no troubles moving the ball effectively against the hapless Eagles.

Atlanta @ Carolina
Panthers 27, Falcons 20
-I was very tempted to pick the upset in this one, but I think John Fox is too smart to let a rookie quarterback beat him in the playoffs. The gameplan? Stop Michael Turner and make Ryan beat you himself - the most overlooked storyline of the Falcons season has been Michael Turner. Without him they would be lucky to win eight games, and Ryan definitely would not have won offensive rookie of the year.

NFC Championship:
Carolina @ New York
Giants 13, Panthers 3
-A rematch of the fantastic week 16 game that the Giants took in OT, I see another great game between the two teams for the NFC title - this time with much less offense. A consistent Giants run game led by Brandon Jacobs will give New York it's second NFC title in a row. Of course, the entire playoff run changes if he gets hurt again.

SUPER BOWL XLIII:
New York Giants: 17
Indianapolis Colts: 13
-It's a media orgy and my worst nightmare: a Manning v. Manning Super Bowl. This would be even worse than the Colts/Bears game a few years ago, in which I couldn't decide which team I wanted to lose more. Despite the fact that Eli Manning is the most overrated QB in the league, the Giants run game matches up perfectly against the Dungy-created paper mache defensive front of the Colts. Jacobs, Ward, and Bradshaw should tear the Colts' front seven apart - the only thing that will keep the Giants scoring down will be red zone ineptitudes and turnovers by Eli. The Giants as back to back champs, ugh. Good thing my picks are always wrong!

WEEK 17 PICKS RECAP, AND THE WINNER IS...

2009-01-01T20:05:00.003-05:00

Mark! Carrying a lead for the majority of the year, I successfully closed Evan out in week 17 by going 8-8. Evan, of course, picking all the opposites of me in order to try and make up six games in the final week, also went 8-8. Here's how the season standings ended up:

MARK: 111-117-2
EVAN: 105-123-2

Unfortunately, neither Evan nor I could crack .500 for the season - example #324745 why our predictions should never be used outside of anything but a recreational setting.

And since Evan and I both agreed that the loser would treat the winner to dinner, Evan will be buying me a romantic dinner at Anna's Taqueria.

LET'S NOT GET CARRIED AWAY

2008-12-29T14:57:00.002-05:00

The Patriots season came to a frustrating end yesterday, even after New England shut out the Buffalo Bills, 13-0. Both the Dolphins and Ravens won, giving them the remaining two playoff spots over the Pats. So despite an 11-5 season, Bill Belichick and company will be watching the postseason from home.

While it is extremely frustrating that New England will not be playing into January for the first time in six years, let's not get carried away with the "flaws in the system." Yes, I do know that an 11-5 team was eliminated before a matchup between a 7-8 team and an 8-7 team for a spot in the playoffs. In past years though, other teams have gotten screwed out of the playoffs simply by being in a tougher division too. It's really not that big a deal. These things have a way of balancing themselves out in the long run.

In retrospect, the job Belichick and the other New England coaches did was simply amazing. Losing a franchise quarterback in the first quarter of the season, and then losing important pieces for significant time just didn't effect them the way it does most teams. That has to be a credit to the coaching staff.

If only former Pats assistant Eric Mangini had done as good a job with the Jets. Then maybe the Patriots would be preparing for a showdown with Ravens next Sunday at Gillette Stadium. And the "Mangenius" would still have a job.

EVAN'S PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

2008-12-29T13:54:00.006-05:00

Well, our regular season predictions didn't exactly play out how we had hoped. No matter, it's time to move on anyway. Now that the playoff matchups are set (minus the Pats...stupid Jets), let's predict how it will all turn out.

Wild Card Round:
5. Indianapolis Colts (12-4) at 4. San Diego Chargers (8-8)
Colts 31, Chargers 24

6. Baltimore Ravens (11-5) at 3. Miami Dolphins (11-5)
Ravens 24, Dolphins 21

Divisional Round:
6. Baltimore Ravens (11-5) at 1. Tennessee Titans (13-3)
Titans 27, Ravens 16

5. Indianapolis Colts (12-4) at 2. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)
Steelers 34, Colts 31

AFC Championship:
2. Pittsburgh Steelers at 1. Tennessee Titans
Steelers 24, Titans 20

Wild Card Round:
5. Atlanta Falcons (11-5) at 4. Arizona Cardinals (9-7)
Falcons 24, Cardinals 16

6. Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1) at 3. Minnesota Vikings (10-6)
Vikings 20, Eagles 17

Divisional Round:
5. Atlanta Falcons (11-5) at 1. New York Giants (12-4)
Giants 30, Falcons 13

3. Minnesota Vikings (10-6) at 2. Carolina Panthers (12-4)
Panthers 24, Vikings 6

NFC Championship:
2. Carolina Panthers at 1. New York Giants
Panthers 27, Giants 24

SUPER BOWL:
Carolina Panthers: 24
Pittsburgh Steelers: 20

And if these predictions don't come true, then they'll be just like all the other picks I've made this season.

WOULD A SALARY CAP BE GOOD FOR BASEBALL?

2008-12-27T15:19:00.003-05:00

In the wake of Hank Steinbrenner's insane spending spree, Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio voiced his concern over competitive balance in the game by wondering aloud whether baseball should impose a salary cap. After all, the Yankees have spent $420 million this offseason alone, and no other team can afford to do that. Personally, I think a salary cap could work, but only if done differently from almost all other sports.

Say Major League Baseball set a hard cap at something like $150 million and set a minimum as well. That way, teams like the Marlins would be forced to spend a certain amount of money on players, and new owners would know at least how much money they would need to set aside for player salaries. If the cap was $150 million, and the minimum was $50 million, there would be more competitive balance in the league, without upsetting the distinction between the big market clubs and the small market teams.

The Yankees and Tigers were the only two teams in baseball that had to pay the luxury tax last season, because each team exceeded the $155 million limit set by Major League Baseball. Over the past six years (since the cap began), the Yankees have paid over $148 million, over 90% of all the luxury tax money collected by MLB.

The problem is that there are no real consequences for exceeding the luxury tax threshold. Sure teams need to pay more, but only the teams with enough money that a little bit more doesn't make a difference. Bud Selig needs to abolish the luxury tax and set up a league minimum and a hard cap.

Not only would this keep small market teams more competitive, it would also help curb the ridiculous size of players' contracts. For the most part, though, a cap like this wouldn't be that big a deal to most teams.

If a salary cap was set at $150 million only one team, the Yankees, would be over it (based on last season's opening day salaries). With a $50 million minimum, only the Pirates, A's, Rays, and Marlins would need to increase payroll, and three of those four would need to add less than $7 million.

Not only would this keep salaries down, help smaller market teams without compromising the integrity of the game, and add more emphasis on smart signings by general managers (instead of just throwing money around), it would also keep stingy owners from selling off all their good players. Owners like Jeffrey Loria of the Florida Marlins would be forced to spend at least $50 million on his team, or sell them to someone who would. If it does nothing else, this idea would at least get Loria out of baseball, so it can't be all bad, right?

EVAN'S WEEK 17 PICKS

2008-12-27T15:03:00.002-05:00

Time to make up some ground.

St. Louis vs. Atlanta (-11)
New England vs. Buffalo (+6)
Kansas City vs. Cincinnati (E)
Detroit vs. Green Bay (-6.5)
Tennessee vs. Indianapolis (-1.5)
NY Giants vs. Minnesota (+1)
Carolina vs. New Orleans (E)
Cleveland vs. Pittsburgh (-8)
Oakland vs. Tampa Bay (-5)
Chicago vs. Houston (+3.5)
Washington vs. San Francisco (-1)
Jacksonville vs. Baltimore (-7)
Miami vs. NY Jets (+1)
Dallas vs. Philadelphia (-2)
Seattle vs. Arizona (-5.5)
Denver vs. San Diego (-6)

MARK'S WEEK 17 PICKS

2008-12-27T13:49:00.002-05:00

ATLANTA -11
new england -6
kansas city E
detroit +6.5
INDIANAPOLIS -1.5
MINNESOTA +1
carolina E
PITTSBURGH -8
TAMPA BAY -5
chicago -3.5
washington +1
BALTIMORE -7
miami -1
PHILADELPHIA -2
seattle +5,5
denver +6

NHL DROPS THE BALL AGAIN

2008-12-26T15:33:00.006-05:00

As has been recounted many times (on this blog and others), the NHL has no clue what it's doing in setting precedent for suspensions. Randy Jones gets two games for nearly decapitating Patrice Bergeron, yet Sean Avery gets an "indefinite" suspension for his "sloppy seconds" comments and then isn't invited back to the team afterwards?

Well, the NHL is essentially now saying it's OK to do whatever the hell you want...as long as you are a star player. That's the only possible explanation for the Sidney Crosby/Boris Valabik tilt from a Pens-Thrashers game in Atlanta earlier this month. Crosby was clearly the third man into this fight, and took two big swings (with gloves on) at Valabik, striking him both times below the belt. His penalty? Two minutes for roughing. No fine. No suspension. Nothing.

Say this was the other way around, and Valabik had been the one cheap shotting Sid the Kid down south. You don't think NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell would have been all over it? Or say it was Alexander Ovechkin who made the sloppy seconds remarks. Would he have been suspended at all? This is just another ridiculous precedent being set by the NHL.

Crosby should probably watch out next time Pittsburgh and Atlanta meet. And the Thrashers should also probably be weary of suspensions from the head honchos upstairs. Unless of course Ilya Kovalchuk is the one taking the cheap shots.

3 GREAT SPORTS MEMORIES FROM 2008

2008-12-26T13:43:00.006-05:00

With under a week left in the year 2008, now seems like the perfect time to recap one of the greatest years in Boston sports history. 2008 was chock full of great games, fantastic finishes, and entertainment abound from the Pats, Bruins, Sox, and Celts. So, for our 100th post, let's take a quick look back at 2008 with three great memories from the year in sports.

3. BRUINS 5 CANADIENS 4: GAME 6 (April 19, 2008)
The Bruins struggled mightily at times to score goals in 2008. So, with their season on the line in game 6 against Montreal, all seemed lost. The eighth seeded Bruins, who weren't given much of a shot to beat their long time rivals, trailed the game 1-0 after one period of play. Phil Kessel tied the game under two minutes into the second frame, but Montreal converted again and led 2-1 after two. The third period of game six was one of the most spectacular periods ever. Boston rookie Vladimir Sobotka tied the game at two, but then Francis Bouillion gave the Habs a 3-2 lead with 9:56 to go. Everybody was shocked when the lightly regarded B's came back for the third time, when Milan Lucic potted a wrister two minutes later to knot the score at three. Phil Kessel gave Boston a brief lead in the final five minutes, but Christopher Higgins scored for Montreal just 11 seconds later. Finally, with just 2:37 left on the clock, David Krejci found Marco Sturm for the game winner; Bruins 5, Canadiens 4. This game makes the cut because the Bruins offense was so weak all year, and they had lost eight straight to Montreal entering the series. Nobody expected this team to come back from one goal deficits three different times against a team nobody thought they could compete with. Outstanding game.

2. RED SOX 8 RAYS 7: ALCS GAME 5 (October 16, 2008)
The Sox looked finished against the upstart Rays in game 5 of the American League Championship Series back in mid-October. After BJ Upton doubled in two runs in the top of the seventh, the Rays led 7-0 in the game, and 3-1 in the series. Boston, baseball's best home team in the regular season, had been shelled at Fenway by Tampa Bay in the ALCS, and at this point, had been outscored 29-5 in two and a half games there in the series. But, when all seemed lost, the Sox dug in. AL MVP Dustin Pedroia had an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to make it 7-1. The next batter was David Ortiz, who crushed a Grant Balfour offering over Pesky's Pole in right, 7-4. In the eighth, JD Drew rocked a Dan Wheeler heater over the bullpen with Jason Bay on base, pulling Boston to within one at 7-6. With two men out, Mark Kotsay hit a wall ball double to left center, and then Coco Crisp singled to right to tie the game at seven. Justin Masterson got out of a jam in the top of the ninth, and then Drew hit a screamer just over the glove of Gabe Gross to score Kevin Youkilis and win the game for the Red Sox, 8-7. Trailing by seven runs with seven outs left, Boston stunned Tampa Bay with the greatest comeback since 1929.

1. CELTICS 131 LAKERS 92: NBA FINALS GAME 6 (June 17, 2008)
Was there any doubt what number one would be? Heading into the NBA Finals last June, nine of the 10 "experts" on ESPN.com said the Lakers would hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy. Oops. After a huge comeback by Boston at Staples Center in game four, the Lakers narrowly held on for a five point win in game five, sending the series back to Boston with the Celtics leading 3-2. But in this one, LA had no shot. Ray Allen finally found his stroke, and second year point guard Rajon Rondo played the game of his life, with 21 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, and six steals in 32 minutes for Boston. The 131-92 drubbing by the Celtics clinched the club's record 17th title and first in 22 years, and capped off the biggest one season turnaround in NBA history. Allen, KG, and NBA Finals MVP Paul Pierce finally captured that elusive first ring, and the Green "Beat LA" once again. Just remember, "anything is possible!"

Hopefully, 2009 will bring some great memories as well. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

WEEK 16 PICKS RECAP

2008-12-25T14:03:00.002-05:00

This was a week Evan really needed to make up some ground on me if he wanted that free dinner. The good news? I went 5-10 yet again. The bad news? So did Evan. Again. Talk about finishing up the year strong. Here's the updated standings:

MARK: 103-109-2

EVAN: 97-115-2

Can Evan pull off the miraculous six-game comeback in week 17? Check back soon for our final picks of the season!

THE GOODELL THAT STOLE CHRISTMAS...

2008-12-24T16:10:00.004-05:00

I'm pretty sure Roger Goodell has lost his mind. The NFL commissioner, it seems, hands out fines for just about everything. Many of these fines are warranted. Many are not. Shaun Ellis of the Jets was fined $10,000 last week for throwing a big chunk of snow at a fan. That may not sound like much, but I can understand where the Commish is coming from. If a paying fan gets hurt unnecessarily, it can leave a black mark on the league, and Ellis was made an example of to further illustrate that point.

What I can't wrap my head around is the fines handed down to Ben Watson and Wes Welker of the Patriots in the past couple of weeks. Three weeks ago in Seattle, Watson stuffed the ball into his jersey after a score to honor his wife Kirsten, who is expecting the couple's first child on February 1. He was subsequently penalized fifteen yards for unsportsmanlike conduct and slapped with a $10,000 fee. Welker dropped to the snowy ground last week after a touchdown grab and made a snow angel ala Lonnie Paxton after Adam Vinatieri's game winning kick in Super Bowl XXXVI. Same penalty, same fine.

So let me get this straight. Putting the ball in your shirt: 15-yard penalty, big fine. Making a snow angel: 15-yard penalty, big fine. Spearing yourself head first at a player who is slowing down as the play is ending (yes, I'm talking to you, Ryan Clark): 15-yard penalty...that's it? That's one hell of a precedent Roger Goodell is setting.

Goodell seems to be doing a tremendous impression of the Grinch this holiday season. Except at the end of all of this, the only lesson that anybody will have learned is not to mess with the No Fun League.

THE PREDICTIONS REVISITED SIMPSONS STYLE

2008-12-22T15:03:00.003-05:00

With the NFL season winding down, and only a few teams still vying for playoff spots, now seems like as good a time as any to revisit our picks from earlier in the season. Let's take a look, with some help from our friends The Simpsons, at whether or not our predictions will come true.
Here are my picks, and here are Mark's picks.

Homer: Yeah, Moe, that team sure did suck last night. They just plain sucked! I've seen teams suck before, but they were the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked!
This one is for both Mark and my prediction that the Buffalo Bills will win the AFC East. In reality, it is the other three teams in the division that are still hoping to be crowned champions. After a 5-1 start, the Bills faded big time. And now, with JP Losman quarterbacking the club, they will be watching the postseason from home yet again.

Homer: I'm like that guy who single-handedly built the rocket & flew to the moon. What was his name? Apollo Creed?
To both Mark and I once again, for getting the easiest picks right! We both had the Steelers, Titans, Giants, and Cardinals winning their respective divisions. We both picked San Diego to top the AFC West as well, which can happen with a home win against the Broncos in week 17.

Bart: Milhouse, what happened?! You were supposed to be watching the factory!
Milhouse: I was watchin'. First it started to fall over, then it fell over.
This quote goes to the team both of us picked to win the NFC North, and Mark picked to win the Super Bowl, the Green Bay Packers. The Pack improved to 5-5 with a 37-3 drubbing of Chicago back on November 16, but have gone 0-4 since then, losing to the Saints, Panthers, Texans, and Jaguars. The only thing fitting at this point would be to close the season with a home loss to the Detroit Lions. I guess we'll just have to wait and see on that one.

Moe: Call this an unfair generalization if you must, but old people are no good at everything.
I'm starting to think Moe might be on to something...since I picked Jeff Garcia, Derrick Brooks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the NFC South, and then the Super Bowl. Wrong. The Falcons win in Minnesota yesterday clinched them a playoff spot, and knocked the Bucs out of the playoff picture.

Mr. Burns: I don't like being outdoors Smithers, for one thing, there's too many fat children.
To the dome-dwelling Indianapolis Colts, the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs and winners of one of the two coveted Wild Card spots. I predicted the Colts to finish in this spot exactly, while Mark had Denver and New England owning the last two seedings.

Homer: I am so smart! I am so smart! S-M-R-T! I mean S-M-A-R-T...
And the final quote belongs to me for picking the Carolina Panthers to miss the playoffs entirely. In fact, the Cats were one gust of wind in the Meadowlands from securing the number one seed and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Despite the loss to the Giants, Carolina will still get a first round bye.

Q AND A WITH MIKE REISS OF THE GLOBE: PART II

2008-12-22T12:24:00.004-05:00

With just one week left in the regular season, and the Patriots currently on the outside looking in, Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe joins us once again to discuss the club's chances this season, and what we might see from them in the future.

Saturday Morning Sports: Given all the injuries the Patriots have had, and with Bill Belichick's history (spygate), and the job Tony Sparano has done in Miami this year, do you think Belichick will get any votes for coach of the year?
Mike Reiss: I do think Bill Belichick will get some votes, but I don't think he'll get enough to earn the honor. There are too many other candidates, from Tony Sparano, to Mike Smith, to John Harbaugh, to Jeff Fisher. But you listen to people around the NFL and they tip their cap to the job that Belichick has done this year.

SMS: Is Tedy Bruschi done for the season? Is his career in jeopardy?
MR: Bruschi has yet to be placed on season-ending injured reserve, so the door is not closed on his potential return, but it's a longer shot. The knee injury itself isn't a career-ender, but given where Bruschi is at this point of his career, it's something that must be kept in mind.

SMS: Do you think the Patriots will re-sign Matt Cassel in the offseason?
MR: I don't see Cassel re-signing with the Patriots. There is the possibility of the franchise tag being assigned, and then Cassel being traded. Otherwise, it would be that rare situation where a quarterback in his prime years, who led the team to a winning season, hits the open market. If the Patriots lose Cassel, they would likely receive the highest possible compensatory draft choice in 2010 -- the year after he departs -- which is a third-rounder.

SMS: Who would you say is the Patriots MVP so far this year?
MR: My choice would go to receiver Wes Welker. He leads the NFL in yards after the catch and I thought his presence in the short passing game helped the offense stay afloat until Matt Cassel got more comfortable throwing the long ball. His consistency has also been most impressive.

SMS: Do you think the Patriots playing in London will hurt them at all next season?
MR: I don't see that experience hurting the Patriots from a travel perspective. The only thing that comes to mind is that some players have voiced concerns over the playing surface in past years, but that was supposedly improved this year.

SMS: Any predictions for the Pats playoff chances?
MR: I think the Patriots will beat the Bills on Sunday, so it will come down to the Ravens-Jaguars and Jets-Dolphins. I don't see the Ravens losing, which would rule out the wild-card. I could see the Jets winning, though, which would open the door. I don't have any strong prediction at this time, though.

THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE AFC...

2008-12-21T21:03:00.008-05:00

Just when it looked like the Patriots might be eliminated from the AFC East race, the Jets laid an egg. New York, needing a win in Seattle to create a two team race for the division, lost 13-3 to the Seahawks at a snowy Qwest Field earlier today. Had the Jets beaten Seattle, coupled with the Dolphins win over the Kansas City Chiefs, and it would have been mathematically impossible for New England to win the AFC East. Now, a Patriots win in Buffalo next week and a Jets victory over Miami will make the Patriots divisional champs once again.

The Pats are tied with the Dolphins at 10-5, with the Jets following them at 9-6. Miami travels to the Meadowlands to take on the Jets in Week 17. New England is not out of the woods yet though. If the Fish beat New York next week, they win the division. If Baltimore, which currently owns the sixth and final playoff spot, also wins, the Pats will be left out in the cold.

The Ravens closed out Texas Stadium with a bang, beating the Cowboys 33-24. If the Ravens win in Jacksonville next week, they win the second wild card spot. The Colts clinched the other wild card spot and the fifth seed by beating the Jags last week. It's extremely confusing, with so many teams with good records. Hopefully, this will help:

PATRIOTS WIN AFC EAST IF:

They beat Buffalo
Jets beat Miami

PATRIOTS WIN WILD CARD IF:

They beat Buffalo
Ravens lose to Jacksonville

Keep in mind that no 11-5 team has ever been left out of the playoffs. While one 11-5 or 10-6 team is guaranteed to miss the postseason, either Denver or San Diego will make the playoffs at 8-8 or 9-7. The Chargers hold the tiebreaker over the Broncos, so if they win next week and Denver loses, the Bolts will win the AFC West. Any way you slice it, one good team will be watching the playoffs from home.

*Quick Note: The Broncos play the Chargers next week in San Diego. It is, essentially, a one game playoff for the AFC West title.

A WILD AND WACKY SEASON IN THE NBA

2008-12-19T20:00:00.005-05:00

The Celtics are going for win number 17 in a row tonight at TD Banknorth Garden against the Bulls. It has been an unbelievable season thus far for the defending champs, who are off to one of the best starts of all time, and already have an 11 game lead in the Atlantic Division. The C's though, are not the only reason why this has been a wild and wacky season in the NBA. Here are a few thoughts about the first 30 games or so in the National Basketball Association.

First off, it's interesting how good the good teams are and how bad the bad teams are. Heading into tonight's action, Boston is 24-2, Cleveland is 21-4, and the Los Angeles Lakers are 21-3. All three of them are virtually unbeatable at home, combining for a 41-2 mark on their respective home courts. The Cavaliers are the only remaining team that is undefeated at home, and have outscored opponents by 13.4 points per game overall, the largest margin in the NBA. Orlando, at 20-6, isn't really even in the discussion of the best teams in the league.

On the other hand, the league does have a few really terrible teams. The Thunder, in the team's first season since moving from Seattle, are just 2-24 and have lost eight straight. And they might not even be the worst team in their own division! Minnesota is just ahead of them at this point at 4-21. The Timberwolves have lost 11 in a row, and haven't won a game since they beat (who else?) Oklahoma City on the day after Thanksgiving. As a team, Minnesota has the lowest field goal percentage in the league, and the lowest adjusted field goal percentage, which measures the efficiency of their shots.

And of course, you can't talk about the truly bad teams without a mention of the Washington Wizards. Without Gilbert Arenas, the Wizards have only four wins, and never really play defense. At all. Ever. Of course, there is something else that Washington, Minnesota, and Oklahoma City have in common. All three have fired their coaches.

In fact, they are three of the six teams that have decided to make a coaching change, joining Sacramento, Philadelphia, and Toronto. Six, as you may have guessed, is the most coaches fired before Christmas in the history of the NBA. Teams appear to be giving less and less time for coaches to succeed, and, at least in some cases, are using more of a "what have you done for me lately" approach. Eddie Jordan led the Wizards to the playoffs in each of the past four seasons, Sam Mitchell of the Raptors was only two years removed from winning the NBA Coach of the Year award, and Mo Cheeks signed an extension with Philadelphia last season! Six coaches have lost their jobs so far, but you can bet more will be forced out before season's end.

Other noteworthy story lines include the emergence of the Nuggets with new point guard Chauncey Billups and the struggles of the Pistons with Allen Iverson, and the unreal Stephon Marbury saga in New York. All of these reasons, and more, make this one of the craziest NBA seasons in quite some time.

EVAN'S WEEK 16 PICKS

2008-12-19T19:31:00.002-05:00

Baltimore at Dallas (-3)
Cincinnati at Cleveland (-2)
New Orleans at Detroit (+8)
Pittsburgh at Tennessee (+4.5)
Miami at Kansas City (+5.5)
San Francisco at St. Louis (+4)
Arizona at New England (-4)
San Diego at Tampa Bay (-4.5)
NY Jets at Seattle (+3.5)
Houston at Oakland (+3.5)
Buffalo at Denver (-3.5)
Philadelphia at Washington (+6)
Atlanta at Minnesota (-2)
Carolina at NY Giants (E)
Green Bay at Chicago (-6)

MARK'S WEEK 16 PICKS

2008-12-19T14:11:00.001-05:00

DALLAS -3
cincinnati +2
new orleans -8
pittsburgh -4.5
KANSAS CITY +5.5
san francisco -4
NEW ENGLAND -4.5
TAMPA BAY -3.5
SEATTLE +3.5
houston -3.5
DENVER -3.5
philadelphia -6
atlanta +2
carolina E
CHICAGO -6

Q AND A WITH SEAN McADAM OF THE BOSTON HERALD

2008-12-19T00:27:00.006-05:00

Sean McAdam is the Red Sox beat writer for the Boston Herald and an occasional contributor to ESPN.com. He agreed to answer a few questions for us (via email) about the Sox and the club's current and future plans.

Saturday Morning Sports: Do you think we will see Mark Teixeira in a Red Sox uniform in 2009?
Sean McAdam: Not now I don't. It sure looked that way for a few hours Thursday night, and I suppose nothing should surprise us, but it seems obvious that the Sox have made their last, best offer and it apparently falls way short of what's being offered elsewhere.

Editor's Note: While earlier tonight it appeared the Sox were on the verge of signing Teixeira, those talks are apparently over. Team owner John Henry said in an email to the Associated Press that Boston has been outbid for the first baseman, and "will not be a factor" in signing him.

SMS: If Jason Varitek does re-sign with Boston, do you think he will be the every day catcher again this year?
SMA: I do think Varitek will re-sign for a one-year deal and while "everyday'' might be a stretch, I see him catching the majority of games, probably around 100 or so.

SMS: Do you think the Sox will add a starting pitcher to take the fifth spot in the rotation?
SMA: I think it's likely that the Sox will sign a veteran on the (relative) cheap -- someone like John Smoltz, or somewhat less likely, Brad Penny. Neither will be ready to start the season, but could provide the same kind of veteran depth that Bartolo Colon provided last year.

SMS: Are you surprised by the Yankees seemingly trying to buy every major free agent?
SMA: Not at all. First, you know that missing the playoffs after a 13-year run wasn't going to sit well with the Steinbrenners. Also, the Yanks are moving into a new ballpark which only enhances their economic advantages.

SMS: Where does Clay Buchholz stand with the Red Sox? Do you think he'll start the year in Boston or back in the minors?
SMA: Much will depend on how Buccholz fares in spring training. He ended the year on a postive note and the Sox believe he's ready to make an impact. But if he struggles -- especially with mechanical issues -- it wouldn't surprise me to see him begin in Pawtucket.

SMS: With the emergence of Jed Lowrie last season, will the Red Sox try to unload Julio Lugo (and his big contract)?
SMA: Lugo will be given a chance to win back his job in spring training, but ultimately, I think Lowrie will be the shortstop. There aren't any takers for Lugo this winter, so the Sox can either have him fill the utility role or hope that some team discovers it needs to trade for a shortstop in the spring.

SMS: Do you think the Rays were a one year cinderella story? Are they going to be as good this season?
SMA: I think the Rays are for real. They've developed a lot of great young talent and will be a factor in the division. I do, however, worry how they're going to retain those players when they get to arbitration and closer to free agency. I do think the set-up relief could be an issue, too, since it's unlikely that Balfour and Howell, two journeymen, will duplicate their performances again.

SMS: What's your opinion of the new logo and uniform(s)? What were the players thoughts on them?
SMA: I'm not crazy about the new road uniforms; I liked the red lettering and the names on the back. Also don't like the new "hanging sox' hat, but it's all about merchandise sales, I suppose. Everyone's doing it. Sorry, but haven't had much access to players in the last week to gauge their thoughts on the new unis.

A TEAM THAT'S (GASP!) BETTER THAN THE BRUINS?

2008-12-18T15:57:00.005-05:00

The Bruins hot start has shocked many in the world of hockey. It's been another team, however, the seems to be pushing hockey slowly back into sports fans' collective consciousness: the San Jose Sharks. The Pacific Division leading Sharks are actually off to the best start in NHL history, with 53 points in 31 games, surpassing the 1929-30 Bruins for most points (52) in a team's first 30 games.

The Sharks raw numbers are staggering. They are 25-3-3, and lead the (more) talented Western Conference by eight points, and the Pacific division by 15. Through 31 games this year, San Jose has scored 110 goals, most in the NHL. On average, the Sharks score the second most goals per game in the league (3.55), and allow the third fewest (2.32).

Most impressively, though, is the fact that the team is only 15th in home attendance. Now, why would that be impressive? Because even without that advantage, the Sharks are so damn good at home. Inside "The Shark Tank", they are 16-0-2, and have potted 68 out of their 110 goals.

Here are three reasons the Sharks have had this kind of success so far, and will continue to dominate the NHL in 2008-09.

EVERYBODY CONTRIBUTES
Much like the Bruins, the Sharks seem to have the right mix of developing youngsters, and veteran stars who show them how to play the game "the right way." Devin Setoguchi, San Jose's 21-year-old right wing is an emerging superstar, and has taken off playing on a line with former Bruin Joe Thornton and captain Patrick Marleau. Setoguchi has 16 goals and 17 assists (33 points) in 31 games, compared to last year when the rookie appeared in 44 games and scored 11 goals with 6 helpers (17 points) for San Jose.

Starting goaltender Evgeni Nabokov has struggled with injuries at times in his career, so the stellar play of backup Brian Boucher has been a tremendous boost as well. Boucher is 8-1-1 in 10 starts this season, with a goals against average of 1.88, and two shutouts to boot. Should Nabokov go down for an extended period of time, Boucher has proved that he can hold down the fort until the starter comes back.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The Sharks penalty killing unit has been solid, and their play with the man advantage has been huge. Ryane Clowe, who scored a career high 16 goals for the Sharks in 2006-07, already has eight power play goals so far this season, good for third in the league. As a team, San Jose is also third in the league in power play goals with 34 , and second in the NHL in short handed goals, having tallied seven shorties so far this season. Special team success, of course, comes from puck possession, and the Sharks face-off percentage is up to 52.8%, trailing only Detroit and Nashville in that category.

DEPTH
San Jose, like most teams, has struggled with injuries at times this season. Jeremy Roenick is now out three weeks with a shoulder injury, but that shouldn't hinder the Sharks approach much at all. Torrey Mitchell, a breakout rookie one year ago, fractured his leg in the preseason and hasn't played a game yet. Young bucks like Riley Armstrong and Tom Cavanaugh have filled in when necessary and San Jose hasn't lost a beat. Of course, the team's every day lineup is plenty strong, with Thornton, Marleau, Jonathan Cheechoo, and Joe Pavelski up front, and Rob Blake, Dan Boyle, Marc-Edouard Vlasic (pickles!), and Christian Erhoff on defense, so it will take a lot more than one injury to slow this team down.

The Sharks dominance is an extraordinary story, and hopefully they will continue to put hockey back in the spotlight, at least for a little while. Of course, San Jose is a team that has struggled in the playoffs before, so they will need to buck that trend to truly make this season a success. Through 31 games though, they are off to a start nobody could have possibly imagined.

PLAYING GM

2008-12-17T15:42:00.003-05:00

One blogger on ESPN's SportsNation website had an interesting idea. Try putting together a baseball team, based on 2008 salaries, that could (theoretically) contend for a championship. The only rule is that your full roster of players can't exceed $50 million. So, here we go, with my team of thirteen position players and twelve pitchers, including a five man starting rotation, and a bullpen.

STARTING LINEUP
1. Curtis Granderson, CF, $1,000,000
2. Hanley Ramirez, SS, $490,000
3. Joe Mauer, C, $6,250,000
4. Ryan Braun, LF, $455,000
5. David Wright, 3B, $5,250,000
6. Milton Bradley, RF, $5,250,000
7. Kevin Youkilis, 1B, $3,000,000
8. Brandon Phillips, 2B, $2,937,500
9. Pitcher's Spot

BENCH
1. Geovany Soto, C, $400,000
2. Shannon Stewart, OF, $1,500,000
3. Billy Butler, 1B, $399,000
4. Kelly Johnson, 2B, $430,000
5. Pablo Ozuna, IF, $1,050,000

Total for position players: $27,711,500

STARTING ROTATION
1. Jake Peavy, SP, $6,500,000
2. Brandon Webb, SP, $5,500,000
3. Jair Jurrjens, SP, $390,000
4. Edinson Volquez, SP, $392,500
5. Jon Lester, SP, $421,500

BULLPEN
1. Chad Billingsley, LR, $415,000
2. Joe Beimel, LR, $1,925,000
3. Chad Qualls, MR, $1,312,500
4. Chad Bradford, MR, $3, 666,666
5. JP Howell, MR/SU, $397,400
6. Mike Gonzalez, SU, $2,362,500
7. Jonathan Papelbon, CL, $775,000

Total Salary: $49,769,566

Just in under the $50,000,000 "cap". Anyone care to agree? Disagree?

TOP 5 TEAMS IN NBA HISTORY

2008-12-16T15:11:00.004-05:00

With the Celtics continuing their torrid pace with a 100-91 win over the Utah Jazz last night, they now stand at 23-2, which is tied for the best 25 game start of all time. Boston has won 15 straight games, and is looking even more dominant than last year's 66-16 team that won the NBA Championship.

So in looking at these Celtics, as well as the 20-3 Lakers and the 20-4 Cavaliers, let's take a look at the best five teams in NBA history. Will any of these three make future lists like this? We'll just have to wait and see.

5. 1988-89 DETROIT PISTONS (63-19)
This Pistons of 88-89 were one of the best defensive teams of all-time. Led by Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer, along with Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman, and Vinnie "the Microwave" Johnson, Detroit's regular season dominance was nothing compared to their post season success. The team went 15-2 in the playoffs, and swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, 4-0.

4. 1982-83 PHILADELPHIA 76'ERS (65-17)
The Sixers "Fo Fo Fo" team, as named by Moses Malone for the number of games it would take Philly to win each series (he was almost right, too) was spectacular. In Malone's first season with the 76'ers, he led the team with 24.5 points and 15.6 rebounds per game. His playoff numbers were slightly better (26.0 points and 15.8 rebounds) and Philadelphia cruised to a 12-1 post season mark. Their .923 playoff winning percentage is the highest all time.

3. 1985-86 BOSTON CELTICS (67-15)
The '85-'86 team was probably the best of the original "Big Three" era in Boston. Bird, McHale, and Parish were joined by Dennis Johnson, Bill Walton, and Danny Ainge, and were virtually unbeatable at home. The club posted a 40-1 record at Boston Garden, the best home record ever. Upset by last season's NBA Finals loss to the Lakers, the Green came back strong, and beat the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals.

2. 1971-72 LOS ANGELES LAKERS (69-13)
These Lakers were virtual opposites of the Celtics team above, as they posted the best regular season road record the game has ever seen (31-7). At one point, they won 16 straight road games, and 33 straight games overall, both NBA records. Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain brought the Lakers their first championship of the Los Angeles era, and broke the NBA record for most wins (since broken) in a single season.

1. 1995-96 CHICAGO BULLS (72-10)
Who else? The best team of all time was led by the best player of all time, Michael Jordan. In MJ's first full season since returning from retirement, he led the Bulls to a scorching hot start, beginning the season 41-3. Chicago never let up, as it's 72 wins remains the most regular season wins ever. Including the playoffs, these Bulls went 87-13, by far the best mark ever. His Airness, then 32, started all 82 games and averaged over 30 points per. The 1995-96 Bulls truly are the greatest team in NBA history.

Will this year's Celtics (or Lakers or Cavs for that matter) be able to crack the top five when all is said and done? No one knows. What we do know is it will take something truly extraordinary from KG and company to even be considered the best Celtics team ever. Through 25 games though, they are certainly off to a good start.

Disagree with this list? Should we have included the '86-'87 Lakers, '69-'70 Knicks, or '64-'65 Celtics? Let us know! Leave a comment, or email us at wntnsports@gmail.com.

WEEK 15 PICKS RECAP

2008-12-16T09:43:00.003-05:00

Wow, what a rough week for the two of us. When I first tallied up my picks, I thought this might be the week where Evan closes the gap big time. Then, I tallied up his picks.

MARK: 5-10
EVAN: 5-10

For the season:

MARK: 98-99-2
EVAN: 92-105-2

So with two weeks left to play, Evan has a six-game deficit he must make up. Otherwise that dinner is all mine. I'll be also trying for the moral victory of finishing above .500.

EVEN WITH WINS, PATRIOTS NEED HELP

2008-12-15T15:57:00.006-05:00

Right when it looked like the Patriots would be alone atop the AFC East, JP Losman fumbled the ball. The Bills quarterback was hit by Jets safety Abram Elam, who knocked the ball loose just as Losman was attempting to throw it. Shaun Ellis recovered and took the pigskin into the end zone, giving the Jets a 31-27 lead with 1:54 to play at the Meadowlands yesterday afternoon. Of course, they held on to beat the Bills by that same score. Meanwhile down south, the Dolphins seemed to be getting manhandled by San Francisco, but the 49'ers just couldn't get the ball into the end zone. Even though they ran 79 offensive plays, 37 more than Miami, the Dolphins narrowly escaped, 14-9.

So, as the Pats kicked off their game in Oakland yesterday, it was another must win. Against the Raiders, it was over early. New England's offense dominated the overmatched Oakland D, with the Patriots gaining 277 yards on the ground. Matt Cassel threw a career high four touchdown passes in the 49-26 victory, including two to ex-Raider Randy Moss. So after another Sunday, the Patriots find themselves in the exact same spot, tied with the Jets and Dolphins atop the AFC East.

Unfortunately for New England, they are third in the tiebreakers, so winning out won't necessarily guarantee a playoff berth. If the Jets and Dolphins, who play each other in week 17, both win next week, the Patriots can not win the division. With Indianapolis poised to grab the first wild card spot, the Pats would need a Baltimore loss to sneak in as the sixth and final seed. Baltimore plays at Dallas next week, and at Jacksonville to close out the year.

No team that went 11-5 in the regular season has ever missed the playoffs. But with the Dolphins playing well, and the Jets playing Seattle next week, it looks like that may just happen. Hopefully one of them will lose, and the other will lose in the final regular season game. At this point, that just doesn't seem very likely. The Pats best chance to make it appears to be a Ravens loss. Of course, if they lose to either Arizona or Buffalo, whatever happens outside of Foxboro doesn't really matter.

MORE DALLAS DRAMA: AVERY WON'T RETURN TO STARS

2008-12-14T13:09:00.008-05:00

Mark wrote a great post a while ago about Dallas Stars forward Sean Avery's comments about other NHL players dating his ex-girlfriends, and the subsequent "indefinite" suspension that followed. And now, just a couple weeks later, the plot thickens once again.

Avery, just 23 games into a four year, $15.5 million contract, will not return to the club once his suspension ends. Commissioner Gary Bettman suspended Avery for six games on November 2 for saying "I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about, but enjoy the game tonight" before a game between the Stars and Calgary Flames. Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf is dating Avery's ex-girlfriend, actress Elisha Cuthbert.

This seems like a convenient excuse for Dallas to rid itself of Avery. I mean, they can't really be kicking him off the team for this comment, right? Not only is it a freedom of speech issue, but it really wasn't all that vulgar. It appears that the Stars players, who were united in their decision to dump Avery, believe that he has problems beyond ex-girlfriends. If this interview is the only reason he won't return to the club, it sure seems like a gross overreaction.

One commenter on ESPN's article about the decision wrote "He should have just slashed Phanuef in the head, then he would have gotten two games, if anything." Unfortunately for the NHL, it's actually a valid point. In his blog for NESN.com, Bruins play-by-play man Jack Edwards questioned precedent in NHL suspensions. Flyers defenseman Randy Jones viciously hit Patrice Bergeron from behind, giving him a grade-3 concussion and a broken nose, and knocking him out for 72 regular season games and seven playoff games, and was suspended for two games. Same with Scott Hartnell, who took a cheap shot at Andrew Alberts and gave him a terrible concussion as well. So that's two games for cheap shots on the ice that badly injure opposing players, and six games for a comment about an ex-girlfriend in the media, and then a ban from returning to the team. Wow.

So what's next for Avery? The Stars can trade him, send him to the minors (through waivers), or buy him out for two thirds of his deal ($8 million instead of $12 million). He probably won't be flat out released, because then Dallas would need to pay him his entire salary for the next four years. Should he get claimed off waivers, his new team and the Stars would split the salary. Whatever ultimately happens with Avery doesn't matter, the NHL will look stupid either way. But that's nothing new for Gary Bettman and company.

Yes there is still more drama in Dallas. But for once it has nothing to do with TO.

THE MANIFESTO OF HANK

2008-12-13T18:05:00.004-05:00

Big surprise! The Yankees are making a splash in free agency once again. After a disappointing 2008 campaign, New York emptied it's (extremely) deep pockets to free agent starters CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett, paying them a combined $243.5 million over the next few years. And they aren't done yet. The Yanks appear to be in the bidding for Ben Sheets and (possibly) Mark Teixeira, although the latter may just be to drive up the price for the Red Sox, among other teams.

But why exactly is Hank Steinbrenner paying the GDP of a small nation to make his Yankees the team to beat in baseball once again? The answer is simple: He wants to prove a point. Hank is essentially saying that failure will not be tolerated. Last year's team failed miserably, so he is looking to improve it by doing something the Yankees know how to do well. Spend money.

As a Red Sox fan, this delights me. No, it's not because CC Sabathia weighs a metric ton, nor is it because AJ Burnett if often injured and has never had an ERA below 3.30. It's because Hank is taking the exact wrong approach to turning the Yankees around.

If he were smart, Hank would invest more into his farm system, and only fork over the dough for free agents that fit in perfectly with his team. Look at the Red Sox. A large number of the club's starters were drafted by Boston, and came up through the Sox farm system. Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon, Jacoby Ellsbury, Manny Delcarmen, Kevin Youkilis, and Dustin Pedroia are all homegrown talents that were found through great scouting by Boston, and have all helped the club win two World Series titles in four years.

Now that's not to say the Sox haven't spent their fair share of money in the past couple of years. JD Drew, Julio Lugo, Mike Lowell, Josh Beckett, and Daisuke Matsuzaka are among the high priced players brought in through either trade or free agency. Finding the right mix is what wins down the line, and hopefully, Hank will learn that the hard way.

Remember just a few years ago, when the Yankees said they were going to pay more attention to the players down on the farm? Well, they failed miserably at it. Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy are still in the minors (maybe they should have traded them for Johan Santana...), Melky Cabrera is being used as trade bait, and Robinson Cano is another boneheaded play or mental lapse from giving the entire city of New York a heart attack, and he may soon be headed elsewhere as well. It seems that out of their entire system, only Joba Chamberlain has given them substantial results, and will continue to do so down the road.

Maybe instead of buying players, Hank should consider buying a competent scouting department. But hey, it's not like that formula has ever worked in New York before. Oh wait, the great Yankees teams of the 1990's had homegrown players like Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams, and Jorge Posada.

I guess Georgie's son just hasn't learned. So he is going to continue to spend and spend and spend daddy's money until the Yankees are unstoppable. Unfortunately for Hank, it usually doesn't work out that way.

EVAN'S WEEK 15 PICKS

2008-12-13T17:57:00.002-05:00

Tampa Bay at Atlanta (-2)
Washington at Cincinnati (+9.5)
Seattle at St. Louis (E)
San Francisco at Miami (-2)
Buffalo at NY Jets (-5.5)
Detroit at Indianapolis (-11.5)
San Diego at Kansas City (+3)
Green Bay at Jacksonville (+1.5)
Tennessee at Houston (+3)
Minnesota at Arizona (-1.5)
Denver at Carolina (-5.5)
Pittsburgh at Baltimore (-1.5)
New England at Oakland (+4)
NY Giants at Dallas (+2)
Cleveland at Philadelphia (-9.5)

MARK'S WEEK 15 PICKS

2008-12-13T14:39:00.002-05:00

ATLANTA -2
washington -9.5
seattle E
MIAMI -2
JETS -5.5
INDIANAPOLIS -11.5
san diego -3
green bay -1.5
tennessee -3
minnesota +1.5
denver +5.5
pittsburgh +1.5
new england -4
giants -2
cleveland +9.5

GROSS NEEDS TO GO FOR SYRACUSE TO SUCCEED

2008-12-12T11:28:00.004-05:00

I know what your thinking. Oh great, another post about Syracuse! Well, the Orange are in the news again, as Athletic Director Daryl Gross has apparently decided on New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Doug Marrone as his next head football coach. The move is a puzzling one, and reveals a horrifying trend for fans of Syracuse: The continued incompetence of Dr. Daryl Gross.

Now that may seem a bit harsh but believe me, it's not. Sure, Greg Robinson was a disaster, but his boss is just as much to blame. Gross has done nothing of value since taking over as Syracuse AD, and even worse, has tried to convince fans that none of the problems are his fault. Sure, the football team is the worst it's ever been, and the basketball team hasn't reached the big dance in two years, but Gross wants you to look at the other sports to see how well he's done. The men's lacrosse team won the national championship last season. The field hockey team was ranked number one for much of the year! It's not just about the high revenue sports, you know.

But wait. How much of that was actually Gross' doing? The lacrosse national championship sure wasn't because of him. In fact, until two years ago, the lacrosse team had been to the final four 22 straight times. And with field hockey, he wasn't exactly doing the coaching or recruiting.

What about other sports, like swimming and diving? Oh wait, Gross decided to cut those two sports completely. It wasn't until the criticisms came rolling in that he ultimately opted for a three year phase out, instead of just eliminating the programs right away. After his initial announcement to get rid of the teams, Dr. Phil Witten, Executive Director of the College Swimming Coaches Association of America, stated that Gross "had a breathtaking lack of competence" and called for his resignation. No such luck. What a huge help in the "non major" sports Daryl Gross has been.

Which brings us back to football. Within weeks of his hiring as Syracuse AD, Gross unceremoniously fired coach Paul Pasqualoni, who went 107-59-1 in 14 seasons, and went 6-3 in bowl games. I guess that just wasn't good enough for Gross. He then elected to hire Greg Robinson, who had no head coaching experience whatsoever. Yeah, that really worked out.

And now, Gross is going with Marrone. Hmm, a coordinator who has shuttled between the NFL and the college game and has never been a head coach before...sound familiar?

I hope Marrone succeeds, I really do. But with Gross' continued buffoonery, I'm just not sure that's possible.

A HILARIOUS NHL FEUD

2008-12-11T16:12:00.003-05:00

Barry Melrose, former (and future) ESPN hockey analyst and ex-coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning is in a hilarious feud with team owner Len Barrie. Melrose, hired in June to serve as head coach of the club, was fired just 16 games into the season and replaced by assistant coach Rick Tocchet. A war of words of this quality is rarely seen on today's sports scene, but this one has all the makings of fight that just won't go away.

One major point of contention is the play of rookie Steven Stamkos. Stamkos, the first overall pick in last year's NHL draft, has struggled in his first season of professional hockey, with just three goals and nine assists through 28 games. Melrose contends that Stamkos, who has no minor league experience, is not ready for the NHL yet and needs some seasoning in the AHL before coming up to the big club. The owner, however, disagrees. "He didn't want Steven on this team from day one, and it was evident how he played him," Barrie said, according to the St. Petersburg Times. "Everyone knows this kid is a star player."

When exactly did it become the decision of the owner who plays and for how many minutes? While it's true, Melrose is certainly not the most experienced coach in the league, he's the guy YOU HIRED. He's the one running practice every day, he's the one spending all the time with the players, and it should be HIS DECISION who plays in the games. Based on Stamkos' numbers so far this season, it appears Melrose is absolutely right. The kid just isn't ready for the NHL yet.

In a great Q and A session with John Buccigross (friend of the show), Melrose responded to Bucci's question "Have you been rooting for the Lightning to lose?" exactly how I've always wanted an ex-coach to respond to a question like that. "Yes. I hope they never win another game. I think when people say that they don't care, they are lying to you. One of the reasons ESPN wanted me back on the air is to tell the truth, and yeah, I hope they never win another game." Finally, someone not thinking ahead to another job, but responding to a question in the here and now.

As for owner Len Barrie, is it really a surprise that Tampa Bay is an NHL worst 6-14-8 (20 points)? You hired a coach, then fired him after 16 games because he wasn't doing it in the way you would have. Why don't you give coaching a try? The more I read into this great feud, the more I agree with the mullet: Len Barrie is the problem.

WEEK 14 PICKS RECAP

2008-12-10T20:09:00.002-05:00

Evan picked up a game this week, and once again we both managed to both go under .500 for the week.

EVAN: 7-8
MARK: 6-9

For the season:

MARK: 93-89-2
EVAN: 87-95-2

RED SOX UNIFORM CHANGES: JUST STOP IT ALREADY

2008-12-10T13:29:00.002-05:00

The Boston Red Sox ownership group, comprised of John Henry, Tom Werner, and Larry Lucchino, are known as guys who get things done. In their brief reign over Boston's baseball team, we have seen two World Series Championships, as well as soaring popularity throughout the nation (and plenty of hatred, too). But there is one aspect of Henry, Werner, and Lucchino's time as owners that is most telling: Their need to squeeze the fans out of every last dime.

There are the constant additions to Fenway Park, adding seats in every possible direction, the embarrassing Red Sox Nation Membership Cards, and now a logo and uniform change that is set to be unveiled on Thursday. The Sox have had the same basic uniform design (and logo for that matter) for quite a long time, and it seems like the only reason to change that now is to sell more hats and jerseys. All of it seems so unnecessary.

Hopefully the changes will be minor, and they won't completely butcher the whole thing. Either way, you can bet these new unis will be up for sale on redsox.com very soon.

A NEW JOB FOR ROBINSON?

2008-12-08T13:54:00.005-05:00

Rumors are swirling around former Syracuse head football coach Greg Robinson about a possible new job. Robinson, who was fired by Syracuse after going just 10-38 in four seasons, is considered one of the biggest head coaching disasters of all time, yet a new position seems likely to fall into his lap. I'm talking, of course, about teaching kindergarten at Edward Smith Elementary School (what, you thought I meant coaching football?!). After all, Robinson seems like an ideal fit for the job. His rendition of The Little Engine That Could was wonderful, and his overly positive approach seems perfect for the little ones.

IS JULIEN A RUNAWAY FOR COACH OF THE YEAR?

2008-12-07T13:37:00.003-05:00

Bruins head coach Claude Julien is most definitely a favorite to take home the Jack Adams Award for NHL Coach of the Year. But is he a runaway for the prestigious honor, even this early in the season?

I think it will come down to a two man race between Julien and San Jose Sharks head man Todd McLellan, a first year head coach. McLellan was an assistant on last season's Stanley Cup winning Detroit Red Wings squad, and was hired by San Jose after the club fired Ron Wilson in June.

McLellan's Sharks are off to the best start in NHL history. Through 27 games, San Jose is 22-3-2 with 46 points, six more than Boston. They are 14-0-2 at home in the Shark Tank, and have scored 102 goals (most in the league) and have only allowed 64. While the Sharks were considered a top flight NHL team coming into the season, nobody truly saw this coming.

Which brings us to Julien. The B's were the eighth seed in last year's playoffs, and only added rookie Blake Wheeler, fourth line center Stephane Yelle, and forward Michael Ryder--a highly criticized signing-- to the roster. Yet here they are with 40 points (18-4-4), the most in the Eastern Conference. The defense has been tremendous for Boston thus far, as they have allowed only 56 goals, the fewest in the NHL. And the offense, a weak point last year, has been nothing short of great. Boston is third in the league, having lit the lamp 89 times so far this season.

It would be a huge surprise for anyone other than Julien or McLellan to take home the hardware after the season. Julien has to be the early favorite, we are certainly looking at a tight race down the stretch.

EVAN'S WEEK 14 PICKS

2008-12-06T20:29:00.004-05:00

Jacksonville at Chicago (-6.5)
Minnesota at Detroit (+8)
Houston at Green Bay (-7)
Cleveland at Tennessee (-10.5)
Cincinnati at Indianapolis (-11.5)
Atlanta at New Orleans (E)
Philadelphia at NY Giants (-9)
Kansas City at Denver (-8)
Miami at Buffalo (+1)
NY Jets at San Francisco (+8)
New England at Seattle (+7.5)
St. Louis at Arizona (-14)
Dallas at Pittsburgh (-2)
Washington at Baltimore (-7)
Tampa Bay at Carolina (+1.5)

MARK'S WEEK 14 PICKS

2008-12-06T10:43:00.002-05:00

CHICAGO -6.5
DETROIT +8
houston +7
cleveland +10.5
cincinnati +11.5
atlanta E
GIANTS -9
kansas city +8
miami -1
jets -8
new england -7.5
st. louis +14
PITTSBURGH -2
washington +7
tampa bay +1.5

THURSDAY NIGHT PICK

2008-12-04T17:48:00.001-05:00

Mark and Evan both pick Oakland +8.

RONDO'S IMPROVEMENT KEY FOR C'S

2008-12-04T13:30:00.004-05:00

Last night, the Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 114-96 at TD Banknorth Garden, and are now 18-2 for the second straight year. After a closely contested first half, Boston crushed the Pacers in the final 24 minutes, outscoring them 57-45 in the last two quarters.

This Celtics team is just as good as last year's group, which of course raised banner number 17 last June. While yes, James Posey, one of the team's best defenders, is gone, Rajon Rondo has improved so much it's scary. Now don't get me wrong, Rondo was good last season. Without his great play, who knows what would have happened? But this year he has truly been special. Against the Pacers last night, Rondo became only the third player in NBA history with 16 points, 13 rebounds, 17 assists, and 3 steals in a game (Magic Johnson and Fat Lever were the others).

Rondo's oft-criticized shooting has improved a ton as well. He's draining 51.3% of his shots this season, up from 49.2% a year ago. He has also been slightly better from three (he doesn't take many), and has been better from the charity stripe as well.

If the Celtics are as good as last season's team--and by all accounts they are, Rondo's contribution has to be one of the major reasons why. Hopefully he will continue his stellar play and help the team build off it's 18-2 start.

YET ANOTHER REASON TO LAUGH AT THE NHL

2008-12-02T21:22:00.010-05:00

I really wanted to get back into hockey this season. I swear. With the Bruins playing as well as they are (and myself being unemployed and bored), I figured now was as good a time as any to start watching hockey regularly.

But the worst commissioner in sports, Gary Bettman, continues to do his best to cultivate the laughing stock image of hockey he has so successfully created in his tenure. His most recent bonehead decision is the suspension of Dallas Stars forward Sean Avery for comments about his ex-girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert. Here's Avery's quote:

"I'm really happy to be back in Calgary; I love Canada," he said. "I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about, but enjoy the game tonight."

The trauma. The horror. How will our children sleep at night with Sean Avery's words creeping into their bedrooms at night and raping their eardrums.

As a result of his comments, Bettman decided to suspend Avery INDEFINITELY. This comes the same day as the New York Giants suspended Plaxico Burress for the remainder of the season. Let's compare infractions.

Plaxico Burress:
-Carrying a concealed weapon in a club
-Carrying a weapon without a permit
-Discharging said concealed, unpermitted weapon inside club into his leg
-Trying to find a hospital where incident would not be reported
-Checking into hospital under a fake name
-Trying to dispose of said concealed, unpermitted, weapon somewhere in New Jersey

Sean Avery:
-Made fun of another hockey player for dating his ex-girlfriend

Burress is slapped with a 4 game suspension, Avery is suspended INDEFINITELY. I cannot stress this enough. If Gary Bettman has any sense left whatsoever, he will make this a one game suspension and get it over with. It is a complete joke. Not only is it not even remotely worthy of deserving suspension, but should also be protected within the first amendment. This is a free speech issue! In other sports, when atheletes say non-politically correct things, they are fined. But in hockey, you are suspended INDEFINITELY. Welcome to the first sport that runs itself like the Chinese government.

PICKS RECAP

2008-12-02T18:43:00.003-05:00

It's been a couple of weeks since we've updated the standings on Evan and my season long competition. Here are the results of the past two weeks:

WEEK 12
Evan 6-8
Mark 8-6

WEEK 13
Evan 6-7
Mark 5-8

SEASON TOTALS
Evan 80-87-2
Mark 87-80-2

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

2008-12-02T15:00:00.003-05:00

I recently stumbled across this story from CBS Sportsline, originally published in October, 2004. The column, written by Greg Doyle, lists the ten best shooting guards from college basketball that season. Now, more than four years later, some of these former superstars are tearing it up in the NBA, while others are playing in Europe, and others are narrowly hanging on to their basketball lives here in the United States. Let's take a look at who made it big and who fizzled out since then, in Saturday Morning Sports' Where Are They Now?

BIG TIME PLAYERS
Point guards one and two from the list are Chris Paul and Deron Williams. Both are now superstar players in the NBA, and look to be all-star players for years to come. Paul is averaging 20.3 points and 11.6 assists per game for New Orleans, and Williams is scoring nearly 10 points and dishing out 11.8 assists a game for Utah as he makes his way back from an ankle injury.
Danny Granger is the only small forward who can be considered a Big Time Player, and he is certainly one of the best 3's in the game right now. Granger, who signed a massive deal to stay in Indiana this past offseason, is scoring nearly 25 points per game for Jim O'Brien's Pacers this season.

GOOD NBA PLAYERS
These are the players who aren't necessarily superstars, but are solid contributors for teams in the NBA. Andrew Bogut of the Bucks was listed as the NCAA's third best center in 2004. Bogut of course went on to be the number one overall pick for Milwaukee. The Australian big man is averaging a double double (11.4 points, 10.9 boards) so far this year. Another Buck on this list is Charlie Villanueva. The former UConn star is scoring 12 points per game while hitting 94% from the line. Hakim Warrick of the Grizzlies can fit this list as well. The Helicopter Man, and 19th overall pick by Memphis back in 2005, has played sporadically since his rookie season, and is just now getting serious PT for the awful Grizz. In 23.1 minutes, Warrick is scoring nearly 10 points per game. Raymond Felton of the Bobcats has been pretty good so far in his NBA career. Who knows if he will be in Charlotte for long, though, with the Bobcats drafting Texas point guard DJ Augustine in the first round.

NOT GREAT, BUT NOT TERRIBLE
The majority of players from this article fall into this category. Some get a little playing time, while others are rotting at the end of the bench. All, however, are still in the NBA.
College basketball's all-time leading three point shooter, JJ Redick, is playing sparingly for the Orlando Magic. In his first two seasons, Redick barely played. But now, with Michael Pietrus out for 3-4 months with a thumb injury, and Kieth Bogans shelved as well, Redick is getting an opportunity to play. He is averaging 18.4 minutes per game this season, but his trademark three just isn't falling. He is scoring only 4.4 points a game, on 29.4% shooting from behind the arc. Adam Morrison, who battled it out with Redick for player of the year honors, fits in here as well. Rumors continue to swirl that Morrison may be traded. At this point, he looks like a bust having been picked so high in the draft. Francisco Garcia has been OK for the Kings so far, and Ronny Turiaf, Shelden Williams, Josh Boone, Ike Diogu, Channing Frye, Jarret Jack, Ryan Gomes, Nate Robinson, Linas Kleiza, Paul Millsap, and Chuck Hayes all fit into this column nicely. Millsap, Turiaf, Robinson, and Gomes have been surprisingly good from this list, while Williams, Boone, and Diogu are simply mediocre. JR Giddens was drafted by the Celtics this past year, and is currently on the Utah Flash of the D-League, and Rashad McCants has been solid for Kevin McHale's Timberwolves.

NEVER MADE IT, BUT STILL IN BASKETBALL
These are those guys who were great in college, and then fizzled out quickly in the NBA, but are still trying their hand at pro ball. Remember Lawrence Roberts from Mississippi State? According to Wikipedia, he's playing for Red Star Belgrade in the Serbian League. Taylor Coppenrath from Vermont is playing the Spanish League. As is former Kansas star Wayne Simien, who did in fact win a ring in the NBA with the 2005-06 Miami Heat. Carl Krauser, who played at Pitt for about as long as Julius Hodge played for NC State (10 years maybe?) is in the CBA with the Pittsburgh Xplosion, and former Syracuse great Gerry McNamara, listed as the top shooting guard, has played in the D-League, and leagues in Greece, and Latvia.

OUT OF BASKETBALL
That just leaves former Iowa guard Pierre Pierce.The higest scoring member of the Hawkeyes, Pierce was kicked off the team after being arrested for third-degree burglary, assault with intent to commit sexual abuse, false imprisonment, and criminal mischief. He served 332 days in prison, and was released on probation; the terms of which prevented him from leaving Iowa to pursue a career in the NBA.

PATRIOTS WILL HAVE A BLOODY GOOD TIME NEXT OCTOBER

2008-12-01T17:14:00.004-05:00

One day after the Patriots were slaughtered at home by Pittsburgh, the NFL announced New England will be playing a game next season in London. Last season, the Giants beat the Dolphins 13-10, and earlier this year New Orleans beat San Diego, 37-32. Both games were played at Wembley Stadium in front of sold out crowds of over 83,000.

The Pats will be playing in the third annual UK game, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 25, 2009. The Bucs will be the "home team", meaning the Patriots still get to play eight games at Gillette Stadium next season.

Last season, the NFL announced they will hold an annual game in England at least through the 2010 season. The Patriots are 7-5 so far this year, one game behind the New York Jets. The Buccaneers are 9-3 and tied with Carolina atop the NFC South.

THREE EXPIRING CONTRACTS MOST LIKELY TO GET TRADED

2008-11-30T14:17:00.006-05:00

Last week, TNT analyst Charles Barkley took a shot at LeBron James by suggesting that the superstar needs to "shut the hell up" about leaving Cleveland in the summer of 2010. While James has been fueling the speculation that he will ditch the Cavs for the spotlight of New York, nobody really knows what is going to happen in the free-agent bonanza in two years.

Some teams have already begun wheeling and dealing to free up cap space for the future. The Pistons sent former NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups to Denver for Allen Iverson (and his expiring contract), and the Knicks traded for Cuttino Mobley, Tim Thomas, and Al Harrington, all of whom have contracts that expire after next season.

Here is a quick look at three players with expiring deals who may get dealt before the NBA's trade deadline this February.

1. SHAWN MARION - Heat
Marion, who came to Miami in the Shaquille O'Neal trade, is making $17,800,000 this season. While it has long been speculated that Carlos Boozer might be on the club's radar, thus leading Miami to keep Marion on the books until the end of the season, that is certainly not a done deal. The Heat may want to deal Marion and take back players who's deals have another year on them. That way, when Dwyane Wade is set to leave in July, 2010, the Heat will have plenty of space under the salary cap to re-sign their superstar guard.

2. WALLY SZCZERBIAK - Cavaliers
Szczerbiak is making a ridiculous $13, 275,000 this season playing along side LeBron James. And James is the reason that Cleveland will probably deal him before February's deadline. With the speculation that King James' future will take him out of Ohio and into a bigger market, it would behoove the Cavs to load up on talent and make a push for the title now. Szczerbiak was overwhelmingly voted, in a recent issue of ESPN The Magazine, as the worst defensive player in the NBA. As the Celtics proved last season, defense wins in the playoffs, so Cleveland may want to sure up that side of the ball. And since Wally's deal is up after the season, there should be plenty of teams willing to take him back, then let him walk at the end of the year.

3. ANDRE MILLER - 76'ers
The 76'ers will really only make Miller available in trades if they fall out of playoff contention, and nobody truly expects that to happen. The point guard, who came to Philly when AI was shipped to the Nuggets, is making $10,333,334 for the year. The Sixers slow start, they are 7-9 and in last place in the Atlantic Division, as well as the team's scoring issues could push Philadelphia to shop Miller should they continue to struggle. The signing of Elton Brand this past offseason means the Sixers won't be a part of the madness in 2010, so dealing the 32-year-old for younger players might make some sense.

Other players with expiring contracts include Jason Kidd ($21,372,000), Allen Iverson ($20,840,625), Lamar Odom ($14,148,596), and Rasheed Wallace ($13,930,000). Here is a list of players with contracts that expire in 2009, and 2010.

MARK'S WEEK 13 PICKS

2008-11-30T13:07:00.002-05:00

BUFFALO -6
baltimore -6
indianapolis -7.5
GREEN BAY -1
miami -9.5
TAMPA BAY -1
new york giants -4.5
SAN DIEGO +1
OAKLAND -5
pittsburgh E
denver +8
chicago +1.5
jacksonville +2.5

EVAN'S WEEK 13 PICKS

2008-11-30T12:32:00.003-05:00

Just in the nick of time. Here are my picks for the week 13 slate of games.

San Francisco at Buffalo (-6)
Baltimore at Cincinnati (+6)
Indianapolis at Cleveland (+7.5)
Carolina at Green Bay (-1)
Miami at St. Louis (+9.5)
New Orleans at Tampa Bay (-1)
NY Giants at Washington (+4.5)
Atlanta at San Diego (+1)
Kansas City at Oakland (-5)
Pittsburgh at New England (E)
Denver at NY Jets (-8)
Chicago at Minnesota (-1.5)
Jacksonville at Houston (-2.5)

CAN THE BRUINS KEEP IT UP?

2008-11-29T17:58:00.005-05:00

The Bruins debuted new third jerseys yesterday in their post-Thanksgiving thrashing of the New York Islanders. Five third period goals propelled Boston to another victory, giving the team 10 wins in it's last 12 games. At 15-4-4, the B's are six points ahead of Montreal for the lead in the Northeast division (34 points to 28), and trail only the New York Rangers, by two points, in the Eastern Conference.

Bruins fans are pleased, to say the least. But this hot start, coupled with the team's struggles in recent seasons, beg the question: can they keep it up?

While there is no doubt Tim Thomas will cool off a little bit at some point, there is no reason why the Bruins can't continue to win, and make a serious run at Lord Stanley's Cup in 2009. This year's club has something that Bruins teams of the recent past have not had: Multiple scoring threats. Last year, Boston went on long scoring droughts, unable to put the puck in the net with any consistency. Thats not the case anymore. Through 23 games this season, the Bruins have scored 79 goals, good for third in the NHL. Marc Savard's 30 points put him in a tie for the second most in the league, and his 22 assists are also the second most in the entire NHL. All this comes with Patrice Bergeron still working his way back from a terrible concussion that cost him almost all of last season, and without Chuck Kobasew and Marco Sturm for long stretches because of injury. The emergence of Phil Kessel has been huge, as has the strong play of rookie forward Blake Wheeler, who has seven goals and four assists and is a plus 10 so far this year.

Defensively, the B's are just as strong, if not stronger. Zdeno Chara, the team's captain, is a force to be reckoned with in his own end, as is Dennis Wideman, who came to Boston in a trade with the St. Louis Blues (for Brad Boyes) two seasons ago. While Andrew Ferrence recovers from a broken leg, rookie Matt Hunwick has stepped in and done a great for Boston. The black and gold have allowed just 50 goals on the season, and only a measly 2.17 goals per game. Minnesota (2.14) is the only club that gives up fewer goals per game than the Bruins.

And of course, there is Milan Lucic, who's emergence this season has been nothing short of amazing. The twenty year old winger does whatever the team needs. He fights--his bout with Mike Komisarek of the Canadiens cost the Montreal defenseman a month with a shoulder injury--and he lights the lamp as well. In last week's 3-2 Bruins win over the Canadiens, Montreal tough guy Georges Laracque shadowed Lucic the entire game, and the Bruins' winger was getting booed and jeered throughout the game (because of his KO of Komisarek). Yet when the B's trailed 1-0 in the second, Lucic was there to tip in a great pass from Phil Kessel to tie the game at one. Oh yeah, and through 23 games he leads the league in hits as well.

All of this, plus the incredible play of goalie Tim Thomas, has put the Bruins in position to get a high seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs this April. Tonight's game against defending Cup Champion Detroit should be a good measuring stick to see how far along the Bruins truly are. A win would be huge for the confidence of this young team. While it's still very early in the season, the Bruins are certainly on the right track to reclaim some of the glory of the Big Bad Bruins.

RED SOX SET TO SIGN TAZAWA

2008-11-28T14:53:00.003-05:00

Junichi Tazawa, a 22-year-old pitcher from Yokohama, Japan, is set to sign with the Boston Red Sox. Tazawa was being scouted by the Rangers, Mariners, Braves, and Tigers, among others, but ultimately chose to join countrymen Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima in Boston.

The right-hander played last season with the Nippon Oil of the Japanese Industrial League, a league specifically for amateur players. He told Japanese professional teams not to draft him so he could pursue a deal with a team in Major League Baseball. In his final start for Nippon on November 21, Tazawa threw a complete game shutout.

The Red Sox reportedly offered Tazawa slightly less money than the Rangers, but the righty wanted the chance to play on a team with one of his idols, Matsuzaka. Reports say that the Red Sox offer was for $6 million over three seasons.

This looks like a nice signing for Boston. While they have a deep rotation as is, with Beckett, Matsuzaka, Lester, and Wakefield, more pitchers are always needed. And since Tazawa hasn't really pitched professionally before, it is looking like he will start the year in the minors. There is always a chance the Sox could use him as a reliever as well.

While this isn't the big splash that many have been expecting from the Red Sox, it is certainly a very nice signing that should help the team's chances in 2009. They are expected to announce the signing as early as December 1.

LIGHT AND CROWDER FINED, NOT SUSPENDED

2008-11-26T18:13:00.004-05:00

Great news for the Patriots, as Matt Light will be in uniform on Sunday when New England takes on AFC rival Pittsburgh at Gillette Stadium. Light and Channing Crowder of the Miami Dolphins got into a fight during the Pats win last week, and both were ejected from the game.

The NFL elected to fine each player $15,000, but did not issue suspensions for either player. The confrontation occurred in the fourth quarter, while Light was blocking Crowder during Stephen Gostkowski's 30-yard field goal. The NFL's investigation found that while Light did punch Crowder multiple times, Crowder instigated the fight by constantly trash talking (hence the grin as he ran away from Light).

Having Light in the lineup will be huge next week against the Steelers, the NFL leaders in sacks.

SYRACUSE LOOKS LIKE THE REAL DEAL

2008-11-26T17:26:00.008-05:00

What a week for Syracuse sports. Just days after the Orange football team knocked off 19.5 point favorites Notre Dame in South Bend, the basketball team beat 18th ranked Florida and 23rd ranked Kansas on back to back nights in the CBE Classic.

In taking down the past three National Champions (Florida in '06 and '07, KU last year), and two straight ranked opponents, the Orange are pretty much assured of a spot in the next set of rankings. Impressively, Syracuse came back from 13 down in the second half to beat the Jayhawks in front of a raucous Kansas crowd. While technically the game was a "neutral site" game, it was played in Kansas City, where KU hadn't lost a regular season game since 1983.

Syracuse won this game with smart play, good execution, and a tremendous coaching job by Jim Boeheim. He decided to switch from the club's usual 2-3 zone into man to man early in the second half and was instantly rewarded. The Orange quickly got back into the game when Jonny Flynn forced turnovers on back to back KU possessions, leading to easy baskets at the other end. Paul Harris was a monster on the glass, pulling down 14 rebounds to go with his 14 points, and Arinze Onuaku was tremendous inside, with 19 points and 12 rebounds in 39 minutes of play.

The real star for Syracuse though was Flynn. The sophomore point guard from Niagara Falls, New York is one of the most talented players in the country. While he was held in check in the first half, Flynn erupted in the second, scoring 23 of his 25 points in the second half and overtime. It was his three pointer as well that sent the game into OT. Flynn faked Kansas big man Cole Aldrich out with a great crossover, then drained a pull-up three from the wing with 6.4 seconds left to knot the game at 72, and the Orange cruised in overtime, finally winning 89-81.

The comeback was especially impressive considering Kansas' start to the year. In their first three games since winning the National Championship, the Jayhawks were 3-0 while winning by an average of 24 points, and holding opponents to a meager 27% from the field.

It looks like Syracuse is the real deal this season. They can score from the inside (Onuaku), and the outside (Rautins, Devendorf), and have plenty of slashers who can get to the hoop (Devendorf, Harris, freshman Kris Joseph). If they can improve the 2-3 zone, or play more man to man defense, they should get much better as a team. And as Jonny Flynn goes, so go the Syracuse Orange. It will be his play that dictates how far this team can go.

Last night's win has 'Cuse fans remembering another victory over Kansas, in the 2003 National Championship game. While it's too early to say Syracuse is a legitimate title contender, they are certainly a better team than they have been the past few seasons.

JE'ROD CHERRY: AUCTIONING OFF SUPER BOWL RING

2008-11-25T15:25:00.004-05:00

Former Patriots cornerback Je'Rod Cherry, who played with the club from 2001 through 2004, is auctioning off his ring from Super Bowl XXXVI to help raise money for children in Rwanda. Cherry, mainly a special teamer in his four years in Foxborough, won titles with New England in 2001, 2003, and 2004.

It's great to see a professional athlete give back like this. Sure, a lot of athletes have charitable foundations, but it's not often you see a non-superstar player give up one of his most prized possessions for a cause.

The auction is being done through Celebrities For Charities, a foundation formed in 1997 that lists former Bruins captain Ray Bourque as a member of the board of directors. It is a group that helps out some of Boston's best charity events, such as Jason Varitek's Putt-Putt Challenge, and Kevin Faulk's Celebrity Softball Game.

The drawing date for Cherry's ring is Thanksgiving day. The website gives a description of the diamond encrusted jewelery:

"Created by Jostens, the 14-karat white gold Super Bowl ring worn by the Super Bowl XXXVI champions, the New England Patriots, features 142 diamonds. Forty-two diamonds encircle the bezel, which is the edge of the ring's face, and two larger football-shaped diamonds are on each side of the bezel. The face of the ring displays the Patriots logo made from red garnets and blue sapphires trimmed with diamonds. A figure of the Lombardi trophy is behind the logo and is made of platinum, a large marquis diamond, and two tapered baguette diamonds.)"

Tickets for the event are just two dollars, and it's all for a great cause. To make a donation, click here.

CAN 10 BIG EAST TEAMS REALLY MAKE THE TOURNAMENT?

2008-11-24T15:46:00.005-05:00

Just like last year, the Big East is loaded. Looking at the current top 25, the conference has teams ranked second, third, fourth, eighth, and fifteenth, not to mention Villanova and Georgetown towards the bottom of the rankings (20th and 21st respectively). That's seven teams already considered among the 25 best in the nation.

Last season, the Big East got eight teams into the dance. This year, they should get nine, and could possibly get 10. Now I know what your thinking. How can the Big East get 10 teams into the field? Well, let's take a look...

In March of last year, Notre Dame, Louisville, West Virginia, Connecticut, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Villanova, and Marquette all were included in the NCAA tournament field. Connecticut (currently ranked #2 in the nation) is a lock to make it back. As are Louisville (#3), Pittsburgh (#4), and Notre Dame (#8). Two more, in Marquette (#20) and Georgetown (#21) are not guarantees, but really have no excuses for not being near the top. Georgetown lost big man Roy Hibbert, but added freshman center Greg Monroe, who has averaged 17 points and 7.5 rebounds in nearly 30 minutes a game so far this season. They return guard Austin Freeman, now a sophomore, and forward DaJuan Summers, a junior who will be much better and more experienced this year. Marquette didn't really lose anybody, as the club's two best scorers, guards Jerel McNeal and Dominic James are back for their senior years. Theoretically, the Big East has seven teams that should already be in.

Syracuse, who's roster dwindled down to seven players last season because of injuries, should be much stronger in 2009. While freshman forward Donte Greene left for the riches of NBA glory, they bring back stellar point guard Jonny Flynn, as well as center Arinze Onuaku and rebounding machine Paul Harris. Add the return of three point gunners Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins, who both were lost to torn ACL's last season, and the Orange(men) should be in good shape. Additionally, the team's RPI, which will be better this year, should be a positive, not a negative, for this year's club. Tough road games at #18 Florida (tonight) and #17 Memphis, plus the impossible gauntlet of Big East games, should help Syracuse make the tourney for the first time in three years.

West Virginia, who knocked off second seeded Duke in the second round last year, has a chance to get back in despite losing star forward Joe Alexander. Alex Ruoff returns as the only senior on the roster, and a talented group of newcomers will help as well. The four sophomores on this team gained valuable experience being a part of last season's Sweet 16 team, and could help the Mountaineers make it back this March. ESPN's Joe Lunardi, on his bracketology page, currently has West Virginia as an eight seed in the tournament.

Those nine should all make it. But who will be the tenth? Providence, Cincinnati, Seton Hall, and DePaul are all young teams, and all have a chance. With the Big East currently as strong as any conference, arguably ever, playing those top 15 teams will be an advantage. Furthermore, with every team making the Big East tournament this year, a tenth team that may be on the bubble could get hot and squeeze into March Madness.

It's definitely a long shot, but there is certainly a chance we could see the Big East make history in just a few months.

TIME FOR JOEY PORTER TO JUST SHUT UP

2008-11-23T17:38:00.004-05:00

Finally. The Patriots shut up Joey Porter. The Dolphins linebacker and NFL sack leader loves to run his mouth, and has no love lost for New England, or head coach Bill Belichick for that matter. In an interview with Keyshawn Johnson on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown, Porter says that he thinks the Patriots were cheating in all of the playoff games that he faced them in as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. "Two times we could have blown those people out easily" said Porter. "Man, that's my dyansty, know what I mean?"

No, Joey. We don't know what you mean. Your insane psycho babble just needs to stop. Of course, Porter talked a big game before Miami came to New England in week three, but that time he backed it up. The Dolphins rocked New England on September 21, 38-13 in front of a very unhappy crowd at Gillette Stadium.

Today, Porter and the Dolphins had no such luck. After a closely contested first half, the Pats blew the doors off, crushing Miami and putting up 48 points on Porter's defense.
Matt Cassel was spectacular again, as he became the first Patriots quarterback to throw for 400 yards in back to back games. Cassel finished the day 30/43 for 415 yards, three touchdowns and one unlucky interception. Randy Moss caught all three of those TD passes, picking up 125 yards on the afternoon.

Porter drew the ire of the referees late in the game with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that gave New England the ball inside the Dolphins 20. While the penalty didn't mean much (the game was pretty much over at that point), it was a fitting end to this one.

Now that Cassel and the Pats have beaten Miami, hopefully Porter will just stop talking. Unfortunately for everybody though, he probably won't. And we'll all have to roll our eyes again at something crazy that Joey Porter has said.

EVAN'S WEEK 12 PICKS

2008-11-22T19:40:00.002-05:00

Houston at Cleveland (-2.5)
San Francisco at Dallas (-6)
Tampa Bay at Detroit (+8.5)
NY Jets at Tennessee (-2)
Buffalo at Kansas City (+4)
Chicago at St. Louis (+5.5)
New England at Miami (-1.5)
Minnesota at Jacksonville (+2)
Philadelphia at Baltimore (-1.5)
Oakland at Denver (-9.5)
Carolina at Atlanta (E)
NY Giants at Arizona (+4)
Washington at Seattle (+5.5)
Indianapolis at San Diego (+3.5)

MARK'S WEEK 12 PICKS

2008-11-21T18:10:00.002-05:00

Home teams in caps

CLEVELAND -2.5
DALLAS -6.5
DETROIT +7.5
TENNESSEE -2
buffalo -4
chicago -7
MIAMI -1
JACKSONVILLE +2
philadelphia +1.5
oakland +9.5
ATLANTA E
new york giants -4.5
SEATTLE +5.5
SAN DIEGO +4
green bay E

8-8 last week
74-66-2 season

CELTICS REMAIN TEAM TO BEAT IN THE EAST

2008-11-21T15:44:00.003-05:00

Last night's dominating performance by the Celtics reminded everyone in the NBA world just how good the defending champs are. While it was the C's second game against Eastern Conference foe Detroit since the Pistons acquired eight time All-Star Allen Iverson, it was the first in which the Pistons were truly playing well as a team. The chemistry issues that come with bringing a new starter in hampered Detroit in their 88-76 loss to the Celtics at the Palace on November 9.

The Pistons were finally playing well as a cohesive unit, having won four of five- including a win at Staples Center against the Western Conference champion Lakers (LA's first loss of the season), and a home win against LeBron James and Central Division rival Cleveland.

Boston came into the game fatigued, having just finished off a greuling stretch of eight games in 11 days, of which they won seven. They won a hard fought overtime game in Milwaukee in which the Bucks made up a 13 point deficit in the fourth quarter, and then a chippy affair with the Knicks without Kevin Garnett, who was suspended for a slap to the face of Bucks center Andrew Bogut.

Everything early seemed to suggest it would be a long night for the Celtics. Detroit came out hot and Boston was flat, as the Pistons flew out to a 13-2 advantage. But that was it for Michael Curry's club, as the defending champs took over from there. Within moments the score was tied at 14, and the first quarter ended with the teams knotted up at 21.

The second quarter was all Celtics, who took a nine point lead into halftime. Boston outscored Detroit 56-36 in the second and third quarters combined, ensuring this one was a laugher going into the final frame.

Rajon Rondo outplayed Iverson, and despite a low scoring night from each member of the Big Three (Garnett had 15 points, Pierce had 9, and Allen 12), Boston won easily. Rondo finished with 18 points and 8 assists and, more importantly for the Celtics, Doc Rivers was able to ensure that nobody played more than 30 minutes.

This was a statement game for the Celtics, who reminded everyone that they remain the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. Dominating defense (they have held Detroit to their two lowest point totals this season) and a potent offense make the 11-2 Celtics favorites to at least reach the NBA Finals once again this June.

GREATEST COLLEGE BASKETBALL DUNKS OF ALL-TIME

2008-11-20T16:19:00.003-05:00

Now that College Basketball is underway for the 2008-2009 season, let's take a look back at some of the greatest dunks in NCAA hoops history. All of these dunks took place during games, so you won't find anything from a dunk contest in here. While I won't say that these are necessarily the 5 greatest dunks of all-time, they are five of my personal favorites.

5. Russell Westbrook can fly--UCLA

4. Dahntey Jones above the rim--Duke

Extra points for the unnecessary celebration.

3. Jarvis Basnight jumps over a defender--UNLV

2. Send it in Jerome!--Pittsburgh

Love the commentary from Bill Raftery just as much as the dunk.

1. The Helicopter Man posterizes Notre Dame--Syracuse

Complete with a friendly reminder from Raftery to "bring your lunch!"

Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment or send us an e-mail, wntnsports@gmail.com and be sure to listen to Saturday Morning Sports: Saturdays from noon to one on 1550am WNTN and WNTN.com.

GOODBYE COCO: CRISP DEALT TO KC

2008-11-19T13:04:00.005-05:00

One day after Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia was announced as the American League's Most Valuable Player, the team dealt outfielder Coco Crisp to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for reliever Ramon Ramirez.

Many expected the Sox to trade Crisp before last season, but holding on to the veteran center fielder turned out to be a prudent move. Jacoby Ellsbury struggled mightily at times last season, and Crisp ended up starting 98 games for Boston.

At times, Crisp looked like a superstar for the Sox, hitting extraordinarily well for brief stretches. Between those times, however, Crisp had monumental struggles at the plate. He was one of the Red Sox streakiest hitters, but was consistently great out in center field. Who can forget his ridiculous catch to rob the Mets David Wright of extra bases during a game in 2006? He made another tremendous catch to end the 2007 ALCS, running full speed into the bullpen wall in the triangle to help preserve a (large) Boston lead and move the Red Sox into the World Series.

Crisp was 20 for 27 in steals last season, his third straight season with at least 20 swipes. Coco ended up with a .283 average in 2008, with seven home runs and 41 RBI. It was smart to move his more than $5 million salary, with other holes emerging that need to be filled.

Coco Crisp is now a Royal. And we hope that when Kansas City visits Fenway Park for a four game set from July 9-12, the Sox faithful will stand and cheer for him, remembering the outstanding defense he played here for those three years.

PEDROIA WINS AL MVP

2008-11-18T14:31:00.004-05:00

The writers got this one right. Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia won the American League Most Valuable Player Award today, receiving 16 of a possible 28 first-place votes. Twins first baseman Justin Morneau finished second.

Pedroia carried the Sox offensively for much of the season, and his defense was a tremendous asset as well. The scrappy second baseman led the American League in runs (118) and multi-hit games (61). He also tied Ichiro Suzuki for the Major League lead in hits with 213. Additionally, Pedroia finished only four points back of Joe Mauer's .330 average (Pedey hit .326) for the AL Batting Title, and came in fourth in total bases (322) and seventh in extra base hits (73).

He made only six errors in 733 total chances, good for a fielding percentage of .992, which was second only to A's second baseman Mark Ellis (.993), who had 165 fewer chances.

Pedroia hit 17 homers and drove in 83 runs, and stole 20 of a possible 21 bases. Without his incredible play, the Red Sox would not have been only one win from another trip to the Fall Classic.

Pedroia is the first Red Sox player to win the MVP since first baseman Mo Vaughn in 1995, and he may have a hard time finding room for all the new hardware he'll be receiving. Pedroia can add the AL 2B Silver Slugger award, the AL 2B Gold Glove award, and now the MVP to last years Rookie of the Year trophy on his mantle.

Red Sox teammate Kevin Youkilis finished third in the voting. Pedroia became the tenth MVP in the history of the club, following Jimmy Foxx (1938), Ted Williams (1946, 1949), Jackie Jensen (1958), Carl Yastrzemski (1967), Fred Lynn (1975), Jim Rice (1978), Roger Clemens (1986) and Vaughn (1995).

PUNISHMENT FAIR FOR KG, SHAQ

2008-11-18T12:05:00.003-05:00

John Karalis of the Boston Examiner, and founder of the Celtics blog Red's Army recently wrote an article about Kevin Garnett's suspension as being unwarranted for his slap of Andrew Bogut last week. While Karalis does make some good points about Pat Riley and the Heat's thuggish basketball in the 1990's forcing the NBA into the current flagrant foul system, he is wrong about KG.

KG was clearly hit on the play and then reached out and gave Bogut a little slap in the face. Saying that Garnett wasn't looking at Bogut and therefore didn't mean to hit him is ridiculous. Watch his face after he reaches out at the Bucks center, he stares him down. Looks like he meant to hit him to me. While Garnett may have "just been hit twice", that isn't an excuse to respond. In hockey players who retaliate often get penalties for the response rather than the original hit. Garnett should have kept his cool and then he'd be playing tonight against the Knicks.

Furthermore, the article argues that Shaq shouldn't have been ejected for his hit on Rodney Stuckey because it was accidental. I agree that Shaq shouldn't be suspended or anything like that, but the ejection was warranted. It was similar to Marvin Williams' hit on Rajon Rondo in the playoffs last year, and Williams was ejected from that--a decisive playoff game. O'Neal clearly didn't mean to hit Stuckey in that fashion, but accident or not Shaq deserved to go.

WEEK 11 PICKS RECAP

2008-11-18T09:48:00.003-05:00

Well, I made my picks on time this week, and look what happened! I rebounded to extend my lead over Evan back to six games. Take note of the six straight games I picked correctly in the latter half, I guess I do better in the 4 pm games?

New York Jets 34, New England 31 (NE -1.5) Evan: NE / Mark: NE
Denver 24, Atlanta 20 (ATL -2.5) Evan: ATL / Mark: ATL
Philadelphia 13, Cincinnati 13 (PHI -7) Evan: PHI / Mark: PHI
Chicago 3, Green Bay 37 (E) Evan: GB / Mark: GB
Houston 27, Indianapolis 33 (IND -10.5) Evan: HOU / Mark: IND
New Orleans 30, Kansas City 20 (NO -5) Evan: NO / Mark: KC
Oakland 15, Miami 17 (MIA -8) Evan: MIA / Mark: MIA
Baltimore 10, New York Giants 30 (NYG -5.5) Evan: NYG / Mark: NYG
Minnesota 13, Tampa Bay 19 (-1) Evan: TB / Mark: TB
Detroit 22, Carolina 31 (CAR -12) Evan: CAR / Mark: DET
St. Louis 16, San Francisco 35 (SF -3.5) Evan: STL / Mark: SF
Arizona 26, Seattle 20 (ARI -6.5) Evan: ARI / Mark: SEA
Tennessee 24, Jacksonville 14 (TEN -7) Evan: TEN / Mark: TEN
San Diego 10, Pittsburgh 11 (PIT -4) Evan: PIT / Mark: SD (thanks, officiating crew!)
Dallas 14, Washington 10 (E) Evan: WASH / Mark: WASH
Cleveland 29, Buffalo 27 (BUF -2.5) Evan: BUF / Mark: BUF

Evan: 6-10 this week, 68-72-2 season
Mark: 8-8 this week, 74-66-2 season

THOMAS SNUB ANOTHER ERROR FOR THE NHL

2008-11-17T17:43:00.004-05:00

Bruins goalie Tim Thomas was spectacular in 2007, leading a team with low expectations to the playoffs and nearly shocking the rival Canadiens in the first round. The netminder's tremendous play earned him a spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star roster last February, the journey man's first ever All-Star appearance.

This season, Thomas has been even better, helping the Bruins get off to their hottest start in quite some time. The team currently sits in first place in the Northeast division with a record of 10-3-4 (24 points), and has a two point lead over highly touted Montreal. Thomas is 6-2-3 on the year, with a goals against average of 1.76 (first in the NHL) and a save percentage of .945 (also first in the NHL).

But alas, when the NHL's All-Star Ballot came out a few weeks ago, Thomas' name wasn't on it. The Eastern Conference goalies include Martin Brodeur, who is out 3-4 months with an elbow injury, Vesa Toskala, who's .878 save percentage puts him 40th in the NHL, and Rick DiPietro, who has played a grand total of three games this season, with a record of 0-2. Now I understand that Thomas has split time with Manny Fernandez this year, but Tomas Vokoun is on the ballot, despite splitting time with backup Craig Anderson (Vokoun and Thomas have each played 11 games) for the 6-9-1 last place Panthers.

This is a ridiculous snub by the NHL, a league that, let's face it, is pretty screwed up. It is by far the least popular of the four major sports, has too many teams, and is run unbelievably poorly. Ticket prices are too high and the talent pool is watered down (again, because there are too many teams). Fans were turned off by the lockout, and the NHL still hasn't truly recovered.

The League apparantly decided that Tim Thomas, who plays for a historically significant team (compared to the Atlanta Thrashers, for example) that is exceeding all expectations due in large part to his stellar play, is not one of the ten best goalies in the Eastern Conference. The NHL is missing a golden opportunity to spotlight a blue-collar, hard working player, someone the few fans the League actually does have might be able to relate to.

Of course, it doesn't really matter to Thomas. All that matters to him is keeping the puck out of the net, and keeping the Black and Gold on top of the standings.

SATURDAY MORNING SPORTS ALL-AMERICA TEAMS

2008-11-16T18:25:00.006-05:00

With the College Basketball season officially kicking off this week, now seems like a logical time to predict the All-America teams, as well as Player of the Year, for the upcoming season. Also, check out 5 Freshman to Watch, and be sure to listen to our College Basketball Preview next week on Saturday Morning Sports, noon to 1:00pm every Saturday on 1550am WNTN and WNTN.com.

ALL-AMERICA FIRST TEAM
G- Darren Collison- Senior, UCLA
G- Stephen Curry- Junior, Davidson
F- Blake Griffin- Sophomore, Oklahoma
F- Tyler Hansbrough- Senior, North Carolina
C- Hasheem Thabeet- Junior, Connecticut

ALL-AMERICA SECOND TEAM
G- Jonny Flynn- Sophomore, Syracuse
G- Ty Lawson- Junior, North Carolina
G- James Harden- Sophomore, Arizona State
F- Luke Harangody- Junior, Notre Dame
F- Patrick Patterson- Sophomore, Kentucky

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Everybody seems to be picking Tyler Hansbrough of UNC as their pre-season Player of the Year. Saturday Morning Sports, however, is picking...

BLAKE GRIFFIN- Sophomore, Oklahoma
Griffin averaged 14.7 points and 9.1 rebounds in 28.4 minutes per game last season. With another year under his belt, he should be one of the best in college hoops this season. In his first game this year (Friday night vs. American University), Griffin scored 24 points with 18 rebounds in 33 minutes of action.

MBAH A MOUTE IS NBA'S MOST IMPRESSIVE ROOKIE

2008-11-16T13:31:00.003-05:00

Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, OJ Mayo, Kevin Love. Picking any of these players to win Rookie of the Year would seem fairly obvious. Of course everyone expects tons of points from Mayo, playing with the lowly Grizzlies, or Love putting up great stats on a bad Timberwolves team. But who would have thought that in a draft class this loaded, the most impressive rookie would be a second round pick who was far from the best player on his college team?

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, second round pick (37th overall) of the Milwaukee Bucks has been the most important rookie to his team so far this season. Mbah a Moute, a three year starter for UCLA, was the first player since current NBA teammate Charlie Bell to start in three straight Final Fours. The 6-8 forward from Cameroon was the 2006 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, and hit the winning shot in a comeback victory for UCLA over Gonzaga in the Sweet Sixteen. So his success hasn't exactly come out of thin air. But in a draft class this stacked, few would have honestly believed Luc Richard Mbah a Moute would be able to help the Bucks so greatly.

In 11 games for Milwaukee, Mbah a Moute has three starts and is averaging 10.6 points per game. He is playing 30.4 minutes per night, and has been spectacular on the glass, pulling down 7.5 boards per game. On Friday night, Mbah a Moute scored 19 points and had 17 rebounds in the Bucks 101-96 win in Memphis. 10 of those 17 boards, by the way, came on the offensive end. Last night, with Milwaukee trailing 71-59 after three quarters to the World Champions, Mbah a Moute helped propel the Bucks to a huge fourth quarter and forced overtime against the Celts. The Cameroonian forward had 10 of his 14 points in that period, including a monster dunk (plus the foul) with 2:58 left that gave Milwaukee a one point lead. While the Bucks did eventually lose the game, it wouldn't have been close without the efforts of the rookie.

In addition to his hoops prowess, Mbah a Moute is a prince in the village of Bia Messe, Cameroon, where he is originally from. His father, Camille Moute a Bidias, is the chief of the village and is a high ranking government official, making the Bucks rookie nothing short of royalty. With Mbah a Moute's help, the Bucks were oh so close to knocking off the kings of the NBA.

THE TOP 5 FRESHMAN IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL

2008-11-15T18:27:00.006-05:00

Next week on the show, Mark and I will have our 2008 College Basketball Preview. Until then, here's a quick look at the top five freshman on campus this season. Last year, top first year players included the likes of OJ Mayo, Kevin Love, Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, Eric Gordon, Anthony Randolph, and Jerryd Bayless, all top 15 picks in the NBA draft.

1. DeMar DeRozan--F, USC, 6-7, 200 lbs
The Compton, California product (pictured) will pick up right where OJ Mayo left off when he bolted for millions of dollars and the thrill of playing for the Memphis Grizzlies. DeRozan is ridiculously athletic and can score from anywhere on the floor. Maybe he won't score 30.6 points per game, like he did his senior year at Compton High, but he'll certainly be a focus in the USC offense.

2. Jrue Holiday-- SG, UCLA, 6-3, 190 lbs
Holiday has been called the best UCLA freshman since Baron Davis, and the season hasn't even really started yet! He dominated the McDonald's High School All-American game last year, putting up 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals, and 3 assists. The return of point guard Darren Collison helps Holiday because he won't have to handle the ball as much and can play at the 2 instead of running the offense for the Bruins.

3. Samardo Samuels--F, Louisville, 6-8, 240 lbs
Rick Pitino's Cardinals will get a huge boost from Samuels, who is set to play a ton of minutes this season. The 6-8 Jamaican is a tremendous rebounder, and was named USA Today's National Player of the Year. He may, however, take some time to get used to the college game. Plus he is the only player on this list, or any of our lists for that matter, with the first name of Samardo.

4. Kemba Walker--G, UConn, 6-0, 175 lbs
Walker is the now rarely seen pass-first point guard. The former Rice High (Bronx, NY) star is extremely quick and is very good handling the rock. If Jim Calhoun wants to pressure the ball and press more this season, he certainly got the right guy for the job. Walker also has the best nickname of any player coming into college hoops this year: EZ Pass.

5. Tyreke Evans--SG, Memphis, 6-6, 219 lbs
Not a great jump shot. That's really the only knock on Evans' game coming into his first (and probably only) year at Memphis. He has a quick first step and is a strong passer, so he should be able to drive and kick, or throw it down. He has a 6-11 wingspan, and will fit in well in John Calipari's system. He should give a nice boost to a team that lost three of it's starters--Derrick Rose (Bulls), Chris Douglas-Roberts (Nets), and Joey Dorsey (Rockets)-- to the NBA.

EVAN'S WEEK 11 PICKS

2008-11-15T18:02:00.002-05:00

Denver at Atlanta (-2.5)
Philadelphia at Cincinnati (+7)
Chicago at Green Bay (E)
Houston at Indianapolis (-10.5)
New Orleans at Kansas City (+5)
Oakland at Miami (-8)
Baltimore at NY Giants (-5.5)
Minnesota at Tampa Bay (-1)
Detroit at Carolina (-12)
St. Louis at San Francisco (-3.5)
Arizona at Seattle (+6.5)
Tennessee at Jacksonville (+7)
San Diego at Pittsburgh (-4)
Dallas at Washington (E)
Cleveland at Buffalo (-2.5)

MARK'S WEEK 11 PICKS

2008-11-14T17:48:00.003-05:00

Well I got shellacked last week - that's what happens when you wake up at 1:15 on Sunday and realize you still haven't made your picks yet. I promise to do a much better job this week. I'm talking to you, EVAN.

ATLANTA -2.5
philadelphia -7
GREEN BAY E
INDIANAPOLIS -10.5
KANSAS CITY +5
MIAMI -8
GIANTS -5.5
TAMPA BAY -1
detroit +12
SAN FRANCISCO -3.5
SEATTLE +6.5
tennessee -7
san diego +4
WASHINGTON E
BUFFALO -2.5

Last week: 5-8
Season: 66-58-2

FIXING THE BCS

2008-11-14T12:58:00.005-05:00

President-Elect Barack Obama told ESPN's Chris Berman that he thinks College Football should switch to a playoff system instead of the ridiculous computer based system that is currently in place. Many have been calling for this change for years. How can you really decide who is the best team without playing it out on the field? It's crazy and flat out stupid, but from the NCAA's perspective, it actually makes sense. First and second round games of a playoff won't bring in the revenue that five major BCS bowl games would. So they leave it alone and let the computers decide who the best team is.

Now I admit, there are many questions with the playoff format. For one, how do you decide who gets in? Who gets home field? Are all playoff games held at neutral sites?

Here is my proposal for a playoff system in College Football:

The playoff bracket should have eight teams comprised of the champions of the six major "BCS" conferences, and two wild card spots. These spots, as well as the seedings, are determined by the BCS Standings.

Taking a look at the current BCS Standings, here are how the seeds would look if the season were to end today.

1. Alabama (SEC Champions)
2. Texas Tech (Big XII Champions)
3. Texas (Wild Card)
4. Florida (Wild Card)
5. USC (Pac-10 Champions)
6. Penn State (Big 10 Champions)
7. North Carolina (ACC Champions)
8. Pittsburgh (Big East Champions)

So the matchups would be 1. Alabama vs. 8. Pitt, 2. Texas Tech vs. 7. UNC, 3. Texas vs. 6. Penn State, and 4. Florida vs. 5. USC. The first round games would be played at the home stadium of the higher seeded team. The semi-finals and finals would be at neutral sites and would rotate each year between the five BCS Bowls.

So you could see something like Alabama vs. Florida in the semi-finals from Tempe, Arizona, in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Then Texas Tech vs. Texas at the Orange Bowl in Miami for a chance to play for the National Championship at the Rose Bowl.

As for the question of when to play all these games, the answer is quite simple. Don't have a month off between the regular season and the post-season. Have two weeks off to rest, and then let the playoffs begin. Problem solved.

The current BCS system is flawed and stupid and needs to be changed. This idea may not be perfect, but it sure is a hell of a lot better than what we have now.

EVAN'S THURSDAY NIGHT PICK

2008-11-13T14:37:00.001-05:00

New York Jets 12
New England Patriots 19

New England is favored by 1.5 points.

5 REASONS THE CELTICS CAN REPEAT

2008-11-13T13:54:00.005-05:00

Paul Pierce turned his back to the hoop and jogged back down court, joyously yelling and skipping in the air. The Celtics captain and reigning NBA Finals MVP had just hit a beautiful fallaway jumper over Al Horford to give Boston a 103-102 lead with half a second left. The C's did of course hold on to win by that score, knocking off the pesky Hawks and handing them their first L of the season.

Last nights Celtics game demonstrated the passion and desire to win that everybody knows this C's club has. The Garden was rocking like it was mid-June, and when Pierce hit the shot it nearly brought the house down. The building's atmosphere was tremendous, and the TD Banknorth Garden can be a damn near impossible place to play on the road in the playoffs. But what else makes this Celtics group so special? Here are five reasons that the Celtics have a shot to repeat as NBA Champions:

1. Defense
The Celtics defense last season was one of the best all-time. Despite losing James Posey in free agency to the New Orleans Hornets, Boston's defense should be at the top of the league again this year. Kevin Garnett is the perfect player to remind the team of it's defensive priorities. So far this year, the Celts have posted a Defensive Efficiency Rating of 92.1, second to only the undefeated Lakers (88.9). The C's are giving up a measly 88.4 points per game, again second only to the Lakers 86.7. And Boston is tops in the NBA in opponents field goal percentage (38.9%), meaning they force other teams to take difficult and oftentimes contested shots.

2. Desire
It's pretty clear from watching this team that complacency won't be a problem. Not only will the Big Three not let them relax, but the entire roster of players is up to the challenge of having the target on their back. Even early in the season when teams are looking to see exactly how they measure up to the rest of the field, the Celtics are all about picking up those W's. After a disappointing loss in Indiana last week, the C's rebounded well, posting big road wins against Western contender Houston and Eastern powerhouse Detroit. Then they came home and beat Atlantic division rival Toronto (despite a slow start), and the previously undefeated Hawks.

3. Scoring
The Celtics have been mediocre at best to start this season on the offensive end of the floor. So why will that help them raise banner number 18? Because at some point, they will hit their stride. So far, the Green are 21st in the NBA in points per game (94.4), 14th in field goal percentage (44.1), and second to last in three point percentage (27.1). That means a team with Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Eddie House is struggling big time to hit shots from deep, yet they are 8-1 on the season.

4. Who's Gonna Stop Them?
Seriously. The East is no doubt more talented than last year, but which teams in the conference have a legitimate shot to deny the Celtics a chance at back to back titles? Detroit and Cleveland are the only two that really come to mind. Detroit could be shaky. They haven't really meshed since acquiring AI, and Rip Hamilton looks lost out there. While the (possible) return of Antonio McDyess will give their bench a huge lift, the lack of a true point guard could hurt them come June. Cleveland added Mo Williams to run the point, but he is really the only addition to the Cavs' rotation this season. On opening night, the Celtics knocked off Cleveland 90-85 in an emotional win at the Garden. The team received their rings from last season's run to the top, and Paul Pierce had tears in his eyes right up until tipoff. The team came out flat and had no flow offensively. And they won. Besides Detroit and Cleveland, no teams in the East are good enough to eliminate Boston. The Celtics essentially have a one in three shot to reach the NBA Finals once again.

5. Rest
Now in the second year of the Big Three, the Celtics know what it takes to win in the playoffs. Last year's team played the most post season games in NBA history. This time around, they will be even more ready in preparing for a playoff run. I expect the starters to play a little less close to the end of the regular season, and the team should be more willing to hold players out of the lineup just to be safe in resting various injuries and ailments throughout the year. One more year of experience means the Celtics know what they need to do to raise number 18 next year.

MARK'S THURSDAY NIGHT PICK

2008-11-13T12:25:00.001-05:00

New York Jets 13
New England Patriots 16

(spread is Patriots -1.5)

BOSTON: SPORTS CAPITAL OF THE UNITED STATES

2008-11-13T11:18:00.006-05:00

Loserville. That was the nickname graciously given to Boston by sports fans across the country because of the Red Sox continued futility, the Celtics fall from grace, and the Patriots constant mediocrity. Since the start of the new millennium however, Boston teams have been able to shed that horrid title and create a new image for the local teams: Champions.

Since 2000, the Patriots have won three Super Bowls, beating the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, the Panthers in XXXVIII, and the Eagles in XXXIX. The long suffering Red Sox are now a semi-dynasty, reaching the playoffs in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008, and winning two World Series in that span. And while the turn of the century didn't change the Celtics fortunes, the arrival of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen made the Green NBA Champions once again.

Now of course, we have all four major sports teams in the hunt for post season berths. The Red Sox made the playoffs again this year, and were just one game short of reaching the Fall Classic for the second consecutive year. The Patriots are 6-3 and tied for first place in the AFC East despite the losses of Tom Brady, Laurence Maroney, Adalius Thomas, and Rodney Harrison for the season. The Celtics are 8-1 and leading the Atlantic division again in 2008. Paul Pierce's fallaway at the buzzer lifted the C's to a 103-102 win over previously undefeated Atlanta last night at the Garden. And finally, the black sheep of the group, the Bruins are finally playing up to their potential and at 9-3-3, are tied with Buffalo for first in the Northeast division with 21 points.

Yes it is a great time to be a fan of Boston sports. Will it last? Of course not. Never does. So enjoy it while it lasts. Soon enough we may see that old moniker put to good use once again.

GP NEEDS SOME CHEESE WITH THAT WHINE

2008-11-12T13:39:00.003-05:00

Former Sonics great Gary Payton had some ridiculous comments on a recent appearance on NBA-TV. Payton essentially asserts that Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo did not deserve a ring last season for Boston's run to a record 17th NBA title.

I don't know if "The Glove" is jealous that Rondo won a championship in just his second NBA season, or any other pre-existing feud between the two, but these comments are wrong and just plain stupid. Rondo started 77 games last season, scoring 10.6 points and dishing out 5.1 assists per game. Defensively, Rondo was stellar all year long. He was 10th in the NBA with 129 steals, and sixth in the league with 4.8 defensive win shares per game, and had a total defensive rating of 98.4, good for eighth in the NBA.

Payton, of course, is one of the greatest NBA point guards of all time. Other than his defensive abilities, he is perhaps best known for leading the Sonics to one NBA finals appearance, a loss in six games to MJ and the Bulls, and then bouncing around the NBA in search of a ring. GP finally did win the big one, as a backup with the 2006-07 Miami Heat. Ironically, Payton was not the starter for that Heat club (that was White Chocolate himself- Jason Williams), so when they finally did close the book on Dallas, he was probably on the bench, waving a towel.

WEEK 10 PICKS RECAP

2008-11-11T16:49:00.003-05:00

New England 20, Buffalo 10
Atlanta 34, New Orleans 20
Tennessee 21, Chicago 14
Jacksonville 38, Detroit 14
Miami 21, Seattle 19
Minnesota 28, Green Bay 27
NY Jets 47, St. Louis 3
Baltimore 41, Houston 13
Carolina 17, Oakland 6
Indianapolis 24, Pittsburgh 20
San Diego 20, Kansas City 19
NY Giants 36, Philadelphia 31
Arizona 29, San Francisco 24

Evan was 9-4 this week. Mark was 5-8.
Mark now leads our season long debate by four games.

MARK'S WEEK 10 PICKS

2008-11-09T13:22:00.002-05:00

NEW ENGLAND -1
ATLANTA -2
tennessee -2
DETROIT +3.5
MIAMI -7
MINNESOTA -1.5
st. louis +7
HOUSTON +1
OAKLAND +9
PITTSBURGH -6
SAN DIEGO -4.5
new york giants -2
san francisco +9

9-5 last week

61-50-2 on season

EVAN'S WEEK 10 PICKS

2008-11-07T20:13:00.002-05:00

The Broncos beat the Browns 34-30 last night. Oops, forgot to pick that one. Here are the rest of the games on the week 10 slate. My picks are in bold.

Buffalo at New England (-1)
New Orleans at Atlanta (-2)
Tennessee at Chicago (+2)
Jacksonville at Detroit (+3.5)
Seattle at Miami (-7)
Green Bay at Minnesota (-1.5)
St. Louis at New York Jets (-7)
Baltimore at Houston (+1)
Carolina at Oakland (+9)
Indianapolis at Pittsburgh (-6)
Kansas City at San Diego (-4.5)
New York Giants at Philadelphia (+2)
San Francisco at Arizona (-9)

7-7 Last Week

53-58-2 This Season

8 Games Back of Mark

GOLD GLOVE WINNERS ANNOUNCED: PEDROIA WINS FOR AL 2B

2008-11-06T15:29:00.006-05:00

The 2008 Rawlings Gold Glove winners have been announced, and Dustin Pedroia is the only Red Sox player to take one this season. Hopefully, this won't be the only award given to the Sox second baseman this off-season. Here is the complete list of winners:

NATIONAL LEAGUE
P- Greg Maddux (Padres/Dodgers)
C- Yadier Molina (Cardinals)
1B- Adrian Gonzalez (Padres)
2B- Brandon Phillips (Reds)
SS- Jimmy Rollins (Phillies)
3B- David Wright (Mets)
OF- Nate McLouth (Pirates)
OF- Carlos Beltran (Mets)
OF- Shane Victorino (Phillies)

AMERICAN LEAGUE
P-Mike Mussina (Yankees)
C- Joe Mauer (Twins)
1B- Carlos Pena (Rays)
2B- Dustin Pedroia (Red Sox)
SS- Michael Young (Rangers)
3B- Adrian Beltre (Mariners)
OF- Torii Hunter (Angels)
OF- Ichiro Suzuki (Mariners)
OF- Grady Sizemore (Indians)

I can't believe Jacoby Ellsbury didn't win a Gold Glove this year. He had great range all season, made some spectacular plays with the leather, and didn't make a single error all season. What else does he need to do to win a Gold Glove? At least Jeter didn't win it...

C'S DEFENSE PICKING UP WHERE IT LEFT OFF

2008-11-06T14:46:00.003-05:00

You have heard the expression by now, uttered during the NBA playoffs each and every year: Defense wins championships. The Celtics, led by Tom Thibodeau's tenacious tactics, proved the famous phrase true, and ensured pundits will continue saying it for generations to come.

The 2007-08 Celtics' championship capped off an amazing run, and of course, defense was the main reason why. Boston had one of the best team D's off all-time last season, and it was the team's defining characteristic that allowed them to raise banner number 17.

The team was able to retain Thibodeau this past offseason, and along with the intensity of KG and Co, the Celtics appear to be picking up right where they left off last June. In last night's 96-83 victory at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Boston's swarming D held the lowly Thunder in check. After a slow first quarter in which OKC took a 29-21 lead, the Celtics defensive intensity really picked up. The Thunder scored only 15 points in the second quarter, and just 11 in the third. Boston's transition defense was spectacular as well. While the C's were able to score twenty points off OKC turnovers, the Thunder only scored eight points off of 14 Boston TO's. When the Green got it going offensively at the start of the second quarter, their defense never let up. Oklahoma City went 1-17 to begin the second, and Boston pulled away from there.

The Celtics proved the old saying true last year, and are looking to do it again. If Boston can keep up the pressure at the defensive end of the floor, it is a phrase we will be hearing many times again this June.

OBAMA WINS, AGENTS CRY

2008-11-05T14:43:00.004-05:00

ESPN.com had a hilariously ridiculous article on their headline list this morning, talking about the implications that the Obama tax changes will have on Major League Baseball free agents. How tragic! This means when Manny Ramirez inevitably signs his $20 million per year deal, he could have to pay $800,000 more in taxes! This is, of course, assuming he doesn't already have an offshore holding account in the Cayman Islands.

It's hard to tell if the total absurdity of this article should be blamed on the agents for bringing it up, or ESPN and the AP for even reporting it as a story. The quotes look like the kind of vague, boring, made-up quotes I used to throw into articles for my high school journalism class.

Will the new tax policies affect how soon free agents are signed, and when signing bonuses are distributed?
"It's something we'll consider."

Scott Boras, will the tax increase result in you asking for a larger signing bonus for your clients?
"There's some consideration to be had..."

Will agents consider the new taxes when negotiating for their clients?
"I'm sure it will be kicked around."
"It's not off the wall..."
"We'd certainly be open-minded to it."

The bright side? Manny Ramirez and Gerry Callahan will finally have something to agree on.

AI TO DETROIT: CAP SPACE IS THE NAME OF THE GAME

2008-11-03T18:46:00.004-05:00

The Denver Nuggets traded guard Allen Iverson to the Pistons today for former Boston first round pick Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess, and Cheick Samb. While Detroit probably won't be as formidable this season, the deal sets them up wonderfully for the future.

By shipping out the aging Billups and McDyess, the Pistons are drastically changing the roster on a team that has been in the Eastern Conference Finals every year since 2002. I assume they will be starting Iverson, Hamilton, Prince, Maxiell, and Wallace, and bringing in the talented, young duo of Rodney Stuckey and Amir Johnson in off the bench. Probably not as good as the team the Celts beat last June, right? But look past the 2008-09 season and the Pistons are set up for the long haul.
Iverson is set to make $20,840,625 in 2009, and is only signed through this season. That means Detroit, a contending team, will have something really only seen at the bottom of the standings: cap space. If they decide against re-signing volatile big man Rasheed Wallace, who is making nearly $14 million this season, the Pistons are looking at quite a spending spree. Looking at ESPN's list of potential free agents after the season, the Pistons should be all set. Maybe they will go for a player like Carlos Boozer. Maybe Shawn Marion. Somehow I don't see Ron Artest playing home games at the Palace though.

The smart money is to hold onto that space until 2010. That is when the cream of the crop free agents will be available. Unrestricted free agents will include Joe Johnson, Ray Allen, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Dwyane Wade, Michael Redd, Tyson Chandler, Amare Stoudemire, Shaq, Steve Nash, Manu Ginobili, and Chris Bosh. Or they could go for restricted free agents Rudy Gay or Brandon Roy. Can you imagine a Pistons starting lineup of Rodney Stuckey, Dwyane Wade, Tayshaun Prince, Jason Maxiell, and Amare Stoudemire? Scary.

For the Celtics, it really isn't that big of a deal. By that time, the Big Three will be winding down, and the C's will (hopefully) have money to spend as well. I really like this trade for the Pistons because they will be able to sign great free agents in the future. I like it for the Celtics because it worsens the Pistons for this season. The Celtics time is now.

Q AND A WITH JOHN BUCCIGROSS OF ESPN

2008-11-02T23:08:00.006-05:00

Winner winner chicken dinner! John Buccigross, Sports Center anchor and hockey writer for ESPN.com answered some Saturday Morning Sports hockey questions (via email). Here are his responses.

Saturday Morning Sports: Phil Kessel now has seven goals on the young season. Do you think we are finally seeing the Kessel people were expecting after he was picked 5th by the Bruins in the 2006 draft?
John Buccigross: No doubt. He is an explosive, agile skater. World Class. Also, he has a great release. Some players are great skaters like Radek Dvorak. Some have great releases like Michael Ryder. Kessell has both.

SMS: Tim Thomas has looked very sharp recently. Do you think he has finally beaten out Manny Fernandez for the number one goalie job?
JB: Tim Thomas is the heart and soul of the Bruins. His personality rubs off the rest of the team. Goalies like that are such a bonus.

SMS: Would you consider Jonathan Toews or Patrick Kane to be in the same class as someone like a Crosby or an Ovechkin?
JB: No I would not.

SMS: What do you think is the best division in the NHL?
JB: The Atlantic Division is the best Division.

SMS: Do you think the fireworks in Boston's 5-1 win over Dallas will bring the Bruins closer together as a team?
JB: The Bruins were already close as a team. That's why they made the playoffs last year despite giving up more goals than they scored. I'm not sure what the reason is for this, but they clearly play for each other.

SMS: The NHL is the least popular of the four major sports here in the United States. What do you think they can do to put more butts in the seats?
JB: Charge less for tickets and make the nets bigger.
*Editor's note: I couldn't agree more. The Bruins haven't won a playoff series since 1999, yet their average ticket price is $56.

SMS: If you were starting a team and could have either Bobby Orr or Ray Bourque in their prime, who would you take?
JB: I refuse to answer that question. God Bless You.

BRUINS MIX IT UP WITH STARS IN 5-1 WIN

2008-11-02T17:07:00.006-05:00

Last night, the Boston Bruins defeated the Dallas Stars 5-1 in one of the hardest hitting games of the season. Dallas center Steve Ott tried to hip-check Boston's Stephane Yelle at the knees midway through the second period, and the fireworks started from there.

Andrew Ferrence had a huge hit on Ott at center ice, and the game started to get feisty. In the third period, Ferrence fought Stars instigator Sean Avery and then Shawn Thornton beat down Krys Barch. When things didn't go Dallas' way they started cheap shotting the Bruins, further amping things up on the ice. With the game well out of reach for the Stars in the third, Avery boarded Bruins centerman Marc Savard from behind, starting an all out brawl between the two teams.

This is a great sign for the Bruins. Not only did they put the puck in the net, something they struggled to do a year ago, they also proved that they aren't afraid to get physical when teams go after them. When Savard was hit from behind in the third, three other Bruins players instantly grabbed Avery and began pounding away on him. Players who are not known for their physicality, like Phil Kessel, even mixed it up with the Stars. Furthermore, they showed a willingness to defend their own players, something that should benefit the team's chemistry all season long.

All in all, seven players were handed game misconducts and ejected, and the team's combined for 146 penalty minutes. Tim Thomas was tremendous again for the B's, as he stopped 35 of the 36 shots he faced. If the Bruins continue their physical play, and keep putting points on the board, there is no limit to what they can accomplish this season.

MARK'S WEEK 9 PICKS

2008-11-02T11:51:00.001-05:00

(Home teams in caps)

BUFFALO -3
Detroit +8.5
Jacksonville -4
Baltimore E
Green Bay +1.5
KANSAS CITY +6.5
ST. LOUIS -3.5
MINNESOTA E
DENVER -1
Atlanta -4
NEW YORK GIANTS -8
Philadelphia -5
INDIANAPOLIS -1
Pittsburgh E

Last week: 8-5-1
Season: 52-45-2

Q AND A WITH MIKE REISS OF THE GLOBE

2008-11-01T16:37:00.004-04:00

Mike Reiss is the Patriots beat writer for the Boston Globe. His Reiss' Pieces blog on the Globe's website gives a behind the scenes look at the daily happenings of the team. Reiss answered a few questions for us at Saturday Morning Sports via e-mail. Here are his responses:

Saturday Morning Sports: What exactly is wrong with Sammy Morris? How long do you think he'll be out for?
Mike Reiss: I saw Sammy Morris on Tuesday and he still looked to be in pain from his knee injury. He said he hurt the knee on his final carry, a 29-yarder, against the Broncos at the end of the second quarter.

SMS: When do you see LaMont Jordan coming back?
MR: I think Jordan will be playing this Sunday night against the Colts. He's missed the last three games with the right quad injury, but barring a setback, I think we'll see him this week.

SMS: Is Laurence Maroney done with the Pats for good?
MR: I don't think so. He has two years left on his contract (through 2010), so I think the way the Patriots will approach it is by building depth around him and not expecting much of him -- and whatever they get would be a bonus.

SMS: Do you think Rodney Harrison's career is finished?
MR: I do. Watching Harrison leave the field on a cart, I sensed it as a final moment in which he was soaking it all in. I'd never count Harrison out, and he hasn't said anything yet, but my hunch is that he won't be playing again.

SMS: Do you think, in light of their recent injuries/struggles in the secondary, the Pats will look to add someone like John Lynch?
MR: I thought Lynch would be back, but unless there is another injury, I'm now leaning against the possibility. It seems the Patriots aren't as sold on him as I thought they were.

THE SATURDAY MORNING SPORTS ALL-BREAKOUT TEAM

2008-10-31T14:55:00.004-04:00

In the spirit of John Hollinger, it is time for the Saturday Morning Sports All-Breakout team. These are five players who may not be household names, but are primed for big years this season.

PG: Marcus Williams- Golden State Warriors
Williams' move from the Nets to the Warriors will benefit him greatly. A chance to play "Nellie Ball" in Golden State's wide open offense and the possibility of a starting job now that Monta Ellis is out for a long while mean the former UConn star will see more minutes, and more opportunities for points and assists this season.

SG: Nick Young- Washington Wizards
The second year guard from USC will see more playing time this year in the nation's capitol. Young scored 10 points in 18 minutes in the Wizards' season opening loss to the Nets on Wednesday. With Gilbert Arenas on the shelf for a while, Young will almost certainly see more minutes than Washington's listed backup point guard, Juan Dixon. He's a strong combo guard who will continue to develop in '09.

SF: Thaddeus Young- Philadelphia 76'ers
Young will most assuredly benefit from the team's signing of power forward Elton Brand. A better offense in Philly will mean more touches for the explosive 20-year old. While he only scored eight points in his season debut, he fell into early foul trouble in that game and never truly recovered. He usually does a good job of staying out of foul problems though, and should recover just fine in his second year in the league.

PF: Hakim Warrick- Memphis Grizzlies
Warrick, entering his fourth year with the Grizzlies, is on a team that benefits his style of play. He is big, strong, and super athletic, just like teammates Rudy Gay and OJ Mayo. Warrick's tremendous wingspan will continue to help him match up with players slightly taller than his 6'9 frame. At 26, he is amazingly one of the older players on this roster. He's played nearly 25 minutes a game each of the past two seasons, and should be getting at least that many minutes for the Grizz this year.

C: Carl Landry- Houston Rockets
Landry, who's really only a center for purposes of this discussion played extremely well for Houston last year. With Yao Ming's inability to stay healthy, and rookie Joey Dorsey being the only other center on the roster, Landry may see increased time in the middle for the Rockets. He averaged eight points and five rebounds in nearly 17 minutes a game last year. With Tracy McGrady and Ron Artest taking the majority of the shots (not to mention shoot first point guard Rafer Alston), Landry should put up solid rebounding numbers while he's out on the floor for Rick Adelman's club.

Other players to look for include Andray Blatche (Wizards), Amir Johnson (Pistons), and Ronnie Brewer (Jazz).

ODEN: THE NEXT BILL WALTON?

2008-10-30T18:38:00.005-04:00

Greg Oden looks like an old man. While yes, it is true that his facial appearance does contribute to the fact that he looks like he's 50, its really his body that seems to be getting a bit long in the tooth. In his one year at Ohio State, Oden missed significant time after having surgery to repair ligament damage to his right wrist. After he became the first overall pick of the Blazers in the 2007 NBA Draft, Oden had to have microfracture surgery on his right knee, keeping him out for the entire 2007 season. He finally made his long awaited NBA debut this week, when the Blazers played the defending Western Conference champion Lakers in the team's season opener. And, lo and behold, the Portland center went down once again. Oden played just 13 minutes, didn't score, and left when he appeared to twist his ankle after accidentally stepping on Derek Fisher's foot. Now, ESPN is reporting that Oden will miss the next 2-4 weeks with a sprained foot.

Portland fans have certainly seen this before. Sam Bowie, who the team drafted second overall in 1984, was injury riddled throughout his career. After playing in 76 games his rookie year, Bowie only played in 63 in the next four seasons. Bowie's injury problems were further magnified by his comparison to the player the Bulls took with the third overall pick in '84: Michael Jordan.

Another Blazer who just couldn't stay on the court was Bill Walton. The big redhead, like Oden, was drafted first overall by Portland, but just couldn't stay healthy. In his first two years alone, Walton broke his nose, foot, wrist, and leg. Debilitating foot injuries slowed Walton throughout his playing days, and derailed an extremely promising career.

Of course, Walton did go on to win some NBA titles, including one in Portland. And Oden's brief time in professional basketball can't yet be compared to other frail big men, simply for the fact that at this point he's only 20. So Blazers fans, relax. Greg Oden's playing days are just getting started. Hopefully, for the sanity of the people in the pacific northwest, he'll be able to put his past behind him. But if not he's certainly on the appropriate team.