Marco Scutaro Signs With the Much Maligned Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox and SS Marco Scutaro agreed to a two year deal this morning, making Scutaro the team’s new shortstop – a position that’s been somewhat of a hole for the club in recent years. It’s unfortunate to see one of my favorite players go to my least favorite team, but I’m happy for him to get the opportunity to be an everyday player on a contending team.

In honor of Scutaro’s deal, we’re going to revisit his greatest career moment, and probably the greatest moment I ever witnessed, in person, in my career as a professional sports fan. Back in 2006, the Oakland A’s won the American League West division title, and earned a first round matchup with the Twins. The Twins had home field advantage, and many predicted the A’s would leave Minneapolis down 0-2 in the series. Scutaro had a key RBI in each of the first two games. Game 3 was out here in Oakland. After an RBI double in the 2nd inning, Scutaro came to the plate with the bases loaded and 2 out in the bottom of the 7th. With a capacity crowd chanting his name in unison, Scutaro fell behind 1-2, and then cleared the bases with a drive down the right field line, sending the Coliseum faithful into a frenzy – and me almost over the railing down into the first deck. That hit put the game out of reach, as the A’s now had an 8-2 lead, and ultimately sealed the Division Series sweep for the A’s.


Great Moments in Nets History

In honor, for lack of a better word, of the New Jersey Nets’ new record for worst start to an NBA season, I’ve compiled some clips of brighter days in the team’s history. Enjoy….

And perhaps the most famous moment in Nets history….


Doin Lines Week 13

Well, I took a week off, but I’m back! I’m actually pretty surprised that I have done my picks for all but one week. Anyways in week 11, I went 4-3 which brought me back to .500 (31-31-1) on the year. As I was scanning through the upcoming games I realized that I liked a lot of road teams to win, so this week is my road LOCKS of the week! The lovely lady pictured above is a former Redskins cheerleader turned wife to a Redskin named Chris Cooley. Yes, the guy who let his dong flop out for everyone to see on his blog (that’s his wife, Christy). As usual the home teams are in bold, or in this case listed 2nd

Denver (-4.5) Over Kansas City

I actually think KC can hang in there with the Broncos, but that all depends on which Denver team shows up. Is it going to be the physical one that pushed teams around on the line of scrimmage for seven wins or will it be the team that got pushed around in four losses? I think having the extra few days off, and annihilating the Giants, should give them at least a little more confidence going into this showdown. If KC has any shot, it will be because of Jamaal Charles is running the ball effectively. The Broncos should win this game convincingly, if they truly are a contender.

Tennessee (+6.5) Over Indianapolis

This game features two teams that have lived to win in the 4th quarter. Vince and Peyton have been the definition of clutch these past six weeks. Only one team can win this week though, and you can bet it will be close. It’s ridiculous that the spread is this high even if the Colts are at home. The Colts haven’t beat the spread in three straight weeks, and this week doesn’t seem much different to me. The Titans are possibly the hottest team in the league, and the college option play with Vince and Johnson seems to have every analyst drooling worse than Peter Griffen’s co-worker at the toy factory. They have been playing some inspired and fun to watch football, so we’ll see how it plays out! I think this Titans squad has more talent to end the Colts winning streak than the Texans did.

Philadelphia (-5.5) Over Atlanta

I’m not sold on the Eagles, and usually don’t bet on them because they are so up and down. This week however, they are playing against a very banged up Atlanta team missing their glue on offense. Having Turner and Ryan sidelined makes this all that much easier to pick Philly. It will be interesting to see how the crowd reacts to Vick, but honestly, I don’t really care if they boo or cheer. If he was actually doing something in the offense, I could see a reason to make a big deal about it, but he’s not, so get over it MEDIA! It will just be a side note to the game. Desean Jackson will be out, but thankfully for the Eagles, they have plenty of other weapons to use in his absence.

New Orleans (-9.5) Over Washington

Zorn knows the end is near, looks like he's even tearing up!

The Miller Lite Can’t Make This Line High Enough Award, goes to, every opponent that the Skins play from here on out. As we proclaimed yesterday on Doin Work, Drew Brees is the front runner for MVP this season. Hardly a shock to many, but we had to debate it anyways! I don’t really foresee any possible way for the Redskins to keep this one close. The Saints are looking to clinch the NFC South with this victory, so it should give them enough incentive to NOT overlook this game even on a short week! After making Brady look like an average QB, just think what they will do to Campbell and this ugly offense.

St. Louis (+9) Over Chicago

Yes, I finally found a game I can take the points for the lambs. Actually, I’m not overly confident on this one, but since I have to stick with the road team theme, it’s very possible for them to cover. The Rams are a terrible team that might not win again for the rest of the year, but the Bears aren’t much better lately as they’ve completely abandoned the run, and have a defense that is a former shell of the dominant unit that it used to be. The loss of Lance Briggs won’t be helping them much. They’ve been giving up tons of points. The Rams have one bright spot, and that is Steven Jackson. He’s currently ranked 2nd in the league in rushing yards, despite the team playing from behind in most cases. It’s going to be tough for Chicago to compete if they don’t start giving Forte the ball some more! I know he hasn’t done much this year, but giving him only eight carries last week is ridiculous!

San Diego (-11.5) Over Cleveland

Rivers was in our MVP talks, mainly because the Chargers could be the hottest team in the league, but alas, he was denied from the top 5. This San Diego team is one that nobody wants to face right now, especially a team as bad as the Browns! LT is finally playing well, maybe it’s because of his kid he just had. He didn’t want his newborn to think that he was the reason for his decline into running back irrelevance. He’s been scoring like he used to lately as opposing teams forget to protect against the run in this pass happy offense. Their D has been stepping it up too, causing turnovers, and getting pressure on QB’s. They look like their normal December selves. It’s only a question now of when will Norv mess this up!


Beggars Can’t Be Choosers

MARIETTA, Ohio – Police said whoever donated a water jug to a charity in southeast Ohio probably didn’t mean to be so generous. The jug contained about $1,500 worth of marijuana. Police said workers at a local Goodwill Industries site recently found four bags of marijuana when they looked inside a water jug left outside by an anonymous donor.

They turned the two-gallon metal jug and the pound or so of marijuana over to police on Friday.

Marietta police Capt. Jeff Waite said the jug is probably an antique. He said authorities would be more than happy for the jug’s donor to come forward and claim it.

Charitable organizations are no doubt having a tough go during this current economic climate. With the holidays in full swing, many Americans simply don’t have the extra income to donate. That didn’t stop one Ohio man from spreading a little (a lot, actually) Christmas cheer. Unfortunately, this Goodwill Store took it upon themselves to turn over the donation to authorities. Who are they decide what is and what isn’t a good donation? I’m willing to bet hoards of less fortunate people would happily race down to the store to accept a little mistletoe. Really, this is no different than the homeless man who turns down free food because he’d rather have money for booze. The Goodwill store clearly only wants items they can sell in their store to make profit. These scrooges could’ve made numerous families’ Christmas, but instead, were only thinking of themselves. What’s next, turning over a cash donation to police because it, like over 90% of money in circulation, has traces of cocaine on it? Bah Humbug, Goodwill. We all know Santa Claus is a huge stoner; don’t be surprised when you find Blitzen’s bong water in your Christmas Tree stand!

This poor Ohio woman won't be roasting anything but chestnuts this Christmas


NBA Early Season MVP Rankings

1. Lebron James (66 pts)

This race is nowhere near decided. In fact, it’s barely getting started. Lebron only got one first place vote from our panel, but coming in at the top based on our points system just shows that we all agreed he’s one of the frontrunners. As is the case with all superstars, the Cavs have been trying to surround Lebron with quality talent to compete for a championship. Nonetheless, it’s still a one-man show, as James is accounting for about 30% of his team’s scoring. After starting 0-2, the Cavs have rung up 13 of their last 16, placing them at the top of the Central, and Lebron at the top of our list.

2. Steve Nash (65 pts)

Nash is back to his form that he won his back to back MVP awards with! Even more impressive, is how well his team is playing! They look like contenders again with Nash leading them to a 14-4 record! He’s averaging nearly 12 assists per game, and is the best on-court offensive general of this era.

3. Kobe Bryant (64 pts)

Interesting that Kobe fell behind Nash in our voting, alas at such an early stage of the season I might not begrudge it. Nash has the underrated Suns playing at a high level, while Kobe is doing what he has done for years, on a team that is suppose to win every game they play. Having said that, it’s hard to argue with the numbers Kobe is putting up. Through December 2nd his 28 pts, 5 brds, and 4 assists are extremely impressive. And his early November stretch of three 41 point games in four games was an early warning shot to the rest of the league he intends to grab his second MVP award.

4. Carmelo Anthony (62 pts)

Melo, seems to have kicked his habit of showing up two out of every three games. Maybe he finally realized that they NEED him every game and he is the main key to their success. If he can keep from having those down games and continues to play D, he should be in the MVP conversation at the end of the season.

5. Paul Pierce (54 pts)

Pierce has been Mr. Everything for the Celtics, and has been the superstar of the team. He’s shown that he can single handedly win games for them, and he knows when to take a back seat to let the others make plays. The question for him is, will his age catch up to him later in the season?

6. Dwyane Wade (48 pts)

Miami has cooled off since their hot start, and they’ll struggle to keep up with Atlanta and Orlando in the Southeast, but it’s no secret who’s running the show. They still have a respectable 10-7 record at the moment, and it’s no wonder where they’d be without D-Wade dropping 27, 5, and 5 each night.

7. Dirk Nowitzki (46 pts)

I’ve got to say Dirk is being screwed here at the 7th spot. Boiling it straight down to numbers, Dirk is averaging 27 points, 9 boards, and 3 assists a night. Factor in his 88% FT and 47% FG and he is making a massive impact on a surging 13-5 Mavericks team. I’m pissed… forget the rest of what I was going to write.

8. Joe Johnson (45 pts)

Atlanta has been taking steps forward each season, and this year looks like they might finally be on the brink of contention. They aren’t quite mentioned with the likes of the Lakers, Celtics, and Cavs, but they’re nipping at their heels. The Hawks are one of the more balanced teams, with huge contributions from Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Jamal Crawford, but this is still Joe Johnson’s team. He could probably afford to cut down his 3 point attempts, but the sky is the limit for this team. If they’re in the thick of things come April, Joe could very well find himself getting a handful of second and third place votes.

9. Kevin Durant (39 pts)

KD made his leap into the fantasy elite last season, and now is poised to make MVP runs regularly as he continues to improve his game. He’s a better version of Dirk in my mind, and has a lot more room to grow. I don’t see him winning the award this year, but as the Sonics, I mean Thunder get better he will surely be a candidate!

10. Deron Williams (22 pts)

Trailing only Steve Nash DWill is having himself a special season out in Utah. He’s very close to averaging 20 and 10, and if you round up, that’s exactly what he is. He’s helped make Boozer turn back into a superstar, and looks to make the Jazz a force come playoff time!

11. Brandon Roy (15 pts)

Has Portland keeping pace (2 games back) with division leader Denver. Plays 37 minutes/night while carrying Greg Oden around so he doesn’t hurt himself.

12. Josh Smith (11 pts)

Finally stopped jacking up threes and is blocking more shots instead.

13. Chris Bosh (9 pts)

He’ll get more love if Toronto’s record improves – or he makes more Youtube videos.

14. Dwight Howard (9 pts)

Probably should be a little higher, but collective effort in Orlando has taken away from his shine.

15. Tyreke Evans (8 pts)

A lot more likely to win the ROY than MVP, but he’s the primary reason for the NBA’s biggest surprise team in Sacramento (9-8)

16. Trevor Ariza (5 pts)

Like the Kings, the Rockets were supposed to struggle. Instead, Ariza is dropping 18 per game and leading the Rockets to an impressive start.

17. Brandon Jennings (4 pts)

Had the world in his hands after his 55 point outing, but his scoring, and the Bucks record, has been sliding of late.

18. Carlos Boozer (3 pts)

Back to his old form, averaging 20 and 10, just in time for a contract year.

19. Vince Carter  (1 pt)

Averaging 20 ppg, but jacking up wayyyyyy too many shots. Pass it to Rashard, Vince.

20. Rajon Rondo (0.5 pts)

Easily the most debated spot on our list. Rondo gets the nod over Kidd for being a better PG on a great team.


Doin College Football Lines

I’m far from a college football expert, or could really even tell you much about many of the teams, but I am pretty pumped to see the obvious Bama and Gators match up, and one of my all time favorite rivalries the Civil War Oregon vs. Oregon State! MCeezy wrote about how rivalry week is somewhat deceiving, but these two games are about as heated as rivalries can get! Hopefully they will play out that way! Same with my NFL picks the home teams are in bold.

Oregon State (+9.5) Over Oregon

I don’t think the Beavers will win this game, but Moevao has said that they are looking for revenge from last years upset. I didn’t feel it was a big upset last year, but what do I know! I feel they will pull out all the tricks they have in the playbook to keep this one close, and hopefully it ends up like 2007’s double OT battle. I understand that the Ducks are the more talented team, but in a rivalry anything can happen. Also besides the Beavers having to contain Lamichael James and Jeremiah Masoli they should see a small dose of Legarrette Blount in his first game back from the suspension. He should give them that big back to pound the football on the ground, which they haven’t had most of this season. MCeezy predicted he’d be back for their most important game, and it looks like he was right! I can’t figure out why this line is so high since the Beavers ARE at home, and ARE a good team!

Me hoping I can curse the Gators by chomping on one!

Me trying to curse the Gators by chomping on one!

Alabama (+6) Over Florida

I guess I’m writing about this game because I was in Florida last week, and it seems like it was all I really heard about for most of the week! After hearing the hype over there I’ve decided to pick my second straight underdog! I think that in college football the home field makes much more of a difference than it does in the pros. I’m not confident that Bama can actually pull this one out, but since they are the #2 team in the country they deserve to be at least within a FG on the spread at home! Florida and their 22 straight wins will probably win this game, but I like many others love to see an upset. I don’t dislike Tebow especially since he has proven that he is an amazing leader, but i don’t have quite the same type of love as Sportsguyby has for him! Losing Dunlap to the DUI, should make it a little easier for Bama to move the ball, and should give them a little more time to throw. I see this one ending closer than last years SEC title game!


NFL MVP… Brees or Manning? (…or Favre, or Johnson, or Peterson?)

1. Drew Brees, QB – New Orleans Saints

It’s impossible to pick anyone else for MVP at the moment. He leads this Saints team with his rallying warcrys before the game that even gives fires me up! He is also the main reason the Saints have the #1 offense in the league, and it looks like that should continue. If they end up undefeated and the Colts do too, we could easily have another Co-MVP year…

2. Peyton Manning, QB – Indianapolis Colts

He’s a tough luck number two in this race. I’d say it’s mainly due to the fact that he’s had a few rough games lately, and has been a little more mistake prone than we’re used to for his standards! He’d probably drop down the list if they actually lost any of those games, but they’re still undefeated! There’s nobody you’d rather have in the 4th quarter right now than Manning. He’s led 5 straight 4th quarter comebacks, and that alone puts him close to or at the top of most peoples MVP lists!

3. Brett Favre, QB – Minnesota Vikings

You won’t find any of us at Doin Work clamoring over Favre like the guys on TV, but you can’t deny what he’s done this year. He’s got the second best QB rating behind Brees, the second most TD passes, also behind Brees, and the second highest completion rate, behind Manning. Add to that, he’s only thrown 3 interceptions all year. That’s a good game for Jay Cutler!

4. Chris Johnson, RB – Tennessee Titans

With each week that Tennessee further turns around there 0-6 start to the season, Johnson’s place in this discussion elevates.  He leads the NFL in rushing by over 270 yards, and his six consecutive 125+ yard performances puts him in Earl Campbell / Eric Dickerson territory. If Tennessee makes the playoffs, he makes it a four man race. If they lose their next two games, he drops out of the discussion completely.

5. Adrian Peterson, RB – Minnesota Vikings

It’s amazing that Favre’s play has made us overlook what a great season All Day is having. Maybe it’s just becuase the media has made it Favre’s team, but I’m betting if Peterson wasn’t around, Favre wouldn’t be #3 on our list today. Since he has to be accounted for, it’s no wonder Favre is having the type of season he is having! AP already is over the 1,000 yard mark, has 12 TD’s, and at 4.7 yards per carry. If he was on a worse team, he’d have better numbers than that! Really scary!

Honorable Mention: Philip Rivers, QB, San Diego and Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jacksonville


The Tiger Saga…

Well, it’s impossible to miss the news that Tiger crashed his car in a distraught state, and it’s been widely debated on what the dispute was over. There’s about a 99% chance it was a argument with wifey Elin that prompted Woods to speed off into a tree. Either way it’s been on every media outlet from CNN to TMZ, so we know the story! I guess I don’t care THAT much what happened or happens, but along with everyone else just mildly curios from a distance. It’s always exciting to see something great come crashing down, maybe it’s just the American way. We like to destroy things that were or are the best. Showing the public any type of mortality just gives us more of a reason to pick on him. Anyways, I wouldn’t have written about him, unless dyslexic e-mailed this picture over that reminded me, even Tiger gets OWNED every now and then!


NFL Power Rankings Week 13

Since I was unable to make my gambling picks for the weekend being away for Turkey Day, I’ll have to settle with putting out my Power Rankings through Week 12. Without having the advantage of seeing how the big MNF matchup plays out I’ll just assume that the Saints win. Since everybody might be in the mood to slim down, after all that turkey I’m only doing the top 16 teams. No need to write about all the other teams that would just rather have an autograph from the guys lining up across from them.

#1 Indianapolis Colts (11-0)

It’s tough to not pick the Saints, but I think the resilience of this Colts team puts them over the top. They’ve now won five straight trailing going into the 4th quarter. If you aren’t convinced by that, they have won an amazing  19 in a row, and is the most behind the Patriots 21 straight.

#2 New Orleans Saints (10-0)

Drew Brees blah blah blah, he’s amazing blah blah blah. We’ve all heard it. The impressive part of this team is that they are the 5th ranked rushing team, and it’s not all because teams are playing the pass, it’s because they are actually very good at running the football. People always say how the Vikings are so balanced, this team is just as balanced as them!

#3 Minnesota Vikings (10-1)

Unfortunately I was completely wrong about Favre signing with the Vikings. I guess the season isn’t over yet, so there’s still hope he could suck it up still, but I’m not holding my breathe. The Silver Fox, as Jared Allen calls Favre, looks to keep it rolling all the way to a first round bye.

#4 New England Patriots (7-3)

Yes, Brady is as flaming as ever, but damn it I respect him… He’s got a better rhythm with his receivers than Bostonian sports fans have with being completely annoying. Their young defense has been a lot better recently, and they will need them to keep up the good play when it matters. Should be a good one Monday Night, and they will be tested every play with the Saints!

#5 San Diego Chargers (8-3)

Who would’ve thought the Chargers would be this good? Not me, and not most of their fans until recently. I thought they were the best in the AFC West, but not the kind of team that could win six straight. Somehow Norv has this team rolling, and they still don’t run that often, but it doesn’t seem to matter with Rivers throwing the ball 40 times a game. They might be the hottest team in the league.

#6 Cincinnati Bengals (8-3)

They didn’t dominate Cleveland like I thought they would, but at least they won which is better than they could say for playing against Oakland. The Cardiac Cats have proven they can come from behind, they can win ugly, and they play surprisingly good defense. They look to be a lock for the division title with the Steelers loss.

#7 Dallas Cowboys (8-3)

I don’t know why, but I just don’t think they as good worthy of their record. Of course there’s always a little extra drama with them, and Romo feels about as reliable as betting on or against the Raiders each week. I hope Dallas stumbles along the way, it always makes it more fun when they go into panic mode!

#8 Arizona Cardinals(7-4)

I can’t say I’ve been a big supporter or had any confidence in them against the spread this year, but they DO pull out wins, and look as explosive as ever with another new gadget in Beanie Wells. Even though they lost to the Titans they are still the division leaders, and should wrap up the west sooner than later. As long as they get old man Warner back in there, and Leinart doesn’t have to face Vince Young anymore, they will be fine.

#9 Philadelphia Eagles (7-4)

Mcnabb has won two close ones in a row! Maybe we can put to rest those talks of him being the worst closer in Philly and slide him to the #2 slot behind Lidge. They’ve had tons of injuries, but I think they’ll be able to pull through when everybody gets healthy. Let’s just hope for their sake that DeSean isn’t out for long after his concussion he suffered today.

#10 Green Bay Packers (7-4)

Rodgers IS having an amazing season. If it weren’t for him, their defense would probably outscore their offense! If they didn’t have to play Minnesota twice, they could probably be 9-2. Even missing key guys in their D they destroyed Detroit on Thanksgiving. They finally look like what everyone expected when the season opened, a playoff team.

#11 Denver Broncos (7-4)

They had a nice bounce back game against the Giants, but once again they will have to prove themselves after those four straight bad weeks. If they can somehow beat Indy in week 14, I’ll buy them as “for real” again. At the moment I don’t see them winning a wild card spot.

#12 Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5)

They’ve been up and down as all title defenders usually are. I think Polamalu was a bigger loss than Big Ben. I’ve always been a big Dixon fan, so I was glad to see him get a chance to showcase his abilities in the NFL. Baltimore barely beat them tonight, and with a third string QB starting and Troy out this should have been much more lopsided, so even though the Ravens won the Steelers are still the better team.

#13 Baltimore Ravens (6-5)

I don’t really think the Ravens D is all that great anymore. Thankfully they have Ray Rice to help Flacco put up some points, which haven’t been as plentiful as they once were. It was a big win for them tonight, but I don’t see that translating into a wild card berth…

#14 Atlanta Falcons (6-5)

With Matt Ryan hurt, I’m not sure this team is really going to go anywhere. Even if they get back Turner, I still don’t see them turning it around. It’s been a disappointing season for them, and I don’t expect to see them in the playoffs.

#15 Tennessee Titans (5-6)

I actually think the Titans are better than the two above teams, but since they are under .500 it’s hard for me to justify putting them at 13. Vince has made me a believer, and also may have cemented himself with Mario Williams as the best players from that 2006 draft.

#16 Miami Dolphins (5-6)

They haven’t missed a beat since losing Ronnie Brown, and I for one thought they would. The Wildcat has been as effective as ever with Rickey looking like the dominant back we remember from his prime! I like this team, because they show up every week whether they have a good chance to win or not.


More Than a Hobby

I wouldn’t  consider myself a good juggler by any means, but I do mess around with it as a hobby. I went looking for a few new moves, and ran across this guy. I can’t say I will ever come close to these skills, but maybe one day!


Rivalry Week!

Today is the day the U ofs meet the States. That’s right, all the rivalry games go down this week. USC – UCLA, Florida – Florida State, BYU – Utah, Clemson – South Carolina, Oklahoma – Oklahoma State, TCU – New Mexico… wait, what?  How did that game get in there? Now, it’s not mandatory that all rivalry games take place this weekend, but how did some of these games sneak into the schedule? Sure, Mississippi – Mississippi State makes sense, but where did LSU – Arkansas come from? Are they really rivals? How about last night’s matchup of Cincinnati and Illinois? Some of these games don’t make sense. Nonetheless, there are plenty of rivalry games on the docket today. Along with the aformentioned games, we’ll also be treated to Georgia Tech – Georgia, Virginia – Virginia Tech, and Arizona – Arizona State. At the same time, nonsensical games like Navy – Hawaii, Syracuse – Connecticut, and Southern Miss – East Carolina will take place. Is it rivalry week or not? Regardless of the meaningless, pointless matchups, there will still be plenty worthwhile games on the schedule today. Here are the upsets I’m predicting today….

Oklahoma over Oklahoma State

South Carolina over Clemson

Arizona State over Arizona

Utah over BYU

And…. I’m REALLY looking forward to seeing Stanford roll over Notre Dame in Charlie Weis’ farewell game.

Happy Saturday!!!


Thanksgiving Games of the Day

Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions, 9:30am PST

Sentiment for dropping the Lions from the annual Thursday docket has reached an all-time high this year, but personally, I think the Lions are a Thanksgiving Day tradition. They are the tryptophan to my NFL turkey. It’s just too bad they always play the FIRST game. At any rate, today’s game should be somewhat interesting, as Matthew Stafford will take to a national stage against a division rival. Today we’ll see if the Lions are headed in the right direction, or simply mired in another aimless so-called rebuilding phase. If only they had Mel Gray!

Oakland Raiders @ Dallas Cowboys, 1:15pm PST

Many are predicting this game to be an equally bad trouncing as the first game. However, the Raiders placed a little bit of hope in NFL fans’ minds with last weekend’s upset over the Bengals. Oakland is out to prove they are a new team with Bruce Gradkowski at the helm. Meanwhile, Dallas is out to prove, yet again, that they are a legitimate contender this season. Either way, today we’ll find out exactly who these two teams are.

New York Giants @ Denver Broncos, 5:20pm PST

About a month ago, it looked like we’d have a rare big game on Thanksgiving Day. Thanks to the Broncos, losers of four straight, this is no longer true. Instead, the Giants and Broncos will play with a large part of their season on the line. The winner will remain in the playoff hunt, while the loser, presumably Denver, will suffer a devastating loss that would likely kill any hopes for momentum down the stretch run of the season.

Orlando Magic @ Atlanta Hawks, 5pm PST

Atlanta owns the best record in the East, thanks to the spectacular play of Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Jamal Crawford. Orlando has had an equally impressive start while adjusting to the reinsertion of Rashard Lewis into the lineup. Three of the five best teams in the East reside in this Southeast Division, so tonight’s game will be a key step forward for the winner of this game in controlling the division – for the time being.

Chicago Bulls @ Utah Jazz, 7:30pm PST

Chicago and Utah are two teams sort of teetering on the balance between good teams and contenders. They both feature superstar point guards in Derrick Rose and Deron Williams, along with rising stars down low in Joakim Noah and Paul Millsap. With the Bulls sitting at 6-7 and the Jazz an even .500 at 7-7, both teams will be fighting hard to pull this win out and stay above the .500 mark.

Portland University @ UCLA, 7:30pm PST

There’s plenty of college hoops action today, but given our West Coast bias, this is the game of the day. Portland has become an unlikely threat to challenge Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference. On the other side, UCLA is unranked, due in part to a season opening loss to Cal State Fullerton. They rebounded with wins over Cal State Bakersfield and Pepperdine. Tonight will be UCLA’s final tuneup before a showdown with #1 Kansas two Sundays from now.


Mel Gray – The Greatest Video Game Football Player of ALL TIME

Say what you want about Bo Jackson in Tecmo Bowl.  Mel Gray was an unstoppable force on Sega Sports’ NFL 95. Much like Jackson, he had a combination of speed and elusiveness that made him impossible to catch in the open field. While Bo gets plenty of recognition for his in-the-console achievements, Gray is largely an unsung hero. I remember entire games where my offense never touched the ball, because Mel Gray returned every kickoff and punt for a touchdown. By my count, I’ve probably searched for Mel Gray videos once a year every year since the inception of Youtube, to no avail.  So, thanks, CruduxCruo, for posting this tribute to the greatest 16-bit player to ever play the game.


Christmas Shopping With Travis Henry

How fitting is this? A Travis Henry jersey in the toy aisle! Some people put on a Santa hat to go Christmas shopping, others put on their Henry jersey to get into the giving spirit.

Photo originally posted at http://straightcashhomey.net/

 


Two Man Race for NBA Rookie of the Year

Perhaps many would disagree with the headline. After his 55 point performance against the Warriors, Brandon Jennings had some signing, sealing, and delivering their ballots for Rookie of the Year. Combine his ridiculous 25.3 ppg and 5.5 apg – which apparently is Michael Jordan / Oscar Robertson territory for rookies – with Milwaukee’s 8-3 record, and Jennings does, in fact, look like the easy favorite. However, we can’t reasonably expect Jennings to keep up the pace he’s started off on. At the time of writing, he’s just 6-21 for 12 points against the Spurs, in what, barring a miracle, will be Milwaukee’s fourth loss.

Lost in all this, though, is the other candidate. While Jennings grabs all the headlines, Tyreke Evans is putting his own team on his back. His averages of 18 pts and 5 ast obviously are inferior to Jennings, but keep in mind Evans scored single digits in two of his first four games, which given the smaller amount of games played in the early going, are sure to go up. That was with Kevin Martin in the lineup though. Once Martin opted for surgery that would keep him out of action for two months, Evans realized the Kings’ were HIS team. He’s responded with SEVEN consecutive 20+ point games, including a high of 32 against the Jazz en route to a big road victory in Salt Lake. While Jennings has hit the ground running, Evans took a few games to find his footing, but has clearly established himself as the second candidate for the award. I’m not saying he’ll win it, but he’ll be right in the mix when all’s said and done.