The Links

Miranda Kerr to start the day..... I think Stephen Strasburg is ready to play in the Majors..... So Tiger does have something wrong with his neck..... Miguel Olivo had a good game yesterday..... What's up with Grady Sizemore?..... Remember Erik Bedard? He was suppose to be Seattle's ace...... There will be a new Stanley Cup champion..... They actually go to class at Miami?..... Houston Rocket fans like their chances at the draft lottery..... The spectacle that could have been Kimbo Slice

Hey Darnell Dockett! Kurt Warner isn't walking through that door (Revenge of the Birds)

Michael Jordan once played as poorly in the playoffs as LeBron (Miami Herald)

Ken Griffey Jr's legacy won't be tainted by falling asleep in the clubhouse. It was definitely tainted by his stink in Cincinnati (SI)

America's most miserable sports cities (Forbes)

College teams most likely to join another conference (SI)

Canadiens deny the Penguins (Sporting Blog)

Possibly your average St. Louis Cardinal fan (Walkoff Walk)

Good thing I filled out my census form before this guy came to my house (Fox59)

When you cannot play baseball, play wiffleball (Babes Love Baseball)



Man gets hit by car, doesn't drop baby in his arms (Deadspin)

The Links: 5 Baseball Feats More Rare Than a Perfect Game

Marisa Miller to start the day..... Montreal-Pittsburgh are heading to a Game 7...... LPGA golfer Erica Blasberg was found dead at 25..... Winner of Rampage Jackson vs. Rashad Evans will next face Shogun Rua...... The Phoenix Coyotes may be heading back to Winnipeg after all..... NCAA infractions committee may finally rule on the USC case this week...... Ken Griffey Jr. is really old..... AP will re-vote on NFL defensive rookie of the year..... Tornado season begins in the United State..... Barbara Walters to undergo heart surgery....... Katy Perry tops Maxim Hot 100

5 baseball feats more rare than a Perfect Game (Sports Pickle)

Which college provides the NFL with the most talent? (ESPN)

Embattled Arizona doesn't deserve hatred and boycotts (CBS Sports)

What's Tiger Woods' next excuse? (SI)

The Sharks keep waiting for an opponent for the West finals (Fear The Fin)

Kobe and the Lakers rock past the Jazz (Sporting Blog)

20 most bloggable NBA photos (Ball Don't Lie)

From Iraq to Florida State basketball (Fanhouse)

30 years ago today, Dr. J did this incredible move in the NBA finals (700 Level)

The Links

Taylor Swift to finish off the week ..... If Obama fails, it won't be the GOP's fault..... J.D. Salinger: An enigma to the very end..... Senior citizens might want to put on some extra pounds...... A man kissed a chicken on a NY subway...... That idiot mayor of New Orleans needs a Super Bowl ticket...... Odds-makers weigh in on the Grammy's...... Captain Jack is back in Golden State...... Is that cocaine or powder from a donuts?...... NFL's popularity in Mexico continues to soar

The "What If" discussion between Manning and Marino (The Phinsider)

Paul Shirley doesn't do a great job explaining his Haiti comments (SB Nation)

Welcome back to the Mets, Fernando Tatis (NY Post)

Top 99 NFL free agents (The Sporting News)

Strangest Olympic sports of all-time (Forbes)

The Golf Channel is obsessed with John Daly (Devil Ball)

The biggest NBA all-star snubs (Yahoo Sports)

Matt Leinhart's last stand approaching in Arizona (AZ Central)

A look at the Super Bowl prop bets (LV Review-Journal)

Eeck! Zach Randolph? Respect? (Memphis Commercial Appeal)

There was a Jamarcus Russell sighting at the Phoenix Suns game last night (You Been Blinded)

Here's the video of the man kissing a chicken on the subway.



Korean girls love Iowa football (With Leather)

Bowl Game Blowout! Open Thread

(I'm lazy today, so I'm putting this thread together.)


Game: Roady's Humanitarian Bowl
Teams: Bowling Green vs. Idaho
Network and Announcers: ESPN - Eric Collins and Brock Huard, SR: Heather Cox
Favorite: Bowling Green -1

Game: Pacific Life Holiday Bowl
Teams: Nebraska vs. Arizona
Network and Announcers: ESPN- Chris Fowler, Craig James, and Jesse Palmer, SR: Erin Andrews
Favorite: Nebraska -1

The Links

It's Monday so it's time for another picture of Marisa Miller.... The Redskins stink and their mascot is offensive..... GameDay will be at Boston College for some reason this weekend...... Where does Tennessee go from here?..... Sad story in Southern California..... "The Gap" founder had died.... Now why the hell should we pay for an illegal immigrants health care?

The Trail Blazers only go as far as Greg Oden takes them (The Oregonian)

Florio is going to pound the Larry Fitzgerald's brother twitter story into the ground (PFT)

That thing you smell, it's the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Fanhouse)

Ozzie Guillen hates football (The Sporting Blog)

Al Shapton will be guest hosting Monday Night Raw tonight (Camel Clutch Blog)

Did you know hockey comes back this week? (Puck Daddy)

Rams have replaced the Lions as the worst team (STLToday.com)

Singletary won't let the 49ers hang their heads (SF Chronicle)

The Chiefs were just trying to survive yesterday in Philly (Jason Whitlock)

Stay classy Jim Mora (Seattle PI)

Suck it Arizona (Arizona Republic)

Check out this wreck Joey Logano was in this weekend. He's okay

BREAKING NEWS: Miller Accepts the Arizona Job

One day after turning down the Arizona job, Xavier coach Sean Miller has accepted the position according to yahoosports.com.

Miller, 40, has spent the last five seasons as the Xavier head coach. He initially turned down the Arizona job, but was asked to sleep on the decision.

And by this mourning, he informed the Xavier Athletic Director that he would take the Arizona job.

I think this was a great pull by Arizona. Xavier has a history of producing head coaches and Sean Miller could be the next one.

Cutler to Chicago and Floyd to Stay At USC

Well two big events happened in the past hour. Jay Cutler was traded from the Broncos to the Bears. And Tim Floyd said no to Arizona and went back to USC.

- First Cutler was surprised his name was even mentioned in a trade. But the Broncos were finished with Jay Cutler and sent him to the Chicago Bears. In the deal the Bears get Cutler and a fifth-round-pick. The Broncos received Kyle Orton and his neck beard, this year's 1St.-round-pick and the next years 1St-round-pick from the Bears.

I actually like this trade from the standpoint of the Denver Broncos. They get rid of an malcontent who didn't want to be there and receive huge draft picks and Orton. Also I could see Orton being huge in Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels system. Orton doesn't have the strongest arm ,but he is a smart quarterback. Good move all-around by both teams.

- Also in the news was USC coach Tim Floyd would remain there and not except the Arizona job. He reportedly talked with Arizona yesterday, and said he would sleep on their offer. Well this afternoon, he decided to remain at USC.

This move by Floyd could be strictly a leverage move. Trying to force USC into giving him more money. Which it likely is.

But Arizona could do much better than Tim Floyd. Arizona is still a marquee name in college basketball. And Tim Floyd has never taken a team pass the Sweet 16. I still expect Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel to be on the top of their list.

But until then, they have to continue to search.

Day 2: Sweet 16 Live Blog

Well we have already seen a coach fired today. Last night saw Duke get destroyed, and Pitt's tubby point guard Levance Fields become a hero. But we move on to the next 4 Sweet 16 games, to see who advances to the Elite 8. It should be a fun set of games. As always feel free to leave your comments.

Here is tonight's schedule and announcers, courtesy of Awful Announcing:
Louisville vs. Arizona (Indianapolis, 7pm)- Gus Johnson, Len Elmore
Oklahoma vs. Syracuse (Memphis, 7:30pm)- Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg
Kansas vs. Michigan State (Indianapolis, 9:30pm)- Gus Johnson, Len Elmore
North Carolina vs. Gonzaga (Memphis, 10pm)- Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg

My local affiliate is showing the Arizona, Louisivlle game and the UNC, Gonzaga game. But I am sure I will be flexed sometime during the night. Enjoy the games:

Breakdown of Today's Sweet 16 Games

Last night was an eventful one. Villanova made the whole country proud by giving Duke an ass-kicking. UConn ran away from Purdue. Levance Fields looks like he should be playing at the local YMCA, but he was clutch last night for Pitt. And Missouri's "40 minutes of hell" ran Memphis out of the gym. Today's games should also be as great.

Louisville vs. Arizona
Where/Time: Indianapolis, IN/7PM EST
Announcers: GUJO and Elmore
Cinderella?: I still refuse to call Arizona an Cinderella team. Yes, they are a 12 seed, but they play in a big-time conference in the Pac-10. They underachieved all season long, and they were given a favorable seed in the Midwest.
The Zone is Key: Louisville has to run their zone presser defense perfectly. They rotate four guards in-and-out of the game to keep their players fresh. They will have to keep the presser on Arizona to get the win.
My pick: If Louisville can keep the presser on Arizona guard Nic Wise all game long, they will beat Arizona. The Wildcats offense revolves around Wise and his ability to make plays. If the Cardinals stop Wise they will win.

Oklahoma vs. Syracuse
Where/Time: Memphis, TN/ 7:30PM EST
Announcers: Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg
Can the 2-3 zone stop Griffin?: Syracuse and Jim Boeheim have perfected the 2-3 zone. And it will be key to stop Oklahoma's Blake Griffin. They will have to double-team Griffin and force the other Oklahoma players to make plays.
Warren could be the key: Oklahoma's Willie Warren has to have a major role for the Sooners tonight. He is their best outside threat with the way he can penetrate to the hoop and his outside shot. He will have to keep the presser off of Griffin.
My pick: I like Syracuse in this game. Oklahoma doesn't have a real threat at point. While Syracuse has one of the best point guards in Johnnie Flynn. Syracuse's offense revolves around him and he is the best right now at penetrating to the hoop and kicking the ball out to their great shooters in Andy Ruatins and Eric Devendorf.

Kansas vs. Michigan St.
Where/Time: Indianapolis, IN/9:30PM EST
Announcers: GUJO and Elmore
Sutton vs. Aldrich: We have a classic match up between big men in this game. Kansas' Cole Aldrich versus Michigan St.'s Goran Sutton. Whoever wins the match up between these two, their team will win.
Collins is key: Sherron Collins has to play under control for Kansas. There are times when he plays out of control and Kansas will lose. Their offense revolves around him playing in control and distributing the ball.
My pick: I like Michigan St. in this game. They have more depth that can slow down both Collins and Aldrich. Kalin Lucas and Travis Walton are big time players that will be too much for the Jayhawks to guard.

Gonzaga vs. North Carolina
Where/Time: Memphis, TN/ 10PM EST
Announcers: Nantz and Kellogg
Lawson's big toe?: The health of Ty Lawson is still a huge concern for North Carolina. He was huge for them against LSU, but they will need a healthy Lawson to beat Gonzaga. He will have to defend Jeremy Pargo, who likes to drive down the lane for the basket.
Heytvelt vs. UNC: Whoever is guarding Josh Heytvelt will have a huge challenge. Heytvelt is athletic and strong in the middle for Gonzaga.
My pick: This was the hardest game to choose. Gonzaga has great scorers and UNC has depth. I have to go with UNC because they can bring Ed Davis, Tyler Zeller, and Larry Drew off the bench. UNC's depth will be a huge factor in this game.

All these games have the potential to be great. I expect all these games, except the Arizona, Louisville game, to be close.

It should be a fun night, and once again we will be live blogging the games.

Warner Used The 49ers

It is being reported that Kurt Warner has signed a two-year deal with the Cardinals worth $23 million and $16 million guaranteed.

Under the terms of the deal, Warner will receive a $15 million signing bonus and $4 million base in each of the two seasons.

"Kurt and I are appreciative of the way the [team GM] Rod Graves and the Cardinals resolved the negotiations," said Warner's agent, Mark Bartelstein.

The negotiations ran all Tuesday evening and early Wednesday morning. One of the big breakthroughs came Tuesday when Warner, who had been asking for $14 million to $16 million a year, reduced his asking price to $11.5 million a year, as long as there were substantial guarantees in 2010.

He was also willing to take $1 million less a season if the team successfully satisfied the contract extension demands of wide receiver Anquan Boldin.

Kurt Warner though visited with the Niners on Monday.

On Monday, Warner flew by private plane to San Francisco to visit the San Francisco 49ers, who outlined the parameters of a contract that would be for more money and more guarantees than the Cardinals were willing to offer. Though the 49ers offer was not firm, Warner knew he could come close to his idea of being paid like a top-five quarterback, which, in his view, is the $14 million to $16 million range.

So in effect, Warner used and abused the 49ers to get what he wanted in Arizona. While I never wanted Warner to begin with, it's not cool to use another team to get what you want.

Look I know athletes use teams to get leverage from other teams. But I don't expect it to come from a bible-thumping, do-gooder, like Warner. I thought he was what is suppose to be good in the league. In the end, though he is just as greedy as every athlete out there.

Warner is going to regret, turning his back on the San Fransisco 49ers.

The Mourning After: The Super Bowl After Thoughts

We we got to witness one of the best Super Bowl's ever. Pittsburgh laid claim to the greatest team in the NFL with a 27-23 thrilling victory. The game itself though was not very exciting until the fourth quarter.

Pittsburgh took a 20-7 lead into the fourth quarter and it seemed like the Arizona Cardinals were done. But Kurt Warner only needed about 4 minutes to drive the Cardinals down the field and hit Larry Fitzgerald for a touchdown to cut the lead in half.

Then the Cardinals defense finally showed up. They forced a safety by the Steelers and received the ball back with good field position. Then Warner hit Fitzgerald for a 64 yard touchdown pass, and the Cardinals made the greatest comeback ever in Super Bowl history. Only one problem, they gave the Steelers too much time.

Ben Roethlisberger drove the team right down the field and hit Santonio Holmes for a perfect touchdown grab. Giving the Cardinals only :35 seconds left. Then Warner dropped back for a pass and fumbled the ball giving the Steelers their sixth Super Bowl win.

The Steelers all season has beat the odds. First they play the toughest schedule in the league and they hung around all season. The schedule probably did more for them than anything. They faced the toughest challenge and it prepared them for the Super Bowl. Here are some other thoughts:

Image Conscience: For a league that is image conscience, they had no problem giving the Super Bowl MVP to a self-proclaimed former drug dealer. Yes Santonio Holmes, won the MVP award. I don't understand this league. They worry about Pacman, Tank, and Chris Henry, but they have no problem handing the Super Bowl MVP award to Tony Montana.

I don't think Mike Tomlin likes the Gatorade bath: I don't think any coach likes the Gatorade bath. They are pointless and stupid and who likes to get a wet-sticky substance poured on them.

That being said, I don't think Mike Tomlin enjoyed it at all. He looked more upset with that, than the Fitzgerald touchdown pass that gave the Cardinals the lead. Once again its pointless, and they need to put an axe through that tradition.

How about them Refs: Once again, the referees are in question during a Steelers Super Bowl win. We all remember the controversy after Super Bowl XL. Well there are a lot of questions again. The Cardinals were penalized 11 times. Three of those calls against Mike Gandy were justified. But there were a lot of head-scratching calls.

Also why didn't the refs review the Warner fumble that ended the game. The calls in the game will once again be questioned for a long time.

Where does Roethlisberger rank? Ben Roethlisberger has now won two Super Bowls in his first five years. While he is not flashy like(Brady or Brees) or has the name like (the Manning brothers) the guy is a winner.

Right now I would rank Roethlisberger ahead of Payton Manning and one spot below Brady. Stats in the NFL mean nothing. If that was true Dan Marino would be the greatest quarterback of all-time. But Big Ben has two rings and the swagger to be in Brady's group.

Quick Thoughts:

- Did anyone see Larry Fitzgerald Sr.? And did you know he is a sportswriter in Minnesota?

- Did you know Kurt Warner used to bag groceries? Neither did I.

- I am still not the biggest Bruce Springsteen fan, but his performance was the best in a while.

- The NBC pre-game show was just terrible. Too many people, and to convoluted.

- I am glad I didn't see that idiot holding the John 3:16 sign during the game.

- Shouldn't Troy Polamalu get lasik surgery by now. He had to leave the game, to get his contact lens fixed.

- James Harrison showed why he was deserving of the NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

- Ken Whisenhunt and the Cardinals have nothing to be ashamed of. They played their butts off to make it a game and came up short. I became a fan of Whisenhunt after this game.

Next Year's Super Bowl Pick: San Francisco vs. Buffalo, sorry but I have been picking the same teams since 1990 and it will happen one day.

Arizona Not In the NCAA Tournament?

So can you guess what college basketball team that has the longest NCAA tournament streak. No its not North Carolina, or Duke, or UCLA, no it's Arizona. And their streak of 24 straight tournament appearances could come to an end after this year.

Arizona's season actually ended last season. Last year, legendary coach Lute Olson took the season off to deal with some personal issues. Kevin O'Neil took over the program and led them to the NCAA tournament. O'Neil was promised the job after Olson decided to call it quits for good. Olson came back and promptly told O'Neil to take a hike. Then before this season started Olson unexpectedly retried and Arizona had to name Russ Pennell the interim coach. Since then Arizona lost all their future recruits and they look like they won't make the tournament this season.

Anthony Gimino of the Tuscon Citizen, breaks down how Arizona will miss the post season.

Gimino writes: "Arizona made the NCAAs last season with an 8-10 Pac-10 record, saved by a strength of schedule that was nearly the toughest in the country. UA's middling schedule strength won't come to the rescue this season. UA, at minimum, has to be 10-8 in the conference."

He adds: "Do the math: From here, the Wildcats have to dispatch Houston on Saturday in their final non conference game and then go 8-3 in the conference the rest of the way."

Gimino goes on to say that Arizona's toughest road schedule is out of the way, but they would need a miracle to get in the tournament.

Arizona has a lot of rebuilding to do. They need a coach to replace Olson and start bringing in the type of talent Olson would bring in. I don't expect Arizona in the tournament for a while but they can recover.

"But 19 games into the season, UA can't keep merely talking about reaching for the sky, about getting better. If it hasn't happened yet, it's probably too late."

The Mourning After: On To The Super Bowl

Well we get a Super Bowl this year. But is it the match up we want. Yes Arizona versus Pittsburgh is not the greatest match up in the world, but we are stuck with it.

There is always a storyline: There is always a storyline for a Super Bowl. Three years ago it was Jerome Bettis returning to Detroit. Two years ago it was two African-American coaches going after the Super Bowl for the first time. Last year it was the perfect Patriots going for all-time greatness.

This year it will be Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt facing off against his former team the Pittsburgh Steelers. This storyline will get ran into the ground like every other one. Whisenhunt was the Steelers offensive coordinator when they won their last Super Bowl. When former Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher left the Steelers it was a forgone conclusion that either Whisenhunt and offensive line coach Russ Grimm would get the job.

Instead the Steelers choose an unknown Mike Tomlin. Whisenhunt and Grimm both left for Arizona. Now they will face off against each other and we will have to hear about this for two weeks.

What happens to Reid-McNabb: Andy Reid and Donavon McNabb's legacy in Philadelphia was already in question, now it's getting hit again.

Reid-McNabb have gone to five NFC championship games, lost four of them, reached one Super Bowl that they also lost. Reid-McNabb have both been in Philadelphia for ten years and have had a lot of success, but they have no championships. So what happens to them?

I think they both have to go. McNabb is older and has broken down knees. Reid will always be the conservative coach who abandons the running game to soon. They are really made for each other, so you can't keep one and not the other. So Philadelphia needs to start looking elsewhere.

Crying when your team is driving: This is exactly what happened to Arizona wide receiver Anquan Boldin. When Arizona was driving down the field during the fourth quarter, Boldin was in the ear of Arizona offensive coordinator Todd Haley. Haley told Boldin to simmer down and Boldin yelled back. They had to separate the two and FOX let the entire nation watch.

Boldin has always been jealous of his counterpart Larry Fitzgerald and the jealousy poured out yesterday. Like McNabb-Reid, Boldin has to go after the season.

Defense Always Prevails: Like I said before this is not a match up we all want. But it does have the perfect ingredient. Arizona's Offense vs. Pittsburgh Defense.

Pittsburgh defense is the number one ranked and is playing at a higher level in the playoffs. Always take the defense over the offense. There is a reason why Pittsburgh is already a seven point favorite.

Other Thoughts:

- Tampa Bay had to let go Jon Gruden. The supposedly quarterback guru showed his true colors in Tampa Bay. He never once developed a quarterback while at either Oakland or Tampa Bay. He used old guys who had already developed. Tampa Bay's defense won the Super Bowl for him, much like the Baltimore defense won their Super Bowl. I have no doubt that Gruden will land another job, but he will hate his quarterback there to.

- Has anyone star faded more than Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. Last year he was the toast of the NFL and could have had any job he wanted. This year after being out front with the drama in Dallas didn't get the job he wanted. After losing out for the St. Louis job, Garrett will have to spend another year in Dallas. And if he is lucky will get a head coaching job next year, and if not he will be lucky to be a quarterback's coach.

- Julius Peppers-Carolina divorce will not be pretty. Peppers wants out of Carolina, Carolina wants to franchise Peppers. Carolina will hold on to Peppers and try and get a first round pick for him. So Peppers will likely have to wait until the draft to get out of Carolina.

-Joe Flacco has only room to improve and will likely get better.

- At least the Eagles stole DeSean Jackson in the draft.

- Rex Ryan is a good choice for the Jets.

My Super Bowl Pick Right Now: Pittsburgh 21 Arizona 14

The Links: Championship Links

- There were finally tears of joy in Arizona (Arizona Republic)

- How will Reid-McNabb be remembered in Philly. Same old story for Eagles (Philly Inquirer)

- Flacco played like a rookie yesterday. Key plays and factors in the AFC Championship (Baltimore Sun)

- Pittsburgh finally wins an AFC championship at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh proved that their defense was better (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

- The Kansas City Chiefs might have found their next head coach in an Arizona assistant

(KC Star)

- Cardinals go from joke to champions (LA Times)

- Pittsburgh is of course the favorite by 7 points (Vegas.com)