SNOW DAY! Not.

Strahan yells at the media …for quoting him correctly?

In one bizarre hour - strange even by the standards the Giants have set over the past week - Tom Coughlin's crew unraveled once again. It started when Plaxico Burress delivered a subtle rip of teammate Michael Strahan, and ended with Strahan delivering a not-so-subtle rant at the media in general while trying to bully a female reporter from ESPN.

Asked about his comments regarding Burress, Strahan demanded that ESPN's Kelly Naqi step to the front of a media pack and "look me in the eye."

And the cause of all the turmoil was Strahan's own words during his regular spot on WFAN on Monday, when he appeared to chastise Burress for quitting on a play during Sunday's Music City Meltdown. When Burress heard that Strahan had said, "You can't give up and you can't quit, because you're not quitting on yourself, you're quitting on us, you're quitting on everybody," it was enough to trigger the latest round of discontent from the Bickering Blue.

"Wow, that's tough for a teammate to come out and say that about you," Burress said after he was read Strahan's comments, word for word, by Naqi. "But if that's the way he feels, that's the way he feels. I'll talk to him about that personally. I'm not going to get into a pushing or shoving match with you guys. I'll just talk to him personally because that's the type of person I am. I wouldn't go on TV or radio and criticize my teammates.

"If that's the way he feels, hey, that's sad."

That response was quickly relayed to Strahan by a member of the Giants' PR staff, and a few minutes later, the defensive end - who usually speaks to the media only on Thursdays - burst into the locker room and began his tirade. First, he singled out Naqi and berated her for not asking questions "in the appropriate manner" and, beckoning her with his index finger, loudly ordered her to come forward and "look me in the eye."

"I know you're going to ask it in a way that there's more division and more of a negative way than what it was, so come here, I want to see your face," Strahan said. "Are you a responsible journalist? Look me in the eye and ask me this question, please, the way that you want to ask it. Come on. Look a man in the eye before you try to kill him or make up something."

Eventually, Strahan was asked if he had spoken to Burress. Strahan said he had, even though Burress insisted he had not. Strahan added, "Do you think one play by Plaxico lost us the game? No."

Then he redirected his rage toward the media at large. "If you want to come here with the negative, you're coming to the wrong guy, because I'm not a negative guy," said Strahan, who is recovering from a sprained foot. "I don't kill my teammates. I'm a man and I talk to my teammates. So if you're going to talk to me, don't stand in the back behind 10 other people. You come here and look me in the eye. And if you're going to ask Plaxico about something, you ask him in the appropriate way, not the negative way so it seems like I'm attacking my teammates, because I don't do that.

"(The WFAN comments are) being portrayed that way because that's the way you guys portray them. We've lost three games in a row. You're not going to do anything positive. That's not how you guys operate. You don't sell papers by being positive. OK? You just don't - especially when a team has lost three games in a row."

Strahan's rage, of course, came seven days after Tiki Barber criticized the Giants' play-calling, six days after it was revealed that Barber was reprimanded by Coughlin, five days after Coughlin fired back at Barber, and three days after the Giants (6-5) blew a 21-point, fourth-quarter lead in Tennessee.

Meanwhile, more bulletin board material for the Cowboys …

Plaxico Burress has more to worry about than just Michael Strahan.

Terrell Owens remembers how Burress called him a "coward" who purposely slipped on the turf to avoid a potential hit during the Giants' 36-22 win in Dallas last month. Owens says Burress will want to watch out this Sunday, particularly for hard-hitting safety Roy Williams.

When reminded yesterday that Owens had joked a few weeks ago how Williams would take care of Burress for him, Owens said, "Yeah, we'll get him this week. We'll get him this week. All I know is, everybody, that defense has been hitting some people, kind of laying the wood a little bit," Owens said after practice at the Cowboys' Valley Ranch base. "I'm pretty sure they have been watching the film so he better watch out."

The Cowboys' bulletin board should be overflowing with motivation for their rematch with the Giants at the Meadowlands. Bill Parcells already has Jeremy Shockey's "there is no way they have a chance in hell to beat us when we play our football" boast from a week ago to work with.

"He was just popping off at the mouth," Owens said of Shockey. "Whatever he needs to do to spark that team and probably try to get a rise out of us. He is not going to do it. Right now he is frustrated. What they should really be focusing on trying to do is get off that losing streak. And I don't foresee it happening this weekend."
Williams, who was not available for comment, has incentive to target Burress. After that Monday night Giant win, Burress criticized the Dallas safety for complaining about how he was impeded by an official from making a play on Burress when the Giants' receiver caught a 50-yard touchdown bomb. Williams collided with the back judge on the play. "He couldn't have made that play if he wanted to," Burress said after the game. "He can't cover and No.25 (rookie safety Patrick Watkins) can't cover. It wasn't a surprise. That's been (Williams') rap since he came in the league. He's a 250-pound ankle tackler. That's what he is. And horse collars, too."

"He wouldn't have made that play if he was on a skateboard," Burress added.

Lebreton on the case …

Once they were giants...

But that was, like, six weeks ago.

Before the young quarterback went sour. Before the lame duck running back began to complain. Before the New York Giants began to topple and limp.

And before somebody turned up the heat in the head coach's office.

It was that noted philosopher/physicist, Jeremy Shockey, who put his finger to the wind -- presumably, the same thumb that he eats his peas with -- and recently declared, "There is no way [the Cowboys] have a chance in hell to beat us when we play our football, and that's the truth."

And I agree with Dr. Shockey wholeheartedly. The Giants proved as much when they outclassed the Cowboys 36-22 at Texas Stadium back in October. The Giants moved the football at will. The New York defense confounded quarterback Drew Bledsoe so much that night, he lost his job.

But the two teams turned out to be ships passing in the NFL night. The Giants veered left three weeks ago and have been taking on water ever since.

When the Giants whipped the Cowboys that night, they gave evidence that they were the best team in the NFC. Better than the Chicago Bears, even. Better than anyone.
Cowboys coach Bill Parcells admitted to the New York media this week that the defeat brought on its personal brand of pain.

"Sure, when you're on Monday Night Football and you get embarrassed, and your team looks like some ragamuffin team, it hurts," Parcells said Wednesday at Valley Ranch.

What does TO think of Vanderjagt being cut? …

Don't count Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens among those in favor of Mike Vanderjagt being cut.

Owens was close to Vanderjagt and talked with him after his release Monday.
"Obviously, he hasn't played well, but I didn't think that warranted him to be cut," Owens said. "Personally, I don't agree with it."

Owens pointed to Vanderjagt's statistics of making 12 of 15 (80 percent) field-goal attempts before the Indianapolis game. But Vanderjagt , missed two kicks against the Colts and barely made a 22-yarder against Tampa Bay.

Owens supported Vanderjagt on Wednesday, unlike many of his teammates who agreed with the decision.

"I hope it doesn't come back to haunt us," Owens said. "Whoever made that decision, I'm pretty sure they're hoping the same thing. I hope he doesn't regret it."
Owens also pointed out he has cost the Cowboys in games this season and is still on the roster. He dropped a potential touchdown pass against the Washington Redskins.
"I feel like I have lost some games and I'm still here," Owens said.

Interesting tid bit …

Fast Fact: The Cowboys have been swept in a home-and-home by the Giants in 10 different seasons (2004, 2002, 2000, 1997, 1990, 1989, 1988, 1984, 1963, 1962) and have never made the playoffs in any of those campaigns.

I heard this on Sportscenter this morning, and since they are the world-wide leader in sports I assume they got this right:

In the last 3 seasons, the Giants are 22-10 with Michael Strahan in the lineup, and 1-10 without him. He is not expected to play this Sunday.
In other news, not related to Cowboys – Giants:

Jevan Snead to TCU? …

Texas freshman quarterback Jevan Snead has asked for a release from his scholarship in order to transfer, a source close to Snead said Wednesday.

Snead's availability for Texas' bowl game could be in question because Snead wants to enroll at a new school in January, the source said.

That would leave Texas with starter Colt McCoy and walk-on third-string QB Matt McCoy, who has never attempted a pass in a college game. The only other scholarship quarterback on the team is Sherrod Harris of Arlington Bowie, who is redshirting.
The source said TCU was a leading candidate to land Snead, a Parade All-American from Stephenville, although the source said Snead would like to take visits to other schools once he is released from his scholarship.

Snead completed 26 of 49 passes (53.1 percent) for 371 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions in backup duty this season. Snead will have to sit out a year after transferring, but because he played this season, he can use his transfer year as a redshirt season and still have three years of eligibility left.

Snead lost the battle for starting quarterback to Colt McCoy, who was getting consideration for Heisman Trophy votes before suffering a stinger in the first quarter of a loss at Kansas State.

Aggies big day in San Diego …

The Texas A&M football team will spend Christmas in San Diego as a reward for its turnaround 9-3 season.

The 22nd-ranked Aggies accepted an invitation Wednesday to play the California Golden Bears in the 29th annual Pacific Life Holiday Bowl at 7 p.m. Central Time Dec. 28 at Qualcomm Stadium.

"It's a blessing to end the season like this to go away to California," said linebacker Justin Warren, one of the team's 13 scholarship seniors. "Most guys from Texas don't leave Texas or don't get to leave very often, [by] playing football all year. It's just a wonderful gift at the end of the season."

A&M, which played in the Cotton Bowl two years ago, didn't qualify for postseason last year with a 5-6 record.

This year's team became bowl-eligible in mid-October, capping off a four-win improvement with a 12-7 victory against the University of Texas Longhorns the day after Thanksgiving.

Most of the players were at the Bright Complex when the invitation was accepted. They were lifting weights or studying in the academic center, since the team didn't practice.

"The majority of our guys have never been to California, so they are thrilled," A&M head coach Dennis Franchione said. "I know the California Golden Bears will be a great challenge, and we look forward to the hospitality of the good folks in San Diego. Having coached in the WAC [Western Athletic Conference], I know that area is terrific, and I have always wanted to coach in the Holiday Bowl."

It will be A&M's second appearance in the Holiday Bowl. In 1990, the Aggies defeated Brigham Young, 65-14.

Mavs win #11; Suffer Dirk Scare …

the biggest concern was Nowitzki, who suffered cloudy peripheral vision in his right eye from a bruise suffered in Monday's game against Minnesota. He left Wednesday's game with 1:46 left in the first quarter.

After a trip to the Mavericks' optometrist, Dr. Maurice Syrquin, it was determined that the injury was not serious and that Nowitzki could be back in action Friday against Sacramento.

But that didn't mean there weren't some anxious moments.

"I never had anything like that," he said. "I was a little nervous, so we got it checked out. And it was just a bruised eye, bruised retina. I'm clear for activity.
I can practice if I want to and play. So we'll go from here.

"Obviously, it was definitely a scary moment. Somebody on one play was driving baseline and I was looking where everybody else was, and I couldn't see the guy on the baseline driving. That was definitely a freaky moment. I couldn't see out of the right side of my eye."

Ironically, Nowitzki hit three of his first four shots, including a layup with 2:28 left in the first quarter when he couldn't see what he was shooting at.

"I kind of looked up at the rim and didn't really see the rim," he said. "Once I made the layup, I just tried to sub myself out as quick as I could. I had to get this checked out. Something's not right."

A battery of tests revealed the bruise, and Nowitzki returned to the arena.

Mavs Central looks at streaking! …

It’s time to go streaking and no, we aren’t talking about Will Ferrell in Old School. After losing the first four games of the season, the Mavs have now reeled off 11 consecutive wins.

Dallas won game #11 tonight, 117-98, against the Raptors despite Dirk Nowitzki leaving the game in the first quarter with “blurred vision”. Hopefully it will not be anything serious.

But for now, the Mavs are still streaking along without their tall German and here are some fun facts/stats after tonight’s game:

+ Dallas has now won 11 games in a row, tied for their third longest winning streak in franchise history. They won 11 straight during the 1987-88 season, a season where they lost to the Lakers in seven games in the Western Conference Finals.

+ The more impressive part of their current 11-game winning streak is the fact that it came after a four-game losing streak. In the history of the NBA, the Mavs current streak is the fifth longest winning streak following a losing streak of four games or more. The 1993-94 Knicks lost four games in a row before winning their next 15 games. Dallas’ previous record was a seven-game winning streak after losing five games in a row during the 1989-90 season.

Stars do it again …

For the Stars this week, taking a 1-0 lead into the third period on the road has been like taking a lighted match onto an oil tanker: One wrong move and you're sunk.
Wednesday night at the United Center, just as in Detroit on Monday, ungainly mistakes cost the Stars a 2-1 loss and gave the Blackhawks their first victory over the Stars in the past 16 meetings, dating to March 18, 2002.

The crucial miscue Wednesday came with less than two minutes left. Stars center Mike Modano grabbed the puck behind the Chicago net and carried it to the blue line -- where he slowed and turned it over, setting up an easy breakaway winner for Tuomo Ruutu at 18:12 of the third.

Cowlishaw wants some results from JD …

The roster today looks to be worse than it was at this time a year ago.
The team is not gaining ground on Oakland. It's losing ground to Anaheim.

I don't think that makes Daniels a bad hire.

I just wish I could tell you why he's a good hire other than the fact that he returns phone calls more frequently than his predecessor.

If you are a Rangers fan and not a member of the media, being more accessible than John Hart really doesn't mean you're doing your job. Daniels needs to step up to the plate.

If not soon, then before it's too late.

Tony Romo love



10 minutes to get to know the Cowboys



Nice Jay-Z Remix (language)

Wednesday in Sportsville

Well, this qualifies as a slow news day…

How about a look at the bowl picture?

Barnhouse says …

Dec. 19 Poinsettia San Diego TCU vs. Northern Illinois

Dec. 28 Texas Houston Texas Tech vs. Rutgers

Dec. 28 Holiday San Diego Texas A&M vs . California

Jan. 1 Gator Jacksonville, Fla. Clemson vs. Texas

Jan. 1 Cotton Dallas Nebraska vs. Arkansas

Jan. 1 Fiesta Glendale, Ariz. Oklahoma vs. Boise State

Meanwhile, it must be “write a story about Dampier” day:

Art Garcia …

Dampier's primary responsibilities, reiterated by coach Avery Johnson, are rebounding, blocking shots, setting strong picks and being a force inside. That hasn't changed.

The offensive production isn't being ignored. Dampier is averaging 9.3 points -- 11.3 in the last eight games -- after averaging just 5.8 in his first two seasons with the Mavs.

One of the reasons is an emphasis in practice on building a rapport between Dampier and point guards Devin Harris, Jason Terry and Anthony Johnson. Developmental assistant Popeye Jones, a former power forward, has worked extensively with Dampier on footwork and hand-eye coordination.

"Damp is finishing better this year inside than he ever has here as a Maverick," Avery Johnson said. "He's becoming a little bit more of a presence down there. He's catching the ball, he's finishing better, he's a threat and guys are looking for him. That's something we didn't have last year."

Dampier doesn't have the best hands and is still prone to fumbling away bunnies under the basket. Once he does get control, his dunks are as menacing as any in the league.

"When I'm involved in the pick-and-rolls a lot, I know where to expect it," Dampier said "Guys are looking for me around the basket. I just try to catch it and finish."
Dampier does have limitations. Avery Johnson put it best: Don't ask him to nail a 3-pointer with the game on the line and don't expect Dampier to just make something happen with the ball.

"For years we never really had a post presence at the center spot," Johnson said. "That's why we brought him here. Not that we can throw him the ball like the Hakeem [Olajuwon] and [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar], but just be a presence. Guys are getting more confidence in him, he's getting more confidence in spots where I need him to be."

And, JJT …

Finally, it appears Johnson is getting the player he lobbied Don Nelson and Mark Cuban to sign before the 2005 season. In doing so, he linked his future to the stoic, 31-year-old whose pride, not his paycheck, motivates him.

Dampier, benched for the first time in his career last year, downplays his strong performance this season. Says it's simply a matter of his teammates giving him the ball more often. Says his approach hasn't changed from last season. Says people have a short memory because he averaged 12.3 points and 12.0 rebounds in his last season with Golden State.

He's not telling the whole story.

Dampier has earned his teammates' trust by consistently catching the ball thanks to some technical changes suggested by assistants Popeye Jones and Del Harris. His teammates think good things will happen when he gets the ball, so they're giving it to him.

He leads the league in field goal percentage (67.9 percent), which is significant considering he's never shot better than 55 percent from the field. Teams often double-team Nowitzki and Terry when they're on the perimeter, so when Dampier catches their passes and converts it makes everyone's lives easier.

Tony Romo on the hype …

Tony Romo made an odd admission Tuesday.

"I don't really like cheese," the Cowboys quarterback said.

Remember this is a man who grew up in Wisconsin, the land of cheese.

"It's an oxymoron, I know," he said.

And the brand of cheese Romo has zero affinity for is the kind that is available throughout Cowboys nation. It's the type of cheese that's aged about one month.

The winners of four out of their past five games, including the past three, the Cowboys are not only America's Team again, but a chic pick by an adoring national media to win the NFC.

The trick for the Cowboys is to not bite into it. Any of it.

blogging the Boys has this nugget…

The Cowboys have five different players leading the NFC in statistical categories, including Romo, who tops all quarterbacks with his 110.8 QB rating. Marion Barber leads the NFC in touchdowns with 11, Terrell Owens is tied for first in receiving touchdowns with eight and punter Mat McBriar continues to lead the conference with a 48.8-yard average. And despite being on injured reserve, Tyson Thompson still leads the NFC with a 26.0-yard kickoff return average.

Eli played well; just ask him …

Eli Manning says he has no doubts about his play of late.

In fact, the quarterback defended his performance Sunday, saying he had a good game until his disastrous game-costing interception at the end against Tennessee.

"I do not doubt myself," Manning said yesterday at Giants Stadium. "I thought I played pretty well for the most part and then had a bad last play. That is the way football goes."

Whether Manning has doubts about his top wide receiver is another matter. Manning subtly expressed disappointment in Plaxico Burress not going all out on a deep pass along the sideline that resulted in Manning's first interception in the fourth quarter. The play set up Tennessee's first touchdown in the Titans' shocking 24-21 win.

"You hope the ball gets knocked down or you fight for it a little bit," Manning said when asked about Burress stopping on the play when the ball sailed over his head. "The last thing you expect is an interception. (Burress) didn't want the guy to intercept it. The corner (Pacman Jones) did a good job of knocking him off his route and cutting him out. It is disappointing the way it happened."

Manning repeatedly credited Jones for making a play, but when pressed further about Burress, he said the Giants have to go all out to make plays of their own.

"It is a matter of everybody doing the right thing and competing and working hard," Manning said. "If one person does something just a little bit wrong or off it affects the whole play. You are not going to always call the perfect play but you can hope for perfect execution. You can expect guys to do the right thing.

"I don't know if it would have been a completion but hopefully knock it down or get called for interference," Manning added. "Do something - an interception is the last thing that you want."

While many were making a big deal out of Burress' play, it had nothing to do with Manning's interception with 23 seconds left and the game tied at 21. Inexplicably, Manning rolled right and dreadfully underthrew a pass intended for David Tyree. Jones made a leaping interception that set up the 49-yard field goal by Rob Bironas that completed a colossal meltdown by the Giants.

Manning has come under siege for not throwing the ball away. The quarterback has not thrown more than one touchdown in a game in his last five outings. During that stretch, he has four TD passes and seven interceptions.

"I don't think I'm in a slump," Manning said.

The NY Times spends time overthinking the Giants …

The Giants are still in contention for the playoffs. They have a 6-5 record and can improve their fortunes with a victory on Sunday against the Cowboys, their chief division rival. But if they fail to snap their slump, Coughlin could lose his job and Manning could lose his standing among the game’s top young quarterbacks.

Manning, the son of the former New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning and the brother of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, was picked first in the 2004 draft and is being paid $54 million to lead the Giants regularly into the playoffs, if not to a Super Bowl.

No one questions Manning’s arm strength or his bloodlines, but his subdued demeanor has prompted concern about his leadership. In his third pro season, he still does not often come across as one of the guys.

“Manning is like a movie star,” Fiel said. “He seems sort of elite, detached, above everything. I think he’s an introverted, locked-up guy, not very connected to the others. Nobody speaks to him. He acts so alone.”

The Giants are not rushing to his aid. When Manning overthrew Plaxico Burress in the fourth quarter, Burress could have helped his quarterback by trying to make a play on the ball. But Burress stopped running his route, allowing the Titans’ Pacman Jones to intercept the pass.

Burress watched as the interception led to a touchdown and eventually a loss. “It was an indication he had given up,” Reiman said. “It was such a lack of effort, a lack of spirit. I didn’t understand it.”

DR Z on Eli …

In other news, MCNabb may not be ready next year …anyone recall Culpepper stories along these lines last year?

Donovan McNabb could be sidelined between eight and 12 months after having surgery Tuesday to repair a torn knee ligament.

McNabb, a five-time Pro Bowl quarterback, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the second quarter of the Eagles' loss to Tennessee last week. It was his third season-ending injury in mid-November in the last five years.

Renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews performed the reconstructive knee surgery in Birmingham, Ala. Head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder said McNabb also needed expected repairs to his meniscus. He added there was a "good" chance McNabb will be healthy for Philadelphia's season opener, which would be about nine months.

"Donovan, with all his injuries, he works hard and expedites it," Burkholder said. "We're setting it up so he can be back for training camp."

Romo rated #5 QB in the league …

He has only started five games, but he looks like a 10-year veteran. He shredded a proud Bucs defense on Thanksgiving day. He threw a team-record five TD passes (mostly on short passes) and he continues to manage the game well. He is playing almost mistake-free football and he has energized this franchise.

If you have not read it, Here is a fabulous story on Bradie James from Barry Horn that was printed on Thanksgiving…

How did the Blue Jays agree with Barajas; agree with Zaun; disagree with Barajas? The Toronto scribe breaks it down …

How Zaun's deal got done

Two weeks back, during the general managers meetings at Naples, Fla., the Jays, besides signing Frank Thomas, hold at least two sessions with representatives for Texas free-agent catcher Rod Barajas. They also have an offer on the table for their own free agent, Gregg Zaun.

A week ago Monday, Zaun confirms he has had two offers from the Jays for "a hair above" the $5.25 million (all figures U.S.) over two years the Cubs will pay Henry Blanco to be their backup catcher. The deal at the end is supposed to be worth $6 million.

The next day, Barajas' agent, Terry Bross, says he has received a two-year offer from the Jays, believed to be for $5.25 million.

Friday, Zaun tells the Star there's a lot of posturing going on and that it's too early to act on what he calls a still-emerging market.

Sunday, reports surface Barajas will accept Toronto's offer and fly in Monday for a physical to complete the deal.

On the weekend, Barajas has second thoughts, decides he's uncomfortable about the deal, fires his agents and replaces them with Dan Lozano.

Early Monday afternoon, Lozano advises the Jays that Barajas will not be coming to Toronto and would like to re-open talks.

The Jays refuse and re-open talks with Zaun, whose agent was headed to New York Tuesday for talks with the Yankees about Zaun becoming the back-up there.

By about 1 a.m. Tuesday morning, the Jays and Zaun agree on a two-year deal for $7.25 million with an option on 2009 for another $3.75 million.

Did Skin blog about little ol us? Don’t click here …

Intern Phil ran the numbers of Longhorn vs. Aggie for the record books:

ok here's more...
overall Longhorn is 73-34-5.
college station---23-20-2
austin---45-12-1
dallas--- 0-0-1
houston----2-2
san antonio 3-0-1

Longhorn biggest road win was 1969 (49-12)
home win was 1970 (52-14)
road loss was 1925 (28-0)
home loss was 1984 (37-12)

Aggie beat Longhorn in all but 3 of the first 13 games (1915 to 1939) in
College Station (Longhorn won in 23, and ties in 21 & 33). Their longest
streak in Austin is 3 games (1984-88)

Texas won the first game in 1894 in Austin. they didnt play again till
1898. Texas won all austin games from 1916 to 1978 except 1922, 1956, 1976.
Their longest streak in CS is 7 (53-65)

texas' longest streak is from 1957-64. a&m's is from 1984-89.

hope you enjoy
phil

Comedy:
Tell me this isn’t funny …

Youtube:

Family Guy – Ding Fries are done



To Catch a Predator (careful)



Vick’s moment that cost him cash

Vander-Whacked (stolen)

On November 20th, I wrote the following about Vander-slice:

• Mike Vanderjagt reminds me of something Jim Cramer tells me during his show “Mad Money”. “We aren’t worried about where a stock has been, we are only worried about where it is going”. Well, I don’t care if this guy is the most accurate kicker in the history of the NFL. The fact is that right now he sucks. You can make the case that his missed kick in the playoffs last year against Pittsburgh screwed up his head and he has no way out of the mess. But, the Cowboys don’t have to roll with this any longer. I would start searching the waiver wire for a kicker because my kicker has used 2 strikes already.

Evidently, Bill Parcells is feeling the same way I did 8 days ago.

The Hammer dropped yesterday …

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones called Mike Vanderjagt on Monday afternoon to inform him that he had been released. While Jones said he was sick about the decision, he told Vanderjagt that "some people in the organization lacked confidence in him."

"Some people" would be coach Bill Parcells, who clearly never trusted the most accurate kicker in NFL history.

The decision came 48 hours after Vanderjagt spoke with Parcells and told him he believed he had corrected some of the technical problems that caused him to make only 13 of 18 field-goal attempts this season.

"He is absolutely shocked. He didn't see this coming at all," a source said. "He is extremely, extremely disappointed."

Signing Gramatica is like getting rid of the chicken pox in exchange for the measles …

Which, I'm sorry to have to tell you, isn't much below Gramatica's career percentage of 76.7 (138-180). What that tells you is that he's not that much better a kicker than Vanderjagt at his worst, but when he does make one, he celebrates with the best of them.

Five years ago Gramatica was one of the NFL's best kickers. Not anymore. In 2003-04 he hit just 16-of-26 and made only 6-of-12 from 30-39 yards and 4-of-13 from 40-49. Last season he didn't kick at all.

He battled fourth-round pick Stephen Gostkowski for the right to replace Adam Vinatieri as the Pats' kicker in training camp this summer and lost, but subbed for Vinatieri for the Colts for three games this season and hit his only field goal attempt.

He is annoying. He is a weasel. He over-celebrates. And, now, he is not even a very good kicker. According to This, Since 2003, Martin has been lousy. From 40-49 yards, (what got Vanderjagt cut) Automatica has only made 4-13 attempts. Sorry, but that is Cundiff-like. Just when you thought this team could not get crazier...

Gramatica’s wikipedia page …

Madden 07 fun with Martin:

Bob, can anyone who was raised in Wisconsinin be a Jedi?

Dave

Yes, Dave. Evidently.

Tony Romo featured by Gary Myers in the New York Daily News …

Tony Romo has rejuvenated Bill Parcells and energized his teammates and the city of Dallas, which loves its Cowboys, especially when they are winning.

He beat Peyton Manning nine days ago, will try to beat Eli Manning and the melting-down Giants this weekend, is the NFL's top-rated passer and even has been linked romantically to Jessica Simpson.

His first month of life as the starting quarterback of America's Team, the highest profile position in the NFL, has been pretty good.

But will it last?

Only Romo and Simpson know if there's anything to the speculation they're an item. The football part, well, Romo is one of the biggest stories of the season, but now must prove he can sustain it.

He got strong endorsements yesterday from two important precincts: Cowboys Hall of Fame quarterbacks Troy Aikman, who won three Super Bowls, and Roger Staubach, who won two. They believe Romo can keep this going. And not just this year. "For those out there being cynical and waiting for the wheels to fall off, I think they'll be waiting for awhile," Aikman said from Dallas. "This guy is pretty good. Bill thinks this kid is the real deal. I do, too. I think he can be here for a long time. He's a really good player."

Staubach, also speaking from Dallas, said, "I like everything I see about him. Tony is the real deal. He goes out there and makes plays. He's a talented kid and he's very competitive. He's got the command of his team. They are going to fight for him."

Romo signed in 2003 as a rookie free agent from Division I-AA Eastern Illinois, but took only one snap at quarterback his first three years — a knee on the final play of a blowout victory in Philly last year. But Parcells obviously saw something he liked, because even as he was starting Quincy Carter, then brought in Drew Henson, Vinny Testaverde and Drew Bledsoe, he kept Romo around. After Parcells tried to recreate his past with Testaverde and Bledsoe and was criticized for not developing Henson, it's an unknown who has bailed him out.

Matt Mosely on the Jessica Simpson developments …

Some of you may have heard the rumors of a budding relationship between Tony and Jessica Simpson, who did her undergraduate work at Richardson Pearce High School.
The story gained momentum when we first revealed that Tony hooked up Jessica's Los Angeles-based father, Joe, with tickets to the Cardinals game.

Romo didn't deny the rumors, in part, because there are far worse things people could say about you.

But now he's decided to set the record straight.

"So I don't have to answer any more questions about this, I'm not dating Jessica Simpson, nor have I gone on a date with her," Romo said while laughing. "I appreciate everyone's interest in my social life, but I think I may try to play it close to the vest from here on out."

Folks, we'll continue to monitor this situation for you. For now, it would appear that John Mayer is safe.

Meanwhile, in Non-Cowboys news, The Mavs streak hits 10 …despite an untidy 4th Quarter…

Ferociousness may be the best way to describe the Mavs for about 40 minutes Monday night against Minnesota. Those last eight minutes, much of that ferocity seemed to exit with those fans in American Airlines Center looking to beat traffic.

Needing a couple huge blocks from the surging Erick Dampier, a driving Josh Howard basket and a few free throws, the Mavs withstood the Timberwolves' furious rally to post a 93-87 victory.

"When it came down to it, we made a couple plays when we needed to," Jerry Stackhouse said. "We deserved to win. Whether we won by 20 or won by two, it's still a win."

Whatever way they got there, it still added up the Mavs' 10th consecutive win -- tied for the fourth-longest streak in club history and four short of the all-time mark.

The Mavs' 10-4 record matches their start of last season when they tied the franchise record with 60 wins. They go for win No. 11 Wednesday at home against Toronto.

Stars cough up the lead and lose again in Detroit …

Goalie Marty Turco can't win on what passes for his hometown rink. Third-period leads, normally as secure as Swiss banks for the Stars, disappear quickly. And power plays can actually be a bad thing.

Monday night, those unusual circumstances all manifested themselves, as the Stars gave up two short-handed goals in the third period to let a lead slip away and lose 2-1 to the Red Wings.

In 11 games this season in which it led after two periods, Dallas was undefeated. In fact, the Stars hadn't lost a regular-season game when leading after two since -- wait for it -- the last time they came to "The Joe," when they blew a 2-0 lead on April 17.

This time, the Stars squandered all five of their power-play opportunities -- although they were just one game removed from their best performance of the season, when they tallied four power-play goals against the Kings on Friday.
Kris Draper and Mathieu Schneider scored short-handed at 3:03 and 12:13 of the third, respectively, to erase the lead Dallas built on Antti Miettinen's early second-period goal.

"You're looking for your power play, even if you don't score, you're looking for momentum," Stars coach Dave Tippett said, "and it took all the momentum away from us tonight. The only soft spot in a strong game."

As I wrote last time the Stars lost to Detroit , the numbers are looking horrible. Updated through last night, the numbers now look like this:

• Marty Turco is now 1-8-5 against Detroit in his career. This is the only Western Conference team he has a sub .500 record against.

• In 15 games, he has given up 3 goals or more 9 times vs. Det.

• Ken Hitchcock was 13-13-3 versus Detroit in his stay here; Dave Tippett is now 2-7-5.

Nascar’s popularity dropping? …

Whether it's just a pit stop, or whether the rubber has finally worn off the racing league's popularity remains to be seen. But its easy ride appears to be over, as average TV ratings for the 10 final races of the season, dubbed the "Chase for the Cup," dropped 10% from 4.8 to 4.3, and some 31 of the 36 races drew lower TV ratings this year than in 2005. And while Nascar doesn't release attendance figures at its tracks, there were clearly empty pockets of seats at several recent races.

Combine the ratings falloff with the sport's freshly inked eight-year, $4.48 billion TV deal with ABC/ESPN -- some 40% higher than the previous agreement with NBC and Fox -- and this week's traditional annual post-season celebration of cocktail parties and driver appearances start to look more like work for Nascar. In fact, it may well be as big a marketing week for the league as its season-opening race in Daytona, Fla., its version of the Super Bowl.

Halen 88, Drunk?



5’9 vs 7’6



And, just when you thought the blog was done....EMAIL!

Some College Gameday follow up from Ohio St-Michigan. Jason wrote in and although we did not get screen shots, here is his sports humor:



His Email:

Here are a few shots of the signs after the fact; I forgot to Tivo, so no screenshots from the TV. Sadly, we did not get there until about two hours beforehand, and we were only visible during wide shots of the four hosts, or the Herby/Corso two-person shots.

Also, the anti-Corso sign police were out in full force. My fave sign that got pulled was a picture of Corso in a Michigan helmet from a few years ago, and the text read “Corso = Craftsman: a tool guaranteed for life.” They yanked that around 10:45am.

And now, some additional emails:

Hello,
My husband and I are going to have a charity drive this year, starting the day after Thanksgiving through New Years Eve. We would like to include you in our fundraiser.
We are going to have a fantastic Christmas Light/music show. (Go to www.friscochristmas.com to see an example of what we are doing.) It should be fantastic.

We are planning on including The North Texas Food Bank, Toys for Tots and KiddsKids. We would love any help/advice you can give us. We were hoping for a guest appearance from you or someone from your establishment, or maybe a shameless plug on your station, once we get the website up.
.
Please let me know what you think.
Best regards,
Lynn Zephries

Link: TheDeerfieldChristmas.com

Bob,

I thought you and Dan might find this funny. I work for the TSA in Terminal A at DFW. On Thursday morning, an older couple, maybe in their late 50's, brought their luggage to me for inspection. I'm suppose to ask 3 questions. The man was wearing a Cleveland Browns cap, a Browns sweatshirt, and a Browns jacket. Instead of asking the 3 questions, I greeted them with WWWWEEEEELLLLLLLLLLL youre going to CLE. They both busted out laughing. The woman asked me how I could tell, with out looking at the bag tag. It was simple. Then she asked me why I said WWWEEELLL. So I explained to her who you and Dan were and why that is said on the show and that Dan was from CLE. Both of them busted a gut laughing. I never did ask the questions. Just thought you might like to hear that.........P1...Brian

---

Bob,
Thanks for the blog, as a former P-1 who now lives in Missouri, I rely on it every day.

As for GM Jon Daniels, I don't get to listen everyday, but is he taking any heat for any of his failed deals:

Eaton for Young - Eaton never wanted to be here and Chris Young won a playoff game in STL.

Padilla for Dellucci- Padilla walks for Dellucci, the great "clubhouse" guy who hit over 20 hrs in his last year in TX

Wilkerson for Soriano - Brad Wilkerson for a 40-40 guy? That's all you could get for Soriano? (The sad thing is that the Rangers basically traded A-Rod for wilkerson, not all Daniels fault, but extremely sad.)

Lee and Cruz for Mench, Cordero and Nix. The sad thing about this trade is Lee walks away for three semi-decent players. Once again, the Rangers get very little in return.

Is he failing or am I overlooking some of his good deals?

Thanks for the blog, I catch the show when I can.
Bill Victor
Springfield, MO

I think you are spot on, Bill, but the question is what is the sum total of his moves? If Nelson Cruz can play, then that trade swings back in Texas' direction. If, Otsuka closes all year again, then that trade doesn't hurt as much. Of course, if Adrian Gonzalez plays 1B for San Diego for the next decade....Well, face it. The Padres trade was horrible.

Padilla and Dellucci were not in the same deal. Tejada was for Dellucci, and frankly, I still support trading a bat for an arm that should be more than capable again next summer.

As for Daniels, any GM needs 3-5 years to get a read on their performance. That is quite a leash, but every GM is going to miss plenty. You just have to get a few right, and when you do, they could be franchise changers.

And now an email from an Aggie who wants to fight Longhorns:

Brace for it, because it's coming. Excuses galore are about to head your way from the entitlement-having whorn. Austin residents/football fans have very little to no exposure to football other than Longhorn football. So any football opinion has to be taken in stride. That being said, I'd like to make a few preemptive rebuttals:

1. Pass interference in the end zone - it would have been a good no call, but Sweed pushing the defender off in the facemask calls for a legitimate pass interference flag.

2. 1st late hit on McBoy - McBoy should not have been jogging to the sidelines, oblivious to the defense as early as he did. The defender that smashed him was playing as if the guy who intercepted the ball was still returning the ball. It wasn't an intentionally dirty play. The defender didn't know the play was over, and if the "interceptor" was still returning the pick, it would have been a completely legit hit.

3. 2nd late hit on McBoy. As the outstanding commentating team pointed out on tv, if that was hit took place in the NFL it would have drawn a flag. But there is no per se rule against helmet to helmet contact with the quarterback.

4. Mack not sitting McBoy. After taking the first smash during the pick, Mack had to have at least considered not running him back out there. If not at that point, after the duck he threw on his first throw on the next drive, it had to have been apparent to Mack that McBoy was likely seriously injured. But my guess is that whorn won't blame Mack since he is now immunized from criticism. Mack might have seriously cost McBoy some playingtime next year.

5. Woulda coulda shoulda. If whorn wants to run those scenarios out there, the first extra point SHOULDA been made, so it SHOULDA been 14-7 after the second touchdown. So UT COULDA taken care of business in overtime, if at all.

Yours truly,
Aggie Whip

Yesterday, I made the claim that I detest the NFL pass interference rule as it allows for a spot penalty meaning that the penalty can be 40-50 yards on deep passes. I think this is crazy. Here is someone who disagrees with me:

if it is just 15 yards then every time someone is beat for a huge gain, much less a touchdown they will just take the receivers legs out from under him, thereby giving up 15 yards instead of 20,30..... touchdown. The answer is you need officials that know how to call it, for some reason when it becomes a question of pass interference all the officials magically transform n2 NBA officials.

Thanks
Cya
Mike Massey

My response: If this was going to happen, why doesn't it happen in the college game? If they would just tackle all Wide Outs, surely in college they would figure this out...

11/27: Big Weekend

Giants complete the Cowboys perfect weekend …

This was a collapse so massive, so gargantuan, that they don't even have a name for it. This meltdown is so corrosive that it has the ability to eat away at the rest of the season, burn a hole into those remaining five games on the Giants' schedule and leave New York's playoff hopes in a smoldering heap on the floor.

The Giants gave up 24 points in the fourth quarter to lose to the previously hapless Titans, 24-21, yesterday. They are now 6-5, the exact record the Jets have. But the Jets, who entered the season with no expectations, are feeling good about themselves. The Giants, losers of three straight, are feeling lower than the belly of a pregnant snake.

"It's a terrible shock to everybody in the organization," Tom Coughlin said. "It's a ridiculous thing to try to reassess. ... We're going to be sick about this one forever."

The Giants' locker room was so quiet it was like there was a wake going on. Maybe there was for their doomed playoff hopes.

"Shock, if that is the right word, is omnipresent," said center Shaun O'Hara.
This loss will rank up there with the one the Giants suffered in that 2001 NFC wild-card game against the 49ers. They had a 38-14 third quarter lead and lost, 39-38.
The game against the Titans yesterday wasn't a playoff game, but it may have playoff implications.

Eli begins taking some blame …

Blame the quarterback instead.

Blame the quarterback because he threw the momentum away and eventually threw the game, and maybe even the Super Bowl dream, away.

Tom Coughlin played scared of his quarterback for most of the game, with a game plan seemingly devised by Tiki Barber . . . smashmouth football designed to keep the heat off Manning, and a passing game that featured checkdowns, screens and safe throws, short and intermediate only.

With 40 seconds and all three timeouts left, he played scared of his defense, and scared of overtime, and who could blame him?

Manning with the ball in his hands at his 19 was the lesser of two evils.

If you don't think your quarterback can win the game, if you don't show your team you believe in him, then you have no quarterback, and no hope.

Meanwhile, Rex Grossman and the Bears are looking vulnerable …

The thread that binds Super Bowl champions is defense and quarterback. Yes, Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson were quarterbacks on championship teams just a few years ago, but they were low-mistake quarterbacks backed by defenses that were among the best ever.

Chicago's defense may prove to be among the best in history, but quarterback Rex Grossman simply is too mistake-prone to carry a team in January.

I know we're getting ahead of ourselves here, but let's say the Bears do make it to the Super Bowl. Do you really think a team with Rex Grossman at quarterback would beat a team with Tom Brady or Peyton Manning at quarterback? Or even Steve McNair, who almost won a Super Bowl once before? Or Philip Rivers, even as bad as he was against Oakland, but backed by LaDainian Tomlinson, arguably the game's best player?
Don't think so.

With four turnovers -- three interceptions and a lost fumble -- against the Patriots, Grossman now has lost 15 turnovers in the last six games (11 interceptions, 4 fumbles). His passer rating was 23.7 against the Patriots, continuing a downward spiral.

Arguably, the most revealing statistic about the Bears is their 2-2 record against AFC competition. They now have lost to New England and Miami. They beat the Jets 10-0 but were in a death struggle until the Jets opened the second half with a failed onsides kickoff that led to the game's first points.

With Sunday's results, by the way, AFC teams extended their lead over the NFC to 31-20 in this year's interconference competition. That's a winning percentage of .608 for the AFC teams, the third-highest percentage of the last 15 years in interconference competition.

Certainly not lost in the shuffle was the Aggies shocker that was administered to the Longhorns in Austin. There is light at the end of the tunnel in College Station.

The physical way the Aggies won was most impressive …

"It's been a great run," Mack Brown kept saying, and he sounded like a man taking his final bow.

But he's not going anywhere. The Texas that went to Southern California the past two Januarys, the second time for an affordable DVD worth of glory. That's gone.
The Texas that seemingly had a hold on its rivals. The Texas that had more talent, the Texas that had gotten calls when it needed them, the Texas that had finally broken through to a status it always thought it deserved. That's gone.
And the aspect of Friday that signaled the clear and definitive end of this run?
The run itself.

When the Aggies went 16 plays, throwing only two passes along the way, to win their biggest game of the century, did they start their own run?

The end of Texas' run is softened because, after all, the mob is still happy about the run itself. In any other year losing to the Aggies in Austin, potentially coughing up a conference title berth to the other rival, Oklahoma, would incite a few people.

The defending champs, instead, get a break. That's a reason fans chose to boo the referees in this one.

But it sure was a short run, wasn't it? The Longhorns still haven't swept Oklahoma and A&M in consecutive seasons since the late '60s. If OU wins today, then Texas' lone Big 12 title under Brown doesn't exactly constitute a dynasty.

Brown acknowledged how well the Aggies played while he also argued a couple of plays decided everything. One of them came after UT took the opening kickoff and drove, as Brown said, "at will." For a brief moment the Longhorns appeared to be precisely what Vegas thought they were.

Then Brown opted for what Dennis Franchione has avoided lately. Brown went for it on fourth down, sending an overweight and overrated runner named Henry Melton into the Aggie muscle. Had Brown known he would score only seven points the entire day, he would have opted for a Fran-like field goal.

Worst signings so far this season? Have you seen what Big Ben has done in Chicago? …

Ben Wallace, Bulls: Big Ben signed a $60 million deal to go to the Bulls from the Pistons. He played 19-plus minutes Friday night without grabbing a single rebound. Sheesh. It was his first zero-rebound game in nearly 500 regular-season games. He is still averaging 9.4 rebounds, but he is supposed to be among the league leaders. The four-time Defensive Player of the Year is averaging only 1.6 blocks per game, well below his career average of 2.2.

Fun with Zambonis …

BOISE, Idaho -- The roads weren't even icy.

Two employees have been fired from the city's ice skating rink after making a midnight fast-food run -- in a pair of Zambonis.

The ice-groomer jockeys, both temporary city employees whose names and ages weren't released by Boise Parks and Recreation, had to negotiate at least one intersection with a traffic light on their late-night creep from Idaho Ice World.

An anonymous caller who alerted a telephone hot line set up by Boise Mayor Dave Bieter was gassing up his car at a nearby service station at about 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 10 when he saw the Zambonis roll through a Burger King drive-through, order food, and then return to the skating rink. The rubber-tired vehicles, whose top speed is about 5 mph, drove about 1.5 miles in all, said Parks Department Director Jim Hall.

Tonight, in HD (if you have the means) the Stars play in Detroit on Versus (Channel 95 in HD on Directv). And Dave Tippett is trying his best to make it a playoff situation for Marty Turco and his bag in Detroit - pressure dumped on Marty …

Turco has a 2.97 goals-against average, an .892 save percentage and a 1-7-5 record in 14 games against the Red Wings. But coach Dave Tippett believes it's important to see how his goalie responds to the situation.

"I'm more for throwing him into challenges than take him out of challenges," Tippett said. "Challenges build people."

In his NHL career, Turco is 0-4-2 at Joe Louis Arena, where he excelled when playing there as a collegiate goalie at Michigan. But Turco said playing close to his hometown of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and even closer to his alma mater is getting passé, and waiting for a win there is just getting old.

Meanwhile, The Mavs big men are getting it done …

these days, Diop and Erick Dampier are playing well every game, which is a big reason the Mavericks are on a nine-game winning streak.

Dampier and Diop combined for 15 points and 15 rebounds Saturday in a routine win over New Orleans. During the streak, the tandem has averaged 13.2 points, 14.6 rebounds and 3.2 blocks. The two are never on the court at the same time.
Any team north of Houston would take that sort of production out of its center position.

So the question is whether the Mavs can rely on consistency from the position that has been the wart of the franchise since it came into existence.

Shocking developments with the North Texas Coaching change aftermath that I didn’t know about …

According to parents of current players, right before Saturday's game Coach Dickey snuck new black uniforms onto the team without the school's permission. The rec-league quality jerseys, pictured here, didn't contain the names of players or the school and conference logos. They weren't cleared with Athletic Director Rick Villareal or announced to the press before the game and might violate agreements with the school's uniform supplier.

During halftime of the game, offensive coordinator Ramon Flanagan allegedly started a physical fight with wide receivers Coach Chip Garber after being told he should play seniors because it was their final home game. The incident got so out of hand the offense received no instruction before going back out to start the third quarter.

Youtube:

Ronaldinho amazing goal this weekend:



Terence Newman’s K-State highlight film:



Suspensions from Caps-Thrashers fight …

Washington forward Donald Brashear was suspended for three games by the NHL on Thursday, stemming from a fight a day earlier between the Capitals and Atlanta Thrashers.

Brashear, teammate Brian Sutherby and Atlanta forward Scott Mellanby were automatically suspended one game while coaches Glen Hanlon of the Capitals and Bob Hartley of the Thrashers were fined $30,000 and $10,000, respectively.

Brashear was suspended for an additional two games under a rule that allows the commissioner to tack on additional games. He will be eligible to return Nov. 30 against Dallas.

With 1:22 left in the Thrashers' 4-2 victory, Atlanta defenseman Andy Sutton was penalized for a hard check along the boards.

Three fights broke out simultaneously. Brashear went after Vitaly Vishnevski. The Thrashers' defenseman resisted, but Brashear kept hitting him and blood eventually flowed. Jon Erskine went after Atlanta forward Marian Hossa while Matt Bradley fought Thrashers defenseman Greg de Vries.

On the next faceoff, Sutherby instigated a fight with Brad Larsen. On the ensuing faceoff, Mellanby provoked a fight with Jamie Heward.

Here is the fight:

Bob,

Ernie your soccer buddy from Fort Worth here with a highlight you have GOT to find on youtube.

In today's Champions League match between Spartak Moskow and Bayern Munich, the second goal by Spartak is scored by Radoslav Kovac in the 72nd minute.

As UEFA describes it on their site:

"Spartak are back on level terms as a corner hits Radoslav Kovác in the mid-drift before he reacts quickest to turn the ball in at close range at the second attempt."

The thing is, it didn't hit his "mid-drift," it hit him in the nuts.

He flinches momentarily before putting the ball in the net. Then to celebrate, he runs to the corner, only he's holding his sac with a look of agony the whole time. When he gets to the corner, he collapses to his knees while his teammates pat him on the head before a trainer is called
over to tend to him.

Funniest goal celebration EVAR!

- Ernie

Nicely done: Here is the goal!



Finally, the comments are back on here on my blog. Just know this: I WILL NOT BE POSTING ON THE COMMENTS SECTION. IF YOU EVER SEE ME POSTING THERE, IT IS NOT ME. DON’T FORGET. Also, keep the language and personal attacks off, and I will keep the comments on.

Thanks! Now time to prepare for the Pack getting smashed in Seattle.

Cowboys 38, Bucs 10 (7-4)

7-4. At 3-3, we all would have taken 7-4. And now we are there. The Cowboys find themselves in the driver’s seat for the NFC East Divisional Crown with their recent run of form. This team is good. And when they play teams that are not good, they generally get blown out of the stadium.

Here come the Bob’s Blog notes of review from Cowboys-Buccaneers:

• 5 Touchdown passes! And we all know he could have had 6 or 7 had his coach allowed him to throw a pass in the final 25 minutes of the game. Tony Romo is a guy who Darth Vader would say: “The Force is strong in this one”. That’s right. He is a Jedi. I spent last week saying he was special, but that doesn’t sum up his 5 games as the Cowboys starter. But, he is a QB Jedi. And no, I am no longer overreacting.

• Bruce Gradkowski is what you expect from a young QB. Some decent moments, but more than anything he misses wide open WRs. He missed Galloway at least twice with under thrown balls that bailed out Cowboys defensive backs. But that is what you expect from these young guys. They are not supposed to be as perfect as Romo has been.

• Speaking of Joey Galloway, was that his best game ever at Texas Stadium? 2 first rounders for Joey Galloway rates right up there with 5 years/$65 million for Chan Ho Park, Detlef Schrempf over Karl Malone, and Dallas announcing the Mavericks parade as the biggest sports mistakes in recent history in this city.

• Terrell Owens is afraid to get hit. There I said it. He is dropping balls. He is running out of bounds. And he is hitting the ground like a QB. He doesn’t want to get hit.

• Another week without any drastic developments in the kicking department. 11 games done, and we still have no idea if the Cowboys are prepared to win a game with a kick. Vanderjagt’s toughest kick was 22 yards. But, Jerry Jones did tell the pregame show that he was hitting his kicks in practice. Nice.

• DeMarcus Ware is the biggest no-brainer to be in the Pro Bowl on this team. I know his stats may not get him there, but he is the only real threat on the pass rush and they still cannot block him. He is a monster. And they hold him nearly every play.

• Marion Barber – Touchdown Maker.

• Who has the worst bit on Thanksgiving? Is it the ridiculous CBS police-escorted Thanksgiving trophy that nobody cares about? Or is it the Fox Turkey trophy that nobody cares about that they insisted on making viewers vote on. Incidentally, there is no way Fox was going to let the viewers vote it down. Both networks are trying to keep Tur-Duck-en alive. Madden is gone. Give it up!

• Romo has 10 Touchdowns and 2 Interceptions as a starter. Shocking.

• Roy Williams with another week that tells you he is worth the trouble. The dude may not cover well, but honestly, he has made high impact plays on a regular basis this season.

• The Giants now must go to Nashville, and then it will be time for the Cowboys and Giants to tangle. This is going to be fun.


I humbly realize that this is a shorter version, but I am taking today off for Aggies/Longhorns so I must now get back to morning yell.

11/22: Wednesday

Mavs dominate the Wizards for 7th straight win …

At a time when they should have been gasping for air, the Mavericks somehow found enough energy to blow out the Washington Wizards.

Buoyed by a combined 25 points off the bench from Austin Croshere and Greg Buckner, the Mavs captured their seventh straight victory Tuesday with a convincing 107-80 spanking of the Wizards.

So thorough was the victory that the Mavs (7-4) jacked up a season-high 34 3-pointers, making 14 of them. That provided some comic relief after the game.

"He felt that we should get to the basket on them a little more, because we had shot 15 threes in the [first] half," Jerry Stackhouse said of coach Avery Johnson. "So we responded by coming out and shooting 19 more.

"But when they go in, it's all good."

Here are some “did you know” stats from the Mavs PR Dept:

• Dallas has now won seven straight. The Mavericks only had two stretches last season in which they won seven or more games.

• Washington scored just 29 points in the SECOND-half, two shy of tying the franchise low by a Maverick opponent. The Wizards scored 30 points in the first quarter, marking the first time Dallas allowed 30+ points in a first quarter this season (3-5 when allowing 30+ in the first last season). The Mavericks have held their last three opponents below 85 points after not allowing fewer than 96 the first eight games of the season. Dallas was 32-2 when allowing fewer than 90 points last season.

• Dallas made a season-high 14 3-pointers on a season-high 34 attempts. It is the second time this season that the Mavericks have attempted 30+ 3-pointers and the fifth time they have attempted 20 or more. Last season, Dallas never had more than 26 3FGA in a single game and only attempted 20 or more seven times. The Mavericks had twice as many 3FGA as FTA tonight. It is the fifth time this season the Mavericks have had as many or more 3FGA as FTA after doing so just five times in all of 2005-06.

Here is some Tampa Bay Buccaneer reading for you:

talk about the Cowboys 3-4 …

As if a three-day turnaround isn't complicated enough, the youthful Tampa Bay offense had to get a crash course Tuesday in how to attack a 3-4 defense.

The Buccaneers (3-7) leave this afternoon for Dallas, where they'll face the Cowboys (6-4) Thursday in the first Thanksgiving Day game in franchise history.

"We got to make adjustments,'' Coach Jon Gruden said.

While QB Tony Romo is getting the bulk of the credit for the turnaround -- and deservedly so -- don't sell short a defense that is ranked sixth overall and has forced the third-most turnovers in the NFL (23).

"They have great personnel,'' OT Anthony Davis said. "They have big guys. I think every guy up front is 6-foot-3 or taller, [and] they're 300-pounders and big, strong two-gappers. Their personnel is perfect for the 3-4. We just have to execute."

None of Tampa Bay's first 10 games was against opponents that work from a base 3-4. Interestingly, the Bucs' next two opponents -- Dallas and Pittsburgh (Dec. 3) -- will do so.

Bucs DB’s are thin …

Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn have a combined 22 seasons of NFL experience, nearly
20,000 combined career yards and hours of highlight tape apiece.

And whom, exactly, do the Bucs plan to match against those Cowboys receivers in Thursday's Thanksgiving matchup at Texas Stadium? At times, journeyman Torrie Cox and a player some consider a first-round bust, Phillip Buchanon.

It's not the ideal situation for a 3-7 team entering a game against one of the hottest passing teams in the NFL. But it's all the Bucs have, considering cornerback Brian Kelly's season-ending surgery last month and the injury to his replacement, Juran Bolden, who sustained a bruised fibula against Washington and looks like a long shot to play against Dallas.

So, on deck are Cox and Buchanon, who will play alongside Ronde Barber as the left cornerback Cox and nickel back (Buchanon).

Rice unlikely to play …

Bucs defensive end Simeon Rice likely won’t play against Dallas on Thursday and appears to be done for the season. Given his high cap figure for next year, it also seems likely Rice has played his last down as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.

Rice, who is listed as doubtful for the Cowboys game, has missed the past two games with a serious shoulder injury. Surgery seems to be the best option for Rice at this point.

“I think the longer this goes on it’s inevitable that we’ve got to take a look at what the final analysis is,” Coach Jon Gruden said. “It’s been very frustrating for him. He’s tried to go, he’s wanted to go, he wanted to play last week. Medically, we chose not to let him play, and we miss him. We miss him, certainly.”

Aggies hope to make it a rivalry again …

Football fans in the state of Texas might wistfully look back to the era when the Texas-Texas A&M game was actually a real rivalry.

You know, the kind of game where both teams had a legitimate shot to win.

The arrival of Mack Brown has turned the rivalry decidedly in UT's favor. Now, the Aggies are being nipped from behind as both Texas Tech and Baylor have had enough success in recent years where those games have been more competitive than the UT-A&M game.

UT has notched a 7-1 record in the series since Brown took over.

The Longhorns' current six-game winning streak over the Aggies is their longest since 1968-74. And Brown's one loss to the Aggies had a bunch of mitigating circumstances. The horrific bonfire tragedy came several days before. Major Applewhite had an upset stomach, and Brown later said some creative revelry by A&M fans the night before at the Longhorns' College State motel didn't help UT's cause.
Since then, a Longhorns victory has become almost as much a Thanksgiving weekend certainty as leftover turkey and crowded malls.

"A lot of people talk about the emotional edge of a team that's winning, and the momentum helps them keep winning, and it puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the teams that have lost," Brown said. "We felt that with the Oklahoma rivalry until we turned that back around two years ago."

But with parity being here, it makes UT's recent success against the Aggies even more striking.

Aggies coach Dennis Franchione will be looking for his first victory against the Longhorns — which would be a statement that could silence much of the recent criticism about his direction of the A&M program.

"I think these games have a life of their own and an identity of their own. I know that they touch your fan base very deeply. I think as a player and a coach, you have a sense that this game means more than just about any game," said Franchione, who calls the UT contest a "365-game" because it's talked about by A&M fans every day of the year.

In soccer, The US National team falls further down the rankings …likely to where they belong…

The United States is not ranked among the top 30 in soccer rankings for the first time in more than seven years.

The U.S. team, ranked as high as fifth in May before a poor showing at the World Cup, fell two points to No. 31 in November's FIFA rankings Wednesday. The last time the U.S. was not in the top 30 was June of 1999, when it was also No. 31.

Lebreton on the Rangers CF spot …

Matthews, in other words, is probably gone. When the Los Angeles Dodgers elected this week to give center fielder Juan Pierre a reported $45 million over five seasons, bells and whistles must have gone off at the Matthews household.

He had a remarkable, fairy tale of a season. An All-Star season. Matthews batted .313, with a .371 on-base percentage, 44 doubles and 19 home runs.
Given the November market, he deserves to be paid as much per season as Pierre will be getting.

But not here. And not tying up $36 million or more over four or more seasons. Let the Angels make that commitment.

And with the $20 million or so saved by not handing a full-time job to Matthews, the Rangers can go after the 2008 free-agent class of center fielders, a list that includes, among others, Vernon Wells, Torii Hunter, Andruw Jones, Aaron Rowand and Mark Kotsay.

Who would you rather have playing center field at the ballpark in 2008 -- Gary Matthews Jr., or one of those first three?

The big footnote, of course, is whether Daniels can sign one of them. But as of Thanksgiving week, he still has the budget to think so -- and in Catalanotto, a career .297 hitter, Daniels has just filled both the leadoff and designated hitter roles.

Tonight, Marty Turco gets a good seat for the game …

Stars coach Dave Tippett said during the preseason that he hoped having rookie Mike Smith as a backup goalie would push starter Marty Turco to be even better.

For the first time this season, Tippett will use Smith in that role.

Smith, who relieved Turco on Monday and took a 5-4 win over Colorado, will start tonight against the Nashville Predators.

"He's a young goalie who came in and gave us a little spark, and he's earned this start," Tippett said. "The time is right for Marty to work on a few things, so we'll take advantage of that."

Turco has a goals against average of 3.93 and a save percentage of .838 in his last four appearances. He was pulled after giving up two goals on five shots in six minutes Monday. That said, the 31-year-old backstop in his fourth season as a No. 1 goalie still is tied for second in the NHL in wins at 11, sixth in goals-against average at 2.23 and ninth in save percentage at .914. He has been the team's MVP for the first seven weeks of the season.

"Marty is fine. He's just had a little dip," Tippett said, adding that Turco will work with goalie coach Andy Moog this week. "Andy is here for his scheduled time to work with the goalies, so we're going to let Marty get some work."

Predators come to town without Arnott …

They made it through almost 20 games with hardly a limp, but the Predators are now experiencing their first injury wave of the season.

The big blow on Tuesday came when the team learned it will be without the services
of center Jason Arnott for three to six weeks.

He'll undergo arthroscopic surgery today to repair torn meniscus cartilage in his right knee, an injury suffered in Monday's victory at Columbus.

Arnott was the team's prize free-agent signing during the offseason. He had 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 19 games.

"He was just starting to get on a roll, so we'll miss him,'' Coach Barry Trotz said. "But people go out all the time with injuries.

"It's a fact of life in the NHL and you just have to move forward.''

Giants wonder what happened to Eli …

At the center of the sputtering attack is Eli Manning, who started the season playing well but has since looked more like a lost rookie than the third-year cornerstone of a franchise.

Manning was 19 of 41 for 230 yards and a touchdown with 2 interceptions against the Jaguars. But this is no longer about his most recent game. Increasingly, it is about his ability to lead a team consistently toward a championship.

Manning had a passer rating of 97.1 through four games. With a completion rate that has fallen and a renewed propensity for throwing interceptions, he has not come close to matching that average in any of the six games since.

In the past two games, losses to the Chicago Bears and the Jaguars, his combined rating was 41.5.

From the Cowboys dark side …

Indianapolis Star focus on 1920’s Reporter Guy …

'23 skidoo' to you

The most bizarre moment of a long Sunday took place in the locker room, where Colts quarterback Peyton Manning was taking questions.

"The Dallas defense gave your boys the 23 skidoo all night long," observed a Dallas radio reporter. "What were they doing to play like the cat's pajamas?"

Manning gave the inquirer a long look before turning away. Manning said nothing. No need. Everyone understood.

Next question.

Here is some email:

Exercise bully - yes, you are one. And worse, an ignorant one.

Walking a mile and running a mile burn up exactly the same amount of calories. When you run they just burn faster.

Reasons to walk and not to run: a) Walking doesn't negatively impact your joints. bones, and spine - jogging does. b) Medical research has shown no health benefit from running as opposed to brisk walking. The only benefit of running is that it makes you a better runner.

I know an orthopedic surgeon who says he makes his living from over 40's who run and refuse to take his advice to find an aerobic exercise other than jogging. The results: lots of treatments and operations he makes money from. In his words, "the human body wasn't designed to be running after 40." If you are one of the lucky ones who can do it with no negative side effects, great. But don't put down others who find other types of exercise more suitable for them.

Thanks,

Danny Hoffman

-----

2006
Vanderjagt = 70%

2005
Cortez = 75%
Suisham = 75%
Cundiff = 62.5%

2004
Cundiff = 77%

2003
Cundiff = 79%

Stats don't lie.

Love,

Mike Hunt from RemoveRowdy.com

-----

Hola Bob.

I haven't heard anyone talking about it yet, but do you realize that the win over the Colts shouldn't have been that surprising? I think it was the Chargers that broke the streak last year against them and then the Steelers did it in the playoffs. Know what those teams have in common on defense? The 3-4. The Colts struggle against it for some reason.

Who did you have going into this last UFC event in the Hughes - GSP bout? I was pulling for GSP but I think it was a pick 'em. When they fight again I think it'll be another pick 'em bout. GSP has devastating stand up but there is no one better in the UFC at ground and pound than Matt Hughes. Excellent match.

Baby arm bar -

Scott

-----
Bob,

More Fran numbers:
20-21 Overall record

Record against OU: 0-4, TT: 1-3, NU: 0-2, t.u.: 0-3
11 losses of 20 or more points

Lost to every Big 12 team, except for KU/KSU at least once
Lost to every Big 12 team, except for KU/KSU/Baylor by at least 20 points

Overall Big 12 record of 10-14 with an average margin of loss of 22 points
Big 12 South record of 5-10 with an average margin of loss of 21 points

Worst loss in Texas A&M history (77-0)
Worst loss to Texas Tech in Texas A&M history (56-17)
Worst bowl game loss in Texas A&M history (38-7)
First loss to Iowa State in Texas A&M history
First losing season since 1982
First loss to Baylor since 1985

As a great man almost once said,

Mark: They're making a mockery of my University, man. This whole thing is turning out to be a theatrical mockery. You understand that, Mike?
Mike: No,
Mark: Well, you will.

-Brady
Class of '99

Youtube:

Cowboys fan breaks down Manning’s pick



Hughes – St Pierre 2



Gilbert Arenas



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Tuesday Blogging

Reasons that support the quest for the 2 seed …

With 9-1 Chicago in control of the NFC, the Cowboys can realistically set the No. 2 spot in the conference as attainable.

The path has been cut. All the Cowboys have to do is take it. Here's why:

The quarterback

The Cowboys say they knew Tony Romo could be good, but no one expected this. In his first four career starts, Romo is 3-1 and has completed 70.2 percent of his passes for 1,088 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. "It's unbelievable," nose tackle Jason Ferguson said.

The schedule

Four of their final six games are at Texas Stadium, where the Cowboys are 3-1. Those four visiting teams are a combined 5-13 on the road. "It's good, but it doesn't really matter home or away," linebacker Bradie James said. "We have to win."

Turnovers

In winning three of the past four games, the Cowboys are plus-8 in turnovers. The defense scored a game-tying touchdown Sunday against the Colts on linebacker Kevin Burnett's 39-yard interception return in the third quarter.

Few injuries

Unlike the two previous seasons when running back Julius Jones battled injuries, he's fine now. Jones needs 187 yards to become the first Cowboys running back to rush for 1,000 yards since Emmitt Smith in 2001. Other than receiver Terry Glenn, no offensive player has missed a game due to injury. The only major injury, and it was big, was the torn Achilles' tendon suffered by linebacker Greg Ellis.

Getting the breaks

Donovan McNabb is out for the season. The New York Giants are dealing with serious injuries to left tackle Luke Petitgout, defensive ends Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora and linebacker Carlos Emmons. New Orleans has lost back-to-back games. Atlanta has lost three consecutive games. Seattle is 6-4, but its quarterback is hurt and Shaun Alexander has yet to regain his pre-injury form.

Jim Reeves with the column about Today’s NFL…As you know, this beats me…

Oh, sure, the Cowboys got a couple of key breaks, such as the pass interference call that should have been made on Roy Williams' goal-line interception, and the fact that Kevin Burnett would probably have been ruled down on his touchdown interception return if Tony Dungy wasn't using his red challenge flag to blow his nose at the time.

But let's not quibble over semantics. Those are plays that happen in games every Sunday, the kind the Colts had overcome in their first nine games of the season. The best team on Sunday won the game. That's today's NFL.

The Colts won't be perfect this season, but I'd still bet we'll see them in South Beach on Feb. 4, so this wasn't a make-or-break game for them.

It very well may have been for the Cowboys.

Oh, even sitting at 5-5 you certainly couldn't write them out of the postseason picture, not in this NFL. There may yet be a 3-7 team out there that can ooze itself back into contention over the season's final six games.

I love Revo, but stop doing this! All writers do it, but unless you can tell me about the year in which 10 teams were 9-1 after week 10, then I don’t want to hear this. It is absurd to suggest that the race for the playoffs (which includes 12 teams) would be exclusive to only top tier teams. If you only want top teams in the playoffs, then change the format to the top two teams in each conference. Otherwise, if you are going to include 40% of each conference, expect some middle-tier mediocrity. It has nothing to do with “today’s NFL”.

Above, Sturm Hot Button issue #213.

Colts-Cowboys Ratings Winner …

The Cowboys’ 21-14 win over Indianapolis on Sunday, televised on CBS, was the highest-rated NFL game on any network this season.

Tony Romo passed for 226 yards and Marion Barber rushed for two touchdowns as the Cowboys upset the previously unbeaten Colts, who were on a nine-game winning streak,
in front of a crowd of 63,706 at Texas Stadium.

The game scored an overnight household rating/share of 15.8/29. The game, which CBS Sports protected under the new NFL flexible scheduling, out-rated Sunday’s San Diego-Denver game, which was moved to prime time on NBC, by 52 percent (15.8/29 vs. 10.4/16).

The Cowboys host Tampa Bay on Thanksgiving Day. Kickoff is 3:15 p.m. on FOX.

Gruden to Dallas? …

Bucs coach Jon Gruden responded angrily to a report in Sunday's Tampa Tribune that said he is actively seeking work elsewhere and could wind up coaching the Dallas Cowboys in 2007.

"Whoever wrote that story is an idiot," Gruden said after the Bucs' 20-17 victory against the Redskins. "I'm committed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; it's the only job I've ever wanted."

Gruden's remarks came in response to a column written by Ira Kaufman, who covers the NFL for the Tribune and quoted an NFL source who said it's possible that Gruden could leave the Bucs before his contract expires in 2008.

"That's not implausible," the source said of Gruden engineering his departure from Tampa Bay. "Ten years ago, it couldn't happen. Now, it's not a crazy idea."

Gruden vehemently disagreed with the notion that he would seek to leave the Bucs after this season, saying he thought the report that also suggested he could replace Cowboys coach Bill Parcells, was "laughable."

"I'm here as long as the Glazers will have me," Gruden said, referring to the family that owns the Bucs. "This is the greatest franchise in football, and we're on the way up.

"Somebody pointed that [column] out to me, and it's laughable, really. I like The Tampa Tribune. I subscribe to it. But whoever wrote that needs to have his head examined. I don't like it."

Mavs win 6th straight …

Dirk Nowitzki isn't mad about the way the Mavericks are playing.

After all, they've won six in a row after Monday night's 93-85 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.

But Nowitzki looks ahead and sees a tough back-to-back situation tonight against Washington at American Airlines Center, then a trip to San Antonio on Friday. He knows those games are closer to the measuring stick that this team needs than a banged-up Memphis team or a not-ready-for-prime-time bunch of Bobcats.

"We know if we want to do anything against the really good teams, we got to start playing better than this sooner or later," Nowitzki said after piling up 24 points, 14 rebounds and four assists. "After an 0-4 start, we'll take wins however we can get them.

"But to be honest, we haven't really played that well. We're lucky to get these wins."

And, also to be honest, the Mavericks haven't exactly been beating up on elite squads during their winning streak.

The combined record of the six victims: 16-43. None of the opponents is over .500.
So it's a little early to say the Mavericks are on a roll. But at least they are as good as they can be after the dreadful start.

Stars win; Turco yanked for being a sieve …

The Stars had a shaky start. A quick penalty led to the Avalanche's first goal, as Marek Svatos' shot hit Marty Turco's right pad and slowly dribbled across the line. Svatos struck again about five minutes later, sneaking one between the post and Turco.

That was it for Turco, who made three stops on five shots in just under seven minutes. Mike Smith played the remainder, stopping 16 of 18 shots.

"In that position you just gotta be ready to go at all times," Smith said. "Not that Marty was playing bad, but it just shook the team up a bit, and we rebounded. That was probably one of the better games we've played in a couple of weeks."

Tippett said he was just looking for a spark.

"Turk's numbers haven't been very good, his save percentage numbers over the last five games," Tippett said. "Turk is best when he gets into a groove. You give up two early, now you just need to change momentum in the game."

Morrow injured after scoring 2 goals …

With his two goals at the end of the first period, Brenden Morrow gave the struggling Stars new life.

But Morrow's night came to an early end.

Morrow suffered a leg injury late in the second period Monday, and coach Dave Tippett said it was similar to what Jere Lehtinen suffered last week against the Islanders.

Tippett said the team will evaluate Morrow this morning.

"That's one of those ones where he tweaked it a little bit," Tippett said. "It's a little bit like Leht's. We don't want it to turn into a long-term thing. We'll be precautionary."

When asked how he felt after the game, Morrow said "I've been better." He said he couldn't pinpoint exactly what happened when he got hurt.

"It wasn't really a pop or anything," Morrow said. "I was trying to jump into the play. I took three strides and my fourth one was no good. I didn't feel a collision or anything. It was just a freaky thing on the ice."

If it is the same injury as Lehtinen's, the Stars may practice the same type of caution. Lehtinen has skated in recent practices, but he has missed the last three games.

We discussed the NHL not using Hull on a national basis last night on the post game show; unbeknownst to us, they were going to use him …

For years, people have been telling Brett Hull he could become the Charles Barkley of the NHL if went in front of the TV cameras.

Now he'll get his chance.

Hull, the Stars' ambassador and special assistant to the president, has agreed to terms on a contract that will have him doing studio work for NBC throughout the regular season and Stanley Cup playoffs. He confirmed the agreement before Monday's game.

TR Sullivan’s mailbag is good this week ….

Colt McCoy is back …

Texas fans, you may now exhale.

UT quarterback Colt McCoy has been cleared to play Friday against archrival Texas A&M, the school announced Monday. And offensive guard Justin Blalock has been cleared to join him.

Both were knocked out of the Longhorns' loss at Kansas State on Nov.11, McCoy with a shoulder stinger and Blalock with a twisted left knee.

McCoy, the Longhorns' freshman phenom, was injured plunging for a touchdown on a goal-line sneak in the first quarter.

Below, find the two coaches that know how to dress like a coach should:





They are allowed to do it twice …

Mike Nolan and Jack Del Rio are ready to suit up.

The San Francisco coach and his Jacksonville counterpart have the NFL's permission to wear dress suits designed by Reebok during two games this season.

Nolan is expected to debut his old-school outfit -- consisting of a black suit, a white shirt and a red-and-gold-striped tie -- at the 49ers' home game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Del Rio also will wear a suit-and-tie ensemble in Monday night's home game against the New York Giants.

Nolan wouldn't confirm his plan Wednesday to wear the suit he first requested last year, saying, "I'm just focused on the opponent, not what I'm wearing."

But NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the 49ers coach has permission to "test-drive" the suit at two games this season.

"Working with Reebok, they were able to come up with something that should work for him," McCarthy said.

Nolan first broached the idea of wearing a suit and tie during games shortly after he was hired by the 49ers in 2005. He believes the ensemble will project an image of authority while also honoring his father, Dick, the 49ers' coach from 1968-75, and legendary coaches such as Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi.

But the NFL couldn't immediately give permission, citing its lucrative outfitting contract with Reebok. Nolan has worn pullovers and polo shirts so far during his tenure, but has worked with Reebok's designers to come up with the natty ensemble he's expected to show off Sunday.

Dan Reeves is thought to be the last NFL coach to wear a suit on the sideline. Coaches have been required to wear team-issued clothing since 1993.
Del Rio is expected to wear his suit again at the Jaguars' game against Indianapolis on Dec. 10, and Nolan will suit up again at a game still to be determined.

Eagles Great Andre Waters kills himself …

To the shock of Ryan and everyone else who knew him, Waters, 44, ended his life early yesterday. He put a gun to his head in his north Tampa home and shot himself. His girlfriend discovered his body at about 1:30 a.m.

Waters is the third prominent member of those Eagles Gang Green defenses of the late 1980s and early '90s to die. Defensive tackle Jerome Brown was killed in the prime of his life - and career - in a 1992 automobile accident in Florida. He was 27. Defensive end Reggie White died in his sleep 2 years ago at the age of 43. Another former Eagle from that era, safety Todd Bell, who played for the Eagles in '88 and '89, died of a heart attack last year. He was only 47.

Steve Spalding sets another record …

An American man caught 116 tossed grapes in his mouth in three minutes in what he hopes will become a new Guinness World Record, his publicity team said Thursday.
Steve "the Grape Guy" Spalding, 44, of Dallas, Texas also set a personal record for endurance grape catching, using his mouth to catch 1,203 grapes thrown from a distance of 15 feet over half an hour, according to publicist Deanna Brown.

No Guinness World Records officials were present at Spalding's grape-gobbling attempt, carried out Thursday in Australia overlooking Sydney's iconic Opera House.
But Brown said observers had filmed Spalding's attempt and would be submitting forms to Guinness officials in the hopes of creating a new record for speed grape-catching — the most grapes caught in the mouth over three minutes.

No current speed grape catching record exists, she said.

Guinness World Records has no offices in Australia, and the organization could not immediately be reached for comment.

ight&lid=tab3pos1> Athletes love the Wire …

With all due respect to the good people who hand out the Emmys, the best show on television has nothing to do with horny housewives, castaways or Jersey. It's "The Wire"

-- HBO's gritty depiction of Baltimore's war on drugs. It's dripping with so much political corruption and unsettling social commentary that it's hard to tell whether you're watching a TV show or the news.

The series has been the darling of critics since it debuted four years ago. It has also become one of the most-watched programs among black athletes.

Carmelo Anthony loves the show.

As does Steve Francis.

Larry Hughes is also fan.

The Baltimore Ravens? Half the squad TiVo's it.

"The things in the show are some of the things I saw growing up in Detroit," says the Ravens' Derrick Mason. "Maybe not that drastic, but it's pretty real."

It should be. David Simon, the show's creator, was a police reporter for the Baltimore Sun. His writing partner, Edward Burns, taught social studies for seven years in the Baltimore school system after serving for 20 years as a city police detective. If those two can't get it right, no one can.

"A lot of black athletes like the show because it really tells it like it is," says Hughes, who grew up in St. Louis. "It goes beyond just who got shot, which makes it more interesting, because life in the 'hood is more complicated than that."

Creepy story of the day …

A 68-year-old man who almost accompanied Cory Lidle on his fatal flight in New York City last month died in a plane crash in California on Tuesday.

According to the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Bob Cartwright, whose friend and personal pilot died in the plane crash that also killed the New York Yankees pitcher, and two other men died when their private plane crashed into the shoreline of Big Bear Lake, near Cartwright's mountain home in Sugarloaf, Calif.

Last month Cartwright's friend, Tyler Stanger, invited him to a playoff game between the Yankees and Detroit Tigers, but Cartwright couldn't make it. Lidle and Stanger died Oct. 11 when their plane crashed into an apartment building in New York City.

Youtube:

Robbing the Liquor store



Dwarf fights midget



Smash my PS3

Cowboys 21, Colts 14 (6-4)

I have no desire to shock you with a statement that might be difficult to take this early in the morning, but it is my job – so here I go: That was a BIG win.

That win changes everything. That win shows what this team is capable of. That win shows what your QB is capable of. You just wish that you could enjoy this win for a full week, right.

• I want you to know that this point would have been written whether the Cowboys won or lost; Peyton Manning is a beating. Before the snap his non-sense is just flat out goofy. It can only be likened to the pre-swing routine that Sergio Garcia used to have when he would re-grip his club for 10-15 seconds before every shot. It is just physically draining to even watch it. I can’t imagine standing opposite Manning on defense and having to wait through his “look at me – I understand football better than anyone and watch me gesture over here and there to prove it” routine. He is prolific and perfect and all of that, but what an absolute beating to watch. Maybe this is why I enjoy his losses so very much.

• Incidentally, I would love to blame Peyton on this one, but it is clearly all the NFL’s fault that they throw a flag on that “roughing the passer” penalty on Marcus Spears. As a Favre fan, I have enjoyed the bogus call on this play because a DL player breathed wrong on a marquee QB, but that was insane. Peyton Manning is as protected a QB as there is.

• Tony Romo’s poise, composure, and execution continues to boggle the mind. In the 4th Quarter, his use of Terry Glenn was phenomenal. The best example was the job with the slant play over and over, and then the pump fake to the slant and finding Glenn down the sideline for 33 yards. In the first half, he got together with Terrell Owens plenty, and then in the 2nd half it was pretty much all Glenn.

• The defense got it done yesterday. The takeaways were great, and that stand at the end against Manning and his boys was a thing of beauty. That is what we were talking about in Oxnard.

• Mike Vanderjagt reminds me of something Jim Cramer tells me during his show “Mad Money”. “We aren’t worried about where a stock has been, we are only worried about where it is going”. Well, I don’t care if this guy is the most accurate kicker in the history of the NFL. The fact is that right now he sucks. You can make the case that his missed kick in the playoffs last year against Pittsburgh screwed up his head and he has no way out of the mess. But, the Cowboys don’t have to roll with this any longer. I would start searching the waiver wire for a kicker because my kicker has used 2 strikes already.

• There was a moment during a TV commercial when Emmitt Smith was introduced on the jumbo-tron. The place went nuts when he was introduced as the Champion of Dancing with Stars. And then he started dancing in his seat. It was really sad.

• Julius Jones just about cost the Cowboys this win. On the drive when the Cowboys tied the score at 14-14, Julius had a nice run around the right corner which went for 6 yards with :37 left in the 3rd Quarter. But for some reason, unknown to anyone watching, Julius ran out of bounds and was marked short of the first down. The Cowboys had to run two more plays, including a 4th down QB sneak just to get the First Down. Why didn’t Julius make sure he had the first down? If he would have lowered his shoulder, he could have run for another 4 yards. But the Cowboys got away with this one. Jim Brown would not have been proud of Julius on this play.

• Kevin Burnett finally made a play! And what a play it was when he returned his interception for a Touchdown. I had high hopes for this kid after watching his domination at Tennessee. Let’s hope he continues to grow into his role here in Dallas.

• And speaking of that play, Why didn’t Jason Hatcher take his opportunity to steamroll Peyton Manning? An interception return is your one chance to get a lick in on a QB within the rules, and Hatcher treated him delicately. I guess the rookie didn’t want to risk penalty, but I would have liked a bit more violence.

• On the Cowboys 4th drive of the game, the one that ended with Vanderjagt hitting the upright from 43 yards, the Cowboys Wide Outs were Patrick Crayton and Sam Hurd. Owens and Glenn were standing on the sideline. Found that odd to say the least.

• Terrence Newman left the game with that punt return collision. I am concerned about his health and Anthony Henry’s health with a short week upcoming. Also, when Newman was out and Aaron Glenn was in, did you see the Colts run right at him on consecutive plays? I think we under-rate how good the corners are here sometimes.

• A day in the life of Roy Williams: Look great all day, cause big plays, get an interception, and decapitate an opponent. Then, get picked on by Peyton for a TD since you cannot cover Dallas Clark at all. Much more good than bad, though.

• Jason Witten’s ability to commit penalties is unmatched.

• Big props to the pass rush for getting pressure on Peyton. And despite Freeney killing Flozell early on, I thought the OL did decent work in protecting Romo and trying to open holes for MB3 and Jones. It was a real struggle yesterday as both teams were playing some physical football.

• I think the Cowboys need to consider more screen plays now that Romo is here.

• I think the Cowboys are much better now that Romo is here, and I think it is time I stop waiting for him to come back to earth. This kid is special. You can just feel it.

• According to Elias: Tony Romo, making the fourth start of his NFL career, led the Cowboys to a 21-14 win over the previously undefeated Colts (9-1). Romo was the first QB to defeat a team with a record of 7-0 or better with as few as three prior starts in the NFL. Two QBs defeated teams with a 6-0 record in their fourth NFL start: Mark Malone of the Steelers over the 49ers in 1984 and Doug Flutie of the Patriots over the Bengals in 1988. It was only the second time in Bill Parcells' NFL head-coaching career that he faced an undefeated team with more than three wins. The other was a 31-10 Giants loss to the 49ers (5-0) 22 years ago, in Parcells' second season.

• A few other stats: QB Peyton Manning entered today's game with three interceptions on the year. Today's two interception game was his first multiple-interception game of the season.

• And this: RB Marion Barber recorded his second multi-touchdown game of the season with two rushing touchdowns today. He is now tied for third in the NFL with nine rushing touchdowns. (Tomlinson - 16, Johnson - 12, Parker - 9).

• Finally, consecutive wins. Now, let’s make it 3 wins in 11 days. If they do, the Cowboys are going to be in the playoffs.

Sorry.

Comments are being taken off this blog for now. It is too much a beating to police the cussing, fighting, and imposter issue. I want to hear what everyone has to say, but I don't have the time to calm down people that think I just insulted them, when it is actually someone posing as me.

No big deal, and it may return at some point. For now, use our forum for your feedback.

The Comments thread at the bobanddan forum ...

Good times.

Bob

What a Sports Weekend!

A big Sports weekend. With all due respect to the Stars trip to Atlanta, the Mavs home and home with Memphis, and OU-Baylor, we are focusing on 3 major sporting events at Bob’s Blog. Well, actually 4, but since we are pretty sure New England will trounce the Pack on Sunday (is there any chance New England loses 3 straight games?), I won’t beat you down with that one.

Major Sporting Event #1:

Michigan – Ohio State …

The Game has always been more than just another game. This year, though, the stakes are higher than they've ever been.

It's No. 1 and unbeaten Ohio State facing No. 2 and unbeaten Michigan, and if this one feels different, it's because it is different, very different. This one has been elevated to a new level in the storied rivalry that many call the greatest in college football. No. 1 vs. No. 2 has never happened in this series.

But that's what will occur Saturday afternoon at raucous Ohio Stadium. Michigan and Ohio State have met three times before as undefeated teams, in 1970, 1973 and 1975, but never before has so much been riding on The Game.

The Big Ten has been decided in 20 of the meetings between the teams, and 42 times the game has had some impact on the conference title.

This time, though, Michigan-Ohio State will not only decide the Big Ten champion, but the winner earns the opportunity to play for the national title Jan. 8 in Arizona.

"This game Saturday -- Michigan at Ohio State -- is a Super Bowl game," ABC analyst Paul Maguire said. "The BCS championship game is something else. This goes beyond all championships.

"This is a game that if you don't watch, there is something wrong with you. I don't care if your team is playing on television someplace else. You better watch this game, because it's going to be a tremendous defensive struggle."

This week’s college football TV slate …

Major Sporting Event #2:

Colts at Cowboys …

Coach Bill Parcells has a sense of what Sunday's game against Indianapolis might do for his team.

If the Cowboys can upset the undefeated Indianapolis Colts (9-0), it could have a huge impact on the rest of the season.

It could build momentum and change the attitude of his team.

To have a solid shot at a playoff berth, the Cowboys probably need to finish 10-6, which would mean going 5-2 in the remaining seven games.

"We're playing good teams by and large most of the way, and I think this win would do us a lot of good confidence-wise," Parcells said.

A victory could also give the Cowboys back-to-back victories for just the second time this season since knocking off Washington and Tennessee. The Cowboys are also seeking some home-cooked confidence.

They are 2-1 at home this season and haven't been home since a demoralizing 36-22 setback on Oct. 23 to the New York Giants. Dallas also has the luxury of playing five of the final seven games at Texas Stadium.

"You need to start adding them up right now," Parcells said. "This is the time of year you've got to start doing something."

Glenn ready to go

Cowboys veteran wide receiver Terry Glenn expects to return to the starting lineup Sunday against the Colts.

Glenn practiced for the second consecutive day after missing last week's game because of cartilage irritation under the right kneecap.

Glenn said the rest last week helped the recovery and said the pain he had when running and cutting is gone. He is listed on the injury report as probable.

Do the Cowboys depend completely on Flozell Adams …

Bill Parcells often speaks with certain players about how important their production will be against a particular opponent.

This week, the Cowboys' coach talked with left tackle Flozell Adams.

Indianapolis defensive end Dwight Freeney, who is considered one of the top linemen in the NFL, will line up against Adams on Sunday at Texas Stadium.

Freeney doesn't have a lot of sacks, only 1½, but he does have a team-leading 22
quarterback pressures – and that concerns the Cowboys.

Parcells has raved about Freeney, explaining that his sack total is down because of constant double- and triple-teams. Adams will receive some blocking help from a running back or tight end.

But mainly, it's Adams against Freeney.

If we are going to constantly point out that Peyton Manning is 3-6 in the playoffs, shouldn’t we also recall that Tony Dungy is 5-8 ? Let’s not forget he was a playoff choker in Tampa Bay first…

If the Indianapolis Colts need another cause to champion a title run, here is one to consider: If they win, they will prove that a good-guy coach who stands for something more important than football is capable of shepherding a team to greatness.

The questions will be there until Dungy wins it, just like the questions will dog Peyton Manning until his day comes:

Is Tony tough enough? Mean enough? Inspiring enough? Is it possible to be a normal person and not a control-mad workaholic with a chip on his shoulder? It's impossible to look at his checkered postseason history -- and the fact Jon Gruden won it all just a year after he left Tampa Bay -- and resist the temptation to ask those questions.

I look at the kinds of coaches who have had success in the post-salary cap era, and they all fall under similar headings. All of them are control freaks. Most of them are fiery orators who can wound a player with one word and rebuild his self-image with the next. Mike Holmgren. Mike Shanahan. Bill Cowher. Belichick.
The only man who comes close to Dungy, at least in the sense that he gives respect and receives it in return, is the retired Dick Vermeil.

"With Tony, it's like when you disappoint your father,'' said guard Jake Scott. "He doesn't scream and yell, but you know, just by how he's looking at you, that he's really disappointed in you. You don't want to let him down.''

Recent NFL history suggests that fear can work, if it's properly utilized. The coach of the Colts' opponents this Sunday, Bill Parcells of the Cowboys, is an absolute master at using creative tension to bring out the best in his players.

With the Colts, though, you're looking at a team whose veteran leaders are self-motivated by nature, who don't need threats to sustain them. If a man like Dungy is ever going to win it all, it will come with this group.
This year.

Peyton’s Amazing numbers …

Lebreton on the Colts move from Baltimore …good stuff…


Baseball Free Agency rolls On …

The biggest splash came overseas, in Japan, and the buzz surrounding the Red Sox’ $51.1 million bid for pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka began dwindling only when the Blue Jays agreed in principle to a lavish two-year contract with the free-agent slugger Frank Thomas.

The deals completed in between — namely the left-handed reliever Jamie Walker’s three-year, $12 million agreement with Baltimore and the infielder Mark DeRosa’s three-year, $13 million contract with the Cubs — were, in their own ways, just as lucrative.

“What is the definition of wild?” Mets General Manager Omar Minaya said. “I don’t think there’s enough in the free-agent market to fulfill those needs, so the only option is for trades. And I think there’s going to be a lot of activity there.”
But that will not necessarily stop the Mets or the rest of baseball’s big spenders from throwing loads of money at what is viewed as an average free-agent class. Minaya said he had extended contract offers to a few free agents. He declined to specify to whom, though the Mets are seeking another second baseman, like Julio Lugo, and want to upgrade their starting pitching.

For the first time in a few years, the Mets and the Yankees will probably be competing for the same players. Both teams are interested in Barry Zito and may seek similar fall-back options among the second-tier pitchers.

In Colorado, The Rockies may move Jason Jennings …Go Get Him, Rangers! Home town boy who can pitch, stay healthy, and not cost a fortune! Get him!

Colorado, our beloved AAA½ team masquerading as a major-league franchise, is listening to trade offers for Jennings.

What, are the Rockies crazy? Cheap? Or both?

Looking to find a center fielder and a relief pitcher at bargain-basement prices, O'Dowd might be forced to trade Jennings, a 28-year-old right-handed starter and one of the few players who has been in a Rockies uniform long enough for us to know his name without a scorecard.

Despite such weak hitting behind him that Jennings could have sued the Rockies for lack of support, he grew into a man in full last season. He's the character guy that Generation R professes to be about. Jennings, about as fancy as a pickup truck and every bit as hard-working, is underappreciated by fans and team management, according to teammate Todd Helton.

Major Sporting Event #3:

Matt Hughes vs. Georges St Pierre …

Forget Michigan-Ohio State. Saturday's real battle between No. 1 and No. 2 takes place in the octagon at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title match between champion Matt Hughes and challenger Georges St. Pierre just might be the perfect mixed martial arts showdown.

Rarely have two opponents at the top of their game offered such an intriguing blend of contrasts and complements as those possessed by Hughes, one of the greatest champions in the history of the sport, and St. Pierre, considered by many his heir apparent.

Hughes takes on Canada’s military history …

Prior to the first Hughes-St. Pierre fight in October 2004, Hughes said "Who wants to lose to a Canadian in a street fight?" St. Pierre has alleged more slurs prior to this bout.

Hughes was asked by a Canadian reporter Thursday if such comments were mere pre-fight hype and whether he wanted to clarify his attitude towards those north of the border.

"Well, if you look back at history, I don't think Canada's had big wars or anything like that. They're not a violent country, can we say that? Would you agree?" the 170-pound champion asked the reporter.

Told Canada had done its bit, Hughes responded: "You've done your bit. Well I'm from America and I think we're fighters, as a country. Look where we're at, we're all over. That's what I was talking about."

So Canadians aren't fighters, Hughes was then asked.

"I don't see you guys venturing out trying to help the world out, we'll say that," he responded.

UFC president Dana White chimed in: "Put that in the headline, Matt Hughes hates Canadians. Pay-per-view Saturday night," said White.

Hughes kept going.

"Some of you guys definitely like to twist your words around, we'll see if that's what you do. But I've got no problem with Canada. I like Canada, as my website goes I've got a lot of people in Canada who like me, ordering this, ordering that or just showing their support."

"That just ended, that's over." said White to laughs.

St. Pierre then entered the fray.

"If Matt thinks there is no warrior in Canada, he's going to be in a war Saturday night, I can tell you that right now."

St. Pierre did not seem irked at Hughes' take on Canada's world relations. But he has clearly not appreciated some of Hughes' other comments.

"There is some stuff you can tease a person (about) in public. Some stuff you can say and some stuff you can't," he said Thursday.

St. Pierre said last month that Hughes had told a Los Angeles station that "Georges is French and the French didn't make war with us. They don't have a real warrior spirit. They don't have any heart. So the fight is going to be easy. Georges is going to give up because of that."

So, My Picks:

Ohio State 27, Michigan 19
Indianapolis 27, Dallas 20
Matt Hughes Submits St Pierre, 3rd Round

And, I could easily go 0-3.

Small of the Back



Cancel my AOL

11/16 The Weekend Approaches

Romo being compared to Peyton …I’m serious. They are doing it…

Still, it was the excitement over Romo's three-game road swing, which could have been a 3-0 trip, that caused the most surprising bandwagon jumpers to leap aboard late Sunday night.

The men who set the betting line in Las Vegas established the Cowboys as 2 ½ -point favorites. OK, it didn't hold up. Enough money poured in on the Colts to move the line to favor Indianapolis by a point, but the fascination with Romo and the potential he represents as the leader of the Cowboys' offense created the initial burst of enthusiasm in Vegas.

If the consistent play of an undrafted player is a surprise to some around the country, it has been nothing of the sort to Romo's favorite target (although he refuses to call him that), Terrell Owens.

"I've played with a lot of quarterbacks in 10 years," Owens said. "Not like I'm a scout but I've been around football long enough to know if a player can weather the storm. I watched him in the preseason take drives basically from end zone to end zone.

"It's not shocking at all to me."

It's funny the number of people around the country who felt Parcells was tossing in the towel on 2006 and looking ahead when he benched Drew Bledsoe after a 3-3 start. Instead, he was (belatedly by two weeks and one loss) giving the offense (and definitely Owens) a fresh start.

Throw out the rough performance coming off the bench against the Giants, and focus on what Romo has done when prepared for the starting role – 68-for-101 passing, 862 yards, five touchdowns, one interception.

Those are the kinds of numbers that give a team a playoff chance and put Romo into the same conversation with Manning.

Romo gave it his customary sheepish grin and admitted he had heard he was ranked second to Manning but said he's simply confident in the players around him.

"Basically, I feel like anytime we step on the field we have the talent to win the game," Romo said. "We have enough talent to win a lot of games. We just have to stop beating ourselves."

The Indy Star tries to explain low Colts sack totals …

The Buffalo Bills took to an extreme what so many others have dabbled with this season when dealing with the Indianapolis Colts' pass rush.

Rather than put quarterback JP Losman in harm's way, the Bills last Sunday ran, ran and ran some more, even when passes seemed obviously warranted. On five of their seven third-and-long plays, needing seven yards or more, they ran. Losman threw a total of 12 times.

Credit -- even if the sack totals don't -- the presence of Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis.

It's doubtful the Cowboys will be as conservative Sunday when the Colts visit Texas Stadium. But they'll certainly be aware of the whereabouts of edge men Freeney, Mathis and their pocket-crashing cohorts, despite the Colts' 29th-ranked 15 total sacks.

"I think they have an outstanding front seven,'' Dallas quarterback Tony Romo said Wednesday in a teleconference with Indy reporters. "Obviously it all starts with Freeney up front, and Mathis is a game-wrecker, too.

"We've got to do some things to keep them off balance.''

Thus far, teams have done that by limiting the number of prime pass-rush opportunities for Freeney, in particular, and the defensive line in general.

The Bills made it clear they had no interest in allowing Freeney and Mathis to ransack their quarterback.

Losman handed off to Anthony Thomas on third-and-11, third-and-16, third-and-14, third-and-11 and third-and-21. Colts coach Tony Dungy noted Buffalo also "ran (on) just about every second-and-long."

The Bills aren't alone. Through nine games, the Colts have defended the fewest passes in the league, 237. That's a byproduct of their NFL-worst run defense; the 283 rush attempts they've faced trail only Oakland (299) and Tennessee (285).

It's also translated into fewer sacks. At this point last year, Indy had 31, more than twice as many as now.

"We've actually rushed pretty well," Dungy said. "We just haven't had that many opportunities to rush."

Mathis got to Losman twice, upping his team-leading total to 61/2. Freeney generated his first full sack of the season, discarding Bills tight end Robert Royal en route to a key 6-yard sack in the fourth quarter.

More often, Freeney found himself the center of attention. On one of Mathis' sacks, three Bills were busy impeding Freeney.

Dungy said sack numbers "can be deceiving at times. But our guys, if they get a chance to rush, they're still rushing pretty well."

Peyton is everyone’s golden boy …

With another brilliant season as triggerman for the NFL's only undefeated team, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is certainly in the running to win his third NFL Most Valuable Player award.

What is not in doubt is how Manning is MVP in another sense: Most Valuable Pitchman.
He plays in one of the league's smallest markets, but major companies cannot get enough of Manning: He is featured in at least six national ads this season. Manning, 30, leads in passer rating (104.5) and touchdown passes (18) and, according to a recent Sports Illustrated survey, has endorsement income of $11.5 million, aside from his seven-year, $98 million deal with the Colts.

Will he throw for more touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday or be in more commercials?

"You don't have to be an executive at a Madison Avenue advertising agency to figure out that Peyton Manning is the real deal," says Eddie White, vice president of team properties for Reebok, one of the companies using Manning. "And he's the whole package."

Last night, Stars get spanked at home …have scored 3 goals in 4 games…

The Stars came up with 71 "shot opportunities" and still lost a 3-0 game to the New York Islanders. The Stars have scored three goals in their last four games – a stretch in which the team has gone 1-3-0.

"Nobody is going to feel sorry for us when we're down," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "Outplaying a team and not winning is just like getting the snot kicked out of you."

The Stars were shut out at home for the first time since Jan. 2, 2004 (a 6-0 loss to Phoenix) and fell to 12-5-0. They had 35 shots on goal, 18 that missed the net and another 18 that were blocked by the Islanders. New York, conversely, had 41 "shot opportunities."

The irony of the situation is that the Stars are becoming their own version of Mr. Hyde. Dallas typically frustrates teams and scores on the counterattack. The Stars nurse leads and then strike for insurance goals in the third period. But the Islanders scored a fortunate goal in the first period and then waited out the Stars to score on counterattacks in the second and third periods.

"You have to find a way to hang around the game," Tippett said. "If we're not scoring, then we need to not give up anything. If we're going to score little, we need to give up little."

But while that formula seemed to work in a 1-0 win on the road against Phoenix last week, it failed in front of an American Airlines Center crowd of 17,643 that was hungry for goals. The more the Stars failed with the man advantage – going 0-for-3 in both the first and second periods – the more the team pushed hard to score.

Revo on the Stars …

Goals for the Stars are suddenly as scarce as unbroken bones in Stephane Robidas' nose. Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro stuffed 35 shots, and the Islanders dealt the Stars a scratch-your-head 3-0 loss Wednesday night at the AAC.

It was the Stars' third loss in four games after a red-hot start, and they've managed just three goals in their last 13 periods. Want more? They've had 70 shots in the last two games, and only one has wound up in the back of the net. They were shut out at home for the first time since January 2004.

Timing is everything. A good captain knows when to make himself heard.

"If our record was 4-12 instead of 12-4, the pressure would be building a little bit more," Morrow had said before the game. "There are so many leaders in the locker room and so much support around. I've never really been the vocal guy.

"If we had gone through some adversity, that's when the captain would step up and
voice his opinion, but it's been pretty smooth sailing, other than that two-game losing streak, and we had a little sit-down together and everyone voiced their opinion on how we were going to get things back on track."

Back on track didn't last long, and I do believe losing three out of four, even this early in the season, meets most of the qualifications of adversity.

But all this is new for Morrow, who replaced Mike Modano as the Stars' captain just before training camp opened, so don't expect him to immediately begin throwing temper tantrums. That wouldn't be him, and it wouldn't be genuine. He's more of a lead-by-example captain by nature.

"I've always had the same mind-set going into games, and I haven't really tried to change too much," he said. "One of the things I wanted to do was stay out of the penalty box. I wanted to be able to practice what I preach. If I'm telling guys we can't be taking stupid penalties out there, then I can't be the one doing it myself.

What does $51 million get you in baseball? …Red Sox are no longer allowed to complain about the Yankees…

The 2006 Red Sox suffered an unspeakable spate of injuries, but their dysfunctional roster was woefully equipped for land mines encountered in the second half of the season. This was because, in large part, of the "win now" vs. "win in '08" split in the executive suites at Fenway. With Lucchino stripped of power, young Theo made the decision to take a step back in '06 in hopes that his farm system and patience would reap rewards in future summers. And so on Aug. 31 (10 days after Manny Ramírez quit for the year) -- with the Sox eight games out of first place -- Theo officially ran up the white flag when he traded David Wells for George Kottaras.

Boston's sad, sloppy September was little more than extended spring training (at whopping big league prices) as the Red Sox auditioned a soft parade of prospects and suspects, intent on finding out who might be able to help in 2007 and '08. Nearly 200 miles to the southwest, the Yankees smiled and cruised to the division title without the usual threat from Boston.

Now the urgency is back on Yawkey Way and this can only be a good thing for Red Sox Nation. Forking over $90 million for one starting pitcher is a sure sign the Sox have returned to a "win now" philosophy. And there is no indication of a power struggle or a split. Owner John Henry, stung by the stunning collapse of '06, doesn't mind digging into his portfolio. Meanwhile, Boston's Machiavellian move to box out the Yankees is smudged with Lucchino's fingerprints, and Epstein and his minions have made it clear they believe in Matsuzaka's abilities and long-term upside. You can almost hear Dr. Charles Steinberg at the keyboard while Theo, Larry, and John hold hands and sing, "We Are The World."

There's other fallout from this bold, expensive move. As long as they are owned by Henry and friends, the Red Sox are no longer allowed to complain about the Yankee s payroll. It has been a comfortable crutch for too long -- complaining about their inability to compete with the Yankees. But those days are over. The Red Sox just spent $51.1 million for the right to negotiate with a player. Their bid topped the Yankees by nearly $20 million.

It was just four years ago that the Sox were outbid by the Yankees in the infamous, furniture-busting Jose Contreras sweepstakes at the Hotel Campo Real in Nicaragua. You might remember Lucchino saying, "The Evil Empire extends its tentacles even into Latin America." The comment triggered new levels of hostility in the ancient rivalry. (We will resist the temptation here to trace Contreras's disappointing career with the Yankees and wonder if that fate could find Matsuzaka.)

One year later, the Contreras contretemps was followed by the Alex Rodriguez Valentine's Day fiasco. That's when Henry characterized the Yankees as "a team that has gone so insanely far beyond the resources of all other teams."

Last August, in the final hours of the humiliating five-game Fenway sweep at the hands of the Bronx Bombers, Epstein resurrected the same pathetic theme, saying, "We are not the Yankees . . . We have to do things different . . . That's the reality. It's going to occasionally leave us short, it's going to leave us short every time there's a player who's available in a bidding war."

Maybe that was a rope-a-dope by the clever Sox to catch the Yankees napping this week.

OJ Simpson – back to make America crazy …

This brings to mind O.J. Simpson, who is releasing a book called If I Did It and plans a TV interview to discuss it.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not about to advocate killing someone. No one ever should. However, if there was ever an individual who deserved to be vilified, excoriated and, dare I say again, beaten down both physically and emotionally, it's O.J. Simpson.

With gloves that actually fit.

O.J. Simpson is a despicable human being, which is actually being kind because some would say he's officially less than human. Any man who would attempt to profit off the double murder of his ex-wife (Nicole Brown Simpson) and her friend (Ronald Goldman) with such glee, such indifference to a brutal slaying practically everyone believes he committed, does not deserve anyone's understanding or compassion.

Here are the lowlights scheduled for Nov. 27 and 29 at the Fox television channel nearest you:

O.J. stops just shy of admitting he committed the murders.

O.J. tells the way he would have committed the murders if he were responsible for the crimes.

There's nothing in the preliminary reports that denies he'll be smiling throughout the episode.

"It is horribly frustrating and at the same time demoralizing for Fred Goldman and his family," Jonathan Polak, a lawyer representing the Goldmans, told reporters. "Especially when they read about things like this.

Tickets for Ohio State-Michigan not so easy …

Don't have a ticket to Saturday's big showdown between Michigan and Ohio State?
Try not to feel bad _ even rock stars can't get tickets.

An Ohio State spokesman says Nickelback was looking for four tickets to the game. But there wasn't any room and the band doesn't have a connection to the university.

Other celebrities were luckier. Steve Snapp at Ohio State says members of the country group Rascal Flatts and Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter will be at the game. So will former Buckeyes Eddie George and Cris Carter.

Two of the three members of Rascal Flatts grew up in central Ohio. Their publicist said today they haven't decided if they'll be able to come.

Jeter grew up in Michigan and will be on the Wolverines' sideline during the game.

Is Freddy Adu good? …

No one refers to Adu as the "teen phenom" anymore. It gradually dawned on the non-soccer media that someone touted as a soccer sensation will not necessarily score eight goals every game. Admittedly MLS, eager to get value for its money, at first hyped Adu as something he clearly couldn't yet be. The youngest ever American to play a major league sport quickly found out that wily, seasoned defenders could be quick to get physical, and were not prepared to be stooges in some Roy of the Rovers fantasy league.

In that first season, overall average attendances went up because, when DC United played away, many curious onlookers turned up to find out what all the fuss was about. Those expecting him to juggle the ball and balance it on his back, as he famously did on the Late Show with David Letterman, tended not to come back the following year.

So is he any good? Well, if you take his stats alone, he hasn't done badly. Playing almost exclusively as a wide midfielder (his natural position is as either a playmaking central midfielder, or possibly a striker if he grows some more) he's scored 11 goals in 59 starts and 29 substitute appearances. Only this year, in his third season, has he held down a regular starting spot in a team with its fair share of flair players such as Argentinian Christian Gomez, the 2006 player of the year, and Bolivian veteran Jaime Moreno.

One of the reasons Adu has held down a place is that he's learned to do as his coach tells him - he now spends much of his time tracking back to defend like any other wide midfielder in the modern game. His relationship with DC's Polish coach Peter Nowak has always been an uneasy one, with Adu often complaining when marooned on the bench or taken off too early. In DC's final game of the season, when they needed to score at home against New England to avoid elimination from the play-offs, Nowak replaced Adu with 25 minutes to go. Adu, along with many DC fans who saw him as their last attacking hope, was less than happy. After the game, which DC lost, he told reporters he was unsure where his future lay.

Putting stats, maturity and his high wage to one side, the best you can say about Adu is that he's been a steady, occasionally brilliant, team contributor who has scored a handful of exceptional goals. That's more than many in his team, or the league, can boast, but hardly the stuff of headlines. Meanwhile, some observers think that Adu has stopped growing, and that he simply doesn't boast the physical stature to become a great player. This apparent setback has fuelled old murmurings about his real age, an issue that's been a monkey on his back since before the start of his professional career.

Another day, Another Pee Wee football fight …Check out the arm bar!

Are you camping out for PS3? …

For those of us who don't understand the hype, here's PS3 101: At $599 for the primo version, the PlayStation 3 goes where no game console has gone before:

"Instead of just gaming, and watching DVDs, it takes it to the Internet and bringing together on one unit that hasn't been out yet," said Best Buy manager Jacob Ralston.
Bad news recently came for those who pre-ordered PS3 through Best Buy because the company's pre-order offer was a mistake. It appears the only way to get one is in person and supply may be a major problem.

"We're expecting 20 of the larger model, and then six of the lower end," said Ralston.

That's right, all the waiting for 26 game consoles, but the die-hards are in it for the long haul with tents, air mattresses, laptops, and food from nearby restaurants. A couch even arrived while this story was being shot.

The Best Buy manager could not offer any information about additional shipments before Christmas.

Sacha Baron Cohen’s Rolling Stone interview …

Our Cowboys dark Side correspondent weighs in …

P1 Bill says Coach Fran must go …

Rating the TV Shows …

A few Cowboys Emails:

Hey Sports Sturm,

I heard Norm yesterday talking about how the Cowboys might have to use Roy Williams as a Linebacker next year if a good safety is available in the draft. Norm said it couldn't happen this year because it'd be too problematic for the Cowboys to get the new players familiar with their new responsibilities. He said Roy Williams was 235lbs and if he put on 5-10 more pounds he would be a reasonable weight for an active linebacker.

That got me to thinking about how many safeties could weigh as much as Williams if he's that close to being a linebacker's weight. Williams is listed at 229lbs and 6-0 ft. The average weight of starting strong safeties in the NFL is between 200-210lbs. I'll note that each Pro Bowl level strong safety aside from Roy Williams falls into this range. Only one safety weights more than Roy Williams Arizona's Adrian Wilson who listed at 230lbs, but also has 3 more inches on Williams. In fact only a handful of safeties weigh more than 210lbs and they all have one common characteristic, they're all taller than 6-0. How the hell can Roy Williams be in position? This is maddening, it really drives me crazy. Yea for Romo's success but this thing has a ton of problems and I'd put Roy Williams masquerading as a Strong Safety right up there only behind the Offensive Line troubles.

Oh and sorry about the PTI blurp I never watch that show but was watching it that day, sorry they besmirched you like that, Blow me up!

Joshua

---

Hey Bob,

Was in a discussion with one of the last Bledsoe holdouts and I made the point that Romo is so much better when it comes to converting key 3rd downs. Under Bledsoe, it seemed like if it was 3rd and long, it was time to get up McBriar or run some foolish draw play. Under Romo, it's possible to convert, and you halfway expect it.

Just to make sure it wasn't my imagination, I looked up the stats going through the play-by-plays and here's what I found:

With Bledsoe under center, the Cowboys were 9 for 39 (23%) trying to convert 3rd downs of 7 yards or more. On the 39 plays, Bledsoe threw 1 TD and 2 INT. He was also sacked 4 times.

With Romo under center, the Cowboys are 15 for 26 (57.6%) trying to convert 3rd downs of 7 yards or more. On the 26 plays, Romo threw 1 TD and 1 INT. He was sacked 2 times.

Even I didn't anticipate it being that much of a contrast between the two.

Youtube:

Best Possum Attack EVER




Ben, Skin, Dan



Ben Skin Dan unaired



Look who Liberty plays tonight! …Sooner, you are about to see how bad my alma mater really is…

Mavs almost back to Even

The Mavs win, and as I am at the game, I wonder about early season statistical trends that explain the NBA team I love:

Game 1: Loss to San Antonio – Mavs FTs 16 – Mavs 3’s 16 – Spurs FTs 37
Game 2: Loss at Houston – Mavs FTs 19 – Mavs 3’s 12 – Rockets FTs 30
Game 3: Loss to Golden State – Mavs FTs 22, Mavs 3’s 30 – Warriors FTs 31
Game 4: Loss at Clippers – Mavs FTs 20, Mavs 3’s 23 – Clippers FTs 28

Game 5: Win at Phoenix – Mavs FTs 37, Mavs 3’s 13 – Suns FTs 22
Game 6: Win at Portland – Mavs FTs 23, Mavs 3’s 17 – Blazers FTs 22
Game 7: Win vs Chicago – Mavs FTs 24, Mavs 3’s 23 – Bulls FTs 30

So, what do these numbers mean?

When the Mavs shoot as many or more 3’s than FT’s, the Mavs are 0-3. When they shoot more FT’s than 3’s, they are 3-1.

When the Mavs shoot more FT’s than their opponent they are 2-0. When they don’t, they are 1-4.

I think the bottom line is this: Settle for perimeter shots, and you are not very good. Demand that you take it to the hoop on a regular basis, and the Mavs are very tough to beat. Trouble is, one way (settling) is easy, and the other is a physical grind. And the Mavericks swing back and forth all season long. In fact, they went back and forth last night a few times. There is no reason to take 23 3-pointers. But they did last night, and still won.

Dampier steps up …

It's not as if Erick Dampier hasn't come up big for the Mavericks before.

It just hasn't happened enough. Dampier and coach Avery Johnson would be the first to admit it.

With arguably the league's best defensive center in Ben Wallace on the floor, the Mavs' man in the middle won the battle inside. Dampier's team also won on the scoreboard, outmuscling Chicago 111-99 on Tuesday night at American Airlines Center.
"I know I have to make the most of every opportunity that I get," Dampier said after his first double-double (14 points and 13 rebounds) of the season.

The first home victory extends the Mavs' modest winning streak to three. Their record would get to even at 4-4 with a win at Memphis on Friday.

Though improvement has been made in the last six days, areas of concern continue to exist. The Bulls scored 30 points in the fourth quarter two nights after Portland had 32 in the last period.

Compliments from Skiles …

Dallas pulled away late for a 111-99 victory, dropping the Bulls to 4-42 on this trip since the dynasty days. The Bulls haven't won the opening game on their annual extended November trip since the 1996-97 season.

That's a lot of starting lineups ago.

"I felt they were toying with us," Bulls coach Scott Skiles said. "They made it look easy."

The Bulls trailed 82-76 after Kirk Hinrich drained a jumper with 9 minutes 22 seconds remaining, no easy task for a team that shot just 60 percent from the line.

But Dirk Nowitzki buried jumpers on consecutive possessions, Jason Terry sank a three-pointer, Nowitzki drew a foul on Nocioni and made both free throws and Greg Buckner swished a baseline jumper.

$51 million dollars to talk to Matsuzaka? …This is absurd. Unless the guy wins 24 games, he is not worth it. If you want to spend $100 million on a pitcher, don’t you just get Zito for $75?

In a high-stakes gambit that could change the face of Boston baseball, the Red Sox are poised to spend as much as $90 million to land Japan's greatest contemporary pitcher, Daisuke Matsuzaka, a 26-year-old phenom whose value might be measured more in the anguish he could cause the archrival Yankees than in the Sox' chances to otherwise profit from their lavish investment.

The Sox, in a record-setting reach into the Japanese market, agreed to pay Matsuzaka's team, the Seibu Lions, $51.1 million for the right to negotiate a contract with the righthanded ace. Under the deal, the Sox have 30 days to sign Matsuzaka, and his agent, Scott Boras, may be seeking something in the range of a four-year pact worth at least $40 million.

When and if a deal is finally done, the annual investment could average out to the most the Sox have ever spent on a pitcher, which so far is the $17.5 million Pedro Martínez earned in his final season here, 2004. And that would be far more than even the marketing maestros on Yawkey Way could expect to reap from exploiting Matsuzaka's connection to his homeland, according to baseball officials and economists.

"That's pretty rich," said Andrew Zimbalist, a Smith College economist who specializes in baseball finances, of the projected investment. "But it looks like it's more about winning than revenues."

The Sox wanted not only to block the Yankees from acquiring Matsuzaka, the best player to depart Japan for the major leagues since Hideki Matsui arrived in the Bronx in 2003, but also to secure a star who could help them capture their second world championship of the millennium. That alone would trigger a financial windfall. Anything more could be gravy.

AMAZING! Vinny is back …

The Patriots signed 43-year-old quarterback Vinny Testaverde yesterday, and coach Bill Belichick said the move has nothing to do with the health of starting quarterback Tom Brady or backup Matt Cassel.

"Fortunately, both of them are healthy and we're happy with both of them," Belichick said, indicating that Testaverde will be the third quarterback.

"This is something we wanted to do for some time, but we were caught in some roster situations with other positions," Belichick said. "We were looking at it a while back but had a lot of other needs and were skating on a little bit of thin ice."
Belichick dismissed the notion that Testaverde was brought in simply to be a veteran mentor, saying the move isn't a "commentary on any quarterback, coaching, or anything along those lines."

"I think the most important thing is that if he has to play, Vinny has a lot of experience, and I think in an emergency he can run our offense without many [repetitions]," Belichick said. "If you have an emergency, I think he'd be able to go in there and be able to run the team in that third spot."

Because the team has carried only two quarterbacks, Belichick said, he needed to consider how quickly he could get an emergency option up to speed.

"When you have an insurance policy, you can't bring a guy in one week and expect him to learn the terminology that quickly -- you have to make the move ahead of time," Belichick said.

This marks Testaverde's 20th NFL season, and the Patriots are his sixth team, following Tampa Bay (1987-92), Cleveland (1993-95), Baltimore (1996-97), the New York Jets (1998-2003, 2005) and Dallas (2004). Testaverde, who turned 43 Monday, ranks in the top 10 in NFL history in four major categories: sixth in passing yards (45,252) and completions (3,691), eighth in touchdown passes (269), and seventh in attempts (6,526).

Get to know the Colts …

Of course, the ride to a second consecutive 9-0 start may have seemed like a rollercoaster to those involved. It’s safe to say, as evidenced by Sunday’s 17-16 win over Buffalo, that Indianapolis is winning despite playing their best as of yet.

Instead of steamrollering opponents as they did a year ago, the Colts have won two games by one point, two games by three points, one game by five points and two games by seven points this season.

Indianapolis’ only double-digit victories have come against Houston (the team’s biggest margin of victory at 19 points, 43-24) and Washington (14 points, 36-22).

But the NFL is not a fashion show. Style points don’t count. Winning games do.

“I actually feel better about how things are going this year. Last year, we were hitting on all cylinders. I think we had a lot of things go our way in that streak. And we never really got tested. One time, Jacksonville early [at the RCA Dome)]. But you feel good when you come through these situations,” Colts coach Tony Dungy said.

“Your offense has to have a drive. Your defense has to have a stop. When you’re making those plays to win games, you do feel good. And I wish we were doing some things more consistently. I wish we didn’t have to talk about the kick coverage, those kind of things. But all-in-all, it’s hard to win nine games in a row in the NFL.”

The Colts have recorded a 23-2 regular-season record since the start of last year and have won 31 of their last 34 games overall. Dungy has been impressed with the consistency his team has shown the last two seasons.

“I’ve really been pleased with the way we’ve responded. We’ve worked well. We’ve practiced well. We haven’t always played as sharp as we can play. But week in and week out, we’re ready. And there’s been no thought, I don’t think, on our team of ‘Oh well. We’ll just wait until the playoffs.’ or ‘See what happens in January,’” he said.

Uncle Barky reviews Emmitt vs Mario …

But, P1 James asks the real question:

If Emmitt Smith were in a dancing contest against Barry Sanders instead of Mario Lopez, who would win?

LeBreton on General Knight …

Cool new blog: Awful Announcing …new to me, at least…

Youtube:

Derek Boogaard vs. Georges Laraque NOV/14/2006




TMS fun with drops



Indian Thriller

11/14: Tuesday

Cowboys prepare for the Colts and try to string two wins together….

There are two signs that the Cowboys can actually assemble a winning streak.
Sign No. 1: The schedule.

The Cowboys have made it through the hard part. Five of their final seven games are at home.

"We are fortunate," Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said. "But we don't have any easy schedule."

Sign No. 2: The quarterback.

In winning two of his first three starts, all on the road, Romo has helped the Cowboys shed the turnover problem that dogged them through the first six games.
The Cowboys were tied for 21st in the NFL with a minus-2 turnover margin after six games.

But they have committed only one turnover in Romo's three starts.

And after allowing 18 sacks in the first six games, the Cowboys have given up four with Romo as the starter.

He's the first Cowboys quarterback to pass for more than 250 yards in three consecutive games since Troy Aikman did it in 1993. And his play even has his toughest critic pleased.

Or close to it.

"I'm generally happy, you know that," Parcells said.

Parcells' happiness is tempered, however, by a player he sees doing some things that
haven't bitten him just yet. And when the mistake bites, everyone will feel the pain.
But most of the signs suggest Romo can lead the Cowboys to something longer than a one-game winning streak.

Now that Greg Ellis is down, what are the replacement options? Here is Todd Archer with more…

THE CANDIDATES

With Greg Ellis out for the season with a torn left Achilles', the Cowboys could turn to a number of players to fill his role. Staff Writer Todd Archer assesses the possible replacements:

Bobby Carpenter

Pro: This is why he was drafted in the first round. He showed at Ohio State he could handle the strongside spot and rush the passer.

Con: With Ellis handling the switch with ease in training camp, Carpenter was moved inside and has not had as much practice time outside in the base defense.

Al Singleton

Pro: He has a wealth of experience and started seven games last year at strongside linebacker. With him, the coaches know he will always be in the right spot.

Con: He has only 3 ½ sacks in his career and does not bring much as a pass rusher, making him a first- and second-down player.

Kevin Burnett

Pro: He's extremely athletic and can hold up against the run against the tight end and has developed into a decent pass defender.

Con: By moving him outside, he would be taken out of his comfort zone in the nickel defense as an inside linebacker.

Junior Glymph

Pro: He showed in the preseason he can be a pressure player, with two sacks and two forced fumbles, but he got caught up in a numbers game and was released.

Con: He has not played in a regular-season game as a linebacker and spent time on Pittsburgh's and Baltimore's practice squads as a defensive end.

In Peter King’s MMQB, Kevin Gogan gets the quote of the week …

Quote of the Week

"They need to change their sponsor to Prozac. It's week to week with these guys. They're up, they're down, they're hugging, they're kissing. Like a bunch of ladies watching a soap opera. I don't know what it is. Last week they're all making out on the sidelines and this week they're killing each other.''
-- Former Dallas guard Kevin Gogan, on his NBX.com podcast, regarding the '06 Cowboys.

Uh-Oh, Another wild incident for Bob Knight …

As Bob Knight moved one win closer to catching Dean Smith, his temper flared once again, when he used his hand to push a player's chin during a timeout, as if to make him look the coach in the eye.

With more than 4 minutes to go in Texas Tech's 86-74 victory over Gardner-Webb on Monday night, Red Raiders forward Michael Prince was called for a foul. During the ensuing timeout, Knight approached Prince, and as the player lowered his head, the coach made contact with his chin.

Knight gave a brief statement at the postgame news conference then answered one question before exiting the room. The incident with Prince was never addressed.

It was win No. 871 for Knight, who is five away from passing Adolph Rupp for second place on the all-time list. He needs nine more victories to surpass Smith for the most wins in Division I history.

Knight's career has featured three national championships, all at Indiana, and plenty of temper outbursts, including run-ins with players.

In 1992, Knight kicked a chair on the bench while son Pat, then a player for him at Indiana and now his assistant and successor-to-be at Texas Tech, was sitting in it. When fans behind the team bench booed, Knight turned and responded with an obscenity.

I vote it is not his fault.

Mavs have the Bulls, tonight but the refs policy is still center-stage …

Because of the NBA's new rule that penalizes players for excessively complaining to referees, technical fouls and ejections are up, causing players and coaches to wonder if the league is trying to snuff out the game's natural emotion.

"I would hate to see emotions taken out of the game, because you can ask me a question right now and I can be pretty emotional," said Mavericks coach Avery Johnson, who has been hit with three technical fouls this season, including an ejection in a Nov. 6 loss to Golden State. "But that doesn't mean you're going to give me a technical, or you won't interview me anymore. Sometimes people get emotional."

Despite criticism from players about the new rule, league officials insist it's not a zero-tolerance policy and that it doesn't prevent players from being emotional.
They say the rule has been grossly misinterpreted, and that misinterpretation has taken on a life of its own.

"It's the 'Respect for the Game' rule," NBA spokesman Brian McIntyre said. "We're not saying players can't be emotional. They can express displeasure with the calls as long as it's done in a respectful manner."

The league sent a memo to all 30 teams before the season notifying them of the rule change and what players were permitted to do. In part, the memo states that the emphasis is "designed to reduce the amount of complaining about officiating that players engage in during games."

Detroit Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace, who leads the league in technical fouls this season with four, said he believes the new rule targets specific players.
"You saw me laugh last year [in the playoffs] when we played Cleveland, and [I] got a tech," Wallace said. "I already know I'm Public Enemy No. 1. I'm on that blacklist."

Those involved with the league don't want the NBA to become like the NFL, which earned the nickname the "No Fun League" because of its efforts to tone down player celebrations and antics. Some NBA players are adjusting by coming up with imaginative plans to steer clear of the referees' wrath.

"I guess you've just got to act like there's an imaginary friend out there and act like you're talking to yourself," Mavs center Erick Dampier said. "Don't even look at the refs. Just act like you're talking to yourself. Then, who are they going to give the 'T' to? What are they going to tech you for? You're talking to yourself."

Weekly Buccigross with an excerpt of Keith Jones new book …with plenty of good Lindros stuff…

Eric is getting worse and I call Worley again and reach him around 7:30 or so in the morning. He has just gotten back from a sleepless night at the hospital with Recchi. So, he says he just wants to clean up and he'll be up to the room after getting his bearings back. I know John is going to come and see Eric, so I go down and have some breakfast in the hotel. I come back up and Eric is back in the tub, pale and in even worse shape than he had been. I say to him, "Something is wrong here. Maybe it's something internal. I'll go get John right now. I think we got to get you to the hospital."

I then go to find Worley. As the elevator opens, John is there on his way to our room. Meanwhile, the team is getting ready to leave for Boston. So, I take Eric's stuff down to the bus and that's the last I see of anybody in Nashville.

While we are heading to Boston, they take Eric to Baptist Hospital in Nashville. When we land in Boston, we find out that Eric had punctured his lung in the Predators game, the lung filled with blood and collapsed. He had surgery in the emergency room. Later, it was determined that if Eric had flown with us to Boston, he could have died. Who knows?

His condition was so bad, there is no way he was even going to get dressed and drive to the airport much less get on our plane. The more he was around the medical staff, the more it was obvious he was going to go to the hospital. After Eric had his surgery and everything was going to be fine with his health, he held a news conference.

The first thing he says is, "I want to thank Keith Jones for saving my life." Oh, boy. Bob Clarke just looooves hearing that.

Did I save his life? I don't know. I just noticed he wasn't looking good and left it up to the medical staff to take care of it. I get a lot of credit for something that I'm not sure I deserve. I guarantee you everyone's intentions were to make sure the right thing was done to help Eric. What was already a bit of a circus involving Eric, his parents, and the Flyers inflated to Big Top status.

As players, we just go about our business. Eric was hurt and you move one. That's what you do in professional sports. As players, we don't talk about injuries or injured players because we are only one hit from having something happen to us. So, as a result of his punctured right lung, Eric misses the final seven games of the 1998-99 regular season, and the playoffs, as well. I think it would be the end of the Lindros-Flyers soap opera. But the best, or worst, was yet to come.

WOW!

Colt McCoy doubtful for Aggies Game …

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy suffered a stinger injury to his neck and shoulder in the No. 11 Longhorns' 45-42 loss at Kansas State on Saturday, UT officials said Sunday.

McCoy's status for UT's game Nov. 24 against Texas A&M remains in doubt, though early signs are promising.

The type of injury McCoy incurred — a pinched nerve, in layman's terms — is considered to be minor, and he will have nearly two weeks to heal.

"The off week couldn't come at a better time," McCoy said.

McCoy's mother, Debra, who earlier in the day confirmed the nature of her son's injury, said she was optimistic he could return to practice soon.

"I'm hoping it will only be two or three days," Debra McCoy said.

His Mom is the medical expert in this case?

More issues for Fran …

Franchione failed to silence his critics the last two weeks. Now he'll have to listen to those who doubt he can take the program to the next level.

He's now 2-10 in November, 4-15 against Top 25 teams, and 1-12 against Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas and Texas Tech combined.

Those are the same kind of numbers that got former coach R.C. Slocum fired.

Slocum ended his career 7-7 against Texas and Tech, 5-4 against OU, and 1-3 against Nebraska. But he was 3-8 in bowl games, and in his last four years he was 4-13 combined against those teams and in bowls.

Fans didn't give Slocum credit for beating the likes of Tulsa, Wyoming, Rice and North Texas, and now the fans aren't giving Franchione credit for beating Kansas, Army, Arkansas State or Louisiana Tech.

Athletics director Bill Byrne and every Board of Regent can come out in support of Franchione daily, and list a multitude of things he's doing well. But with each loss to OU, Texas, Nebraska and Tech, the grumbling will increase.

Redskins hope for their Romo with Jason Campbell starting …

Twenty-eight games into his NFL career, Jason Campbell will make his first start at quarterback Sunday in Tampa, with Mark Brunell demoted to the backup role.

Campbell, who was selected 25th overall in the 2005 draft, has been listed as inactive for 27 straight games as a Redskin. Brunell, who has started every game dating from Week 2 last season, including two playoff games, has struggled this season. At FedEx Field, fans have been screaming for Campbell to replace Brunell, with the offense producing just 16 touchdowns in nine games.

Coach Joe Gibbs said he agonized over the move and seemed pained at times when speaking about the change during his news conference yesterday at Redskins Park. Gibbs told each of his quarterbacks individually of the decision yesterday afternoon following a full team meeting. It is the third straight season in which Gibbs has made a quarterback change in-season -- Brunell was benched in favor of Patrick Ramsey during the ninth game of the 2004 season, then took over for Ramsey during the opening game last year.

Alonzo Spellman, MMA fighter? …

Alonzo Spellman was once one of the most feared defensive ends in the National Football League. He put fear into the hearts of quarterbacks and the linemen charged with protecting them.

After doing battle in the trenches of the NFL for nine seasons he is getting ready to tackle a new game.

Following a tough stretch of time, Spellman is looking to evoke some comparisons from his football days to his new chosen profession as a mixed martial artist. The former Chicago Bear standout returns to the Windy City this weekend when he makes his MMA debut against Antoine Hayes on Saturday’s XFO card at the brand new Sears Centre.

Spellman may best be known for the public battle he has waged with mental illness. Manic episodes cost him his football career and in 2002 it cost him his freedom.

An All Big-10 defensive end for Ohio State, Spellman was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after an outburst on a flight from Cincinnati to Philadelphia just months after the September 11 attacks.

Earlier this year Spellman claimed that the time he spent incarcerated had a profound affect on his view of the disease that robbed him of his career and liberty.

“Handcuffs, shackles, an orange suit, dark room, that you can't control the light — yeah, that'll pretty much put it in perspective for you,” he told ESPN.com

Having served his prison term, during which Spellman was under court order to take medication for bipolar disorder, the physical specimen — a 6’ 4”, nearly 300-pound monster with a 29-inch waist who ran a sub-5-second 40-yard dash — says he found new outlook on life and plans to make the most of a career in combat sports.

Call Richard Seymour …

Wondering how Richard Seymour feels about sitting out most of the fourth quarter Sunday afternoon? Ask him yourself.

In a move at once perplexing and yet strangely commendable, the superstar defensive end has begun carrying a second phone that serves as his fan hotline. Just dial 401-464-1194, and there’s a chance the four-time All-Pro could answer.

“It’s just my fan number,” he said. “It’s my fan hotline. They can call me. From time to time, I might let Rodney (Harrison) or Tom (Brady) answer, one of those guys. I thought it would be something fun for the fans to have.”

Seymour announced the number yesterday on WEEI, and his phone almost immediately started ringing. Within 15 minutes, the voicemail was full.

He conducted a 12-minute interview with reporters yesterday and the phone rang pretty much constantly, making more racket than a 2-year-old demanding attention.

Seymour was asked if his home number will soon be fair game, too.

“It’s not my personal line,” he said. “I’m not that crazy.”

Good email:

Bob,

This story regarding the Cowboys secondary is worth a read. KC Joyner is one of the few football writers who has some gold in his bag. KC and Goose are the two writers I respect the most…Sorry, Peter King.

Side note; Bradie James looked like a bust after 3 years, but now his play and maturity has exceeded Ware, Whitten, Burnett, Spears, Al Johnson and Williams. These names are supposedly the Cowboys future, but they have not played to their paper or draft order. Jerry has extended two players to big money and both of them have shown no return on Jerry’s investment. Where is the production? Where is the outrage? Roy Williams is the Teflon Don of Dallas..Why? We run up the flagpole, the offensive line woos for the 4 hundredth time, but the first day draft picks get a past game after game and year after year.

Bob, I was with you on draft day, why are the Cowboys not drafting offensive lineman. The reality is, regardless of the selection, all the first day picks have been under achievers for the last 4 years. Cowboy Nation has given a pass to all the players drafted by Parcells and its time to cut the umbilical cord. Vinnie, Ritchie and now Drew are out of the picture, its time these kids grow up and carry the Cowboys franchise. If they don’t; Cowboy fans will not see a playoff win anytime soon.

When Parcells came to Dallas there was no leadership and four years later the only visible leader is Bradie James…..Sometimes, when things go bad; you have to stand up and say we suck and we are going to fix it. These guys only point the finger. Have you heard anything like that since Michael Irvin retired? Let there be no mistake about it, Michael was the heart and sole of those Super Bowl Teams and leadership wins championships.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/columns/story?columnist=joyner_kc&id=2651651

Sorry about the length…
Shawn Charbonneau

Check out the website of American Soccer Historian Dave Brett.com …it is solid if you love the good ol days and the odd off-sides line…

Matthew dances for us …

Film Critic review of Open Water …the movie I tried this weekend that I thought had a very promising premise, only to disappoint…

What is authentic in Borat? …

Youtube:

Even I can appreciate High Schooler Sam McGuffie!



Randy

Cowboys 27, Cardinals 10 (5-4)

Well, it is always nice to put one in the win column without being really tested. The Cardinals appear to have a long ways to go, and the Cowboys followed their every-other-week routine of playing well and then playing poorly. That pattern does not bode well for the Colts game.


• Before we go further, Greg Ellis is lost for the season with a blown Achilles tendon. You certainly hate to see this, but herein lies the first significant injury of the season. I really like Greg, and I find him to be as classy as they come, but these are the breaks of the NFL. Now, you just thank the football gods that you have to options in Al Singleton the veteran, and Bobby Carpenter the rookie to try and replace him. How ironic is it that the season my sit in the hands of Bobby Carpenter. You cannot write this stuff.

• I was wrong about Tony Romo. But there is no way even the most optimistic Romo fan saw this coming. A third straight nearly flawless performance on the road. His poise, composure, confidence, and decision making makes me wonder if the Cowboys have found the guy who will be their QB in 2010. He had some throws sail on him yesterday, and did throw it into coverage, but once again, his numbers tell the story of a guy who rates 2nd in the NFL in QB Rating behind only Peyton Manning. Isn’t that convenient? Seems to me that Manning is bringing that Colts 9-0 record to Texas Stadium this Sunday. I believe I have plans to attend.

• Speaking of Romo, that fake spike before halftime made Parcells mad. He doesn’t like a QB ignoring his orders. Sorry, but I do. This is classic Holmgren-Favre, circa 1993. The coach puts as much strategy, caution, and practice in your head all week. But on Sunday, for 3 hours, Parcells has very little direct control of his field general. That is why I always thought Favre would have driven Parcells nuts. But, Bill has no choice. Romo is playing so good. Just remember, when that play gets picked off and run back for a touchdown, it goes with the territory. When you have a gun slinger, and I believe the Cowboys now do, you take the highs with the lows. You don’t make these great plays without taking chances. And taking chances in the NFL ultimately gets you burned from time to time. So far, so good. But remember: Favre is about to become the all-time touchdown leader (409), but he also is closing in on the all-time interception lead (262). I won’t suggest that Romo is Favre, but my point is that sometimes he has to listen to his gut over his coach, and sometimes that will have horrible results. But you try to live with it, because at the end of the season, there will be more good than bad.

• If you Tivo’d the game, go back to the play where Greg Ellis is lost for the season, with about 2:30 left in the 3rd Quarter. Notice #57, Kevin Burnett. It appears when he is blocked that his mouth guard goes flying for about 10 yards. Don’t know what that means, but it is fun to watch.

• Patrick Crayton and Sam Hurd both demonstrated that they can play in this league. Crayton has been doing it for a while now, but I thought he was really good yesterday. Hurd also helps give the appearance that the Cowboys may actually have some depth at WR for a change.

• Of course, that pass interference on Crayton that nullified the TD by Hurd was quite obvious and very much the proper call.

• There is no way the Cardinals can assemble all of that talent at their skill positions on offense and still stink for long, right? If I am Arizona, I would take 5 OL in the draft and free agency and get ready to win for a decade.

• Ellis leaving means DeMarcus Ware should expect a double-team every down. This could have disastrous results for the Cowboys pass rush unless Carpenter can
step it up. Perhaps Ayodele to the outside where he played in Jacksonville, and Carpenter to the middle makes sense, too. I am not sure, but obviously, losing one of the two guys who have demonstrated an ability to rush the passer is big.

• Terrell Owens is frustrating like Roy Williams is frustrating. I am not saying I want either of them gone, but they can make you happy and crazy.

• Is it just me, or are teams locating and throwing deep on Anthony Henry more and more?

• The Carolina and Arizona games demonstrate how easy football is when your defense can generate a few takeaways once in a while.

• One more thing about Romo: He may not have ideal height, but his arm seems plenty strong to hit a streaking receiver in stride down the sideline. That takes some considerable arm strength, as does a 20 yarder down the seam to hit Witten between 2 DB’s. I think his arm is solid.

• Never thought I would say this, but Oliver Hoyte is fun to watch. He seems like a genuine trouble maker at FB and special teams, and that is what you want.

• Denny Green: proof that white guys are not the only people that become retread coaches. Please form the line to the left if you would like to be the next Cardinals coach.

• After 9 games, The Cowboys have played 6 games on the road and only 3 at Texas Stadium. During the stretch, they have emerged with a 5-4 record. Not great, but when you play two road games for every home game over 2+ months, you have to be pleased to still be squarely in the mix for the playoffs. Look at it this way, who’s schedule would you rather have the rest of the way? 5 of the final 7 at home? C’mon. Talk about controlling your own destiny. If you want to feel better, take a look at the final 6 for the Eagles. At Indy. At Dallas. At NY Giants. At Washington. Carolina and Atlanta at home. They may have trouble getting to 9 wins. Just take care of your own business, and the Cowboys will play in the playoffs.

Poor Aggies

Artwork - BradC

Trust me, I was not pleased with this one.

I blame the media

Somehow, in this media-driven world, I run an email on this blog about Tony Romo and his love life, and all heck breaks loose. I even said it was just a rumor, and it was just an email.

Nevertheless, Ben Maller.com runs with it ...

Cowboys QB Tony Romo scored a date with pop star Jessica Simpson, according to "Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket's" Bob Sturm.

Sturm reports the rumor, from sources on his blog, that Simpson's manager contacted Romo's agent because of comments the quarterback made during a recent game. In a "Get to know Romo," segment, Romo was asked his dream date and he answered "Jessica Simpson." They supposedly had dinner last night.

And from his fine work, PTI on ESPN runs it and credits me.

Thanks for the credit, but 2 problems:

1) I still do not know/care if it is true - I simply printed an email on a blog
2) I didn't "report" anything - I simply printed an email on a blog.

This is not how I wanted to get my name in the paper.

Sorry, Tony. All I did is run an email on my little blog. For what its worth, I hope you enjoyed your "date".

Friday! Friday! Friday!

Finally, The Mavericks get their win …and it is all good again…

It took a return to the scene of the finest moment in Mavericks' history to snap them out of their early season misery.

Two slumps went bump in the night Thursday, a startling contrast from the last time the Mavericks and Phoenix Suns met at US Airways Center. That night back in early June ended with the Mavericks celebrating their Western Conference championship.
So when they showed up to play Phoenix on Thursday with the teams' combined record at 1-8, it was a somewhat different atmosphere. But not for long.

A hotly contested and entertaining game ended with the Mavericks finally finding somebody with more problems than they have as they claimed that elusive first victory of the season, a 119-112 defeat of the Suns.

The season-opening four-game losing streak - the worst start in the franchise's 27 years - was halted as the Mavs scored the final seven points of the game.

"Obviously, we're just happy to get a win," coach Avery Johnson said. "We weren't concerned whether it was by one point or two points, we just needed to know how it feels to get a win."

Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse combined for 88 points, and the Mavericks got solid production from newcomers Devean George and Anthony Johnson as they put together the closest thing they've had to four complete quarters this season.

And Dirk gets it done …

Nowitzki picked up where he left off last season against Phoenix, punishing the Suns with his entire offensive arsenal. He nearly had his highest scoring game of the season with 25 points in the first half.

The jumper was falling against both tall and small defenders, in turn setting up drives to the basket. Nowitzki finished with 35 points, 12 coming on free throws.
"I wanted to be aggressive and establish myself, especially early, get to the basket some," said Nowitzki, who added seven rebounds and four assists. "Shawn [Marion] is a great defender. He’s long, he’s athletic, so what I wanted to do was give him a little bit of everything. Posting up some, taking him off the dribble some, show-and-go some."

Though the Nowitzki-Terry-Stackhouse trio combined for 88 points, they didn’t do it alone. Three of the key newcomers – Anthony Johnson, Devean George and Greg Buckner – contributed in places not found on the boxscore.

Their comfort level, and that of their teammates, led to the most complete overall effort of the season. And first win.

"We just wanted to get one win," Nowitzki said, "get on the board somehow."

Stars discourage the Coyotes, finish the roadtrip with a win …now they don’t play again until next Wednesday…

As a team, the Stars hadn't matched the work ethic of Vancouver or Calgary in their previous two losses. And the power play, mired in a 2-for-30 funk, wasn't delivering the timely goals that the Stars needed.

"For our group around here, it's unacceptable," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "[Morrow] is one of our leaders. When you're not having the success you want, you have to dig in more."

While the score wasn't impressive, the effort was.

If it's possible, the Stars posted a dominant one-goal victory, outshooting the Coyotes, 35-13.

"The score was flattering," Phoenix coach Wayne Gretzky said.

Marty Turco posted his first shutout of the season and the 25th of his career. While Turco went long stretches without seeing shots, he and the Stars had to weather four consecutive Phoenix power plays in the second and third periods. On the fourth man advantage, Coyotes defenseman Ed Jovanovski hit the post with a slap shot.

But the Coyotes seldom threatened at even strength.

The Stars' performance drew high praise from Gretzky.

"They are probably the best defensive team in hockey," Gretzky said, noting that the Stars had limited Calgary to 18 shots in the previous game.

"There are things that you had to do. One of the things you had to do was have a work ethic, and quite frankly, Dallas worked harder than we did."

The Stars (12-4-0) have won all eight games in which they have scored the first goal.

In other hockey news…

Look at what “washed up – we have to buy him out because he has nothing left player – scored his 8th goal of the season and has 12 points in 14 games! The birthday boy …Atta boy!




Cornhusker vs. Aggie …

Nebraska can wrap up its first Big 12 North title since 1999 with a victory over No. 24 Texas A&M. But the Cornhuskers' road record has been horrendous lately – a 9-15 mark since the end of the 2001 season with 12 of the losses by 17 points or more.
Coach Bill Callahan was counted on to jump-start the Cornhuskers into the millennium. He's had his moments, but also is only 11-11 in the Big 12 and 2-6 against South Division foes.

A&M also needs a victory after watching its chances against Oklahoma evaporate last week because of coach Dennis Franchione's lack of coaching moxie late in the game. Aggie fans still haven't forgotten – or forgiven – how Franchione elected to kick field goals rather than go for makeable fourth downs in the fourth quarter against the Sooners.

Franchione has his own demons against top teams. He's 2-9 in November with the Aggies and is a combined 1-11 against Big 12 powers Texas, Nebraska, Texas Tech and Oklahoma since arriving.

Nebraska offensive line coach Dennis Wagner retooled his offensive line last week, putting together a starting unit against Missouri consisting of a freshman, three sophomores and one senior. The group helped dominate Missouri, piling up 183 yards rushing and allowing no sacks. They will need another big performance against the Aggies.

One critical area to watch will be how the Aggies' pass rush fares. They must make Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor uncomfortable in the pocket, or he could pick apart their secondary. A&M ranks 10th in the Big 12 and 100th nationally with 14 sacks this season.

The Aggies need to follow the blueprint that has led them to other conference victories. If A&M's offensive front can enable massive tailback Jorvorskie Lane and Michael Goodson to dominate the game and time of possession, the Aggies can win.

Red Raider at Sooner …

Oklahoma's game plan of late has been a bit of a flashback for Allen Patrick. The tailback remembers his high school days when he'd pound the ball for about 200 rushing yards while his football team threw just a few passes.

Despite the loss of star tailback Adrian Peterson, that's the sort of physical approach the No. 17 Sooners (7-2, 4-1) have used with Patrick in the backfield.
Believe it or not, the Sooners have actually run the ball more frequently and picked up more yards on the ground in the three games since Peterson broke his collarbone.
"Our running game is really successful right now," said quarterback Paul Thompson, who completed only three passes for 39 yards in a 17-16 win at Texas A&M last week. "It's doing real well, so we're going to stick with what we're doing good."
Oklahoma has averaged 207 rushing yards on 48.7 carries in Peterson's absence, compared to an average of 171.7 yards on 36.8 carries with the 2004 Heisman runner-up in the lineup. Patrick has had the heaviest load, with 440 yards on 102 rushes the past three weeks.

He's extended the Sooners' streak to 15 straight games with a 100-yard rusher, and Oklahoma is the only team in the country with a 100-yard rusher in each of its games this season.

The Red Raiders (6-4, 3-3) continue to do the opposite, as they have since coach
Mike Leach installed his Air Raid offense after a year as Oklahoma's offensive coordinator. While Oklahoma has averaged nearly 50 rushes over the past three weeks, Tech leads the nation in pass attempts with 508 - more than 50 per game.

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, however, dismissed the thought that the Sooners' run emphasis was an attempt to shorten games or play keep-away - or that that would be his team's approach this week.

"If you're getting 10 (yards) and eight and 10 and 12, why do you stop? A lot of it's been just the success that we've had with it," Stoops said.

To a certain extent, the Sooners' running game is getting more favorable looks from defenses without Peterson present. Texas A&M kept its safeties back to prevent the deep pass and in the process held the Sooners to their lowest passing total since 1997.

Rutgers upsets Louisville …

Once a laughingstock, then an upstart, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights are suddenly and unbelievably in the national championship conversation. They defeated No. 3 Louisville, 28-25, prompting an unforgettable campus bash.

Jeremy Ito kicked off the festivities. Ito’s 28-yard field goal with 13 seconds left booted Louisville out of the national title race and put Rutgers atop the Big East Conference. Ito was the hero of the game when he could have easily been the goat.
At Rutgers, landmark victories can never come easily. Ito missed a 33-yard field-goal attempt with 17 seconds left, but because Louisville’s William Gay was offsides, Ito got another chance, 5 yards closer. He could not miss again.

After the ensuing kickoff, only 1 second remained on the clock, but the crowd could not wait any longer. Fans poured out of the bleachers as the Louisville offense lined up behind the ball. The public address announcer ordered the fans to take a U-turn.

Brian Brohm, the Louisville quarterback, could not even uncork a desperation pass. He was sacked and then he was swarmed. For nearly an hour, the field at Rutgers Stadium was awash in red-clad revelers.

“This is the way college football is supposed to be,” Greg Schiano, the Rutgers’s head coach, said. “The New York/New Jersey metropolitan area hasn’t had this. But I’ve got a feeling they’re really going to take to it.”

John McClain on Owens …

Sometimes, NFL players act so childish you swear they are playing on an elementary school playground.

Each week, there seem to be more examples of players losing control or acting so selfish they appear more interested in getting on ESPN than winning the game.
Do you think Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson would be happier catching 10 passes for 150 yards and three touchdowns in a defeat or having two receptions for 20 yards and no touchdowns in a victory?

Most of us would take the former over the latter.

The epitome of Owens' selfishness came after he scored a touchdown at Washington. We've seen his end-zone demonstration a hundred times by now. He pretended to sleep, using the football as a pillow, because of all the negative publicity he received last week for falling asleep in meetings.

Truthfully, Owens should have been embarrassed for falling asleep in team meetings, but he almost seemed proud of it because of all the attention he received.

Cardinals have been fading in the 4th Quarter …

The reasons the Cardinals have lost seven consecutive games are longer than a polygamist family's grocery list, but all of their problems - from offense to defense to special teams to coaching - have been on display in the fourth quarter this year.

They have scored just 20 points in the final quarter all season. And only a field goal by Neil Rackers against Oakland, has kept them from being shut out in the fourth quarters of the past five games.

That's deadly in the NFL, where most games are close. It's a stark contrast to the team's performance in the first quarter, in which they have scored 59 points.

"That's the frustrating thing about it: We're able to score early, but we're unable to carry that momentum into the fourth quarter," receiver Troy Walters said. "That's when you close out games."

The problem is especially acute at home, where the Cardinals have lost three close games. The Cardinals led the Kansas City Chiefs by 10 points entering the fourth quarter, then were outscored by 13. Then there was the infamous Monday Night Meltdown, where they blew a 20-point lead against the Chicago Bears in just a little more than 15 minutes.

In their three home losses, the Cardinals have scored just seven points in the fourth quarter and converted just 3 of 13 third-down situations. Of their 17 turnovers this year, eight have come in the fourth quarter.

This week’s picks:

Cowboys 24, Cardinals 16
Sooners 28, Red Raiders 17
Aggies 26, Cornhuskers 21
Longhorns 30, Wildcats 21


GOOOOO RAIDDDDDERRRRRSSSS (one of the greatest moments in sports history):




Rex Kwon Do



Borat’s Informercial



Sports.

0-4, eh? O-U-C-H

Wow. 0-5 tonight? Something tells me that our boys did not take off-season, pre-season, and early-season very seriously...

Mavs lose again …I do believe this is getting ridiculous…

From the time the Mavericks led 27-13 after a 14-0 spree, they were outscored 60-39 until the end of the third quarter. In the final three periods, the Clippers beat the Mavs 82-53.

"When the shots go in, everything looks OK,’’ said Jerry Stackhouse. "When you miss, it just doesn’t look like good offense. When we get bottled up, there aren’t a lot of options.’’

The Mavericks fell to 0-4 for the first time in franchise history. And they remained with some dubious company in the losing department. According to Elias Sports Bureau, in the last 25 seasons only one other time has a team that reached the NBA Finals started the next season winless this deep into the season. Philadelphia went 0-5 in 2001.

In addition, the loss left the Mavericks in the same boat as the Denver Nuggets – as the last winless teams in the league after Boston won Wednesday night.
The Clippers couldn't hide their giddiness with the victory.

"This is one of the best, maybe the best win we've had here in three years," coach Mike Dunleavy said.

The Mavericks had chances in the fourth quarter to put the pressure on the Clips. But with LA swarming on Nowitzki, not enough other Mavericks made them pay.
Down 79-70, the Mavs scored five consecutive points. But it could have been seven had Nowitzki and Terry not missed free throws. The Clippers then scored on three consecutive possessions, with Cuttino Mobley doing all the damage. He finished with 28 points as the Clippers pulled away in the final minutes.

The Mavericks were 6-of-23 from 3-point range, trying too many of them and making too few.

Over at Mavs Central, They do a study on what specifically is wrong …And it starts with the finish…

Anyone who has watched the Mavs this season will know they have folded like a cardboard box in the fourth quarter this season. There is no way to sugarcoat it, they have been just plain bad in the fourth:
Mavericks vs. Opponents - Fourth Quarter - 2006-07
(Through Games Of 11/08/2006)
Mavericks Opponents
Points/Game 17.8 27.5
FG Pct.--- 35.5% 46.7%
3-PT Pct.-- 18.2% 35.3%
FT Pct. ---- 68.4% 72.3%
Rebounds/Game 9.0 12.3
Turnovers/Game 4.5 2.5

Owens is ready to take responsibility; make promises …

While the most troubling part of Owens' play has been his dropped passes -- he has six for the season, including at least three potential touchdowns -- Parcells said the Cowboys understood they weren't getting the second coming of Fred Biletnikoff. Despite his gaudy stats with San Francisco and Philadelphia, Owens has always had trouble with dropped passes, Parcells said.

Owens acknowledges as much, but it still doesn't sit well with him. He believes he is getting more scrutiny because of his controversial reputation. He also says he's never been in a situation where a dropped pass has cost his team the game as it did Sunday and promised that it won't happen again.

"That's a play that I should make and I didn't make it and I feel bad," Owens said. "I let the team down. This loss is on my shoulders. From here on out, I won't be standing here no more during the season saying I lost the game."

Owens blamed some of his drops on the broken hand he suffered in the Week 2 victory against the Redskins. He dropped a touchdown pass in that game and in the next one against Tennessee.

Owens vowed he will live up to expectations in the second half of the season.
Pointing to his increased involvement and production since Tony Romo replaced Drew Bledsoe at quarterback 2 1/2 games ago, Owens said he is starting to get a rhythm. He has caught 20 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns during that time.

"I think it's a situation where, in the beginning, I really wasn't getting in the flow of the game and wasn't getting as many balls as I should've been or as I wanted," Owens said. "With [Romo] back there and the success that we've had, I expect to get better, no doubt."

Is the T.O. show ready?

"It's coming. It's coming," Owens said.

Ron Washington gets Zito interested in Arlington? …or is Barry Zito just a smart free agent who doesn’t want to rule any bidders out …

Ron Washington has only been the Rangers manager since Monday, but he is already making Texas a potentially choice destination for free agents. It will take money to get any deals done, but prize free-agent pitcher Barry Zito has placed the Rangers on his short list as a result of Washington's hire.

Over lunch Wednesday, Washington said: "Barry Zito called me yesterday. He wants to make a visit here. Texas wasn't on his list, but it is now."

Zito is a free agent and one of the top starting pitchers on the market this off-season. The 28-year-old left-hander has spent his entire career with the Oakland A's, but is unlikely to re-sign there because of the team's financial limitations.
In his career, Zito is 102-63 with a 3.55 ERA. He won the 2002 American League Cy Young Award, is a three-time All-Star, and has finished in the top 10 in the AL in ERA four of the past six seasons.

Most have surmised that Zito will wind up on one of the coasts, likely in New York or Los Angeles. But playing for Washington, a coach with the A's for the past 11 seasons, evidently holds some appeal for Zito.

Even Washington admitted that money will be a deciding factor in the end. He said he is too new on the job to know if the Rangers will compete in a bidding war for Zito, whose agent is Scott Boras. Zito is 11-1 with a 3.75 ERA in 15 career starts at Ameriquest Field in Arlington.

Did the Rangers bid seriously on Matsuzaka? …

NEW YORK -- The waiting began Wednesday for teams that bid for Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka.

His Japanese club, the Pacific League's Seibu Lions, said they have been notified of the highest bid for the 26-year-old right-hander. They said they will not make a decision on whether to accept until after a meeting of their board of directors -- not expected to be held before Friday at the earliest.

The New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers were thought to be among the teams that bid for Matsuzaka, but the major league commissioner's office instructed teams not to comment publicly, several clubs said.
The Yankees' involvement was confirmed by a baseball official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the directive. Prior to the directive, the Rangers had said they planned to bid.

The major-league commissioner's office, which opened the bidding last Thursday, informed the Japanese commissioner's office of the amount of the highest bid but not the club that made the offer. The team and the amount will be revealed only if the Lions accept the offer.

Here he is with 14k’s a few months back…



Another big weekend in college football round here …


Check out this weekend:

Nebraska at Texas A&M, 2:30 ABC
Texas Tech at Oklahoma, 6:00 FSN
Texas at Kansas State, 7:00 ABC

And now, a top P1 - Brad C takes the stage to talk television:

Greetings P1 television enthusiasts. I’m here to address the state of our television union. The state of our union ….. is good. In fact, I believe we are living in the golden age of Television with more new and innovative, well written, well-acted shows available than at any other time in our history. Add to that the advent of the TiVo, and just to run up the score , the HIGH DEF TiVo and well, we have undoubtedly hit a sweet spot in television viewing history that is heretofore unprecidented. However, every so often things upon this blissful television landscape make a paradigm shift if you will, that we don’t expect. I believe one of those changes is upon us.

Let us examine our biggest, bestest TV buddy HBO, the undisputed heavyweight champion of cutting-edge television. Well times, they are a changin’. It seems we now wait years for snippets of the once great “Sopranos”. While still excellent, it isn’t quite what it was and we only have a few more episodes until the one that started it all for Home Box Office is gone for good. Yes, but what about “Deadwood” you ask? The network’s ham-fisted handling of the ending of that fine c*cks*cker of a series is laughable. David Milch always intended the series to run four seasons based on the actual history of Deadwood, but after only three HBO decides not to renew? Then it reconsiders and agrees to produce a pair of two-hour movies that will serve as the season’s finale? Since I guarantee those will never get made, here’s season four for those wondering – Deadwood burns down. No potential for drama there. Thanks HBO. “Six Feet Under” is no more. “Curb” only has one more year. “The Wire” is no-doubt one of television’s all-time best shows but season five in 2007 will be it’s last. So who’s gonna save them? “Rome”?? Hardly. The only show with legs for HBO right now is “Entourage”. If you gotta have something to keep you going, that’s as good as you can ask for, but at only a half hour it might be tough to support the entire network. “Big Love” might keep the respirator going for a while too.

Now let’s take a glance at Showtime. Sweet, shiny, rejuvenated Showtime. “Weeds” just finished up a spectacular second season with an incredible season finale and has been a breakout hit. Elizabeth Perkins runs wild in that show and is fantastic. Follow that up with the premiere of what just might be the best new show on TV this year, “Dexter”. Showtime is no fool. They snapped up Michael C. Hall from HBO and gave him something special to work with, and believe me, he is working it. Also, don’t forget about the greatness of “Brotherhood” which could also be one of the best new shows on TV. After the flood of critical praise following the season finale Showtime immediately added a season two. Rounding out their lineup is the superb “Sleeper Cell” amongst a few more. Quite simply HBO has had great shows that are all reaching their ends, while Showtime has equally great shows that are just getting started. What will become of HBO in 2008? Face it TV nerds, HBO is on the way out and Showtime is stepping up. Despite some advice I got from Dennis Green I’m hereby crowning Showtime’s ass. It’s the dawn of new and strange day, boys and girls.

God Bless Showtime and God bless the United States of America.

P1 Brad C

And then this email from sources!

My co-workers hubbie plays golf with Tony Romo In Trophy Club, usually once a week, yesterday they played. Tony said her agent contacted his, because on Sunday Night Football, they asked him who he thought the most beautiful woman was, he said Jessica Simpson. She said he is overwelmed and excited as hell. The date is tomorrow…

Should be interesting... Romo and Jessica Simpson, I am sure this will probably make the news tomorrow or Friday, but i will have details of the actual date next wednesday, her hubbie plays golf with him once a week...

Had to share this with yal
Go Cowboys!

Youtube:

Cowboys Stink



Mad Cat

11/8 - Wednesday

Coach Fran not sure about his own player’s performance …

Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione tried again Tuesday to defend his decision not to give the ball to 278-pound running back Jorvorskie Lane on third-and-goal from the 2-yard line in the fourth quarter of Saturday's 17-16 loss to Oklahoma.

The Aggies attempted to pass into the end zone for the tying score but were turned away when quarterback Stephen McGee couldn't find an open receiver and pressure forced him to throw the ball away. A&M settled for a 19-yard Layne Neumann field goal that pulled the Aggies within 17-13.

"Hindsight is always easy, and you certainly rethink everything that you do in situations," Franchione said. "We wouldn't have called the play on third down that we called if we didn't think it was going to work."

For Lane, converting third downs has been almost automatic this season. He has converted 15 consecutive third- or fourth-down plays for a first down or touchdown and is 24-of-27 on the season. All eight of his touchdowns in Big 12 Conference play this season have come from 1 or 2 yards out.

Franchione was obviously unaware of this fact when answering questions Tuesday.

Stars – afraid to score 2 goals in a game – lose again …

Bogged down by a largely ineffective power play and facing two of the NHL's top goalies on back-to-back nights, the Stars veered into their first losing streak of the season Tuesday.

A day after managing just one goal against Vancouver, the Stars again found the net only once against the Flames in a 3-1 loss. Dallas had its share of scoring chances again, but converted just 1-of-7 power plays and couldn’t break through against goalie Miikka Kiprusoff, who made 25 saves for the win.

"We had our opportunities," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "But that's a game where it's a tight game, you're looking for somebody to make a difference, you're looking for a great play, you're looking for somebody to push you over the top. That's two games in a row now where we did things to lose the game rather than win the game.
It's not like we got outplayed, but to win in this league, you've got to do a little extra."

For the Flames, Tony Amonte did just that, scoring their first two goals and narrowly missing a chance at an insurance goal when he hit the post early in the third period.

Calgary talks about the big win …

The team strung together consecutive wins for the first time this season thanks to an up-tempo start, gritty work in the corners, a fight, a first-period goal and some great goaltending from Miikka Kiprusoff.

"I think everybody looked at this like a playoff game for us," said Amonte.

"We needed the points bad. We haven't strung two wins together all season. Coming in against one of the better teams in the West in Dallas. It's a great measuring stick. If we're gonna get there, we've got to do it against the best teams.

"We had an all-around great effort tonight. We got it from everybody and that's the
only way we can win."

But Amonte deserves a lot of credit for his inspired play -- admittedly his best game as a Flame.

"Tony's a very skilled guy," said sophomore defenceman Dion Phaneuf. "He's done a lot in the league, year after year. He's got over 400 goals in the league and that doesn't come by fluke.

"It was nice to see him pot a couple more tonight."

Weekly Buccigross …

The Cowboys are great at penalties …

The Cowboys were penalized 11 times for 153 yards Sunday at Washington. Their last penalty – a 15-yarder facemask on Kyle Kosier, which Parcells thought was iffy – put the Redskins in position for the game-winning field goal.

This season, the Cowboys have been penalized 60 times, second to Detroit (63). Arizona, Minnesota and Washington have also had 60 penalties accepted.

Tight end Jason Witten is the biggest culprit with six penalties, and safety Roy Williams has the most penalty yardage with 63 on two penalties. The offensive line leads the team with 14 penalties.

The Cowboys top the NFL with 610 penalty yards. The Redskins are next at 551 yards.
Last season through eight games, the Cowboys has been penalized 47 times for 357 yards and were 5-3 at the break.

"I've never had a heavily penalized team my whole life that I can remember," Parcells said. "Maybe one out of 18."

Parcells' 1983 New York Giants team committed 113 penalties for 1,020 yards, the most in his head coaching career, and finished 3-12-1. The 2004 Cowboys committed 105 penalties for 867 yards, the second-most, and finished 6-10.

His first two teams in New England had fewer penalty yards in 16 games (468, 597) than the Cowboys have through eight games this season.

"It's just exasperating," Parcells said.

Parcells prides himself on having smart teams.

In 13 of his 18 seasons, opponents were penalized more than his team. One season his team and the opponent were even, and the Giants won the Super Bowl in 1990. Of the four times his teams had more penalties, Parcells' team made the playoffs once (2003 Cowboys).

Baseball is not big in the African-American community anymore …

Fifty-nine years after the color barrier was broken, 32 years after Hank Aaron became the all-time home run king and 31 years after Frank Robinson got a managing job, African-American players comprise only 8 percent of major-league rosters.
That's the lowest percentage since the 1950s, and a huge drop from the peak in the 1970s, when one out of every four big-leaguers was black.

So now, as Washington gets his chance and joins the New York Mets' Willie Randolph as the only African-American managers in the majors, a nation turns its lonely eyes to those stats and wonders:

Where have you gone, Jackie Robinson?

It's a legitimate worry for a game that is slipping in the national consciousness. TV ratings for the just-completed World Series were horrible, even by baseball's diminishing standards. Baseball has no endorsement machines like LeBron James or Tiger Woods or Michael Vick. And its highest-profile black player, Barry Bonds, has become a poster child for the steroid scandal.

It's not as though baseball lacks diversity. Its stars hail from all over the world, with its biggest inroads coming in Latin America and Asia. But the increase in international flavor has coincided with a sharp decrease in home-grown talent, and much of that dip has come from the African-American community.

Blalock gets new life with change? …

As the Rangers' third baseman for the past 4 1/2 seasons, Hank Blalock has developed passing relationships with third-base coaches all around the major leagues. And he saw a lot of Ron Washington, who was the third-base coach for the American League West division rival Oakland A's.

Blalock liked what he saw and heard of Washington, which led him to be particularly excited when he heard that Washington had been selected as Rangers manager.
"I've told everyone, he's been my favorite [opposing team] third-base coach," Blalock said from California on Monday. "He's a cool guy. He's real easy to talk to. At the same time, he's competitive. He's a winner."

Blalock said Washington's sincerity came across every time they met. Washington would always ask about Blalock's family, how his wife and son were doing, because he really wanted to know. But as game time got closer, Washington always grew more distant, to the point that his competitiveness nearly overwhelmed Blalock.
"Once the game gets close, there's no one that wants to win more than he does," Blalock said.

If you think the riot/fight a few weeks ago was not enough to get a coach fired at Miami, I am guessing A player getting shot and killed will cause house cleaning…

Pata was shot and killed Tuesday night at his apartment complex, the latest shock to a Hurricanes team touched by tragedy and turmoil -- including four deaths in the last decade, a separate gun incident earlier this season and an ugly on-field brawl just last month.

"They just shot him dead," Tonya Casimir, who identified herself as the player's cousin, told ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach by phone from the one of one of Pata's family members. "He's gone."

The 22-year-old senior who grew up in Miami was pronounced dead in the parking lot outside his apartment, and his death was ruled a homicide, Miami-Dade police spokesman Roy Rutland said.

"We're trying to get through a hard time right now and it's going to take time," Miami quarterback Kirby Freeman told The Associated Press after a team meeting at the university's athletic complex. "And that's what being a close football family is all about. We're going to help each other with this."

Cowboys Dark Side correspondent: This week's diatribe…

Meanwhile, in soccer, Manchester United lost a Carling Cup match to Southend United …Manchester may not have cared (Carling Cup is hardly coveted by the Big 4), but I am sure it is a brilliant day in the Southend….

Of the 92 teams in the Football League 81 have played Manchester United, and Southend, having played them once, are the only one to enjoy a 100% record against them. Ferguson, however, tried to downplay the significance of the defeat.

"There will be no suicides, no sackings but maybe a few recriminations. Expectations are high at this club," he said. "We've lost three matches all season and all by 1-0. Cup football can smack you in the face and I'm not impervious to that. We started off slack, which can sometimes happen in a cup tie. But Southend were fantastic and their goalkeeper was magnificent. At the end they closed it down and made it difficult for us.

Random Hockey Note of the Day:
Derian Hatcher has played 14 games.
He was +1 on 2 occasions.
He was even on 3 other occasions.
He was -1 twice.
He was -2 four times.
He was -3 three times.
At -17, he is the worst in the NHL in the +/- category.
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And here is some great email:

Now that we have brainwashed you into an A&M fan, kinda, here is my take.

The schedule has been so easy this year even RC Slocum could have won 8 games, but I think Fran has convinced a few of the blind followers as well as Dollar Bill Bryne that he is making progress. However is beating Baylor (4-6), Army (3-7), U-La-La (4-4), Louisiana Tech (3-6), The Citadel (3-6) Div II, Oklahoma St (5-4), Missouri (7-3) win looking less great every week, and Kansas (5-5) really an improvement? The Big12 is down in the minds of many "experts", including Norm.

Teams we have beaten this year have a combined record of (34-41) .453 with only 2 having a winning record.

So what happens next year...
Even if the team improves lets look at the schedule:


Some Louisiana Direction School - W
Miami - L (could be close)
Some Louisiana Direction School - W
Some Div II School - W
Baylor - W
Okla St - L (Toss Up)
@ Tech - L
@ Neb - L
Kansas - W
@ Oklahoma - L
@ Mizzou - L (Toss Up)
Texas - L

That would puts us at 5-5 with 2 Toss up games. If we were to go 5-7, everyone would want Fran gone. So then we are another year behind schedule because we gave Fran another year.

Why sound we keep Fran after this year again?


Thanks,
Eric
---

Bob,

Let me congratulate you and your buddy, Dan on your radio broadcasts each day. I look forward to my lunch breaks when I get a chance, to listen to your show.

I was at the game Saturday night with Aggie and Sooner and I don't ever remember seeing and hearing Kyle Field as raucus as it was for a sustained period of time. The entire stadium was exploding with energy and excitement.

The entire weekend, starting with Midnight Yell, College Gameday, Aggie Zone activities, Spirit Walk, Band Step-off was awesome as always. But this weekend was different, it had a feel about it as if to say that Franchione has finally gotten us back like he was supposed to have done. R.C. Slocum was fired because of mediocre seasons. Coach Franchione was to come in here and get it back and rebuild. I don't expect us to win the national championship within 4 seasons, but 4-8, 7-5, 5-6, and 8-2 so far this season with a cupcake schedule is not good.

When zero u converted the fourth down it was as if Franchione single handedly let us down when victory was there for the taking and a chance at something special THIS season. You could just feel the air come out of the building, all of the buildup, the place was absolutely deflated. We are left to look at next season when this was our chance to finish up with a bang and battle the shorthorns for the Big 12 south title.

I'll try and stick with Fran' for the rest of the season and try to view it as we still have a chance for something special this year. I think we can beat the children of the corn this weekend at home, but the 'sips do have a better team this year than we do down in Austin. Coach Fran's track record with big road games is not good. 9-3, not bad, but it sure was a hard pill to swallow when you see how much we wanted that game Saturday knowing what was on the line and Fran' just came up blanks again.

I'm simply writing to let you know that certainly you of all people can understand why Aggies are so upset. Like your Packers, us Aggies support our teams as much as anyone in the country. We all feel there is no reason the Ags can't win a National Championship. Yes, with our in-state rival winning one last year, that has sped up the process a bit, but we have as much money as anyone else, the finest facilities in the nation, what better support than the 12th man, and most importantly one of the nation's best coaches.

That's what we were to believe when we hired him. What is the problem. Is it just Coach Franchione, is it that we don't quite have the players, yet. I don't know, but we are getting impatient and demand a winner.

Flake boy certainly has to feel the same way I do, and if he doesn't he's nuts!!!!

Gig'em ------ WHOOP!!!!


Kevin
---
Hey Guys!!!

We all know Roy Williams blows in coverage, we’ve known this for years but in my mind he more than makes up for those deficiencies in the running game, he saved 7 pts yesterday on two successive goal line plays and had a huge tackle that lead to the Novak miss, he is what he is; but it’s time for Newman and more importantly Antony Henry to answer for their crimes against this team. These guys are supposed to be shutdown corners and they play the ball worse than Roy on a regular basis, both commit huge interference penalties on a weekly basis on deep pass plays, they have no idea where the ball is, don’t get there head around and basically tackle/run over the reciever every gd game and I’ve had it. Additionally Anthony Henry may have the worst hands in the frieking league, I challenge you to go back and look at the tapes and you will find this guy drops at least one easy INT a week. He could have prevented 10pts yesterday if he could just catch the effing ball. At least Roy will catch the ball occasionally. I’ve had it with those too.
Rob
---
Hello Bob,

What is that red flower stand for on Razors lapel?

Thanks,
Tom

Tom, Here is the answer I found:

The Ribbons are for a Canadian Holiday known as Remembrance Day …

Common British, Canadian, South African and ANZAC traditions include two minutes of silence at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month because that was the time (in Britain and France) when the armistice became effective. The two minutes recall World War I and World War II. Before 1945 the silence was for one minute, and today some ceremonies still only have one minute of silence despite this

In Canada the day is a holiday for federal government employees. However, for private business, provincial governments, and schools, its status varies by province. In Western and Atlantic Canada it is a general holiday. In Ontario and Quebec, it is not a general holiday, although corporations that are federally registered may make the day a full holiday, or instead designate a provincially-recognized holiday on a different day. Schools usually hold assemblies for the first half of the day or on the school day prior with various presentations concerning the remembrance of the war dead. Thousands of people gather near the National War Memorial in Ottawa. Among the crowd, war veterans pay their respects to fallen sailors, soldiers, and airmen. The Act of Remembrance includes the playing of the Last Post, recitation of the Ode of Remembrance, which is a verse of the poem "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon, followed by Reveille.
The Royal Canadian Legion recommends that we observe 2 minutes of silence.

There you go.

Here is the Sherdog thread from our Tito Ortiz visit from yesterday as MMA muscle heads debate our performance Link …

And if you really care – I did vote. What a great American.

Youtube:

Grandma kills bird with 3 wood.



Faith Hill doesn’t win!




Sesame Street Helps coach Fran

Election Day Blog

A few quick hits before you get several links that will not fit together unless it is on this blog:

Mavs Lose again! 0-3

Wow. I guess the hangover may be on here. How do you lose the first 3? Well, you settle for jump shots (30 3-pointers last night), play defense on occasion, and seem to believe that you can turn on the switch anytime you want. I said it in the preseason, and it looks like I am on to something: The key was going to be how you handle being the hunted rather than the hunter. It is no longer acceptable to take nights off. Well, no time to panic, but it is time for Avery to get the boys attention quickly.’

One other thing on these guys: I want more and more and more Devin Harris. 13 minutes in the first game and 14 in the second is not acceptable! This is your future. Play him. He needs to play and he needs to learn. Avery coaches him as hard as anyone on the team, but do it on the court. Devin needs to be starting and playing 30 minutes a game. Do it.

Ron Washington? Who knew?

I must tell you, I had no idea on this one. I don’t know what to think. Dude seems like he can talk well, and he also seems to love him some him. But, I am here with an open mind. Let’s see if this can work. But, wow. A 2 year contract? That is what you offer radio guys. Not managers. Not much of a commitment from the team. But, let’s see what he can do. It can’t be worse than what we have had.

Ken Rosenthal likes the gamble …

Washington's beliefs help explain why he probably stood little chance of becoming the A's next manager, but Beane understood his value as a coach, if not more. No one should expect Washington to turn Texas into the Runnin' Rangers; he lacks the players to make that happen. But he brings a clear vision of the way the game should be played, and that's a start.

Those who dismissed Rangers GM Jon Daniels, a 29-year-old graduate of Cornell, as another Ivy-League educated devotee of statistical analysis clearly had him pegged wrong. The Rangers' choice of Washington, combined with their recent re-hiring of former scout Don Welke as senior director of baseball operations, reflects the willingness of Daniels to embrace a variety of baseball philosophies.

One other thing: Washington, an African-American, becomes the second minority manager hired this off-season, joining the Marlins' Fredi Gonzalez, a Cuban. He might not be the last, either; Mets third-base coach Manny Acta, a Dominican, remains a strong possibility for the Nationals. The simple fact is, almost all of the intriguing first-time candidates are minorities. The hirings reflect that trend.
Maybe Washington will be terrific, maybe he'll be terrible, more likely he'll be somewhere in between. By rejecting Wakamatsu, the more conventional choice, the Rangers are showing they're not afraid. Rest assured, their new manager won't be, either.

Shawn blogs a solid point …

I'll be the first to admit that Ron Washington was not who I had pegged for the Rangers dugout. I was rooting for the Rangers to hire Trey Hillman, who grew up in Arlington, has worked for the Rangers, and led the Nippon Ham Fighters to a win in the Japanese World Series last month. But the Rangers new manager brings a proven record of coaching success and a superior knowledge of the game.

This is the beauty of a fair and open process, and why it is important for black managers and black coaches to have the opportunity to interview for jobs. The sports experts and prognosticators didn't give Washington much of a chance at the Rangers gig. But give Ron Washington credit, he went into the interview (do coaches take their resumes to an interview?) and blew Rangers owner Tom Hicks and general manger Jon Daniels away with his baseball I.Q. and infectious personality.

But there are many cases where a Ron Washington may not have even had that opportunity. The National Football League instituted a rule that requires any team with a coaching vacancy to interview a "minority" candidate, but the policy hasn't been well received. The climate of this country is anti-anything that looks like affirmative action. Americans would much rather preserve an employers right to discriminate. Ron Washington represents an example of what can happen if African-Americans have an opportunity to interview; whether it be at IBM, Sprint, Ford, or the Chicago Bears.

Ron Washington’s spare playing career ….Cleveland? Well!

Mavs Lose again! …

Within a span of 2 minutes, 41 seconds, the Mavericks saw their fortunes change during Monday night's 107-104 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

First, the Mavs lost forward Josh Howard for at least three games when he sprained his left ankle after falling on Mickael Pietrus' right foot with 6:35 remaining before halftime. A short time later, coach Avery Johnson drew a pair of quick technical fouls from referee Danny Crawford and was ejected.

Johnson protested heavily and drew his first technical after no foul was whistled when Jason Terry drove the lane for a dunk and was plastered by Mike Dunleavy and Andris Biedrins. After that, Johnson had to be restrained by assistant coach Joe Prunty.

But Johnson broke free, walked over and whispered something into Crawford's left ear. He was immediately tossed after that, with assistant coach Del Harris taking over the helm.
---

"Jason Terry getting thrown out of the game obviously hurt us, because obviously we can use his offense," Johnson said. "X-rays, were negative on Howard. He'll have an MRI today and will not make the upcoming three-game road trip to the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix and Portland.

Some notes from the Mavericks PR department about the loss to Golden State last night:

• Golden State has now won three straight over Dallas and also four straight over the Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Dallas has lost both of its home games this season. The Mavericks only lost consecutive home games once in 2005-06 (11/26 vs. Memphis and 12/1 vs. San Antonio). Following those back to back home losses, Dallas finished the season with a 29-5 mark at home.

• Dallas attempted 30 3-pointers tonight. The most 3-pointers the Mavericks attempted in 2005-06 was 26 and they only took 20 or more seven times. Dallas had eight more 3FGA than FTA tonight, marking the second time this season it has had fewer FTA than 3FGA this season. That occurred just five times in 2005-06.

• Dallas has given up 100+ points in each of the past two games. The Mavericks only allowed 100+ points in consecutive games three times last season.

Nelson v. Cuban …

Nelson argues that Cuban owes him $6.6 million in deferred money from the original contract he signed with previous owner Ross Perot Jr. Cuban counters there is a clause in the contract that negates those payments now that Nelson is earning money from Golden State. The two are headed to arbitration.

Nelson said he won't agree to close the proceedings. He wants everything in the open. Cuban said that's fine with him.

That will be interesting.

"No one ever asked us permission for him to coach Golden State," Cuban said. "That's
a whole other issue. If he was trying to negotiate some things knowing he had another job and us not knowing, or if he had the possibility of another job ...
"I just want to put all this to rest. I'm tired of 'Aren't I wonderful, isn't he mean to me.' I mean, come on."

The Cowboys are just a .500 team right now ….

After all the T.O.ying around this off-season to a team that narrowly missed the playoffs, the Cowboys are one game worse than they were at the midway point last year.

They were 5-3 in 2005.
They are 4-4 in 2006.

"It's who we are," Cowboys linebacker Bradie James said Sunday. "When it's our time to win those games, we don't. Evidently, it's not our time."

Forgive James if he sounded fatalistic. The wounds from a uniquely demoralizing 22-19 loss against Washington were raw and painful in the hour after the game.
One day later, the Cowboys were dealing with the reality that in spite of all of their supposed upgrades, they remain nothing more than average.

Stars lose heartbreaker to Vancouver with a final minute goal …

Tippett said he was impressed with Smith’s handling of the situation and said he was frustrated with the power play’s lack of success.

“I’d like to give him a little more help than a single goal,” Tippett said.
The Stars almost did that, generating a scoring chance on the potential game-winner late in the third period. Jussi Jokinen forced a turnover, and Mike Modano walked in with a chance that Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo stopped. However, the puck trickled back to Jokinen and he fired a backhanded shot that appeared headed for an open net. But Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo stuck up his glove while sitting on the ice and closed the door.

“I thought, ‘Get it up,’ and I got it up, but … great save,” Jokinen said. “It’s tough. I had the keys to the game in my hand. I felt I had a good shot, but he was better.”

Brenden Morrow then took a penalty with 2:17 remaining, and Vancouver’s lifeless power play finally struck. Mattias Ohlund hit the post on a potential slam dunk, but then Taylor Pyatt flipped in the rebound with 44.7 seconds remaining, and the Stars had only their third loss of the season.

Morrow said he thought the penalty could have been a no-call. He was fighting for position and felt he shouldered Josh Green in the chest. He was called for elbowing, and the Canucks' power play received one last chance.

“I know it looked bad. I pulled him in and then I leaned into him. I think I got him (in the chest),” Morrow said. “But the referee was back over here, and he probably saw the head go back. It’s a judgment call, but it’s tough to take with two minutes left.”

Still, the Stars felt there was a little bit of karma to the moment. Dallas avoided a tie with Edmonton on Friday because of a controversial call.

“That was probably a make-up for Edmonton the other night,” Modano said.

My thoughts exactly. Easy come on Friday, Easy go on Monday.

Richie Whitt features Marty Turco in the Dallas Observer …

We think you're a choker, a goalie who stands on his head against Atlanta in November but falls on his face against Colorado come May. We think you probably handle your failures selfishly and internally, one of those "island" goalies who rarely fraternizes with teammates. We think in the aftermath of another collapse to the Avalanche last spring you spent the summer wallowing in self-pity, gaining weight and losing confidence. We think you shaved your head because you somehow reason that looking different will make you play different. And we think you won't answer half our questions, because you'd rather face point-blank frozen rubber than the past.

Eh?

"It hurts, but nothing good could come out of pretending it didn't happen," Turco says, digging into his psyche and his China bistro lunch. "I can't run and hide. Life goes on. The playoffs were a complete disappointment. I didn't dwell on it, but I didn't ignore it either. First was acceptance, then the process of determining what I could learn from it. I didn't just hope I'd play better this year; I tried to make myself a better player.

"And really, I've just always wanted short hair. Low maintenance, ya know? You should grab some chow. Delicious."

Just like that, Turco crosses his legs, opens his soul and so skate-saves our preconceived notions that I feel like I'm writing for the Dallas Oblivious. Handling his chopsticks as deftly as he handles a goalie stick, he spends an illuminating hour in Frisco picking apart chicken, beef, noodles and every last scrap of pessimism.

Says Turco: "I've got a renewed belief in myself."

But after last April's kick to the crotch, trusting Turco and his Stars is like buying stock in the li'l boys who cried wolf. The Stars were Dallas' best team the last decade and the city's last organization to lift a championship trophy ('99). Last season they won a franchise-record 53 games and the Western Conference's No. 2 seed. Finally recovering from a season lost to lockout, the team's loyal-but-limited fan base was edgy to test-drive a sport trying to restore its small-town, big-time feel.

Meet Mrs. Nik Hagman ….

good pictures of Aggie-Sooner College Gameday …

Heyman looks at the likely to be traded this winter …

Overall, though, the list falls well short of greatness. But the winter market won't necessarily fizzle. It could still be propped up by some monster trades if anyone's willing to pull the trigger. Potentially, the five biggest names who could hit the trade market are Alex Rodriguez, Vernon Wells, Manny Ramirez, Miguel Tejada and Mark Teixeira. Though it's much more likely that all five stay put than all five go, a quickie poll of executives suggests that the order of the likeliest to be traded, from most likely to least, may be: 1. Wells. 2. Teixeira. 3. Tejada. 4. Ramirez. 5. A-Rod.

CoCo takes a few parting shots …

Francisco Cordero criticized the Texas Rangers for trading him, saying he was grateful to have ended up with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Cordero was 7-4 with a 4.81 ERA and six saves with the Rangers, who dealt him to the Brewers on July 28 along with outfielders Kevin Mench and Laynce Nix, and minor league left-hander Julian Cordero -- no relation to Francisco. All-Star outfielder Carlos Lee and outfielder Nelson Cruz went to the Rangers.

Cordero was 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA and 16 saves with the Brewers. He was an All-Star in 2004, setting a Texas record with 49 saves, but he set a major league record with five blown saves in April and lost the closer's job to Akinori Otsuka.

"They did not think about what I did for so long," Cordero told The Associated Press
on Friday. "In Texas, they made stupid changes that didn't make sense. Lee is a free agent and now he's leaving. That's why the manager [Buck Showalter] isn't there anymore."

Dateline comes to the Metroplex …



Doogie Howser is not into chicks …More for Grubes…

A few items of Cowboys follow-up. First, the Bad Luck Blues are being talked about again. Many believe that the Blues always bring bad luck. I have always wanted to see if there is true substance behind this number or if it is all imagination. Of course, it should be noted that if you never wear blue at home, then you will have a real hard time in any color if it is only worn on the road. For instance, my Pack have an awful record in their white. Funny what playing at home can do for a jersey color.

Anyway, I wanted to begin to compile my own stats and I decided to start with the 8 Super Bowls Dallas has played in.

Super Bowl V Loss in Blue
Super Bowl VI Win in White
Super Bowl X Loss in White
Super Bowl XII Win in White
Super Bowl XIII Loss in White
Super Bowl XXVII Win in White
Super Bowl XXVIII Win White
Super Bowl XXX Win in White

There: 0-1 in Blue. 5-2 in White. That proves it. Feel free to send in your own evidence.

Email:

Sturm...

The Aikman / Buck theory you speak of isn't so much some jinx, but the fact that that crew calls the big games of the day. Aside from the Carolina loss, the Cowboys have lost the big games, games that a #1 crew would call. They win the games where Fox and CBS trots out their spare 4th or 5th crew because those are easy games Dallas should win.

Also, if you are Mark Columbo on that blocked FG, and you just blocked to the inside and watched Vincent run by untouched on the outside, what is going through your mind? Couldn't you at least grab his jersey, take the 10 yard penalty and at least kick it again? Speaking of this play, did you see Ron Jaworski on ESPN blame the interior line and a low kick for the block? For someone who claims to watch hours of tape, how does this man still have a job?

Will

Borat goes to Fort Worth



Poor Drew




West Ham beats Arsenal on Sunday in Arabic?

Redskins 22, Cowboys 19 (4-4)

That result hurts very, very bad. How are we going to get out of this mess? Not sure. But a loss to a bad team yesterday really derails a train that got rolling a week ago in Carolina. It would sure be nice to see this team string together two wins in a row. How you lose to Washington yesterday even with your QB playing well is hard to fathom. Here we go again.

• Is Roy Williams the most frustrating player in Cowboys history? He has to be in the mix. Another week, another frustrating play. Last week, we congratulate him for his big play in Carolina. This week, we wonder what was worse: The pass interference where he showed almost zero ball presence or the possible interception that hit him in the face? Just like the Cowboys have no consistency, their leader doesn’t either.

• Nice catch, Terrell.

• Would you like to subscribe to the Bad Luck Blue theory? Well, when the Cowboys wear the Blues this season they are 0-3.

• Or, would you like to subscribe to the Aikman-Buck theory? Well, when the Cowboys play in front of the Fox crew of Troy Aikman and Joe Buck, they are 0-3.

• Now, tell me again about that chart. Tell me why you have to go for 2 early in the 2nd Quarter. And no, this is not hind-sight. Much like many of you, I was screaming at my television at the time. Even if it works, it is still goofy to go for 2 in the 2nd quarter. Don’t even look at that chart until the 4th Quarter. Until then, you get as many free points as they will hand you. And since when does Bill Parcells need a laminated chart to explain to him a simple extra point procedure? I thought he was a genius. That was absolute garbage, and you are left to wonder how that extra point changed the course of the game. You obviously cannot blame the whole loss on that one point, because surely Gibbs would have gone for 2 after the Cooley touchdown if the Cowboys were up 20-12, but that was stinking pathetic.

• I honestly thought Tony Romo was great again. Anyone on the fence about his performance had to be convinced by the clutch pass to Witten at the end. Romo made almost no poor decisions, just a few poor throws, and overall has continued to impress me with his poise and with his ability to make big-time throws. Truly a loss where the QB seemed blameless.

• Mike Vanderjagt is an immense disappointment. But, I don’t have any idea how I can blame him for that blocked FG. Colombo for some reason blocked down, allowing Troy Vincent through the hole untouched. That was a big mistake as he blocked the kick with ease. I want to blame the kicker. I really do. But that kick wasn’t going to be made by anyone. Initially, I thought he had to get the kick higher, but there is no way you can get it higher than a diving 6 foot man who is 3 feet in front of you. It kind of reminds you of the play in the Giants game where Colombo blocked down and allowed Strahan to come untouched into Bledsoe’s backyard.

• OK, on to Terrell. How do you drop that pass? Romo laid that bomb perfectly into his hands, but we now know that this guy is more style than substance when it comes to the big time catches in 2006. 4th down versus the Giants, the drops in Philadelphia, and this play against the Redskins demonstrates that when the light is the hottest or at least when his team needs it the most. The theory is out there that he dropped it partly because he was already thinking of what he was going to do in the endzone, and I don’t think that can be ruled out. He is a grade A knucklehead.

• Did you see it? It happened and I hope you saw it! BOBBY CARPENTER MADE A TACKLE ON A KICKOFF RETURN!!! Get your #54 jerseys today at the Cowboys pro shop. With his first professional tackle, he now is just 1250 tackles behind Darren Woodsen on his way to becoming the Cowboys all-time leader.

• Was that a 15 yard face mask penalty on Kyle Kosier (another fine signing) when Sean Taylor was returning the blocked FG? In my opinion, yes. Anytime your helmet gets twisted around, on a play so you are looking through your earhole, you have to call it. I know I may be in the minority here, but I had no problem with the call. Of course, if it was only the 5 yard penalty, there is no way that spare nails that Field Goal to win the game.

• 11 penalties for 153 yards. By Parcells own statement, you should get 7 points for every 100 yards. So, by that definition, the Cowboys gifted the Redskins 10 points or so. And, Jason Witten is going for the False Start record I think.

• I think I would have reviewed the safety. It sure looked like the ball got back to the 1-inch line before Julius Jones hit the ground.

• I am pretty sure I would not ask Christian Fauria to block DeMarcus Ware straight up.

• I am curious which of you set the new cussing record for the Metroplex yesterday. Someone had to. I never for one moment considered the fact that the Cowboys could lose that game yesterday until Novak hit that FG. It never occured to me.


Ok. Let’s see if we have the prevailing opinions right.

Week 4 Win at Tennessee: Boy, Football is easy for the Cowboys.
Week 5 Loss at Philadelphia: We suck, season is a failure.
Week 6 Win vs. Houston: No Worries. It is coming together.
Week 7 Loss vs. New York: Season over. 2007 Preseason set to begin.
Week 8 Win at Carolina: We may not lose another game!
Week 9 Loss at Washington: We suck, season is a failure.

A quick review of this list will tell you that if you don’t like the weather surrounding the Cowboys season, wait exactly 7 days. Incidentally, with the Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and New York Giants as your next 4 opponents, look for this pattern of Win, Loss, Win, Loss to continue for another month.

11/3 - Spurs 1, Mavs 0

I wish I could take more time this morning, as I would no doubt worry about Francisco Elson more, but I am in a fairly large hurry. Therefore, a few initial thoughts:

The Cowboys game is not a given this weekend! But, without Moss, the Redskins should not have enough: Dallas 21, Washington 20.

Aggie – Sooner? I have no stinking idea. I prefer A&M 24, OU 20.

And now, a weekend of camping awaits. Yippee.

Mavs fade down the stretch …

The Mavericks missed their first six shots of the fourth period, shot just 6-of-21 (28.6 percent) for the quarter and watched the Spurs make clutch play after clutch play. And they won the bump-and-grind game when it counted.

"I thought we were pretty physical and pretty energetic early on in the game, and we weren't that way as the game went on," Mavs coach Avery Johnson said. "When you are aggressive in our league, you get rewarded."

The Spurs were and did. They got to the free throw line 37 times, 21 more than the Mavericks.

The Mavericks worried going into the game that they were behind in their preparation for the season, thanks to too many minor preseason injuries that kept them from getting consistent work on all of their offensive schemes.

But San Antonio's defense had something to do with the fourth-quarter derailment. And so did the Spurs' backcourt as starters Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili outscored Jason Terry and Greg Buckner 35-14. The backups, Beno Udrih and Michael Finley, combined for 18 points off the bench to just four for the Mavericks' Devin Harris and Anthony Johnson.

JJT notes it is all jumpers again …

These Mavs played like Don Nelson was still coaching the team, not Avery Johnson.
It's blasphemous to say that, but for one game – a disappointing, 97-91 loss to the hated Spurs – it was true.

These Mavs shot too many jumpers. They took too many 3s. They didn't attack the basket. You do that against a team as good as the Spurs and you lose.
Every time.

These Mavs should know better. A similar jump-shooting approach played a key role in the Mavs blowing a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals against Miami last year.

It's too early to overreact. One November loss, even a home defeat to the Spurs, really has no bearing on how the Mavs will fare this season. That said, the Mavs must learn from this defeat. To a man, they must decide consistently settling for jump shots is not an option.

We've seen that style recently in Dallas, Sacramento and Phoenix. It's fun, no doubt, but has yet to produce a championship.

"We looked like the Mavericks of the past," Johnson said. "That's not what we've been working on, and that's not what we are."

Gramps points at Dirk …

The last time the Mavs were in meaningful action, Mr. Nowitzki was missing big shots down the stretch. Nothing changed Thursday night, except the stakes weren't as high in this situation.

Dirk got off to a roaring start, hitting four of his five attempts in the opening quarter. The rest of the way, however, he was 5-for-15, failing to nail open looks in the final minutes.

But "stepping up" was a team-wide problem in the second half.

"I didn't like the way we played," Avery said, in an understatement.

Overreacting to a first-game loss to the Spurs is not necessary, but Johnson did
indicate he may be pushing the pedal a bit in coming practices.

"I've been know to be a pusher, and that's what it usually takes around here," he added.

Bowen, of course, never minds giving out a push, a shove, or whatever it takes, including a well-placed sneaker on a fallen foe.

But it was also Bowen who was nailing big shots when it counted, particularly a 3-pointer from the corner with 2:17 left, stretching a Spurs lead to four.

And, while the Mavs have been praised for adding veteran depth in the off-season, San Antonio also wasn't idle in this area. There was a first-game dividend when 7-footer Francisco Elson came off the bench for 12 points and six rebounds, plus some hounding defense on Dirk.

Rangers look close to a manager …

Daniels said he preferred to not speak expansively about the hunt for a manager to replace Buck Showalter, but Rangers insiders say the new manager could be named as early as Monday.

And the same insiders believe Wakamatsu is the leading candidate.

Daniels would only confirm that he is narrowing the field of candidates, saying: "It's been tough with people traveling and tough to get a hold of people, so until then, it's not fair for me to comment and have people read about it in the paper."

The most difficult candidates to contact at this point would be John Russell -- who managed the Philadelphia Phillies' Triple A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Pa.) this season and is managing a team in Venezuela -- and New York Mets third base coach Manny Acta, who is with a team of major league players touring Japan.

Wakamatsu and Trey Hillman, manager of the Nippon Ham Fighters, are the only two candidates who met with Rangers owner Tom Hicks during the interview process. Oakland A's third base coach Ron Washington is expected to be invited back for an interview with Hicks.

Is Santana Moss playing …

Santana Moss, by far the Washington Redskins' most productive receiver since his arrival in 2005, missed practice again yesterday with a strained hamstring, making it uncertain whether he will play Sunday against Dallas. Moss has not been on the field for a full training session since suffering the injury in a Week 7 loss at Indianapolis, and has a history of hamstring problems.

Should Moss be unable to play, there could be more work for James Thrash, a special teams stalwart. Wide receiver David Patten, who is also nursing a hamstring injury, returned for practice and is listed as probable, while wide receiver Brandon Lloyd did not practice fully because of a shoulder injury. He, too, is probable. Moss has more receiving yards this season (435) than Washington's other four wide receivers combined (397), and is the primary target for quarterback Mark Brunell. He also is the only player able to repeatedly produce big plays in this passing offense the last two seasons, an area of particular significance given the Redskins' inconsistent attack in 2006.

"We don't want to go in without Santana, he means so much to the team," Coach Joe Gibbs said. "But at same time, it can happen and we've got some other players there, and we wouldn't change our thought process or what we try to do [on offense]. Some other guys have got to step up and make plays."

Yesterday was the last vigorous practice of the week, with Fridays usually featuring lighter work with less contact and Saturdays a walk-through. Moss, who set the single-season franchise mark for receiving yards in 2005, has been participating in the walk-throughs this week and attends meetings as usual, but again yesterday was out of his uniform and pads during the afternoon practice.

The Redskins made depth at wide receiver a priority after fielding no productive options beyond Moss at that position last season (Patten missed half the season after knee surgery), and Gibbs is counting on Lloyd and Anwtaan Randle El to fill the void if need be on Sunday. Both received substantial contracts in the offseason -- with about $10 million guaranteed and worth as much as $30 million over six years -- but have been spare parts thus far. They have combined for 29 catches, 331 yards and 1 receiving touchdown through seven games.

Neither Lloyd nor Randle El has posted more than 52 yards in a game, and only once has either caught more than five passes in a game. Brunell has been completing mostly short passes, often check-downs to running backs or tight end Chris Cooley, and frequently looks Moss's way first. Al Saunders, the associate head coach-offense, has been trying to spread the ball among his playmakers, but is still seeking real diversity.

Gregg Williams ready for Romo …

"He played well last week, against a pretty good defense," Williams said of Romo. "We have to play their offense. It doesn't come down to personnel like that. We have to play what we know about what they want to do. Coach Parcells wants to manage the ballgame. That position, when it manages very well, executes their offense very well. The young guy did a good job last week."

Williams said that Romo, who is inexperienced but has been in the league four years, wouldn't pose that much of a mystery.

"There's enough film on him in the preseason," Williams said. "We'll go back to last year's film and the habits or subtleties and mechanics that a guy has. He has to function within their offense. He has to do what they want done at that position, and he did it very well. I was very impressed."

This week’s Terrell story …he falls asleep!

Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens is falling asleep in team meetings, most recently on Thursday.

Owens told the Cowboys he had a sleeping problem before he signed with the team in the spring.

"I don't know what it is," Owens said after Thursday's practice. "I've never been diagnosed with it. It's nothing new for me to fall asleep in a meeting. It goes back to my rookie year in San Francisco. My receivers coach [George Stewart] knew I would fall asleep. He thought I was staying up late, and sometimes I did. When I did get to bed early, I would still get to meetings and fall asleep, and it's the same thing here."

Owens said he's not hanging out or staying up late.

He said he works hard studying film and the game plan. He said once he processes the game plan, the meetings and film work become redundant. When lights dim in a quiet room, he dozes off quickly. Owens said he also falls asleep fast on airplanes.
Cowboys owner/general manger Jerry Jones said the team has done its homework on Owens.

"Those are personal health issues, and we all have them in varying ways. I don't say that as though it's something that's irritating at all," said Jones, who said such things aren't discussed with those outside the team.

Aggies tough to beat in 4th Quarter …

A&M coach Dennis Franchione claims there's more to it than that — and the statistics back him up. The Aggies' defense has allowed 58 total points over the last two quarters of their nine games, an average of 6.4 points per game.

"The (defensive coaches) have set up a great vocabulary of communication with the players," Franchione said. "They start talking about this family on this side or this color on this side — which is how they group so many of their calls — and the players have got it.

"It's a credit to their system, their communication skills and teaching ability."
No. 21 A&M, which hosts No. 18 Oklahoma at 7 p.m. Saturday, has trailed or been tied in four of its nine games at halftime. The Aggies have allowed an average of 11.3 first-half points in their nine contests.

"It's all about play recognition," safety Melvin Bullitt said. "We don't make too many adjustments at halftime, but it's pretty interesting that everybody seems to think that we do."

Darnell said the difference between A&M's first and second halves is simple.
"(Opponents) take their shots, and once we've seen them, there's not a whole lot left for them to go do after that," Darnell said. "We just settle into it at that point."

Franchione pointed to an example in A&M's 25-19 victory over Missouri as a strong second-half adjustment.

"The (defense) changed coverage on one side," Franchione said. "Instead of playing a blanket coverage, they started playing one thing to one side and another coverage to the other."

Man will do time for forgeries …

The Ashwaubenon sports memorabilia dealer busted for selling faked Brett Favre autographs was sentenced to six months in jail and four years' probation Thursday.
Michael "Whitey" Van Lanen, owner of the now-defunct All Sports Marketing, also must pay $5,477 in restitution to people who bought fraudulent prints and must reimburse the state $1,442 for investigative costs. Brown County Circuit Court Judge William Atkinson also ordered Van Lanen to make a donation to the Green Bay Packers quarterback's Brett Favre Fourward Foundation, a gift that is expected to total about $8,000 once all court obligations are met.

Atkinson allowed Van Lanen work release during his jail stay, which means he will serve about 135 days if he behaves while incarcerated.

State Justice Department agents raided Van Lanen's Holmgren Way shop in January after undercover agents bought large framed prints which included high-quality photocopies of Favre's autograph.

And now email:

In the 7 years I've been in Dallas, I dont ever recall a less talked about Skins-Cowgirls game (Our Vi-Queens). What's really weird is that about 905 of the people I've spoken to out and about are so "matter-of-fact" that Dallas has already won this game. About 70% of the media is acting the same way.

I KNOW I'M A HOMER...but am I crazy in thinking Wash has a good shot at winning this game? The players are pissed, the fans are MORE pissed...it's a home game and really the only game that matters for them the rest of the way. If they can't get up for this game..>Screw em, until next year!! Both starting corners are playing together for the 1st time this year. I mean there is talent on this squad. AND DALLAS IS FAVORED ON THE ROAD???????????

Am I crazy or is this set up to smack Dallas in the face???

Hail baby, hail!!! (My smack-talk stick is just about on empty)

And now this from Ben and Skin:

This Saturday night at 6:30pm -- one hour before the Mavs tipoff with the Rockets -- do the right thing this time and make plans to watch The Ben and Skin Show on TXA 21. If you watch our show people will almost immediatly say that you look taller, food will taste 7% better and your neighbors will finally respect and fear your powerful authority. Not only will it make your life better in these incredible ways, but it will also teach you not to believe ridiculously outrageous claims.

The Ben and Skin Show is kind of like SNL meets the Mavericks meets the fake mustache meets The Ticket meets another fake mustache that's even more fake... it's hard to explain... just watch this behind the scenes footage (courtesy of the mysterious Quan Lee) and you'll get the drift:




Please be sure to forward this on to many, many humans with computers. We're all counting on you.

Oh, and remember love. See you Saturday.

---

Borat



Roger Staubach and Navy vs. Notre Dame 1964



Have a good sports weekend

Here We Go Again

Well, here we go: 1 of 82? Nope. This is the Spurs. In our house. You beat them down here.

And the words have begun …

There's a basic dislike, if not hatred, that has replaced the respect factor.
"And that's good," Stackhouse said. "That means the feeling's mutual."

What the Mavericks hope is that this era in the NBA won't remember them as the Phil Mickelsons of the hardwood. In golf, Tiger Woods has no equal in this generation. Mickelson is one of the best players ever. But because the prime of his career has hit squarely during Woods' wheelhouse, Mickelson will never be acknowledged as the
best of his time.

In this era of basketball, the Mavericks are loaded and have had a terrific decade of success. They own the second-best record in the NBA since the start of the 1999-2000 season, but are well shy of the Spurs' total. And the scoreboard that counts reads: Spurs 3, Mavs 0. That's the number of championships won since the 1998-99 season.

The Mavericks won the West last season but fell short of the NBA championship. In that respect, they are still fighting to gain equal footing with the Spurs.

"We just don't like them," owner Mark Cuban said. "They had what we wanted for so many years. And we took it from them last year. They have had former Mavs, and Avery [Johnson] is a former Spur, which has raised the intensity. Plus, we feel like one of their players is more than a little dirty."

But enough about Bruce Bowen.

"There's not a lot of love between these two teams," Stackhouse said. "Obviously, they got some factors – us putting them out of the playoffs – and they're going to be ready to go. And we got to find a way to deal with this new so-called bull's-eye on our back. But we feel we can deal with it."

Cowlishaw wonders if the Mavs are really better than the Spurs …

But better than the Spurs? That's a tough one.

Was last season a changing of the guard or more a case of the Spurs as defending champions being a bit run down? A team that's already been together for two titles (Duncan has been part of three) is going to take a year off now and then.

And surely the Manu Ginobili that we saw last year was nothing like the player we had seen in those championship years.

Not winning last year will make the Spurs a more formidable foe this year. How do the Mavericks counter?

Winning no longer will be a novelty for this team. The doubters from around the nation that remembered the Mavericks from the years of Nellie and No Defense understand that this team does play at both ends of the floor now.

The core of a team that should have beaten Miami but didn't returns. The good news is that Nowitzki, Josh Howard and Jason Terry, the team's three premier players, are locked into long-term contracts.

The bad news is that Nowitzki, Howard and Terry are locked into long-term contracts.
A year ago, these players were doing more than taking a franchise where it had never been. They were playing for contracts that they have now received.

It's always good for a team to have a star or two with that contract carrot still dangling out there, but Johnson said he's not worried about satisfaction settling in.

"Jason Terry has made good money in this league before," he said. "Dirk has made good money before. Josh Howard is so young that he would play this game for free. What I'm saying is I don't think it's going to change the way we work."

But winning changes things, even if they fell short of the ultimate goal.

"You've really got about six teams capable of winning the championship," Jerry Stackhouse said. "The other teams are trying to figure out where they are. And they figure out where they are by beating Dallas or beating San Antonio."

It's a new journey for the Mavericks, different from anything they have encountered in the past. In that way, tonight begins another opportunity to make history.

Robert Horry slaps back …despite having very little in his bag right now, when it comes to rings he knows a little something about it…

Horry attributed Stackhouse's comments and Cuban's conduct to "a little bit of jealousy."

"They're the only team in Texas," Horry said, "that doesn't have a championship."
By advancing to the Finals last season, the Mavericks have become, in Finley's words, "the team to beat" in the Western Conference. Duncan even expects tonight to feel "more like 50 games into the season than an opening night."

But the Spurs also realize that one game against Dallas signifies nothing more than the start to another season. Regardless of the outcome, each team will have another 81 games to play.

"We just know there's a team in our way to try to win the championship," Horry said. "They have nothing we want. The only people that have something we want are the Miami Heat.

"All these other banners ... Western Conference champions ... that don't mean nothing. That's just like winning a medium battle in a big-ass war."

Bill Simmons with a great season preview column …but, he puzzles me with his following paragraph:

THE FAVORITE

San Antonio: Because Dallas would have lost to the Spurs if Ginobili didn't stupidly foul Dirk on that three-point play in Game 7. And that wasn't a great Spurs team -- poor Duncan was hobbling around on one foot. Now he's healthy, he's in great shape, and he's ticked off. And that's all I need to know.

Now, I would certainly not offer debate to someone who thinks the Spurs will win it all. That is still the smart choice I would assume. But, let’s not revise history. Sure, the Mavs may have benefited by the Stupidity of Manu. Hey, guys make poor decisions on every possession of the season. But, if we are going to say the Mavs would have lost the series there, shouldn’t we also point out that if Jason Terry hits a 15 footer at the end of Game 5 or Dirk puts the rebound home at the buzzer the series is over in 5 games? That’s right. Dirk had the ball under the hoop at the end of Game 5 down 1 point and it didn’t work out. But IF it did, the series is over 4 games to 1. So IF we can use the word IF as in “IF Ginobili didn’t stupidly foul Dirk” then we should look at a few other IF situations. OK?

I hate the Spurs. Really.

In case you forgot, My Review of Game 5 from May …

more of Bill Simmons season preview genius …

At the Nuggets-Clippers preseason game on Friday night, there was a level of serenity that I hadn't remembered. Both teams were just playing ball. So I'm watching and watching and thinking to myself, "All right, what's different about this game?"

Then I figured it out: Thanks to the new "Rasheed Wallace" rule, players weren't bitching and moaning after every foul call.

By coming up with this wrinkle, was David Stern hoping to divert attention away from the fallout from last season's playoffs, when the brutal officiating brought back memories of the Allies-Nazis game in "Victory"? Yeah, probably. Still, you have to admit, players were whining and fussing in epidemic proportions. Nobody believed he could actually commit a foul. Even some of the better character guys (like Tim Duncan and Tayshaun Prince, to name two) were reacting after fouls like somebody had just stuck a parking ticket on their car. It was a disgrace. It seemed like they felt obligated to protest every call, like the one moment during the Spurs-Mavs series when Brent Barry was whistled for a foul and ran a few steps in disbelief, but you could tell his heart wasn't really in it, like he was doing it on autopilot.
Watching old games on NBA TV this summer, well before this rule was announced, I found myself admiring a random Portland-Philly game from the '77 Finals: Not the quality of play as much as its businesslike nature. Players were just playing hard and doing their jobs. It was a revelation. So that got me thinking, "When did this crap start? Who's to blame?"

For the rest of the summer, I kept an eye on the player-referee interactions as much as the old games. Rick Barry and Dave Cowens were famous for complaining about calls in the '70s, but much to my horror, two members of my beloved Celtics made bitching an art form in the mid-'80s: Danny Ainge and Kevin McHale. If you want to blame anyone, blame them. Barkley took it to another level, followed by Chuck Daly and the Bad Boy Pistons, Gary Payton and Sam Cassell and, ultimately, Rasheed and Antoine Walker in the mid-'90s (the Pacino and DeNiro of this discussion). By the middle of this decade, thanks to everyone in this paragraph, everyone felt obligated to protest every whistle. The incessant complaining looked bad on TV and even worse in person -- just play after play of guys getting called for fouls, hopping around like little kids, then debating with the referees like an attorney haggling with a judge. Like everyone else, I hated watching it.

Now? The refs have been given authority to whistle technicals on anyone who pulls that crap. The league will be better for it. You will see. Maybe the level of officiating will even be better for it. If last season's performance was a collective D-plus -- and that's being kind -- we might end up with a C-plus this season simply because the refs won't have to worry about being shown up every other play. And if that's not enough, watching 'Sheed and 'Toine internalizing their emotions could end up being the funniest ongoing subplot of the 2006-07 season.
Well, other than the Knicks.

In quite a tussle, the Stars beat the Blues with Big E involved…

Eric Lindros wasn't exactly lighting up the goal column.

It's not like he wasn't trying; entering Wednesday's game, he was averaging about four shots on goal per game. But while his assist tally continued to grow, the goals weren't coming.

Against St. Louis, however, Lindros hit paydirt. Then hit it again.

Lindros scored two goals, giving him 370 for his career, and the Stars looked as if they had regained their moxie in a 4-1 victory over the Blues at American Airlines Center. The Stars improved to 10-2-0, their best record in team history after 12 games.

And no one exemplified that recharged effort more than Lindros. He took five shots, dished out four hits and threw in a fracas with Dan Hinote late in the third period for good measure.

"He was physically involved in the game and taking shots on the net," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "[If] he does that for us, he'll be a very good player for us."

Evgeni Malkin rules the world …

It was a record-setting night for Penguins rookie Evgeni Malkin, whose second goal of the night punctuated a 4-3 overtime win against the Los Angeles Kings.

Malkin got a rebound of defenseman Sergie Gonchar's shot on a power play and swept it past goaltender Dan Cloutier from the bottom of the right circle at 2:45 of overtime.

Malkin's goal in the first period gave him one in each of his first six NHL games, setting the modern-day mark.

The win pushed the Penguins into first place in the Atlantic Division, a point ahead of New Jersey and two ahead of the New York Islanders.

The Penguins won their first four road games in a season for the first time since 1994-95 and their first four in a row away from home at any point in a season since Nov. 15-Dec. 10, 1997.

---

Malkin, fresh out of the penalty box after being called for tripping, put the
Penguins ahead, 2-1, with his record-tying goal at 8:29.

Malkin's forehand from the left hash marks beat Cloutier on the far side.
Malkin had been tied since Saturday with Boston's Dmitri Kvartalnov, who got his goals in each of his first five games in 1992-93.

The all-time record was set in 1917 -- the first year of the NHL and the year of the Russian Revolution in Malkin's home country.

On this side of the world that winter, Montreal's Joe Malone had a goal in each of his first 14 games, Ottawa's Cy Denneny scored in each of his first 12 games, and Montreal's Newsy Lalonde's streak was eight games.

Catching up with the Chase for the Nextel Cup …As it comes to town, my dad’s favorite, Matt Kenseth is in the “driver’s seat”. Rock me.

Click For Unintentional Comedy …Told you.

Mavs – Spurs 2006



Robot Dance of Excellence

November 1

Billy Guerin looks back at his time in our city …and does not mention the BaD Radio curse…

The next season, the Stars struggled and came in as the No. 5 seed in the West. Still, Guerin led the team with 34 goals among 69 points. Then came the NHL lockout in 2004, and Guerin, one of the vice presidents for the players association, became immersed in the business of hockey. Guerin said the decisions he had to make stuck with him for months.

"It was just a bad overall situation, and we were all stuck in the middle of it," he said. "The negotiating committee – we were presented with a lot of options, and some of those options would hurt some players financially and help others. And we had to make decisions on those. I mean, you had some really good friends and you were making decisions that could affect their careers and their families."

But he said those are reasons, not excuses.

"I didn't do my job. That's the bottom line," he said.

Guerin finished last season with 13 goals among 40 points, and the Stars had to decide if they wanted to pay him $6.7 million or buy him out and use the saved cap space on other players. They bought him out.

"It was hard to take at the time. But I know it was a business decision, and I think they made some good choices," said Guerin, who will turn 36 next week. "I mean, they brought in some good players, and they couldn't have done that if they'd have kept me."

Guerin signed a one-year deal with the Blues for $2 million and has four goals and four assists in 10 games. He's happy being reunited with teammate Doug Weight and said he's having fun.

But when asked if he wonders where his career will go from here, whether the Blues will be a playoff contender or whether he will have to find a new home next summer, he didn't take long to try to put a stop to the madness.

"There was a time when I might have thought about all of that stuff, but it just becomes too much," he said. "For me, the best thing to do is just try not to think too much. If I can just concentrate on the hockey, then I seem to do OK."

Weekly Buccigross mentions longest Stanley Cup Droughts …

1961 (44 seasons) -- Chicago Blackhawks
1967 (38 seasons) -- Toronto Maple Leafs
*1967 (38 seasons) -- Los Angeles Kings
*1967 (38 seasons) -- St. Louis Blues
*1970 (35 seasons) -- Buffalo Sabres
*1970 (35 seasons) -- Vancouver Canucks
1972 (33 seasons) -- Boston Bruins
*1974 (31 seasons) -- Washington Capitals
1975 (30 seasons) -- Philadelphia Flyers
(* -- have never won the Stanley Cup)

Finley still mad about last spring …

"He's in that Joe Dumars mold," Popovich said. "He comes to work, he does his job, and he cares about everybody."

He's also a fierce competitor. Finley claims losing to Dallas in last season's playoffs didn't bother him as much as simply losing. But this much is certain: He hasn't forgotten all that transpired during the series.

After Mavericks guard Jason Terry was suspended for jabbing Finley in the groin near the end of Game 5, Cuban complained Finley had faked the severity of the blow. "Maybe the crybaby from Tim Duncan wore off" on Finley, Cuban said in a radio interview at the time.

Finley said he has no problems with Terry, who apologized to him after Game 7. "He told me it wasn't personal," Finley said. "I know he's not that kind of guy."

As for Cuban, Finley will continue to receive checks from him for the $52 million he was owed when waived by Dallas. But he hasn't spoken to the Mavericks owner.

"I have no reason to talk to him," Finley said. "He's his own man, and I guess he made comments he's going to stand on. That's on him."

With the NBA season back, how about a refresher course on the wisdom of Bill Walton …

“Tracy McGrady is doing things we’ve never seen from anybody – from any planet!”
"Steve Nash is the most unathletic player in the league."

Whenever the refs aren't up to Bill's standards: “Why even have a rulebook?”
On Kobe's offseason weight training: "The added muscle and bulk from pushing that steel and the natural maturation process now enables this grandmaster to regularly accomplish the unimaginable without dragging around excessive bulk and baggage.

Most top players get to the point where they truly believe that anything is possible. Most are also governed by gravity, the laws of physics and self-regulating mental control mechanisms. Kobe has left all these behind. The extra strength and stamina have made him a superior 3-point shooter, a most dominant defender and arguably the game's top rebounder."

On Rasheed Wallace: "He's like a four-armed Dikembe Mutombo around the basket!"
"Throw it down, big man! Throw it DOWN!"

Now, Martellus Bennett and Mike Goodson show their 5 star status …

Tight end Martellus Bennett and running back Mike Goodson are the two highest-rated recruits of Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione — and on the same night, each showed why.

On Saturday at Baylor, Bennett roared 75 yards for a touchdown after catching a short slant pass across the middle, shaking a defender and outrunning the Bears secondary.

"I saw the defense was man-to-man with the safeties," Bennett said. "I knew all I had to do was break one tackle, and I would be off to the races. I was gazellin' it."

Late in the game, a 31-21 A&M victory, Goodson took a handoff and ran to the right before cutting back to the left and also outrunning the Baylor defensive backs. Franchione had said that Goodson owns an "extra gear" he kicks in during practice. Finally, it was on public display.

"You saw the jets that he has," Franchione said.

No. 21 A&M (8-1, 4-1 Big 12) hosts No. 18 Oklahoma (6-2, 3-1) at 7 p.m. on Saturday, and the Sooners will see two touted youngsters on the A&M offense who are hitting their stride. While Franchione claims Bennett and Goodson as two of his prized recruits, the sophomore Bennett claims the freshman Goodson as his top enlistee to Aggieland.

"I recruited Mike Goodson here," Bennett said. "I gave him No. 3. At first, I tried to charge him for it."

Weekly Easterbrook …

From Romo to Zero to Hero: Tony Romo sure looked good for Dallas. Just as good blocking instantly causes quarterbacks to become more talented, a mobile quarterback instantly causes offensive linemen to become better blockers. Strange playcalling by both teams' coaches hung over this game, however. Drew Bledsoe's interception disaster against the Giants came when Dallas coaches called a short square-out at the goal line, one of football's riskiest calls -- and did so mere weeks after Bledsoe had an interception disaster against the Eagles when Dallas coaches called a short square-out at the goal line. What did Dallas coaches call Sunday night at the goal line against the Panthers? Two short square-outs, one for a touchdown, one for an incompletion that forced a field goal. Dallas coaches: If you keep calling the short square-out at the goal line, you will pay the price again.

As for Carolina, here is the Cats' next possession after Dallas recovered the fumble and jumped to a 21-14 lead: incompletion, incompletion, incompletion, punt. There was 9:43 remaining when Carolina got the ball, why go into pass-wacky panic? Entering the fourth quarter with a 14-10 lead at home, Carolina proceeded to run the ball zero times: every play was a pass, resulting in an interception and a lost fumble on a sack. Bad enough that Carolina receivers dropped the ball multiple times. If you've got the lead and are at home and every fourth quarter snap is a heave-ho, you deserve defeat.

NY Times looks at the life and times of David Carr …

Now into his fifth year as the team’s starting quarterback, Carr’s tenure has been troubled. He has been sacked 228 times, and his miscues have led to frequent booing by Texans fans, even those who wear his No. 8 jersey to home games.

Houston (2-5) has tried to build its offense around Carr, surrounding him with wide receivers Eric Moulds and Andre Johnson, the league’s leader in receptions and receiving yards, and running back Domanick Davis, who has not played this season because of injury. But the Texans’ game Sunday against the Giants (5-2) at Giants Stadium could be something of a crossroads for both the team and for Carr, a starter in 66 of the franchise’s 71 regular-season games.

During Houston’s 28-22 loss on the road to the Tennessee Titans last Sunday, Carr was benched early in the third quarter after his third turnover. His replacement, Sage Rosenfels, rallied the team by throwing for 186 yards and tying a team record with three touchdown passes.

The loss was particularly bitter for Texans fans, many of whom were displeased when the team, in April’s draft, passed over tailback Reggie Bush and quarterback Vince Young, a native Houstonian who led Texas to last season’s national championship.
The Texans selected defensive end Mario Williams with the No. 1 pick, and paid Carr an $8 million bonus to keep him through 2008. His opposing starting quarterback last Sunday was Young, who ran for a touchdown and threw for another.

“It means something to me, my family and all the fans back home in Houston,” Young said after the game.

Charlie Casserly, the Texans’ general manager who selected both Williams and Carr, remained adamant that the team made the right decisions. Before the loss to Tennessee, Casserly said Carr had been playing well this season. In a telephone interview, Casserly, now a studio analyst for CBS, said: “There’s no regrets at all. Zero at all. Absolutely not.”

Rosenfels’s impressive performance against the Titans continued the strong play he has displayed all season. Still, Gary Kubiak, the Texans’ first-year coach, announced that Carr would be the starter against the Giants.

“I’m going back to David because I know he’s the best thing for our football team,” Kubiak said Monday at a news conference. Indicating that the franchise was still committed to Carr, Kubiak added that Carr’s “growth process and his leadership and the type of player he becomes is what’s important to the Houston Texans and this franchise. I’m going to do everything I can to make him the best possible football player he can be."

Statistically, Carr, a 6-foot-3, 216-pound Fresno State product, is having his best season as a professional. He is completing an N.F.L.-best 70.5 percent of his attempts and has a quarterback rating of 94.3, which ranks sixth in the league.

Spin-off of the Shield? …

CABLE channel FX is reportedly working on a spin-off of "The Shield" starring relief Det. "Dutch" Wagenbach.

The seventh season, set to end in 2008, will be the show's last.

And yesterday, it was reported that actor Jay Karnes, who plays the cut-up cop of the otherwise hard-bitten drama, is under consideration for a series of his own.

Bag of Nothing.com talks about TonyRomo.com …

Every now and then I like to type in interesting URL’s just to see if something is there. Today it was www.TonyRomo.com.

Care to guess what’s there?

Some dude owns the domain and is trying to sell it for $25,000.

Pictures of Mike Schank’s wedding …


And now, some email:

Bob,

Knowing your penchant for ol' Colt McCoy - I had to pass along how his stats and record compare to a prominent Heisman candidate - gotta love stats!

In each of the categories below, compare Quarterback A's passing stats with those of Quarterback B's and try to determine if you know which one is Colt McCoy.

Pass Completions
QB A: 147
QB B: 145

Pass Attempts
QB A: 217
QB B: 214

Pass Yards
QB A: 1705
QB B: 1898

Completion %
QB A: 67.7%
QB B: 67.8%

Longest Completion
QB A: 62
QB B: 58

Passing Touchdowns
QB A: 24
QB B: 22

Interceptions Thrown
QB A: 4
QB B: 2

Most TDs thrown in single game
QB A: 6
QB B: 4

Times Sacked
QB A: 10
QB B: 8

In the above stats Colt McCoy is "Quarterback A" and, by the way, "Quarterback B" is the hands down Heisman favorite Troy Smith. Was it fair to just compare their passing stats? Of course not. The senior Buckeye has that extra dimension that separates himself from other top quarterbacks,
including the freshman Lonhghorn. So, for full disclosure, below are rushing stats.

Rush Attempts
QB A: 55
QB B: 42

Rush Yards
QB A: 174
QB B: 169

Most rush yards in single game
QB A: 68
QB B: 54

Longest Rush
QB A: 33
QB B: 34

Rush Touchdowns
QB A: 1
QB B: 1

Once again, McCoy was "Quarterback A" and Smith was "Quarterback B."

I hope this helps explain why Smith will win the Heisman and McCoy will be fortunate to gain any conference honors that aren't preceded by the term "Freshman."

Either that or Colt McCoy needs to insist on being refered to as Heisman Candidate Colt McCoy rather than Redshirt Freshman Colt McCoy.

----

Good morning gents,

Try this on for size....

You spent last week looking for other big time #9s in the QB slot. Perhaps it isn't that 9 is a spare number....maybe it is simply this: 9 comes after 8.

Isn't that what Dallas has been doing for the last few years? We've been searching for the next #8. I'm no sports expert or sports humorist, for that matter, I'm just a fan. I'd have called in with this HSO, but I know how Dan feels when a female voice starts talkin' sports. Hey Dan....do you
tune out emails too?

Thanks for making it so good to be a BaD fan...........

Jen

How to Snag a Foul Ball



Fedourek Boogaard




Dear Prudence – redone