Securing the top spot

Yahoo! Sports columnist Michael Silver has been one of our favorite writers for a while now. His 'Morning Rush' is a must-read during the NFL season.

His column on Wednesday is also a must-read, if not for the content and wonderful writing but for the witty humor.

Take a read....

The Patriots, as is their custom, are tighter than Kansas coach Mark Mangino in Mary-Kate Olsen's spandex shorts. They've spent this week doing what they've done all season, acting like a bunch of glass-eating eunuchs who keep their inner bravado in check until Sundays, when they rise up collectively to extend a middle finger to the world.

The Mangino joke is great. But I had no idea what the 'eunuchs' reference was until I checked out the word on dictionary.com.

A man or boy whose testes are nonfunctioning or have been removed.

And the last joke is something you don't expect to read in a column.

The Giants? They're the '78 Yankees, a bunch of brash New Yorkers who rolled into the Valley of the Sun acting like they own the place. They're coming off revenge victories over Dallas and Green Bay – consecutive road triumphs Nos. 9 and 10, the latter accomplished in subzero temperatures.

Predictably, they're looser than Paris Hilton.

Yes, he went there. And he's also gone to to the top of our favorite writers list.

Has Kevin Durant hit the rookie wall?

Kevin Durant was 5-for-20 from the field in Sunday's loss and his numbers are slowly declining, especially during this 14-game Seattle SuperSonics losing streak.

He's averaging 19.3 points per game this season, but is only shooting 39.8 percent from the field and 28.1 percent from the three-point line.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has a phenomenal statistical breakdown and analysis piece today about Durant's recent struggles, and even raises the question if the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft is shooting too much.

"Some NBA insiders are questioning whether Durant should be allowed to freely shoot and whether that is fostering his learning curve."

Quotes from teammates later in the story indicate some concern that there's too much pressure on the 19-year-old, who was a phenom in his one year at Texas.

P.S. Buy that shirt from 100% Injury Rate.

IUPUI's Hunter coaches game shoeless

To raise awareness for a charity, IUPUI men's basketball coach Ron Hunter paced the sidelines shoeless in a game last night.

Hunter has been working with Samaritan's Feet, a nonprofit, Christian-based charity that seeks to put shoes on 10 million people over a 10 year span.

His goal was 40,000 shoes. But he's up to 110,000 thanks to the contributions of many organizations and donors.

"When we started this I thought 40,000 was going to be tough," Hunter said. "When they told me before the game we already had 100,000, honestly, I almost broke down in tears."

At that moment, he cried.

"Imagine if every coach would pick a game to coach barefoot and use their influence," said Emmanuel "Manny" Ohonme, a Nigerian who founded the charity four years ago. "We'd exceed our goals pretty quickly.

"And we're getting e-mails every couple of minutes from people who want more information or to say they just bought a pair," he said. "Plus, there's all these high school coaches around the country who say they want to coach a game barefoot."

What outstanding work by Hunter and all of the contributors to this charity. Truly remarkable people. Hunter will be ABC World News Tonight's "Person of the Week" tonight (6:30 p.m.).

Happy 90th Birthday, Ernie Harwell

Legendary Detroit Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell turns 90 years old today.

He called his last game on Sept. 29, 2002, but he's still going strong. The man works out every morning, diets, is active in the community, and writes a weekly column for the Detroit Free Press.

He's an icon for what every person should be - living life to the fullest, no matter what age.

Harwell was a broadcaster for 55 years - 42 with the Tigers. He's probably the only person you'd meet in 2008 who met Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Connie Mack. Now that's baseball history and he's earned admiration from peers.

I was priviledged to hear some of Harwell's broadcasts, but I moved away from Michigan when I was too young to know who he was, so most of what I've heard are audio clips.

Harwell was on ESPN Radio's Mike Tirico Show yesterday. It's amazing, even at this age, Harwell speaks well and is of clear mind, unlike John Madden and Keith Jackson, who are several years younger and spotty with names, numbers, and situations.

Found: Belvedere and Dana Jacobson

High five to Baseball Musings for this one.

Is that a pentagram around her neck? No wonder she clowned the Catholics.

Super Bowl XLII: Let the trash-talking begin

On the heels of San Diego Chargers center Nick Hardwick clowning on New England Patriots defensive end Richard Seymour's supposed dirty antics, a New York Giants player is doing the same for Seymour's teammate.

NY Giants stud defensive end Osi Umenyiora (a.k.a. Sack/Booty Master) said Patriots left tackle Matt Light "did a couple of things he shouldn't have done" in the Week 17 matchup between the teams.

Umenyiora's comments, said in an interview with Bob Costas on HBO's "Inside the NFL," were not as reviled as Hardwick's, but still pointed.

“It was a good matchup the last time,” Umenyiora said last night. “I mean, I think I got him a couple of times. It was a war out there, and to be honest with you, I’m not quite sure that he thought he was going to see me again because of some of the things he did and said. . . . But you know, unfortunately, he does have to see me again.”

Interviewer Bob Costas pressed Umenyiora to explain specifically what Light was doing.

“Hitting after the delay and trying to . . . I don’t know if he was trying to intimidate me. I don’t know what he was trying to do,” Umenyiora said. “But he did a couple of things that he shouldn’t have done, and you know, now we are really going to go at it.”

Forget about Tom Brady's boot (we're going on the record as saying Gisele is not that hot, by the way), the war of words in the lead-up to the Super Bowl has begun!

It'd been a treat if Umenyiora's comments were made in a similiar tirade like Hardwick's were about Seymour.

Closure to the Ball State, Thompson fiasco

Finally.

After nearly eight months of NCAA violations, allegations and finger-pointing, the Ball State-Ronny Thompson fiasco is over.

The university officially paid Thompson $200,000 today in a settlement over the coach's treatment. The deal was reached in mediation on Dec. 17 and 18.

Ball State apologized last month to its former men's basketball coach after unprofessional behavior displayed by a few athletic department employees. Thompson unexpectedly resigned in June, amidst what he felt was a racially-hostile work environment and NCAA rules violations.

The NCAA cleared Thompson of possible rules violations he committed last spring.

For our coverage of the issue (NDub is a Muncie resident/BSU student), please click the first hyperlink in this post.

Should Tiger speak up about 'lynch' comment?

Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman's racially insensitive comments about lynching Tiger Woods in a back alley as a way of challenging the world's best golfer's dominance has been met with a lot of criticism over the past few weeks.

FoxSports.com Jason Whitlock said, "Do I think Tilghman is some bigot extremist? No. I think she's incredibly stupid and perhaps unqualified for her job. She's in good mixed company in that category."

Awful Announcing said, "What the hell was she even thinking? I swear people don't think anymore before they talk."

The remarks have certainly drawn attention from the sportsworld. But Woods avoided controversy and brushed off the ill-worded comment.

Tiger's seemingly unfazed attitude should come as no surprise to anyone. He plays a game where the slightest mental disruption can fluster a superb 64 holes played and send an entire 72-round tournament into dismay. He's the world's best golfer because nothing distracts him.

So should Tiger use his pulpit as the world's greatest golfer and probably one of the world's most well-known athletes and speak against negative comments made about African Americans?

Jim Brown, an activist not nutty like Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson, thinks Tiger should.

"The word 'lynch' ... there is no redeeming part of it. That is a very embarrassing word, a humiliating one, in the history of our country."

Tilgham's comment was a Freudian slip of the tongue. She served a two-week suspension after apologizing on air and personally to Tiger. No malicious intent.

And Tiger's comments on Monday indicate this matter is behind him, and really... never was an issue at all.

"It was unfortunate," Woods said Monday in his first public comments since Tilghman was suspended for two weeks. "Kelly and I did speak. There was no ill intent. She regrets saying it. In my eyes, it's all said and done."

But should it be?

Say what? Clips owner Sterling admits to not knowing how to win

LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling is putting the onus to win on his head coach, Mike Dunleavy. LA Times columnist TJ Simers wrote a piece for today with some interesting quotes and information spoken by Sterling about the team's coach.

But what really grabbed me was Sterling's awkward quote about not knowing how to win.

STERLING OFFERED a joke at his own expense, telling the story about a party at his house years ago and comedian Milton Berle saying, "Anyone waiting for the Clippers to win a championship, leaves the porch light on for [Jimmy] Hoffa."

The blame, he said, for the Clippers' failures is his own.

"It's all my fault," he said. "How did I allow all those years of losing? There's a statement, 'Some people know how to win.' I don't know how to win. I know how to win at everything else, but not at sports.

"But I'm prepared to do whatever is necessary to win."

At first, I thought part of Sterling's story was the quote about it being his fault, as if it were a response to the person who cracked the joke. But the quote is setup in the present tense, not in the past as if it was part of his story. With that being known... what the hell, man?

Sterling has headed one of the worst franchise in recent NBA history. With the expection of two years ago, the Clippers have not been good. And before two years ago, they weren't even competative. Granted, injuries and age have hampered them this season.

But what kind of owner gives himself a no-confidence vote? Especially one who's oversaw one of the worst periods for a team in NBA history. I think it's time for Sterling to examine what in the heck he's doing as an owner of an NBA team.

Thanks, Ken Williams

As a Detroit Tigers fan, I've got to give Chicago White Sox GM Ken Williams a pat on the back for making a high risk signing.

The player is reliever Octavio Dotel. Williams gave the 34-year-old right-hander $11 million over two years in guaranteed money, hoping he'd bolster a bullpen that blew 23 saves, had a 19-25 record, and a 5.49 ERA last season.

Williams hopes Dotel will be a cog in the pitching staff that he hopes will contain the Tigers' offensive onslaught this season. Good luck with that.

Dotel has pitched in 62 games over the past three seasons. He missed all of 2005 with an elbow injury and had problems with his pitching shoulder toward the end of last year.

His mechanics are horrible, and that's probably the reason why he's injury prone.

Thanks, Ken Williams.

Sam Cassell the missing piece in Boston?

Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are doing tremendous things during this revitalization of the Boston franchise.

They've led the Celtics to an NBA-best 31-6 record. It's still not yet the All-Star Break, but the Celtics appear headed for the No. 1 seed and homecourt advantage through the playoffs.

This is a team with a legit chance of playing in the NBA Finals in June.

But there's a missing piece that will hinder their push for a championship. Veteran leadership at the point guard position.

Rajon Rondo has been a servicable point guard. All he needs to do is bring the ball up the court and pass to one of his three superstar teammates. He's averaging 4.8 assists to 1.7 turnovers per game this season. His offense has been decent (9.0 ppg) when needed and his defense (1.6 steals) is adequate.

But he's only in his second year. His lack of experience has shown against better point guards (see: Chauncey Billups, point guard of Boston's biggest hurdle in the East, Detroit) And at 6-foot-1 and 171 pounds, he's shown a propensity to be pushed around by stronger point guards (see: Billups, again).

This is why the Celtics should seek the LA Clippers' crafty veteran Sam Cassell. At 38-years-old, one of the NBA's elder statesmen has been through the battles. He's one of the most cerebral players in the game. And the rumors are abundant about a possible trade.

As Rondo has shown in big games, especially in the fourth quarter of those games, he doesn't play well. Nerves set in. He wears down. Whatever. If he and Cassell split time manning the point, this Boston team could see its NBA championship hopes come true.

NFL Championship Game Picks

The NFL season has reached the point where Week 1 seems like it was just yesterday, but if we look at the season as we were still in Week 1, the conference championships seem far into the future.

The final days are ticking off the NFL playing calendar, but we've got the best football ahead of us, starting with what I think will be two tremendous conference championship games.

San Diego (13-5) vs. New England Patriots (17-0): San Diego is playing its best football in two years. The Chargers are in the midst of an eight-game win streak, and proved they can overcome diversity by taking down the defending Super Bowl Champion Colts in the RCA Dome. The Chargers will need Philip Rivers and LT this game; backups won't do it like they did in Indy. What more can be said about the Patriots? They're simply the best and are heavy favorites at home. They don't make mistakes. They'll rip out your throat, throw it in the mud and piss on it. No mercy. This 'blueprint' to beat the Patriots that we've all heard about? It's the blueprint to beat nearly every NFL team. Pressure the QB. The Chargers have the pass rush to do that and the defense forced the most turnovers in the league this season. But it's the New England Freakin' Patriots. How can you pick against them?

New York Giants (12-6) vs. Green Bay Packers (14-3): They run the football well, their QB isn't making mistakes, and the defensive front seven flabbergasts the opponent. So why aren't the NY Giants going to beat the Packers? It tings me to write this... Br...Brett...Brett Favre. Look, I don't hate the guy; I hate the media masturbation he gets. It's sickening, almost gay porn sickening. Yeah, no lie. Look, Favre is great, OK? There you go. He's great. He's magical. I may even root for him in the Super Bowl. Ah, god, I can't believe I'm saying this. After all the years he's pummeled my Detroit Lions. So, much to the delight of Peter King, I'm going to pick the Packers in this one.

Petrino bashing is fun

ESPN.com columnist Gene Wojciechowski wrote a fake dialogue between new Arkansas footbal head coach Bobby Petrino and a recruit's father. Hilarity ensued, especially in the comments section, which has 460 responses since the article was posted a tad over 12 hours ago.

Father: "Another recruiter was here a few days ago. He said people are calling you, 'Coach Pinocchio.' He said you have a history of lying."

Petrino: "I don't think I have a lying issue."

"In 2003, your first year as Louisville's head coach, you lied about a secret meeting with Auburn officials to discuss replacing your former boss, Tommy Tuberville -- who hadn't even been fired."

"I was a young coach and I made a mistake."

"You weren't that young. You were 42."

"I meant young, compared to Joe Paterno."

And how about those comments? Oh, those poor Arkansas fans. They're bemoaning ESPN for picking on their beloved coach.

I am getting really tired of ESPN always being like this to the Arkansas Razorbacks. I am a huge Razorback fan and in the past couple years the only thing ESPN has done is tarnish the Razorback's reputation. Petrino was smart to get out of Atlanta. I bet Arthur Blank told him he would fire him if he didn't leave just to keep his image. I guarantee we are losing recruits because of ESPN always talking bad about the Arkansas program. What High school player wants to go to a college and play football that is only talked bad about by ESPN?

Oh, yeah, totally. ESPN is making Arkansas lose recruits. Only if ESPN talked good about the Razorbacks, would they get Terrelle Pryor and Julio Jones to commit! They'd be great in that four-WR offense!

Why dont you do a story on his recruiting class after signing day. You know wait til the facts are in and see what recruits and their parents reactions are instead of creating what you hope it might be. I doubt that will happen it wouldnt fit the bash petrino at all costs idea the network has adopted

Just wait. Two, maybe three years from now Petrino will leave Arkansas for another head coaching job and you'll be right here with Wojo and the rest of the nation who thinks Petrino is a slimeball.

Tigers shore up starting rotation

The Detroit Tigers today agreed to a 3-year, $21.25 million dollar deal with left-handed pitcher Nate Robertson, shoring up their five-man starting rotation for the upcoming season.

The deal also avoids salary arbitration and seals Robertson through 2010, assuring plenty of development time for Detroit's top prospect Rick Porcello . Robertson would've been a free agent after 2009.

Dontrelle Willis, whom the Tigers traded for in earl December at MLB's Winter Meetings, signed a three-year, $29 million dollar extension a few weeks after being acquired.

The Tigers also re-signed free agent lefty Kenny Rogers, who's pitched for the Tigers the past two seasons. His deal is one-year for $8 million dollars.

The Tigers' starting rotation should look like this:
1) Justin Verlander
2) Jeremy Bonderman
3) Rogers
4) Willis
5) Robertson

T.O., pre-crying like a baby

Check out this video of Terrell Owens talking to hot Mexican reporter Ines Sainz. This video was taken last week before the Cowboys lost to the Giants and T.O. cried in the post-game press conference. T.O. refused to talk to the media all week, expect, of course, this fine piece of ass. Sainz has been a Construda 'Scott Baio Babe of the Week.'

Listen closely at about :42 seconds....


"That's what I'm talking about."

"Yeah, me, too."

On-air perversion/creepiness rules.

Just for the hell of it

LEAVE TONY ROMO ALONE!

NFL Picks

Don't care about what Construda has to say about this upcoming NFL weekend? C'mon you know you love it. No? Whatever. We're posting our picks on this Friday evening.

Seattle Seahawks (10-6) at Green Bay Packers (13-3): Seattle's strength - its passing game - will have trouble with the Packers' talented cornerbacks. Shaun Alexander will continue to stink, therefore, putting extra pressure on Matt "We want the ball; We're going to score" Hasselbeck. It'll be a close game, but Green Bay's offense is more balanced and therefore better. Packers win.

Jacksonville (11-5) at New England Patriots (16-0): I'd love to see the Jaguars pull the upset, but it's just not going to happen. You can't go against an undefeated team, especially when its top fan is Mercury Morris. Plus it always seems the Jaguars choke in big games (see: any game vs. the Colts the past three years when the AFC South is on the line). The Jags' have a slight chance to win if they put together 2-3 of those 18-play, 10-minute drives, which they've done numerous times this season, and keep the Patriots offense off the field.

San Diego Chargers (11-5) at Indianapolis Colts (13-3): The RCA Dome will be filled with rabid Colts fans. When that place gets loud, it's all over for the opponent. This won't be Michael Turner burning 83 yards for a back-breaking touchdown, nor will it be Peyton Manning throwing a career-high six interceptions. The Chargers will have a good chance to win if LT goes off for about 200-plus total yards and a pair of scores. I just don't see the Chargers hanging with the Colts.

NY Giants (10-6) vs. Dallas Cowboys (13-3): This one has me scratching my head. I'm not sure who to pick, given that Terrell Owens is questionable with that bum ankle. All of this Jessica Simpson/vacation crap shouldn't be a factor in Tony Romo's play, but he has not played especially well the past few games (1 TD-5 INT, two games below 34.2 rating). The Giants' pass rush is tremendous and should fluster Romo. The Giants' running game is playing well and even Elisha Manning seems in sync. OK I talked myself into it; I'm going with the Giants.

I'm walking on at Saint Louis

I've decided to transfer from Ball State and enroll at Saint Louis, in hopes of walking onto the basketball team. I've got a pretty good chance, too.

The Billikens set a modern Division I record for fewest points in a game with their 49-20 loss to George Washington.

No team since the shot clock was introduced in the 1985-86 season has scored fewer points.

Saint Louis shot a dismal 7-of-48 from the field (14.6 percent) and 1-of-19 from three-point range. Here's the play-by-play of the Billikens' scoring. Reserve Bryce Husak was the Billikens' leading scorer, as he ravaged the nets for five points.

The lowest points (6) for a Division I team in a game was set by Arkansas State in 1945 and tied by Temple in 1973.

All of this, of course means, a) I can shoot better than any Billiken and can score more than Husak; or b) I'm just as bad and will fit right in to Rick Majerus' scheme.

Either way, Majerus needs to look me up.

OK, so Mallett is officially transferring

First, we wondered if he was staying or going, then it just seemed like a matter of time after new head coach Rich Rodriguez said he believed it would happen, and now it's official.

Michigan freshman QB Ryan Mallett is transfering from the university.

"I just felt forced out, not by any person, but by the system," Mallett said late Wednesday night (to the Detroit Free-Press). "I just don't think me and his system ... it just doesn't fit."

Simply watching West Virginia play was enough to direct Mallett.

"Looking at their game film, you can see what they're trying to do with (running quarterback) Pat White," Mallett said. "I didn't think I could do that the same way."

At 6-foot-7, 252-pounds, Mallett does not have the speed or shiftiness required for Rodriguez's spread offense. Mallett is a pro-style pocket passer.

A consensus No. 2 overall recruit for Rivals.com 2006 class, Mallett is considering UCLA, Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas A&M. Former Michigan offensive coordinator Mike DeBord and QB coach Scot Loeffler have interviewed with Tennessee, but Mallett said he won't necessarily choose that school because of the coaches.

Kenny George is not human

If you watched the North Carolina-UNC Asheville game last night or at least the highlights, then you might have thought your eyes betrayed you.

Who or what in the hell was that monster on the court?

What you saw was UNC-Asheville's very own giant - 7-foot-7, 360-pound Kenny George, who put up 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in 24 minutes off the bench against the Tarheels. (Update: We found the clip of Tyler Hansbrough dunking on George. And, yes, Hansbrough traveled and it wasn't called.)

The junior wears size 26 shoes, his wingspan stretches 101 1/2 inches and he doesn't have a driver's license because he's too tall to fit into a driver's seat.

Finally healthy after a knee injury sidelined him last season, George is finding it harder to blend into the college basketball scene.

Check out this highlight clip of him owning some opponents, whose shots are knocked away like Godzilla swatting at helicopters. George leads the nation with 5.3 blocks per game.

Growing up, the native Chicagian had no intentions of playing basketball, but being 6-foot-11 by his sophomore year got him on the high school varsity squad.

George's size seems perfectly normal. He said he doesn't have any long-term health problems, but gets his pituitary gland checked once a month. A tumor on that gland causes an oversecretion of growth hormone.

Florida high school wrestling program loses for first time in 34 years

It's being called the longest win streak in sports history, spanning 34 years and 459 dual meet matches.

Finally, after 12,396 days, Brandon High School (Fla.) lost a dual meet match. It came last Saturday to Homestead South-Dade.

Wrestling is an admirable sport that requires a degree of toughness and strategy. It's not as exciting to watch as most other sports. If this was a basketball or football team losing after 459 straight regular season games, this would get national recognition.

Rivals.com has posted an outstanding piece (a special from St. Petersburg Times write Joe Smith) that details the win streak.

ESPN's front page photo today is funny

Take a look at these uppity LSU fans rubbing the Tigers' victory into a couple of dejected Ohio State fans.

I'd have to say the woman in the middle is probably talking the most shit. And the Buckeye fan on the far left, the one with the jew fro, is probably thinking about taking a swing.

Oh yeah, the picture is a link to this story by Mark Schlabach about the (surprise!) flaw of the BCS.

Rodriguez: 'I believe (Mallett) is going to transfer'

New Michigan head football coach Rich Rodriguez said today in a radio interview on The Jim Rome Show that Ryan Mallett, who was likely the slated starter for next season, is going to transfer.

I believe he's going to transfer," Rodriguez said. "He has not told me specifically and he's told other folks in the program. I talked to him a couple times, again, before the bowl game and once after the bowl game and gave him our spiel. But, again, if he chooses to leave, he's going to make a choice that's best for him, and we'll be OK."

Mallett, a super freshman and backup to senior Chad Henne this past season, is a pro style pocket passer that isn't the prototypical QB for the spread offense, which Rodriguez operates.

"I talked to him and all the quarterbacks about how our system can adapt to the quarterback because we've had throwing quarterbacks in this system that have had great careers and gone on to the NFL and all that," Rodriguez said. "But I did it a couple times (with Mallett.) I recruited him once, I recruited him twice and after the third call, I'm thinking okay, three calls is enough for me. It's a great institution and if somebody doesn't want to be here that's already here, you wish them well and move on."

We blogged about this last Thursday when it seemed Mallett wasn't sure what he was going to do. If Mallett goes, the question becomes who will lead the Wolverines at QB next season? Rivals No. 1 recruit Terrelle Pryor?

In the first article we linked to in this post, Rodriguez also acknowledges that wide receivers Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington are likely declaring for the NFL Draft. If true, coupled with Mallet's transfer, this means Michigan will be without its top two QBs, RB, LT, LG and top two WRs for next season.

DO NOT piss off LeBron James

I'm watching the BCS title game last night and I get a text message from Trip McFeeley.

Here's how our conversation went...

Trip: Two women (expletive) Heckle Lebron last night so he drops 24 Points in the fourth to win.

NDub: Where did you see this

Trip: Just saw it on Fsn. It was in toronto, seriously how do you Heckle Lebron? Make fun cuz he is from akron? You cant attack his hoops skills

NDub: Ha ha. What did they say?

I'll cut off the text conversation, so you can just watch the clip on YouTube.



Best part of the clip? LeBron telling the hecklers, who are Chris Bosh's girlfriend and cousin, "It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault."

(High five: MixMakers)

How's Greg Oden doing?

Here's about a minute clip from YouTube via the Portland TrailBlazers website.



Keep it up, Greg. It wouldn't be a stretch for me to say that every basketball fan is ready for you to get back.

McNabb: 'Let's add some playmakers'

I was scouring Yardbarker and found Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb's latest blog in which he cautiously asks for playmakers on the offense.

I use the word 'cautiously' because McNabb makes it clear he isn't trying to disrespect current teammates with this cry for help.

Maybe some of those playmakers are already on the roster but have struggled with injuries, myself included, that have held us back a little.

You can't argue with how the Patriots went outside their locker room and stocked up on playmakers last year. It certainly helped to have Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth, Wes Welker and Adalius Thomas making plays for them all year.

Read the rest of McNabb's post here.

Indy pressing for SB in 2012

Living so close to Indy, I'd obviously enjoy a SB. The festivities would be tremendous in an already outstanding and fun downtown area. Plus, it's the freaking Super Bowl.

Here's a direct pull from a story at Brandweek.com:

Looking ahead, the city of Indianapolis said it would put in a bid to host Super Bowl XLVI, scheduled for Feb. 5, 2012. The game would be played in Lucas Oil Stadium, now under construction but scheduled to open for the Colts' 2008 season. The city lost to Dallas in a close vote among NFL owners last year to host Super Bowl XLV, and is favored by many analysts to win in its next attempt. Bid deadline for all cities is April 1; the winner is expected to be named at the owners' annual spring meeting, May 19-21, in Atlanta.

According to the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Assn., which oversees such events, the city will "move forward" with a bid similar to the one it presented last year to the NFL, with commitments of more than $25 million, the prospect of about 27,000 hotel rooms and prime venue locations for Super Bowl events.

Other NFL cities that had been considered for Super Bowl XLV and that may re-bid this year include New Orleans, Houston, San Diego and Washington. Mexico City and London are also being considered for future Super Bowls.

The schedule now: Super Bowl XLIII, Feb. 1, 2009, at Tampa's James Raymond Stadium (NBC); Super Bowl XLIV, Feb. 7, 2010, at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida (CBS); Super Bowl XLV in North Texas, Feb. 6, 2011 (Fox).

Ratings bonanza!

It seems the NFL primetime broadcasts have lost some luster. ESPN's 'Monday Night Football' and NBC's 'Sunday Night Football' saw record-low viewing numbers this season.

MNF dropped 13 percent in cable area coverage to an 8.6 rating and its 11 million viewers was down nine percent from last year.

SNF dropped nine percent to a 10.0 rating and averaged nearly 16 million viewers, which was down nine percent.

MNF's lackluster performance could be the weak schedule it was stuck with this season, including two Atlanta Falcons games. Even with a flex schedule, NBC suffered from uncompetative games. Neither ESPN nor NBC had a top-10 ranked viewed game this season.

According to the SportsBusinessJournal story we've linked to, neither ESPN nor NBC have anything to be concerned about yet.

In other ratings news, the new 'American Gladiators' seems to have garnered decent ratings in its initial airing. (We watched for about 15 minutes on Sunday night and were not impressed. The product is not good, the Gladiators are goofy [Wolf], it seems the dialogue is scripted and forced, and Laila Ali, although hot, is not good for TV.)

Nielsen says 'Gladiators' grabbed a 5.9 rating share in the 18-49 category and 12 million viewers overall. It's the best non-sports rating for NBC since 'The Golden Globes' in 2005.

Lastly, CBS's '60 Minutes' came in with a 5.4 rating in 18-49 and nearly 20 million viewers. This was the episode that included the Roger Clemens interview with Mike Wallace.

NFL Playoff picks

It's understandable if you skip this post. Why pay attention to Construda's NFL Playoff picks? Everyone else is doing them. Oh well. These are just NDub's picks anyways, since Trip is busy and SkinDog has gone missing (actually, he went to shithole Canada for the Holidays to be with family). It probably doesn't help that I didn't send Trip a text message or shoot him an e-mail to remind him to send his picks to me. Anyway...

AFC WildCard: Jacksonville over Pittsburgh. I'm tired of all this talk about the Steelers being pissed off about being underdogs at home. They're a good team, not great. Without Willie Parker, the running game is average. Closet crapper Najeh Davenport is not an NFL starter. Jags' RBs Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew will run well like they did a few weeks ago in the victory over the Steelers. David Garrard will also expose the Steelers' secondary for the fraud it is.

AFC WildCard: San Diego over Tennessee. No need for a lot of analysis here. The Titans are banged up, big-time. Even if Vince Young plays, he won't be healthy. That quad muscle will hamper his ability to scamper for first downs. Whoever the QB may be, he'll be without the top two receivers - Roydell Williams and Bo Scaife, who are both out with injuries (broken ankle and lacerated liver). Besides, San Diego is rollin' with LT running hard and Philip Rivers being efficient.

NFC WildCard: Washington over Seattle. Is it me or is every raucous home crowd known as "The 12th Man?" Seattle certainly has a loud stadium with the way it's built and the rabidness of the fans, but Washington seems to have some metaphysical help in its current 4-game win streak. How does a team who was 5-7, had a teammate murdered, and lost its starting QB in the playoffs? Todd Collins? C'mon. The Redskins are just too hot right now.

NFC WildCard: Tampa Bay over NY Giants. Eli is up against a solid defense, and we all know how Peyton's doofus younger brother struggles against good defenses. Eli will probably throw the ball to Bucs CB Ronde Barber thinking its his long-lost, asshole teammate and Ronde's twin, Tiki. I don't doubt Jeff Garcia's old ass in crunch time, either. The Giants' only hope is if big Brandon Jacobs gets off for 180 yards and a couple of scores.

Is Ryan Mallett staying or going?

The Toledo Blade is reporting today that Michigan's freshman quarterback Ryan Mallett will transfer to UCLA. The newspaper cited "a person close to the team" as its source.

Michigan associate athletic director Bruce Madej said no transfer paperwork has crossed his desk and as far as he knows, the 2007 Rivals No. 4 recruit, Mallett, is still enrolled at Michigan.

"He came back with us, so I just saw him yesterday," Madej said. "He was talking with the guys about seeing them next week."

Mallett told The Blade on Dec. 26 that he wanted to remain with the Wolverines.

As you know, Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr coached his last game on Jan. 1 in the Wolverines' 41-35 win over Florida in the Capital One Bowl. Former West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez took over the helm on Jan. 2.

Rodriguez runs a spread offense that typically requires an elusive quarterback with a powerful arm. Mallett, at 6-foot-7, 250 pounds, has the arm, but not the shiftiness or speed required for the offense.

Rich Rod has talked to Mallett and it sounds like the new coach is keeping his QB options open and hoping for Mallett to return.

"In the spread you have the ability to adapt to your offensive skill players. A passer or a runner or both. We have done that in the past and we can do that in the future as well."

The Detroit Free Press wondered today if Mallett will stick around, and quoted Carr as saying he knew of Mallett's decision but it's up to the quarterback to make it publicly known.

The addition of Rodriguez could also mean Michigan will land Rivals No. 1 recruit, quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Pryor, who runs a 4.4-40, is a perfect fit for the spread, and is quoted as saying he is now considering Michigan because of the Rodriguez hire.

It also helps that running back Sam McGuffie, an impressive recruit for 2008, is pushing for Pryor to join him in Ann Arbor for Rich Rod's first year.

If Pryor commits to Michigan, it would likely relegate Mallett, a sophomore next season, to the bench. Such a highly regarded talent that could play for many DI teams, Mallett will probably not like the backup roll, and thus transfer.

Isiah must have something on the NYC cops, too

We've long thought that Isiah Thomas is holding something over the head of New York Knicks owner James Dolan, who has yet to fire the aloof and incompetent head coach.

Did Isiah walk in on James boning a cheerleader? Perhaps James is cheating on his taxes?

Now, it seems Isiah has something on the NYC cops, too, since the boys in blue arrested a 22-year-old for trying to sell "Fire Isiah" t-shirts outside Madison Square Garden. Apparently, the cops shrugged off the kid the past few days, but suddenly on Wednesday they arrested him.

Ivan Cash says he was hauled away in handcuffs, taken to the Midtown South Precinct, fingerprinted and held in a cell for three hours - until the Knicks lost to the Sacramento Kings, 107-97. Then he was given a ticket and released.

Cash was at 33rd St. and Seventh Ave., waiting for a pal who has a vendor's license, when the cops swooped in, he said.

He was charged with "intent to sell."

The story continues, saying Cash sold over 100 of the custom made shirts at the last three Knicks games.

Hawaii is no Boise State, and Colt Brennan is no Timmy Chang

Yeah, that was ugly. So ugly that my normally easily-entertained New Year's Day half-drunken ass who watches as many bowl games as possible, was even bored. I flipped over to 'Family Guy' reruns on TBS and 'The Universe' on The History Channel and missed most of Georgia's 41-10 throttling of Hawaii.

Georgia was not going to let upset-minded Hawaii pull a Boise State.

The Warriors were completely overmatched and didn't even look like they belonged anywhere close to the BCS. Hawaii played scared and it was because Georgia was too big, too fast, and too intimidating.

Warriors QB Colt Brennan was manhandled and turned the ball over five times. He was sacked eight times, pressured probably about 20, hit 12-15 times and when he did throw, he didn't look good.

But one game does not speak for a career of impressive achievements. Brennen is the NCAA's all-time touchdown pass leader with 131. Aside from a cameo appearance earlier in the season where he threw two passes for 21 yards, this BCS game was the lowest statistical game of Brennan's career.

The scouting report on Brennan is that he's got an NFL arm (his awkward throwing motion will likely be refined), NFL height with a frame to fill out, leadership skills, doesn't fold under pressure (I'm talking mental, not physical ala Georgia), a super-quick release, and confidence.

But he plays in a run-and-shoot system, chucking the ball 50, 60, sometimes 70 times a game. That inflates stats and makes many think he's only a prospect because of the numbers. Some are even questioning his NFL potential, while others write he's actually a heckuva QB against BCS schools.

And who's Timmy Chang? The previous Hawaii QB who chucked it all over the place in the same system. Expect he was shorter and his arm wasn't nearly as strong as Brennan's. Plus his hair wasn't nearly as cool, nor his toughness.