if only it were christmas year round...

my future wife

practice vs playoffs

the nba is faaaaannnntastic

Pacers

Clippers

Lakers

and some more Laker girls

Magic

some picks from a reputable handicapper

NCAA Football (149-119)
• Texas A&M +4 vs California
• Rutgers -7.5 vs Kansas State.

NBA Selections (84-53)
• Dallas -2.5 vs Phoenix
• Denver -7 vs Seattle

NCAA Hoops (65-50)
• Boston College -19.5 vs Duquesne
• Drexel -7.5 vs George Mason
• Oklahoma -7.5 vs SMU
• Oregon -27 vs Portland
• Seton Hall -1.5 vs Oral Roberts
• Air Force -7.5 vs George Washington

erin andrews... sideline reporter and quite a looker

ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews will be popping up on your TV screen this week covering several bowl games, including the Holiday Bowl featuring Cal and Texas A&M. The 5-foot-10 former model was a member of the Florida Dazzlers dance team while attending college in Gainesville and her goal is to end up on Monday Night Football. Read more about Erin here.

ho ho ho...

simply the best... southlake carroll

Southlake Carroll wins third straight Texas state title with 43-29 win over Austin Westlake

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Three second-half touchdown passes by Southlake Carroll quarterback Riley Dodge gave the Dragons a 43-29 come-from-behind victory over Austin Westlake in the Class 5A Division I state championship on Saturday night.

The Dragons (16-0) won their 48th straight, their third straight state title and their fourth in the past five years. It was the final game for Carroll head coach Todd Dodge, the winning quarterback's father.

The elder Dodge, who has accepted the head coaching job at North Texas, finished with a 98-11 record after seven seasons in Southlake. The Dragons went 79-1 the past five years.

It was the seventh state title for the Carroll program, which ties a Texas high school record. Brownwood, Plano and Celina also have won seven titles.

Westlake (12-3) was trying for its second state title.

Riley Dodge had a pair of TD passes to Blake Tomlin of 30 and 33 yards and a 29-yarder to Anthony Ford that put the Dragons ahead 36-29 with 7:39 left in the game.

Dragons running back Tre' Newton added three rushing touchdowns. His 3-yard TD run with 3:37 to go gave Carroll the 43-29 lead.

Westlake had a 12-0 second quarter lead and was ahead 15-7 at halftime.

The Dragons tied the game with an 85-yard drive to start the second half. Tomlin caught a 30-yard TD pass from Dodge, and Dodge completed a pass to Chris Brainard for the 2-point conversion 1:59 into the second half.

Westlake went three-and-out on the next drive and Carroll gained possession on the Chaps' 49 after the punt.

Dodge and Tomlin connected again just two plays later on a 33-yard TD pass, and the Dragons had their first lead, 22-15.

In those two drives, the Dragons gained 134 yards compared to the 124 they had in the first half.

But Westlake came back out and tied it on the next drive. It took 18 plays, 80 yards and 8:12 before Bron Hager scored on a 5-yard run.

On the next play from scrimmage, Carroll regained the lead on a 74-yard TD run by Newton. He broke several tackles along the way before finally making it to the end zone where he was congratulated by his father, former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Nate Newton. The Dragons had a 29-22 lead with 14 seconds left in the third quarter.

Westlake answered again on the next drive to force a tie for the third time in the game. Nick Foles completed three straight passes — including a 43-yarder to Andy Spears that put the ball on the 1 — before Hager scored on the next play with 9:20 left in the game.

Westlake jumped to a 12-0 lead when Foles drilled an 18-yard touchdown pass to Stephen Shaffer with 5:08 before halftime. It came on a third-and-5, which made the Chaparrals 5-of-8 on third-down conversions.

But the Chaps were unsuccessful on a 2-point conversion after the TD.

Westlake opened the scoring with a pair of field goals by Justin Tucker from 24 and 32 yards.

Carroll got its first score on a 6-yard run by Newton 48 seconds before halftime.

But Tucker got another shot at a field goal when the Chaps ran off seven plays and used all three of their timeouts to move the ball to the Carroll 24 with five seconds remaining.

Tucker nailed the field goal from 41 yards, and Westlake went to the locker room with a 15-7 lead.

tre' newton, southlake's badass junior running back

Great article on Southlake Carroll's Tre' Newton. Southlake plays Austin Westlake in the Alamodome on Saturday for the 5A Div II state championship.

Southlake Carroll's man of the month - By Todd Wills / The Dallas Morning News

SOUTHLAKE – Tre' Newton's teammates at Southlake Carroll have taken to calling him "Mr. December."

The numbers show Newton's knack for increased production in the postseason, particularly as Carroll gets closer to the championship game.

Newton has rushed for more than 100 yards in five of his six December games in the last two seasons. All but one of the junior tailback's 100-yard games in the playoffs have come in December.

He'll have one more 2006 game in December – Saturday's Class 5A Division I championship against Austin Westlake.

Carroll coach Todd Dodge relies more on Newton as the weather turns colder. Newton has 30 or more carries in three of his 29 high school games. All of them have come in December.

"That's why we call him Mr. December around the fieldhouse," quarterback Riley Dodge said. "He really steps up for the team."

Newton seems to run with his shoulder pads a little lower in the playoffs, which helps him gain the tough yards. He is more elusive, and he has a nose for the end zone.

Newton has 30 career rushing touchdowns. Half of the TDs have come in the postseason, including nine in December.

"I just know that in the playoffs, if you lose you have to go home," Newton said. "That makes you play harder."

Newton had four 100-yard games before last year's state quarterfinal game against Plano last December, but he said that was his coming-of-age game. Plano played a cover-four zone to take away Carroll's vaunted passing game, putting the burden on Newton.

"If we were going to lose, we were going to let a sophomore beat us," said Lake Highlands coach Scott Smith, who was Plano's defensive coordinator last year.

Newton had 31 carries, more than double his career high. He had 143 yards and two second-half touchdowns and controlled the game in the fourth quarter as Carroll won, 37-27.

"That was the first game where Coach Dodge really put the ball in my hands," Newton said. "He let me do my thing."

Two weeks later, Newton rushed for 171 yards on 19 carries in a 34-20 victory over Katy in the state championship game.

It has been more of the same this December.

Newton was held under 100 yards in Carroll's first two playoff games – including a season-low 46 yards on 11 carries in Carroll's dramatic, 22-21 area-round victory over Euless Trinity. Back then, the calendar was still stuck in November.

Flip to Dec. 2, and Newton came alive for 198 yards and matched his career high with 31 carries in a 42-6 thrashing of Odessa Permian.

He had his best game in high school the next week against Colleyville Heritage with quarterback Riley Dodge still recovering from an ankle injury. Newton had career bests with 296 yards and 41 carries. He scored two touchdowns.

"Riley was a little banged-up, so I needed to come through," Newton said. "The offensive line did a great job as always."

Last week, in a 38-0 victory over Allen, Newton rushed for 130 yards and 16 carries. He also was a factor in the passing game as Carroll used a shovel pass it had put in the playbook that week. Newton had three receptions for 54 yards.

Newton said he is more experienced as a runner and a leader this season. That too has helped him earn his nickname.

"Tre' has carried us a little bit," Riley Dodge said. "That's the player we always knew he was."

DECEMBERS TO REMEMBER
Southlake Carroll junior tailback Tre' Newton has gone more than 100 yards in five of his six December playoff games. The rundown:
2005
Date	Opponent	Att.	Yds.	TD
Dec. 3	Plano	31	143	2
Dec. 10	Lufkin	12	85	2
Dec. 17	Katy	19	171	0
2006
Date	Opponent	Att.	Yds.	TD
Dec. 2	Odessa Permian	31	198	2
Dec. 9	Coll. Heritage	41	296	2
Dec. 16	Allen	16	130	1

damon impersonates mcconaughey on letterman

Sports related... no, very funny... yes.

breaking down southlake carroll vs allen

Some interesting comments on the DMN high school blog had me doing some research. The Allen faithful have claimed "Allen played the tougher schedule" and "Allen beat the team that beat Lufkin which makes them better than Lufkin" hmm... well lets break it down. Allen only played 4 teams with winning records during the regular season going 3-1 and only beating an injury plagued Berker by more than 5 points. Their first two playoff opponents had a combined 11-12 record and the great Round Rock team that beat Lufkin... well they lost 3 games in a very week District 14-5A, the upset of Lufkin was obviously a fluke and a big break for Allen. And Spring Westfield would have lost to Plano East if not for East injuries, particularly the loss of their QB before halftime. Allen’s SOS rank – 97, Southlake’s SOS - 41. Playoff games: Lewisville/Trinity/Permian/Colleyville Heritage compared to Rowlett/Mesquite/Round Rock/Spring Westfield... if I'm picking my playoff teams, I go with that second group every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Allen doesn't win this game, hopefully distractions don't cause Carroll to lose it, they ARE the best team in the state.

Southlake Carroll Allen
PPG 46.1 PPG Rank 1 PPG 37.0 PPG Rank 18
PAPG 11.4 PAPG Rank 6 PAPG 21.1 PAPG Rank 88
Margin 34.7 Margin Rank 1 Margin 15.9 Margin Rank 21
SOS Rank 41 SOS Rank 97

dodge leaving southlake carroll for north texas

It was bound to happen eventially, though I thought he'd stay one more year through Riley's senior year but Coach Dodge is moving to the college ranks. The DMN article and AP report are below.

UNT to hire SL Carroll's Dodge - Dallas Morning News

DENTON – Southlake Carroll head coach Todd Dodge has agreed to terms on a contract with North Texas and will be announced as the Mean Green's new head coach during a 7 p.m. press conference today, sources close to the situation said Tuesday morning.

Dodge is one of the most successful high school coaches in the state and the nation.

Carroll has advanced to either the Class 5A Division I or Division II title game in each of the last four seasons and will face Allen on Saturday at Texas Stadium for the right to play for this season's Division I state title.

The Dragons won state titles in 2002, 2004 and 2005.

The former Texas quarterback was named the Schutt Sports National High School Coach of the Year for the 2004 season.

Dodge was UNT's offensive coordinator from 1992 to '93 under Dennis Parker before returning to the high school ranks.

Dodge will replace former UNT head coach Darrell Dickey, who was fired in the middle of his ninth season at the school on Nov. 8.

Dickey led the Mean Green to the Sun Belt Conference title and a berth in the New Orleans Bowl in each season from 2001 to '04 before suffering two down seasons. UNT went 2-9 last year and finished 3-9 this season.

The UNT board of regents will meet at 2 p.m. today to delegate the authority to enter into a contract with Dodge to university president Gretchen Bataille and athletic director Rick Villarreal. The board must approve contracts with a base salary that exceeds $500,000 for the term of the contract.

Dodge's deal with UNT will exceed that total.

The board's approval will be a formality before Dodge's hiring becomes official.

Dodge's son Riley is a junior quarterback at Southlake Carroll and one of the top players in the area.

--------------------

North Texas hires Dodge from Carroll High - from the Associated Press

DENTON, Texas -- Todd Dodge was hired as coach at North Texas on Tuesday, making the rare jump from high school to Division I-A after an unprecedented run of success at Southlake Carroll.

Dodge, a former Texas quarterback, has coached Carroll to a 77-1 record in Texas' highest classification. The Dragons have won 46 consecutive games and are two wins from their third straight state title and fourth in five years. They have a 50-game regular-season winning streak and are the only school to win a state title in their first year in Class 5A.

"I'm representing Texas high school coaches," Dodge said in a news conference in front of about 150 North Texas boosters and fans. "It's not very often that a guy like me gets an opportunity like this."

Dodge was the offensive coordinator at UNT in 1992-93 before returning to high schools to start his head coaching career. Last year, he interviewed with Bill Parcells for an opening on the Dallas Cowboys staff, and he turned down an invitation to interview for the opening at Rice.

"All those were flattering," said Dodge, who admitted he thought the call from Parcells was a joke being played on him by a fellow coach. "Last year about this time Rice called and showed interest in me. It was one of those deals that didn't fit my family at the time."

Dodge replaces Darrell Dickey, who was fired midway through a 3-9 season that left him with a 42-64 record over nine years.

Dodge was hired for his first stint at North Texas by Dennis Parker, who was a successful high school football coach who made the leap to collegiate coaching with the Mean Green.

"The goals and standards that coach Todd Dodge have established for his football program are exemplary as evidenced by his record of successes and national reputation," athletic director Rick Villarreal said. "He has a passion for the Mean Green and we are confident that he is the coach to elevate North Texas' football program."

Under Dickey, the Mean Green went to the New Orleans Bowl as Sun Belt Conference champion four straight times from 2001-04 and featured a pair of running backs -- Patrick Cobbs and Jamario Thomas -- who led the nation in rushing. But a second straight losing season was marked by dwindling attendance, bottoming out at 9,806 in the finale.

North Texas averaged almost 16,000 fans per game, or about 30,000 fewer than the crowd for Carroll's 22-21 victory against Euless Trinity in a playoff thriller at Texas Stadium last month. The 46,339 fans for that game are thought to be the second most for a high school game in Texas.

The Dragons have been generating that kind of buzz for a several years with their four-receiver, no-huddle spread offense, also known as "Dodge Ball."

But Dodge is confident that the excitement he created in the high school ranks can be brought to North Texas because of the wealth of recruiting talent in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

"I think this will be a team the metroplex will embrace," Dodge said. "I want this to be a team people will be excited to come out and watch play."

If the hiring of a high school coach to run a Division I program raises questions, it won't be the first time Dodge's credentials were scrutinized.

He had a losing record as a head coach when he started at Carroll, which won a state-record 72 straight regular-season games in smaller classifications from 1986-94. Dodge lost his first three games, but he's 96-8 since.

The latest triggerman -- Dodge's son, Riley -- has the Dragons rolling along at 14-0 heading into the Class 5A Division II semifinals Saturday against Allen. He will now have a different coach for his senior season next year, but the family won't have to move. Dodge's new office will be about 20 miles north of his old one, and his decision will raise questions about a possible reunion in college.

Todd Dodge will coach Carroll through its playoff run, and Riley Dodge will remain at Carroll to play his senior season.

Riley Dodge's two predecessors landed at Division I schools, highlighted by Chase Daniel, the Missouri starter who led the Tigers to a 6-0 start and will play in the Brut Sun Bowl in El Paso in a couple weeks. Riley Dodge is projected as one of the state's top quarterback prospects for the 2008 recruiting season, according to Jeremy Crabtree of rivals.com.

"I'm going to continue weighing my options," Riley Dodge said. "There are a couple of schools I've been looking at. But North Texas has to be way up there now."

Dickey was fired just weeks after suffering a heart attack, prompting criticism from a prominent booster who demanded that the school rename a new practice facility after Dickey. UNT officials have said they plan to honor the request.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

zito to rangers? never gonna happen

Many of the DFW media seem to think the Rangers have a good chance at landing Barry Zito... I wonder what they're smoking. Cy Young Award winning pitchers don't come to Arlington to pitch. Actually, true #1 starters don't come to Arlington in general. Kevin Millwood was a nice signing last year and the Rangers paid him to be the #1 guy, but he doesn't have #1 stuff. He performed well and is an above average #2 pitcher, but he's not a staff ace. Vicente Padilla has great potential and a great re-sign by Jon Daniels. But with all the offense that the Rangers have let go so far this off-season (Matthews, Lee, ), Texas needs a true ace on this staff, someone like Zito. The problem is, those pitchers just don't come to Arlington.


Like Rangers, NY teams hold torch for Zito - By EVAN GRANT / The Dallas Morning News

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – You knew Barry Zito wouldn't come cheap. You didn't think he'd come easy either, did you? There is no doubt the Rangers are in on Zito. Read the rest here...

help get rid of the bcs

A web site dedicated to getting rid of the BcS in favor of a playoff system. Sign their petition here.

who's gonna score?

Mike Modano left tonight's game a few minutes into the 2nd period with a "lower body injury". Already out tonight were Darryl Sydor, Trevor Daley, Steve Ott, Antti Miettinen, Brenden Morrow and Eric Lindros. So now with Mike out, who's scores for this team? They won tonight 1-0 on a power play goal by Modano in the first (his 495th career goal). The Stars missed out on several chances to bury a second puck in the net but were unable to hit an open net. Marty Turco played a hell of a game tonight, stoning Joe Pavekski and Jonathan Cheechoo late in the game. It's time for some of the young guys like Loui Eriksson, Patrick Stefan and Jussi Jokinen to step up their game.

who's #2

So the Gators jump Michigan in all three polls (though only the USATODAY/Coaches and Harris polls count in the BcS). Just more reason there needs to be a playoff as once again, voters (half of which are coaches) are determining who plays for the National Championship. Isn't that a conflict of interest? How many Big Ten coaches voted Florida ahead of Michigan and vice versa with the SEC? The answer is just one, Ron Zook of Illinois, who by the way, used to coach at Florida. Hmm. And why is Jim Tressel receiving heat for not casting a vote? It's a no win situation for him and should Ohio State really have a say in who they play to begin with? Such a stupid system the BcS is.

There are 32 bowl games this year. Check them all out here.

the fall of troy

Most teams would take a 10-2 season, but not the USC Trojans. USC hadn't lost 2 games in a season since 2002 and had beaten UCLA 7 straight times dating back to 1998. Until today's 13-9 loss to the Bruins, USC had scored at least 20 points in 63 consecutive games. USC was one score away from playing in its fourth straight National Championship Game. The Trojans will play in the Rose Bowl against Michigan if Florida climbs to #2 or against LSU. UCLA will go to the Emerald Bowl to play Florida State.

mccoy's backup to transfer, texas not gator bound

Texas freshman QB Jevan Snead confirmed on Friday that he intends to transfer. He will leave the team immediately, meaning he will not be available for Texas' bowl game. The Dallas Morning News first reported the story on Wednesday.


Gator Bowl undecided on UT

Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg said Toyota Gator Bowl officials are undecided about the Longhorns. If Texas does not go to the Gator, the Longhorns will likely land in the Alamo Bowl.

The Gator's indecision has prevented the Big 12 from finalizing the bottom half of its bowl structure. The Cotton Bowl will take the Big 12 runner-up, and the Holiday Bowl has selected Texas A&M.

kobe hangs half a hundred

... all before the end of the 3rd quarter. He was perfect from the field and the line in the 3rd quarter, scoring 30 points. Read it here.

the emerald bowl...

will have Florida State (6-6) against UCLA. The Florida State Seminoles are playing in the Emerald Bowl!?! Time for Bowden to step down and let someone fresh lead the Seminoles out of mediocracy.

martin gramatica???

Are you freakin kidding me? You cut the best kicker in the history of the NFL for Martin Gramatica, who in his last NFL season was a mere 58% kicking field goals. The year before that, just 63%... Mike Vanderjagt may not have been getting it done the way Parcells would like, but what are smoking to bring in a guy who's been out of the league for 2 years and sucked the 2 years prior to that? Vanderjagt was 13 for 18 (72%) so far this year... did we actually upgrade the kicker position? I think not.

not your usual pregame

Lebron's pregame warmup.

varsity's horns were sawed off

It was over when... Texas quarterback Colt McCoy was intercepted at midfield by Mark Dodge with just over a minute left in the game.
Gameball goes to... Stephen McGee. The Texas A&M quarterback rushed for 95 yards, eight of them coming on the game-winning score.
Stat of the game... 244. The Aggies rushed for 244 yards against Texas, which came into the game No. 1 in the nation allowing 42 yards per game.

btho t.u.

Junior Red Pot Kevin Weatherford walks away from the Student Bonfire Tuesday night, moments after setting it ablaze along with the seven other Red Pots. The Aggie Student Bonfire symbolizes the 12th Man's burning desire to 'beat the Hell outta t.u.'

ohio state v. michigan in 210 seconds

If you happened to miss last Saturday's Michigan-Ohio State game, you can see it and more in this 3 minute 30 second video. Somebody took the time to stitch together images of Ohio Stadium from a campus web cam. The video begins with the tarp being taken off the field on Friday and shows the stadium through the night. Then pregame preparations begin early Saturday and you can watch the stadium fill to capacity. The game begins in daylight and ends under the lights, with fans spilling onto the field. The Buckeyextra web site has a link to the web cam and you can view it by clicking here.

Days since Michigan's last victory over Ohio State in football: 1097

high school game of the week

Matchup's hype reaches prime time - Matt Wixon, Dallas Morning News

Friday's Southlake Carroll-Euless Trinity game has garnered national attention

So Southlake Carroll and Euless Trinity will finally meet. Champion against champion. Flash vs. Smash. The most highly anticipated high school game ever.

Well, maybe if you're under age 20. Or if you bleed Carroll green or know all the words to Trinity's haka chant.

That's not to scoff at the enormity of Friday's matchup of Trinity, last year's Class 5A Division I state champ, and Carroll, the Division II champ the last two years. Carroll has won 43 straight games, Trinity has won 26 and both teams are ranked in the National Prep Poll. They'll clash for the first time in a game fit for Texas Stadium.

And, apparently, a game fit for the national news. Last week, a staff member of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric contacted Trinity coach Steve Lineweaver about a story. Seriously.

That's pretty big time. But the biggest game ever in North Texas?

If we had a way to measure hype, maybe. But the best way to judge interest is by fan support, like the 49,950 who watched Plano beat Port Neches-Grove in the 1977 4A final at Texas Stadium. That was the largest crowd ever at a Texas high school football game, and Carroll and Trinity won't reach that figure.

Most likely, nobody ever will.

"Only one team [from each district] went to the playoffs then, so I really think that helped attendance," said Tom Kimbrough, who coached Plano from 1976 to 1991. "Before, you had people from other towns who were going to see the game."

This week, however, the titanic matchup comes when many playoff teams are still sailing. It's part of a week filled with heavyweight bouts, including Cedar Hill (11-0) against Hebron (10-1) in 5A, Highland Park (11-0) against Texarkana Texas (11-0) in 4A, and Madison (10-0) against Celina (11-0) in 3A.

Most of the past Games of the Year – or Decade, or Century, depending on your perspective – have come deeper in the playoffs:

The 1964 matchup of Garland and Amarillo Tascosa that drew 42,000 to the Cotton Bowl was a state semifinal. The '77 Plano miracle comeback against Highland Park was a state quarterfinal, as was Trinity's painful loss to Hurst L.D. Bell in the '82 playoffs (Bell advanced on the old "penetrations" rule). The Friday Night Lights game of 1988, featuring Carter vs. Odessa Permian, was a state semifinal, and last year's Carroll-Plano matchup of unbeatens, which drew nearly 35,000 to Texas Stadium, was a region final.

The Trinity-Carroll game will be unique in another way. The University Interscholastic League began splitting the playoffs into two divisions in 1990, and since then, reigning 5A champions have never met in the playoffs. But it happened four years ago in 4A, when reigning Division I champion Denton Ryan and reigning Division II champion Ennis met in a state semifinal at Texas Stadium.

In that game, Ryan scored 15 points in the final two minutes to win, 18-14. If the first matchup of 5A champs is anywhere near as dramatic, it probably will make national headlines. Maybe even bring Katie Couric to Texas.

It's a big one, no doubt. And no matter what game fans are at Friday, most will want updates from one of the greatest matchups in history.

Especially if it becomes one of the greatest games in history.

morrow tweaks his groin

DALLAS (AP) -- Dallas Stars captain Brenden Morrow didn't skate in practice Tuesday and likely will miss at least one game because of a slight groin strain.

Morrow didn't return to Monday night's 5-4 victory over Colorado after he was gimpy coming off the ice during a shift change in the second period. He was evaluated Tuesday.

Coach Dave Tippett said the injury wasn't as bad as feared, but that the Stars wanted to be cautious to make sure it doesn't become a long-term problem.

While Morrow likely won't play Wednesday night at home against Nashville, right wing Jere Lethinen could be back in the lineup after missing three games with a sore leg.

Morrow scored twice in the final three minutes of the first period Monday to help Dallas forge a 2-2 tie.

you've got to be kidding me - a rematch?!?

The BcS is showing exactly why voters should never determine a national champion. Michigan got beat, beat by more than the 3 points indicated on the scoreboard. It was an 11 point game late until a questionable pass interference penalty led to the last minute Michigan touchdown. Without that late call and the unforced turnovers by Ohio State that led directly to 10 Michigan points, the game could have been a blow out. Instead the final spread was just 3 points and the voters who would surely have dropped Michigan more than 1 spot had they lost this game early in the year decided to give them a chance at the national title game and with the help of the computers, the Wolverines may get their wish. Potentially better 1 loss teams such as USC, Arkansas and Florida wont get the chance to prove their worth on the field. What makes Michigan better than a 1-loss USC team or an SEC champion Arkansas team? What if Michigan doesn't get the garbage TD at the end of the game? Voters shouldn't decide who the two best teams are. Here's the real kicker... lets say Ohio State and Michigan play in a rematch, USC plays in the Rose Bowl and Arkansas in the Cotton. Arkansas and USC win their bowl games easily and then Michigan just barely beats Ohio State. Who's the best team now? The voters will have to say its Michigan, but that sounds like BcS to me.

the real ncaa title game?

Ohio State has opened as a 7 point favorite.

definition of a lucky cover...

Line: Mavs -6
If you watched any of this game, you'll know the Mavs were lucky to escape Portland with a win, let alone covering.

15 years ago today...

Magic Johnson retired from the Lakers after announcing he had tested positive for the HIV virus.

britney's back on the market

Look who's available again... and looking good

only at the cma's

As Carrie wins the Female Artist of the Year, Faith Hill appears to be in disbelif.

jane skinner... south carolina fan?

Jane knows who the top cock is... welcome to youtube Janey.

rangers hire buck's replacement

Ron Washington has always been a popular coach with players, stressing communication and letting them be themselves. Now he will get his chance as the manager of the Texas Rangers, who wanted and needed somebody with those characteristics... a players' coach.

nhl games on google video

Now you can download full-length NHL games and watch them on your time. Whether it's a memorable game or a keepsake of your first in-arena experience, NHL Video is available on Google. Check it out here.

interesting a&m fact...

Texas A&M is currently one of four schools in the country to be ranked in the coaches poll in football, mens and womens basketball. LSU, Ohio State and Tennessee are the others.

dont piss off dale hansen

Listen to this exchange between Dale Hansen and John McCaa on last Friday's 10pm newscast.

Here's Dale's explanation of what happened.

defending champs....

The Miami Heat opened the NBA season last night by hoisting their World Championship Banner to the rafters and hosting the Chicago Bulls. I guess maybe they celebrating getting those rings too much as they go drilled by 42 points, the worst loss every by a defending champion to open the season.

blast from the past

Joe Namath.... just wants to kiss ESPN's Suzy Kolber

the kiss

Big Bill giving out a lil love to Keith Davis... the same Keith Davis that got shot on while driving on 635 at 5am about a week before training camp started. This was actually one of two smooches Parcells gave out in the waning moments of the game, though I forget who got the second one.

espn gameday in college station

Saturday's Texas A&M-Oklahoma game at Kyle Field got a little bigger with the addition of ESPN's College Gameday. The two-hour show will air on ESPN starting at 9 a.m. The 7 p.m. game will be shown on ABC.

No. 21 A&M (8-1, 4-1) is a half game ahead of 18th-ranked Oklahoma (6-2, 3-1) in the Big 12 South Division. This will be the second trip to Aggieland for the Gameday crew of Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit. Their last visit was Nov. 11, 2000, a 35-31 comeback victory for OU en route to a national championship.

The game drew a state-of-Texas record 87,188 fans. A&M, which was ranked 23rd, built a 31-21 lead behind quarterback Mark Farris and fullback Ja'Mar Toombs. But top-ranked OU rallied behind quarterback Josh Heupel and running back Quentin Griffin. Farris drove A&M 77 yards to the OU 4, where the Sooners came up with a goal-line stand. OU went on to win the national championship.

A&M upset the top-ranked Sooners in their 2002 visit to Kyle Field, 30-26

let the romo era begin

Tony Romo and Keith Davis celebrate the 'Boys victory over Carolina.

Parcels, in a good mood for once, gave Davis (above) an awkward kiss on the sideline as the game was ending.

The Dallas media will be in serious over-reaction mode on Monday after the Cowboys convincing road win over Carolina.

gig'em

Martellus Bennett and Texas A&M put away Baylor in Waco, 31-21. Bennett finished with 133 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

that's kinda gay... an awkward moment

the cal bears... wrf?

I did not see this over the weekend, but apparently after California's win over Washington on Saturday, Golden Bears running back Marshawn Lynch got a hold of the motorized stretcher cart and went to town driving all over the field. I have no idea why...

cowboy debacle draws largest cable audience

The Cowboys' game on Monday night, where they were blown out by the Giants after changing QBs after halftime, drew the largest audience ever in cable tv history.The previous record for cable television was the debate over NAFTA in November 1993, between then-vice president Al Gore (who proclaimed he invented the internet) and Ross Perot. Read the ESPN story here.

romo sucks... and so does yahoo

Looks like Yahoo was a little to eager to trash the Cowboys.

50 cent at 'nova midnight madness

You hear rumors about 50 Cent taking cash for somewhat embarassing gigs, but what is he doing at Villanova's midnight madness bash last week. Was this coach Jay Wright idea?

penn state tailgating gone wrong

saturday girls...

nebraska cheer

baylor fan

baylor cheer

gotta love them so. cal girls

jayhawk cheer

some firsts...

from Saturday...

Andy Reyes of St. Louis became the first rookie to win a World Series game since 2002.

Game 1 was the first time ever that two rookies have started a World Series Game 1 opposite each other.

Michigan State's 35 point comeback win over Northwestern and 38 unanswered points was the largest come from behind victory every in a Div 1-A game.

from last Monday night...
The Chicago Bears offense had a total of 39 yds in the 4th quarter Monday night against the Cardinals along with 2 turnovers.

The Bears became the 1st team to come back from a 20 pt deficit without scoring an offensive touchdown.

The Cardinals became the 1st team to lose 14 pt first qtr leads in 2 games in the same season... Arizona managed to do it in back to back games.

more on the backyard brawl

Lamar Thomas lost his TV analyst job Monday over comments he made during the Miami/FIU fight. You can watch the video with his comments here. During the fight, Thomas can be heard saying: "Now, that's what I'm talking about. You come into our house, you should get your behind kicked. You don't come into the OB playing that stuff. You're across the ocean over there. You're across the city. You can't come over to our place talking noise like that. You'll get your butt beat. I was about to go down the elevator to get in that thing." He then followed up with, "I say, why don't they just meet outside in the tunnel after the ball game and get it on some more? You don't come into the OB, baby. We've had a down couple years but you don't come in here talking smack. Not in our house... You know what we be sayin now? We ready, we ready, we ready." Makes you wonder how he got the job to begin with?

More fallout from the brawl...

weekend of dallas sports

T.O. scored a hat trick against the Texans.

The Stars remained undefeated with a 4-3 shootout win over Anaheim.

the bcs is mostly just bs

I could rant on and on about how much the BcS sucks and how letting coaches and the media vote for a national champion is just plain ludacris. But explain to me how Harris poll voters today gave Missouri (6-1) 221 points a day after they lost to Texas A&M 25-19 while only giving Texas A&M (6-1) 126 points. Thats almost a 100 point difference. Did know one notice that previously unbeaten and 17th ranked Mizzou lost the game?

Even more stupidity...
• While Ohio State sure appears to be the best team in the nation and is ranked #1 in all the polls, they are third with the computer vote. I feel like Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men... Can you explain that?
• Auburn (6-1), who was dismissed rather easily two weeks ago by Arkansas is ranked higher than undefeated West Virginia (6-0) and Louisville (6-0) in the BcS.
• Louisville is also behind Florida (6-1) who just lost to Auburn.
• Why do the computers have USC #1 when they've just squeaked by in their last 3 games against Wash St, Washington and ASU?
• How does Tulsa even sniff the BcS Top 25? Seriously

Check out the complete BcS standings here.

miami/fiu brawl

They had a brawl Saturday night in Miami and then a football game broke out. Five Miami players and 8 FIU players were ejected after the fight. You know who plays football for Florida International? Guys who wanted to go to Miami, but couldn't because they stabbed someone in high school. And how bout the analyst in the booth who thinks the brawl marks tremendous progress for the Miami program. "You don't come into the OB, baby, you don't come in here talkin' smack!" WTF?

(UPDATE: A total of 31 players have been suspended one game.

More video here from ESPN.)

random nfl notes...

Dallas Cowboys third-year running back Julius Jones has rushed for 2,200 yards after 25 games. Tony Dorsett had 1,875 after 25 games, and Emmitt Smith had 1,766.

If the Cowboys defeat the Texans this weekend, Bill Parcells will become the third head coach to defeat all 32 current NFL franchises (Tony Dungy, Mike Shanahan).

Since 1999, the St. Louis Rams have the best home record in the NFL -- 44-14 (.759).

cuban in a giving mood

With three years still left on his contract, Mavericks coach Avery Johnson signed a new five-year, $20 million contract today that will keep one of the NBA's most successful young coaches in Dallas through 2011.