Northwestern 17, Iowa 10. Anytime a nondescript, 16.5-point underdog rebounds from a quick 10-point hole to upend a 9-0 national-title contender on the road, that is a "shocking" result. There was no reason to think Iowa might lose to a team with a gimpy starting quarterback and whose marquee wins to date included unlikely, skin-of-the-teeth comebacks against Purdue and Indiana. The Hawkeyes' miracle season obviously was not supposed to end here -- next week at Ohio State, maybe, but not at home, to Northwestern.

I find it hard to believe, though, that anyone who pays greater heed to probability than to miracles is actually experiencing anything like actual shock, especially after quarterback Ricky Stanzi's ignominious exit with an ankle injury on the end zone fumble turned Northwestern touchdown that turned the game in the second quarter and collapsed the Hawkeyes' Jenga tower of a season in a matter of seconds. At some point, it had to happen: Iowa had already survived the loss of its top three running backs and a starting offensive lineman for the season, as well as its best offensive player for a crucial three-game stretch earlier in the season, and emerged unscathed after fourth-quarter comebacks against Northern Iowa, Penn State, Michigan State and Indiana. When you're saddled with one of the worst offenses in the conference, there are only so many miracles at your disposal.

As much heat as he's taken for his perfectly mediocre performance through the first two months (and his five-interception schizo act against Indiana, in particular), Stanzi's injury was the obvious breaking point. At least the resourceful junior gave the Hawkeyes a chance to move the ball: Their first three drives covered 159 yards and put 10 points on the board off a 74-yard touchdown pass from Stanzi to Marvin McNutt and a 30-yard strike to Trey Stross that set up the field goal. The final eight drives, all led by redshirt freshman James Vandenberg, covered 131 yards, entered Northwestern territory only once and produced zero points. Vandernberg's first pass was a laser directly into the chest of a linebacker that set up the Wildcats' go-ahead touchdown, and his longest completion was just 16 yards. He repeatedly missed open receivers Stanzi may have hit. The high wire snapped when No. 12 went down.

So, too, did the nation's second-longest losing streak, as well as the most plausible threat to something other than a Texas vs. Alabama/Florida showdown for the BCS championship. Well, maybe not a threat so much as a protest -- an undefeated Big Ten champion being left out of the title game carries a lot more potential for angst and vitriol than a snub against one of the would-be insurgents from the Big East, Mountain West or WAC. If Iowa had won at Ohio State, run the table and been relegated to the Rose Bowl as a consolation prize, a substantial segment of the punditocracy would have been (justifiably) up in arms, again.

But the Hawkeyes finally drew a club and the BCS doesn't have to worry about them anymore; if Stanzi isn't back for the next Saturday's trip to Ohio State, the Rose Bowl probably won't have to think about them anymore, either. Now if Florida, Alabama and Texas can only keep winning and somebody can finally do something about Cincinnati, everything will be falling into the proper order.

With all the promotional mess and contract negotiations it's ashame we don't get to see Fedor Emelianenko (30-1) more often. He's only fought four times in the last 35 months. That may be the reason, he's dropped to No. 3 in the Yahoo! Sports' MMA pound-for-pound rankings (Cagewriter still has him No. 1). Or could it be all of Dana White's bashing that has affected those who formerly favored the Russian as the world's best?

Real MMA fans and bettors know how good the guy is and have bet him up to a 9-to-1 favorite in Las Vegas. Strikeforce on CBS kicks off at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

STRIKEFORCE PICKS (Odds courtest Venetian Resort Casino Hotel):
Recommended plays in BOLD

BRETT ROGERS (+550) v. FEDOR EMELIANENKO (-900) - HEAVYWEIGHT
Rogers has a lot of tools that could allow him to beat Fedor. He's a huge dude with a 31 pound weight advantage. He's a solid striker with fast hands. The biggest issue is what happens if the fight goes to the ground. We have zero clue as to how Rogers will handle himself. That's an awful question going in against a guy with 16 submission wins and six of his last seven by sub. Fedor deserves to be a huge favorite but anytime the odds get this high you have take a look at the dog. The plus-550 is nice return on a guy with knockout power. Fedor will win the fight but you have to roll the dice with a small bet on Rogers.
PICK: ROGERS +550

JASON MILLER (+220) v. JAKE SHIELDS (-300) - MIDDLEWEIGHT
Vegas says the action all been on Shields, who opened minus-220. That's a little surprising with Miller gaining some traction with his MTV show "Bully Beatdown." Truth is though only hardcores are betting this Strikeforce card and they know how good Shields is. What quality win does Miller have in the last three years? The best was against Tim Kennedy. I don't know if he could beat 2009 Tim Kennedy. If it stays on the feet the entire time, Shields stand up is shaky. But it won't. Miller has mediocre takedown defense. Shields rolls via submission. This one opened at -220. There's no value now that it's jumped 80 cents.   
SHIELDS -300

RAMEAU THIERRY SOKOUDJOU (+350) v. GEGARD MOUSASI (-500) - LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Mousasi is probably the No. 2 non-UFC fighter in the world. That doesn't mean he's unbeatable but his package is pretty complete. Sokoudjou brings power to the cage but that's about it. Sokoudjou may want to get this to the ground and try to slow down the pace but he won't. He'll come out slugging and run out of gas like he often does. Mousasi finishes this one late first or early second. Same deal here on the action. It's all been on the side of the favorite. Mousasi opened in Vegas at minus-360.
PICK: MOUSASI -500

ANTONIO SILVA v. FABRICIO WERDUM - HEAVYWEIGHT 
There's been solid two-way action on this fight and there should be. I'm not a huge Silva fan but he's dangerous in this fight against Werdum. I don't like the fact that Werdum came in weighing in the 240's. He's most effective in the low 230's. Werdum needs to get it to the ground to finish it. No one is going to rock that huge noggin of Silva. Silva will be tough to get down. He'll pull the mild upset setting up a fight against Fedor on CBS in the first quarter of 2010.  
PICK: SILVA +140

Through the first 35 games last season, Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos(notes) scored just four times. Shackled to the bench and not seeing much ice time under then-Lightning coach Barry Melrose, it wasn't the type of start the 2008 No. 1 overall pick was looking for, especially after a summer of hype by the Lightning through their "Seen Stamkos" promotion. 

When Rick Tocchet replaced Melrose in November, it wasn't until mid-February when Stamkos began to be 'seen'. In his final 28 games, the Sarnia Sting alum potted 17 goals and finished with 23 on the year, six behind Vincent Lecavalier(notes).

With five minutes of added ice time this season compared to last, Stamkos is maturing before our eyes into a goal scorer and paying off the Lightning, who were on the verge of embarrassment last season watching their prized pick watch more hockey than play. Through Tampa's first 14 games, Stamkos is leading the team in scoring with 12 goals (six on the power-play) and five assists, including a goal in seven of his last eight games. His coming out party is helping Lightning fans from completely freaking out about Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis(notes) low goal totals.

So, why is Stamkos flourishing this season?

There's confidence, as teammate Ryan Malone(notes) explained, as well as the fact that he has a coach in Tocchet that is willing to allow his talent to grow, even through all of the growing pains that he may experience:

"He's a leader, a young leader for us,"

...

"He has his ups and downs, but he has bounce-back," Tocchet said. "He doesn't have a long period of bad games or bad shifts. He can bounce back and that's what I like about him. He can have a tough night, but he bounces back. He's resilient."

Stamkos' quick start is also making waves through Hockey Canada as Team Canada GM Steve Yzerman is trying to fill out his 23-man roster. Not invited to the orientation camp in Calgary this past August, Stamkos has put himself on the radar, but he's not ready to let himself think about Vancouver as he told Fanhouse's Susan Slusser:

"I wasn't thinking about it at the start of the season," Stamkos said of Vancouver 2010. "But with the start I've had and people talking about it, if I keep it up, a long-shot (selection) is a possibility. I'd love the opportunity to represent my country, but obviously my main focus right now is on this team and winning every night here."

Winning is something that Tampa's been doing a little better of this season. Currenrtly sitting ninth in the Eastern Conference with 15 points thanks to Stamkos and solid goaltending Antero Niittymaki(notes). If Lecavalier and St. Louis can find the back of the net again on a regular basis, the Lightning, the butt of jokes a year ago, could themselves valuable strides towards long-term success.

(No, the first decade of the 21st century doesn't technically end until 2011. Save your bellyaching. But we've had nine NHL seasons and one stolen from us since 1999-2000, and Yahoo! Sports has decided it's time to rank the best and worst of the last "decade." Enjoy, and snark freely in the comments.)

Some of these all-decade lists are lighthearted, nostalgic compilations of the last 10 years of NHL hockey; and some of them are what you're about to read.

The NHL has seen some truly gruesome moments since 2000. Lives were threatened. Careers were shortened. Reputations were ruined. We wish something a little more whimsical like Matt Walker's mangled finger could have made this list. But it didn't. 

Keep in mind that some of these injuries are ranked based not only on their severity but their impact culturally on hockey. Also keep in mind that the last 10 years have featured so many grisly incidents that the injury commemorated in the photo above is not, in fact, No. 1 overall.

These video highlights have been everywhere for the last 10 years, but please keep in mind that many are distrubing and not for all audiences. Here are the Top 10 Most Brutal NHL Injuries of the Last Decade ...

10. Patrick Thoresen's(notes) Groin, 2008

"Potentially ruptured testicle" is going to earn a player a spot on this list in any decade, as the then-Philadelphia Flyers winger attempted to block a shot by Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green(notes) in the 2008 Eastern Conference quarterfinals and ... well, he took one for the team.

As you can see, it was insult to injury: In a controversial moment, the refs allowed play to continue on the Capitals' third-period power play, and Green scored the game-tying goal in a contest the Caps would eventually win (though they'd lose the series in seven).

Thoresen? Tests later showed that the worst fears wouldn't be realized. He was released from the hospital, returned to the series in Game 3 and would play 14 total games in the postseason. That's testicular fortitude.

(Honorable Mention: Nicklas Lidstrom's(notes) "nearly catastrophic" testicle injury in 2009.)

• • •

9. Steve Yzerman's Eye, 2004 

In Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals in 2004, the Detroit Red Wings Hall of Famer took a puck off the eye when teammate Mathieu Schneider's(notes) shot deflected off of Calgary Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff(notes). To see a star player go down like this was nothing short of horrific.

Yzerman required 4-and-a-half hours of surgery at a Detroit hospital "to repair a scratched cornea and broken bone just below his left eye." He missed the rest of the postseason and returned after the lockout wearing a face shield, which was absent when the injury occurred. Images of Stevie Y's crimson eye became propaganda for those who wanted visors mandatory in the NHL.

(Honorable Mention: Braydon Coburn's(notes) mangled face after taking a puck to the mug in the 2008 playoffs.)

• • •

8. Chris Clark's(notes) Mouth, 2006

The Washington Capitals captain had kept all his teeth intact through 373 NHL games until a puck struck his face in a Nov. 2006 game against Boston. (Being a hockey player, he naturally finished his shift.) The aftermath, from the Washington Post:

Two of his top teeth are gone. Braces hold three others in place. His palate, meantime, was repaired with the aid of cadaver bone and a screw, inserted during three hours of surgery Thursday morning.

Other than attempting to eat Matt Pettinger's(notes) brains after practice one day, Clark didn't suffer any strange side effects from the cadaver bone implant.

• • •

7. Kurtis Foster's(notes) Broken Leg, 2008

In March 2008, the Minnesota Wild defenseman was chasing down an icing in a race with San Jose Sharks' winger Torrey Mitchell(notes). Contact between the two was made, and in a flash Foster's season was over.

Foster's femur snapped in half and his patella cracked. Doctors worked to repair it for 10 hours. As Foster recalled in a harrowing interview with the Star Tribune:

Trying to beat out an icing, Foster was pushed from behind by Mitchell. "All I remember is my kneecap taking everything," Foster said. "Once I realized my head, neck and back were OK, I tried to move my leg and in my mind it was moving, but when I looked at my leg, it wasn't moving. So I knew something was really wrong."

He returned to the Wild on March 7, 2009, and signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning that summer. Like Yzerman's, the injury sparked intense debate about rules changes, this time for players racing to ice the puck.

• • •

6. Kevin Bieksa's(notes) Calf Muscle, 2007

The Vancouver Canucks defenseman missed 47 games after the skate of then-Nashville Predators forward Vernon Fiddler(notes) sliced into his leg and lacerated his calf muscles during a Nov. 2007 game.

Blood filled Bieska's sock in a gruesome scene, and his career was feared to be over. But he worked through a long, experimental rehab process to get back on the ice and be a productive player for the franchise.

(Honorable Mention: Teemu Selanne(notes) slicing his own leg with his skate and missing over a month in 2008; and Jamie Heward(notes) getting sliced on the face by Mike Modano's(notes) skate in 2006.)

• • •

5. Patrice Bergeron's(notes) Concussion, 2007 

Any number of concussions in the last 10 years could make this list (Eric Lindros's in 2000 at the hands of Scott Stevens, for example), but few combine the brutal nature of the injury and the controversy about the legality of hitting in the game better than Bergeron's. The bright young star for the Boston Bruins was driven into the end boards from behind by Randy Jones(notes) of the Philadelphia Flyers in Oct. 2007, suffering a broken nose and Grade III concussion.

Bergeron would miss the remainder of the season and make a long journey back from post-concussion syndrome. Jones, meanwhile, only received a two-game suspension from the NHL, as discipline czar Colin Campbell said that Jones delivered "a hard check to a player who was in a vulnerable position" but didn't intend to injure him.

The Bruins' faithful disagreed with the brevity of that suspension, which manifested itself in March 2009 when announcer Jack Edwards cackled manically about a borderline check on Jones during a Flyers/Bruins game.

• • •

4. Bryan Berard's(notes) Eye, 2000

One of the most career-altering injuries on the list. In March 2000, while a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Berard's right eye was clipped by the stick of then-Ottawa Senators winger Marian Hossa(notes). (Apologies for the poor video quality.)

The eye was slit on sclera, and there was fear he'd lose it along with this career. After several surgeries (and a tidy $6.5 million insurance settlement), Berard had 20/600 vision in his eye which was elevated to an NHL-required 20/400 with the use of a contact lens. He missed a full season, rehabbed for a comeback, and played the rest of the decade through back injuries and an embarrassing drug test failure.

• • •

3. Richard Zednik's(notes) Neck, 2008

The fact that this all-time ghastly scene isn't at No. 1 is a testament to the all-time ghastly scenes that ranked ahead of it. Because few hockey fans will forget the first time they witnessed the Florida Panthers' winger getting his throat slashed by the skate of teammate Olli Jokinen(notes) in Feb. 2008:

This video capture that flew around the Web said it all. The official diagnosis was a slashed carotid artery, and Zednik lost five pints of blood.

He was eventually discharged from the hospital, missed the rest of the 2007-08 season and returned the following year for the Panthers. Over 20,000 fans sent get-well messages to the Panthers' Web site for Zednik. Like other incidents on this list, it sparked a League-wide debate, this time regarding neck guards for NHL players.

• • •

2. Steve Moore's Neck, 2004

We're running our all-decade lists through the end of December. Sadly, this will not be the last time you see this tragic moment in NHL history mentioned as a low-point for the League.

It was March 8, 2004. The Vancouver Canucks were looking for vengeance after Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore checked captain Markus Naslund(notes) near the head in a previous game. One game had already passed between the teams, but this contest would find Todd Bertuzzi(notes) viciously attacking Moore from behind because ... well, the courts haven't determined that yet:

You know the aftermath: The sucker-punch fractured Moore's vertebrae, cut his face and gave him a concussion; his NHL career was finished. Bertuzzi, after tearfully apologizing, was suspended indefinitely by the NHL as the incident received coverage from ESPN to The Today Show. Bertuzzi ended up missing 20 games along with the locked-out NHL season. Visit CBC Sports for complete coverage of this landmark incident that's still being litigated in the courts.

• • •

1. Trent McCleary's Tracheotomy, 2000

Yes, it takes an emergency, life-saving tracheotomy to top this horrific list.

Trent McCleary was a center for the Montreal Canadiens. In Jan. 2000 against the Philadelphia Flyers, he went down to block a Chris Therien shot and took a puck to the throat.

According to Web MD:

McCleary very quickly got to his feet and skated toward the trainer. Because the puck had collapsed his windpipe he could not breathe. He was carried off the ice, and lost consciousness while in the tunnel. He easily could have died that night, but he was rushed to a hospital, and had an emergency tracheostomy within 10 minutes of leaving the arena. He remained in critical condition before being upgraded to stable condition on Feb. 1.

The injury cost McCleary his hockey career, after his air passage was 15 percent narrower than before.

Let's hope we don't see any of these reoccur in the next 10 years.

Puck Daddy's Best & Worst of the Decade lists will run on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday through the end of 2009. (Yes, that includes holidays; cynical appraisal never sleeps.)

Today's lineup isn't really as mediocre as all that, despite the frustration of both marquee, national-interest games -- LSU-Alabama and Ohio State-Penn State -- competing with one another in the afternoon slot. Major unbeaten teams are defending their title chances early (Iowa, Texas) and late (Florida, Cincinnati) and old rivals are hooking up in Manhattan, Chapel Hill and Lincoln; the Pac-10 alone offers six of the conference's seven winning teams squaring off in Palo Alto, Berkeley and Tempe. The big games should live up to the hype, but something unexpected and interesting is going to happen outside of Tuscaloosa or Happy Valley.

What: Game day live blog. All games in play, all comments welcome and all alma maters accepted.
When: First kick at noon Eastern; chat kicks roughly simultaneously. The blog will run throughout the day, through the primetime tilts -- although, as intriguing as an evening in the Kibbie Dome may be, don't hold your breath for midnight-oil action in the WAC.
Who: You and all your rowdy friends. Come loud, proud and keeping your head on a swivel. We're not responsible for what may happen if you don't.
How: Hit "Watch Now," enter comments into the available box and do your part to accelerate the slow, agonizing death of conventional journalism.
Why: Because lobbing snarky barbs at earnest adolescents never gets old, especially when there are endless Kafka jokes on tap for the early afternoon. Football!

• Despite rumors of his reinstatement this week, suspended Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount doesn't show at all at Stanford -- not that the Ducks need him as they pile up more than 250 yards rushing on more than six yards per carry for the third consecutive week despite also allowing 100 yards to Stanford's Toby Gerhart and finishing in a six-minute hole in overall time of possession. Freshman running back LaMichael James, sitting on 918 rushing yards, goes over 1,000 for the season in the first half.

• Iowa never trails against Northwestern, yet manages to fully examine the apparent hopelessness and absurdity that seem to permeate the works of Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka by turning the Wildcats away at least three times inside the Hawkeye 30-yard line, including a pair of turnovers by Kafka that lead him to demand the game film be burned before viewing by the rest of the team on Sunday. After throwing five interceptions in last week's wild comeback over Indiana, Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi doesn't throw an interception but still frustrates the home crowd during a stretch of at least three straight possessions without taking the offense into Wildcat territory.

• In Berkeley, Oregon State running back Jacquizz Rodgers piles up more yards than California's top backs, Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen, combined, and picks off Bear quarterback Kevin Riley multiple times in a close but convincing road upset.

• Oklahoma trails early at Nebraska but piles up more than 200 yards rushing between backs DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown and holds the Cornhuskers out of the end zone in the second half, during which Nebraska coach Bo Pelini draws a 15-yard penalty for exploding against officials following a critical call. The 'Husker offense finished below 300 total yards for the fourth time in five games.

• After allowing touchdown returns on the opening kickoff two weeks in a row in close losses to West Virginia and Rutgers, Connecticut brings down Cincinnati return man Mardy Gilyard on its first kick in Nippert Stadium, but proceeds to allow a touchdown drive that puts the Bearcats on top for good. Injured Cincy quarterback Tony Pike doesn't play, but a potential controversy for next week's showdown with West Virginia is averted when red-hot backup Zach Collaros throws his second interception of the season and completes only 60 percent of his passes after hitting 82 percent with seven touchdowns in his first two starts against Louisville and Syracuse.

• After failing to allow a single 200-yard passing effort in any of its first seven games, Virginia's secondary is sliced for more than 300 yards for the second week in a row by Miami quarterback Jacory Harris, who hits a pair of touchdowns to make up for an interception in a comfortable Hurricane win.

• Clemson holds Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder below 250 yards passing for the first time since mid-September, but FSU hits 200 yards on the ground for the second week in a row to outpace another big all-purpose game -- including a punt return that scores or sets up a touchdown -- by the Tigers' C.J. Spiller. Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker has a good game against the generous 'Nole secondary but also commits a pair of turnovers, one of which sets up a critical FSU touchdown in the second half.

• After a pair of very mediocre games and a surprising benching in last week's loss to Texas Tech, Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing returns to form with 300 yards and multiple touchdowns through the air at rival Kansas State, but KSU counters with a 100-yard effort from workhorse back Daniel Thomas and grinds out a time-consuming drive for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter to hand the Jayhawks their fourth consecutive loss.

• North Carolina sacks Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis at least three times and forces multiple turnovers in Chapel Hill, holding the suddenly prolific Lewis to his worst passing day in well over a month and emphatically ending the Blue Devils' surprising three-game winning streak.

• Minus star receiver Dez Bryant for good, Oklahoma State quarterback Zac Robinson nevertheless throws for three touchdowns to three different receivers while also getting a 100-yard rushing game from Keith Toston at Iowa State. Cyclone quarterback Austen Arnaud's return to the lineup after a two-week absence is accompanied by at least one drive-killing turnover.

Each week the Noise will guide desperate, deep-thinking owners into the dark corners of the waiver wire to mine a last-minute diamond. Turn on your helmet light and pack a pickaxe. We're digging for drop-jaw surprises owned in less than 10 percent or started in five percent or less of Yahoo! Plus leagues.

Before summer gave way to fall and a single down of meaningful football was played, the fantasy masses truly believed Chris Henry was an alien life form.

Based on his preseason numbers, the unique-looking wideout was undeniably extraterrestrial. In four exhibition contests he tallied 14 catches for an NFL-high 224 yards and four touchdowns. His stirring effort combined with behind-the-scenes buzz – Carson Palmer(notes) told our own Michael Silver that Henry, not Chad Ochocinco(notes), was Cincinnati's best receiver – launched expectations into another galaxy.

As a result, mantasies were fostered, hyperbole was spewed and tendons snapped. Owners outstretched arms and slapped wallets – he went for $15 in one of the Noise's local auction leagues – convinced the troubled target was on the precipice of a breakthrough. In the Friends and Family draft, Average Joe, Michael Gehlken, proudly selected him at pick No. 150 (Round 11), three spots ahead of Jeremy Maclin(notes). As long as he avoided incarceration, fortunes were sure to be reaped.

Nine weeks into the season, Henry has indeed lived on another planet – Plublow. Currently the 56th-best WR in fantasy, he's averaged an unexciting 3.1 targets, 1.6 receptions and 30.8 yards per game. He's also found the end-zone twice. The speedster blames his sluggish start on a quadriceps strain suffered in late August. But, as Henry noted earlier this week, he's finally back to full-strength:

"I'm pretty much 100 percent. It's always a good thing when you're 100 percent. You can go out and fly around and not have to think about or worry about an injury."

This week, he very easily could take-off.

Though it may seem unlikely, deep-thinking owners suffering from the bye week blues who employ the 10-percent owned commodity's services could earn a substantial dividend. Back in Week 4 he torched the Ravens for 92 yards, his finest yardage effort this year. Despite showing significant improvement defensively a week ago versus Denver, Baltimore is susceptible to surrendering explosive pass plays. On the year, Ed Reed(notes) and company have allowed 23 20-yard pass plays, the ninth-most in the NFL.

With his injury fully healed and confidence still intact, Henry, at least for this week, could be risk-taking owners' favorite Martian.

Week 9 Fearless Forecast: 3 receptions, 74 receiving yards, 1 touchdown

Who is your Week 9 Shocker Special (10% owned or less)? Post your pick with projection below?

SILENCE THE NOISE CHALLENGE

Each week one lucky aspiring fantasy prognosticator is chosen to go toe-to-toe against the Noise. If you want to be a guest "expert" submit your Week 10 flames, lames (1 QB, 3 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE for each, 16 total) and shocker special (one player at any position) along with a valid email address and your location here no later than 7 PM central time on Thursday. Oh, and please, no long dissertations to justify your picks. All that's required are your player selections and projections. Winners earn a league spot to compete against yours truly next season. Good luck!

Week 9 contestant:  Brian in Colorado Springs, CO

Flames:
QB: Alex Smith, SF, 20-30, 225 yards, 2:1 TD:INT, 12 rush yards, 11% started
RB: Felix Jones(notes), Dal, 8 rushes, 48 yards, 42 receiving yards, 1 TD, 25%
RB: Joseph Addai(notes), Ind, 14 rushes, 82 yards, 28 receiving yards, 1 TD, 91%*
RB: Brandon Jacobs(notes), NYG, 18 rushes, 111 yards, 10 receiving yards, 1 TD, 87%*
WR: Devery Henderson(notes), NO, 4 catches, 102 yards, 1 TD, 26%
WR: Santonio Holmes(notes), Pit, 5 catches, 83 yards, 1 TD, 49%
WR: Devin Hester(notes), Chi, 5 catches, 92 yards, 1 TD, 71%*
TE: Fred Davis(notes), Wash, 6 catches, 82 yards, 1 TD, 31%

Lames:
QB: Joe Flacco(notes), Bal, 22-34, 254 yards, 7 rush yards, 1:1 TD:INT, 35% started*
RB: Matt Forte(notes), Chi, 15 rushes, 49 yards, 42 receiving yards, 0 TDs, 94%
RB: Ray Rice(notes), Bal, 14 rushes, 52 yards, 44 receiving yards, 0 TDs, 95%
RB: Steve Slaton(notes), Hou, 7 rushes, 22 yards, 32 receiving yards, 0 TDs, 64%
WR: Roddy White(notes), Atl, 5 catches, 68 yards, 0 TDs, 98%
WR: Mario Manningham(notes), NYG, 3 catches, 48 yards, 0 TDs, 32%*
WR: Miles Austin(notes), Dal, 4 catches, 52 yards, 0 TDs, 95%
TE: Benjamin Watson(notes), NE, 3 catches, 21 yards, 0 TDs, 31%*

Shocker Special: Dantrell Savage(notes), KC, 5 rushes, 32 yards, 38 receiving yards, 1 TD, 1%

*Not exactly Flame/Lame material (Remember, the rules state over/under 60 percent started), but the readers are in desperate need of saving some face.

Week 8 results: Matt from Gales Ferry, CT

Flames (2-7): W - (Michael Crabtree(notes), Justin Fargas(notes) (Shocker)); L - (David Garrard(notes), Kevin Smith(notes), Jamal Lewis(notes), Fred Jackson(notes), Mike Sims-Walker(notes), Kevin Walter(notes), Tony Scheffler(notes))

Lames (3-5): W - (Ryan Grant(notes), Steve Smith (NYG), T.J. Houshmandzadeh(notes)); L - (Donovan McNabb(notes), DeAngelo Williams(notes), Thomas Jones(notes), Vincent Jackson(notes), Jeremy Shockey(notes)).

Noisers Season: Flames (19-45, 29.7%), Lames (27-28, 49.0%)

Winners: Matthew in Colden, NY, Micah in Shelbyville, TN

--

Image courtesy of US Presswire

• The good news is that clarity in regards to Kevin Martin's(notes) wrist injury came fairly quickly. The bad news is that he'll undergo surgery and is expected to miss a minimum of eight weeks. Although nothing is official as of yet, Beno Udrih(notes) is expected to rejoin the starting lineup, pushing Tyreke Evans(notes) to shooting guard. Udrih's ceiling is fairly well-established – he's averaged 12.3 points (47% FG, 84% FT), 0.7 threes, 3.2 boards, 4.8 assists, and 1 steal in 129 career starts – but as a starter he's absolutely rosterable in standard leagues. I'm convinced that Evans is miscast as an NBA point guard and like the move for his potential impact. Don't count on the efficiency getting much better than poor, but "addition by subtraction" (subtract Martin and some of Evans' distribution responsibilities) should be good for his line.

After a slow start, Andres Nocioni(notes) is back on the fantasy radar (his DUI arrest aside). His offensive responsibilities increase significantly with Martin out of the picture, and you can give Spencer Hawes(notes) and Jason Thompson(notes) a bump, as well. Omri Casspi(notes) has posted very good per-minute production thus far and should have a larger role in the rotation, although the Ime Udoka(notes) signing muddies the backup picture a bit. As for Martin himself, he's not a player you can cut in standard leagues. In roto, it's a bit easier to deal with carrying an injured player. Those of you in h2h leagues need to calculate your chances of making the playoffs while playing a man down for the next two months – if you aren't feeling confident, then add Martin to your trade block and see if you get some offers worth considering (and certainly be ready to produce some counter-offers). 

• Tyrus Thomas'(notes) season went from bad to worse in a hurry. He broke his left forearm during a weight session on Friday and will miss the next four-to-six weeks, or somewhere around 15-20 games. It's not a bad move to make an add/drop in standard h2h leagues. Taj Gibson(notes) will continue to start at power forward – he posted 11 points, seven boards, one steal, and one block on Thursday and his college numbers project well to the NBA. Give him a look in deeper leagues. Brad Miller(notes) should see close to 30 minutes while Thomas is out, as well, meaning that he should be universally owned in roto leagues and largely owned in h2h formats. 

• Joe Johnson(notes) was not happy after the Hawks' 103-83 loss to the Bobcats on Friday. Atlanta shot 40 percent from the floor and had just 10 assists, leading to the following from Johnson:

“Everybody who touches (the ball) wants to score. I really think guys on this team don’t know their roles, so it’s killing us. And it’s going to continue to kill us.”

Jamal Crawford(notes) led the team with 14 shot attempts in 34 minutes in the loss, and made only five, but that may just be a coincidence.  

• D.J. Augustin's(notes) owners can't be happy to see that Raja Bell(notes) hit five threes en route to 24 points tonight. While Bell is still dealing with "situational" pain in his wrist, thus far he's been able to shrug it off. I'm not ready to completely give up on DJA just yet, but a night like tonight doesn't help the confidence level. Augustin had 11 points, two threes, and three assists in 24 minutes.

• Tyson Chandler(notes) logged his first double-double of the season (10 points, 10 boards, 4 blocks) on a night when he was started in just 38 percent of leagues. Over the past three games, he's averaged 8.7 points, 8.3 boards, and 2 blocks in 32 minutes. I'm not here to offer any kind of ringing endorsement – it's just good to see production from him after off-season ankle and toe surgeries.

• A poor night for the Wizards as a whole (39% FG, 57% FT, 16:19 AST:TO), but Brendan Haywood(notes) sure had a nice line (9 points, 19 boards, 1 steal, 4 blocks in 35 minutes). Through six games, Haywood has averaged 11.5 points, 10.8 boards, and 1.7 blocks in 33 minutes.

• Those first few games sure were nice, but is it time to move on for Andray Blatche(notes) owners? He was ineffective once again (1 point, 3 boards, 2 blocks in 15 minutes) thanks to fouls, and his window of opportunity is shrinking as Antawn Jamison(notes) gets closer to a return. If there is an option on the wire with some potential staying power, then you can safely consider Blatche expendable.

• Randy Foye(notes) was reasonably effective on Friday (16 points, 2 threes, 4 boards, 2 assists) and should be a great play against the Suns on Sunday, but the Wizards then only play twice in the following nine days, so he'll only have so much of an opportunity to take advantage of Mike Miller's(notes) absence. Nick Young(notes) got the start tonight but is one-dimensional even at his best (creating his own shots) and won't offer much to the Wizards or fantasy owners.

• While a few more assists would be nice, you won't find many T.J. Ford(notes) owners complaining about tonight's line (40 minutes, 18 points, 10 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals). He's looked much better in the past few games and his starting gig looks much more solid as a result. The same can't be said for Brandon Rush(notes), who did little in 15 minutes (2 points, 0 threes) and then left with an ankle injury, while Dahntay Jones(notes) continues to produce (40 minutes, 18 points, 5 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block). Rush could be looking at a reserve role once Troy Murphy(notes) returns. It's difficult to put much trust in Jones, given his history, but he's certainly in a friendly system. He's scored in double figures in five of six games this season, something he did in just 11 of 79 games with the Nuggets last season.

• Tyler Hansbrough's(notes) NBA debut went as you should have expected, as in heavy on the per-minute production (14 minutes, 13 points, 5 boards, 7-of-10 FT). 

• The thin and winless Nets played only eight on Friday, and things got even worse after Courtney Lee(notes) left with a groin strain early in the second half. The severity of the injury is not yet known. The Nets play the Celtics on Friday and then have a much-needed three consecutive days off.

• Elton Brand's(notes) line (8 points, 5 boards, 0 blocks in 19 minutes) looks that much worse when you consider that the Nets started Eduardo Najera(notes) opposite him at power forward. The Princeton offense has done him no favors thus far – in five games, he's averaged 11 points, 5.6 boards, and 0.8 blocks in 29 minutes.

• Charlie Villanueva(notes) appears to be rounding into form. He scored 28 points tonight to give him 44 in his past two games. The Pistons need to find more ways to directly help each other score, however. They registered just 11 assists on 38 made field goals on Friday, and over the past five games have just 67 total assists (versus 66 turnovers).

• The availability for both Richard Hamilton(notes) and Tayshaun Prince(notes) on Sunday remains up in the air.

• Ryan Anderson(notes) left Friday's game with a sprained right ankle and could miss time as a result of the injury, but no specifics are known as of yet. Brandon Bass(notes) (23 minutes, 13 points, 6 boards) would likely start if Anderson indeed misses time, and Matt Barnes(notes) (35 minutes, 18 points, 9 boards) would continue to see steady playing time.

• All of the Suns' starters had usable lines in the 110-103 win over the Celtics, but Jason Richardson(notes) was big-time, compiling a season-high 34 points, six threes, and 10 boards in 38 minutes.

• Chauncey Billups(notes) was a minus-26 against the Heat tonight in 31 minutes, thanks to six points on 2-of-7 shooting, two assists, and five turnovers. That's about as bad of a night as you'll ever see from Billups.

• Kenyon Martin(notes) played only 12 minutes because of a left leg injury that George Karl suggested could sideline him for "a week or two." He'll be re-evaluated on Saturday, and Chris Anderson will get a chance to post some numbers if Martin does indeed hit the shelf.

• Finally, some volume offense from Mario Chalmers(notes) to help produce a robust overall line (16 points, 4 threes, 5 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal). 

• Finally, some offense from Jose Calderon(notes) in what was his best game of the season (16 points, 2 threes, 4 boards, 8 assists, 0 turnovers, 1 steal). There's at least a decent chance that the dude can still play, 

• Chris Paul(notes) scored or assisted on 26 of the Hornets' 36 field goals on Friday (8 makes, 18 assists). Who can blame him for any amount of frustration when he goes for 21 points, seven boards, 18 assists, and two steals, and yet his team only scores 90 points and loses by 17?

• Another night, another very good line from Anderson Varejao(notes). Although J.J. Hickson(notes) got the start against the up-tempo Knicks, Shaquille O'Neal(notes) played only 19 minutes and Varejao came off the bench for eight points, 14 boards, two steals, and two blocks in 35 minutes. In seven games on the season, his averages now include 8.6 points on 51-percent shooting, 9.6 boards, 1.7 steals, and 0.9 blocks in 33 minutes.

• The centers and the point guards were the feature attraction in Milwaukee's uninspiring 87-72 win over the Timberwolves. Andrew Bogut(notes) (17 points, 10 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks) outdueled Al Jefferson(notes) (8 points, 3-of-12 shooting) while Jonny Flynn(notes) (20 points, 4 boards, 3 steals) got the better of Brandon Jennings(notes) (9 points, 4-of-16 shooting, 6 boards, 2 steals). 

• Tough offensive night for Thunder players not named Kevin Durant(notes) (27 points) and Russell Westbrook(notes) (33 points). The two combined to go 25-of-47 from the floor (53%), while the rest of the team was just 15-of-45 (33 percent), highlighted by Jeff Green's(notes) 3-of-15 (gotta love 2 more steals and blocks, though)

• The threes continue to fall for Trevor Ariza(notes) – he hit two more on Friday and has 17 in six games (2.8 per game) on 46-percent shooting (17 for 37). 

• Something closer to what was expected from the Rockets' non-Scola frontcourt players on Friday: Chuck Hayes(notes) had two points and five boards, while Carl Landry(notes) had 21 points and nine boards in similar playing time. 

• So maybe Anthony Randolph(notes) is a fantastic backup center, after all? Andris Biedrins(notes) was out with a back injury, and Nellie opted for Mikki Moore(notes) at center, and he did not disappoint (19 minutes, 0 points, 4 boards, 3 turnovers). Randolph came off the bench for 15 points, 14 boards, 2 steals, and 1 block in 29 minutes, although he was just 5-for-15 and had three turnovers and no assists. Stephen Curry(notes) fouled out in an ineffective 22 minutes (5 points, 1-of-5 shooting) in what was a poor night overall for the Warriors (35-percent shooting), although Anthony Morrow(notes) took advantage of the excess playing time (18 points, 3 treys). Keep in mind that we should blame Stephen Jackson for any problems the Warriors have:

“It’s a terrible start and that does nothing but get contagious. If you’re going to blame somebody, I’ll take the blame. I’ve been doing it since I got here.”

• The Clippers' starting backcourt (Baron Davis(notes), Eric Gordon(notes)) had a field day against the Warriors, combining for the following: 50 points on 64-percent shooting, 5 threes, 10 assists, and five steals. Heck, even Sebastian Telfair(notes) got in on the fun (20 minutes, 13 points, 1 three, 6 assists).

• Another big night in a loss for Zach Randolph(notes) (21 points, 15 boards), and he continues to own the offensive glass (7 Friday, 4.7 per game on the season). The Grizz have had success getting everyone touches thus far, but it's largely because they are wasting little energy on the defensive end – they are averaging 115 points against through six games – and Allen Iverson(notes) has yet to be given the opportunity to truly exert his influence, although you get the feeling that it's coming.

• Kobe Bryant(notes) scored 41 points for the third time in four games, pushing his scoring average to a league-high 34.5 points per game. 

• D.J. Mbenga(notes) did exactly what the Lakers needed him to do in his start at center, grabbing 13 boards and blocking four shots in 30 minutes. He could be in line for another start Sunday (NOR), the Lakers' only game over the next five days, as the team could use the light schedule as an opportunity to give Andrew Bynum(notes) and Pau Gasol(notes) a bit more extended rest.

• Greg Oden(notes) showed a few strong moves against Tim Duncan(notes) in the block en route to 14 points, 8 boards, and four blocks, but was again limited by foul trouble (25 minutes, 5 fouls). 

• Andre Miller(notes) joined Steve Blake(notes) in the starting lineup for the Blazers, pushing Brandon Roy(notes) to small forward, a move that Nate McMillan says should stick for at least the next week or two. Miller had a mixed bag for a line (10 points, 6 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals), but the 33 minutes of playing time are what is key. If the playing time is there, the rest will work itself out.

• Tony Parker(notes) left Friday's game after just 11 minutes because of a left ankle sprain, an injury he expects to sideline him for "a week, maybe." George Hill(notes) will get the starts in the interim, although the Spurs play only three times over the next 11 days.

 

No. 1 Star: Jonas Gustavsson(notes), Toronto Maple Leafs

Congratulations to the Leafs, who are now clearly the 29th-best team in the NHL after defeating fellow cellar-dweller the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-2, with a three-goal rally (video). Gustavsson was outstanding on several of his 34 saves, including 18 he made in the third period against a still-determined Canes team.

No. 2 star: Chris Stewart(notes), Colorado Avalanche

Another marathon shootout for the Avs and the Chicago Blackhawks, who went nine rounds earlier this season. This time, it was an eight-rounder; this time, Colorado skated away with the extra point, as Stewart's blast (video) beat Antti Niemi(notes) (19 saves) and Dustin Byfuglien's(notes) shot buzzed wide of Craig Anderson(notes) (29 saves) to give Colorado the 4-3 win and a 6-0 home record.

No. 3 star: Cory Schneider(notes), Vancouver Canucks

Had the Canucks defeated the Dallas Stars, Schneider would have been the hands-down No. 1 star; alas, the Stars won, 2-1, wasting a 45-save effort from the young netminder in his trading block audition sixth NHL start.

Honorable mention: Yann Danis(notes) made 23 saves against his old team, and Brian Rolston(notes) had the game-winner in the New Jersey Devils' 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders. ... The shorthanded Washington Capitals got a three-point night out of Brian Pothier(notes), two goals from Brendan Morrison(notes) and 28 saves from Jose Theodore(notes) for a 4-1 win at the Florida Panthers. ... Big night for the Philadelphia Flyers grunts, as Daniel Carcillo(notes) scored his first two goals of the season and Ian Laperriere(notes) had two helpers in their big 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres. James van Riemsdyk's(notes) third of the season ended up being the game-winner. ... Brad Richards(notes) (6) and Brenden Morrow(notes) (7) provided the offense for the Stars' win over Vancouver. ... Patrik Elias(notes) played 16:01 and was a minus-1 with two shots in his first game back from injury for the Devils. ... Another great night for Colorado rookie Ryan O'Reilly(notes), as he collected some garbage in front of Antti Niemi for his first goal and then potted his own rebound on a breakaway for his second. He also led the Avs with six shots.

Did you know?: Bryan McCabe(notes) played in his 1,000th career NHL regular-season game, becoming the seventh Panthers player to reach that mark.

Dishonorable mention: The Hurricanes haven't scored on their last 25 power plays, which is one of the reasons they're now the worst team in the NHL. ... Cory Stillman(notes) and Steven Reinprecht(notes) were both a minus-3 for the Panthers; Chris Butler(notes) and Tyler Myers(notes) where minus-3 for the Sabres, although Myers scored a power-play goal. ... Mike Green(notes) and Jeff Schultz(notes) went down with injuries for the Capitals. ... Finally, in honor of Movember, David Clarkson(notes) gave Tim Jackman(notes) a mustache just 30 seconds into the Islanders/Devils game.

That's what the Cavaliers' win over the New York Knicks felt like on Friday. An attention-drawing exercise to its core, bent on pumping up the "will-he-or-won't-he?" question regarding LeBron James'(notes) impending 2010 free agency, and a Knick team that would dearly love to sign him with its also impending 2010 cap space.

Cleveland's win? It hardly mattered. The team did well to rebound fully from a tough loss to Chicago the night before, as coach Mike Brown seemed willing to tinker with new starting lineups (Anderson Varejao(notes) out, J.J. Hickson(notes) in), while the defense and offensive spacing improved.

The story was James, though. And, to a far lesser extent, a Knicks club that seems more and more dispirited by the day. Sure, these Knicks were never any good to begin with. But they've lost that sense of joie de vivre that marked the team's turnaround campaign last season. They've stopped running, stopped working and appear to have stopped caring.

These Knicks should be expected to provide maximum effort. They are professionals, after all, playing in front of some of the most expensive tickets in sports.

But human nature is a hard cloud to steer your way out of, especially when things are dark and gloomy amongst the haze. And with no Knick knowing if they'll be back next year -- next month, next week -- it's hard to shake the feeling that you're a piece of impermanent property, meant to be flipped and turned for profit once July of 2010 hits.

LeBron James could not care less about the hurt feelings of his opponents. He was jawing with fans, chatting with Yankees sitting courtside and shaking hands with spectators from the beginning. Smiling from the outset, enjoying the hell out of all the attention this spectacle brought, and destroying the Knicks from the opening tip.

With jump shots, mind you. Low-percentage looks for any player, much less James, who still is an iffy outside shooter despite very noticeable fundamental changes in the way he tosses it up.

He's so damn good that he can get away with rubbing it in during the first quarter, essentially telling the Knicks that "not only are these fans wearing my jersey and chanting my name in your house, but I'm going to destroy you with the least-effective weapon in my arsenal. My worst is still better than your best. Way better. And Jay-Z answers on the third ring every time I call. I don't even call him that much."

This isn't to slam LeBron. Even at his relative young age (24), this is all he's known for years. But he does have an ego that even this town couldn't hope to house, and if he did sign with New York this summer, it would be because James is tackier and more gauche than we once gave him credit for.

And we think he can be pretty tacky.

We also think he's the best player in the game, and it's not even close.

He totaled 33 points, seven assists, nine rebounds, three steals, a would-be block that was termed a goal-tend by the referees and seven turnovers. And though it's annoying to hear every time he pinpoints a bounce pass in the right direction, James does look for his teammates out of instinct. Not because -- in order to appease any detractors -- he feels as if he has to mix it up.

Jeff Van Gundy tried to tell us during the game that he thinks it's obvious that James already knows where he's going, that he's just being coy about his intentions. I can't see how that can be the case for any right-thinking human. And James is a right-thinking human.

The Cavs could win 70 games this season. The Cavs could peter out at .500. The Knicks could find a taker for Eddy Curry(notes) and/or Jared Jeffries(notes), and almost completely clear their cap space. Or, as presently constructed, they could roll into the offseason with about $27 million on the books next year, probably without about $25 million in cap space, most of which James would immediately eat up, with half a roster left to fill.

Point is, James can't possibly know in November what he's doing next July. There are too many variables and -- not sure if you've noticed -- several teams with loads and loads of cap space, Cleveland included. Some of them have much more cap space. One of them is owned, in part, by Jay-Z.

And as calculating and aware of his station as James is, let's give the man some credit, and assume that he hasn't assumed anything.

All those assumptions, after all, are important him. It drives up the attention, something he just can't stop helping himself to these days.

Yeah, that'll leave a mark -- hat tip to Yahoo's own Mike Silver for the link. The tackler, Lions linebacker Zack Follett(notes), is also a rookie, and he's got a pretty unique way of looking at the world. I've covered the last three Scouting Combines, and of all the press conferences I've seen, Follett's was the most fun. For one thing, while he's a fan of Brian Urlacher(notes), his real hero is a bit more of a downhill force who plays much better indoors.

"Growing up, Terry Tate, No. 56, the Office Linebacker, he was my hero watching those commercials. I tried to emulate him when I was out there. ... Junior year of high school, I went to Champs Sports and they sold a Reebok Terry Tate number 56 jersey, and I bought one immediately. We watched all his YouTube clips and he's bringing the 'Pain Train' and doing the 'whoop-whoop' sound and I used to do it in high school, and I used to blow the horn. It kind of stuck with me a little bit."

Follett also hopes to get a little side business going.

"I make things out of wood. My dad taught me when I was little ... When I was a senior, I took it to the next level. I started making wood cutouts. I did one of myself, kind of experimenting. My other linebacker partner painted it. It was a life-size replica.

"I did one of (fullback) Lorenzo Neal(notes) because we used to train together (when Follett was at Cal). He's the only pro player I knew at the time. Hopefully, from an investment standpoint, I'm going to open a little wood shop wherever I move and I'll make them of teammates because I know they have a lot of money to waste."

If Follett keeps hitting like he did on the play above, he'll find a place in the NFL in the long term. As for Amendola, maybe he'll remember to put the cover on his TPS report next time!

Retirement, or something, appears to be changing Sammy Sosa(notes). He and wife, Sonia, were recently in Las Vegas for the Latin Grammys, which included a tribute on Wednesday to singer Juan Gabriel. Photogs caught the Sosas on the red carpet and Sonia looks fabulous as always. As for Sammy ... well, there's no getting around it, but Sammy looked kind of pale.

His skin is undeniably lighter than at any time since he broke into the majors in 1989. Is it an illness, or a condition such as Vitiligo, in which depigmentation occurs? Is Sammy just bleaching his skin for fashion's sake? (Heh, "just.")

I wonder if he is changing his look, simply because his eyes are a different color. Sammy was born with brown eyes. He's taken to wearing green contact lenses and, quite frankly, they are extremely creepy. Is he co-starring in the upcoming "Twilight" sequel? The plastic suit also bothers me, just because it does.

Sammy, who hasn't played since 2007, has been accused of using modern chemistry to help him attain 609 career homers — including three seasons of 60-plus. Perhaps he's turning to science to give him a different veneer as he approaches his 41st birthday. Below, check out a few comparison shots to judge for yourself.

Shiny suit: check. Shiny hair: check. New fake eyes: check. Skin: as you were.

There's our brown-eyed handsome man. He generally resembles the skinny kid from San Pedro De Macoris. He also married well.

Sammy liked to do stuff to his hair back in the day. Has it lead to some kind of total obsession about his look?

The King of Pop underwent a similar kind of transformation.

• Due credit: 'Duk checked his e-mail and found this link from Jerod at Midwest Sports Fans. They discovered, to the best of my knowledge, the Sammy Sosa lightening. If you will.

• Sports By Brooks also puts its own slant on the Sammy-turning-white saga, so check them out too.

Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs at Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m. EST. Both teams enter the game with seven points, so they're playing for last overall in the NHL. Jonas Gustavsson(notes) is in goal against the Staal-less Hurricanes. Chemmy on PPP said it: On Nov. 6, it's a must-win for Toronto.

Preview: Philadelphia Flyers at Buffalo Sabres, 7:30 p.m. EST. The flu has officially joined the Flyers lineup just in time to face the Sabres, who are 8-2-0 in their last 10. Interesting take in the Buffalo News about the Sabres on the draw, after dominating the Islanders by the ridiculous margin of 39-8. Watch The Game Live Via Hockey Night on Y! Sports.

Preview: Chicago Blackhawks at Colorado Avalanche, 9 p.m. EST. Second City Hockey isn't exactly high on beat writers calling out the Hawks after a rough game earlier this week. Matt Duchene(notes) was questionable but will play. Left Wing Lock is thinking Antti Niemi(notes) vs. Craig Anderson(notes) in the goalie battle. 

Check out the Y! Sports scores and schedule page for previews of the other three games tonight.

Evening Reading

• SI: "Next year's draft could very well go down as the deepest talent pool since 2003." Congrats, Bruins. [SI]

• Chris Neil's wicked hit on Victor Hedman(notes) of the Tampa Bay Lightning gave the rookie his first NHL concussion. (Will he remember his first time?) Hit was clean, by the way. [Lightning Strikes] 

• Interesting blog about how the Minnesota Wild's primary beat writer complained about how players deal with the media. [Hockey Wilderness]

• Really in-depth roundtable on Alexander Semin(notes) of the Washington Capitals, including whether to re-sign him after the season. [Japers Rink]

• Florida Panthers fans were ready for a major announcement about the team's ownership structure; instead, they got a partnership with Jet Blue. Surprise! [Litter Box Cats]

Puck Buddy Comment of the Day: Puck Buddy Anna on the Crosby urinal cakes post:

So...it would be more appropriate to chant, "Crosby is a great young player with lots of accomplishments but we dislike him because we're jealous and petty!"

That may be true, but "Crosby sucks" is more concise. See, it's an efficiency issue.

Bold Prediction: Elias scores in his return for the Devils.

For the optimists, though, there are the last two weeks, in which the LSU offense has found a little life off a post-Florida bye: The Tigers racked up 31 points against Auburn, their best output against the division's other Tigers since 2002, and hung 42 points on overmatched Tulane, their first game this year with 40 points or (not and) 400 total yards. Jordan Jefferson is emerging as one of the most efficient passers in the SEC, and his backup, true freshman Russell Sheppard, is coming on as a dangerous big-play threat as a runner, with long touchdowns runs in each of the last two games to complement the between-the-tackles thumping of regular tailback Charles Scott.

And by all appearances, this is the right time to catch Alabama. The Tide's surprisingly balanced offense through their 4-0 start in September has disappeared into a cloud of dust as they get deeper into the SEC slate, carried to a great extent by the Heisman-worthy legs of Mark Ingram but still held out of the end zone entirely by Tennessee and in three of four quarters by both Ole Miss and South Carolina. Quarterback Greg McElroy has looked increasingly like the "game manager" holding down 'Bama's rankings in the preseason, and the perfect season has looked increasingly vulnerable as the weeks go by.

If you're convinced enough that the Tigers and Tide have each come that far in opposite directions over that short a period of time, LSU might well be worth your bet; if so, they're also on the verge of a late push for the SEC and national championships.

A nice thought, but I'm not sure how anyone can get past the Tigers' last effort against an elite, top-ranked defense and still consider them a threat to bring down an outfit as consistent and not prone to breakdowns as Alabama. The impotent attack on display against Florida isn't even a threat to score a touchdown against the similarly monolithic Tide D, which has matched the Gators for defensive dominance across the board on a weekly basis -- if Ingram's late fumble hadn't reopened the door for a late Tennessee touchdown, it would have been the Tide's third straight game without allowing a touchdown, an amazing streak that definitely should not be jeopardized by the conference's lowest-ranked offense.

Still, although its main responsibility here is not turning the ball over, there is some pressure on Alabama's offense to rekindle some of the spark that led to big games against Virginia Tech and Arkansas. Nick Saban said after the escape against the Vols that his team was "tired" after eight straight games without a week off, a plausible excuse for the offense's general decline and the steadily closing margins of victory. If McElroy continues to struggle with the downfield passing game, though, and the offense in general continues to settle for field goals after a bye week -- especially a bye week in which Saban specifically called for a more aggressive approach to stretching defenses vertically -- the malaise of the last few weeks will begin to look less like a temporary slide than a permanent cross to bear in the stretch run.

MAIN CARD

Fedor Emelianenko 232 lbs. vs. Brett Rogers 264 lbs.

Jason "Mayhem" Miller 184 lbs. vs. Jake Shields 184.5 lbs. (for vacant Strikeforce middleweight title)

Gegard Mousasi 205 lbs. vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou 204 lbs. 

Antonio "Big Foot" Silva 263 lbs. vs. Fabricio Werdum 242 lbs.

Fedor is a legend in the sport and hasn't lost since 2000, so why is Rogers the guy who is carrying the promotion? The reason is obvious. Fedor doesn't speak enough English to do television and radio interviews. So it's all been on Rogers. He did a ton of radio and newspaper spots. He also appeared on ESPN's First Take, ESPN's SportsNation and tonight he'll be seen on Last Call with Carson Daly. The ESPN appearances included a midweek trip from Chicago to Bristol, Conn.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said it's a necessity (3:28 mark):

"Brett's been amazing. He's been a great trooper. Part of the business that people don't understand is we need the fighters to go out there and do the PR."

Coker pointed out that promoting Fedor is difficult because he lives in Russia. That's all well and good but it has to be distraction for Rogers. He does have his wife with him in Chicago which is a little unusual. Most fighters are surrounded by camp members and have little contact with their family in the days leading up to a fight. It'll be interesting to see how this all works out for Rogers. The big guy does have a confidence about him and he certainly wasn't distracted or intimidated going into the fight against a huge name like Andrei Arlovski.

• The Colts held Donald Brown(notes) (shoulder) out of Friday's practice after letting him work the previous two days. He's questionable and will probably be a game-time decision for Sunday's matchup with the Texans. At least we get a break with the game, it's an early start. All of the Yahoo! experts view Joseph Addai(notes) as a Top 14 back this week even with Brown expected to play; Addai's value obviously gets a mild push forward if Brown winds up being scratched.

• Anquan Boldin(notes) (ankle) did some work Friday and has a shot to go against the Bears; he's questionable on the report. The Cardinals took it easy with Steve Breaston(notes) (knee) Friday but that's standard operating procedure; he's been battling this issue all season. On Boldin, it comes down to a depth call; I wouldn't use him for fantasy this week unless I felt backed into a corner.

• Roddy White(notes) (ankle) had a limited day Friday after sitting out the two previous days and head coach Mike Smith is optimistic that White will be able to go in Atlanta's critical game against Washington. It's an early start, so fantasy owners don't have to sweat it out here.

• Kevin Smith(notes) (shoulder) and Calvin Johnson(notes) (knee) both practiced Friday and should play at Seattle, though Jim Schwartz would give out his ATM password before he did anything to help our fantasy pursuits.

• Devin Hester(notes) (ankle) finally practiced on Friday after sitting out the two previous sessions. Hester has insisted all week that he's going to play against Arizona and he called himself 100 percent on Friday; we'll go along with it and keep Hester slotted as a low-end No. 2 or high-end No. 3 receiver this week. No worries about running mate Greg Olsen(notes) (ankle); he's been a full participant in the last two practices.

• Matt Hasselbeck(notes) (rib) had a full day Friday and will start against the Lions. Detroit has allowed 18 TD passes on the season so here's one of the more intriguing matchup plays of the weekend (share your Hasselbeck Week 9 rank in the comments). Seattle is also thrilled to finally get OT Sean Locklear(notes) (ankle) back; Jim Mora surprisingly confirmed on Friday that Locklear is ready to go.

• Aaron Rodgers(notes) (foot) and Donald Driver(notes) (neck) were back at work Friday and should be in your lineup at Tampa this weekend. The Pack will have to wait on Jermichael Finley(notes), however; he's been ruled out for Week 9.

• No Lance Moore(notes) this week; he's dealing with a bad ankle and has been in a walking boot since the Monday night victory over the Falcons. If you want an excuse to roll the dice on Robert Meachem(notes) or Devery Henderson(notes), Moore's injury opens the window. This might also force the Saints to use Reggie Bush more in the passing game.

• Antonio Gates(notes) (foot) is listed as probable and will play against the Giants, a team that's struggled with its safety play all year. It would be nice to see Gates reacquaint himself with the end zone; he's gone without a spike in 12 of his last 14 starts.

• Benjamin Watson(notes) is dealing with a sore back and was limited all week; you can make a better fill-in choice at tight end, methinks (Fred Davis(notes), Kevin Boss(notes), etc). New England is also listing Tom Brady (shoulder) and Randy Moss(notes) (shoulder) as probable, just because they're the Patriots.

• Although the Eagles are listing Brian Westbrook(notes) (post-concussion) as questionable, Andy Reid has made it clear all along that Westbrook is fully expected to start and take a heavy workload Sunday night. If you normally start Westbrook, I'd do so in Week 9. The Eagles also had a good week with DeSean Jackson(notes) (foot) and Jeremy Maclin(notes) (foot); slot them where you normally would.

• Pierre Garcon(notes) (ankle) was held out Friday and is questionable for the Texans game. All the more reason to like Austin Collie(notes), we suppose.

• All of your nicked-up Giants on offense are probable this week: Eli Manning(notes) (foot), Ahmad Bradshaw(notes) (ankle/foot), Kevin Boss (ankle) and Mario Manningham(notes) (shoulder). The only Week 9 option I like from this group is Boss (hello, San Diego safeties), but opinions vary when it comes to Bradshaw.  

• Antonio Bryant(notes) (knee) is listed as questionable and considered a game-time decision for Week 9. If you're strongly considering Bryant this week (tied to rookie QB Josh Freeman(notes)), you're questionable, too.

• Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis have been outstanding rushing the passer for the Colts this year, and Indy desperately needs that to continue because the secondary is a mess in Naptown right now. Safety Bob Sanders(notes) and corner Marlin Jackson(notes) are both out for the year (to be fair, Sanders hasn't played much this season), and corner Kelvin Hayden(notes) (knee) is expected to miss 3-4 weeks.

• Todd Heap(notes) (ankle) had a full day Friday and is probable for Baltimore's rematch at Cincinnati.

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Photos via US Presswire

Levy, a lapsed puckhead from The Great Lockout Purge of 2005, called us today to ask if there were any players in the NHL that would fit that description: A star player who will "will end his career with utter disappointment" by not hoisting the Stanley Cup.

We tried to talk him out of this first one. It didn't work:

For nothing other than cheap heat, I'll say Alexander Ovechkin. Sure he's the most exciting player in the league and he's transcended the sport to become a, gulp, household name, but that doesn't mean he's going to win anything. His team is good, but he has a guy named Crosby playing in his conference, and that guy has a guy named Malkin playing with him. Of course, Greg Wyshynski from Yahoo's Puck Daddy thinks I'm nuts, but what have the Caps ever won? Can they afford to keep this team of budding stars around Ovechkin?

The last point was a fair one, but odds are that Ovechkin gets his Cup before his contract expires in 2021. After all, it's on Ted Leonsis's to-do list.

The other names we mentioned to Levy were Joe Thornton(notes) of the San Jose Sharks, an underwhelming playoff performer on an underwhelming playoff team; Daniel Alfredsson(notes) of the Ottawa Senators; Roberto Luongo(notes) of the Vancouver Canucks, in yet another attempt to reverse-karma our way to a correct Stanley Cup prediction; and Henrik Lundqvist(notes) of the New York Rangers, because he's going to retire before 2048. 

Writer Jeff Hale on Twitter suggested Jarome Iginla(notes), who's only 32 but locked into a team with a very top-heavy cap. Any other stars that you think will fall short of the ultimate prize, before inevitably Mike Gartner'ing their way into the Hall of Fame? (*cough*Mats Sundin(notes)*cough*).

Admit it: Ruston is growing on you. Both teams have already made a pair of Mid-week Madness appearances on national television this season -- the Broncos laid waste to Fresno State and survived a scare at Tulsa; the Bulldogs beat Hawaii and lost to Nevada, both in fairly convincing fashion. Tonight they meet in lovely Ruston, La., home of Louisiana Tech, Elephant 6 and very little else. Don't underestimate the somnambulant effects of the 1,948-mile trip from Boise, either.

Who will protect our precious BCS landscape? Their trajectories may be entirely divergent, but don't be fooled by Boise State's undefeated record and Louisiana Tech's three wins. A lot could change tonight. The Broncos have been difficult to peg despite their early season heroic versus Oregon -- there are a lot of convincing wins on their '09 record, but they do stumble every once in a while, as evidenced by that close call against the Golden Hurricane. You're not likely to catch them sleepwalking, however -- with that schedule, one slip is all it will take to cost them a BCS bid, and they have to know it. Their No. 7 spot in the BCS standings isn't going anywhere good without some showy victories (and some luck wouldn't hurt, either, but the victories come first).

Bulldogs make the best underdogs. The upset path will not be easy. Louisiana Tech's 16th-ranked turnover margin has been a program touchstone this year, but taking the ball away from the Broncos is even more difficult; they're fifth in turnover margin themselves. But there's a grand Bulldog tradition of giving better-equipped visitors headaches for four straight quarters: They beat Mississippi State in Ruston last year, and crushed Hawaii back in September, when the Warriors still had a quarterback for their prolific passing attack.

The matchup to watch will be between Bronco quarterback Kellen Moore, who's likely to break the 2,000-yard passing mark tonight, and Louisiana Tech's Deon Young, tied for second in the conference interceptions. (This is the WAC, so that's only three picks, and he's actually surpassed by Boise State's Jeron Johnson with four, but it's a Friday night game and we take our fun where we can find it.)

Dooley Face! Still unconvinced? All right, do an image search for Bulldogs head coach Derek Dooley. Those faces? Like the one he's making up there? He does that all the time on the sideline. Make it a drinking game! See you on the couch.

- - -
Boise State and Louisiana Tech kick off at 8 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
Holly welcomes your adulation and veiled threats at nastinchka-at-yahoo, etc.

It's too bad Fedor Emelianenko hasn't gotten much mainstream media coverage over the years because tomorrow night's fight against Brett Rogers really could've been pitched as a 1980's throwback promotion. Fedor resembles some of the great Soviet Olympians from 30 years ago. He's walking around the fighter hotel in Chicago with a huge entourage that includes two dudes who look like Rasputin. The world's No. 1 heavyweight is decked out in zip up jacket that simply reads "Russia." CBS color analyst Frank Shamrock says it's all part of what makes up Fedor's aura:

"One of the things he said in his interview was 'my father and mother brought me up to have a strong love of god and of country. And I fight because I want to fight for my country. I want Russia to be pround. Just that statement we were all floored. That is a very powerful force to drive you to do something."

Fedor is a total throwback:

"He came into the warmup jumping the rope and doing pull ups. He's wearing the suits from the 70's.  He want to be a good person ... after he smashes you."

His opponent Brett Rogers is far from a bad dude. His story is unreal. Making little money until 2009, the 6-5, 265-pounder had to work a full-time gig at Sam's Club. He's a family man and has fulfilled every promotional media request.

With the Cold War laid to rest, it'll be interesting to see if american viewers will root for Rogers simply because Fedor is a Russian. Most MMA fans don't care about cultural lines but they'll make up a minute portion of the CBS audience.

Shamrock buils a pretty good case for Rogers pulling the upset. Shamrock says Rogers footwork is great and he's got a great shot if he keeps Fedor backing up throughout the fight. Is he just making the pitch for CBS or does he really believe it?

Make sure you listen to the end when Shamrock suggests that the best fighter on the card is actually Gegard Mousasi. Mousasi, 24, will face Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. Shamrock said if Mousasi ever faces Anderson Silva he'd beat him every time.

In Friday's life-affirming episode of the Yahoo! Fantasy Freak Show, we discussed all the Week 9 matchups, answered a few dozen Jamaal Charles(notes) questions and took the first steps toward designing the perfect Washington Redskins drinking game. Please gather the family around the laptop and give it a listen. (This week, all the links actually work!)

Fantasy Freak Show, Part I

Fantasy Freak Show, Part II

Fantasy Freak Show, Bonus Time

Many thanks to our friends at The Score WSCR-AM 670 in Chicago. 

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Photo via Getty Images

Cross-promotion helps, sometimes, but you still need to be bashed over the head with it sometimes. Sometimes you forget the motivation, even when it should be completely and utterly obvious.

Like last night, when TNT reminded us that ESPN was showcasing a Cavaliers-Knicks game on Friday night, I just assumed it was a ratings grab. A championship contender versus a team that draws in the entire tri-state area. Makes sense in November.

Then, a day later, someone reminds you of the real reason. Ah, shirt. We're back to this again? James to the Knicks?

It's the only time this season James visits New York City, so we're supposed to assume that this is some sort of on-court pitch job. LeBron's Yankees have a championship parade on Friday, the Madison Square Garden rims are supposed to be as inviting as ever and the Knicks will have 48 minutes to inform LBJ that there are, indeed, two "L's" in "Gallinari."

The Knicks like to run, the team is fifth in the NBA in possessions per game, so they have a chance against the Cavaliers -- a team that played and lost last night.

Beyond that, this is going to be annoying. So annoying. Get ready for three hours of "analysis" from people who have absolutely no clue when it comes to salary-cap space, endorsements, LeBron's motivations (because nobody, at this point, has any clue) or Cleveland's own impending cap freedom.

You know how they tell you that the odd glass of red wine can actually be healthy for you? This might be the night to get really, really "healthy."

Comment away during the game below and check back after the contest for continued analysis and reaction to James' lone trip to NYC.

For the 2009-10 season so far, these were the numbers crunched:

Top 15 teams in power-play conversion percentage: 120-77-27

Bottom 15 teams in power-play conversion percentage: 98-85-29

For the killers, it went like this:

Top 15 teams in penalty-killing conversion percentage: 121-76-17

Bottom 15 teams in penalty-killing conversion percentage: 97-86-39

It isn't exactly "BREAKING NEWS! MUST CREDIT PUCK DADDY" that teams that are really, really good on the power play and the kill win more games, on average, than teams in the lower part of the special teams rankings. There are always anomalies -- the Pittsburgh Penguins (12-4-0) are 22nd in the NHL on the power play, while the Toronto Maple Leafs (1-7-5) are second -- but it's common sense that this is going to be the trend annually.

The interesting number, at least to me, are the 39 overtime losses (hence, charity points) for the lower half of the League's penalty killers.

One theory was that these teams with lousy penalty killers are blowing leads in the final 20 minutes and then eventually losing in OT, as the momentum shifts to their opponents. Here's a comparison between the teams with the most overtime losses after leading for two periods, and the bottom 15 killers heading into tonight's games, via NHL.com:

Seven of the 12 teams that have lost in OT after leading after two periods are also among the NHL's worst penalty killers. Coincidence?!

Yeah, probably. NHL.com doesn't break down its special teams stats by the period, so it's difficult to figure out whether these teams are giving up late leads via pathetic penalty killing, or losing in OT on the dreaded 4-on-3 kill.

Again, I'm sure there are stat-heads out there that can read something into how the best killers have 24 more wins than the bottom 15, and how the bottom 15 have 22 more charity points than the top 15. (Or whether any of this trends annually.)

That is, something beyond the fact that mediocrity breeds mediocrity, and that some hockey teams that are totally deficient in some key areas are being propped up by charity points. All due respect to Marc Crawford, but his Dallas Stars are second-to-last on the kill (74.5 percent), 1-6 in overtime and yet they're eighth overall in the Western Conference. Where would they be if losses were, you know, losses?

A look around the league and the web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.

C: Hooped Up. If you don't follow Grizzlies center Hamed Haddadi(notes) on Twitter, you're missing out.
PF: CelticsHub. The Lakers starters have played more minutes than the C's starters in one fewer game.
SF: OS. Third Quarter Collapse has been nominated for the best sports blog in Orlando, so, vote already.
SG: NQTC. Norm thought you might like this picture of Kirk Hinrich(notes) with blood pouring out of his chin.
PG: Silver Screen and Roll. Andrew Bynum(notes) is wisely avoiding playing against the Grizzlies.
6th: The Blowtorch. And the winner of today's Internet is ... Trey and his Millard Fillmore throat tattoo.
7th: Bullets Forever. Five possible ways to get Caron Butler's(notes) game going. (Note: We see you, Caron!)
8th: KnickerBlogger. An open letter to LeBron James(notes) ...
9th: Sactown Royalty. Hilarious fake headline: "Kings officially NBA's most screwed franchise."
10th: Basketball-Reference.com Blog. New NBA MVP Award Tracker, anyone?

Got a tip or link for Ball Don't Lie? Hit me up at jeskeets (at) yahoo.ca or follow me on Twitter.

In a video that has been making the rounds today, things got a little feisty between the Brigham Young and New Mexico women's soccer teams. And when I say a little feisty, I mean downright dirty. They knocked each other down, threw sucker punches and at one point used a ponytail to get their opponent down on the ground.

The problem here is not the game. I'd like to see some more sportsmanship between these two teams, but the problem is that at the beginning of the highlight, ESPN equates the dirty play to MMA. Why is that necessary? Nothing about the cheap, dirty moves these women were pulling on each other had anything to do with what is done in a cage. Especially since ESPN had actually been giving this week's Strikeforce card good coverage, they should know better. For that silliness, ESPN wins the Cagewriter Facepalm of the Week. 

Update: Apparently, more silly MMA references were made during "Around the Horn." That makes ESPN even more deserving of this award. 

Here's the story: GolfChannel.com selected five stories from one of golf's most memorable years in recent memory, and prepared in-depth accounts of each, in most cases by people who were there at the time. The stories included Tiger vs. Sergio at the PGA, the rise and fall of David Duval, Payne Stewart's tragic passing, Jean Van De Velde's British Open meltdown, and the 1999 Ryder Cup. We spoke with Rex Hoggard and Jay Coffin, authors of two of the pieces, to get their perspective on the year and on their subjects. It's good stuff, and it's all free -- just click right here to get it. 

As always, we welcome your thoughts, ideas, and recommendations on the podcast. Hit me up at jay.busbee@yahoo.com. Click the link below to play the podcast or right-click it to download, and hit the iTunes site linked below to subscribe. Have at it!

Devil Ball Golfcast, Episode 24 -- The Golf Channel's Project '99

• They can still play defense. The Lions lead the nation in scoring defense and rank in the top six in rushing, pass efficiency and total D, as well as sacks; they've given up a total of 26 points in the last four games, including a shutout against Minnesota. In PSU's only loss, the defense picked off Iowa's Ricky Stanzi twice and held the Hawkeye offense to 13 points, 10 of them coming on drives that began inside the Penn State 25 following turnovers in the fourth quarter.

• They prefer to spread the ball around. This is a pretty balanced offense -- 36 runs per game to 31 passes, and that includes plenty of garbage-time clock-killing -- and though tailback Evan Royster is carrying the bulk of the running game, four different receivers have hauled in at least 25 passes for 340-plus yards on the season. Derek Moye is the deep threat, but Chaz Powell, Graham Zug and Andrew Quarless (as well as Royster and Joe Suhey, who have 25 catches between them out of the backfield) have all been reliable targets.

• They're healthy. The defense has endured various injuries over the course of the season, notably to star linebackers Navorro Bowman and Sean Lee, but shouldn't be missing a single starter on either side of the ball Saturday.

For a top-15 team with serious BCS hopes and lingering (though very distant, thanks to unfriendly tiebreaker scenarios) designs on another Big Ten title, that's not very much, especially where the offense is concerned. That's what you get when your schedule to date includes one team that received votes in the latest polls, and you were held to 10 points by that team. As solid as the Lions have been offensively in every other game -- including their subsequent four Big Ten games, in which they're averaging 31 points on 453 yards -- their inability to score over the last three quarters against Iowa follows overhead like one of those tiny, personal storm clouds in the old Looney Tunes shorts as they come up against the only other defense on the schedule that measures up to the Hawkeyes'.

In the two most relevant precedents for taking on Ohio State Saturday -- the loss to Iowa earlier this year and PSU's win in Columbus last year -- Penn State's offense turned the ball over four times in the former case and was held to 281 total yards in the latter, its lowest output with Daryll Clark as starting quarterback. In both games, the Lions were held three straight quarters without a touchdown and finished with grand totals of 10 and 13 points, respectively.

So it's not going out on much of a limb to suggest Penn State won't be doing much scoring against the Buckeyes' typically stout, top-10 defense, at least nothing on the order of its 31-point average for the season; the Lions may be lucky to achieve half that. But Ohio State, of course, is in the same boat: Including last year's six-point, zero-touchdown effort against PSU, the Buckeyes' last four games against top-10 opponents since the start of the '08 season have netted 45 points and only three touchdowns, two of them with Todd Boeckman leading the offense in the fourth quarter of last year's Fiesta Bowl loss to Texas. OSU was held to 265 yards and had to settle for a pair of field goals after scoring an early touchdown in the 18-15 loss to USC in September, the first of four games this season in which Terrelle Pryor has looked distinctly underwhelming as a passer. The Nittany Lions have a way of intensifying that effect -- they lead the Big Ten in sacks and haven't allowed a touchdown pass with the game still in doubt this season -- and neither Pryor nor Ohio State's offense in general has shown much to earn the benefit of the doubt against a defense of Penn State's caliber.

If it's going to be that sort of mistake-magnifying defensive standoff, then, the central question should be, which gunslinger do you trust? As a fifth-year senior (and reigning All-Big Ten pick, with much better passing numbers this year) at home, the answer has to be Clark, if only because he still seems somewhat less likely to make the killer error in a tense game, as Pryor did last year on the fourth-quarter fumble that led to the only touchdown of the game -- the game-winner for Penn State. That's not the sort of history that's particularly likely to repeat itself, specifically. But if Pryor has The Leap in him this season, this is the time for it to finally come out; against Penn State's defense, not bloody likely.

Michael Crabtree(notes) - Evans rank 12, composite rank 22

I'm heavily invested in the gold market this week, despite the improvement of the Titans secondary. The return of corner Cortland Finnegan(notes) and safety Vincent Fuller(notes) in Week 8 was exactly what the doctor ordered for Tennessee’s battered D. The added help crippled the Jags' passing attack, limiting standout receiver Mike Sims-Walker(notes) to his worst performance since becoming a starter (2 catches for 9 yards). But David Garrard(notes) has struggled on the road and when the Titans were at full-strength earlier this season, they were slapped around routinely.

Though he’s played in just six quarters, Alex Smith has made tremendous advancements in his development. More poised and aware, he’s turned to Crabtree early and often in back-to-back games. The first-round wideout, who’s unbelievably transitioned seamlessly despite an extensive holdout, has attracted 7.5 targets totaling 11 catches for 137 yards in two games. This week, I'm confident he snags his first career TD reception. Tennessee has surrendered 15 scores to WRs on the year, the most in the NFL. -Noise

Jamaal Charles(notes) - Behrens rank 15, composite rank 20

At some point during Chris Johnson's 228-yard annihilation of the Jaguars, I made sure to check Jacksonville's upcoming schedule, looking for add/trade opportunities. Kansas City's Jamaal Charles gets to face the Jags in Week 9. (Larry Johnson(notes) is taking his annual team and/or league-mandated break due to chronic idiocy). You can reasonably think of Charles as Chris Johnson Lite, since he has 4.38 speed and he's averaging 5.0 yards per carry. He's in line for a full workload against a defense that's allowing 128.3 rushing yards per game. Charles has received double-digit carries only once in his NFL career, and he converted them into 106 yards against the Bucs ('08, Week 9). Considering the talent of the player and the quality of the matchup, Charles isn't one of those wait-and-see fantasy pick-ups. You should start him now. -AB

Ahmad Bradshaw(notes) – Pianowski rank 29, composite rank 19

The matchup against the San Diego front seven seems tasty at first glance, but take note that the Chargers rushing defense has improved since the national TV beatdown in Pittsburgh. San Diego has found a rotation at defensive tackle that works and over the last three games the Bolts are allowing just 3.3 yards a carry (some weak opponents helped, but Denver was also in that mix). Okay, the Chargers rushing defense appears sieve-like when you examine the gross yards allowed, but YPC allowed tells a much fairer story. In that stat, San Diego is at the league median, 4.2 a pop.

And then there's Bradshaw himself, a No. 2 runner who's coming off two nothing games (21 carries, 53 yards, one fumble lost, one late-game meltdown against Arizona). The Giants have stopped using him as a receiver (two catches in six weeks) because they don't trust his pass blocking, and then there's the cracked bone in Bradshaw's foot, a time bomb if there ever was one. If you feel painted into a corner and want to use Bradshaw that's one thing, but this isn't a proactive play in Week 9. -Pianow

Hines Ward(notes) – Funston rank 7, composite rank 13

Hell hath no fury like Hines Ward following a one-catch performance. Over the past 10 seasons, Ward has averaged 6.1 receptions, 76.5 receiving yards and has scored five TDs in the eight games that have followed outings in which he only caught one pass. OK, so there’s some flimsy logic attached with that argument and I probably could have used the time it took to look that up a bit more constructively. But I actually do think the Monday night game sets up well for Ward. Denver is second in the league in QB sacks and it is among the stingiest in the league in terms of the number of deep passes allowed – just 15 pass plays of 20-plus yards and only one of 40-plus yards. Pittsburgh is suspect in pass protection, but it won’t be able to just squat on the ground game, as the Broncos have allowed the second-fewest yards per carry in the NFL (3.4). So I think QB Ben Roethlisberger(notes) is going to have to utilize Ward often in the short-to-intermediate range passing game. I’m putting him down for something like 7 catches, 90 yards and a TD. -BFun

Carson Palmer(notes) - Evans rank 8, composite rank 13

Fully rested and itching to take the field, Carson Palmer is more than ready to battle Baltimore once again. Five weeks ago he played fairly well against the Ravens, totaling 271 yards with a touchdown and a pick. Although Ray Lewis(notes) and company played with marked vigor last week versus Denver, this is still a vulnerable unit, especially vertically. Over the past four weeks, Baltimore has yielded 239.8 yards per game and a 5:1 TD-to-INT split. And on the season, the Ravens have allowed the ninth-most 20-yard pass plays.

With Chris Henry finally at 100 percent and given Palmer’s recent hot hand at home (6:1 TD-to-INT in his last two), the former Trojan should drive a short-sword into the heart of his archrival. Expect roughly 260-280 yards with 2-3 touchdowns. -Noise

Kevin Boss(notes) - Behrens rank 8, composite rank 13

Boss made a nifty catch for an 18-yard TD against the Eagles last week and he finished the game with 70 receiving yards, but this rank has nothing to do with his recent performance. This ranking is strictly a matchup thing. Boss faces San Diego in Week 9. To no one's surprise, the Chargers currently rank among the most generous teams to opposing tight ends; their defense allowed the most fantasy points to TEs in both 2008 and 2006. If you're among the many fantasy owners who just lost Owen Daniels(notes) (ACL) for the year, Boss is a widely available option who can contribute, at least for a week. -AB

Kellen Winslow(notes) – Funston rank 6, composite rank 12

Rookie QB Josh Freeman(notes), making his first start on Sunday, understands what to expect this weekend. Said Freeman this earlier week, "Teams are probably going to bring a lot at me as far as blitzes, which I’m prepared for because that opens a lot of stuff up down the field and in the middle of the field." That middle of the field is the domain of Winslow and we’ve already seen earlier in the season when the Bucs had an inexperienced QB (Josh Johnson(notes)) facing a blitz-happy opponent (Philly in Week 5) that Winslow became a major point of emphasis (9 catches, 102 yards, 2 TDs). Tampa Bay is talking about letting Freeman take his shots in the passing game this week, and I expect Winslow to be a very attractive security-blanket target for the rookie. -BFun

Mike Bell(notes) – Pianowski rank 19, composite rank 29

When we examine fantasy stocks, it ultimately comes down to a Tale of the TOE – talent, opportunity and environment. Mike Bell doesn't grade out very highly in the first part of that equation, but his workload and supporting cast in New Orleans have turned him into a sneaky-reliable fantasy option in 2009.

The undefeated Saints provide plenty of opportunity in the running game, especially in the fourth quarter as they're looking to drain the clock and salt away victories. Bell has 89 carries in the five games he's dressed for and he's seen as one of the two main options (along with Pierre Thomas(notes)) when the Saints get close to the goal line. Carolina might not put up much of a fight here; the Panthers are handing out 4.5 yards a pop on the ground and they head to the Big Easy as 13-point underdogs.

Don't worry about the presence of Reggie Bush(notes), it's not going to hold Bell back – Bush has just 17 touches over the last three weeks. Fullback Heath Evans(notes) used to steal some short-yardage looks but that's over now, Evans is on IR and done for the season. Thomas is clearly the most talented back the Saints have but Sean Payton shows reluctance to overuse Thomas; the head coach will make sure Bell is a part of the plan. In the messy time-share world of Fantasy Football 2009, don't underestimate the importance of a safe and projectable workload, something Bell offers every week he plays. Here's a forecast to help you sort through your Bell-related decisions: 17 touches, 83 yards, 0.75 touchdowns. -Pianow

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Photos via AP Images

Based on my experience with trick shot videos, I know that this clip of 76ers forward Andre Iguodala(notes) swishing a ball off the practice gym wall will elicit five types of comments: 1) "Sick shot!" 2) "Fake!" 3) "That's not that hard to do if you try it enough times." 4) "Who cares? He should be practicing his jumper!" and 5) "You can meet hundreds of thousands of nice single girls and guys in your city and find the beauty of life at W e a l t h y C h a t . C O M." Which one are you going to go with today?

The most important thing for Modafferi at this point is to get more fights. With a win, she will have that chance as the winner of this fight will likely decide the number 1 contender spot for the Strikeforce women's title. 

Outdated sports cards happen. Always have, always will. That's why traded sets became a cottage industry during the 1980s in baseball cards.

The latest set of Upper Deck hockey cards available at McDonald's around Canada are no exception, as Saku Koivu(notes) is presented as a Montreal Canadiens captain and Dany Heatley(notes) of the San Jose Sharks is featured on three cards: Twice as an Ottawa Senators winger, once as one of the prides of Canada. Koivu is listed as an Anaheim Ducks player in Upper Deck's official 2009-10 sets, while the Heatley trade apparently happened too late -- he's a Senator there as well.

Of course, there's a slight difference between depicting a player in his old uniform that management decided to let go, and featuring a player in a jersey he metaphorically threw in the garbage towering over the city of Ottawa. The back of the Heatley card is now unintentionally hilarious:

His latest hit being the $4 million bonus he was paid while demanding a trade.

Couldn't help but notice something about this Heater and the City card, up in the top left corner. We're sure it's a complete coincidence that in a random, non-alphabetical checklist, Heatley ends up as the "H8" card. Just like the player number for Miroslav Satan(notes) is completely random here on Yahoo! Sports. Uh-huh.

Stick tap to the National Post for the story.

After the jump, Amar'e feels the burn.

Winner, jakew:
Launching t-shirts just wasn't enough for the Suns!

Co-runner-up, Gabriel Rockman:
"I'm trying to simulate the gravitational pull effect that Shaquille O'Neal(notes) used to give when he was here."

Co-runner-up, Stickus Maximus:
Amar'e: "Um, are you sure this is how we're supposed to play defense?"
Spurs Assistant Coach: "I'm wearing a Suns shirt, aren't I? Sure it is! You have to stay as FAR away from Duncan as possible, or else you'll foul him! And Coach yells when you foul, right?"
Amar'e: "Um ... yeah, he does ... and then I have to sit, so I can't score! Stretch it more!"

Part of Fedor Emelianenko's charm is that he doesn't look like a killer. Because of his stoic demeanor, he's often compared to the Dolph Lundgren character "Drago" from Rocky IV. True, Fedor does appear to come from the same Russian sports machine but he's not a ripped 6-foot-6 and 300 pounds. At 6-foot, 230, he looks like your chubby next door neighbor. But result are results. He's 30-1 with the only loss coming because of a cut. His fight against Brett Rogers at the Sears Centre in the northwest suburbs of Chicago is getting coverage in the local newspapers, but is it doing more harm than good? In a Wednesday story, the Chicago Sun-Times did a nice job of explaining why Fedor is so awesome but how many people will get by this photo and blurb on the back cover to give MMA a chance?

"... but with a body like that, how can Russian Fedor Emelianenko be the best mixed martial artist in the world."

CBS will be presenting the same image on tomorrow night nationwide at 9 p.m. What will a nation of casual fight fans think when they see the Russian? The only thing that will solve negative thoughts about the physique of MMA's best fight will be a dominant performance. A slow-paced fight like the one UFC featured during the "The Ultimate Fighter" with Roy Nelson and Kimbo Slice could hurt MMA a bit in front of an audience of 2-3 million. It was disappointing to hear the UFC's Chael Sonnen say he didn't want to see the fight because it's, "two fatties swinging like bums."

He can disrespect the one-dimensional Rogers if he'd like, but it's ridiculous for a guy inside the sport to take that sort of swipe at Fedor.

Photo via Twitter.com/allelbows

As always, we welcome your thoughts, ideas, and recommendations on the podcast. Hit me up at jay.busbee@yahoo.com. Click the link below to play the podcast or right-click it to download, and hit the iTunes site linked below to subscribe. Have at it!

The Chrome Horn, episode 27: Dario Franchitti

Colbert -- it's "Col-bert," not "Col-bear," Comedy Central fans -- won eight times on the PGA Tour and already has 20 wins on the Champions, and he's one of the most eloquent defenders of the Champions arrangement. He's also a rabid Kansas State fan and has his own golf course, Colbert Hills, in Kansas -- the story of which leads to a good story contained herein. He also spent time broadcasting for ESPN, and today kicks back and plays golf when he feels like it. A good life, all the way around.

As always, we welcome your thoughts, ideas, and recommendations on the podcast. Hit me up at jay.busbee@yahoo.com. Click the link below to play the podcast or right-click it to download, and hit the iTunes site linked below to subscribe. Have at it!

Devil Ball Golfcast, Episode 23 -- Jim Colbert

Florida coach Urban Meyer was fined $30,000 by the Southeastern Conference for his public comments concerning officiating, Commissioner Mike Slive announced Friday.
[...]
"Coach Meyer has violated the Southeastern Conference Code of Ethics," Slive said. "SEC Bylaw 10.5.4 clearly states that the coaches, players and support personnel shall refrain from public criticism of officials. The league’s Athletics Directors and Presidents and Chancellors have made it clear that negative public comments on officiating are not acceptable."

Give the league this: It stepped up to enforce its stated policy, and brought enough heat to finally bring the escalating series of mini-scandals over the last month to an end. Meyer apologized for publicly suggesting officials failed to flag Georgia for an illegal hit on Tim Tebow last Saturday in the Gators' 41-17 win, and the SEC's other 11 coaches will think five or six times before calling out the refs with a microphone in their face again.

It's the "again" part, of course, that made the fine necessary, and the SEC's decision to repeatedly, publicly undermine its own officials opened the door to those circumstances. Meyer was the sixth coach to publicly criticize conference officials in the last three weeks, following Arkansas' Bobby Petrino, Mississippi State's Dan Mullen and Tennessee's Lane Kiffin (all of whom were publicly reprimanded by the conference) as well as Vanderbilt's Bobby Johnson and Tennessee assistant Ed Orgeron, after the SEC itself publicly acknowledged a bad call at the end of Georgia's loss to LSU on Oct. 3 and then suspended the same crew for several sketchy calls in Florida's win over Arkansas two weeks later. The conference's sudden willingness to acknowledge mistakes to the media obviously emboldened coaches to point them out, too, and the conference felt compelled after reprimanding Kiffin to raise the stakes of such insolence by mandating a fine or suspension for the first offense.

So the end result of the SEC's effort to bring "transparency" to the policing of bad calls is the coach of the No. 1 team in the country being fined $30K over a comment he made at a press conference -- in response to the suspension of his own player for a bit of unnecessary roughness -- about a play barely anyone would have ever remembered in a game that was decided by 24 points. Now that the league has made its point clear to the coaches, maybe it will keep its own opinions about bad calls behind closed doors from here on.

In an effort to take his game to the next level over the summer, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant(notes) solicited help from of one of the greatest players of all time — and personal favorite — Hakeem Olajuwon.

A week before training camp in September, the master of "The Dream Shake" gave Bryant a two-hour lesson on everything from head fakes and ball fakes to spin moves and jab steps. And judging by the looks of Kobe's moves during Wednesday's win over the Rockets, the star pupil was paying close attention in class.

Jeff Eisenberg of The Press-Enterprise:

Each time he backed down Houston's Shane Battier(notes) in the post and then deftly spun around him for a layup Wednesday night, Bryant jogged up court staring into the same pocket of fans seated courtside across from the scorer's table.

The man who met his gaze knew exactly the message Bryant was trying to convey.

"He looked at me to confirm, 'I'm using what you taught me,'" Olajuwon said. "That was the greatest gift for me. It was wonderful."

Here's something to think about (courtesy of SLAM): After 14 successful years in the league, Kobe can — and still wants to — learn from The Dream, yet Andrew Bynum is done with Kareem Abdul Jabbar after just a few injury-plagued seasons. File under reason number 6,947 why Kobe Bryant is a beast.

It's no secret that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson haven't exactly been best buds. You can psychoanalyze that any way you like, but on its surface, the coldblooded, relentless Tiger couldn't be more different from the smiling, surfer-dude Phil. Still, the two are inextricably linked; we've written more than 180 posts mentioning both Tiger and Phil just since August 2008. (Hey, we know what sells 'round here.)

But as Steve Elling notes over at CBS Sports, tensions may be thawing between golf's two titans. They're actually joking with one another, as in this exchange regarding golf in the Olympics:

Q: With golf becoming an official Olympic sport, will you compete to win a medal in 2016?

Woods: Well, I have to qualify first in 2016. Christ, I'll be 40 years old in 2016.

Q: Still young.

Woods: Younger than Phil.

And that was said with humor, lest anyone think differently. Elling notes that there's precedent here -- Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer were bitter rivals for decades before finally growing close in their golden years. Perhaps the same thing's happening here between Tiger and Phil.

Of course, Phil would do well not to get too comfortable. He jumps too far out in front of Tiger, and there's no more joking -- just ninja assassin action.

Tiger and Phil: Friendly foes at last [CBS Sports]

Yes, feel the heat, folks.One day after the White Sox and Royals swapped Chris Getz(notes) and Josh Fields(notes) for Mark Teahen(notes), the Brewers have sent shortstop J.J. Hardy(notes) up I-94 for Twins outfielder Carlos Gomez(notes). 

Though he was once part of the franchise's foundation, Hardy struggled with the Brewers in 2009 and even earned a trip to the minor leagues in August. With young Alcides Escobar(notes) already tabbed as the Brewers' shortstop of the future, Hardy became expendable and he'll have a shot at becoming the productive shortstop the Twins are seemingly always searching for.

As for Gomez, he struggled at the plate in 2009, posting a dismal .623 OPS over 137 games. His promise comes in the fact that he plays great defense and will still only be 24 years old on Opening Day. He was the key prospect in the Johan Santana(notes) deal, but a crowded Twins outfield means that he'll have to try to realize that potential at Miller Park.

Initial edge: Minnesota gets the early win here as it adds a solid piece for 2010 and possibly eliminates the need of paying Orlando Cabrera(notes) to return. Meanwhile, the Brewers are still dealing with a raw commodity and the only currently visible benefit is that they could save money by not bringing back Mike Cameron(notes) to play center field.   

• Really interesting analysis being done by the MSM and the blogs on the Colorado Avalanche's attendance woes, as the first-place team had a record-low crowd earlier this week. Adrian Dater asked for, and received, a ton of feedback from fans about why they do or do not attend games. [All Things Avs]

• Jibblescribbits, meanwhile, has two posts on the issue that put the blame squarely on the Avalanche's poor marketing, both of their players and of their ticket affordability: "The casual Denver sports fan right now has no clue how good the Avs are, and they have no idea that there are some great ticket specials." [Jibblescribbits]

• Twenty-one-year-old Robert Hughes, a center for the AHL Bridgeport Sound Tigers, was arrested on charges of a first-degree criminal sexual act and a third-degree criminal sexual act after a game in Bridgeport. [AP]

• Patrick Kane(notes), Patrick Sharp(notes) and Dustin Byfuglien(notes) are called out as the Chicago Blackhawks struggle offensively. Toews and Hossa will probably help. You know, a little. [Between the Circles]

• The Vancouver Canucks are seriously looking at Peter Forsberg(notes). Because after October, consistent injuries are sort of the norm over there. [Globe & Mail]

• Bringing Jaromir Jagr(notes) to the Edmonton Oilers remains something on associate coach Tom Renney's mind, but is that a good thing? [Illegal Curve]

• Josh Sacco, a.k.a. Lil' Herb Brooks, will do the "Let's Play Hockey" intro at the Minnesota Wild's game against the New York Islanders on Nov. 20. Better yet: He's going to Vancouver for the Winter Olympics. That. Is. Awesome. [Tennessean]

• Craig Anderson(notes) is doing his best to ignore chatter about being a goalie for Team USA in 2010. Leahy silently weeps at the idea that his Puck Daddy post from Thursday sadly went unread in the Colorado locker room. [NHL]

• The New York Islanders release details of their game-worn jersey sell-through program, as "prices for the jerseys will be set on market value for each individual player." Which is a polite way of saying that Jon Sim's(notes) sweater might be a shade more affordable than John Tavares's.(notes) [Islanders]

• Is Rich Peverley(notes) the new Mike Richards(notes)? And if Mike Richards was the new Bobby Clarke for the Philadelphia Flyers, does that make Rich Peverley the new Bobby Clarke or the old Mike Richards? A post that threatens the space-time continuum. [Bird Watchers Anonymous]

• Sidney Crosby(notes) has gone from pedestrian in the shootout to 4-for-4 this season for the Pittsburgh Penguins. [NHL]

• Pensburgh does some detective work into whether Crosby is playing through an injury while Evgeni Malkin(notes) is on the shelf. [Pensburgh]

• Zach Bogosian(notes) of the Atlanta Thrashers is one of a few dozen hockey players participating in Movember, the world-wide initiative in which men grow their 'staches to create awareness for men's health issues like prostate cancer. We'll have more on this later, but seriously: Isn't there something a wee bit Gillooly-ish about Bogo's facial hair? [From The Rink]

• Even if you despise these teams, the following sentence wouldn't have been believed back in late September: "The two worst teams in the NHL will square off on Friday night in Carolina when the Hurricanes host the Toronto Maple Leafs." [CBC Sports]

• Nailed it: "Paul Maurice is the Willy Loman of the NHL. Great with words, not so great at delivering results." [Bitter Leaf Fan]

• Thanks to the flu and injuries, the Edmonton Oilers are a team in big, big trouble writes Terry Jones. [Edmonton Sun]

• Nothing like a cramped airplane to really get those flu germs circulating, as they did for the Philadelphia Flyers. Yuck. [Philly.com]

• Tough talk for Minnesota Wild management, currently and formerly, about the team's pathetic start to the 2009-10 season. [Star Tribune]

• Making the case for Doug Gilmour to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame. [Simmons]

• Alex Ovechkin(notes) will miss both games against the Florida Panthers for the Capitals this weekend. He felt "the same" after Caps practice today. [WaPo]

• Patrik Elias(notes) will be in the lineup for the New Jersey Devils tonight, in a story completely overshadowed by the much anticipated showdown former Islanders backup goalie Yann Danis(notes) and his former team. [Fire & Ice]

• Follow-up on the blown call that may have cost the Dallas Stars a victory earlier this week. [Dallas Stars Blog]

• Finally, good little scrap between the San Antonio Rampage's Ryan Donally(notes) and the Peoria Rivermen's Anthony Peluso(notes), who rallied for the tie. [HockeyFights.com]

I can't make it much more plain than that. Buried 10 graphs in this K.C. Star story about Missouri's exhibition opener Thursday night is the rather revelatory fact that Missouri guard Kim English spends his nocturnal hours sleeping in Mizzou Arena. The explanation:

No Missouri basketball player has likely ever spent as much time practicing his game. A year ago English frequently slept at Mizzou Arena, so as to be able to shoot after practice and before class the next day. The practice has been catching. A lot of players are doing the same thing now.

This is insane. Like, it's one thing to be a college athlete, putting in the long morning hours before and after classes, spending basically every waking hour in the gym ... but to spend every sleeping hour in the gym so you can spend more waking hours in the gym borders on the fanatical. I'm almost worried for Kim English. He seems like a very nice, well-rounded young man, and this isn't healthy.

This isn't the first time the Star has written about English's unusual work ethic, either. From last June:

“On my recruiting visit, they told us this was a 24-hour practice facility,” English, a 6-foot-6 freshman guard from Baltimore, said Wednesday. “We’ve got a key and it works at 12 p.m., it works at 1 a.m. It works 24 hours a day.”

English sleeps in a leather chair that he drags from the players’ lounge to the locker room, allowing him to work around the clock. “To help this team win this year, I’ll do anything,” said English. [...] “I’ll sleep outside if that’s what it takes.”

Again, dude, not healthy. But it's also pretty cool, and the sort of thing Missouri fans and notoriously demanding head coach Mike Anderson will appreciate. And hey, maybe English gets a break on room and board. Win, win, and win.

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Driver: Scott Speed

Record: 32 races (at this writing), one top-5 finish

Season summary: It's been a season to forget for the Red Bull'er, who hasn't quite panned out the way his teammate Brian Vickers has. Speed has hung around the No. 35 spot all season long, and is in jeopardy of falling out of the top 35 to start 2010.

Where it went right: At the Aaron's 499 at Talladega in April, Speed notched a fifth-place finish, largely because he followed the old "keep your head while everyone else is losing theirs" strategy. Sadly, that was pretty much the only high point of the year for Speed.

Where it went wrong: Pretty much everywhere else. Speed was involved in wrecks all over the schedule, and the sight of his devastated car getting hauled off the track soon became a familiar one. (Hope the hipsters keep drinking Red Bull and vodka; the Red Bull folks need the cash infusion.) Speed has had exactly one finish inside the top 20 -- a 15th-place finish at Bristol -- since May. Not exactly the roll that you want to get on in a Sprint Car. 

Prospects for 2010: Red Bull is committed to Speed, who would seem to be a marketer's dream -- but as good as his last name is, it ain't Earnhardt, so there's only so long that a team is going to stick with him, particularly with up-and-comers in the hunt. Speed's going to have to step it up, pronto, or risk losing his seat.

Next up: Robby Gordon. Strap in!

Related Speed posts from 2009:
Kyle Busch and Scott Speed, teammates? The horror! The horror!
C-a-c: No, Scott, I will not pull all four of your fingers
Wreck of the week: Kyle Busch, Scott Speed in track ballet

And, of course, the classic:
Scott Speed will make your ears bleed ("Cereal and milk!")

On today's show, Skeets and Tas lift anchor and set sail for the uncharted waters of TNT's Thursday night schedule. Can Shaq and Big Z co-exist in Cleveland? Are the Jazz already playing must-win games? Was LeBron robbed of a late-game foul call? All that, plus Yacht Rock Crossfire, the case for Anthony Randolph(notes) and Wanker of the Week.

Keep it nautical, basketball brethren, and have a smooth weekend.

Subscribe to the video show on iTunes | Download the .m4v directly
Subscribe to the audio show on iTunes | Download the .mp3 directly

Coming into 2009: Harrington was the one guy who really took advantage of Tiger Woods' surgically-enabled absence by winning the last two majors of 2008. Then, for some unfathomable reason, he began tinkering with his swing, and the results were catastrophic. He looked like a man lost at sea for the first half of 2009. 

High-water mark: Harrington notched six top-10 finishes, which out of 21 tournaments isn't exactly amazing. But consider the fact that all six of those came in the last six tournaments he played. Changing your mind now? He tied for second at both the Barclays and the WGC-Bridgestone, and was in the hunt at the FedEx Cup until the tournament's final day. 

The low point: The number 8. Harrington had two straight tournaments where he was either in the lead or challenging for it, and in both cases torpedoed his chances with a snowman. Still, considering the fact that he'd practically forgotten which way to hold his club earlier in the year, he was okay with the misfires.

Outlook for 2010: Almost nobody concluded 2009 on a hotter streak than Harrington, so it could be that he's got all his swing problems behind him once and for all. If so, that'd be a welcome change and a welcome return to form for Big Irish. 

Related posts from 2009:
Padraig Harrington adds 30 yards with the Happy Gilmore swing
Twas not a good day to be an Irishman at the Masters
Padraig Harrington got a stopwatch wrapped around his throat

"We've seen a jump in bookings to Los Angeles and Burbank after every Texas win," Southwest spokeswoman Ashley Rogers said. "The biggest was after the Oklahoma win."
[...]
Jon Berry, who works at Square 1 Bank downtown, already has his plane tickets to California and a welcome to stay with friends in Los Angeles.

Berry also has reserved the right to buy a game ticket at the $275 face value using the official Pasadena Tournament of Roses Web site. He paid $90 for that right, before the season began. As of Thursday, reservations to buy end zone seats were going for $520 and up.

The last sentence of the article -- "The Longhorns take on the University of Central Florida at 11 a.m. Saturday at Royal-Memorial Stadium" -- plays almost like a punch line in its irrelevance. Who are we kidding with this Central Florida/Baylor/Kansas charade? By any realistic standard, Texas is playing against itself from here on.

And it should be noted that the 'Horns have consistently lost that battle -- three years in a row, Texas has entered November with long winning streaks and major goals intact, and blown games as a significant favorite down the stretch all three years. In 2006, UT rebounded from an early loss to No. 1 Ohio State to beat Oklahoma and was steaming toward a national title shot before being suddenly upended at Kansas State, then knocked from the Big 12 Championship game by Texas A&M in the regular season finale, relegating the Longhorns to the Alamo Bowl instead; in 2007, they blew a five-game win streak and a BCS shot with another stunning loss to A&M in Dennis Franchione's last game with the Aggies. Last year, of course, riding high at No. 1 after putting away the Oklahoma-Missouri-Oklahoma State trifecta in October, UT was done in at the last second by Texas Tech, and never recovered in the polls as Oklahoma hit the gas over the last four weeks. In fact, if there's a theme to Colt McCoy's otherwise brilliant tenure as the Longhorn quarterback to date, certainly the "inexplicable November choke" has replaced "Vince Young's shadow."

Not that this team's pending ascension to the title game isn't worth putting a few hundred bucks on, if you're dead set on accompanying it out: The defense, last year's Achilles heel, has added a real throat-stomping streak that, along with the still-dominant offense and consistently dangerous return game, has made Texas both the highest-scoring team in the country and the one with the widest average margin of victory at 28.2 points per game. All of which makes Texas nearly identical to last year's championship outfit from Florida (though not this year's much less explosive edition of the Gators) and likely two-touchdown favorites, minimum, in all of their remaining games. These 'Horns haven't given any indication that they're the self-destructive type.

Still, there's going to be local product Todd Reesing putting up 40-plus passing when Kansas comes back to his hometown in two weeks, and suddenly rejuvenated Texas A&M gunning for (probably) its eight victory and a winning conference record in College Station on a short turnaround on Thanksgiving night. Then the Big 12 Championship, where the Longhorns blew a championship shot back in 2001. All menial tasks en route to the promised land, of course, but if they get too far ahead of themselves, also the stuff nightmares are made of.

Far fewer people know about West Virginia freshman Deniz Kilicli. But Kilicli is having eligibility issues of his own. His suspension is far more serious than Wall's. And if Bob Huggins is to be believed -- hold your laughter for a minute here -- that suspension has far more to do with luck and circumstance than with any wrongdoing by Kilicli. Mike DeCourcy explains:

Kilicli, who is 6-9, 260 pounds, was suspended because the club team he played for wound up with a pro in the lineup after that player was dropped down from a higher division, Huggins said. NCAA officials consistently have applied a game-for-game penalty against international players who have competed alongside pros. Iowa State's Lucca Staiger, from Germany, missed the entire 2007-08 season because of a similar punishment. Kilicli got 11 games for that, and another nine for accepting expenses from his club.

There appears to be no chance for Kilicli to pay back expenses he received from his club in exchange for a lesser penalty, and an Kilicli's appeal has already been denied by the NCAA. Huggins says Kilicli is "struggling" with the decision, and that if "he wanted to be a pro, you don't think anyone would have paid him to stay over there?" It's a pretty valid point.

There's also an argument to be made that Wall's situation is potentially more damaging to the ethic of the NCAA. Theoretically, Wall could be in the pocket of an agent while enrolled at school, which leads to all sorts of problematic college sports issues too common for me to explain here. Kilicli's association with a pro gets him ... what, exactly? A pro was bumped down to an amateur club while Kilicli was also on the roster, and now Kilicli's amateur status is corrupted by osmosis? This makes zero sense.

The Bleacher Report has been quick to blame this on the NCAA looking to punish the little guy while preserving the star status of the game's elite. Maybe that's true, but I doubt it. More than anything, this is just a bad rule. It was a bad rule when it cost Iowa State player his entire 2007-08 season. It's a bad rule now. Free Kilicli! Or at least let him pay back the money and start paying. To use an expression you're more likely to hear from Bob Huggins: for chrissakes, this is silly.

Two words: Watch Chuck get confused while taping a promo for "NBA on TNT."

Two more words: "I'm on a diet, no more bull penis."

Hey, we finally have an update on Sammy Morris(notes) that includes references to specific body parts and a recovery time frame!

Patriots running back Sammy Morris could be back in two weeks, the Herald has learned.

The veteran suffered a torn MCL on his first carry against the Titans and is close to returning. He’ll miss the Dolphins game and likely the visit to the Colts.

Presumably, the Boston Herald reporters who extracted this information from Pats sources relied on barbaric interrogative methods, so perhaps the reports cannot be trusted. Not sure. But those are some of the first meaningful, non-speculative notes we've seen.

If Morris only misses two more games, he'll make it back for the home matchup with the Jets on November 22. Laurence Maroney(notes) now has two weeks to demonstrate that he deserves a serious role; recall that the Patriots end-of-season schedule is extremely RB-friendly (CAR, at BUF, JAC, at HOU).

Roddy White(notes) wasn't able to practice on Thursday due to a knee injury of unknown severity. Those who report on the Falcons do not seem terribly concerned, but the threat level will be elevated if White doesn't practice Friday. [AtlantaFalcons.com]

Update: Relax. White was a limited participant in practice on Friday. His head coach expects him to be ready to play against Washington. 

Neither Aaron Rodgers(notes) (foot, toe) nor Donald Driver(notes) (stinger) practiced on Thursday. Rodgers is expected to return on Friday, and Mike McCarthy has declared that Driver will face the Bucs this week as long as doctors approve, whether he practices or not. But the best news regarding the Green Bay offense is probably this: RT Mark Tauscher(notes) and LT Chad Clifton(notes) are both expected to play. [Green Bay Press Gazette, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Update: Rodgers and Driver were both back at practice on Friday. Crisis averted.

The Lions' official position on Calvin Johnson(notes) is that he's a game-time decision. Megatron describes the condition of his knee this way: "I’m feeling alright. It’s just a few little nicks and bruises left in there or whatever and I’m just trying to fight through that, but otherwise I’m alright. I’m able to practice, so it’s feeling pretty good. Just a little tightness in there." [DetroitLions.com] 

Update: Both Johnson and Kevin Smith practiced Friday. Very promising.

The Colts are dealing with all sorts of injury issues right now, and their secondary isn't close to full strength. Here's the official release from the team via the Indianapolis Star:

"The Indianapolis Colts have signed veteran free agent defensive end Josh Thomas(notes) and have placed defensive back Marlin Jackson(notes) on injured reserve. Wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez(notes) underwent arthroscopic right knee surgery yesterday to clean out loose particles, and safety Bob Sanders(notes) visited with Dr. James Andrews yesterday to gather additional information on the left elbow injury he suffered last Sunday against San Francisco, the club announced today.

"Jackson suffered the left knee injury during a non-contact drill early in Wednesday's practice. He is out for the remainder of the season. Gonzalez suffered a recent setback in practice that led to yesterday's procedure. A timetable for his return is not determined."

Goodness. That's a lot of information to process. With Jackson and Sanders out and CB Kelvin Hayden(notes) (knee) dinged as well, we could see some unusually large point totals posted against the Colts' D. Over the next month they'll face Houston (twice), New England and Baltimore.

Gonzalez is tough to roster in any non-dynasty league at this point. Maybe he'll make it back by the fantasy playoffs, but the setback is clearly a bad sign and the Colts do not lack capable receiving options. [Indianapolis Star]

Update: NFL Network reports that Sanders will be "out indefinitely." This could be a season-ender, it appears. 

It was recently brought to my attention that we failed to link to the Rams Report Card following the team's first win. That was an unfortunate oversight, corrected today. It's the best report card the Rams have brought home since maybe '03, so we shouldn't ignore it. They finally received an "A" for something. Steven Jackson's family is now eligible for a bumper sticker that says "My kid made the honor roll at the Post-Dispatch Football Academy," and his offensive linemen should get 'em, too. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

Anquan Boldin(notes) (ankle) did not practice on Thursday; he remains a game-time decision, though there are few obvious reasons for optimism. The Cardinals travel to Soldier Field in Week 9 to face the Bears, a team that has its own receiver issues. Devin Hester(notes) (ankle) was a DNP on both Wednesday and Thursday, but he's already stated "I'm going to play." [The Arizona Republic]

Update: Hester returned to practice on Friday. Phew.

---

Photo via US Presswire

Yahoo! Sports MLB editor Steve Henson is checking in with periodic updates from today's Yankees victory parade in Manhattan.

11:22 a.m. ET Commerce has pretty much shut down in Lower Manhattan today. Thousands of members of the work force are showering ticker tape and toilet paper from their high-rise office windows all over the Yankees as the World Series champions and their families inch up Broadway from the U.S. Customs House on Battery Place to City Hall Park.

Kids all over the city who stayed up too late Wednesday night to watch their Yankees win the World Series skipped school Friday to catch a glimpse of their heroes riding in cars and pinstriped-themed floats that mostly New Jersey-based fans began assembling after the Yankees took a 3-games-to-1 lead over the Phillies.

Good thing, though, that Dept. of Sanitation workers aren't playing hooky. Hundreds of workers with brooms are already cleaning up mounds of toilet paper piled cut loose from office windows along Broadway long before the parade even began.

It's 44 degrees with a slight, sharp wind blowing, and parade veterans know to grab a spot in the sun because stretches of sidewalk shaded by buildings are a good 15 degrees colder.

Yogi Berra, 84 years old and winner of 10 World Series as a Yankee, was the first to emerge from the Customs House where the team convened this morning, a scene described by a Yankees official as "a cocktail party without cocktails." Yogi might say, "This parade gets so crowded nobody goes there anymore," but the assembled fans appear to total in the hundreds of thousands, and the mayor's office undoubtedly will estimate it in the millions by day's end. Berra was also in the lead float during the Yankees' last parade, in 2000.

A.J. Burnett(notes) was the first current player to jump into a vehicle, but Series MVP Hideki Matsui(notes) eventually cut in front of him and will be the first player to ride. One of the last floats in line looks like a huge sailboat, with the sail a huge Yankees jersey.

New York knows the drill. More than 200 ticker-tape parades have been held in the ``Canyon of Heroes'' since 1886, when folks tossed ticker tape out of windows during a parade to dedication the Statue of Liberty. The most recent parade honored the football Giants for their 2008 Super Bowl victory.

TV reporters grabbed players as they walked to their floats. Not much controversial, as you'd imagine: "Thank you New York, we love you and we hope you are out here celebrating," pitcher Joba Chamberlain(notes) said, his hands tucked into his pockets as he braced for warm reception along the long, cold ride up Broadway.

* * *

12:08 update: Talk about moving the needle. Alex Rodriguez(notes) began the season in shame, admitting to steroid use years ago with the Texas Rangers. Today he's basking in the adulation of fans lined up 20 deep along Broadway, waving, smiling and casually chomping on gum from the railing of Float No. 4.

Rodriguez is sharing his float by hip-hop rapper Jay-Z, whose song with Alicia Keyes, "Empire State of Mind" has become something of a Big Apple anthem despite being panned by Rolling Stone as "a pallid New York shout-out."

As the ride progressed A-Rod's face went from bemused yet stoic behind dark sunglasses to smiling broadly and waving his hands above his head. The thaw between Rodriguez and Yankees fans has been a long time coming, and today it seems complete.

Amazing what batting .365 with six home runs and 18 RBIs during a single postseason can do to change perception.

Not far behind A-Rod and Jay-Z's ride came the $340 million float as Mark Teixeira(notes) ($180M) and CC Sabathia(notes) ($160M) rode together. After them, Derek Jeter(notes) and Jorge Posada(notes) shared a a long, comfortable flatbed with plenty of room aboard for friends and family, including Jeter's parents and Posada's wife and two children.

Once the parade ends, the Yankees will duck into City Hall for lunch, then emerge for a ceremony, speeches and assorted whooping and fist-pumping.

* * *

1:12 p.m. ET: A subtle difference between this celebration and the Yankees' most recent one in 2000: Players riding the floats no longer hold video cameras and tape the fans taping them. Nick Swisher(notes) was spotted filming a short from his phone, but, well, that's Nick Swisher.

Maybe the absurdity of filming a parade from the inside struck players after they dropped in a tape at home one night and realizing how incredibly boring it was to watch hordes of people cheering.

Or maybe video cameras are just passé, so 2000. To the current Yankees' credit, I never saw a single one talking on a cell phone or typing into a Blackberry during the parade. This was a day to honor tradition, and gadgetry didn't belong.

The supposed 1 p.m. ceremony at City Hall won't start on time. Yankees highlights were shown on a huge video screen while the crowd waited for the players to emerge from the City Hall building and take their seats on stage.

* * *

2:15 p.m.: Keys to New York City were handed out to everybody on the Yankees roster and to everyone in the front office, from GM Brian Cashman all the way down to the assistant trainer and Hideki Matsui's interpreter. Hal Steinbrenner and his sisters received keys. The ceremony ended with Hal returning to the podium to accept a key for his father, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. Conspicuously missing, however, was George's other son, Hank, who until sticking his foot in his mouth several times had been the family's most visible member the last two years. No key for Hank and no clue to his whereabouts.

Enduring images from the ceremony included A-Rod's dapper chapeau and the war whoop he let out as he snatched his key from Mayor Bloomberg; Derek Jeter sitting next to manager Joe Girardi in the front row, two close friends coolly enjoying another euphoric moment; and CC Sabathia towering over Jay-Z after the rapper concluded the ceremony with another rendition of his Sinatra wanna-be anthem, "Empire State of Mind."

One big complaint is that players either had nothing to say or they weren't allowed to say anything. Derek Jeter took the microphone at the beginning and said, "It's been too long, hasn't it? I'm a spokesperson for the team. . . . You really forget how great it feels." Then he said the Yankees fans were the greatest in the world, and that was it. Nobody else said a thing. I wasn't exactly expecting Sabathia to reprise Shaq and bellow, "Can you dig it?" but he at least should have had a chance to say something.

So everyone dispersed to the five boroughs, presumably without incident. It was a happy day, a city on the same page, a parade ritual without a hitch. New York might be the city that never sleeps, but after this ceremony nobody can again call it the city that never sweeps: Hundreds of workers wielding push-brooms flooded Broadway to clean up the shredded recyclable paper that had been handed out to numerous businesses as a facsimile of ticker tape. The authentic stuff hasn't rained from the windows in over 40 years.

A lot of wind was blown by politicians and Yankees broadcasters about a dynasty. Even Girardi referenced a conversation he had with George Steinbrenner earlier in the day in which the overriding topic was winning another World Series title next year. There was the sense that a November Yankees procession down Broadway could again become as regular as Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Yet even given the Yankees' enormous edge in revenue and payroll, repeating won't be easy. No team has done it since the Yankees won three in a row from 1998 to 2000.

When the headline is "Saving the Jackets" in the Columbus Dispatch, panic sets in for Columbus Blue Jackets fans. When the team president tells that newspaper that "time is of the essence" and that "the current ownership group is not in a position to continue to deal with the arena's structural (financial) problem," there's a natural inclination to place the Jackets on the same rack as the Phoenix Coyotes as endangered franchises.

This isn't meant to downplay the importance of these times for the franchise, but when the dire predictions are coming from an owner with an unfriendly arena lease and the president of the Columbus Chamber, the region's economic growth and development organization that supports the arena, they carry the whiff of hyperbole for the sake of public pressure.

Rather than predict apocalypse, what the Chamber's report did was evaluate the Blue Jackets' economic viability, and that of the arena district, via a study by Ohio State University Fisher College of Business Professor Stephen A. Buser. From the Chamber:

The report offers nearly 20 options in three categories: continuation of the existing ownership structure; implementation of public-private partnerships; and alternative private ownership structures. "I've looked at NHL franchises across the nation, and it is clear that there are forms of public-private partnerships that have been successfully employed in other cities might be equally beneficial if employed in the case of the Columbus Blue Jackets and the operations of Nationwide Arena," said Buser.

The report also details the economic growth that has occurred since the Columbus Blue Jackets came to Columbus and the Arena District was developed. According to the report the Arena has spurred economic growth in and around the district and more than $630 million had been invested in district as of 2006. At least 170 businesses employed more than 5,500 workers with annual wages of more than $350 million. Over a 10-year-period (1998 to 2008), property values increased by 267 percent.

So yeah, there are some very good reasons for local businesses and politicians to keep the Blue Jackets in Columbus. But how can the city keep them, and keep them viable?

For that answer, we turn to Columbus lawyer Jeff Little on The Hockey Writers, who penned what is by far the most interesting and insightful review of this Blue Jackets dilemma we've read. First, on the report:

Being a small-market town, and having competition from the nearby Schottenstein Center at Ohio State, operations for non-hockey events lose approximately $4 - $5 million per year, and a similar amount is paid for utilization of the arena.  Add in another $2 million per year that would otherwise be coming in for naming rights, and the Blue Jackets are at a $12 million annual disadvantage over other teams.  Buser observes that hockey operations themselves are approximately break-even, when NHL revenue sharing is considered.

Here's Little on the future:

It seems likely that the ultimate solution will involve a combination of approaches.  Buser noted the success of Nashville's model, where the government owns the Arena, and the Predators retain some of the key revenue items.  And something similar could be orchestrated here.  Combined with an increase in hotel taxes and a potential "special district" designation, there are a number of vehicles available to the participants.  As intended, the Buser Report lays out those options in admirable detail.  Whatever solution is chosen, it can be reasonably anticipated that every effort will be made to avoid a public tax impact requiring voter approval.  The grumpy Columbus constituency reacts poorly to funding requests, even for schools, and to count on an exception here could be risky. Ironically, just this week Ohio voters approved the construction of casinos in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo and Columbus.  Notwithstanding the fact that the tax revenue derived could be a boon to local government, Columbus was the only one of the four targeted communities where a majority voted against the initiative.  The casinos will be built, but the message should be noted.

Reactionary responses notwithstanding, today' report does not represent a setback, nor is it the culmination of an effort. Instead, as intended, it forms the foundation for the serious building of a consensus solution that will make sense for all concerned. 

It's important to remember this is part of a much longer process whose politics are getting amplified during hockey season. Please recall back in May when the team backed a controversial "sin tax" to help facilitate the sale of the building, one that failed to garner local support. This study was born out of that effort.

(Interesting, by the way, that the only player the Jackets spoke with about this issue is Rick Nash(notes). Talk about a franchise player, huh?)

Again, this isn't to diminish the severity of the issues. The Blue Jackets are losing money and asking for economic assistance in an economy whose national unemployment rate just crossed the 10-percent threshold today. States are hurting, counties are hurting, businesses are hurting and fans are hurting. Current revenue streams from taxes are, right now, off the table. The road to solving these issues is much clearer than, say, in Phoenix, it's not a slam dunk.

One major, major difference between the two situations: Columbus is a franchise that's in its second year of upswing and serious playoff contention.

Mirtle took some time away from his bang-up work on the Leafs beat for the Globe & Mail (congrats privately and now publicly on that, sir) to return to the "shaky U.S. franchise" beat on From The Rink, painting with the usual broad brush. We never said winning solves everything for a struggling franchise; we've consistently said that it's impossible to diagnose the strength or weakness of a particular market when the team in that market hasn't enjoyed any playoff success. (James is fond of graphs; here's a representation of the number of playoff games the Blue Jackets competed in from inception to 2008.)

Winning in the playoffs is not a cure-all, but it's still the most effective way to get fans and more importantly businesses to buy your product. The more successful the Jackets are, the more fans frequent the arena district -- and the harder local businesses will fight to "save the Jackets."

The five winningest Yankee teams — 1927, 1932, 1939, 1961, and 1998 — all won between 106 and 114 games in the regular season and went a combined 27-3 in the postseason en route to five of the most famous championships in history. Their shadows loom large over all other Yankee teams, just as the Yankees themselves loom large over the rest of the league. Each had a run differential over 200 runs. The 1939 Yankees, behind Joe DiMaggio's first MVP campaign, had a mind-boggling run differential of 411 runs over 154 games, which translates to 2.7 runs per game and the top spot on ESPN's ranking of all the Yankee title teams. (The '09 squad is ranked 10th on that list.)

By contrast, the 2009 Yanks lost four playoff games in this postseason (which included two more rounds than the first four teams mentioned had to play). The '09 Yankee squad also finished second in baseball with a run differential of 162, exactly one run a game.

Good, of course, but not historic — it's only the 40th-best differential in Yankee history.

In other words, 2009 may be the most expensive Yankee championship in history, but it's far from the best — more 1999 than '98. The offense was terrific, leading the majors with 915 runs and a club-record 244 homers.

But the pitching was merely pedestrian, as the team allowed slightly more than the major league average of runs. By the time the World Series rolled around Joe Girardi could trust only three starters and one reliever. They were far from the halcyon days a decade ago of Mendoza-Stanton-Nelson-Rivera, despite my expectations to the contrary.

The best Yankee teams have had both dominant pitching and dominant hitting, but when push comes to shove the Yankees have always made their name — and their nickname — on their offense. The 1920s Yankees basically invented the modern offense, centered around sluggers in the No. 3 and No. 4 holes and supplemented by mashers throughout the lineup with few weak hitters anywhere on the diamond. The template hasn't changed much in the four score and several years since then.

These Yankees arguably have the best infield in franchise history, even compared to the highest-scoring offense in Yankee history, the '31 Yanks, with Hall of Fame C Bill Dickey, 1B Lou Gehrig, 2B Tony Lazzeri, and 3B Joe Sewell. In 1931, Lazzeri, Sewell, and light-hitting shortstop Lyn Lary all put up an OPS under .800, and Dickey's was only .820. The five combined for 76 homers and 46 of those were from Gehrig.

By contrast, every 2009 infielder had an OPS over .871, and though no one had more than Mark Teixeira's(notes) 39 homers, the five combined for 134 round trips.

No, they weren't quite as balanced top to bottom as they were in 1998, or 1927. But they were still the best team in baseball. And when you've reached the point where you start inspiring comparisons to the best Yankee squads of all time, you're a pretty good team.

In an interview with ESPN the Magazine, Celtics forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis said he wants to play in the NFL — but not before he becomes an elite NBA player.

Elite, eh? That may take a little while.

"I will try it," said Davis, who's on the injured list for six weeks with a broken right thumb sustained in a good ol' fashioned car fight. "When I become an All-Star in the NBA, when I become a great player in the NBA, then I'll try football. One of my dreams has always been to play football."

The 6-foot-9, 290-pound "Baby" was reportedly a terrific two-way football player at University Laboratory High School in Baton Rouge, LA, starring at defensive end, defensive tackle and tailback. (Yes, tailback. And you thought Jerome Bettis was a bus!) Davis chose to hang up his cleats when he accepted a scholarship to play hoops at LSU. Good choice.

"I definitely could have made it to the NFL," Davis said.

As crazy as that might sound, Jill White, the athletic director at Davis' university, recalls watching him dominate the gridiron during his early years of high school. "Glen was a beast. He could do anything he wanted on the field. I can remember one game, he had people hanging all over him, maybe four different guys trying to take him down and he was just dragging them all along."

Below is some footage of Davis playing pigskin during his sophomore year in high school.

What do you think, scouts?

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"I think people are making conscious decisions that their entertainment dollars are best spent watching NFL games free on their television sets on Sunday afternoon and Sunday night and Monday night," Pilson said in the article. Another theory is that most of the NFL's worst teams, like the Chiefs, Rams, and Titans, are in smaller markets.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledges the trend. "Since we continue to be available on free television, our fans can gather around the television sets rather than pursuing other opportunities that are more costly." One wonders if Goodell is tipping his hand when it comes to the thought of a pay-per-view model with that remark -- certainly if this continues and small-market teams struggle in the wake of half-empty stadiums (the Jacksonville Jaguars will suffer their fourth TV blackout this season when they face the Chiefs on Sunday), a pay model might be thrown out there in continued CBA discussions as a way to keep the revenue-sharing model going. Overall, NFL attendance is down about two percent from last year according to Maske's article, but that's far more indicative of those small-market struggles than it is a ding on teams like the Cowboys, Giants, Jets, Redskins, Broncos and Seahawks, who have been selling out their stadiums as a near-automatic proposition.

On the verge of a CBA meltdown, an uncapped year, a possible lockout, and a very different business model, the NFL will have to find new ways to draw viewers and make money from that viewership. As it has many times before, television may be pro football's saving grace.

The race: The Dickies 500 @ Texas Motor Speedway

The specs: 334 laps around a 1.5-mile track

The broadcasts: ABC, plus the live chat right here on Yahoo! Sports

Defending champ: Carl Edwards, pictured there at right shootin' up a storm. Interestingly, a woman was hit by a bullet at Texas Motor Speedway during the time of this race last year. Perhaps ... nah.

The standings leaders: Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin (-184), Jeff Gordon (-192)

The history: Texas is one of a bunch of similar -- don't say cookie-cutter! -- 1.5-mile tracks on the Sprint Cup circuit. It has the dubious distinction of having closed down two different racetracks to take their dates -- North Wilkesboro and Rockingham. After Atlanta and the restrictor-plate tracks, it's one of the fastest tracks on the circuit.

Back in the springtime: Jeff Gordon notched his first win in over a year with a victory at Texas in the spring. At the time, everybody was thinking Gordon was going to be challenging for the Sprint Cup championship. And they were right ... until the Chase started.

The appropriate video: Not a race video, but a spooky scare-ya news report: what if a tornado were to hit the Texas Motor Speedway when a race was in session? Well, Jimmie Johnson would probably outrun it, but everybody else would be screwed:

Guy with the most to gain: Kyle Busch. This is his first race without crew chief Steve Addington, and it'll be interesting to see how well he and new crew chief Dave Rogers gel. A win would be nice, but we'd settle for them not bickering at each other over the radio like middle-school girls.

Guys with the most to lose: Mark Martin. He's had an exceptional -- some would say precious -- year, but he's obviously bummed about coming so far and falling short yet again. Still, he shouldn't be discouraged by what has been an exceptional season, and he should use these last three weeks as a way to roll into 2010.

Our pick to win: Denny Hamlin. He's had an up-and-down Chase, and since last week was a serious "down," this week has to be an "up," right? It's all deck-chairs-on-the-Titanic now anyway, but I'm thinking that Hamlin is going to be a serious Chase challenger when ... well, when Jimmie retires.

All right, you're up. Who's your pick for this weekend? Go!

The Lowdown.
Cal is a bit of a unique critter when it comes to tailgating, in that there's not a lot of traditional tailgating happening at all. The stadium is situated right in Berkeley; there are no massive parking lots and no fleets of RVs with grills on their trailer hitches streaming in on Thursday afternoons. If you're looking to make new friends, you'll find tailgaters in bars around town (none of which are remotely close to the stadium), frat houses and wherever someone can scare up a patch of green space. For a school whose geography makes standard mob revelry kind of impossible, though, they do know how to throw a party. I've been three times in the last three years and can remember very little from any of those trips, so they're doing something right.

If you're smart, you won't even get near campus with your car. We promise you don't have the booster cred to drive anywhere near the stadium, so be smart and take the BART train in or get your student buddies to pick you up and ferry you in to the action. Don't bother trying to find a street space in the residential areas, either; fines often double on football Saturdays. And please note: Wherever you land, you're going to be walking, a lot, and there are seemingly nothing but hills on this campus. Leave the stilettos in the closet. There are gameday trolleys around, but they're slow and crowded. Hoofing it is your best bet, and a fine way to work off the many delicious microbrews you'll be plied with.

Music follows you in some form everywhere you go in Berkeley. The Cal Band sings, plays, and dances its way across campus (stopping at one point to scream at a library for reasons that are unfathomable to visitors, but it's highly entertaining nonetheless). You'll also meet wandering bands of a capella singers serenading picnickers wherever the mood strikes them:

The music doesn't stop there. The student section at Cal has a hive mind like no other, and their precision can be seriously intimidating despite the relatively low volume levels in the stadium. If this sounds like too much, you can always catch the game from Tightwad Hill overlooking the field.

What To Wear.
Fly casual, and wear something you don't mind getting snagged on ancient stadium seats or a tree branch. Berkeley has nice warm football weather year-round. But whatever you do, don't wear anything red, lest the aforementioned organizational powers of the student section focus on destroying you. Cal has what one of our Bear correspondents calls "A great history of attacking opposing team mascots," so you don't want to be rocking anything that could possibly identify you with, say, the Stanford Tree. (Pieces of its 1996 costume are still on display in fraternities.)

Pregame Stops.
• Henry's, 2600 Durant Avenue. Located in the Hotel Durant, stop here for hangover breakfast.
• Bear's Lair, 2475 Bancroft Way. This is the campus sports bar on Lower Sproul Plaza, a favorite hangout of students, faculty, and alumni alike that gets absolutely mobbed on game days. Stop in for some pizza, beer, and scores of interest if you can get in the door.
• Top Dog, 2534 Durant Avenue. If you find yourself craving when you get back home, this Cal institution also peddles its wares by mail order.

Postgame Stops.
• Jupiter, 2181 Shattuck Avenue. Brewpub built in a converted stable filled with church pews, eerie ambience, good beer.
• Berkeley Karaoke, 2284 Shattuck Avenue. I once saw a men's choir take over the mic for "Rock of Ages," and I'm not sure I've ever recovered.
• Pyramid Brewery, 901 Gilman Street. A little ways out from campus, but if you're at loose ends on Sunday stop by for a tour.

What To Drink.
While Cal doesn't have its own signature cocktail (as with Oregon, we recommend a local microbrew or some Pyramid Apricot Ale), it does get to boast its own official signature drinking song:

Dressing up to mock-vomit: This is our kind of party.

- - -
Thanks this week to the crackerjack staff and readers of California Golden Blogs.
Holly welcomes your adulation and veiled threats at nastinchka-at-yahoo, etc.

• Hangin' with Rickie Fowler. Rickie is my homeboy; is he yours too? He will be soon... [Wei Under Par]

• While you were sleeping, Tiger Woods grabbed himself a share of the HSBC Champions lead, along with Nick Watney. (You slacker.) One stroke back? Phil Mickelson. Yeah, buddy! [Golf Digest]

• Great headline: "Franco flops in Franco at Franco." Carlos Franco shot a 79 in the Carlos Franco Invitational, held at -- yep -- Carlos Franco Country and Golf Club. Nice! [Local Knowledge]

• Gary Player isn't just a champion golfer; he's also a horse breeder. Yes, he is one of the coolest men alive. [LA Times]

• Kevin Streelman is about to get a $1 million check for winning the Kodak Challenge. That rainout at the Viking pretty much washed out anybody's chances of catching him in the season-long best-18-holes tourney. [CBS Sports]

• Inside the mechanics of filling the field with sponsor exemptions at the final full-field event of the season. Good reading. [Golf Channel]

Got a link/tip? Hit us up at jay.busbee@yahoo.com and follow us on Twitter.

Frank Isola, New York Daily News: "LeBron James, the most famous Yankees fan living in Ohio, says he will not be attending Friday's victory parade in lower Manhattan. 'No, my parade starts at eight at night,' LeBron told Cleveland reporters, referring to Friday's game with the Knicks. James makes his one and only visit to New York on Friday (of course, his official visit is July 1st when he is scheduled to become a free agent.) 'I've thought about playing everywhere,' James said prior to Thursday's game with Chicago. 'At one point in my life, I've thought about playing every team in the NBA.' James did admit that the league would be better off if the Knicks were a contending team. [...] 'I think the league is doing just fine, but with the Knicks being good, the Celtics being good, the Lakers being good, it makes the league that much better. I'm talking as a fan now, please understand.'"

Ailene Voisin, Sac Bee: "Kevin Martin leaned against the wall in the Kings' practice facility Thursday afternoon, still very much in shock, his damaged left wrist dangling at his side. Hours earlier, an MRI revealed that the league's third-leading scorer — and the Kings' best player — sustained a hairline fracture Monday night in a collision with the Memphis Grizzlies' Allen Iverson(notes). Martin was presented with three options, all of them terrible: He can wear a soft cast and attempt to play, risking further injury and possibly a complete break. He can undergo surgery and have a screw inserted to stabilize the bone, with recovery projected at six to eight weeks. Or he can have the arm casted and hope that the wrist heals itself during a comparable six- to eight-week rehabilitation period."

Kevin Ding, OC Register: "[Ron] Artest said his former Rockets teammates were 'definitely trying to get me ejected' by throwing elbows at him, and he acknowledged he might've indulged the notion if not for a little NBA commissioner/angel appearing on his shoulder. A jolt from Ariza just minutes into the game — after Artest said Luis Scola(notes) already threw one — nearly sent Artest, suspended 72 games by Stern in 2004, back into arrest. 'I wanted to (choke Ariza) because he hit me with the elbow,' Artest said. 'But then I thought about David Stern, and I thought I wasn't going to do this. I got hit with three or four elbows. It's just not fair. I don't want to fight.' Did I clearly articulate that Artest did think about it, though? Let me clarify: He mentioned that he thought in the moment how certain he was that he was stronger than Ariza and contemplated his interest in making someone his 'punching bag.' Yet with Kobe Bryant(notes) interceding and shepherding Artest away, the match didn't light - and Artest was able to joke (I think he was joking) about it all."

Jeff McDonald, S.A. Express-News: "If the new, more collapsible rims introduced before the start of the season are really creating more so-called 'shooter's rolls,' the Spurs haven't noticed. Quietly, the NBA switched manufacturers to bring about the most significant change in that piece of equipment since the advent of breakaway rims in 1981. The new basket system, made by Spalding and called the 'Arena Pro 180 Goal,' collapse from both the front and sides. In the past, breakaway rims have collapsed only from the front. Some shooters report the change has made the rims more forgiving for shooters, deadening shots that used to bounce out. And scoring is up early across the league. Asked about the change before Thursday's game at Utah, coach Gregg Popovich has he hadn't heard anything about it. Neither had many of his players. 'I didn't know,' Roger Mason(notes) Jr. said. 'I really have noticed anything different.'"

Michael Wallace, Miami Herald: "Might I suggest three words to those who have clearly drawn lines and are firmly on one side or the other in this Michael Beasley(notes)/Udonis Haslem debate. Pipe down. Please. Don't get me wrong. Passion this time of year, just two weeks into the NBA season? Perfect. But outright rage in some corners after just five games? Ridiculous. Here the Heat sits, off to a solid 4-1 start entering Friday's game against the Denver Nuggets. And here many in Heat nation stand, picking apart who sits in crunch time at the end of games. While coach Erik Spoelstra's rotation decisions cost him in Tuesday's loss to Phoenix, there was no price to be paid Wednesday in Washington."

Chris Dempsey, Denver Post: "Everyone who watched Ty Lawson(notes) blow by defenders, sprint the ball upcourt and hit 3-pointers that New Jersey's defense conceded in order to keep him out of the lane came away impressed. And a scene that is sure to be repeated this season followed the Nuggets' Wednesday night blowout victory. Denver coach George Karl was peppered with questions about his rookie point guard from a media contingent that seemed shocked at what it witnessed. Odd, because Lawson led North Carolina to the NCAA title a year ago. But Lawson figures to turn heads all season long in his NBA debut, including that of his coach, who detests the reputation he has for not playing rookies, although three weeks ago he defended his right not to play Lawson. 'Just remember, there's not a lot of rookies that have helped teams win 55-60 games,' Karl said then. 'Our job is probably to win 55-60 games this year. There's a difference between being good and being a player that produces winning. There are players that are good but don't know how to win in the NBA, and rookies are usually a lot of those guys.'"

Marc Stein, ESPN: "It's been about a week since we had any certifiable chatter to pass along on the Stephen Jackson(notes) trade front. That's not because the Warriors have slowed the search for trade partners — to the contrary — but because the most interested parties (Cleveland and Denver) are generally high-payroll teams that can't easily absorb Jackson's long-term contract. The Cavs and the Nuggets, furthermore, just aren't teeming with tradeable (and available) assets to hook Golden State. What we can confirm, though, is that Charlotte has to be mentioned more prominently on the list of interested suitors. We've briefly noted the Bobcats' interest in a couple of previous entries, but further checking reveals that the Bobs have seriously explored the prospect of trading for Jackson, apparently undaunted by the fact that they weren't mentioned when Jackson announced late in the summer that he wanted to be dealt to Cleveland, New York or one of the three Texas teams."

John Canzano, The Oregonian: "Blazers front office executives talk positively about their mandatory team-building experience. And maybe they're slapping backs and working more efficiently because they went on desert hikes, climbed walls and sat around afterward talking about what it was like to overcome obstacles together. There's real value in bringing people together. We all know that. And the Blazers understand that better than most professional sports organizations that haven't navigated the field of broken glass that lies behind this franchise. Sure, fans are concerned about the 2-3 start. The Spurs are next. And we're coming to the realization that the expectations for the team weren't out of whack, but the circumstances certainly were. If Miller and Roy are still struggling to play together in December, you can start talking trade of the new guy. And if McMillan continues to dabble in a way that prevents the Blazers from finding comfort, we can begin the dialogue about whether he's the right coach to lead the team into the future. But all that talk today is insanely premature. It makes you want to climb a pole and jump off it."

Jeff Rabjohns, The Indianapolis Star: "Ten years after Conseco Fieldhouse opened its doors, this shrine to Indiana basketball — part museum, part arena — remains one of the most revered basketball venues in the nation and has altered the idea of what an NBA arena should be. The retro-styled home of the Indiana Pacers — a modern venue soaked in history — has influenced other teams to rethink nondescript multipurpose buildings and embrace designs tied to basketball's past. Charlotte, Dallas, Memphis and San Antonio are among franchises that modeled specific elements of their new arenas after what they saw at Conseco. New Jersey, which has a new arena in the works, also is aiming in that direction."

With the World Series win in the bag, New York's late night television shows wasted no time in appropriating some of the Yankees stars for a ratings boost like the one Fox received. 

A couple of the clips from Thursday night are below and if you're a Yankees fan who can't get enough (or a non-Yankee fan who's already cringing) don't worry: This is only the start.  

* * *

Here's a highlight reel of Derek Jeter(notes), Andy Pettitte(notes), Jorge Posada(notes) and Hideki Matsui(notes) stopping by Letterman on Thursday night. Extra points to Jeter for being the only guy cool enough  to make fun of Dave's love life (besides Dave himself, of course) and also for the band's rendition of Blue Oyster Cult's Godzilla. For the full version, see parts 1, 2 and 3

* * *

Daily Show host Jon Stewart is a big Mets fan, but that didn't stop him from opening Thursday night's show by offering his heartfelt congratulations to the Yankees. 

Joba Chamberlain(notes) hugging his dad may have been one of the best World Series moments, but Joba Chamberlain appearing on Jimmy Fallon's show is definitely one of the worst. On an awkward scale of 1 to Michael Scott, this one is a nine. The show's writers are aware they're expected to provide jokes for their guests to tell, aren't they?

The Royal Half reports that some enterprising Los Angeles Kings fan decided to once again turn the porcelain spotlight on Sidney Crosby(notes) during last night's 5-2 Kings victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins:

Allusion to diving? Check. Infant iconography? Check. We're always amazed at the level of intense thought that goes into something as frivolous as this; the notion that this guy and D.C.'s infamous propagator of "Pee-Pics" actually take the time to laminate their creations is as laudable as it is disturbing.

(This bicoastal work couldn't be from the same steady hand, could it? Jokes about diving and crying just seem beneath the comic genius that gave the world "I'm Thirsty" at a Washington Capitals home game.)

We're probably not alone in saying that Crosby's performance in the playoffs last season impressed the hell out of us, not only from a numbers perspective but with his toughness in going to the net. Despite that, the mold for mockery has been cast for NHL fans and old memes die hard; perhaps that's why some in the Pittsburgh media are calling for a rebranding of Crosby's nickname.

He may have been golden last night in LA, but he gave Penguins fans the silver last summer -- as The Royal Half was reminded after the Kings' win:

As we exited the Staples Center he said to us... "it's not like the Penguins aren't going to make the playoffs." And as we stood on a street corner with Pens fans, decked out in Penguin wear, a car drove by and said "Screw Pittsburgh!" When I repeated what the car had screamed out... one of the Pens fans looked at me and said "I couldn't hear him because our Stanley Cup rings are clogging my ears." I smiled at the dude and had the horrible pangs of jealousy fill my body. Goddamn I hope I can use that line one day.

Hey, stealing jokes from Patrick Roy isn't a sign of greatness. Finding Anze Kopitar's(notes) face circling a urinal drain ... now that's when you've arrived.

Cincinnati's Mick Cronin was in a position to take a gamble. Yesterday, the gamble paid off: Stephenson was cleared to play by the NCAA and will miss no games. Cronin confirmed Stephenson's status with a simple text message: "Clear. No games." (Good thing reporters can read between the lines. A little more detail, coach?)

Of course, this is not to say that Stephenson's troubles are over, or that Cronin's gamble is over. Stephenson has only just begun his career. As we've learned from numerous recent one-and-done players (which Stephenson could be; he's that talented, though he isn't thought of too highly by draftniks yet), oftentimes the troubles come after the player's already packed his bags for the NBA. Or maybe Stephenson hits a rough patch and gets pouty, the sort of thing he's been criticized for before. Anything could happen; there's a reason elite programs didn't roll these dice.

But Mick Cronin did. So far, it's snake eyes, or whatever a good roll is when you play dice. I'm not really sure. I don't throw bones very often. The point is that Cronin has done well here so far. Now comes the easy part: playing basketball.