Back by popular demand, we bring you another edition of Weekly Rumors.  Once again we are going to spill the beans on all the things we’ve been hearing around the sports world. Take it or leave it, remember that these are just rumors. Don’t ask for the source, we won’t tell you, just know that we heard it at some point from someone, somewhere..out there…beneath the pale moonlight.

Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald is a inspiration to ball boys everywhere.

Larry Fitzgerald New Spokesman – Larry Fitzgerald has been the subject of many articles the past couple of weeks leading up to the Super Bowl. Fitzgerald got to rub shoulders with one of his childhood heroes when he was a teenager. The hero was Cris Carter, one of the greatest recievers in NFL history. Fitzgerald found himself in the fortunate situation of  rubbing shoulder because he was a ball boy for the Minnesota Vikings. Seeing an opportunity to get it’s name out there, the NAABB (National Associtation for the Advancement of Ball Boys) nabbed Fitzgerald as their new promoter. Be advised that the NAABB is in the process of changing it’s name to the NAABP (National Association for the Advancement of Ball People). The NAABB is sensitive to the matter that not all people that manage balls are boys, but also men, girls, and women.

NBA to Use Performance Pay – Many people were not blessed with the ability to be tall and play professional basketball. For those poeple, earning a paycheck is laregley based on performance. Being sympathetic to the hard working people of America, the players union of the NBA has approved a performance pay system for players. Scoring points will not be a point of emphasis, otherwise teams would fight amongst themselves for the ball and players on the Los Angeles Lakers would welcome trade offers for Kobe Bryant. Categories have been arranged into two groups, ones that will deduct pay and ones that will increase pay. Statisitcs that will dock players’ pay will be turnovers, missed shots, technical fouls, and flopping (nobody liked to see a grown man act like a wimpy school girl). Assists, blocks, steals, and field goals and not wearing headbands upside-down or backwards will result in a little extra compensation.

What does Groundhog Day have to do with sports? If MLB has anything to do with it, then it will be something.

Groundhog to Dictate Spring Training  -Punxsutawney Phil has quite the reputation, the only animal that can predict the length of winter based on if he can see his shadow or not. Starting this year, Phil will also decide the start of Major League Baseball’s Spring Training. Usually pitchers and catchers will report ro camp in mid-February, and the skill position players (You know??? Because pitchers and catchers don’t have skills..) report a week later. If Phil sees his shadow then the first players won’t report until mid-March, a welcome change to players wanting another month of vacation. MLB remained silent when questioned on this new decision, but skeptics believe it is related to MLB trying to reach out to animal activists groups by respecting their opinions (the animals of course).

Roger Clemens to be Found Innocent – The Roger Clemens steroids scandal has been extremely long and drawn out. There is so much incriminating evidence of Clemens’ actions, from medical papers to actually needles used to inject steroids into Clemens’ body. Through the hearings, Clemens has done nothing to paint a picture of innocence. He has lost a lot of fans and exposed them to the harsh reality of steroids in baseball. Barry Bonds could definitely lend a should to cry on and tell Roger, “it’s okay, I know how you feel man.” However, Clemens will be found innocent and this case will be dismissed. With exception to Pete Rose, there are only a handful of professional athletes that have been properly punished for foolish actions. This will be a case of “the bloddy glove doesn’t fit,” as Clemens walks away from the public eye like O.J. did, an “innocent” and free man.

This past week officially marked the half-way point of the regular season. It’s all downhill from here until the playoffs. Get used to hearing the phrase, “If the playoffs started today, here would be the eight teams in.” Milwaukee Bucks’ star Michael Redd tore his ACL over the weekend and is out for the season as his team holds onto the #8 spot. With Redd out, the door has been opened for the New Jersey Nets and the New York Knicks (both with losing records) to possibly slip in. In the jam-packed Western Conference, The Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and Portland Trailblazers are all battling for a spot in the final four. This week’s grades go solely out to players based on their performance the first half of the season. There are so many grades to give out, but we’ll just spotlight one player for each grade.

Danny Granger is becoming more and more of a household name with his play this year.

A - Danny Granger – Sure he plays for a bad team, but lots of good players get lost while playing for poor teams. Danny Granger was an unknown coming into the NBA, playing his college ball at the University of New Mexico. Granger has stepped up for the Indiana Pacers and has far exceeded expectations. Granger is most comparable to Tracy McGrady in his pre-injured every other game days while playing in Toronto and Orlando. For now we’ll call him a “poor man’s T-Mac.” In his third year, Granger is averaging 26 points per game and doing damage in the paint and on the perimeter with his outside shot. Once Granger lands with a good team, look for him to rise as a  recognized star in this league the next few years.

B – Paul Millsap - The Jazz took a chance on a guy from Louisiana Tech over 20 years ago and it paid off. I think it would be safe to say that Karl Malone had a pretty good career. Three years ago the Jazz tapped another power forward from Louisianna Tech with their second round draft pick and he’s paying huge dividends. With Carlos Boozer once again riding the pine injured for the Jazz (he’s spent over a third of his NBA career injured), Paul Millsap has emerged as a star on an injury-riddled Jazz team this year and has helped them stay in the Playoff chase. At one point in the season, Millsap tied the NBA record for most consecutive double-doubles. Don’t be surprised if the Jazz offer Millsap a bigger contract than Boozer in the off-season. On a side note, can someone please explain to me why Louisiana Tech is in the Western Athletic Conference?

C – Derrick Rose – Before the ’08 Draft, the buzz was on whether the Chicago Bulls would take Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose, they took Rose and I doubt there are many people in Chicago that would complain. While the Bulls do have a losing record, it could be much worse without Rose. Much like Chris Paul and Brandon Roy in their rookie seasons, Rose has been able to emerge as a leader for his team and has been the person trusted with the ball when the game is close. As soon as the Bulls unload a few shooting guards off their team and get some height, they will improve vastly.   

D – Tracy McGrady - Tracy McGrady had been in the MVP race the past few years, but this season he has never been so far from looking like an MVP. The Houston Rockets picked up Ron Artest in the off-season to add to the several solid players the Rockets already have. Much like the Jazz, the Rockets have hardly played a game with a full roster. McGrady has been one of the oft-injured players and when he does play he is only averaging 15 points per game. The Rockets have survived with McGrady out, but as soon as McGrady steps up and shakes off his injuries, the Rockets may finally play like the championship-caliber team that many thought they would be in the pre-season.

F – Elton Brand - Elton Brand signed with the Philadelphia 76ers over the summer and was supposed to be the missing piece for a team that made a surprising run in last year’s Playoffs. The 76ers started sluggish but have been streaking lately and are back to .500. That doesn’t seem that great for a team with such high expectations, but Brand was part of the team that dug the hole so deep and was injured while the team dug themselves back out. Surprisingly, the 76ers are a better team without him (when you consider wins and losses only). For being the highest paid player on Philly’s roster, Brand has not proven to people why he deserved such a huge contract when he was coming off an injury plagued season with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Steelers WR Hines Ward was the MVP in their last Super Bowl and will play despite his injury this year.

The Arizona Cardinals may be the team on a bigger roll with a more innovative offense, but they haven’t played in a Super Bowl. Cardnals quarterback Kurt Warner has won a Super Bowl, but so has Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger…along with over half of the players on the Steelers roster. While this is the Cardinals first Super Bowl, the Steelers have won five. There is no question that when it comes to experience in this big game, the Steelers are leaps and bounds ahead of the Cardinals. Luckily for the Cardinals, experience isn’t all that matters,

When the Steelers won Super Bowl XL, they were playing for Bill Cowher, their head coach in his last year. Roethlisberger had the worst game a quarterback had ever had in a Super Bowl with a quarterback rating just over 22, but he won and became the second youngest quareterback ever to win the big game.  Also, the Steelers were outgained, lost the turnover battle, and were benefactors of a lot of questionable calls. One more thing to be noted is the Steelers offensive coordinator in that Super Bowl, Ken Whisenhunt, the current coach of the Cardinals. Don’t think that Cardinals won’t know a thing or two about what to expect from the Steelers.

Much like every other game in the playoffs so far, this game really is a toss-up. The Steelers and Cardinals could not be any more opposite. The Cardinals rank in the top five on offense and are one of the worst ranked defenses. The Steelers are one of the worst offenses but the number one defense. Most would tend to think that in a big game, the defense is usually the one to stand up and that the offenses are the ones that sputter. The Steelers have been steadily mediocre on offense throughout the playoffs and consistently stellar on defense. The Cardinals have carried their same offensive power into the playoffs, but have also shown some tremendous improvements on the defensive side of the ball. Roethlisberger will be the wild-card in this game, if he can step up and make some plays then the Cardinals will be on their heels the whole game. Don’t expect the Cardinals high octane offense to run so smooth if they are constantly playing from behind. Their really isn’t much more analysis that needs to be done on this game, they just need to go out and play the game. Let’s all hope that some businesses not going under will have enough money to give us some entertaining commercials.

Arizona head coach Kent Whisenhunt has brought a new identity to the Cardinals--a contender

It was only a matter of weeks ago that the Arizona Cardinals clinched their division, which really didn’t surprise anyone. The Cardinals play in perhaps the worst division in the NFL. The Cardinals had to slug it out with juggernauts such as the San Francisco 49ers (7-9…which is actually a dramatic improvement for the 49ers, but still sub-par), Seattle Seahawks (4-12), and St. Louis Rams (2-14). Their division is so bad that every one of their teams lost their head coaches to retirement or to just stinking, the Cardinals had no choice but to take the division crown. The Cardinals followed up their division clinching game by traveling to New England and having the Patriots clip their wings.

If there is one thing that we all know (or should know by now), it’s that the #1 seeds in each conference don’t always make it to the Super Bowl. As a matter of fact, the last time two #1 seeds met was in 1993 when the Dallas Cowboys beat the Buffalo Bills. So, building on that, it is the teams that get hot that get to the Super Bowl. As bad as the Cardinals were when they limped into the playoffs, they got hot. Just like the New York Giants last year, Arizona got some swagger and put away the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers on the road, and the Philadelphia Eagles. Kurt Warner and company have done what the skeptics have kept telling them they couldn’t. How could you blame everyone for doubting them? They are the Cardinals after all, until this post-season the best thing they had going for them was an awesome stadium with the retractable field.

No doubt the Cardinals are ecstatic to be in the Super Bowl, but the question still remains, is it good for the Super Bowl to have the Arizona Cardinals? Will the Pittsburgh Steelers embarrass Arizona in the first half and shift viewers attention away from football and toward the commercials, or will Arizona keep it close? Last year was the most viewed Super Bowl ever, so they are already looking at a decrease in their TV audience. In my opinion, the Cardinals have a great chance to beat the Pittsburgh. Warner isn’t exactly leading “The Greatest Show on Turf,” nor is he in his prime anymore, but he has a lot of weapons and they think they are a greater show on turf. Thinking they are that good is half the battle, I think they are just a Marshall Faulk short.

The Orlando Magic continue to rise in stock. In the past week the Magic have beaten three division leaders and pulled ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers by two in the win column. Speaking of Cleveland, the Cavs have won their first 20 games of the season at home. If they can continue that dominance, I’ll know who to take going to the Finals in the East. Even with their tremendous performances this past week, the Magic and Cavs are nowhere to be seen on this week’s report card:

OKC forward Kevin Durant is finally giving Thunder fans something to clap about this year.

A - The Thunder’s Surge - In a season where records for most wins has been a hot topic, the Oklahoma City Thunder were a hot topic surrounding fewest wins in NBA history. They were as close to earning an “A” on our report card as Charles Barkley is to becoming sober. Through their first 33 games, the Thunder won three, not the best recipe to sell tickets in an expansion market. In the gutter, where it could have been so easy to just die as everyone expected them, the Thunder have won five of their last nine games. In this streak the Thunder have had wins against the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz, and Detroit Pistons. The Thunder aren’t out of the clear yet, if they lose every game the rest of the year then they will still break the record.

B – The Nuggets Resilience - It was just a few years ago that the Denver Nuggets made the a blockbuster move to get Allen Iverson. There were many that thought with the combination of A.I. and Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets had a imminent Championship in their future. Fast forward to present day, the Nuggets traded A.I. to the Detroit Pistons for Chauncey Billups, apparently A.I. wasn’t “The Answer.” ‘Melo and A.I. lacked chemistry, all they did was contend with each other for who could score the most points. After ‘Melo broke his right hand earlier this month, the outlook was bleak at best for the Nuggets, but the Nuggets have won three of their last five, all of them against playoff teams. For the first time in a while, the Nuggets will be a force to be reckoned with once ‘Melo returns.

C – The 76ers Rebounding - With Elton Brand in street clothes, the player that was supposed to help them get over the hump, the Philadelphia 76ers won their seventh straight game on Saturday. For the first time in two months, the 76ers are at .500 with a 20-20 record almost halfway through the season. Veteran point guard Andre Miller and superstar Andre Iguodala are the main reason for the improvement as of late, but maybe it has to do with them firing former head coach Maurice Cheeks. Whatever the reason, the 76ers are slowly molding into the team that is fighting for their lives every game that nobody wants to play. Once Brand returns from his separated shoulder, we’ll see if he helps the team or has an “A.I.” effect on them.

D – Trailblazer Temper Tantrums - Back in 2004, the Portland Trailblazers signed Darius Miles to a six-year contract only to waive him in 2008 after not completely healing from microfracture surgery. Under the NBA collective bargaining agreement, if Miles was to play more than 10 games with another team this year, the Blazers would have to pay the remaining $18 million on Miles’ contract. Miles played in eight games earlier this year with the Boston Celtics before being waived. With the Memphis Grizzlies showing interest in Miles and offering him another 10-game contract, the Blazers sent out an email to the other 29 teams in the NBA threatening legal action if someone signed Miles. The Grizzlies signed Miles, he has played in two games thus far completing the 10-game minimum, and now the Blazers are stuck with paying $18 million, maybe that’s the legal action the Blazers were talking about. It wasn’t a threat after all, it was a promise.

F – Mark Cuban’s Behavior - Mark Cuban is a passionate owner, he loves his team and really cares. However; in all of this passion and caring he comes off as one of those bad parents at their child’s soccer game shouting obscenities at the referees and trash talking little kids on the opposing team. And much like the children of such parents, you have to believe the Dallas Mavericks are embarrassed of their owner. This past week Cuban got into a spat with J.R. Smith of the Nuggets because Smith was apparently throwing elbows. Cuban was fined $25,000, and is planning on donating the money. I’ve heard he’s donating it to his own charity: Mark Cuban’s Future Athletes Foundation – “Equipping Tomorrow’s Athletes With an Attitude and a Mouth to Match!”

Ed Reed is the most important part of the Ravens defense, not Ray Lewis.

If you had the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Arizona Cardinals, and Philadelphia Eagles as your final four teams and have put money on it, you might as well retire right now. The roads that each of those four teams have taken are each filled with twists and unlikely turns.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are the the only team that we saw being a Super Bowl contender, they had a tough defense all season long and and offense that did just enough to win. When quarterback Ben Roethlisberger went down with a concussion the last game of the season, there was a sense of panic in the Steel City. It’s a good thing the Steelers had a first round bye or else they might not be in the position they are in right now. The Baltimore Ravens also had a tough defense, but a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback from the University of Delaware raised some eyebrows of the Ravens chance to be successful this year. Head coach John Harbaugh and QB Joe Flacco were both nothing short of amazing in guiding the Ravens to the AFC Championship Game. The Arizona Cardinals were simply the Cardinals, the team that always stinks and nobody expects to win. The fact that they not only won their Wild-Card game at home, but also went on the road and stunned the Carolina Panthers is enough reason to believe that these Cardinals could make it to the Super Bowl. Finally, the Philadelphia Eagles, the most unlikely road of all. Because of the “1″ in their tie column, the Eagles needed a lot of help the last week of the season, and they got it! Not only did the team in front of them lose, but the Eagles also held up their end of the bargain by spanking the Dallas Cowboys at home. Fresh off their second win in the Meadowlands this year, humbling the former Super Bowl Champions, there is no reason to doubt the Eagles can make it back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2005. All the teams left have proven they can win at home and on the road, so location means nothing in this weeks Championship games. Location, however,  may impact the outcome of this week’s games. Pittsburgh is expecting six inches of snow at kickoff and cold weather while Tempe will be sunny and beautiful.

Last year was the most watched Super Bowl in NFL history, despite the intrigue of all the teams trying to make it this year, more people might be watching this year’s game for the commercials and not the football. With the economy struggling, it’s yet to be seen which companies are able to fork out millions for 30-second commercial spots. Maybe this is the year that we are spared from another horrible “Go-Daddy” commercial! Expert picks have meant very little this post-season, ESPN NFL experts were 0-4 last week, JIB Sports was 1-3. This year’s Super Bowl will not showcase two bird teams, or two Pennsylvania teams. When we give you are pick, think of reverse psychology, this year’s Super Bowl will showcase the Baltimore Ravens and the Philadelphia Eagles.

College football has a couple of weeks where the top teams have “scrimmage” against less than competitive opponents. In college basketball there are several weeks of such “scrimmages.” If you haven’t paid much attention to college hoops until now, you are probably in good company. With college basketball having a top 25, but lacking a BCS system, it makes it less critical for teams to win every game in front of them on their schedule. Although taking the season as a whole in considerstion when filling out your March Madness brackett, you really only need to pay attention to the conference tournaments at the end of the season and who’s hot to fill out a fairly decent brackett. In the end though, the office idiot always seems to be the one that wins. You know what I’m talking about, the person that fills out their brackett acording to mascots, colors, or schools they have actually heard of??? It happens all the time, but for those of us that truly enjoy the excitement and passion of college basketball, you need to catch the action now. If your devotion to college basketball has been lacking so far this season, here are a few things you might have missed:

North Carolina is the most talented individually, but are they the #1 team?

(1) Oklahoma is Good in Basketball Too – The Sooners just completed another successfull football season, losing in the BCS National Title Game and finishing #5 in the nation. Backed by sophomore phenom Blake Griffin, the Sooner basketball team is also ranked #5 in the nation. Averaging 22 points and 13 rebounds per game, the Sooners better make the best of this year because all things are pointing towards Griffin entering the NBA Draft this summer. I wouldn’t call the Sooners “the new Jayhawks,” but they are having a great season so far.

(2) UNC Off to a Slow Start – The Tar Heels fell short of a National Title last year, but all the players committed to coming back for another year (including Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough…who also just barely became the leading scorer in North Carolina history). The Tar Heels slipped up last week losing to Boston College at home and then lost to Wake Forest this week. They should be fine with their loss to Wake Forest, who are #3 in the nation, but their loss to BC might not sit as nicely with them because BC followed their schlacking of the Tar Heels by losing to Harvard. No, that wasn’t a typo, Harvard has a basketball team and BC lost to them at home.

(3) The Big East is Pretty Good – For being so horrible in football, the Big East Conference more than makes up for it in basketball. Not only is Pittsburgh the current #1 team in the land, but there are seven other teams that are currently ranked in the top 25. Now that we are getting into the nitty gritty of conference play, I wouldn’t suspect this to be the case at the end of the season, but it is impressive. The Big East will become victim of Donner Party Syndrome, a.k.a conference cannibalism.

They are all smiles in Cleveland and hiding their heads between their legs in Boston. Meanwhile, everyone in the West is holding their breath as every win and every loss changes the experts opinions on who stands a chance against the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs. After another week of action, some people are getting some grades, no gold stars this week though. 

Yes, those are the Cleveland Cavaliers, and they are #1 in the East.

A - The New King(s) in the East – “The King” LeBron James now needs to share his title with the rest of his team, for the time being. The Cleveland Cavaliers have been so close for so many years, even when they went to the 2006 NBA Finals nobody outside of Ohio thought they actually had a chance to win. With LeBron playing out of his mind, he is putting up big numbers and making his teammates better. The Cavs are on track to set the record for most throwback jerseys worn in a single season. They have more jerseys in their lockers then high school girls have mini-skirts in their closet.

B – The Western Conference - This year has been a coming out party for a few Eastern Conference teams, so much that some say that the East has surpassed the West. Although the East has arguably three of the top four teams right now, top to bottom the West is superior. Much like last year, the Western Conference is stacked with stellar teams. The Lakers are all alone in the top spot, but only three games separate the second through ninth seeds. In the East you could argue that not every game counts, you can get away with letting a few slip, but not in the West. Once the East has a team with a winning record in their 8th spot, then we can really start debating about which conference is better. 

C – Potential All-Starts Pandoring Votes - We’ve had a healthy dose of politicians graveling for our votes this past fall, now we are getting it from NBA players. Last year Chris Bosh made a video and posted it on his website trying to get the few hundred fans in Canada and thousands everywhere else to vote for him to make the All-Star team. Now several other players, including Amar’e Stoudemire, are following suite. I don’t think these players have mastered the thought process of NBA fans. Fans will vote for players that play for their local team, are from their local area, or ones that they just enjoy watching. Nobody takes the time to watch “campaign videos” and subsequently vote for you, especially if the videos are as corny as children sitcoms on the Disney Channel.

D – Chuck’s Alcohol Problem - Charles Barkley loves to be the center of attention. Whether it’s throwing poeple through bar windows, kissing Dick Bavetta on national television, making his gambling problem public, or showboating on the set of “NBA on TNT,” Charles relishes the spotlight. Like a kid starved for attention, Charles went out and did something drastic to take the spotlight, he got pulled over driving under the influence in Scottsdale, Arizona. The legal limit in Arizona is .08, Sir Charles had a blood alcohol level of .149. Where was Kenny Smith when Charles needed a designated driver? Probably gone fishin’. What about Charles’ “Fave 5?” I don’t think he has any, talk about false advertising…

F – The Formerly Historic Celtics - What happened to the Boston Celtics was in no way a Christmas miracle. If you will recall with me, heading into their Christmas day matchup with the Lakers, the Celtics had won 19 straight and were on a historic path to have the most wins in a single season in NBA history. The Celtics lost, no big deal, the Lakers were not that far behind them in wins, but then the Celtics went on to lose six of their next eight. The Celtics can still set the mark of most wins in a single season, now they just have to win 43 straight…

Familiar foes will face off this week’s Divisional Playoff games. We’ve seen every matchup this week sometime during the regular season, and in the case of the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants, this will be their third meeting this year. Their won’t be a lot of surprises, being unprepared is inexcusable, so these games will come down to turnovers and who executes better.

NFC

The Panthers are hoping to return to the Super Bowl.

Saturday, 01/10/09 – Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers – The Carolina Panthers having been trying to maintain the standard set by the 2002-03 Super Bowl Panthers. Although they came close in 2006, they have never had as real of chance as they have this year to return to the Super Bowl. DeAngelo Williams ran for over 1,500 yards this season and rookie Jonathon Stewart added another 800+ yards, giving the Panthers a dangerous running attack that will take pressure off quarterback Jake Delhomme. The Arizona Cardinals are the recipient of playing in a horrible division, but they did have a nice season and an impressive Wild-Card win at home against the Atlanta Falcons last week. Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner threw for almost 1,500 more yards than Delhomme, but he does not have a consistent running game to back him up. The Cardinals didn’t know what to do two weeks ago when they played the New England Patriots in the snow. When they realized they couldn’t throw the ball they just rolled over and played dead, didn’t even attempt to make snow angels… 

Sunday, 01/11/09 – Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants – The Giants better watch themselves, because the Eagles are in the same boat as the they were in last year ( a Wild-Card team that got hot and won three straight road playoff games to get to the Super Bowl). The Eagles are one down and two to go, and the fact that they have already defeated the Giants at the Meadowlands will give them a lot of confidence going into this game. If the Giants offensive line lives up to it’s reputation, then quareterback Eli Manning will have all day to look for someone open that’s not Plaxico Burress. Eli is on the brink of doing what is older brother Peyton has not, win two Super Bowls. For the Eagles sakes, perhaps somebody should sit Donovan McNabb down and explain to him that there are no ties in playoff games (it also wouldn’t hurt to explain to head coach Andy Reid that his grizzly beard does not flatter him).

AFC

Titans RB Lendale White has been called a lot of things, but never "fast."

Saturday, 01/10/09 – Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans – After defeating the Miami Dolphins in Miami, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis pretty much said that the Ravens won because of God. In the grand scheme of things, I really don’t think God cares who wins a football game. I heard Lewis comment this week that God doesn’t love the Tennessee Titans either. Once I see dark clouds and thunder showers solely over the Titans bench, then I might take Lewis’s comments as the gospel truth. Until then, I’ll take the upstart Titans to defeat the Ravens in a true defensive battle. Statistically speaking, the Ravens and Titans are almost identical, but that’s why they play the game! What is most surprising about what this year’s Titans did is that they didn’t do it with Vince Young, they did it with Kerry Collins. For those of you wondering if your cable or satelite transmission is having troubles whenever LenDale White runs the ball, rest assured that he is that slow and your television viewing equipment is fine.

Sunday, 01/11/09 - San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers – Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was lit up the last game of the season and left the game with a concussion. In a game that meant nothing, some might question why Roethlisberger was even in the game. Then again, if he was held out and then started this game slow, then others would question why he didn’t play that last game. What matters now is that he is playing on Sunday and the Steelers are at home, where the only team to beat them was the Colts, who the Chargers sent packing last week. While the Colts had a much improved defense, it didn’t match the toughness and physicality of the Steelers’ defense. Chargers little man Darren Sproles ran wild last week in San Diego, and just might get the starting nod again this week with an ailing LaDainian Tomlinson. The biggest factor in this game will be mother nature, and snow is in the forecast. The Chargers see snow just as often as the Steelers see the Pacific Ocean…

As we turn our calendars to 2009, many of us are making resolutions. For many NBA players, the resoultion is the same, “win some games.” Some are getting better grades than others in accomplishing their reslotions, here are their marks this week:

A – Spurs Recovery From Early Disappearing Act -  The San Antonio Spurs started the year 2-5 and they were left for dead. “Washed up, ” too old,” “past their prime,” I’m sure they heard them all, but they have recovered beutifully and went 20-6 since. Spurs point guard Tony Parker has taken control of his team once again, this past week he had an amazing buzzer beater against the Philadelphia 76ers. The way he hugged Roger Mason after the game-winning shot, I think he’s turned into a desparate househusband.

Tony Parker and the Spurs are looking to give the mighty Lakers a challenge.

B – Devin Harris’ Breakout Season - If Mark Cuban was any good at insider trading, he would have never traded Devin Harris to the New Jersey Nets for Jason Kidd last year. While Kidd is on his last leg doing nothing to help the Dallas Mavericks win, Harris is getting better and winning games for the Nets all by his lonesome. So much can be said about trades after they have played out, but this trade, along with the Shaquille O’Neal for Shawn Marion trades can both be classified as “Things that make you go hmmm…”

C - Mickael Pietrus’ Bout With the Injury Bug - The Orlando Magic’s key addition during the offseason was snatching up versatile guard Mickael Pietrus from the Warriors. Now that they have him, they have a problem with him, he’s always injured. After missing 10 games already this season, he will be out most likely the rest of the year after a dunk against the Detroit Pistons went bad. Pietrus fell on his back and arm, walking away with a broken wrist. In the famous words of every Charlotte Bobcats or Oklahoma City Thunder fan, “There’s always next year.”

D – The Typical L.A. Clippers - After picking up Baron Davis in the offseason, the Clippers were smelling ”contention” in the Western Conference, which is something for them. Only days later, Elton Brand, their key component with Davis, signed with the 76ers. Sitting at 8-25, Davis is actually reminiscing with joy about his days with the Golden State Warriors, who are 10-25. Those two wins that separate the Clippers and Warriors are so close, yet so far away. The Clippers next winnable game isn’t until January 19th against the Minnesota Timberwolves. At least the Clippers can find solace in the fact they aren’t cursed, they are always this bad.

F – Stephon Marbury - For somebody that came up with the idea of cheap basketball shoes (Starbury’s) so every kid could have cool shoes, he sure seems to be a selfish person. He sure punked us all, now we know he sold them so cheap to sell more and make more profit. More of something cheap will usually make more then a few of something expensive, just ask McDonalds or Walmart. After not playing for the New York Knicks all year because of disagreements with management, rumors have surfaced over Marbury being traded to the Boston Celtics. For all the brilliant moves GM Danny Ainge made to assemble a championship team last year, this would be a bonhead move. Let Marbury rot, by his own choice of course.