The team with the better record, playing at home, is an underdog. In their last four games as a home underdog, the Broncos are 4-0. They’ve already defeated Dallas and New England at home – two wins that are looking more impressive each week. Pittsburgh’s hard-hitting safety Ryan Clark isn’t playing. All signs point to a Denver win. We’ll go: Pittsburgh 20, Denver 17. In these photos, Orton wins, though.
Male high-school athletes are 1.4 times likelier to binge drink and 1.3 times likelier to fight, the survey of 13,000 teens nationwide found. And sports for girls are much more positive. Female teen athletes are less likely to fight, smoke, use pot or feel depressed.
Tomorrow: Chess club less likely to drink and fight; cheerleaders more likely to be hot. And yes, that screengrab is from this memorable high school fight that didn’t involve athletes. [NY Post]
Ron Artest vs. Charles Barkley: Here's background - Artest called Barkley overrated last year. Barkley then said Artest had no credibility. "TNT was trying to make me look good, but Charles was trying to make me look bad. They were pointing out a lot of good things I was doing, and Charles totally took my spotlight. He could have picked another time to do that." Then, came this great line from Artest: "What's worse; rapping or driving drunk?" Zing? [Press-Enterprise via CSTB] (8)
Mike Vick has been a non-factor in Philly. Vick isn’t getting an opportunity to run the wildcat or anything else – 2-of-6 passing in six games; 12 carries for 27 yards – and last night on NBC, Tony Dungy speculated that the former Falcons’ star could wind up in Buffalo. Vick turns 30 in the offseason, and presumably could help a team that’s at least close to the playoffs (Buffalo) as opposed to one that is rebuilding (St. Louis, Cleveland). This would mean, of course, that Buffalo is officially the land of NFL reclamation projects (see Terrell Owens). Is this all in an effort to drum up local interest (you know, sell tickets) and keep the team from moving to Canada? [Buffalo News]
MLB Payrolls: The final numbers are in, and the Yankees' payroll ($220 million) was considerably higher than everyone else in the league (No. 2 was the Mets at $141 million). As Murray Chass notes teams ranked 2-3-5 did not make the postseason. This is his subtle way of saying the current system works. Here's a better way to look at it - teams in the bottom third of the league (20-30) rarely make the playoffs, while teams in the top third (1-10) regularly make the playoffs. Cough, salary cap, cough. As a Yankee fan, we find this laughable - the Bombers' payroll equaled that of four teams at the bottom combined: Nationals ($69), Athletics ($61), Pirates ($47), Padres ($43). (102)
John Terry’s wife Toni. Â Who probably did not realize what type of family she was marrying into.
Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United: It was predictable. Fourteen nationalities and hundreds of millions in talent conspired without imagination. The stars bitched and the studs flew in a cynical English kickfest fitting for the lower leagues. The shame was that Chelsea and Man U could not both lose.  Read the rest of this entry »
Larry Johnson: "The Chiefs released running back Larry Johnson on Monday, his first day back from a two-week suspension for conduct detrimental to the team." Landing spots? He's probably too radioactive now, but San Diego might make sense (need a bigger back), Cleveland (he can gay bash with Brady Quinn!) too, and the Eagles still don't have a bullish, short-yardage back. [KC Star] (31)
Remember back before the NFL season began when the NFC North was supposed to be a three-way “battle” between the Vikings, Packers and Bears? After yesterday’s events – the Packers falling to previously winless Tampa Bay and the Bears getting annihilated by Arizona – that kind of talk seems like a distant memory. Green Bay and Chicago both sit at 4-4, and the odds of either team making the playoffs at this point aren’t great. Read the rest of this entry »
LeGarrette Blount: The Oregon running back who has been suspended since September for punching out a Boise State player who ran his mouth, has been reinstated. About damn time. A 1-2 game suspension would have been suffice. Blount hopefully will remain calm on the field, finish strong, and then get drafted into the NFL. [Oregonian] (21)
LeGarrette Blount: The Oregon running back who has been suspended since September for punching out a Boise State player who ran his mouth, has been reinstated. About damn time. A 1-2 game suspension would have been suffice. Blount hopefully will remain calm on the field, finish strong, and then get drafted into the NFL. [Oregonian]
The team with the better record, playing at home, is an underdog. In their last four games as a home underdog, the Broncos are 4-0. They’ve already defeated Dallas and New England at home – two wins that are looking more impressive each week. Pittsburgh’s hard-hitting safety Ryan Clark isn’t playing. All signs point to a Denver win. We’ll go: Pittsburgh 20, Denver 17. In these photos, Orton wins, though.
