The Bowl Game: Give Tim Kurkjian All the Awards

Bennifer. A rookie Patriots quarterback showing flashes of brilliance. Wondering if LeBron James can carry a team into the playoffs. Miami moving closer to the center of the college football world. What year is it? * Urban Meyer is building a culture of accountability. More specifically, a culture for others to be held accountable. * Aaron Rodgers doesn't regret saying he owns the Bears. And he shouldn't. Why apologize for the truth? * Luka Doncic admitted he needs to do better with his fitness. Join the club. * ESPN has Spring Training games scheduled for Feb. 26 on its MLB scoreboard. That's optimism. * Transfer Portal is a great name for a bar in a college town. * Curtis Granderson will make a tremendous manager. He'd make a better commissioner. * Jeremy Strong: giving 120 percent out there. * Tim Kurkjian is a Hall of Famer. What took so long? He's the best in the biz. Perhaps in any biz. Any time spent doing anything other than giving him awards is time wasted. * Mike Woodson and Indiana: that one has to hurt. * Stephen Curry hit six threes against Portland as he chases Ray Allen's career mark. That's an off night for him. *

It's only early December, but this Michigan State basketball team has a Final Four feel. No Emoni Bates. No problem? * The Houston Rockets just became the first team in NBA history to win seven in a row after losing 15 in a row. Could this team actually make the playoffs? * At what point are the Detroit Pistons going to start looking halfway competent? * No one on the face of the Earth predicted DeMar DeRozan would be fourth in scoring average this deep into the season. Or that he'd be averaging 5.5 points more per contest than James Harden. * It might be time to admit the Chicago Bulls are for real. * Patrick Beverley and Anthony Edwards ripped Rudy Gobert and the Utah Jazz after getting their lunch handed to them. That's why we play the games. Wait. Why do we play the games? * Quick. Without looking, take a guess at who is third in PER this season. Take a few more guesses. Because you're just going to keep naming names until I tell you the answer. It's Montrezl Harrell. *

Yasiel Puig is expected to sign with the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO. Dude has had an interesting career. He's the Benjamin Button of baseball players. Doing things in reverse order. * To anyone who would say Home Alone isn't a Christmas movie: seek help. Immediately. * More than 40 camels have been disqualified from Saudi Arabia's beauty pageant for receiving Botox injections and other cosmetic enhancements. They must be crushed. Plying multiple camels with performance-enhancing drugs. If that's not what sports are all about, I'm not sure what is. * Evan Fournier said he ate a bad steak in San Antonio that stayed with him for a few days. Tale as old as time. * Trevor Lawrence is lobbying for James Robinson to play more after recent benchings. Not a good sign. * ESPN's Matthew Berry wrote Crocodile Dundee 3. People forget that. Crocodile Dundee 3. Say what you want, but it really tied up all the loose ends left from the first two movies. * Bill Hader: Top 5 SNL talent of all-time? Could someone make the argument? * No matter how old I get, it's always funny to hear someone won the Ford Frick award. Iconic name. *