Monday, Dec.15

Peter King Monday Morning QB
One of my favorite sports reporters to read on the internet is Peter King. He has a regular piece called Monday morning QB on CNNSI.
Today he has the Steelers ranked #1 in his "fine fifteen". I've been making the point of how impressive the Steelers have been considering the strength of their schedule.
King put it best today when he wrote that Pittsburgh being 11-3 after the schedule they played is like being 13-1 or 14-0 with a normal schedule.
This week the Steelers play the Titans with home field throughout the playoffs at stake. If the road to the Super Bowl goes through Pittsburgh, it will be very difficult for any team to knock out the Steelers.

Browns/Eagles
Take the Eagles tonight, the Browns are down to their third string qb, not that they would have much of a chance with Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson. The Eagles will be 8-5-1 and still have a legitimate chance at a wildcard, but they'll have to win out at the Skins then home to the Boys. How much do you think they regret earning a tie vs the lowly Bengals? Probably about as much as the Jets regret losing to the Raiders.

3 Dominant NBA Teams
In the era of parity it's not often you get 3 teams in one league with overwhelmingly dominant records, but such is the case in the NBA. The Lakers are 20-3, Celtics are 22-2, and the Cavaliers are 20-4.
Unlike last season, it would appear the Lakers are heads and tails above the rest of the Western Conference, while another Celtics/Cavs Eastern final is beginning to loom it's ugly head. If those teams do play again, hopefully it will be a little prettier to watch than last year's Celtics victory in 7 games.

Bowl Games are 5 days Away
I love the college bowl season. I wish there was some type of national championship format. But I really enjoy watching the smaller bowls in late December that feature teams you have seldom seen or heard from. For example, Dec.20 it's the EagleBank Bowl featuring Navy vs Wake Forest. Go Midshipmen!! Beat those Demon Deacons! I`ll be watching. Actually I guess the game on TV that day will be the St.Petersburg Bowl with South Florida vs Memphis....even better! Personally I can't wait for Northern Illinois vs Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl!

Undefeated Orange Lose First Game on 60 Footer at the Buzzer
Syracuse lost tonight at the buzzer to Cleveland State on a 60 foot toss. The Cuse were 9-0 and ranked #11 in the country. Sorry Niall. But hey, they beat the champs a few weeks ago.

Avery Finished in Dallas
Sean Avery will not be back in Dallas. Will Brett Hull be next? Is there any team that will take a chance on Avery. Not unless he begins to show atrition for what he's done and said. I still think he's just going to walk away and head to the fashion world.

Ottawa Finished?
Are the Sens finished? Well they may be this time next month. Starting next week the Senators go on a grueling 8 game road trip spanning coast to coast. Opponents include the Canucks, Flames, Oilers, Devils, Flyers, and Bruins. Yikes.