Big Lead Sports Bar

12/19/2006

Slots Decision Day, Pens Lose, Suppan to Bucs, Iverson to Nuggets, 4 Steeler Pro Bowlers, All the Rocky Fight Videos!

Jumbo-sized roundup today...the Christmas retail season has Mondesi severely cramped for time, so everything must be abridged in a neat little package...
CITY OF PITTSBURGH:
Decision Day is here, as the slots license may or may not be given out. With all of the storylines and characters in this drama (Rendell, Balsillie, Lemieux, Ravenstahl, Onorato, Bettman, etc.), this should be Howard Baldwin's next movie project.
NHL:
The Pens turn in an unacceptable performance on Slots License Eve, losing 4-1 to the lowly St. Louis Blues. They must be worried about who wins the license. Yeah, that's the ticket.
MLB:
The Pirates keep pretending they're interested in Jeff Suppan. In a time when quasi-to-big-name free agent pitchers get four and five year deals, the Pirates offer two years. In other Pirate news, Dave Littlefield offered a three-week contract to Barry Zito.
The former Mrs. Chuck Finley, Tawny Kitaen, enters drug rehab. Thus adding a fascinating chapter to the only woman who's been either romantically linked or married to O.J. Simpson, Jerry Seinfeld, Tommy Lee, Jon Stewart, David Coverdale, and Chuck Finley.
NBA:
Allen Iverson, Denver Nugget. Iverson AND Carmelo? Good luck, George Karl.
*Yes, I know Melo won't be back until January 20. Save your angst-filled emails and comments for something else.
NFL:
Four Steelers make the Pro Bowl: Willie Parker, Troy Polamalu, Alan Faneca, and Casey Hampton. I handicapped the number of Steelers at 2 recently, but I forgot that fans vote, and that a lot of fans are morons.
Bill Cowher discusses his coaching future with local reporters. Thank goodness. I thought we would have to wait until the offseason to deal with Bill's Favre/Clemens-esque "will he or won't he" conundrum, but he's given everyone an entire season to beat that story into the ground...PLUS, we have it to look forward to in the offseason anyway!
The Bears had two choices: cut Tank Johnson, or suspend him. Since he's still a good football player, they kept him.
Don Banks muses who got snubbed from the Pro Bowl. Frankly, I could care less which player gets a free vacation to a game no one cares about...yet I linked it anyway. Curious, Mondesi. Very curious.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL:
Former Steeler playoff whipping-boy Jim Harbaugh is your new Stanford football coach, replacing Walt "the Wizard" Harris. Deadspin notes the following in the Harbaugh file:
Harbaugh was arrested in November 2005 in Encinitas for driving under the influence after being pulled over for running a stop sign. Harbaugh, who refused to take a field sobriety test, pled guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving. He was sentenced to three years' probation, a $1,300 fine and attendance at an educational program for first-time drunk-driving offenders. Harbaugh was given a four-year contract extension at San Diego after the incident.
Stewart Mandel gives us his college bowl predictions. Finally, someone willing to go out on a limb and pick a winner in the Rice vs. Troy matchup in the New Orleans Bowl.
ARENA FOOTBALL:
ESPN just acquired a big stake in the Arena League, so be prepared to have it shoved down your throat through every venue possible. But it still won't get as much face time as Ali Rap.
RANDOM FUN STUFF:
The rare "Five-Star Mondesi Recommendation" goes to this site, which features the YouTube clips of each Rocky fight sequence, including the fatal Drago-Creed bout in Rocky IV.
Bad news for all you FHM subscribers: the Maxim wanna-be will be no more.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

More Harbaugh...

During the MNF game, I noticed that Harbaugh is in the Colts' Ring of Honor.

What does one need to accomplish to be inducted into the Colts' Ring of Honor? Does it take 3 good games. I remember having Ken Dilger on my fantasy team in 2001 and he had at least 3 good games, and I don't see his name up there.

Then again, I've never been to the RCA Dome, so who knows....maybe Ken Dilger is in their Ring of Honor.

Either way, it's pathetic.

Kinda like Harbaugh punching Jim Kelly in the kisser after some on-air criticism during Kelly's (thankfully!) short-lived tenure as a broadcaster.

Anonymous said...

1. For as much as I like Cowher and respect what he has done, just make a freaking decision will ya? I am sick of the Favre/Clements crap every year. I hope Cowher spares us.

2. ESPN/Arena Football-who cares! I hate both.

3. I hope Rocky Balboa dies in the ring. Man I am sick of those movies. They should have stopped after one. "There won't be a rematch." "Don't want one" Yea right.

4. The Pens should be embarrased by their effort last night. It was pathetic. They aren't good enough to just show up and think they can win.

5. If the Isle of Capri doesn't get the slots, prepare to make trips to K.C. to watch Sid and Company.

6. Parker and Faneca should be in the Pro Bowl but not Troy. He's missed too many games this year.

Anonymous said...

I think all four Steelers were somewhat deserving.

Maybe not Faneca so much just based on the offensive line's play as a whole earlier in the season, or Troy because he's missed a few games, but he was a beast before he got hurt this year.

Willie and Casey definitely deserve it. By the way, fan voting is only 1/3 of what's taken into consideration for the team. It's not like other sports where if they fans vote for you, you're definitely in and starting.

I got passes to a free preview of Rocky Balboa the other night. I was pretty skeptical, I mean it's been 16 years!

I read some pretty favorable reviews before I went, and guess what? It actually was pretty decent!!! It was definitely a fitting way to end that series.

It was more of a sports drama, like the first Rocky, and less of a cheesey 80s action movie like 3-5 were.

My girlfriend, who made fun of this movie since it was announced, actually liked it too.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous says that he hopes Rocky dies in the ring, to which an aging Ivan Drago says, "If he dies, he dies."

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