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Posted by: Bradley McDonald

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving weekend. There was plenty of food and football around to keep me fat and happy. Unfortunately, I was stuck at work Friday while LSU was playing against Arkansas, but I snuck out in time to see the end of the Tigers' 43-14 rout. Unless Auburn loses in this weekend's SEC Championship game, it looks like LSU is headed to Orlando for the Capitol One Bowl. It's no National Championship game, but with all the key players LSU lost, I'm satisfied with the season.

BCS
Well, it looks like Oklahoma and USC will be playing for the National Championship unless something miraculous happens this weekend. All three teams have games this weekend, but Auburn lost some ground in the BCS this week and will only make it up if one of the top two teams lose or struggle heavily. Since I’m no fan of Auburn, it’s hard for me to argue for them, but when any team stays undefeated in the SEC, they deserve a chance to play for the National Championship.

NFL
Three teams keep rolling along in the NFL as we get closer to the playoffs. Philadelphia, New England and Pittsburgh are all 10-1. The Eagles and Patriots were expected to be on top of their divisions, but Pittsburgh is somewhat of a surprise, especially with a rookie quarterback behind center.

The way the Colts' offense has been clicking, I would expect them to make some noise in the playoffs despite their sub par defense. Peyton Manning threw 6 touchdown passes on Thanksgiving Day in only three quarters! With 5 games left, he only needs 7 more touchdown passes to break the all-time single season record. He's liable to do that next week.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Richard Jefferson, an NBA player with the New Jersey Nets, is another example of the generosity that can be found in some professional athletes. Jefferson, the son of missionaries, offered to replace a wheelchair of a disabled girl after it was destroyed on a school field trip. The chair could cost up to $20,000, but Jefferson never hesitated when he found out about the child.

"I have been put in such a fortunate situation that if I can help someone in need, that's what I learned from my parents," Jefferson said. "That was their whole life's work to be put in position to help someone -- that's a good thing."

Thanks to everyone who has sent me stories such as this! It's good to hear that the NBA isn't just full of thugs who want to rap.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Not to be outdone by Southampton, I have composed my own "thankful" list (sports-centered, of course). I know you all have been waiting in baited anticipation.

I am thankful:

- for the precision of baseball, the aggressiveness of hockey, the athleticism of basketball, the strategy of football, the grace of tennis, and the exactness of golf.

- for guys like Brett Favre, whose courage outshines the most selfish stunt Terrell Owens can perform after a touchdown.

- that there's a chance (albeit very slim) that Carlos Beltran will be an Astro next year and not in those horrendous pinstripes.

- for Nick Saban.

- for tee-ball and before winning and losing mattered.

- for kids. watching my two year-old nephew and the adorable little Mackie (who came to visit with her famous blogging mom, Wendy) play this weekend reminded me of all the lessons that we can learn from (and teach) kids.

- for holidays with the family. Our outings usually go something like this: Eat. Play football. Eat. Play basketball. Eat dessert. Play basketball. Eat. Play football. Eat dessert. Play basketball. Eat. (And that's just in the first hour.) We usually top the day off by playing Scrabble, with the winner getting his/her name in the box along with the date and any accusations of cheating.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Now, go get fat.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Here's some different news about a professional athlete. While Ron Artest is busy working on his rap album, Warrick Dunn is busy helping people out. Dunn, a running back with the Atlanta Falcons and a Baton Rouge native, started a program in his hometown called "Homes for the Holidays", which helps single mothers with below average incomes purchase their first homes. The program provides the down payment and educates the women on the responsibilities of home ownership, including meeting the monthly payment.

Dunn said he knows firsthand the struggles that come with being a single parent, since his mother supported and raised six children alone. His mother, a police corporal, dreamed of owning a home but never got to see it come to pass. She was killed during a robbery while working an off-duty job when Warrick was a senior in high school. Warrick dedicates the program to the memory of his mother. "I hope I’m living right for her," he said last year.

I think you are, Warrick. Thanks for being different.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Ron Artest spoke to NBC about the events that unfolded in Detroit. You can tell from this interview that he's about as sharp as a marble. Artest claims this isn't fhe first time items have been thrown at him by fans.

"Another time in Detroit, I told the referee, it was some slime or something. At Boston I had slime thrown at me." Slime?! Well, that explains it. No wonder he snapped. It's one thing for 4 and 5 year old girls to have to put up with slime being thrown on them in kindergarten, but we're talking NBA players here. These guys are too fragile and only get paid millions of dollars. Give 'em a break.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Auburn remained number three in the BCS rankings, after escaping with 21-13 a win against Alabama Saturday. USC and Oklahoma are still one and two, respectively, so the National Championship game will come down to the conference championship games in the SEC and Big 12.

There were two upsets by unranked teams in the big rivalry games this weekend. Ohio State pulverized number 8 Michigan, 37-21, and Florida sent fired coach Ron Zook off in style by beating Florida State 20-13. That win gave Zook something that Steve Spurrier never had at Florida: a win at Florida State.

Speaking of Spurrier, there are reports that he is going to take over next year for retiring Lou Holtz at South Carolina. That announcement probably has a lot of people feeling bipolar in South Carolina, as their hate turns into love. The Gamecocks, a perennial whipping boy for Spurrier when he was in Florida, have finally gotten a nice program together under Holtz and it will be interesting to see if Spurrier can bring them further into national prominence. I don't know if Spurrier will be able to attract the athletes to South Carolina as he was able to do in Gainesville, but, if nothing else, he will bring more drama to the SEC. As much as I dislike him, it's almost good to have him back. It will now mean more to beat South Carolina than ever before for us SEC fans who suffered through the Spurrier-era dominance at Florida.

On a nasty day in Baton Rouge, LSU needed a late touchdown to escape with a win versus Ole Miss Saturday. The Tigers have made a habit of winning games late against teams they should beat (which isn't good for the cardio systems of the 90,000 fans who attend the games). Next week should be another battle when LSU travels to Arkansas. These games are always battles and this one probably will be no different.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Here's a good article from Sports Illustrated's website about the fight in the NBA game Friday night. The writer, Phil Taylor, says that the problem is deeper than security, or the fans, or even Ron Artest. The problem is an underlying anger in our society. Taylor says that today "we flip each other off in the car more, and fire off angry e-mails" because the standards for acceptable behavior have changed. There's an evident lack of respect for other people in our society today and I think Taylor was right on with his article.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

The NBA will reportedly hand out over 140 games worth of suspensions today for players involved in the Pistons/Pacers brawl Friday night. The whole thing started when Ron Artest fouled Ben Wallace hard with 45 seconds left in the game. Wallace retaliated by shoving Artest in the face. After a small scuffle, things started to settle down when a fan hit Artest with a cup of beer. Artest then charged into the stands shoving fans and swinging wildly. He was joined by teammate Stephen Jackson, who was also throwing punches. After Artest and Jackson were pulled out of the stands, some fans charged the court and were met with punches from Artest and teammate Jermaine O'Neal.

This was one of the worst incidents in NBA history and I think the NBA handled it appropriately for the most part. Artest was suspended for the rest of the season; Jackson got 30 games and O'Neal got 25 games. The players just cannot go into the stands. The NBA should have a rule that states if a player goes into the stands he is automatically suspended for the rest of the season without pay. That will make them think twice about going after fans, no matter what they did. I heard some announcers taking up for the players saying that the abuse and heckling they go through is unreal. I think their salaries are well worth the abuse, though. I would take all the verbal abuse in the world if I got paid $10 million a year.

The fans are not without blame, though. The fans that threw stuff on the court have to be punished somehow. This is more difficult to regulate but these fans should be charged with attempted battery or something of the like. Their season tickets should also be taken away if they have them.

The only suspension I don't agree with is the one given to Jermaine O'Neal. O'Neal did pummel a fan that was on the court, but he didn't go into the stands. I think if a fan is dumb enough to charge onto the court then he is fair game. O'Neal still didn't have the right to punch him, but 25 games seems a little steep to me.

Losing three key players for this long will really hurt Indiana's basketball team, but the NBA is sending a message that the players have to be responsible for their actions.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Tomorrow is "Rivalry Saturday" in college football. Only 16 of the top 25 teams are in action, but there are some big games (for the fans of certain schools, at least).

The state of Alabama will be divided tomorrow when Auburn takes on Alabama in the Iron Bowl. Alabama has a chance to ruin Auburn's bid for a National Championship, but they should have a tough time doing it. But 2 out of the last 3 games have been upsets.

You can throw records out the window when it comes to these rivalry games. Some of these underdogs will come out fired up and try to salvage disappointing seasons. If the ranked teams come out tentative and playing not to lose, there will be upsets. Number 7 Michigan should beware as they travel to Ohio State to play the Buckeyes. Florida will also be hungry and try to get some kind of redemption for their fired coach in their game versus Florida St. tomorrow.

LSU plays Ole Miss tomorrow in Baton Rouge. This game generally doesn't get as much "rivalry" hype as some of the others, but for people associated with both schools, it's about as big as it gets. There is no love loss between the two teams or the fans and there never has been (this will be the 93rd game between the two). LSU shouldn't have a problem with a Manning-less Rebels team, but if they do, you may not hear from me for a while

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Here's an article about Dwight Howard, the number one overall pick of the Orlando Magic in the NBA draft this past year who went pro directly out of high school. Howard not only wants to change the NBA by the way he plays, he wants to change it by being a Christian. The article brings up some questions on whether his religious fervor will be good or bad for marketing purposes. I think to get an answer to that question you need not look any further than this past election. A majority of the people said that moral issues played the most significant role in electing a president. People are ready to have wholesome, honest guys to admire, so Howard should not have a problem with endorsement deals as long as his game lives up to it's potential.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

In December, I will be vacationing in New York City for a few days and I managed to squeeze in a Knicks game. I've never been to Madison Square Garden so I'm looking forward to it. I enjoy checking out the atmosphere and surroundings of different stadiums/arenas just as much as I enjoy watching the actual game. I made it to Yankee Stadium for a game on an NYC trip last year and that was thoroughly enjoyable.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

I enjoy watching any kind of basketball. I can be entertained watching junior high kids play. I simply appreciate the skill and athleticism it takes to play the game. This is why I immensely enjoy watching NBA games. Some people argue that the college game is better because it's more of a team game with better defense and the players are not yet spoiled with the multi-million dollar contracts, etc. I agree with some of that, but if it's not March I'd rather have the NBA. (I will say that March Madness may be my favorite sport-time of the year.) If you're a true hoops fan, you've got to appreciate the talent of NBA players. And as long as there are guys like Steve Nash running around dishing out ten assists a game, there will be some team ball in the NBA.

Here are a few guys who I’ve seen play this year and really admire:

We’ll start with Nash. The way this guy runs the floor and makes a pass at the last minute to the perfect spot, you’d think he’s got ten eyes. It seems like he’s always running with the ball and if you don’t slow him down some, he’ll either knock down a jump shot or get a dunk for one of his teammates. I’d bet that he gets twice as many fast break assists than anyone else in the NBA. In just a few games, he’s already made the Phoenix Suns into playoff contenders.

I love the way Dwayne Wade attacks. You expect him to slice down the lane and dunk on a 7-footer anytime he has the ball. As a rookie last year, he really took off with the Heat in the playoffs. It didn’t seem like anyone could stop him when he wanted to drive to the basket. It’s that kind of fearlessness that’s going to make Wade a good player for a long time. He’s not built in the typical point guard mode, but he can still pass. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he’s got some guy named Shaq to pass to this year.

Is there a better pure shooter in the league than Ray Allen? There are very few guys today that can break down teams based on their shooting the way Larry Bird did. Allen is one of them. When he gets his shot going, it opens up so much more for the offense. It’s a thing of beauty to see him run a defender across this court, come across a screen, catch a pass and rise above two defenders to sink a jump shot. He’s a big part of why the Seattle Supersonics are 7-1 at the start of the season.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

It's finally starting to feel like football weather down here in the south. I always look forward to the first Saturday of the year where I can sit in Tiger Stadium and actually feel a cool breeze. Too bad it didn't happen until the second-to-last game of the season this year. It just doesn't feel like football season when you're sitting in the stands sweating.

College Football
Well, it looks like we may go down to the computers again to decide the National Championship game in college football. Auburn dominated 5th ranked Georgia Saturday for a 24-6 victory. The Bulldogs have looked unbelievably good at times (against LSU, unfortunately), but other times they have looked simply mediocre. Auburn's play against a strong schedule, coupled with Oklahoma's recent trend of barely getting by, has some voters taking notice. If neither team loses down the stretch, then it will probably come down to the computer calculations again, even though more emphasis is on the polls this year. And, of course, there will be controversy and people will blame the computers for doing exactly what they were told to do. Hey...how about that new concept called a playoff system? It seems to work in EVERY other major sport out there. I still haven't heard a valid argument as to why it won't work for college football. Let me know if you have one.

NFL
After week 10 in the NFL, there are three teams that stand out at the top. Pittsburgh, New England and Philadelphia. All three teams have only one loss and all three have great defenses. Memo to Indianapolis and Kansas City: It takes a defense to win a championship. Peyton Manning may throw five touchdown passes a game, but if the defense doesn’t step up, he'll be sitting at home come the end of January.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Someone brought my attention to this article on fantasyasylum.com, a fantasy football website. It's a lighthearted mock prayer for those who play fantasy football. It's quite amusing if you play fantasy football. If you don't, you might not get it.

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know whether my players listed as “questionable” will start. Instill in me the strength to resist the urge to bench studs in favor of lesser players with favorable matchups. Steady my mind and guide my hand in selecting dudes from the Wire, and instill in me the strength through thy omniscience to know when I’m getting jobbed in a trade. Allow Tiki Barber two short touchdowns to ensure victory in the league I own him in, but limit his yardage to under 90 so that I can win in the league where the guy I’m playing owns him. Oh Lord, let Peyton Manning’s touchdowns be bountiful, but a couple interceptions to Ronde Barber wouldn’t hurt. And a sack from Simeon Rice would be cool too, oh Gracious One. Please, Dear Lord, allow me this one victory in the money league as you’ve seen fit to grant me an ankle biter on-the-way, and through your infinite wisdom, you’ve determined diapers to cost a buttload –pun not intendedest. Oh Lord, hear my pleas to grant victory over my opponents this week – they all use thy name in vain, succumb to gluttony, and disobey speed limits. If, through thy infinite wisdom, thou determinest to grant victory to the heathens this week, a small, localized plague of locusts at their abode would be pretty sweet. Amen. "

I'd like to add Randy Moss and his hamstring to the prayer request list. I just acquired him in a trade and I'm hoping he'll get healthy and help me in the playoffs.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

ESPN obtained a couple of pictures of Curt Schilling's stitched-up ankle before he pitched in the playoffs. If you doubted that his ankle was as bad as everyone said, this will change your mind. I don't think I would even try to walk if my ankle looked like that. WARNING: the pictures are a small "eww" on the gory scale, but they won't ruin your lunch. This post explains a little bit more about the injury. Ignore the "I still think the Cards have a good shot at winning the Series..." line.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Any fantasy football players out there? I started playing about five years ago and it's really taken off since then. Now there is an abundance of websites, magazines, and TV shows dedicated to the hobby. It's really addictive once you get into it, because it gives you a sense of power. You control your team and making the playoffs relies solely on your decisions. I don't really have a favorite team in the NFL (the Saints aren't worth the attention), so my fantasy players give me a reason to watch the games and cheer. It's pretty sad the way I sit in front of the TV on Sundays with my laptop, getting up-to-date scoring in my leagues.

My fantasy teams (I'm in two leagues) have been up and down this year. Just when I get some consistent scoring somebody gets hurt. Right now, I'm definitely in the playoffs, but there's still a long way to go. Seems like I've had bad luck here lately. Two weeks ago, I had Thomas Jones and Fred Taylor starting and they both left their games early with injuries. I would've still won, but Miami scored a touchdown on the last play of the game Monday night against the Jets and I had New York's defense. I lost by one point. But that's the way it goes in fantasy football. Over the long season, the luck pretty much evens out.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

College Football

Upsets
Two teams had their BCS hopes severely dimmed this weekend. Clemson gave Miami their second loss in a row by beating the Hurricanes 24-17. Miami, which moved to the ACC from the Big East this year, isn't finding their new conference-mates to be very friendly. Just wait until basketball season, boys. It will get a whole lot worse. Maybe if you send the Big East roses they will take you back.

The once mighty Fighting Irish of Notre Dame showed they could still be competitive with the big boys by beating Tennessee 17-13. The Volunteers future doesn't look bright, either, after losing their second quarterback (maybe for the season) to injury. Rick Clausen, a transfer from LSU, is now taking the reigns for Tennessee. I saw this guy play in a game for LSU a couple of years ago and, unless he drastically improved since then, Tennessee is in trouble.

Near Upsets
Both of the top two teams were nearly upset Saturday. Number one USC defeated Oregon by a score of 28-20 and Oklahoma, who beat Texas A&M 77-0 last year, squeaked past the Aggies by a touchdown.

There's a big game this Saturday that could decide the National Championship game. Auburn, ranked third, takes on the fifth ranked Bulldogs of Georgia. As I said in an earlier post, if Auburn can get past this game and win the SEC Championship, they may get into the Championship game even if USC and Oklahoma do not lose.


NFL

Pittsburgh, for the second week in a row, took out an undefeated team. The Steelers, with an 8-1 record, now look like the team to beat after beating New England and Philadelphia in consecutive weeks. My favorite part of Pittsburgh's victory over the Eagles this week was Steelers receiver Hines Ward imitating Terrell Owens after catching two touchdown passes. Owens could do nothing but smile, since Philly only scored three points.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

This past week, Terrell Owens has been taking a lot of heat for doing an impersonation of Ray Lewis' pre-game "dance" (if you can call it that) after he scored a touchdown. Of course, Owens is no stranger to controversy, after pulling a sharpie out of his sock to autograph a ball following a touchdown last year (which I found amusing) and running to midfield to celebrate on the Cowboys' logo in Dallas one year (which I didn't find amusing). Some people think that after scoring a touchdown players should just toss the ball to the referee and get off the field. I don’t mind some celebrating - I don’t even mind some dancing (the “Icky Shuffle” was classic), as long as it doesn’t totally disrespect the other team.

With all the trash-talking and celebrating, though, it’s easy to see that some players just have a “me” attitude. They want the spotlight and the glory, but if things go wrong they blame someone else. We see examples of this all too often in the news, so I’m going to try to bring to your attention some players that have the opposite attitude (on and off the field).

One such player is Shaun Alexander, a running back for the Seattle Seahawks. Alexander, one of the top backs in the league, has never disrespected someone on the field. Off the field, Shaun has started a foundation, along with his brother, to help needy families. They help pay for bills and provide clothing for children and also send kids to Christian summer camps.

"It's all about giving back," Alexander says. "A lot of people around me are asking me why am I doing this? And they're telling me I shouldn't be doing this, but you know what? You can't out-give God."

If you see an example of an athlete that is doing something worthwhile in the world, please let me know. Thanks!

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

The NBA kicked off its season last night. There are a lot of players on new teams this year, starting with Shaq in Miami. It'll be interesting to see how the trades pan out. The Heat gave up some good young players to get Shaq, but for a player of his caliber, you do whatever it takes. Not too many people are giving Kobe and the Lakers a chance, but I think they'll be a decent team with Lamar Odom and Caron Butler coming over from Miami.

Any hockey fans out there? The possibility of an end to the strike is looking slimmer every day. To be honest, I'm not much of a hockey fan (it's hard to be when you live in a state where the average temperature is 113...can't exactly find a place to play hockey down the street), but it seems like every few years one of the major sports goes on strike. I don't know of all the details in the NHL strike and I'm sure it's complicated, but it seems like they could've worked something out by now. I've got an idea for the hockey officials while they're negotiating: widen the nets! Those guys work too hard to score only one point a game!

Shoot me an email and let me know what your favorite sport is and/or what you'd like to hear about here. The Bench Warmer - a blogger for the people!

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Since tomorrow is election day, I figured I would dip a little into Southampton's arena. Because, as we all know, foreign policy and economic strategy doesn't matter as much as being a sports fan.

It seems like John Kerry was a decent enough athlete as a young man, playing three sports at Yale (soccer, lacrosse, and hockey), but will football fans be able to forgive him for calling the hallowed Green Bay Packers' stadium Lambert Field instead of Lambeau Field? And will Red Sox fans remember him combining the names of Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz to make one "Manny Ortiz"? There's even a website out there chronicling Kerry's blunders.

George W. Bush used to be an owner of the Texas Rangers, so he knows his way around a sports conversation. But the Rangers did trade away Sammy Sosa during his watch.

So, there you go - sports background on our two presidential candidates from a non un-biased source. That's what The Bench Warmer is here to do - inform and educate. Now, go vote!

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Pittsburgh - 34
New England - 20

New Englanders were brought back down to earth this weekend. OK...maybe they were just brought back down to Cloud 7, but the Steelers ended the Patriots 21 game winning streak. Ben Roethlisberger, a rookie quarterback and the third quarterback taken in the draft, has Pittsburgh fans saying "Eli Who"? This guy is playing with more poise than I have seen out of a rookie quarterback in a long time.

Kansas City - 45
Indianapolis - 35

Apparently, somebody forgot to tell the defenses that there was a game today. They must've just stuck tackling dummies on the field and let the offenses go at it. The Chiefs have definitely found their offensive groove after starting the season 1-6. Kansas City has now scored 101 points in their last two games. Peyton Manning threw for 472 yards in the loss and is probably going to request to play defense, too, after these last two weeks. I'm sure he could tackle as well as the tackling dummies.

Another player worthy of mention is Jake Plummer, quarterback for the Denver Broncos. The Broncos lost to the Falcons 41-28, but Plummer threw for 499 yards! He would've probably reached 500 yards if his arm wouldn't have fell off in the fourth quarter.