Well, here we are, folks. The Bengals, possessors of one winning season in the last 19 years, swept the season series with the Baltimore Ravens with a 17-7 win that wasn't as close as the score indicated. It was interesting in that Cincinnati took a few pages from Baltimore's offensive game plan with some unbalanced lines and smashmouth football courtesy of Cedric Benson(notes), who picked up 117 rushing yards on 34 carries. Carson Palmer(notes) was efficient, completing 20 passes on 33 attempts, but it was clear that the Bengals wanted to tattoo their will on the Ravens, and they were able to do just that. Baltimore's defense went with a lot of man coverage and inside blitzes that the unheralded Bengals line picked up with aplomb. And without nose tackle Haloti Ngata(notes), the Ravens found it tough to stop the inside run.

As for the Ravens running their own game plan? Didn't happen. Ray Rice(notes) was limited to 48 yards on 12 carries, and Joe Flacco(notes) threw two interceptions. Baltimore was 1-for-10 in converting third downs, and the Bengals held a 40:00-20:00 advantage in time of possession. After going 39 straight games without allowing a 100-yard rusher, the Ravens can't seem to stop the bleeding -- their defense is clearly not what it used to be. They've lost four of their last five games, and they're on the outside looking in when it comes to postseason hopes.

As for the Bengals, they have the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field next Sunday. If they take the Steelers, who they've already defeated once this year, they'll have divisional pole position all the way, Then, the only challenge they'll face is the trap of wrapping up the regular season too early.

Who woulda thunk it?

Maybe DeAngelo Hall(notes) just has a thing against all Falcons coaches.

The ex-Atlanta, and current Washington Redskins, cornerback who clashed with old coach Bobby Petrino during the 2007 season mixed it up on the sidelines today with current Falcons coach Mike Smith(notes) after a chippy play on the sidelines.

The Associated Press describes the action:

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan(notes) was running for a first down and had just stepped out of bounds when LaRon Landry(notes) delivered a blow to the back late in the second quarter of Sunday's game.

As yellow flags flew, [DeAngelo] Hall jumped into the middle of things and was entirely surrounded by Atlanta players and coach Mike Smith. Hall appeared to be pulled away before any punches were thrown.

Here's a clip of the incident.

To me, it looks like Hall came over to the sidelines, mixed it up a bit and then got grabbed by the Falcons coach with the shaved head (who appears to be Director of Athletic Performance Jeff Fish -- coincidentally, Fish was with Oakland before Hall was signed and left for Atlanta the year after Hall left). The scuffle got a little bigger and Smith, who had been screaming at officials about Landry's foul, got in the middle and started exchanging words with Hall.

A clown, a punk, a loudmouth; take your pick on the adjective you'd like to use to describe DeAngelo Hall. But this sort of stuff is expected from him. Shouldn't Mike Smith be above the fray? Yeah, he had every right to be mad about Landry's dirty hit, but once the flag was thrown, what else did Smith want the officials to do?

A head coach shouldn't be mixing it up with opponents unless an opponent directly mixes it up with him. It's not wrong, per se, but it's also not becoming.

Here's Halls' take on it, via Tweets from Washington Post writer Rick Maese (@rickmaese):

"Through the whole time, I'm trying to get guys hands off of me. Later on Coach Smith - Mike - came over, grabbed me, talked [trash to me, saying hed kick my [butt]... I definitely stay in Atlanta in the offseason, so Mike Smith want to see me, he can find me."

From the looks of the clip it looks like Mike Smith would have no reservations about looking up DeAngelo Hall. 

Uh-oh:

Johnson's debacle opened the door wide for Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon to make a run at the top spot; while Johnson couldn't lose the lead no matter what happened, the wreck makes the last two races much more than a victory lap for the 48 -- and makes last week's wreck at Talladega that much more significant. Had that not happened, Johnson would be third or fourth in the points after today.

Hold tight, folks. This ain't over yet.

The impish Cincinnati Bengals receiver playfully tried to bribe an NFL official today during his team's game with its division rival, the Baltimore Ravens. With the Cincinnati Bengals up 14-3 in the third quarter, Ochocinco caught a 15-yard Carson Palmer(notes) pass near the sideline. The side judge ruled it a catch, but the Ravens contended that Ochocinco's foot was out of bounds. While the ref was under the hood looking at the replay, Ochocinco borrowed a dollar bill from an assistant and playfully tried to hand the one-spot to another official. 

Ochocinco was smiling the entire time and, as you can see above, the official put a stop to the hijinks before they really began. It didn't work, the ref overturned the call on the field and ruled that the pass was incomplete.

You're either going to be in one of two camps with this. Either you think it's hilarious (like me) or you think that the mere appearance of bribery toward officials is uncouth and needs to be dealt with swiftly. Judging by his track record, Roger Goodell will fall firmly in the latter camp. Expect a fine for Ochocinco, even though nobody will seriously think that this was ever meant to be anything but a goof.

He later met with some young fans outside of the locker room to sign some autographs. That's when I got the chance to ask him a few questions about his "upper body injury" and his journey back from it.

Keep in mind Ovechkin didn't indicate if the following "diagnosis" was from team doctors or his own evaluation.

Q. You're in good mood. Are you getting better?

OVECHKIN: I am better. But I will miss 4-5 weeks.

Are you serious?

I actually plan on starting practice on the ice next week.

I know that you did skate already.

Yes, but after I did that the doctors told me not to do that yet. And not to have a stick in my hands.

How do you feel about this all?

I think that it shouldn't be rushed. November has just begun. I need to heal up 100 percent and then play. There is no need to risk right now.

What's it like to watch the Capitals from the sidelines?

Of course it's tough. I want to be in the game. But there is nothing I can do.

Not long ago the Russian National team coach called you. To wish you well?

Yes, Vyacheslav Bykov called to ask how things were. But actually our conversation was right before the game against Columbus when I got injured...

Really? Maybe Bykov shouldn't call you anymore?

It's just a coincidence. Let him call me more often! It's great to know that national team coaches follow you. Once again, I was included in the list of 50 candidates for the Olympics, and a big thanks for that.

I met your friends outside who came over from Moscow to visit you...

They thought they'd see me play. And they see me amongst the injured. So they will have no hockey, but just a vacation in America. It's not that bad too, don't you agree?

This interview also ran on SovSport.ru this afternoon.

Darren M. from Silver Sevens, an Ottawa Senators blog, also writes for Punknews.org. He offered to ask Canadian punk band Propagandhi for their five reasons they love hockey, and any band that penned a song called "Dear Coach's Corner" (stream it here) is going to have something to say about puck.

Here are Chris Hannah (vocals/guitar) and David "The Beaver" Guillas (guitar) -- Chris pointed out that "three guys in Propagandhi love hockey [because] Todd (bassist) hates it" -- giving their 5 Reasons Why They Love Hockey via Darren:

1. The pace and the drama

DAVID: I like that it's fast-paced. Probably the quickest paced game that there is.

CHRIS: The speed and intensity. There's no other sport with that level of drama for me. And drama in general! Look at the Leafs -- that's a goldmine of drama.

(Ed. Note: Chris Hannah is a Toronto Maple Leafs fan)

2. The Jets/Oilers rivalry

DAVID: I have very fond memories of being a kid and driving into Winnipeg to see Dale Hawerchuk. I was a member of the Jets Fan Club, and Dale Hawerchuk was my idol. So we'd always come in and see games against the Oilers. I hated the Oilers, and I hated Wayne Gretzky. My brother loved Wayne Gretzky and the Oilers, so it was always fun, the two of us coming to the city.

3. Skating with the Winnipeg Jets

CHRIS: When I was 13 years old, I went to a practice with the Jets, me and some other kids. I can't remember who the back-up goalie was, but we were doing these come out of the corner, take the puck at the top of the circle and take a shot on an NHL goalie. He was just kicking away everything, easily, and I... I [expletive] slipped one by him! He went, "[Expletive!]" Then, I peed myself a little bit and skated to the bench, and just sat on the bench shaking.

I was so excited and he was mad. I also went on two 2-on-1s with Paul MacLean and scored both times.

4. Street Hockey

CHRIS: The democracy of street hockey is great. Anyone can play it.

DAVID: Yeah, it's true, anyone really can play it. Even though everyone says "oh, I suck," all you have to do is run around with a stick....

CHRIS: Or just put your stick in the way. Yeah, it's a great game. It's like soccer, a universal and accessible game.

5. Celebrations

CHRIS: Drinking beers and getting up on a friend's speaker and falling off when the Leafs score, which actually happens. (laughs)

DAVID: And watching that happen.

--

Check out Silver Sevens for more hockey talk with Propagandhi. Thanks to the band and Smallman Records for their support in putting this together, and to Darren for pulling it off.

• USC was held to one offensive touchdown and 258 total yards, the Trojans' worst offensive output since October 2004, in a 14-9 win at Arizona State. Freshman quarterback Matt Barkley had his worst game, completing 7-of-22 passes for 112 yards, 75 of them on one spectacular catch-and-run by Damien Williams, who took a pass behind the line of scrimmage for USC's only gain of the game longer than 13 yards.

• Nebraska quarterbacks Cody GreenZac Lee combined for 39 yards passing on 2.8 yards per attempt, but Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones put up five interceptions -- including one that set the Cornhuskers up at the OU one-yard line for the game's only touchdown -- in the 'Huskers' 10-3 win. Nebraska was 1-of-14 on third-down conversions and earned seven first downs (to the Sooners' 23) in the win.

• UCLA quarterbacks Kevin Prince and Kevin Craft combined for 371 yards passing and two touchdowns in the Bruins' 24-23 win over Washington, the Bruins' third 300-yard passing effort in the last four games after putting up zero 300-yard passing games in 2007, 2008 or the first five games of 2009.

• Your weekly Houston video game update: The Cougars combined with Tulsa for 91 points, 1,229 yards, 61 first downs and 11 touchdowns in a wild, last-second, 46-45 Houston win. UH quarterback Case Keenum launched 60 passes for 522 yards with three scores, all to receiver James Cleveland, who combined with Patrick Edwards to haul in 23 catches for 343 yards.

• Cincinnati quarterback Zach Collaros hit 29 of 37 passes for 480 yards with seven completions of 20 yards or longer, adding 75 yards on the ground and scoring three total touchdowns in the Bearcats' 47-45 escape over UConn.

• Miami rolled up 515 total yards in a 52-17 rout over Virginia, the 'Canes' first 500-yard game against a I-A opponent since November 2005.

• Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett completed 23 of 27 passes for 329 yards with three completions of 40 yards or longer, but no touchdowns in the Razorbacks' 33-16 win over South Carolina. Mallett did score on a quarterback sneak.

• Illinois receiver Arrelious Benn caught his first touchdown pass of the season, a four-yard grab from Jacob Charest, in the fourth quarter of the Illini's 35-32 win over Minnesota.

• Kansas' 10-point effort in a 17-10 loss at Kansas State was the Jayhawks' worst output against a Big 12 North rival since September 2005, and only the third time KU has been held below 20 points in quarterback Todd Reesing's 34 career starts (the first two were vs. Texas last November and vs. Oklahoma two weeks ago).

• Duke, coming in averaging 400 yards per game with at least 390 yards in each of the last six, was held to 125 total yards and no touchdowns in a 19-6 loss at North Carolina.

• Louisville was held without a touchdown for only the second time sine 2000 in a 17-9 loss at West Virginia.

• Quarterbacks Nick Florence and Blaine Gabbert combined for 895 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions on 95 passes in Baylor's come-from-behind, 40-32 win at Missouri.

• UTEP running back Donald Buckram ran for 234 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries in the Miners' 45-38 overtime loss at Tulane, giving Buckram two of the top 10 single-game rushing totals this season.

• Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton passed for 331 yards and five touchdowns in the Vols' 56-28 rout over Memphis, giving him 14 touchdowns to interceptions over the last five games.

• Oklahoma State running back Keith Toston ran for 206 yards and three touchdowns in the Cowboys' 34-8 win at Iowa State, his third straight 100-yard game on the ground away from Stillwater.

• Wisconsin had two 100-yard rushers, John Clay and Montee Ball, for the first time this season in a 31-28 win over Indiana.

• Utah had two 100-yard rushers, Eddie Wide and Sausan Shakerin, and a 100-yard receiver, Jerome Brooks, all three of whom scored touchdowns from at least 20 yards out in the Utes' 45-14 win over winless and hopeless New Mexico.

• Georgia scored on each of its first six possessions before calling off the dogs (no pun intended) in a 38-0 win over Tennessee Tech, but there was no letting off the gas at Auburn, which led Furman 42-3 at the half and finished with a 655-yard, 63-31 win.

Miami rode the Wildcat and a surprising defense to an AFC East title, but the second go-round with the Pats wasn't as successful. The 'Cat was neutered in the follow-up, a 48-28 Pats win in late November. The Dolphins also had major trouble running their option looks in two losses to the Baltimore Ravens in 2008 -- one regular-season and one postseason -- and all the offseason talk was about how Miami would add an aerial component to the Wildcat and make it a more integral part of their offense. Drafting West Virginia quarterback Pat White(notes) in the second round was supposed to take care of that, but as White and another mobile quarterback by the name of Michael Vick(notes) have proven, running a Wildcat QB onto the field is the rough equivalent of holding up a big sign that says, "Hey! Look! We're running the Wildcat now! And it's probably going right up the middle!" The Dolphins seem to enjoy more playbook diversity when Brown takes the direct snaps and runs or passes depending on what he sees.

In recent weeks, defenses have loaded up to negate the Wildcat. Two weeks ago against the Saints and last week against the Jets, head honchos Gregg Williams and Rex Ryan (the defensive coordinator of the Ravens who blew the Wildcat up last year) blitzed cornerbacks off the sweep-side edge and sent a bunch of spies after Brown. The Dolphins are not making defenses pay for loading up like that, and they need to start now. For every new wrinkle head coach Tony Sparano slyly infers, Bill Belichick will counter with different defensive looks. And as skilled as Williams and Ryan are, there are few more devious defensive minds in the game than Belichick's. We'll see what pops when the Dolphins return to Gillette for the first time since the Wildcat's debut.

Update this morning on Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward(notes), whose left leg was lacerated by the skate of Columbus Blue Jackets star Rick Nash(notes) (video here) last night, via Chip Alexander of the News & Observer: He'll remain in a Columbus hospital for another day, and GM Jim Rutherford is looking for outside help between the pipes.

From Canes Now:

"We'll have to see how it goes," Rutherford said today of Ward's injury and recovery time. "It appears it will be a fairly long period of time."

Rutherford said the Hurricanes are looking at different options: a trade, signing an available goaltender or calling up Justin Peters(notes) from Albany (AHL). "We're talking over the options. We don't have an answer right now," he said.

Ward was expected to return to Raleigh today but Rutherford said he would be kept another day as a precautionary move. "He's stitched up but he has to stay real stable," Rutherford said. "They want to be careful about infections and those things."

Michael Leighton(notes) is a placeholder at best, so acquiring a veteran if Ward's out for a lengthy period of time is imperative if this team's going to contend for a playoff spot this season.

Yeah, we said it: A team 10 points out of the eight seed, mired in a 12-game winless streak, devastated by injuries and that's looked simply terrible for most of the season can still contend in 2009-10. It's a team in the seventh ring of hockey hell right now, but it's also a team that uncorked a 13-1-2 streak back in February under Paul Maurice.

That at least offers a glimmer of hope as the Canes continue to skate out of quicksand.

It's a lengthy, grab-the-coffee-and-settle-in read, but worth your time if you're into the politics of hockey or if your lockout scars still ache. The single biggest issue dividing the players is escrow, and according to Friedman the players are going to have to sacrifice something significant in the next CBA negotiation (long-term contracts?) to rectify it.

Among Friedman's suggestions, in what he said is "the NHLPA's last chance to get it right":

Chelios must go. The former Detroit Red Wings defenseman has scorched the earth under association management, and Friedman suggests that he's too tied to old fights and is too divisive to remain a leader in a reconstructed NHLPA.

Get younger. Friedman writes that there's a generational shift in the association, helped along by the influx of younger, cheaper and faster players after the lockout. He's right, but good luck convincing players that have never had to fight for financial equality -- and have no respect for labor movements of the past -- to step up and lead. If you thought the lockout revealed how quickly the players would fold, they'll be spineless in a strike.

Find a leadership structure that works. As Friedman writes:

Right now, the constitution is crippling. The executive director reports to the 30 player reps. There is also an ombudsman, an advisory board and one retired player liaison for each of the six NHL divisions. I understand checks and balances, not wanting anyone to get too drunk with power, but this is too much.

[...]

There are so many possible structures. Maybe a hockey guy surrounded by lawyers. Maybe a labour lawyer surrounded by businessmen (that was the Goodenow model). Maybe a businessman surrounded by lawyers or hockey people.

So are agents "lawyers" or "hockey people"? Friedman's section on the influence of agents on the NHLPA is eye-opening, given word that they're very much involved in its resurrection.

One gets the feeling Friedman doesn't see them as a positive influence on the players' association, but their influence will be difficult to diminish; how many players are simply advocates on behalf of their representation, as was suspected when Sidney Crosby spoke out?

(Speaking of agents: Evidently they're not allowed to be public advocates for their clients or have freedom of expression in the eyes of the media. This Allan Walsh/Montreal media flap screams "new media jitters." We love it.)

So the NHLPA is given good advice that it will no doubt ignore. As Red Fisher wrote in the Gazette today:

The NHLPA has disintegrated into an embarrassing and scary case of fratricidal warfare. Embarrassing, because what you have now is one union brother against another. Laughable, because the players have made it abundantly clear their only strength is on the ice. Off it, they can't make a decent, three-foot pass. When a union is split into factions, it's little more than putty in the owners' hands.

And the clock is ticking.

It's on the other side of the ball where you might find the surprises. Peyton Manning(notes) doesn't lead the league in passing yards; that would be Texans quarterback Matt Schaub(notes) with 2,342 to Manning's 2,227, though Schaub's played one more game. Schaub won't have tight end Owen Daniels(notes), out for the season with a torn ACL. But he will have Andre Johnson(notes), among the toughest receivers to stop in the game. And with the Colts' injury situation, expect the Texans to spread things out with multi-receiver sets.

In the last week, the Colts have found out the following: Safety Bob Sanders(notes) will be out for the season with a biceps tear, cornerback Marlin Jackson(notes) is out for the year with a torn ACL, and cornerback Kelvin Hayden(notes) will be out for up to a month with his own knee injury. Sanders hasn't played much in the last few years, and the Colts like replacement Melvin Bullitt(notes) enough to have people wondering about Sanders' future with the team. Rookie corners Jerraud Powers(notes) and Jacob Lacey(notes) have stepped up in recent weeks, but the depth situation is pretty woeful. And the challenges for that young secondary only increase as the season progresses -- in the next month, Indy faces Houston twice, as well as New England, and Baltimore. All high-octane passing offenses, and all will be ready to tee off on the kids.

Enter the Texans. At 5-3, this team could make some serious hay even if they split the season series with the Colts, and there's never been a better time to get that done. Look for head coach Gary Kubiak and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan to force matchups away from pressure, leaving the corners on an island and pass-rushers Dwight Freeney(notes) and Robert Mathis(notes) as the only real threats to Schaub's potential statistical dominance.

Teachers' Pet: Toby Gerhart. (It's always the quiet ones.) The unfolding parity of the Pac-10 has been great television this year, and with 223 yards and three touchdowns against Oregon, Stanford's thundering senior back put the Cardinal squarely in the conference championship discussion with a 51-42 dismantling of Oregon that at times looked even less competitive the final score might have you believe (thanks, again, largely to Gerhart). Quarterbacks Jeremiah Masoli and Andrew Luck put on an air duel that would have made for entertaining football on its own, with 585 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions between them.

Raise your hand if you thought the Pac-10 standings would look like this in November: 1. Oregon (5-1), 2. Arizona (4-1), 3. Stanford (5-2), 4. USC (4-2)

If you even started to put your arm up, take your things and go sit in the hall, because you're a lying liar.

Most Unlikely Couple: Ram Vela and Notre Dame quarterbacks. You remember Ram Vela, don't you? Evan Sharpley does. And Vela just can't stay away from the Irish offense, picking off Jimmy Clausen, recovering a fumble and helping seal up Navy's upset of Notre Dame in shipshape fashion.

Most School Spirit: C.J. Spiller, the triple rushing/receiving/return threat who hauled Clemson onto his back and carried the Tigers to the tune of 306 all-purpose yards and a 40-24 victory over Florida State. In a season that's included close losses to Georgia Tech, TCU, and Maryland (Maryland?), Clemson's now riding a four-game win streak and sits atop the Atlantic division. Viva ACC!

Most Creative: Les Miles, whose masterly postgame softshoe would make Mack Brown flush with envy. Faced with questions about a blown interception call late enough in the game to make a big difference, Miles calmly acknowledged, "Speculation is rampant." And well it ought to be. We're sick to death of discussing SEC officiating. Almost as sick as we are of the officiating itself.

Mister Personality: Texas, who's winning big but winning ugly. The 35-3 drubbing of Central Florida had its share of facepalms:

The home crowd was late showing up for the 11 a.m. kickoff and the Longhorns’ offense was slow waking up. Early miscues included a rare missed field goal by Hunter Lawrence and a bobbled pitch by (Colt) McCoy on a flea flicker. Catch the ball and he had John Chiles wide open behind the defense for an easy score.

“We went into the game expecting a fight,” McCoy said. “We should have come out with more of an edge to start the game.”

Actually, with a remaining slate consisting of Baylor, Kansas, and Texas A&M, a honed edge might not be necessary, but the postseason will be another story altogether. Look alive, Longhorns.

Grape Job! It's not the promised ten wins, but Dan Hawkins will take his third victory with a polite smile. (We think it's politeness. It's Hawkins, so it's entirely possible he didn't notice he just allowed the nation's 91st-ranked defense to sack his quarterback eight times.) The Buffs' second conference win is good for third place in the Big 12 North, by the way. That's not a typo.

Most Popular: So Iowa finally loses one. We've been wondering for weeks what it would take. The answer, apparently, is "a nasty high ankle sprain for Ricky Stanzi and a Northwestern squad that hadn't beaten a team with a winning record." Big 12 and SEC partisans owe the Wildcats some serious fruit baskets for knocking the Hawkeyes out of national title contention, but while you're at it, send some roses to Stanzi. Anyone who can throw five interceptions in a single game and still not come out a screaming liability to their team is a favorite son of chaos, and we do love some good old-fashioned upheaval of reason around here.

Drama Queen: Miami, which lolled around against Virginia yesterday murmuring how everyone hates them just long enough for everyone to pay attention and tell them how pretty they are, then blew the lid off Virginia, 52-17. The Cavs were held to 149 yards of total offense and 10 first downs. Jacory Harris passed for 232 yards and Graig Cooper ran for 152. Also, this happened:

The pain experienced by his crack-back'd players on that play is just the everyday toll of existence for UVA coach Al Groh, especially now that a winning season is out of reach.

Class Clown: Kansas, you scamps. Todd Reesing throws for 241 yards and you still only score 10 points against Kansas State? And that's actually due largely to Reesing's three turnovers? Hilarious! (Seriously, what's happened to Reesing? Last week's benching at Texas Tech seemed goofy at the time, but with the total disappearance of the Jayhawk offense in KU's fourth straight conference loss, we wonder.)

Most Likely To Succeed: Ohio State is back in control of the Big Ten and has only to skirt an Iowa team missing its quarterback and then foundering Michigan to book itself a slot in Pasadena. After losing convincingly to Purdue. We're as bewildered as you are.

- - -
Holly welcomes your adulation and veiled threats at nastinchka-at-yahoo, etc.

And the tradition continues. With another postseason in the history books, I run down the 10 moments I'll remember most. Have a few of your own? Leave 'em in the comments below.

10. Vladimir Guerrero bests Jonathan Papelbon — ALDS Game 3
Guerrero's postseason record will most likely always be defined by failure, but the declining slugger did his best to provide at least one highlight when he hit a two-out, two-run single off Jonathan Papelbon(notes) in the top of the ninth inning at Fenway Park. The hit gave the Angels a 7-6 lead in ALDS Game 3 and helped complete a sweep over a Red Sox team that previously owned the Halos in October. Though Vladdy had a rough start in the ALCS against the Yankees, he picked it up once the series went to Anaheim, finishing his postseason with a line of .378/.425/.541 and one homer, three doubles and seven RBIs. If that was his last stand with the Angels, it wasn't a bad final act.

* * * 

9. Ryan Howard's RBI double stuns Rockies — NLDS Game 4
One day after Guerrero crushed Boston's hopes, Ryan Howard(notes) did the same to the Rockies in Colorado. His two-out, two-RBI double off Huston Street(notes) didn't give the Phillies the lead — it'd take Big Brown scoring on a Jayson Werth(notes) single to do that — but it did ensure that the series wouldn't return to Philadelphia for Game 5 (and that Cliff Lee(notes) Cole Hamels(notes) would be available for Game 1 of the NLCS against Los Angeles, which seemed like a big coup at the time). The double was part of Howard's streak of eight straight postseason games with an RBI that would enable him to win NLCS MVP (before, of course, breaking the World Series record for strikeouts with 13 Ks.)

* * *

8. Jeff Mathis (who?) downs Yankees in 11th — ALCS Game 3
Jeff Mathis(notes) is why we actually bother playing the games. The Angels catcher only hit .211 with eight doubles in the regular season and ranked as the biggest hole in the Los Angeles lineup. Against the Yankees, however, he entered some sort of zone, hitting five doubles over five games, including two in the extra innings of Game 3. His double off Alfredo Aceves(notes) in the bottom of the 11th inning gave the Angels their first win of the series and momentarily put Mathis' name alongside the biggest stars in the sport.  

* * *

7. Matt Holliday's error in Los Angeles — NLDS Game 2
Matt Holliday's(notes) failure to grab a liner from James Loney(notes) — the Cardinals outfielder said he lost it in the lights — snatched defeat from the jaws of certain victory and gave the Dodgers a new life they'd use to take a 2-0 NLDS lead. It was easily the biggest error of the '09 postseason and possibly the only one to inspire the Green Day parody above. 

* * *

6. Chase Utley joins Reggie Jackson — World Series Game 5
Chase Utley(notes) was the one who crowned the Phillies "WFCs" last October and he did his best this November to make sure his title could still apply. That didn't happen, but Utley's World Series performance was something to behold. The second baseman hit two homers apiece in each of Philadelphia's wins and his five total dingers were enough to tie Reggie Jackson for most in a Fall Classic stand. Utley was so impressive that we even momentarily considered his chances of being named World Series MVP while playing for a losing cause.

* * *

5. Umpire Tim McClelland makes the worst call of all time — ALCS Game 4
It's now three weeks later and I still can't fathom how umpire Tim McClelland missed what was clearly a double tagging of Robinson Cano(notes) and Jorge Posada(notes) right in front of him. It was the worst call in a postseason full of bad calls that included an earlier McClelland misstep on a tagup that wasn't early, Phil Cuzzi's royal foul line hosing of Joe Mauer's(notes) Twins and some poor umpiring to start the Phillies-Rockies series.

* * *

4. Cliff Lee shuts down the Yankees — World Series Game 1
It ultimately mattered as much as winning your first 10 hands of blackjack on a losing Vegas trip, but what Phillies fan will ever be able to forget the euphoria of Cliff Lee's Game 1 start at Yankee Stadium? The lefty's complete game was a complete masterpiece — 10 strikeouts, no walks and only one unearned run — and extended what was one of the most amazing runs by a pitcher in postseason history. (The midseason acquisition finished his October and November with a 4-0 record, a 1.56 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP.)

* * *

3. Hideki Matsui owns clincher, wins World Series MVP — World Series Game 6
Did Hideki Matsui(notes) save his best for what could have been his last game as a Yankee? Perhas, but it was a great effort no matter when it occurred. After not starting a game in Philadelphia because of the DH absence, Matsui's performance in Game 6 — 3-for-4, a homer, a double and a record-tying six RBIs — helped the Yankees grab their 27th title. Combine that line with two big homers in Games 2 and 3 and Matsui did more than enough to become the first Japanese player to be named World Series MVP.  

* * *

2. Alex Rodriguez takes home his first title — World Series Game 6
There were no shortage of Alex Rodriguez(notes) moments to consider when it came to creating this list. His game-tying homer against Joe Nathan(notes) in ALDS Game 2. His instant replay homer in World Series Game 3. The revelation he may have a picture of him as a centaur above his bed. In the end, we'll go with the encapsulating moment of A-Rod grabbing the hardware and removing his name from the list of great players to never win a championship. After a relatively quiet regular season, A-Rod was the posteason's biggest story and his numbers — .365/.500/.808 with six homers, five doubles and 18 RBIs — were absolutely phenomenal.

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1. Johnny Damon's double dash — World Series Game 4
Every World Series needs an iconic play and it's usually a big home run or a closer falling to his knees after recording the final out. This year, Johnny Damon(notes) contributed one of the most unique memories when he stole two bases in the ninth inning of Game 4. The heads-up play was the first time a runner had ever stolen two bases on one pitch in a World Series game and it spurred Brad Lidge's(notes) three-run meltdown, which gave the Yankees a 3-1 series lead instead of an anything-can-happen 2-2 tie. When we talk about this World Series in the future, Damon's double steal will be the one play we remember most.

To relive all the postseason coverage on Big League Stew, click here

UPDATE: And because I'm always guaranteed to forget one big moment whe compiling these lists, there's Jimmy Rollins' Goodfellas moment in NLCS Game 4. Place it where you will.

(A big BLS head nod to @fotodave for the gentle reminder.) 

If we're lucky, someone will ask Evans why he thinks Michael Crabtree(notes) is a better start this week than Wes Welker(notes), Roddy White(notes), Hines Ward(notes), Miles Austin(notes), Dwayne Bowe(notes), Donald Driver(notes), Calvin Johnson(notes), both Seahawks and both Steve Smiths.

Submit your questions now. We'll fix everything.

Watch live, right now…

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A resourceful lot all the way around, those Tiders. But, you know, when it comes to school spirit in the clutch, gotta support the team ... (I assume a Simpsons cameo is in order? It can't be too hard to get on that show nowadays, and our four-fingered friend will fit right in.)

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Hat tip: Friends of the Program.

• Josh Freeman(notes) made his first NFL start much earlier than his employer intended. This was supposed to be an observe-and-learn year. But the rookie quarterback led Tampa Bay to an improbable, confidence pool-killing win over the Packers in Week 9.

Freeman passed for 205 yards and three touchdowns against Green Bay, and he was at his best late, when his team was behind. He directed a 72-yard fourth quarter scoring drive that gave the Bucs a 31-28 lead with 4:14 remaining, connecting with Sammie Stroughter(notes) for a 7-yard TD. Earlier, Freeman tossed touchdown passes to Kellen Winslow(notes) and Derrick Ward(notes).

(Quick memo to Green Bay: Are we sure that this is the best possible use of Aaron Kampman(notes)? He's supposed to drop into coverage and contain running backs? Really? Because he's known to have sacking skills).

Unfortunately, there aren't actually any great fantasy starts for Freeman anytime soon (at MIA in Week 10, vs. NO in Week 11). But he looked terrific on Sunday, enhancing his keeper value in a big way. And those DeBerg Era uniforms didn't hurt. 

• Not sure if Shutdown Corner accepts Least Valuable Player nominations, but we'd like to offer LaRon Landry's(notes) name for consideration this week. It was Landry's personal foul that ignited the sideline melee in Atlanta, and his unwillingness to challenge Michael Turner(notes) allowed the Burner's 58-yard fourth quarter TD. Lowlight here. That was shameful. Turner finished with 166 rushing yards and two scores, so he victimized basically everyone. Landry was not alone.

• For a few minutes there, our early concession in the Cards-Bears game seemed like a mistake. (See below). Jay Cutler(notes) threw a pair of fourth quarter touchdown passes to tight end Greg Olsen(notes), bringing the Bears within two scores. But then Cutler tossed a brutal pick to setup the Cards inside the red zone. Four plays later, Kurt Warner(notes) had his fifth TD pass of the game and the defenseless Bears trailed 41-21.

Olsen doubled his '09 TD total on Sunday. The first touchdown was particularly impressive, as Olsen escaped double coverage for a 33-yard grab. But then Arizona just kept scoring and scoring and scoring…

• Whenever Maurice Jones-Drew(notes) carries a collection of defenders into the end zone, we're going to show it to your. Video here. That was delightful. Give an assist to No. 77, guard Uche Nwaneri(notes). He may have nudged the pile.

• Somewhere, there's a fantasy owner who's going to lose their Week 9 matchup by a single point, because Reggie Wayne(notes) threw an interception. That's a miserable feeling; we've all been there. Houston had a chance to tie the Colts at the end of regulation, but Kris Brown(notes) just missed a 42-yard field goal. 

• The separation Wes Welker(notes) is able to get within the first second following the snap is just ridiculous. Welker caught another nine passes for 84 yards today, although the highlights belonged to Randy Moss(notes) (6-147-1). 

• Cedric Benson(notes) has now carried 71 times over his last two games, which puts him on pace for 396 this year. His career high is 214. If you're a Cedric owner, this is at least a small concern. You need him at full strength for the fantasy playoffs, when the Bengals have an incredibly friendly schedule (at SD in Week 15, vs. KC in Week 16). Benson topped 100 yards against Baltimore for the second time this season. If anyone would have actually accepted the '09 yardage bet we were offering back in August, we would have already lost. 

• This blog will not formally endorse Chris Chambers(notes), because he's just excruciating to watch. (Drop…15-yard reception…drop…) But it's nonetheless our duty to report that he caught a pair of fourth quarter TDs from Matt Cassel(notes) in the Chiefs' failed comeback at Jacksonville. If you happen to own him, start shopping. Chambers finished with 70 receiving yards.

Posted at 5:25 pm ET

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Update: Calvin Johnson(notes) (knee) and Kevin Smith(notes) (shoulder) both reportedly WILL PLAY against Seattle. 

Posted at 3:35 pm ET

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First Quarter

• Clinton Portis(notes) endured an ugly helmet-to-helmet-to-helmet collision with DBs Thomas DeCoud(notes) and Chevis Jackson(notes) in Atlanta, then sat on the sidelines concussed with a towel over his head. Ladell Betts(notes) has taken over. The hits on Portis were vicious; he was disturbingly motionless after they were delivered. Don't be surprised if he's out in Week 10.

This seems like a joke, but it's not: Atlanta head coach Mike Smith led a swarm of Falcons who descended on DeAngelo Hall(notes) during a sideline fracas. (DeAngelo, you do not want to battle Smith. He's a biter). Check the video here via NFL.com. Note how Jim Zorn eventually wanders onto the field, dazed.

• Randy Moss made an obscene 36-yard one-handed grab along the sideline in the first quarter in New England, with Miami rookie corner Vontae Davis(notes) draped all over him. Highlight here. Great coverage, better catch. The reception by Moss set up a 1-yard TD for Laurence Maroney(notes), who crossed the goal line untouched.  

• If Moss has the day's most difficult catch, Jacksonville's Mike Sims-Walker(notes) has the easiest. The Chiefs simply ignored Sims-Walker on this play, with predictable results.

• Ricky Williams(notes) scored on a 15-yard run via the option, taking a pitch from Pat White(notes). That sentence would have seemed highly unlikely in a blog post about the NFL just two years ago, but the Dolphins have really rewritten the rules.

• Today's leading tacklers: Kickers! Chicago's Robbie Gould(notes) and Kansas City's Ryan Succop(notes) both made touchdown-saving takedowns on return attempts following missed field goals. Antrel Rolle(notes) and Rashean Mathis(notes) were their victims. 

• Ryan Moats(notes) earned the start at Indianapolis, following his three-touchdown performance against the user-friendly Bills in Week 8. He continued the Texans' proud tradition of fumbling, however, coughing up the football at the 1-yard line at the end of a six-minute drive. The fumble was not called on the field, but the replay team determined that A) Moats lost the ball before he was down, B) the defender who recovered reestablished himself inbounds and C) the play resulted in a touchback. Houston fans are encouraged to share their opinions on A, B and C in comments. 

• No mas, Arizona. Chicago hereby concedes. (Tommie Harris(notes) tapped out much earlier, earning an ejection for an obvious cheap-shot). Kurt Warner threw four touchdown passes in the first half, connecting twice with Larry Fitzgerald(notes). Tim Hightower(notes) absolutely stonewalled a blitzing Bears linebacker on Fitz's first score, allowing Kurt Warner to comfortably review all options. Let's hope for some garbage time stats, Cutler owners.

• Baltimore's Fabian Washington(notes) dropped a relatively easy pick when Carson Palmer(notes) threw deep into triple-coverage in the first quarter. The drive ended with a 1-yard Cedric Benson touchdown. Ravens nose tackle Haloti Ngata(notes) is inactive due to an ankle injury, so Benson has encountered little resistance up the middle. Chris Henry was carted off after a forearm injury that appeared to be serious.

Posted at 3:10 pm ET

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Early updates: According to multiple reports – including this one from NFL Network's Jason La Canfora and this one from ESPN's Adam Schefter – Philadelphia running back Brian Westbrook(notes) (concussion) WILL NOT PLAY in the Sunday night game against the Cowboys. Westbrook didn't practice on Friday, so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised by the news. LeSean McCoy(notes) obviously gets a significant value bump here. … Ryan Moats is expected to get the start at running back for Houston in Week 9, though Steve Slaton(notes) will likely have a role (other that being the Texans' designated fumbler). … Roddy White(notes) (knee) is ACTIVE against Washington. … Anquan Boldin(notes) (ankle) is INACTIVE at Chicago. Steve Breaston(notes) gets a value boost there. 

Posted at 11:52 am ET

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Pregame

For those who won't let the Wookiee win, some free advice: QB Ranks, RB Ranks, WR Ranks, NFL Skinny, Freak Show, Shuffle Up, Flames/Lames.

Please join us at noon ET for Fantasy Football Live, where the advice might be sketchy, but the entertainment value is quite high. Check back with Sunday Scene throughout the day for updates, observations and valuable prizes. 

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Photos via Getty Images (Wookiee) and US Presswire (Portis, Freeman)

However, Johnson's got a bigger challenge this week -- the days of "four-lane highway" rushing lanes and missed tackles might be over in the short term. The Titans face the San Francisco 49ers today, and this is a defense primed to stop the big play on the ground. They've only allowed three rushes of 20 yards or more, and no back has gone for 40 or more on them this season. San Francisco has speed on the perimeter and the ability to clamp down on speed backs. According to Football Outsiders, the Niners rank fourth in yards per carry allowed to the left end (2.52) and fifth in runs allowed to right end (2.42). Johnson will face additional challenges in that San Francisco's defense doesn't have much incentive to back into coverage with Vince Young(notes) under center. In fact, because Young rolls out so much, and is so much better as a passer when he does, the Niners have all the reason in the world to guard the edges above all else.

So watch San Francisco's edge defenders -- the always underrated Justin Smith(notes) at end, and outside linebackers Manny Lawson(notes) and Parys Haralson(notes) -- especially on those breakout plays in which Johnson tries to bounce outside. Last Sunday, the Niners negated Indy's rushing attack, and the ubiquitous stretch play, limiting Joseph Addai(notes) to 62 yards on 20 carries. True to the ethos of head coach Mike Singletary, these guys arrive at the ballcarrier in a very bad mood. Can they stop Johnson, the single most dangerous ground threat in the league?

Andrei Arlovski and Brett Rogers don't look or sound anything like each other. But if you listened to Arlovski back in January after his loss to Fedor Emelianenko and then Rogers last night in Chicago, the mood was eerily similar. Both guys had that, "what just happened" tone.

Just like Arlovski at Affliction 2, Rogers was making the Fedor look human. Not many opponents have done that. The Russian hasn't lost since 2000 but Rogers was doing quite a bit of damage on the feet and even got Fedor on his back. But then just like Arlovski, who tried a crazy flying knee, Rogers telegraphed a left hook. Fedor timed it perfectly and blasted him on the chin. Next thing "The Grim" knew, referee "Big" John McCarthy was rubbing his back saying, "it's okay, you're safe." 

"I guess you can say I didn't see it coming," said Rogers. "I definitely knew that's his punch. I like to throw but every now and then I put my hands down. He got too close. He capitlized on the hole. I'm gonna work on that."

Rogers said his problems started when he went away from his game, being the aggressor and attacking: 

"I'm going to come out a whole lot more aggressive [next time]. He was playing the game right. I should've been throwing my hands."

Rogers was actually thrown off by Fedor's demeanor. There are times it looks like the Russian is getting beaten badly but his expression never changes. 

"The fight went as planned. I could tell he stuck with his gameplan. What threw me off was how loose he was. It just kind of threw me. I think a lot of people sleep on [his speed], his first step."

Rogers thought the stoppage was a bit early and that he wasn't completely out but he wasn't going to complain. Fedor now has 31 wins and most of those came against guys who fought not to lose. Rogers was pretty aggressive and took the fight to Fedor. Now he has to hope a lot of things fall his way if ever wants to get a shot avenging the first defeat of his career against the 33-year-old heavyweight legend. 

The crowd stood on its feet for all seven minutes of the action-packed Brett Rogers-Fedor Emelianenko fight on CBS before the Russian scored a knockout win. Was it because Fedor was in trouble or the fact that Rogers was simply competing? During the postfight press conference, Fedor said he wasn't in trouble, the cut on his nose was never an issue and the fight went exactly like his team thought it would. Can that all be true? 

It was the same tune Fedor sang after his win in January over Andrei Arlovski. Did Rogers and Arlovski show that Fedor weaknesses with his standup defense or is the bottomline that the guy continues to pile up devastating knockout wins? 

The Sharks netminder was solid against the defending champions making 27 saves for his 49th career NHL shutout during a 5-0 San Jose victory. After facing just three shots in the first period, the Penguins tested Nabokov with 24 shots in the final two periods. Having taken a 4-0 lead early in the second period, Nabokov fought off a desperate Penguins team trying to break the shutout.

No. 2 star: Antero Niittymaki(notes), Tampa Bay Lightning

Another game, another solid effort by Niittymaki. His 36 saves silenced the Montreal crowd as the Lightning ended a four-game road trip with a 3-1 win. Niittymaki has now won two of his last three starts and lowered his goals-against average to 1.90 and improved his league-best save-percentage to .940.

No. 3 star: Mike Knuble(notes), Washington Capitals

No Alex Ovechkin(notes) or Mike Green(notes) didn't stop the Capitals offense from exploding for seven goals in a victory over the Florida Panthers with the 37-year old Knuble popping in two goals and adding two assists. Knuble's multi-goal game was the seventh time a Washington player has reached the feat so far this season. 

Honorable mention: Behind Dan Ellis'(notes) 27 saves and Cody Franson's(notes) second goal in the NHL, Nashville downed Los Angeles 3-1 ... Flyers rookie Mika Pyorala(notes) may not have scored his first goal of his young NHL career, but his tally in the shootout was enough to give Philadelphia a 2-1 win over St. Louis ... Jonas Gustavsson(notes) came up big in his third straight start by stopping 35 shots while Phil Kessel(notes) added his first goal in a Toronto jersey along with an assist as the Maple Leafs routed the Detroit Red Wings ... Along with Knuble's pair, Tomas Fleischmann(notes) fourth and fifth goals of the season ... Nigel Dawes(notes) had a hand in all three Calgary goals as the Flames upended the Rangers 3-1 ... In his first game since early October, Joe Pavelski(notes) potted his first goal of the season during San Jose's win over Pittsburgh ... Miikka Kiprusoff's(notes) 32 saves paced Calgary pasted the Rangers ... Despite two goals by Loui Eriksson(notes), Marek Zidlicky's(notes) goal near the end of the second period was the eventual game-winner as Minnesota got by Dallas 3-2 ... New Jersey extended their league-best road record to 8-0-0 ... Milestones on the night: Tim Connolly(notes) and Francois Bouillon playing in their 500th NHL games while Henrik Tallinder(notes) appeared in his 400th. Capitals rookie Mathieu Perreault(notes) scored his first career NHL goal. 

Did you know?: Craig Conroy(notes) is the only Calgary Flames forward without a goal through the team's first 15 games. (AP)

Dishonorable mention: Buffalo Sabres goaltender Jhonas Enroth(notes) didn't have a memory NHL debut allowing a goal on the first shot he saw and losing to Boston 4-2 ... Powerless power-play's tonight included Buffalo (0-for-7) and Detroit (0-for-5) ... Carolina extended their power-play drought to 0-for-30, while the Penguins are now 0-for-21 in their last four games ... Ottawa penalty-kill could have used an extra hand allowing all three goals on the in a 3-2 loss to New Jersey ... Finally, the struggling Carolina Hurricanes took another blow tonight when they lost goaltender Cam Ward(notes) after his thigh was lacerated by Rick Nash's(notes) skate:

Brett Rogers had a little lump over his right eye but that was about the only way you could tell he has just fought. Meanwhile Fedor Emelianenko looked like he'd been by a Mack truck. Is that a broken nose? The Fedor camp wouldn't say but his nose is oddly curved to the right. The world's best heavyweight didn't dominate Rogers, but when it counted most Fedor landed the fight changing punch in the second round knocking out the bigger fighter with a perfectly timed counter right. The pictures may tell a different story but there's no controversy when there's a knockout.

There may be a little argument when it comes to the Fabricio Werdum-Antonio Silva fight. Many media folks cageside thought Silva had won a close decision. That's not the way all three judges saw it giving the decision 29-28 to Werdum. Silva didn't argue the point much in the press conference although he did say he put Wedrum on his butt twice with better standup in the second.

There's still plenty of time for that narrative to reemerge over the next month, but tonight any hint of disappointment or untapped potential is a whisper beneath the blaring siren of one of the great efforts of the season -- emphasis on effort: Still clearly ailing from the assortment of nicks that essentially sidelined him last week against Charleston Southern, Spiller gashed Florida State for 312 total yards (165 rushing, 67 receiving, 80 in the return game), just abovdthe school record he set two weeks ago in the Tigers' overtime win at Miami. That included runs of 45, 36 and 21 yards and a touchdown reception from 58 yards out, a couple of which he couldn't quite finish because his legs visibly stopped working at the end; on the sideline, Spiller appeared to be on the verge of hocking an organ onto the field.

He still commanded the ball, 29 times altogether, and Florida State was helpless to stop him in the second half. When his injuries and exhaustion did what FSU could not, he was the first player off the bench to celebrate when his teammates punched in a late touchdown, and his first move after the game was to seek out Bobby Bowden among the throng on the field for a handshake.

Coming into the day, only three other players nationally had put together a 300-yard all-purpose game this year; excluding last week's functional bye, Spiller's turned the trick two games in a row, against arguably the two most talented teams in the ACC, and has the Tigers back on track for the ACC Championship game -- wins over N.C. State and Virginia (or even one win and a loss by Boston College) will ice the Atlantic Division. Obviously, we've heard that before, during their November collapses with the division in their grasp in 2006 and 2007 and last year's season-long flop with a mountain of preseason hype behind them. Even as a heavy favorite against the Wolfpack and Cavaliers, this is the point in the season where Clemson regularly spit the bit with everything in its corner under Tommy Bowden. That may or may not be different under Dabo Swinney. But if he remains healthy enough to suit up, Spiller hasn't had a down game yet in '09, and there's no indication he'll be participating in any more disappearing acts.

In an arena that was electric with the excitement of seeing the world's best heavyweight take on a tough challenger, Fedor Emelianenko won his first Strikeforce bout with a TKO at 1:48 in the second round. If there were any questions of Fedor's dominance, they were answered tonight as Emelianenko lasted through an early onslaught from Rogers. 

Fedor started the fight off with big looping punches and then threw Rogers to the ground, using his sambo skills. Rogers got back to his feet and used the clinch to cause damage. Rogers cut Fedor on the bridge of his nose with a perfectly square jab. When Rogers took Fedor to the ground, he landed a bevy of punches to put "The Last Emperor" in trouble. 

But Fedor could not be stopped. He finished the fight off with one lethal right hand punch in the second round, and then finished it on the ground with one more big right.

Judging by the crowd at the Sears Centre in suburban Chicago, Fedor has clearly become a star in the United States. The cheers for him were deafening, and more than once, the crowd began to chant "Fedor, Fedor!" 

Rogers fought Fedor better than anyone has in quite a while. This was his first loss, but one that will still leave a mark in the memories of MMA fans. 

In the battle for the vacant Strikeforce middleweight belt, Jake Shields won a unanimous decision 48-47, 49-46, 49-46. Despite having the Chicago crowd squarely against him, Shields employed an effective, smothering offense to grind out the win over Jason "Mayhem" Miller. 

In the first round, Shields got a quick takedown, and did some damage on the ground. Mayhem got up, but then was taken down again quickly. When Miller got back to his feet, he picked Shields up for a takedown, which got a large cheer from the crowd.

The second round was incredibly close, as the two spent it mostly on the ground. Neither fighter got close to a submission, though. Miller dominated the third, sinking in a rear naked choke near the end of the round. Shields was saved by the bell, because if the round would have lasted just a few more seconds Shields would likely not have made it.

In the fourth, an exhausted Shields got a takedown but did little with it. When referee "Big" John McCarthy stood them up, Mayhem landed some kicks before Shields took him down, again. Every time Miller tried to roll out, Shields stuck to him. In the fifth round, Shields continued his attack of taking Miller down and sticking on him like white on rice. For much of the round, he had Miller's back, but when Miller did get out, he tried and quickly gave up on a guillotine.

The crowd in suburban Chicago showered Shields with boos as he walked out of the arena, but his attack was effective. After the fight, Shields said that he would fight at middleweight or welterweight, and that Cung Le, the former holder of the middleweight belt, is afraid of Shields. Le vacated the belt after pursuing a film career, but he will fight again on Dec. 19 against Scott Smith. 

By any measure, California had a dreadful night against Oregon State -- the Beavers quickly led 14-0 and ultimately outgained Cal by 200 yards for the game to stick the Bears with their third lopsided conference loss in six games. But none of the losses were worse than the spectacular and spectacularly painful exit of star running back Jahvid Best, who momentarily defied the laws of gravity and paid a very hard price on the Bears' only relevant score of the game:

Best remained on the ground for an uncomfortably long time, ultimately being carted away on a stretcher with an oxygen mask over his face; the early verdict indicates he does have feeling in all his extremities and is apparently suffering from a concussion.

Best is often compared to another all-purpose Pac-10 speedster, notorious end zone leaper Reggie Bush, and has gone airborne before. It makes for a nice picture, and if he'd somehow picked himself off the turf after this one, the shot would make Sports Illustrated and live on in infamy. It might, anyway, but hopefully as more of a cautionary tale than an enviable feat. Full-contact games are not made to be played eight feet off the ground.

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Alabama 24, LSU 15. When Tennessee held Alabama without a touchdown two weeks ago, coach Nick Saban acknowledged after the game that his team may have been "tired" after eight straight games without a bye week; after this game, he said the Tide "played well" in the first half, but was still frustrated that it could only come away with three points in six straight trips inside Tiger territory. 'Bama rolled up 223 yards today before halftime -- almost as many as it gained in the entire game against Tennessee -- but at the same time, after one half, the Tide had still scored a grand total of two offensive touchdowns in its last 14 quarters, with a single TD in 10 trips inside the opponents' red zone. "Tired" or not, Alabama was plagued by the same issues with finishing drives, and this time was staring at a rare halftime deficit at 7-3.

Against that frustrating backdrop, the second half counts as a kind of rejuvenation for the struggling Tide offense. 'Bama took the opening kickoff of the third quarter 81 yards for a touchdown, its first in almost three weeks; after being hit for a safety on a drive that started at their own one-yard line, the Tide ate up 66 yards in a little over five-and-a-half minutes for a field goal, two-thirds of it on seven carries by Mark Ingram; and still trailing 15-13 and needing a big play in the fourth quarter, they got their biggest play of the year, a 73-yard catch-and-run by the eerily quiet Julio Jones, the sudden, game-turning highlight will join Terrence Cody's blocked field goal as the defining moments of the season if the Tide run the table. (Or, in Alabama terms, the Daniel Moore Moments.)

Alabama still doesn't win, of course, without the defense; LSU had seven three-and-outs, including two with the game on the line in the fourth quarter, preceding a quick turnover on downs after just one first down to ice the game. But no part of the Tide's win was more impressive than that killer instinct on both sides of the ball -- or, maybe more accurately, the survival instinct. 'Bama never trailed in the fourth quarter during last year's 12-0 regular season, and in fact blew a late lead to Florida in the SEC Championship. This year, it's rallied to come from behind to put away Virginia Tech in the opener and now the top challenger in the West Division; in their toughest games of the season, facing their toughest spots of the season, the Tide outscored the Hokies and Tigers by a combined 32-7 in the final frame to win both games comfortably, by two scores. They blocked Tennessee's kick to prevent a burgeoning giveaway. Whatever other problems this team has, responding in the clutch obviously hasn't been one of them.

Gegard Mousasi continued to show his dominance, TKO'ing Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at 3:43 in the second round. 

As he is wont to do, Sokoudjou came out guns blazing in the first round, not only landing punches on Mousasi, but also displaying his judo prowess with a few throws to put Mousasi on his back. His dominance was short-lived, though, as his well-known lack of conditioning reared its ugly head.

In the second, it looked like Sokoudjou might be in trouble after Mousasi unloaded a flurry of punches, but Soko survived and took Mousasi down. Mousasi reversed Sokoudjou, and it was quite clear that Soko was exhausted at that point. Mousasi unloaded punches and elbows, and the referee, "Big" John McCarthy called the fight. 

For Mousasi, 24, the win didn't test his Strikeforce light heavyweight title, but it did show off his skills as a top fighter. The American audience is now much more familiar with the young veteran's dominance.

In a heavyweight bout between Fabricio Werdum and Antonio "Big Foot" Silva, Werdum outlasted the big man on Strikeforce's first ever bout on CBS. All three judges scored it 29-28 for Fabricio Werdum.

In the first round, Silva knocked down Werdum with a big flurry of punches but couldn't finish him off. Despite that, Silva clearly won the first round, landing punches and knocking Werdum more than once. The times that Werdum was on the ground, Silva didn't follow. Instead, he told Werdum to get back up to continue the fight on their feet.

Werdum finally got it to the ground in the second but couldn't keep Silva there. Back on their feet, Werdum worked the clinch before Werdum got Silva back to the ground and got side control. Werdum quickly rolled into a heel hook, but Silva got out of it. 

In the third round, Werdum again was able to take Silva down. When Silva got back up, he tried to land some punches but Werdum dodged them, matrix-style. Werdum landed a knee and Silva went to the ground. The final round ended with Werdum on top of Silva.  

For winning this fight, Werdum should have a chance at either the winner of Fedor/Rogers, or eventually, the Strikeforce heavyweight champion, Alistair Overeem. 

In his first fight since being released from World Extreme Cagefighting, Jeff Curran walked a way with a win, his first in five fights. His opponent, Dustin Neace, tapped out 1:39 into the fight due to injury, apparently to his ribs.

Curran had suffered four losses in a row to some of the best fighters the WEC has, a group that includes Takeya Mizugaki, Joe Benavidez, Urijah Faber and Mike Brown. This win, though quick, might not have been the most satisfying for Curran. It will be interesting to see if Strikeforce holds on to the veteran featherweight. 

As usual, female fighters don't disappoint. After Marloes Coenen landed a few beautiful kicks, Roxanne Modafferi took her down. Coenen quickly rolled Modafferi, throwing an armbar. Modafferi tapped out at 1:05 in the first round. This was Coenen's first win over Modafferi, with Roxy coming away with the earlier win coming by split decision in 2007.

Coenen will reportedly go on to face Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos for the Strikeforce women's title. Though she was impressive tonight, it's hard to judge if the Dutch kickboxer will be able to stop Cyborg's incredible power. 

Even the Charlie Weis haters among Notre Dame fans haven't had much reason for complaint through the first two months as far as the Weis "hot seat" watch goes: The Irish were on track for 10 wins, showed a penchant for winning close, exciting games with one of the nation's most prolific offenses, were 11 combined points from beating Michigan and USC in their only two losses and ended their losing streak against winning teams by beating Boston College. All in all, a perfectly respectable year.

But still ...

Now that the Irish have lost to Navy for the second time in two years -- both in South Bend after beating the Midshipmen 43 years in a row in any location -- and forfeited any realistic opportunity at slipping into a BCS bowl, the next three games against Pittsburgh, UConn and Stanford (combined record: 18-8) may be a referendum for Weis' job. If ND drops any of them, this kid's going to have some company (again).

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Hat tip: Deadspin.

After an exciting first round, with Bailey goes for a quick takedown and unsuccessfully trying for guillotine and Kolocsi landing several big shots, the fight slowed down. Bailey controlled the majority of the match, winning it on the ground. All three judges called it 29-27 for Shamar Bailey. 

Louis Taylor vs. Nate Moore

After showing off superior wrestling skills throughout the fight, American Kickboxing Academy product Moore finished off Louis Taylor with strikes at 3:24 in the second round. 

Christian Uflacker vs. Jonatas Novaes

Uflacker was effective with takedowns on the ground in a game that ended up mostly a ground battle. After Novaes kicked Uflacker when he was down on the ground, Uflacker took a while to compose himself but decided to continue. Novaes was deducted two points for the iullegal kick, and Uflacker won by a 29-26, 30-25, 30-25 unanimous decision. 

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Ohio State 24, Penn State 7. We don't know exactly how the season is going to play out -- it could very well be, for example, that Penn State just isn't very good. We didn't know much about the Lions coming in, but their offensive malaise and the quiet, steady effectiveness of the Buckeye running game followed exactly the script of Penn State's only other loss this season, in its only other game against another team at the top of the conference. With their lame nonconference schedule and losses to the only teams on the Big Ten slate that might currently fit anyone's definition of "good," there's no evidence at all that the Lions stack up to the top-15 ranking they've carried all season.

But there's not much question on my end that this is Ohio State's best win since the 2006 team finished its perfect regular season against No.2 Michigan, just before launching the "big game" curse against Florida in the subsequent BCS title game that's followed the Buckeyes ever since. OSU finally played exactly the way it wanted to play against one of the best teams on the schedule -- running for 200-plus yards, getting two touchdown passes with no turnovers from Terrelle Pryor, taking advantage of good field position and forcing seven three-and-outs from the Nittany Lion offense -- and did it on the road. It's not the national championship, but it is the first time Pryor or the vast majority of teammates can come out of a verifiably big game with their heads held high.

With Iowa's loss to Northwestern, it also sets up the Buckeyes on the track to their first Rose Bowl appearance in more than a decade: They'll be favored to beat the Hawkeyes next week in Columbus, which will put OSU in sole possession of first place in the conference with only badly reeling Michigan standing between it and Pasadena. If they manage to take two must-win conference games in a row and dispatch their hated rival for the sixth consecutive year after nearly losing control of the season in an ugly loss at Purdue, of all places, the Bucks will deserve the trip, and deserve to enjoy it no matter what other big-game demons are sure to await them when they get there.

Welcome to Cagewriter's coverage of Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers. We will have full results of the all the night's events. Keep checking back with us. 

Navy 23, Notre Dame 21. Watching a game like this unfold is almost a surreal experience when you stop to size up the absurd physical differences between these two teams, especially between Notre Dame's offense and Navy's defense. It's one thing to think about how difficult it must be for the Midshipmen's secondary to match up with Notre Dame's 6-foot-6 god of a receiver, Michael Floyd, and another altogether to actually observe the physical impossibility of it with your own eyes, even on television.

And it's not like Navy really stopped Notre Dame's high-flying offense, either, despite the final score: Floyd and receiving mate Golden Tate hauled in 19 passes between them for 275 yards, more than half of the Irish's 513-yard total, and ND didn't punt once.

But Navy was able to mitigate the damage by limiting big plays -- before Tate's 31-yard catch-and-run for Notre Dame's last (and ultimately meaningless) touchdown in the final minute, the Midshipmen hadn't allowed a play longer than 30 yards, forcing the Irish to string together long drives that more often than not ended in the Middies' favor; five ND drives of seven plays or longer ended deep in Navy territory with the Irish failing to put points on the board. More importantly, the Midshipmen forced turnovers, three of them, including a Jimmy Clausen fumble at the Navy goal line and then a pick off Clausen inside the Navy five in the fourth quarter. Most of the Irish's obscene output was sound and fury in the service, ultimately, of nothing.

The other overriding theme in the box score, of course, was the complete domination of the Midshipmen's vaunted triple-option attack, which ate up the vast majority of the first quarter and part of the second on two long touchdown drives that featured a single pass attempt (for four yards) between them; set up a 52-yard touchdown pass on Navy's third and final pass of the game to extend the lead to 21-7 in the third quarter; and finished with 348 bruising, frustrating yards on six per carry -- a dominating performance for the scheme to accompany a resourceful, resilient one by the defense, which is what physically mismatched upsets are made of.

And in this case, it's a season-deflating shocker on top of the details: Their third loss means the Irish are certain to fall from next week's polls, which essentially closes off their route to the top 15 by the end of the year, and with it any hope of returning to one of the big-money bowls in January, no matter what happens over the last three weeks against Pittsburgh, Connecticut and Stanford. With that critical benchmark out of reach, at least the Gator Bowl must be very happy, along with all the Irish haters who get to go another year without having to endure Notre Dame in a BCS game.

Preview: Detroit Red Wings at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. EST. Looking for their fourth straight win, the Red Wings head into tonight's Hall of Fame Game. Three former Red Wings, Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille will be in attendance along with Brian Leetch and Lou Lamoriello for the pre-game ceremony. It'll be game No. 3 in the Phil Kessel(notes)-era for the Leafs who may see Jonas Gustavsson(notes) in goal for a third straight game.

Preview: New York Rangers at Calgary Flames, 10 p.m. EST. No Henrik Lundqvist tonight for the Rangers as Sean Avery(notes) and Dion Phaneuf(notes) meet on the ice for the first time since "those" comments. Avery even admitted that he called Elisha Cuthbert after the comments to apologize for them. Calgary looks for their first home win in three games before an east coast trip next week.

Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins at San Jose Sharks, 10:30 p.m. EST. Despite losing their undefeated road record after falling to Los Angeles on Thursday night, the Penguins enter HP Pavilion tonight wanting to end their west coast trip by taking four out of six points. Joe Pavelski(notes) is expected to return for the Sharks tonigh, who are undefeated against the defending Stanley Cup champions at home over their past eight match-ups.

Check out the Y! Sports scores and schedule page for previews of the other three games tonight.

Evening Reading

-Scotty Wazz on defending those Montreal Canadiens barber pole jerseys: "If you want to talk about the whole retro movement when it comes to the culture of sports-- fact of the matter is that nothing says more retro than the barber-pole jersey when it comes to hockey." [Wazz]

-Islanders defenseman Radek Martinek(notes) is done for the year after tearing an ACL. [Point Blank]

Puck Buddy Comment of the Day: The half dozen commenters who were unaware that the Clint Malarchuk injury didn't take place in the years between 2000 and 2009.

Bold Prediction: Nothing happens between Sean Avery and Dion Phaneuf. Also, Detroit slays the "Monster" in a rout.

Purdue 38, Michigan 36. Mathematically, Michigan is still alive for a bowl game, but at this point, that's like saying "Chrysler is still solvent" or "People are still watching the new Jay Leno show." Technically, yes: At 5-5, if the Wolverines upset Wisconsin on the road or end their five-year losing streak against Ohio State, a bid to the Little Caesar's Bowl may be waiting for them.

Let's rephrase that with a few more pieces of key information: If the Wolverines snap out of a five-game conference losing streak in which they've now allowed 500 yards and 38 points apiece to Illinois and Purdue in back-to-back weeks to knock off one of the top teams in the conference, they can eke out a bid to the least prestigious postseason date in school history. That's the best-case scenario.

Today, at home against another struggling outfit struggling just to stay out of the conference cellar (Purdue was routed last week 37-0 by Wisconsin), was the chance for Michigan to end that malaise and salvage whatever goodwill remained from the 4-0 start in September. Instead, the beleaguered secondary gave up four completions of at least 30 yards in the worst aerial assault against Wolverine D (367 yards) since USC in the 2006/07 Rose Bowl. Aside from defensive end Brandon Graham, this rock-bottom defense is like last year's rock-bottom offense: Outmanned, condemned from the outset by a shockingly bare cupboard at key positions and careening quickly toward historic depths every time the ball goes in the air.

That's a sobering comparison on its face, particularly for what it implies in the big picture: Assuming the chalk holds against Wisconsin and Ohio State, Michigan is on pace not only to miss a bowl game for the second year in a row, but to finish 1-7 in Big Ten play with seven consecutive losses, a regression from the unthinkable catastrophe of finishing 2-6 in conference games last year. Rich Rodriguez's second team seemed to establish the bare minimum of its requirements -- just don't be as bad as Rich Rodriguez's first team, please -- by beating Notre Dame at the last second and avoiding another embarrassing loss to the equivalent of Toledo during that 4-0 start. Back-to-back defenses collapses to obviously reeling outfits from Purdue and Illinois, though, threaten to erase all of that: Unless the Wolverines manage to pull a stunning upset over a top-25 rival in the last two weeks of the season -- or somehow shut down the Badgers' and Buckeyes' offenses in close, spirited losses -- Michigan is going to end this season just as it ended 2008, wallowing in the Big Ten cellar with Indiana, probably looking for yet another defensive coordinator and definitely still wondering how and when it's ever going to manage to crawl its way back into the light.

What's that old saying? Once is a mistake, twice is a coincidence, three times is a trend? If that's the case, then Yanina Wickmayer's one-year suspesnsion for thrice failing to report her whereabouts to drug testing officials is a fair and legitimate penalty.

From the Associated Press:

Wickmayer said last month she has had trouble with her password in the computerized system overseen by the World Anti-Doping Agency. She also said registered mail at her home could not be signed off on because she was travelling to WTA tournaments.

Yes, Yanina, you're the only player who travels to tournaments and can't sign for registered mail. And that password excuse sounds like something I'd tell an ex-girlfriend whose emails I haevn't returned. 

Maybe she did, maybe she didn't. If it's the latter, then failing to report her whereabouts to officials three times is the height of stupidity. If she did, was she using illicit substances for recreation or to enhance performance?

The use of PEDs in tennis is almost certainly more widespread than anyone thinks. The game is thought of as "clean", but that's only because tennis has one of the worst drug testing plans in all of sports. As Bill Gifford described in a piece for Slate earlier this year:

The International Tennis Federation's testing program hasn't caught any significant drug cheats because it's practically designed that way. According to the ITF's own statistics, tennis's governing body conducted just over 2,000 drug tests last year. Even if you consider that this covers more than 1,000 ranked players, as well as wheelchair tennis players, it still sounds like a lot of testing. But look more closely, and you'll see some Jaws-size holes in the net.

Consider the timing of the tests. Nearly all of tennis's drug testing was conducted during competitions-major tournaments like the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon. But most doping activity occurs during training, not actual competition.

Sports like cycling and track and field-which have had far worse drug problems than tennis-figured out long ago that it's best to test athletes outside competition. But last year, tennis performed just 91 out-of-competition tests. The International Cycling Union, by contrast, did more than 2,000 such tests.

It's naive to think that the use of PEDs in tennis isn't more widespread than reported. The lax drug testing contributes to this perception, but so does the fact that use of these types of drugs wouldn't be clearly noticeable to fans and those in the tennis community. 

Players won't be bulking up like football and baseball players, so the telltale signs of use, like bigger muscles, increased head size and suspicious jumps in home run totals, aren't there. Wickmayer wouldn't be looking like a member of the 1988 East German women's swim team or seeing her serve speed jump 30 mph.

It's far more likely that a blood doping drug like EPO, which is big in both cycling and track, would be in use. Some have debated this, like Stuart Miller who is the head of anti-doping for the International Tennis Federation. From a New York Times article about drug use in tennis from September:

"You normally see [EPO use] in sports where you are trying to maximize some element of physiological performance, like strength, power, stamina, speed," Miller said. Tennis combines these attributes with strategy and hand-eye coordination. "They're good at all of those things," he said. "But they're not trying to maximize those things." 

The "[insert drug here] won't benefit [insert type of athlete] because [insert specious reasoning]" excuse is as old as PEDs. Remember when people thought sluggers couldn't benefit because steroids don't help hand-eye coordination? Or that pitchers shouldn't be bulky because it would ruin the pitching motion? Getting a little boost or a bit more stamina can always help. It's completely naive to presume otherwise.

Wickmayer either doped or she didn't. If it's the latter, then failing to report her whereabouts to officials three times is the height of stupidity. What's the old saying, "once

A theory put forth by Bill Gifford in that Slate piece suggests that perhaps tennis officials have lax drug testing standards because they don't want the sport to irrevocably tainted by drug speculation like cycling and track have. This isn't to suggest that there's some sort of mass conspiracy to allow players to dope, but there certainly could be a little "out of sight, out of mind" action at work. 

Northwestern 17, Iowa 10. Anytime a nondescript, 16.5-point underdog rebounds from a quick 10-point hole to upend a 9-0 national-title contender on the road, that is a "shocking" result. There was no reason to think Iowa might lose to a team with a gimpy starting quarterback and whose marquee wins to date included unlikely, skin-of-the-teeth comebacks against Purdue and Indiana. The Hawkeyes' miracle season obviously was not supposed to end here -- next week at Ohio State, maybe, but not at home, to Northwestern.

I find it hard to believe, though, that anyone who pays greater heed to probability than to miracles is actually experiencing anything like actual shock, especially after quarterback Ricky Stanzi's ignominious exit with an ankle injury on the end zone fumble turned Northwestern touchdown that turned the game in the second quarter and collapsed the Hawkeyes' Jenga tower of a season in a matter of seconds. At some point, it had to happen: Iowa had already survived the loss of its top three running backs and a starting offensive lineman for the season, as well as its best offensive player for a crucial three-game stretch earlier in the season, and emerged unscathed after fourth-quarter comebacks against Northern Iowa, Penn State, Michigan State and Indiana. When you're saddled with one of the worst offenses in the conference, there are only so many miracles at your disposal.

As much heat as he's taken for his perfectly mediocre performance through the first two months (and his five-interception schizo act against Indiana, in particular), Stanzi's injury was the obvious breaking point. At least the resourceful junior gave the Hawkeyes a chance to move the ball: Their first three drives covered 159 yards and put 10 points on the board off a 74-yard touchdown pass from Stanzi to Marvin McNutt and a 30-yard strike to Trey Stross that set up the field goal. The final eight drives, all led by redshirt freshman James Vandenberg, covered 131 yards, entered Northwestern territory only once and produced zero points. Vandernberg's first pass was a laser directly into the chest of a linebacker that set up the Wildcats' go-ahead touchdown, and his longest completion was just 16 yards. He repeatedly missed open receivers Stanzi may have hit. The high wire snapped when No. 12 went down.

So, too, did the nation's second-longest losing streak, as well as the most plausible threat to something other than a Texas vs. Alabama/Florida showdown for the BCS championship. Well, maybe not a threat so much as a protest -- an undefeated Big Ten champion being left out of the title game carries a lot more potential for angst and vitriol than a snub against one of the would-be insurgents from the Big East, Mountain West or WAC. If Iowa had won at Ohio State, run the table and been relegated to the Rose Bowl as a consolation prize, a substantial segment of the punditocracy would have been (justifiably) up in arms, again.

But the Hawkeyes finally drew a club and the BCS doesn't have to worry about them anymore; if Stanzi isn't back for the next Saturday's trip to Ohio State, the Rose Bowl probably won't have to think about them anymore, either. Now if Florida, Alabama and Texas can only keep winning and somebody can finally do something about Cincinnati, everything will be falling into its proper order.

With all the promotional mess and contract negotiations it's ashame we don't get to see Fedor Emelianenko (30-1) more often. He's only fought four times in the last 35 months. That may be the reason, he's dropped to No. 3 in the Yahoo! Sports' MMA pound-for-pound rankings (Cagewriter still has him No. 1). Or could it be all of Dana White's bashing that has affected those who formerly favored the Russian as the world's best?

Real MMA fans and bettors know how good the guy is and have bet him up to a 9-to-1 favorite in Las Vegas. Strikeforce on CBS kicks off at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

STRIKEFORCE PICKS (Odds courtest Venetian Resort Casino Hotel):
Recommended plays in BOLD

BRETT ROGERS (+550) v. FEDOR EMELIANENKO (-900) - HEAVYWEIGHT
Rogers has a lot of tools that could allow him to beat Fedor. He's a huge dude with a 31 pound weight advantage. He's a solid striker with fast hands. The biggest issue is what happens if the fight goes to the ground. We have zero clue as to how Rogers will handle himself. That's an awful question going in against a guy with 16 submission wins and six of his last seven by sub. Fedor deserves to be a huge favorite but anytime the odds get this high you have take a look at the dog. The plus-550 is nice return on a guy with knockout power. Fedor will win the fight but you have to roll the dice with a small bet on Rogers.
PICK: ROGERS +550

JASON MILLER (+220) v. JAKE SHIELDS (-300) - MIDDLEWEIGHT
Vegas says the action all been on Shields, who opened minus-220. That's a little surprising with Miller gaining some traction with his MTV show "Bully Beatdown." Truth is though only hardcores are betting this Strikeforce card and they know how good Shields is. What quality win does Miller have in the last three years? The best was against Tim Kennedy. I don't know if he could beat 2009 Tim Kennedy. If it stays on the feet the entire time, Shields stand up is shaky. But it won't. Miller has mediocre takedown defense. Shields rolls via submission. This one opened at -220. There's no value now that it's jumped 80 cents.   
SHIELDS -300

RAMEAU THIERRY SOKOUDJOU (+350) v. GEGARD MOUSASI (-500) - LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Mousasi is probably the No. 2 non-UFC fighter in the world. That doesn't mean he's unbeatable but his package is pretty complete. Sokoudjou brings power to the cage but that's about it. Sokoudjou may want to get this to the ground and try to slow down the pace but he won't. He'll come out slugging and run out of gas like he often does. Mousasi finishes this one late first or early second. Same deal here on the action. It's all been on the side of the favorite. Mousasi opened in Vegas at minus-360.
PICK: MOUSASI -500

ANTONIO SILVA v. FABRICIO WERDUM - HEAVYWEIGHT 
There's been solid two-way action on this fight and there should be. I'm not a huge Silva fan but he's dangerous in this fight against Werdum. I don't like the fact that Werdum came in weighing in the 240's. He's most effective in the low 230's. Werdum needs to get it to the ground to finish it. No one is going to rock that huge noggin of Silva. Silva will be tough to get down. He'll pull the mild upset setting up a fight against Fedor on CBS in the first quarter of 2010.  
PICK: SILVA +140

Through the first 35 games last season, Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos(notes) scored just four times. Shackled to the bench and not seeing much ice time under then-Lightning coach Barry Melrose, it wasn't the type of start the 2008 No. 1 overall pick was looking for, especially after a summer of hype by the Lightning through their "Seen Stamkos" promotion. 

When Rick Tocchet replaced Melrose in November, it wasn't until mid-February when Stamkos began to be 'seen'. In his final 28 games, the Sarnia Sting alum potted 17 goals and finished with 23 on the year, six behind Vincent Lecavalier(notes).

With five minutes of added ice time this season compared to last, Stamkos is maturing before our eyes into a goal scorer and paying off the Lightning, who were on the verge of embarrassment last season watching their prized pick watch more hockey than play. Through Tampa's first 14 games, Stamkos is leading the team in scoring with 12 goals (six on the power-play) and five assists, including a goal in seven of his last eight games. His coming out party is helping Lightning fans from completely freaking out about Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis(notes) low goal totals.

So, why is Stamkos flourishing this season?

There's confidence, as teammate Ryan Malone(notes) explained, as well as the fact that he has a coach in Tocchet that is willing to allow his talent to grow, even through all of the growing pains that he may experience:

"He's a leader, a young leader for us,"

...

"He has his ups and downs, but he has bounce-back," Tocchet said. "He doesn't have a long period of bad games or bad shifts. He can bounce back and that's what I like about him. He can have a tough night, but he bounces back. He's resilient."

Stamkos' quick start is also making waves through Hockey Canada as Team Canada GM Steve Yzerman is trying to fill out his 23-man roster. Not invited to the orientation camp in Calgary this past August, Stamkos has put himself on the radar, but he's not ready to let himself think about Vancouver as he told Fanhouse's Susan Slusser:

"I wasn't thinking about it at the start of the season," Stamkos said of Vancouver 2010. "But with the start I've had and people talking about it, if I keep it up, a long-shot (selection) is a possibility. I'd love the opportunity to represent my country, but obviously my main focus right now is on this team and winning every night here."

Winning is something that Tampa's been doing a little better of this season. Currenrtly sitting ninth in the Eastern Conference with 15 points thanks to Stamkos and solid goaltending Antero Niittymaki(notes). If Lecavalier and St. Louis can find the back of the net again on a regular basis, the Lightning, the butt of jokes a year ago, could themselves valuable strides towards long-term success.

(No, the first decade of the 21st century doesn't technically end until 2011. Save your bellyaching. But we've had nine NHL seasons and one stolen from us since 1999-2000, and Yahoo! Sports has decided it's time to rank the best and worst of the last "decade." Enjoy, and snark freely in the comments.)

Some of these all-decade lists are lighthearted, nostalgic compilations of the last 10 years of NHL hockey; and some of them are what you're about to read.

The NHL has seen some truly gruesome moments since 2000. Lives were threatened. Careers were shortened. Reputations were ruined. We wish something a little more whimsical like Matt Walker's mangled finger could have made this list. But it didn't. 

Keep in mind that some of these injuries are ranked based not only on their severity but their impact culturally on hockey. Also keep in mind that the last 10 years have featured so many grisly incidents that the injury commemorated in the photo above is not, in fact, No. 1 overall.

These video highlights have been everywhere for the last 10 years, but please keep in mind that many are distrubing and not for all audiences. Here are the Top 10 Most Brutal NHL Injuries of the Last Decade ...

10. Patrick Thoresen's(notes) Groin, 2008

"Potentially ruptured testicle" is going to earn a player a spot on this list in any decade, as the then-Philadelphia Flyers winger attempted to block a shot by Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green(notes) in the 2008 Eastern Conference quarterfinals and ... well, he took one for the team.

As you can see, it was insult to injury: In a controversial moment, the refs allowed play to continue on the Capitals' third-period power play, and Green scored the game-tying goal in a contest the Caps would eventually win (though they'd lose the series in seven).

Thoresen? Tests later showed that the worst fears wouldn't be realized. He was released from the hospital, returned to the series in Game 3 and would play 14 total games in the postseason. That's testicular fortitude.

(Honorable Mention: Nicklas Lidstrom's(notes) "nearly catastrophic" testicle injury in 2009.)

• • •

9. Steve Yzerman's Eye, 2004 

In Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals in 2004, the Detroit Red Wings Hall of Famer took a puck off the eye when teammate Mathieu Schneider's(notes) shot deflected off of Calgary Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff(notes). To see a star player go down like this was nothing short of horrific.

Yzerman required 4-and-a-half hours of surgery at a Detroit hospital "to repair a scratched cornea and broken bone just below his left eye." He missed the rest of the postseason and returned after the lockout wearing a face shield, which was absent when the injury occurred. Images of Stevie Y's crimson eye became propaganda for those who wanted visors mandatory in the NHL.

(Honorable Mention: Braydon Coburn's(notes) mangled face after taking a puck to the mug in the 2008 playoffs.)

• • •

8. Chris Clark's(notes) Mouth, 2006

The Washington Capitals captain had kept all his teeth intact through 373 NHL games until a puck struck his face in a Nov. 2006 game against Boston. (Being a hockey player, he naturally finished his shift.) The aftermath, from the Washington Post:

Two of his top teeth are gone. Braces hold three others in place. His palate, meantime, was repaired with the aid of cadaver bone and a screw, inserted during three hours of surgery Thursday morning.

Other than attempting to eat Matt Pettinger's(notes) brains after practice one day, Clark didn't suffer any strange side effects from the cadaver bone implant.

• • •

7. Kurtis Foster's(notes) Broken Leg, 2008

In March 2008, the Minnesota Wild defenseman was chasing down an icing in a race with San Jose Sharks' winger Torrey Mitchell(notes). Contact between the two was made, and in a flash Foster's season was over.

Foster's femur snapped in half and his patella cracked. Doctors worked to repair it for 10 hours. As Foster recalled in a harrowing interview with the Star Tribune:

Trying to beat out an icing, Foster was pushed from behind by Mitchell. "All I remember is my kneecap taking everything," Foster said. "Once I realized my head, neck and back were OK, I tried to move my leg and in my mind it was moving, but when I looked at my leg, it wasn't moving. So I knew something was really wrong."

He returned to the Wild on March 7, 2009, and signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning that summer. Like Yzerman's, the injury sparked intense debate about rules changes, this time for players racing to ice the puck.

• • •

6. Kevin Bieksa's(notes) Calf Muscle, 2007

The Vancouver Canucks defenseman missed 47 games after the skate of then-Nashville Predators forward Vernon Fiddler(notes) sliced into his leg and lacerated his calf muscles during a Nov. 2007 game.

Blood filled Bieska's sock in a gruesome scene, and his career was feared to be over. But he worked through a long, experimental rehab process to get back on the ice and be a productive player for the franchise.

(Honorable Mention: Teemu Selanne(notes) slicing his own leg with his skate and missing over a month in 2008; and Jamie Heward(notes) getting sliced on the face by Mike Modano's(notes) skate in 2006.)

• • •

5. Patrice Bergeron's(notes) Concussion, 2007 

Any number of concussions in the last 10 years could make this list (Eric Lindros's in 2000 at the hands of Scott Stevens, for example), but few combine the brutal nature of the injury and the controversy about the legality of hitting in the game better than Bergeron's. The bright young star for the Boston Bruins was driven into the end boards from behind by Randy Jones(notes) of the Philadelphia Flyers in Oct. 2007, suffering a broken nose and Grade III concussion.

Bergeron would miss the remainder of the season and make a long journey back from post-concussion syndrome. Jones, meanwhile, only received a two-game suspension from the NHL, as discipline czar Colin Campbell said that Jones delivered "a hard check to a player who was in a vulnerable position" but didn't intend to injure him.

The Bruins' faithful disagreed with the brevity of that suspension, which manifested itself in March 2009 when announcer Jack Edwards cackled manically about a borderline check on Jones during a Flyers/Bruins game.

• • •

4. Bryan Berard's(notes) Eye, 2000

One of the most career-altering injuries on the list. In March 2000, while a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Berard's right eye was clipped by the stick of then-Ottawa Senators winger Marian Hossa(notes). (Apologies for the poor video quality.)

The eye was slit on sclera, and there was fear he'd lose it along with this career. After several surgeries (and a tidy $6.5 million insurance settlement), Berard had 20/600 vision in his eye which was elevated to an NHL-required 20/400 with the use of a contact lens. He missed a full season, rehabbed for a comeback, and played the rest of the decade through back injuries and an embarrassing drug test failure.

• • •

3. Richard Zednik's(notes) Neck, 2008

The fact that this all-time ghastly scene isn't at No. 1 is a testament to the all-time ghastly scenes that ranked ahead of it. Because few hockey fans will forget the first time they witnessed the Florida Panthers' winger getting his throat slashed by the skate of teammate Olli Jokinen(notes) in Feb. 2008:

This video capture that flew around the Web said it all. The official diagnosis was a slashed carotid artery, and Zednik lost five pints of blood.

He was eventually discharged from the hospital, missed the rest of the 2007-08 season and returned the following year for the Panthers. Over 20,000 fans sent get-well messages to the Panthers' Web site for Zednik. Like other incidents on this list, it sparked a League-wide debate, this time regarding neck guards for NHL players.

• • •

2. Steve Moore's Neck, 2004

We're running our all-decade lists through the end of December. Sadly, this will not be the last time you see this tragic moment in NHL history mentioned as a low-point for the League.

It was March 8, 2004. The Vancouver Canucks were looking for vengeance after Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore checked captain Markus Naslund(notes) near the head in a previous game. One game had already passed between the teams, but this contest would find Todd Bertuzzi(notes) viciously attacking Moore from behind because ... well, the courts haven't determined that yet:

You know the aftermath: The sucker-punch fractured Moore's vertebrae, cut his face and gave him a concussion; his NHL career was finished. Bertuzzi, after tearfully apologizing, was suspended indefinitely by the NHL as the incident received coverage from ESPN to The Today Show. Bertuzzi ended up missing 20 games along with the locked-out NHL season. Visit CBC Sports for complete coverage of this landmark incident that's still being litigated in the courts.

• • •

1. Trent McCleary's Tracheotomy, 2000

Yes, it takes an emergency, life-saving tracheotomy to top this horrific list.

Trent McCleary was a center for the Montreal Canadiens. In Jan. 2000 against the Philadelphia Flyers, he went down to block a Chris Therien shot and took a puck to the throat.

According to Web MD:

McCleary very quickly got to his feet and skated toward the trainer. Because the puck had collapsed his windpipe he could not breathe. He was carried off the ice, and lost consciousness while in the tunnel. He easily could have died that night, but he was rushed to a hospital, and had an emergency tracheostomy within 10 minutes of leaving the arena. He remained in critical condition before being upgraded to stable condition on Feb. 1.

The injury cost McCleary his hockey career, after his air passage was 15 percent narrower than before.

Let's hope we don't see any of these reoccur in the next 10 years.

Puck Daddy's Best & Worst of the Decade lists will run on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday through the end of 2009. (Yes, that includes holidays; cynical appraisal never sleeps.)

Today's lineup isn't really as mediocre as all that, despite the frustration of both marquee, national-interest games -- LSU-Alabama and Ohio State-Penn State -- competing with one another in the afternoon slot. Major unbeaten teams are defending their title chances early (Iowa, Texas) and late (Florida, Cincinnati) and old rivals are hooking up in Manhattan, Chapel Hill and Lincoln; the Pac-10 alone offers six of the conference's seven winning teams squaring off in Palo Alto, Berkeley and Tempe. The big games should live up to the hype, but something unexpected and interesting is going to happen outside of Tuscaloosa or Happy Valley.

What: Game day live blog. All games in play, all comments welcome and all alma maters accepted.
When: First kick at noon Eastern; chat kicks roughly simultaneously. The blog will run throughout the day, through the primetime tilts -- although, as intriguing as an evening in the Kibbie Dome may be, don't hold your breath for midnight-oil action in the WAC.
Who: You and all your rowdy friends. Come loud, proud and keeping your head on a swivel. We're not responsible for what may happen if you don't.
How: Hit "Watch Now," enter comments into the available box and do your part to accelerate the slow, agonizing death of conventional journalism.
Why: Because lobbing snarky barbs at earnest adolescents never gets old, especially when there are endless Kafka jokes on tap for the early afternoon. Football!

• Despite rumors of his reinstatement this week, suspended Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount doesn't show at all at Stanford -- not that the Ducks need him as they pile up more than 250 yards rushing on more than six yards per carry for the third consecutive week despite also allowing 100 yards to Stanford's Toby Gerhart and finishing in a six-minute hole in overall time of possession. Freshman running back LaMichael James, sitting on 918 rushing yards, goes over 1,000 for the season in the first half.

• Iowa never trails against Northwestern, yet manages to fully examine the apparent hopelessness and absurdity that seem to permeate the works of Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka by turning the Wildcats away at least three times inside the Hawkeye 30-yard line, including a pair of turnovers by Kafka that lead him to demand the game film be burned before viewing by the rest of the team on Sunday. After throwing five interceptions in last week's wild comeback over Indiana, Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi doesn't throw an interception but still frustrates the home crowd during a stretch of at least three straight possessions without taking the offense into Wildcat territory.

• In Berkeley, Oregon State running back Jacquizz Rodgers piles up more yards than California's top backs, Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen, combined, and picks off Bear quarterback Kevin Riley multiple times in a close but convincing road upset.

• Oklahoma trails early at Nebraska but piles up more than 200 yards rushing between backs DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown and holds the Cornhuskers out of the end zone in the second half, during which Nebraska coach Bo Pelini draws a 15-yard penalty for exploding against officials following a critical call. The 'Husker offense finished below 300 total yards for the fourth time in five games.

• After allowing touchdown returns on the opening kickoff two weeks in a row in close losses to West Virginia and Rutgers, Connecticut brings down Cincinnati return man Mardy Gilyard on its first kick in Nippert Stadium, but proceeds to allow a touchdown drive that puts the Bearcats on top for good. Injured Cincy quarterback Tony Pike doesn't play, but a potential controversy for next week's showdown with West Virginia is averted when red-hot backup Zach Collaros throws his second interception of the season and completes only 60 percent of his passes after hitting 82 percent with seven touchdowns in his first two starts against Louisville and Syracuse.

• After failing to allow a single 200-yard passing effort in any of its first seven games, Virginia's secondary is sliced for more than 300 yards for the second week in a row by Miami quarterback Jacory Harris, who hits a pair of touchdowns to make up for an interception in a comfortable Hurricane win.

• Clemson holds Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder below 250 yards passing for the first time since mid-September, but FSU hits 200 yards on the ground for the second week in a row to outpace another big all-purpose game -- including a punt return that scores or sets up a touchdown -- by the Tigers' C.J. Spiller. Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker has a good game against the generous 'Nole secondary but also commits a pair of turnovers, one of which sets up a critical FSU touchdown in the second half.

• After a pair of very mediocre games and a surprising benching in last week's loss to Texas Tech, Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing returns to form with 300 yards and multiple touchdowns through the air at rival Kansas State, but KSU counters with a 100-yard effort from workhorse back Daniel Thomas and grinds out a time-consuming drive for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter to hand the Jayhawks their fourth consecutive loss.

• North Carolina sacks Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis at least three times and forces multiple turnovers in Chapel Hill, holding the suddenly prolific Lewis to his worst passing day in well over a month and emphatically ending the Blue Devils' surprising three-game winning streak.

• Minus star receiver Dez Bryant for good, Oklahoma State quarterback Zac Robinson nevertheless throws for three touchdowns to three different receivers while also getting a 100-yard rushing game from Keith Toston at Iowa State. Cyclone quarterback Austen Arnaud's return to the lineup after a two-week absence is accompanied by at least one drive-killing turnover.

Each week the Noise will guide desperate, deep-thinking owners into the dark corners of the waiver wire to mine a last-minute diamond. Turn on your helmet light and pack a pickaxe. We're digging for drop-jaw surprises owned in less than 10 percent or started in five percent or less of Yahoo! Plus leagues.

Before summer gave way to fall and a single down of meaningful football was played, the fantasy masses truly believed Chris Henry was an alien life form.

Based on his preseason numbers, the unique-looking wideout was undeniably extraterrestrial. In four exhibition contests he tallied 14 catches for an NFL-high 224 yards and four touchdowns. His stirring effort combined with behind-the-scenes buzz – Carson Palmer(notes) told our own Michael Silver that Henry, not Chad Ochocinco(notes), was Cincinnati's best receiver – launched expectations into another galaxy.

As a result, mantasies were fostered, hyperbole was spewed and tendons snapped. Owners outstretched arms and slapped wallets – he went for $15 in one of the Noise's local auction leagues – convinced the troubled target was on the precipice of a breakthrough. In the Friends and Family draft, Average Joe, Michael Gehlken, proudly selected him at pick No. 150 (Round 11), three spots ahead of Jeremy Maclin(notes). As long as he avoided incarceration, fortunes were sure to be reaped.

Nine weeks into the season, Henry has indeed lived on another planet – Plublow. Currently the 56th-best WR in fantasy, he's averaged an unexciting 3.1 targets, 1.6 receptions and 30.8 yards per game. He's also found the end-zone twice. The speedster blames his sluggish start on a quadriceps strain suffered in late August. But, as Henry noted earlier this week, he's finally back to full-strength:

"I'm pretty much 100 percent. It's always a good thing when you're 100 percent. You can go out and fly around and not have to think about or worry about an injury."

This week, he very easily could take-off.

Though it may seem unlikely, deep-thinking owners suffering from the bye week blues who employ the 10-percent owned commodity's services could earn a substantial dividend. Back in Week 4 he torched the Ravens for 92 yards, his finest yardage effort this year. Despite showing significant improvement defensively a week ago versus Denver, Baltimore is susceptible to surrendering explosive pass plays. On the year, Ed Reed(notes) and company have allowed 23 20-yard pass plays, the ninth-most in the NFL.

With his injury fully healed and confidence still intact, Henry, at least for this week, could be risk-taking owners' favorite Martian.

Week 9 Fearless Forecast: 3 receptions, 74 receiving yards, 1 touchdown

Who is your Week 9 Shocker Special (10% owned or less)? Post your pick with projection below?

SILENCE THE NOISE CHALLENGE

Each week one lucky aspiring fantasy prognosticator is chosen to go toe-to-toe against the Noise. If you want to be a guest "expert" submit your Week 10 flames, lames (1 QB, 3 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE for each, 16 total) and shocker special (one player at any position) along with a valid email address and your location here no later than 7 PM central time on Thursday. Oh, and please, no long dissertations to justify your picks. All that's required are your player selections and projections. Winners earn a league spot to compete against yours truly next season. Good luck!

Week 9 contestant:  Brian in Colorado Springs, CO

Flames:
QB: Alex Smith, SF, 20-30, 225 yards, 2:1 TD:INT, 12 rush yards, 11% started
RB: Felix Jones(notes), Dal, 8 rushes, 48 yards, 42 receiving yards, 1 TD, 25%
RB: Joseph Addai(notes), Ind, 14 rushes, 82 yards, 28 receiving yards, 1 TD, 91%*
RB: Brandon Jacobs(notes), NYG, 18 rushes, 111 yards, 10 receiving yards, 1 TD, 87%*
WR: Devery Henderson(notes), NO, 4 catches, 102 yards, 1 TD, 26%
WR: Santonio Holmes(notes), Pit, 5 catches, 83 yards, 1 TD, 49%
WR: Devin Hester(notes), Chi, 5 catches, 92 yards, 1 TD, 71%*
TE: Fred Davis(notes), Wash, 6 catches, 82 yards, 1 TD, 31%

Lames:
QB: Joe Flacco(notes), Bal, 22-34, 254 yards, 7 rush yards, 1:1 TD:INT, 35% started*
RB: Matt Forte(notes), Chi, 15 rushes, 49 yards, 42 receiving yards, 0 TDs, 94%
RB: Ray Rice(notes), Bal, 14 rushes, 52 yards, 44 receiving yards, 0 TDs, 95%
RB: Steve Slaton(notes), Hou, 7 rushes, 22 yards, 32 receiving yards, 0 TDs, 64%
WR: Roddy White(notes), Atl, 5 catches, 68 yards, 0 TDs, 98%
WR: Mario Manningham(notes), NYG, 3 catches, 48 yards, 0 TDs, 32%*
WR: Miles Austin(notes), Dal, 4 catches, 52 yards, 0 TDs, 95%
TE: Benjamin Watson(notes), NE, 3 catches, 21 yards, 0 TDs, 31%*

Shocker Special: Dantrell Savage(notes), KC, 5 rushes, 32 yards, 38 receiving yards, 1 TD, 1%

*Not exactly Flame/Lame material (Remember, the rules state over/under 60 percent started), but the readers are in desperate need of saving some face.

Week 8 results: Matt from Gales Ferry, CT

Flames (2-7): W - (Michael Crabtree(notes), Justin Fargas(notes) (Shocker)); L - (David Garrard(notes), Kevin Smith(notes), Jamal Lewis(notes), Fred Jackson(notes), Mike Sims-Walker(notes), Kevin Walter(notes), Tony Scheffler(notes))

Lames (3-5): W - (Ryan Grant(notes), Steve Smith (NYG), T.J. Houshmandzadeh(notes)); L - (Donovan McNabb(notes), DeAngelo Williams(notes), Thomas Jones(notes), Vincent Jackson(notes), Jeremy Shockey(notes)).

Noisers Season: Flames (19-45, 29.7%), Lames (27-28, 49.0%)

Winners: Matthew in Colden, NY, Micah in Shelbyville, TN

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Image courtesy of US Presswire

• The good news is that clarity in regards to Kevin Martin's(notes) wrist injury came fairly quickly. The bad news is that he'll undergo surgery and is expected to miss a minimum of eight weeks. Although nothing is official as of yet, Beno Udrih(notes) is expected to rejoin the starting lineup, pushing Tyreke Evans(notes) to shooting guard. Udrih's ceiling is fairly well-established – he's averaged 12.3 points (47% FG, 84% FT), 0.7 threes, 3.2 boards, 4.8 assists, and 1 steal in 129 career starts – but as a starter he's absolutely rosterable in standard leagues. I'm convinced that Evans is miscast as an NBA point guard and like the move for his potential impact. Don't count on the efficiency getting much better than poor, but "addition by subtraction" (subtract Martin and some of Evans' distribution responsibilities) should be good for his line.

After a slow start, Andres Nocioni(notes) is back on the fantasy radar (his DUI arrest aside). His offensive responsibilities increase significantly with Martin out of the picture, and you can give Spencer Hawes(notes) and Jason Thompson(notes) a bump, as well. Omri Casspi(notes) has posted very good per-minute production thus far and should have a larger role in the rotation, although the Ime Udoka(notes) signing muddies the backup picture a bit. As for Martin himself, he's not a player you can cut in standard leagues. In roto, it's a bit easier to deal with carrying an injured player. Those of you in h2h leagues need to calculate your chances of making the playoffs while playing a man down for the next two months – if you aren't feeling confident, then add Martin to your trade block and see if you get some offers worth considering (and certainly be ready to produce some counter-offers). 

• Tyrus Thomas'(notes) season went from bad to worse in a hurry. He broke his left forearm during a weight session on Friday and will miss the next four-to-six weeks, or somewhere around 15-20 games. It's not a bad move to make an add/drop in standard h2h leagues. Taj Gibson(notes) will continue to start at power forward – he posted 11 points, seven boards, one steal, and one block on Thursday and his college numbers project well to the NBA. Give him a look in deeper leagues. Brad Miller(notes) should see close to 30 minutes while Thomas is out, as well, meaning that he should be universally owned in roto leagues and largely owned in h2h formats. 

• Joe Johnson(notes) was not happy after the Hawks' 103-83 loss to the Bobcats on Friday. Atlanta shot 40 percent from the floor and had just 10 assists, leading to the following from Johnson:

“Everybody who touches (the ball) wants to score. I really think guys on this team don’t know their roles, so it’s killing us. And it’s going to continue to kill us.”

Jamal Crawford(notes) led the team with 14 shot attempts in 34 minutes in the loss, and made only five, but that may just be a coincidence.  

• D.J. Augustin's(notes) owners can't be happy to see that Raja Bell(notes) hit five threes en route to 24 points tonight. While Bell is still dealing with "situational" pain in his wrist, thus far he's been able to shrug it off. I'm not ready to completely give up on DJA just yet, but a night like tonight doesn't help the confidence level. Augustin had 11 points, two threes, and three assists in 24 minutes.

• Tyson Chandler(notes) logged his first double-double of the season (10 points, 10 boards, 4 blocks) on a night when he was started in just 38 percent of leagues. Over the past three games, he's averaged 8.7 points, 8.3 boards, and 2 blocks in 32 minutes. I'm not here to offer any kind of ringing endorsement – it's just good to see production from him after off-season ankle and toe surgeries.

• A poor night for the Wizards as a whole (39% FG, 57% FT, 16:19 AST:TO), but Brendan Haywood(notes) sure had a nice line (9 points, 19 boards, 1 steal, 4 blocks in 35 minutes). Through six games, Haywood has averaged 11.5 points, 10.8 boards, and 1.7 blocks in 33 minutes.

• Those first few games sure were nice, but is it time to move on for Andray Blatche(notes) owners? He was ineffective once again (1 point, 3 boards, 2 blocks in 15 minutes) thanks to fouls, and his window of opportunity is shrinking as Antawn Jamison(notes) gets closer to a return. If there is an option on the wire with some potential staying power, then you can safely consider Blatche expendable.

• Randy Foye(notes) was reasonably effective on Friday (16 points, 2 threes, 4 boards, 2 assists) and should be a great play against the Suns on Sunday, but the Wizards then only play twice in the following nine days, so he'll only have so much of an opportunity to take advantage of Mike Miller's(notes) absence. Nick Young(notes) got the start tonight but is one-dimensional even at his best (creating his own shots) and won't offer much to the Wizards or fantasy owners.

• While a few more assists would be nice, you won't find many T.J. Ford(notes) owners complaining about tonight's line (40 minutes, 18 points, 10 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals). He's looked much better in the past few games and his starting gig looks much more solid as a result. The same can't be said for Brandon Rush(notes), who did little in 15 minutes (2 points, 0 threes) and then left with an ankle injury, while Dahntay Jones(notes) continues to produce (40 minutes, 18 points, 5 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block). Rush could be looking at a reserve role once Troy Murphy(notes) returns. It's difficult to put much trust in Jones, given his history, but he's certainly in a friendly system. He's scored in double figures in five of six games this season, something he did in just 11 of 79 games with the Nuggets last season.

• Tyler Hansbrough's(notes) NBA debut went as you should have expected, as in heavy on the per-minute production (14 minutes, 13 points, 5 boards, 7-of-10 FT). 

• The thin and winless Nets played only eight on Friday, and things got even worse after Courtney Lee(notes) left with a groin strain early in the second half. The severity of the injury is not yet known. The Nets play the Celtics on Friday and then have a much-needed three consecutive days off.

• Elton Brand's(notes) line (8 points, 5 boards, 0 blocks in 19 minutes) looks that much worse when you consider that the Nets started Eduardo Najera(notes) opposite him at power forward. The Princeton offense has done him no favors thus far – in five games, he's averaged 11 points, 5.6 boards, and 0.8 blocks in 29 minutes.

• Charlie Villanueva(notes) appears to be rounding into form. He scored 28 points tonight to give him 44 in his past two games. The Pistons need to find more ways to directly help each other score, however. They registered just 11 assists on 38 made field goals on Friday, and over the past five games have just 67 total assists (versus 66 turnovers).

• The availability for both Richard Hamilton(notes) and Tayshaun Prince(notes) on Sunday remains up in the air.

• Ryan Anderson(notes) left Friday's game with a sprained right ankle and could miss time as a result of the injury, but no specifics are known as of yet. Brandon Bass(notes) (23 minutes, 13 points, 6 boards) would likely start if Anderson indeed misses time, and Matt Barnes(notes) (35 minutes, 18 points, 9 boards) would continue to see steady playing time.

• All of the Suns' starters had usable lines in the 110-103 win over the Celtics, but Jason Richardson(notes) was big-time, compiling a season-high 34 points, six threes, and 10 boards in 38 minutes.

• Chauncey Billups(notes) was a minus-26 against the Heat tonight in 31 minutes, thanks to six points on 2-of-7 shooting, two assists, and five turnovers. That's about as bad of a night as you'll ever see from Billups.

• Kenyon Martin(notes) played only 12 minutes because of a left leg injury that George Karl suggested could sideline him for "a week or two." He'll be re-evaluated on Saturday, and Chris Anderson will get a chance to post some numbers if Martin does indeed hit the shelf.

• Finally, some volume offense from Mario Chalmers(notes) to help produce a robust overall line (16 points, 4 threes, 5 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal). 

• Finally, some offense from Jose Calderon(notes) in what was his best game of the season (16 points, 2 threes, 4 boards, 8 assists, 0 turnovers, 1 steal). There's at least a decent chance that the dude can still play, 

• Chris Paul(notes) scored or assisted on 26 of the Hornets' 36 field goals on Friday (8 makes, 18 assists). Who can blame him for any amount of frustration when he goes for 21 points, seven boards, 18 assists, and two steals, and yet his team only scores 90 points and loses by 17?

• Another night, another very good line from Anderson Varejao(notes). Although J.J. Hickson(notes) got the start against the up-tempo Knicks, Shaquille O'Neal(notes) played only 19 minutes and Varejao came off the bench for eight points, 14 boards, two steals, and two blocks in 35 minutes. In seven games on the season, his averages now include 8.6 points on 51-percent shooting, 9.6 boards, 1.7 steals, and 0.9 blocks in 33 minutes.

• The centers and the point guards were the feature attraction in Milwaukee's uninspiring 87-72 win over the Timberwolves. Andrew Bogut(notes) (17 points, 10 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks) outdueled Al Jefferson(notes) (8 points, 3-of-12 shooting) while Jonny Flynn(notes) (20 points, 4 boards, 3 steals) got the better of Brandon Jennings(notes) (9 points, 4-of-16 shooting, 6 boards, 2 steals). 

• Tough offensive night for Thunder players not named Kevin Durant(notes) (27 points) and Russell Westbrook(notes) (33 points). The two combined to go 25-of-47 from the floor (53%), while the rest of the team was just 15-of-45 (33 percent), highlighted by Jeff Green's(notes) 3-of-15 (gotta love 2 more steals and blocks, though)

• The threes continue to fall for Trevor Ariza(notes) – he hit two more on Friday and has 17 in six games (2.8 per game) on 46-percent shooting (17 for 37). 

• Something closer to what was expected from the Rockets' non-Scola frontcourt players on Friday: Chuck Hayes(notes) had two points and five boards, while Carl Landry(notes) had 21 points and nine boards in similar playing time. 

• So maybe Anthony Randolph(notes) is a fantastic backup center, after all? Andris Biedrins(notes) was out with a back injury, and Nellie opted for Mikki Moore(notes) at center, and he did not disappoint (19 minutes, 0 points, 4 boards, 3 turnovers). Randolph came off the bench for 15 points, 14 boards, 2 steals, and 1 block in 29 minutes, although he was just 5-for-15 and had three turnovers and no assists. Stephen Curry(notes) fouled out in an ineffective 22 minutes (5 points, 1-of-5 shooting) in what was a poor night overall for the Warriors (35-percent shooting), although Anthony Morrow(notes) took advantage of the excess playing time (18 points, 3 treys). Keep in mind that we should blame Stephen Jackson for any problems the Warriors have:

“It’s a terrible start and that does nothing but get contagious. If you’re going to blame somebody, I’ll take the blame. I’ve been doing it since I got here.”

• The Clippers' starting backcourt (Baron Davis(notes), Eric Gordon(notes)) had a field day against the Warriors, combining for the following: 50 points on 64-percent shooting, 5 threes, 10 assists, and five steals. Heck, even Sebastian Telfair(notes) got in on the fun (20 minutes, 13 points, 1 three, 6 assists).

• Another big night in a loss for Zach Randolph(notes) (21 points, 15 boards), and he continues to own the offensive glass (7 Friday, 4.7 per game on the season). The Grizz have had success getting everyone touches thus far, but it's largely because they are wasting little energy on the defensive end – they are averaging 115 points against through six games – and Allen Iverson(notes) has yet to be given the opportunity to truly exert his influence, although you get the feeling that it's coming.

• Kobe Bryant(notes) scored 41 points for the third time in four games, pushing his scoring average to a league-high 34.5 points per game. 

• D.J. Mbenga(notes) did exactly what the Lakers needed him to do in his start at center, grabbing 13 boards and blocking four shots in 30 minutes. He could be in line for another start Sunday (NOR), the Lakers' only game over the next five days, as the team could use the light schedule as an opportunity to give Andrew Bynum(notes) and Pau Gasol(notes) a bit more extended rest.

• Greg Oden(notes) showed a few strong moves against Tim Duncan(notes) in the block en route to 14 points, 8 boards, and four blocks, but was again limited by foul trouble (25 minutes, 5 fouls). 

• Andre Miller(notes) joined Steve Blake(notes) in the starting lineup for the Blazers, pushing Brandon Roy(notes) to small forward, a move that Nate McMillan says should stick for at least the next week or two. Miller had a mixed bag for a line (10 points, 6 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals), but the 33 minutes of playing time are what is key. If the playing time is there, the rest will work itself out.

• Tony Parker(notes) left Friday's game after just 11 minutes because of a left ankle sprain, an injury he expects to sideline him for "a week, maybe." George Hill(notes) will get the starts in the interim, although the Spurs play only three times over the next 11 days.

 

No. 1 Star: Jonas Gustavsson(notes), Toronto Maple Leafs

Congratulations to the Leafs, who are now clearly the 29th-best team in the NHL after defeating fellow cellar-dweller the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-2, with a three-goal rally (video). Gustavsson was outstanding on several of his 34 saves, including 18 he made in the third period against a still-determined Canes team.

No. 2 star: Chris Stewart(notes), Colorado Avalanche

Another marathon shootout for the Avs and the Chicago Blackhawks, who went nine rounds earlier this season. This time, it was an eight-rounder; this time, Colorado skated away with the extra point, as Stewart's blast (video) beat Antti Niemi(notes) (19 saves) and Dustin Byfuglien's(notes) shot buzzed wide of Craig Anderson(notes) (29 saves) to give Colorado the 4-3 win and a 6-0 home record.

No. 3 star: Cory Schneider(notes), Vancouver Canucks

Had the Canucks defeated the Dallas Stars, Schneider would have been the hands-down No. 1 star; alas, the Stars won, 2-1, wasting a 45-save effort from the young netminder in his trading block audition sixth NHL start.

Honorable mention: Yann Danis(notes) made 23 saves against his old team, and Brian Rolston(notes) had the game-winner in the New Jersey Devils' 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders. ... The shorthanded Washington Capitals got a three-point night out of Brian Pothier(notes), two goals from Brendan Morrison(notes) and 28 saves from Jose Theodore(notes) for a 4-1 win at the Florida Panthers. ... Big night for the Philadelphia Flyers grunts, as Daniel Carcillo(notes) scored his first two goals of the season and Ian Laperriere(notes) had two helpers in their big 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres. James van Riemsdyk's(notes) third of the season ended up being the game-winner. ... Brad Richards(notes) (6) and Brenden Morrow(notes) (7) provided the offense for the Stars' win over Vancouver. ... Patrik Elias(notes) played 16:01 and was a minus-1 with two shots in his first game back from injury for the Devils. ... Another great night for Colorado rookie Ryan O'Reilly(notes), as he collected some garbage in front of Antti Niemi for his first goal and then potted his own rebound on a breakaway for his second. He also led the Avs with six shots.

Did you know?: Bryan McCabe(notes) played in his 1,000th career NHL regular-season game, becoming the seventh Panthers player to reach that mark.

Dishonorable mention: The Hurricanes haven't scored on their last 25 power plays, which is one of the reasons they're now the worst team in the NHL. ... Cory Stillman(notes) and Steven Reinprecht(notes) were both a minus-3 for the Panthers; Chris Butler(notes) and Tyler Myers(notes) where minus-3 for the Sabres, although Myers scored a power-play goal. ... Mike Green(notes) and Jeff Schultz(notes) went down with injuries for the Capitals. ... Finally, in honor of Movember, David Clarkson(notes) gave Tim Jackman(notes) a mustache just 30 seconds into the Islanders/Devils game.

Only in New York City could a basketball player do everything right -- shoot with range, play tough defense, find his teammates with pinpoint passes, working with a sense of flair and drama all along -- and still have it come off as slightly gauche and unseemly.

That's what the Cavaliers' win over the New York Knicks felt like on Friday. An attention-drawing exercise to its core, bent on pumping up the "will-he-or-won't-he?" question regarding LeBron James'(notes) impending 2010 free agency, and a Knick team that would dearly love to sign him with its also impending 2010 cap space.

Cleveland's win? It hardly mattered. The team did well to rebound fully from a tough loss to Chicago the night before, as coach Mike Brown seemed willing to tinker with new starting lineups (Anderson Varejao(notes) out, J.J. Hickson(notes) in), while the defense and offensive spacing improved.

The story was James, though. And, to a far lesser extent, a Knicks club that seems more and more dispirited by the day. Sure, these Knicks were never any good to begin with. But they've lost that sense of joie de vivre that marked the team's turnaround campaign last season. They've stopped running, stopped working and appear to have stopped caring.

These Knicks should be expected to provide maximum effort. They are professionals, after all, playing in front of some of the most expensive tickets in sports.

But human nature is a hard cloud to steer your way out of, especially when things are dark and gloomy amongst the haze. And with no Knick knowing if they'll be back next year -- next month, next week -- it's hard to shake the feeling that you're a piece of impermanent property, meant to be flipped and turned for profit once July of 2010 hits.

LeBron James could not care less about the hurt feelings of his opponents. He was jawing with fans, chatting with Yankees sitting courtside and shaking hands with spectators from the beginning. Smiling from the outset, enjoying the hell out of all the attention this spectacle brought, and destroying the Knicks from the opening tip.

With jump shots, mind you. Low-percentage looks for any player, much less James, who still is an iffy outside shooter despite very noticeable fundamental changes in the way he tosses it up.

He's so damn good that he can get away with rubbing it in during the first quarter, essentially telling the Knicks that "not only are these fans wearing my jersey and chanting my name in your house, but I'm going to destroy you with the least-effective weapon in my arsenal. My worst is still better than your best. Way better. And Jay-Z answers on the third ring every time I call. I don't even call him that much."

This isn't to slam LeBron. Even at his relative young age (24), this is all he's known for years. But he does have an ego that even this town couldn't hope to house, and if he did sign with New York this summer, it would be because James is tackier and more gauche than we once gave him credit for.

And we think he can be pretty tacky.

We also think he's the best player in the game, and it's not even close.

He totaled 33 points, seven assists, nine rebounds, three steals, a would-be block that was termed a goal-tend by the referees and seven turnovers. And though it's annoying to hear every time he pinpoints a bounce pass in the right direction, James does look for his teammates out of instinct. Not because -- in order to appease any detractors -- he feels as if he has to mix it up.

Jeff Van Gundy tried to tell us during the game that he thinks it's obvious that James already knows where he's going, that he's just being coy about his intentions. I can't see how that can be the case for any right-thinking human. And James is a right-thinking human.

The Cavs could win 70 games this season. The Cavs could peter out at .500. The Knicks could find a taker for Eddy Curry(notes) and/or Jared Jeffries(notes), and almost completely clear their cap space. Or, as presently constructed, they could roll into the offseason with about $27 million on the books next year, probably without about $25 million in cap space, most of which James would immediately eat up, with half a roster left to fill.

Point is, James can't possibly know in November what he's doing next July. There are too many variables and -- not sure if you've noticed -- several teams with loads and loads of cap space, Cleveland included. Some of them have much more cap space. One of them is owned, in part, by Jay-Z.

And as calculating and aware of his station as James is, let's give the man some credit, and assume that he hasn't assumed anything.

All those assumptions, after all, are important him. It drives up the attention, something he just can't stop helping himself to these days.

Yeah, that'll leave a mark -- hat tip to Yahoo's own Mike Silver for the link. The tackler, Lions rookie linebacker Zack Follett(notes), has a pretty unique way of looking at the world. I've covered the last three Scouting Combines, and of all the press conferences I've seen, Follett's was the most fun. For one thing, while he's a fan of Brian Urlacher(notes), his real hero is a bit more of a downhill force who plays much better indoors.

"Growing up, Terry Tate, No. 56, the Office Linebacker, he was my hero watching those commercials. I tried to emulate him when I was out there. ... Junior year of high school, I went to Champs Sports and they sold a Reebok Terry Tate number 56 jersey, and I bought one immediately. We watched all his YouTube clips and he's bringing the 'Pain Train' and doing the 'whoop-whoop' sound and I used to do it in high school, and I used to blow the horn. It kind of stuck with me a little bit."

Follett also hopes to get a little side business going.

"I make things out of wood. My dad taught me when I was little ... When I was a senior, I took it to the next level. I started making wood cutouts. I did one of myself, kind of experimenting. My other linebacker partner painted it. It was a life-size replica.

"I did one of (fullback) Lorenzo Neal(notes) because we used to train together (when Follett was at Cal). He's the only pro player I knew at the time. Hopefully, from an investment standpoint, I'm going to open a little wood shop wherever I move and I'll make them of teammates because I know they have a lot of money to waste."

If Follett keeps hitting like he did on the play above, he'll find a place in the NFL in the long term. As for Amendola, maybe he'll remember to put the cover on his TPS report next time!

Retirement, or something, appears to be changing Sammy Sosa(notes). He and wife, Sonia, were recently in Las Vegas for the Latin Grammys, which included a tribute on Wednesday to singer Juan Gabriel. Photogs caught the Sosas on the red carpet and Sonia looks fabulous as always. As for Sammy ... well, there's no getting around it, but Sammy looked kind of pale.

His skin is undeniably lighter than at any time since he broke into the majors in 1989. Is it an illness, or a condition such as Vitiligo, in which depigmentation occurs? Is Sammy just bleaching his skin for fashion's sake? (Heh, "just.")

I wonder if he is changing his look, simply because his eyes are a different color. Sammy was born with brown eyes. He's taken to wearing green contact lenses and, quite frankly, they are extremely creepy. Is he co-starring in the upcoming "Twilight" sequel? The plastic suit also bothers me, just because it does.

Sammy, who hasn't played since 2007, has been accused of using modern chemistry to help him attain 609 career homers — including three seasons of 60-plus. Perhaps he's turning to science to give him a different veneer as he approaches his 41st birthday. Below, check out a few comparison shots to judge for yourself.

Shiny suit: check. Shiny hair: check. New fake eyes: check. Skin: as you were.

There's our brown-eyed handsome man. He generally resembles the skinny kid from San Pedro De Macoris. He also married well.

Sammy liked to do stuff to his hair back in the day. Has it lead to some kind of total obsession about his look?

The King of Pop underwent a similar kind of transformation.

• Due credit: 'Duk checked his e-mail and found this link from Jerod at Midwest Sports Fans. They discovered, to the best of my knowledge, the Sammy Sosa lightening. If you will.

• Sports By Brooks also puts its own slant on the Sammy-turning-white saga, so check them out too.

Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs at Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m. EST. Both teams enter the game with seven points, so they're playing for last overall in the NHL. Jonas Gustavsson(notes) is in goal against the Staal-less Hurricanes. Chemmy on PPP said it: On Nov. 6, it's a must-win for Toronto.

Preview: Philadelphia Flyers at Buffalo Sabres, 7:30 p.m. EST. The flu has officially joined the Flyers lineup just in time to face the Sabres, who are 8-2-0 in their last 10. Interesting take in the Buffalo News about the Sabres on the draw, after dominating the Islanders by the ridiculous margin of 39-8. Watch The Game Live Via Hockey Night on Y! Sports.

Preview: Chicago Blackhawks at Colorado Avalanche, 9 p.m. EST. Second City Hockey isn't exactly high on beat writers calling out the Hawks after a rough game earlier this week. Matt Duchene(notes) was questionable but will play. Left Wing Lock is thinking Antti Niemi(notes) vs. Craig Anderson(notes) in the goalie battle. 

Check out the Y! Sports scores and schedule page for previews of the other three games tonight.

Evening Reading

• SI: "Next year's draft could very well go down as the deepest talent pool since 2003." Congrats, Bruins. [SI]

• Chris Neil's wicked hit on Victor Hedman(notes) of the Tampa Bay Lightning gave the rookie his first NHL concussion. (Will he remember his first time?) Hit was clean, by the way. [Lightning Strikes] 

• Interesting blog about how the Minnesota Wild's primary beat writer complained about how players deal with the media. [Hockey Wilderness]

• Really in-depth roundtable on Alexander Semin(notes) of the Washington Capitals, including whether to re-sign him after the season. [Japers Rink]

• Florida Panthers fans were ready for a major announcement about the team's ownership structure; instead, they got a partnership with Jet Blue. Surprise! [Litter Box Cats]

Puck Buddy Comment of the Day: Puck Buddy Anna on the Crosby urinal cakes post:

So...it would be more appropriate to chant, "Crosby is a great young player with lots of accomplishments but we dislike him because we're jealous and petty!"

That may be true, but "Crosby sucks" is more concise. See, it's an efficiency issue.

Bold Prediction: Elias scores in his return for the Devils.

For the optimists, though, there are the last two weeks, in which the LSU offense has found a little life off a post-Florida bye: The Tigers racked up 31 points against Auburn, their best output against the division's other Tigers since 2002, and hung 42 points on overmatched Tulane, their first game this year with 40 points or (not and) 400 total yards. Jordan Jefferson is emerging as one of the most efficient passers in the SEC, and his backup, true freshman Russell Sheppard, is coming on as a dangerous big-play threat as a runner, with long touchdowns runs in each of the last two games to complement the between-the-tackles thumping of regular tailback Charles Scott.

And by all appearances, this is the right time to catch Alabama. The Tide's surprisingly balanced offense through their 4-0 start in September has disappeared into a cloud of dust as they get deeper into the SEC slate, carried to a great extent by the Heisman-worthy legs of Mark Ingram but still held out of the end zone entirely by Tennessee and in three of four quarters by both Ole Miss and South Carolina. Quarterback Greg McElroy has looked increasingly like the "game manager" holding down 'Bama's rankings in the preseason, and the perfect season has looked increasingly vulnerable as the weeks go by.

If you're convinced enough that the Tigers and Tide have each come that far in opposite directions over that short a period of time, LSU might well be worth your bet; if so, they're also on the verge of a late push for the SEC and national championships.

A nice thought, but I'm not sure how anyone can get past the Tigers' last effort against an elite, top-ranked defense and still consider them a threat to bring down an outfit as consistent and not prone to breakdowns as Alabama. The impotent attack on display against Florida isn't even a threat to score a touchdown against the similarly monolithic Tide D, which has matched the Gators for defensive dominance across the board on a weekly basis -- if Ingram's late fumble hadn't reopened the door for a late Tennessee touchdown, it would have been the Tide's third straight game without allowing a touchdown, an amazing streak that definitely should not be jeopardized by the conference's lowest-ranked offense.

Still, although its main responsibility here is not turning the ball over, there is some pressure on Alabama's offense to rekindle some of the spark that led to big games against Virginia Tech and Arkansas. Nick Saban said after the escape against the Vols that his team was "tired" after eight straight games without a week off, a plausible excuse for the offense's general decline and the steadily closing margins of victory. If McElroy continues to struggle with the downfield passing game, though, and the offense in general continues to settle for field goals after a bye week -- especially a bye week in which Saban specifically called for a more aggressive approach to stretching defenses vertically -- the malaise of the last few weeks will begin to look less like a temporary slide than a permanent cross to bear in the stretch run.

MAIN CARD

Fedor Emelianenko 232 lbs. vs. Brett Rogers 264 lbs.

Jason "Mayhem" Miller 184 lbs. vs. Jake Shields 184.5 lbs. (for vacant Strikeforce middleweight title)

Gegard Mousasi 205 lbs. vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou 204 lbs. 

Antonio "Big Foot" Silva 263 lbs. vs. Fabricio Werdum 242 lbs.

Fedor is a legend in the sport and hasn't lost since 2000, so why is Rogers the guy who is carrying the promotion? The reason is obvious. Fedor doesn't speak enough English to do television and radio interviews. So it's all been on Rogers. He did a ton of radio and newspaper spots. He also appeared on ESPN's First Take, ESPN's SportsNation and tonight he'll be seen on Last Call with Carson Daly. The ESPN appearances included a midweek trip from Chicago to Bristol, Conn.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said it's a necessity (3:28 mark):

"Brett's been amazing. He's been a great trooper. Part of the business that people don't understand is we need the fighters to go out there and do the PR."

Coker pointed out that promoting Fedor is difficult because he lives in Russia. That's all well and good but it has to be distraction for Rogers. He does have his wife with him in Chicago which is a little unusual. Most fighters are surrounded by camp members and have little contact with their family in the days leading up to a fight. It'll be interesting to see how this all works out for Rogers. The big guy does have a confidence about him and he certainly wasn't distracted or intimidated going into the fight against a huge name like Andrei Arlovski.

• The Colts held Donald Brown(notes) (shoulder) out of Friday's practice after letting him work the previous two days. He's questionable and will probably be a game-time decision for Sunday's matchup with the Texans. At least we get a break with the game, it's an early start. All of the Yahoo! experts view Joseph Addai(notes) as a Top 14 back this week even with Brown expected to play; Addai's value obviously gets a mild push forward if Brown winds up being scratched.

• Anquan Boldin(notes) (ankle) did some work Friday and has a shot to go against the Bears; he's questionable on the report. The Cardinals took it easy with Steve Breaston(notes) (knee) Friday but that's standard operating procedure; he's been battling this issue all season. On Boldin, it comes down to a depth call; I wouldn't use him for fantasy this week unless I felt backed into a corner.

• Roddy White(notes) (ankle) had a limited day Friday after sitting out the two previous days and head coach Mike Smith is optimistic that White will be able to go in Atlanta's critical game against Washington. It's an early start, so fantasy owners don't have to sweat it out here.

• Kevin Smith(notes) (shoulder) and Calvin Johnson(notes) (knee) both practiced Friday and should play at Seattle, though Jim Schwartz would give out his ATM password before he did anything to help our fantasy pursuits.

• Devin Hester(notes) (ankle) finally practiced on Friday after sitting out the two previous sessions. Hester has insisted all week that he's going to play against Arizona and he called himself 100 percent on Friday; we'll go along with it and keep Hester slotted as a low-end No. 2 or high-end No. 3 receiver this week. No worries about running mate Greg Olsen(notes) (ankle); he's been a full participant in the last two practices.

• Matt Hasselbeck(notes) (rib) had a full day Friday and will start against the Lions. Detroit has allowed 18 TD passes on the season so here's one of the more intriguing matchup plays of the weekend (share your Hasselbeck Week 9 rank in the comments). Seattle is also thrilled to finally get OT Sean Locklear(notes) (ankle) back; Jim Mora surprisingly confirmed on Friday that Locklear is ready to go.

• Aaron Rodgers(notes) (foot) and Donald Driver(notes) (neck) were back at work Friday and should be in your lineup at Tampa this weekend. The Pack will have to wait on Jermichael Finley(notes), however; he's been ruled out for Week 9.

• No Lance Moore(notes) this week; he's dealing with a bad ankle and has been in a walking boot since the Monday night victory over the Falcons. If you want an excuse to roll the dice on Robert Meachem(notes) or Devery Henderson(notes), Moore's injury opens the window. This might also force the Saints to use Reggie Bush more in the passing game.

• Antonio Gates(notes) (foot) is listed as probable and will play against the Giants, a team that's struggled with its safety play all year. It would be nice to see Gates reacquaint himself with the end zone; he's gone without a spike in 12 of his last 14 starts.

• Benjamin Watson(notes) is dealing with a sore back and was limited all week; you can make a better fill-in choice at tight end, methinks (Fred Davis(notes), Kevin Boss(notes), etc). New England is also listing Tom Brady (shoulder) and Randy Moss(notes) (shoulder) as probable, just because they're the Patriots.

• Although the Eagles are listing Brian Westbrook(notes) (post-concussion) as questionable, Andy Reid has made it clear all along that Westbrook is fully expected to start and take a heavy workload Sunday night. If you normally start Westbrook, I'd do so in Week 9. The Eagles also had a good week with DeSean Jackson(notes) (foot) and Jeremy Maclin(notes) (foot); slot them where you normally would.

• Pierre Garcon(notes) (ankle) was held out Friday and is questionable for the Texans game. All the more reason to like Austin Collie(notes), we suppose.

• All of your nicked-up Giants on offense are probable this week: Eli Manning(notes) (foot), Ahmad Bradshaw(notes) (ankle/foot), Kevin Boss (ankle) and Mario Manningham(notes) (shoulder). The only Week 9 option I like from this group is Boss (hello, San Diego safeties), but opinions vary when it comes to Bradshaw.  

• Antonio Bryant(notes) (knee) is listed as questionable and considered a game-time decision for Week 9. If you're strongly considering Bryant this week (tied to rookie QB Josh Freeman(notes)), you're questionable, too.

• Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis have been outstanding rushing the passer for the Colts this year, and Indy desperately needs that to continue because the secondary is a mess in Naptown right now. Safety Bob Sanders(notes) and corner Marlin Jackson(notes) are both out for the year (to be fair, Sanders hasn't played much this season), and corner Kelvin Hayden(notes) (knee) is expected to miss 3-4 weeks.

• Todd Heap(notes) (ankle) had a full day Friday and is probable for Baltimore's rematch at Cincinnati.

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Photos via US Presswire

Levy, a lapsed puckhead from The Great Lockout Purge of 2005, called us today to ask if there were any players in the NHL that would fit that description: A star player who will "will end his career with utter disappointment" by not hoisting the Stanley Cup.

We tried to talk him out of this first one. It didn't work:

For nothing other than cheap heat, I'll say Alexander Ovechkin. Sure he's the most exciting player in the league and he's transcended the sport to become a, gulp, household name, but that doesn't mean he's going to win anything. His team is good, but he has a guy named Crosby playing in his conference, and that guy has a guy named Malkin playing with him. Of course, Greg Wyshynski from Yahoo's Puck Daddy thinks I'm nuts, but what have the Caps ever won? Can they afford to keep this team of budding stars around Ovechkin?

The last point was a fair one, but odds are that Ovechkin gets his Cup before his contract expires in 2021. After all, it's on Ted Leonsis's to-do list.

The other names we mentioned to Levy were Joe Thornton(notes) of the San Jose Sharks, an underwhelming playoff performer on an underwhelming playoff team; Daniel Alfredsson(notes) of the Ottawa Senators; Roberto Luongo(notes) of the Vancouver Canucks, in yet another attempt to reverse-karma our way to a correct Stanley Cup prediction; and Henrik Lundqvist(notes) of the New York Rangers, because he's going to retire before 2048. 

Writer Jeff Hale on Twitter suggested Jarome Iginla(notes), who's only 32 but locked into a team with a very top-heavy cap. Any other stars that you think will fall short of the ultimate prize, before inevitably Mike Gartner'ing their way into the Hall of Fame? (*cough*Mats Sundin(notes)*cough*).

Admit it: Ruston is growing on you. Both teams have already made a pair of Mid-week Madness appearances on national television this season -- the Broncos laid waste to Fresno State and survived a scare at Tulsa; the Bulldogs beat Hawaii and lost to Nevada, both in fairly convincing fashion. Tonight they meet in lovely Ruston, La., home of Louisiana Tech, Elephant 6 and very little else. Don't underestimate the somnambulant effects of the 1,948-mile trip from Boise, either.

Who will protect our precious BCS landscape? Their trajectories may be entirely divergent, but don't be fooled by Boise State's undefeated record and Louisiana Tech's three wins. A lot could change tonight. The Broncos have been difficult to peg despite their early season heroic versus Oregon -- there are a lot of convincing wins on their '09 record, but they do stumble every once in a while, as evidenced by that close call against the Golden Hurricane. You're not likely to catch them sleepwalking, however -- with that schedule, one slip is all it will take to cost them a BCS bid, and they have to know it. Their No. 7 spot in the BCS standings isn't going anywhere good without some showy victories (and some luck wouldn't hurt, either, but the victories come first).

Bulldogs make the best underdogs. The upset path will not be easy. Louisiana Tech's 16th-ranked turnover margin has been a program touchstone this year, but taking the ball away from the Broncos is even more difficult; they're fifth in turnover margin themselves. But there's a grand Bulldog tradition of giving better-equipped visitors headaches for four straight quarters: They beat Mississippi State in Ruston last year, and crushed Hawaii back in September, when the Warriors still had a quarterback for their prolific passing attack.

The matchup to watch will be between Bronco quarterback Kellen Moore, who's likely to break the 2,000-yard passing mark tonight, and Louisiana Tech's Deon Young, tied for second in the conference interceptions. (This is the WAC, so that's only three picks, and he's actually surpassed by Boise State's Jeron Johnson with four, but it's a Friday night game and we take our fun where we can find it.)

Dooley Face! Still unconvinced? All right, do an image search for Bulldogs head coach Derek Dooley. Those faces? Like the one he's making up there? He does that all the time on the sideline. Make it a drinking game! See you on the couch.

- - -
Boise State and Louisiana Tech kick off at 8 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
Holly welcomes your adulation and veiled threats at nastinchka-at-yahoo, etc.

It's too bad Fedor Emelianenko hasn't gotten much mainstream media coverage over the years because tomorrow night's fight against Brett Rogers really could've been pitched as a 1980's throwback promotion. Fedor resembles some of the great Soviet Olympians from 30 years ago. He's walking around the fighter hotel in Chicago with a huge entourage that includes two dudes who look like Rasputin. The world's No. 1 heavyweight is decked out in zip up jacket that simply reads "Russia." CBS color analyst Frank Shamrock says it's all part of what makes up Fedor's aura:

"One of the things he said in his interview was 'my father and mother brought me up to have a strong love of god and of country. And I fight because I want to fight for my country. I want Russia to be pround. Just that statement we were all floored. That is a very powerful force to drive you to do something."

Fedor is a total throwback:

"He came into the warmup jumping the rope and doing pull ups. He's wearing the suits from the 70's.  He want to be a good person ... after he smashes you."

His opponent Brett Rogers is far from a bad dude. His story is unreal. Making little money until 2009, the 6-5, 265-pounder had to work a full-time gig at Sam's Club. He's a family man and has fulfilled every promotional media request.

With the Cold War laid to rest, it'll be interesting to see if american viewers will root for Rogers simply because Fedor is a Russian. Most MMA fans don't care about cultural lines but they'll make up a minute portion of the CBS audience.

Shamrock buils a pretty good case for Rogers pulling the upset. Shamrock says Rogers footwork is great and he's got a great shot if he keeps Fedor backing up throughout the fight. Is he just making the pitch for CBS or does he really believe it?

Make sure you listen to the end when Shamrock suggests that the best fighter on the card is actually Gegard Mousasi. Mousasi, 24, will face Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. Shamrock said if Mousasi ever faces Anderson Silva he'd beat him every time.

In Friday's life-affirming episode of the Yahoo! Fantasy Freak Show, we discussed all the Week 9 matchups, answered a few dozen Jamaal Charles(notes) questions and took the first steps toward designing the perfect Washington Redskins drinking game. Please gather the family around the laptop and give it a listen. (This week, all the links actually work!)

Fantasy Freak Show, Part I

Fantasy Freak Show, Part II

Fantasy Freak Show, Bonus Time

Many thanks to our friends at The Score WSCR-AM 670 in Chicago. 

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Photo via Getty Images