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St. John's (Minn.) coach
John Gagliardi:
D3 legend will become winningest (not a real word, but sportswriters use it anyway) football coach ever with a W this weekend.
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The Lead Item
Two Words For You:
LAKE. NIGHT.
It's nice to know that at least one
team has no fear of the juggernaut Lakers.
But the Spurs might be the only ones, losing to
the Lakers in double-OT -- even without injured Tim Duncan and Tony
Parker.
A sample size of five games is enough: As long
as the Big Four stay healthy (and happy), there aren't
more than 10 games on the schedule that look like L's
for L.A.
Clichè alert: If they take 'em one at a
time, they'll break the '95-96 Bulls' 72-win
record. (More worthy? In '96, there were only two
teams in the East besides the Bulls with 50-plus wins; this year,
the Lakers run a gauntlet that should include five 50-plus teams in the West.)
But a whole other story: A playoff run that
topples the motivated, no-fear defending champs (with
a healthy Duncan).
NFL Week 10 Subplots
Unbeaten Watch: 8-0 Chiefs host sorry
Browns. Whither Dwayne Rudd?
Hot seat: Spurrier in a darn-near-must-win vs
6-2 Seahawks. Counterpart Holmgren knows something
about underachievement.
Hello?!?! Raiders WR Tim Brown spouts Herm
Edwards-like about need to focus. Oakland wreck
attracting rubber-neckers.
Parcells Reunion Tour: Continues vs. ex-QB Drew Bledsoe. Many still doubting the Cowboys'
legitimacy.
Game of the Week: Bucs at Panthers. If TB's
win-one-lose-one pattern holds form, they're due for a
W.
CFB Preview
If Penn State loses at Northwestern this
weekend, it's not the L itself that will
crank up the heat on Joe Paterno; it's the symbolism
of "How/Mighty/Fallen Syndrome."
One-Loss Watch: Watch for the upset special
when Va Tech (coming off beating-Miami high) plays at
Pitt (and Heisman should-be frontrunner Larry
Fitzgerald).
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IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ THE FULL QUICKIE |
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| TODAY'S THREE HOTTEST STORIES |
1 Unbeaten Lakers outlast shorthanded Spurs in 2 OT
2 Unbeaten Chiefs put 8-0 record on line vs. Browns
3 Unbeaten Sooners unlikely to lose at home vs. Texas A&M |
| THREE STORIES YOU SHOULD JUST LET GO |
1 Woodson vs. Callahan: Raiders' Brown demands cease-fire
2 Yankees hot-to-trot for A-Rod: Focusing on Ps, 2B, 3B
3 The Mavs as offense juggernaut: 71 pts last night (71!) |
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LeBron Watch
This weekend, LBJ gets a little pain, a little pleasure:
Pain: Tonight, LeBron matches up with Ron
Artest, who will deliver a Master Class on NBA D.
Pleasure: The recuperating Cavs will win their
first game of the season Saturday night, at home
against the uneven Wizards.
Offensive NBA
Final score straw:
Raptors 77, Mavs 71
71 points. For the Mavs. The Mavs!
Metaphorically, the NBA's unprecedented team-scoring
problem this season has reached a new low. (Granted
Dallas was without injured PG Steve Nash ... try to
argue he's not their MVP.)
Taking any/all suggestions to boost team
scoring: Let's start with dropping the shot clock
to 18 seconds.
Yankee Rumors
Boss wants Curt Schilling? (NY Post
reports). Just what the Yankees need: Another aging
pitcher with injury issues.
Or is it Luis Castillo? (Sun-Sentinel reports).
Hope Alfonso Soriano likes right field ....
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Reminder: MLB free-agency zaniness starts
Monday. Also coming Monday ...
MLB Awards Season
AL/NL rookie preview:
AL: Anyone but Hideki Matsui is a massive
upset, sparking the usual whining about Japanese vets
taking hardware from U.S. kids.
NL: Dontrelle would be a lock if it was a
popularity contest, but it's not; look for another
pitcher, Brandon Webb.
Rest of schedule: AL Cy (Tue); Managers (Wed);
NL Cy (Thu); AL MVP (Mon 11/17); NL MVP (Tue 11/18).
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Downtown Athletic Club:
Hey, thanks for opening Heisman dinner tickets to the
public for the first time. But $600? To take your pic
with Rashaan Salaam?
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Today on ESPN.com
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| P2: The Sports Guy's NFL Picks |
| IN: MLB Rumor Central |
| NFL: Clayton's First And 10 |
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| Ranking NFL MVP Candidates: |  Steve McNair
| He's at another level
|  Dante Hall
| But opp. can avoid him
|  Stephen Davis
| Second-wind vet carries Car.
|  Trent Green
| KC QB this year's Gannon?
|  Peyton Manning
| | Colts must keep winning |
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W10 office-pool suggestions: NYG, PIT, WAS, TB, IND,
CIN, DET, TEN, KC, MIN, NYJ, BUF, STL, GB (LW: 6-8;
Season: 78-52) ...
The LeBron of swimming, Michael Phelps (star of next
Olympics), signed the sport's biggest endorsement deal
ever (Speedo). Hey, if you got paid YOU'D wear 'em to
work ...
Antonio Tarver can keep talking, but Roy Jones is
going to dismiss him by the 5th round ...
Second-chance K-O pool still rolling last week with
Ravens; for those still in it, take leap of faith with
Giants (vs. Falcons) ...
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