|
 |
|
Jacksonville:
Forget Donovan McNabb. The Super Bowl rookie under the most pressure is the city of JAX. With the SB mayhem comes the scrutiny of bitter sportswriters. QUICKIE LIVE! 9-10 a.m.
|
|
The Lead Item
Two Words For You:
HE'LL. PLAY.
Part 5 of a 5-Day T.O. Binge:
Trust T.O.
Forget the doc. Forget the trainer. Forget coaches. Forget the media.
T.O. knows what's best for T.O.
And whether he's yapping Thursday at practice or to Michael Irvin,
every indication from him is he wants to play; he thinks he'll
play; ergo, he will play.
What makes the T.O. storyline the most dramatic of this Super
Bowl? The most worthy of this eclipse of attention?
Precisely because of this: Until next Sunday, no one can
say with any certainty what his on-field impact will
be.
Not Myerson or Burkholder, Reid or FredEx, me or even my favorite BBW,
Jason Whitlock. (See Q It Up.)
Not even T.O. himself.
No matter what he says.
Coming next week: More T.O.!
SB Week Preview
T.O. closure? Ha! Dream on! Like it or hate it, T.O. will
remain THE storyline of the Super Bowl.
Nevertheless, the "week-of" Super Bowl mania will ramp up starting
Monday morning, then hit a peak with Media Day on Tuesday.
After that, we stumble into a 48-hour gauntlet of the same
handful of stories, using pre-baked storylines that Media Day quotes
fill rotely, like recipe ingredients.
Blissfully, Friday, we have those final game "previews."
At least that's my plan.
Senior Bowl Mania
It's not just a backdrop for a reality-TV show! (No,
wait: That's exactly what it is!)
Instead of Senior Bowl phenom "Super Agent" being a "Bachelor"
derivative, wouldn't it be cooler if it cribbed from a different
reality show?
The Apprentice:
Young smarmy agent-wannabes!
Super Slimy Sweet 16:
Woo those prep players!
|
|
|
 |
CHECK OUT THE QUICKIE EVERY WEEKDAY MORNING! |
|
| WHO'S GOT THE MOMENTUM ... |
"Break-em-up" Bulls: Win 5th in row (Bobcats), 12th in 13
Norm Chow: Offered 3X USC salary to be Titans OC? (Rumor)
Jean Carlos Chera: 9-y.o. Brazil kid a new soccer phenom? |
| ... AND WHO'S GOT NO MO' |
LeBron as Willis Reed at MSG: Ankle likely to keep him out
Allan Houston retirement rumors: So stop pushing, Isiah!
Gillette Stadium: Do Pats fans like sound of P&G Stadium?
|
|
|
|
|
Survivor:
Hey: Vote off Drew Rosenhaus!
American Idol:
Starring Mel Kiper as Simon!
Senior Bowl, Sat., 4 p.m., ESPN2
College Hoops Wrap
Four days of "Prove-It" wrapped up, leaving two more
top 10 teams exposed and two other ranked teams staking claims of
legitmacy.
Down: Washington. Playing at Arizona is brutal, but a
9-point loss signals that UW needs more seasoning before being
March-ready.
Down: Wake Forest. Chris Paul choked on two FTs in OT, letting
Georgia Tech steal a wild W. The ACC season is so
on.
GameDay Saturday: At Kansas! Exclusive report! Have the
Jayhawks removed the tattoo of Villanova's sneaker-print from their
backsides? (Texas at Kansas, 9, ESPN2)
Frosh vs. Sophs
The best innovation of NBA All-Star Weekend in the last
decade is the Rookie-vs-Soph game. The rosters came out
Thursday.
Soph starters? Wade, Hinrich, LeBron, Carmelo, Bosh
Bench: Haslem, Howard, Korver, Ridnour
Rookie starters? Iguodala, Gordon, Smith, Howard, Okafor
Bench: Allen, Deng, Harris, Udrih
Edge: Between Wade, LeBron and Bosh, the Sophs could beat a
real All-Star roster, let alone Rookies.
|
|
|
|
Winter X Games
I don't claim to understand, but it's not generational.
I'm just afraid of action sports, generally.
But, Dan, there's more hottie athletes per square foot than any
other sports event on the planet!
Now lechery is generational!
Sat.: 1 p.m. ABC; 9 p.m. ESPN
Sun.: 9 p.m. ESPN
What to do Sunday?
In the first NFL-free Sunday in 20 weeks, what to do?
No, seriously: What to do?!?!
Yes, it's OK to spend an afternoon with your significant
other. No, not your fantasy league commissioner.
No, it's not OK to pore over Senior Bowl stats, looking to
slot players to the teams they're best fit for. Save that for
Monday.
Yes, it's OK to do some housework or chores. Those
horrifyingly overdue wedding thank-you notes won't write themselves!
(Uh: Was it really NFL Week 4?)
No, it's not OK to laze on your couch watching a TiVo of last
week's NFC championship game, massaging your ankle and trying to
channel good vibes to T.O.
 |
|
NHL labor talks:
Save your optimism (and your brilliant short-season, NCAA-Tourney-style marketing plans). "Significant philosophical differences" between sides.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Today on ESPN.com
|
| Quickie Live! |
| Ultimate Super Bowl: AFC vs. NFC |
| P2: Whitlock on T.O. |
|
 |
| Ranking Ultimate SB Lineups |  AFC Offense
| But Bradshaw over Brady?!
|  AFC Defense
| Steel Curtain. Whew.
|  NFC Offense
| Montana to Rice. Nuff said.
|  NFC Defense
| Rich Dent, Randy White on line?
|  Coaches?
| | Give the NFC the edge |
| 
|  |
Must-must read: Page 2's Ultimate Super Bowl Showdown, as picked by
Merron (AFC) and Schoenfield (NFC). See Big 5 and Q It Up ...
Senior Bowl players to watch: USC DE Shaun "Reality-TV" Cody; Auburn
RB Cadillac Williams; and my fave, Arkansas QB/TE/WR Matt
Jones ...
We're a long way from the "Winston Cup": Nicorette signs on as a
NASCAR sponsor. (How many fans will think it's a new brand of
chew?) ...
Sosa watch: Agent insists Sammy will be traded, but to whom? Mets
don't seem to want him. Neither do the Nats. How about the
O's? ...
Remember when Pistons-Pacers was an event? Did you even know they were
playing last night? Now simply just two mediocre
underachievers ...
Let's play J-I-N-G-O! Gotta love an all-Yank Aussie Open final. Serena
vs. Lindsay (Fri, 9:30 pm, ESPN2) ...
|
|
|
