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LeBron James and Tiger Woods:
Happy 21st B-day to Bron, the best 21-y.o. basketball player ever (sorry, Wilt/Lew). Happy 30th to Tiger, the best 30-y.o. to ever play HIS sport (sorry, Jack).
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The Lead Item
Two Words For You:
LOOKING. BACK.
A few final thoughts to close out 2005 and leap into 2006 …
Toughest Acts to Follow:
1. Charlie Weis: Expectations met? Hardly. If he could get 9 wins with another guy's team, pressure's on to get to the title game.
2. Danica Patrick: Debut created a sports-culture eclipse, then she fell off the radar. Needs a high-profile win.
3. Evander Holyfield: Can Jerry Rice (or Kenny Mayne) do better than the ex-champ in the new season of "Dancing with the Stars"?
Earned a Break in '06:
1. Ozzie Guillen: The White Sox can go back to being irrelevant for another 87 years.
2. Roy Williams: There's such a huge gap between being a great coach and being a championship coach.
3. Lance Armstrong: Now there's REALLY nothing left to prove (or is there?)
Something to Prove in '06:
1. Peyton Manning: Super Bowl title or bust. Literally.
2. Larry Brown: Still waiting on that "right way."
3. David Ortiz: Without Manny? Good luck, Papi. Practice walking to first.
Lingering Questions:
1. What happens to T.O.?
2. What happens to Manny?
3. What happens to Theo?
NFL: Week 17 Preview
It's the Playoffs "Play-Ins":
NFC: If the Redskins, Bucs and Panthers all win, they're all in; the Cowboys are on the outside looking in, and need a win and one of the other three to lose.
(Do any of the NFC's various division champ vs. wild card outcomes matter? I have a hard time believing any of them can beat the Seahawks or Bears on the road, anyway.)
AFC: Pittsburgh can wrap up the AFC's 6th playoff spot with a win vs. Detroit. If it loses, the Chiefs have an opening, but need help and host Cincy, with the Bengals and Pats still vying for the AFC's 3rd seed.
(Interesting: If the Bengals win, they host the Steelers in the first round; if they lose, they likely host the Jags. I'm almost tempted to suggest Cincy help themselves by losing the game. And do the Pats really want the No. 3-seed, with a prospective game at Denver? The Broncos play them much tougher than the Colts.)
Then, there's the most consequential game of the week …
Bush Bowl
Here we go: If the 49ers beat the Texans, Houston gets the first pick in the NFL draft. If the Texans win, up to 5 teams can finish with 3-13 records, assuming the Saints, Jets and Packers understand that failure is their best option this week.
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CHECK OUT THE QUICKIE EVERY WEEKDAY MORNING! |
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| WHO'S GOT THE MOMENTUM ... |
Tony Dungy: Returns to practice and will coach on Sunday
Carson Palmer: 2003 doubters can gawk at $118 mil ext.
Utah: No Urban Meyer, same bowl result (routs GA Tech)
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| ... AND WHO'S GOT NO MO' |
49ers: According to stats, could sink to 4th or 5th pick
Brady Leaf: Oregon QB (and Ryan's bro) throws late INT
A.J. Nicholson: FSU LB suspended, accused of sexual assault
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Saints have the edge: Someone finally ran the schedule-strength numbers, and in a tie-break scenario between all of those 3-13 teams, the Saints would end up with the No. 1 pick. (Stat via NY Times)
After everything that's happened this fall, who (outside of fans of those other four teams) can't get behind the Saints winning the top pick?
(Ironically, the Saints don't even need Reggie Bush; they have Deuce McAllister. They can, however, desperately use QB Matt Leinart -- or the bounty that would come from trading the pick.)
USC Loses!
At least, hypothetically: Taking a cue from yesterday's Quickie argument, fans overwhelmingly voted, 62% to 38%, that '05 USC would lose to the dominant '01 Miami team.
So thankfully, fans don't consider this '05 USC team the greatest of all time (yet). Because, really, the Trojans couldn't even beat their own 2004 team -- and they might not even be the best team of 2005.
One fictional matchup left: '95 Nebraska, the No. 1-ranked CFB team of all time. If '05 USC would lose to the No. 2 team, it makes sense they'd lose to the No. 1 team, too.
(Actually, this '05 USC team reminds me of the '95 Florida team. Before Matt Leinart, there was Danny Wuerffel, remember? On offense, those Gators were every bit as unstoppable as these Trojans. And Nebraska obliterated them in the title game, 62-24.)
Sorry, '05 USC: Now, forget this "all-time" stuff and go out and prove you're simply the best team of 2005.
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Bowlin': "El Pass-0!"
Northwestern-UCLA in the Sun will be the most entertaining bowl of the season. There's a good reason the over/under is 126.*
The game features two of the best offenses in the country (led by two top QBs, NU's Brett Basanez and UCLA's Drew Olsen), but I'd keep an eye on the RBs: UCLA's Maurice Drew and NU's frosh Tyrell Sutton.
But wait! There's more!
Both teams also feature two of the most porous defenses you'll ever see on a college football field. UCLA is ranked 111th out of 117; NU claims dead last. Quickie regulars know I'm a huge NU fan; trust me on this. They're the "Steel Curtain Sieve."
(*Not the real over/under.)
Quickie Resolutions
In 2006, I resolve to answer even more reader e-mail (yes, even the mean ones); give more attention to unconventional outlets (like blogs); and connect with you like never before. (Aren't you excited?)
And, of course, you'll get the same commitment to half-baked clear-eyed, lazy qualitative, crazy talk forward-looking commentary you've come to expect. (Starting early for 2006, see today's Big 5.)
Happy New Year!
Have a safe and enjoyable New Year's Eve, everyone. There WILL be a new edition of the Quickie on Monday -- with an NFL playoff peek, a Bush Bowl winner and a rundown of the day's bowl buffet.
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2005:
Let's leave the steroids mania, the T.O. plotlines and depressing weather-related stories behind. For '06, more surprises like the White Sox, please.
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Today on ESPN.com
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| Quickie: Live! |
| Bowl schedule |
| Page 2 Index |
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| Bold Picks for 2006 |  Wie makes cut
| In *men's* PGA event
|  Red Sox finish 3rd
| Jays vault up AL East
|  Young wins Heisman
| Texas QB loses Rose, returns
|  Darts is new poker
| Watch for huge TV push
|  Barry busts Babe
| | Topples Ruthian total |
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Pistons unstoppable: Beat Heat for 9th straight. 24-3 start ties '95-96 Bulls for 2nd-best of all time after 27 games. Billups and Hamilton better BOTH be All-Stars.
MLB Hot Stove: Miguel Tejada says he's "more upset" now with the O's than before. Doesn't mean they'll trade him, though. (Sorry, BoSox fans.)
More Stove: Mets reportedly close to tapping their Florida state farm system and trading for D-Rays closer Danys Baez to set up Wagner.
Bowl irony: With fans in San Diego jeering him, Brady Leaf threw a late INT at the 10-yard line to cost No. 5 Oregon a Holiday win over Oklahoma.
More Bowling: Miami-LSU is the marquee-team headliner of the weekend, though the first to 10 points may win. (Fri, 7:30, ESPN)
"Lateral Bowl" P.S.: NCAA ref honcho said both teams should have been flagged for too many players on the field. Off-setting. Game over. (via NYT)
Congrats to the 2005 All-SportsNation Team: Reggie Bush, Lance Armstrong, Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, Peyton Manning (2nd team: Shaun Alexander, Roger Clemens, Roger Federer, LeBron James, Vince Young)
Looking for a Quickie preview of Monday's bowl slate? You'll have to check back Monday! You may not be working, but I will be!
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