Peyton Manning and Mark Sanchez provided ample entertainment for game one of my Sunday triple header.

The ever efficient Manning predictably lead his Colts squad to victory over the upstart Jets proving once again that he is worthy of his status as one of the all time greats. Sanchez, the USC product that angered his coach at the time, Pete Carroll, by leaving the school in favor of going pro after his sophomore season. Carroll remarked at the time that Sanchez simply wasn’t ready for the NFL…turns out he was.

Despite some dramatic ups and downs through the course of the season, young Sanchez not only proved he belonged but that he could excel at the professional level. Who knows what might have happened had he stayed and played for the Trojans this season. In retrospect, it’s safe to say that he made the right choice in elevating his draft status by leaving early due to the fact that Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford and now, Jimmy Clausen will head a crowded QB class in the 2010 NFL draft.

The Jets can be confident that they have their franchise QB of the future and Mark and his NY teammates can be proud of their effort Sunday in falling to the well oiled machine that is the Peyton-led Indianapolis Colts. Despite the high hopes of Jets fans, the loss is not really a surprise to anyone.

With game one of the trifecta in the bag, my attention turned to the Lakers-Raptors game.

After a hugely disappointing loss to the Cavaliers in Cleveland, the Lakers bounced back with a victory against the lowly Knicks in New York behind a strong 4^th quarter performance on Friday.

The opposite was true this afternoon in Toronto.

This time the Lakers fell flat on their face in the 4^th.

Kobe Bryant finished one assist shy of a triple double to go along with 16 rebounds and 27 points but his two desperation three pointers late in the game were not enough to get the win. With two losses in three games on the current eight game road trip, the purple and gold seem to be lacking the sense of urgency that carried them to the NBA title last season. Though they still have the best record in the NBA, the air of invincibility is suspiciously absent from this defending championship squad.

Next up was the heavyweight bout that I was all geeked up to watch, the NFC Championship game featuring the Minnesota Vikings vs the New Orleans Saints and it didn’t disappoint…the Brett Favre show rarely does.

Hold on to your 401K because the annual Brett retirement circus starts NOW.

Brett may rival Susan Lucci in terms of always being in the thick of all things drama but I am never let down when I watch this man play the game of football. Today my only disappointment was that the Vikings lost.

For that, they have no one to blame but themselves. There is no shortage of blame to go around.

In looking at the numbers, the Vikings SHOULD have won this game. The two-headed monster of Favre and Adrian Peterson was running at full throttle, the defense was hitting hard and they were piling up first downs like Rain Man stacked chips in Vegas. Only problem was, they coughed up the ball nine times and Favre tossed two interceptions, including a timely back-breaker late in the fourth quarter that likely would have been a field goal attempt by Minnesota had Brett simply slide for a small gain rather than try to force the issue through the air, but that’s the way Brett lives and dies on the field…He goes for it.

The post game interview had a subdued and obviously disappointed Favre looking like a battered boxer with red marks on his forehead, a dejected look in his eye and a somber tone in his voice at the podium.

He looked every bit of his 40 years at the postgame press conference thanks to the swarming defensive effort of a fired up Saints D that put the screws to the veteran all game long.

From my living room in Southern California I could faintly hear the collective sigh of relief all the way from Green Bay Wisconsin. Outside observers such as myself can only imagine how painful it might have been for the Packers faithful to see their rival Vikings carried to a Superbowl victory on the shoulders of their former favorite son. The whole Packers angle is consistently downplayed by both sides but...

This wasn’t just another player switching teams, Brett Favre is the biggest rockstar Green Bay has ever known.

This is a place where cheese, milk, beer and Packers football are not only a way of life but a religion.

These folks consistently brave subzero temperatures shirtless with nothing but a block of foam rubber cheese on their head to keep themselves warm to support their team at icy Lambeau Field.

Season tickets are WILLED to family members.

Last year when it was Bretty and the Jets, they could accept the fact that Favre had moved on, but when he jumped onto the Vikings ship all bets were off. He had slapped them in the face...instigated them even.

Now, it was personal.

A line was crossed.

This wasn’t simply Brett moving on, this was Brett purposely joining a bitter rival in order to stick it to Packers management for not giving him the respect he felt he deserved. He may have denied that this was the case, but let’s not be naive here…Brett wanted to stick it to Green Bay in the worst way and what better way than to exact revenge than to do it in Minnesota purple and gold?

Take the two games Brett played vs. the Packers this season…Minnesota won both games.

Coincidence?

I think not.

All looked to be going as planned for Brettadict Arnold’s Green Bay Payback Tour '2010 until a heavy dose of WHO DAT? hit hard and hit often on Sunday when the offensive juggernaut known as the Saints came marching in.

The post hurricane Katrina ravaged city has been struck again.

This time in a good way.

Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and company have carried the Saints to their first Superbowl appearance five years after the worst natural disaster in American history. This proud city could use a pick-me-up of this magnitude after enduring such hardship. There’s no denying it, the Saints are looking good.

Congratulations to the city of New Orleans and the Saints.

The one person who has to be torn in two directions in this turn of events has to be Archie Manning.

Not only is he the father of Peyton Manning, he is the legendary Saints quarterback of yesteryear.

Who is he supposed to root for?

His beleaguered, long-suffering Saints franchise or his eldest son?

Tough spot to be in, but also an enviable one.

Superbowl Sunday is February 7th, but the hype starts today.

The NBA named the starters for the annual All-Star game today and Ray Allen isn’t happy about it.

The Western Conference will start Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash (...who barely slipped past inactive Tracy McGrady) at guards. Tim Duncan and Carmelo Anthony at forward and Amare Stoudamire will man the middle.

The Eastern Conference will start Dwight Howard at center, Kevin Garnett and LeBron James at forwards with Dwayne Wade and Allen Iverson at the guards positions.

How did we get here so fast?

It seems like the season started last week.

I suppose that’s just the way the world works anymore…at hyper speed.

Fast food, instant messaging, 3G this and high speed that…I find myself feeling like Brooks Hadlen at times, overwhelmed.

To quote the character from the classic movie The Shawshank Redemption,

Time is funny in that regard.

Time can breed familiarity, contempt and, on occasion, comfort.

People as a general rule enjoy comfort.

We like our La-Z-Boys, our comfy slippers and evidently, our Snuggies.

I suppose you could say Allen Iverson is the Snuggie of the NBA this year.

He brings fans the comfort, familiarity and name recognition that led them to vote him to start for the Eastern Conference All-Star team even though his play and stats don’t really warrant it.

It’s the same type of name recognition, popularity contest laziness that many long sitting politicians bank on.

It’s not always the substance or accomplishments that validate them, but more the fact that people are too busy leading their daily lives to bother researching the candidates and their worthiness to hold office.

Blame our short attention spans, A.D.D. or George Bush…blame anything but personal accountability.

Celtics guard Ray Allen recently lamented the fans selection of Iverson by saying that the criteria for the selection process should be altered. Fans are not to be trusted with such important choices. The most popular suggestion seems to be to splitting the vote between fans, players, coaches and media. Ray feels that the people, the fans who ultimately pay his $18.39 million dollar salary for the 2009-2010 season, shouldn’t have the final say on who starts.

The fan vote: Ray’s not McLovin it.

Really Ray?

If the fans who fund this charmed life you lead, you know, the “job” that allows you to cash those monstrous checks every week to play a kid’s game instead of actually working an 8 hour day at Wal-Mart or go to your burdensome job as a welder to put a roof over your head and feed the fam?

I agree with you that Iverson has no business being there based on what he’s done on the court this year but if that’s what the paying customer wants I would remind you that the customer is always right…especially when that customer or customers obsessive interest in your chosen field affords you to live so lavishly.

That being said...Shut up and put the ball in the hole Ray.

It seems Mr. Allen has fallen prey to the elitism of those who fancy themselves intellectuals.

This is the same highfalutin -if you don’t have a degree or a proper education, you are a simpleton- way of thinking that insults the American populous daily. For an example of what I mean, think Keith Olberman.

They feel that the common, blue collar, average Joe six-pack isn’t capable of being trusted with such important decisions.

I say again…Really Ray?

You may or may not know that there was a pretty important election in the state you are currently employed, Massachusetts. It was decided by some of the very same people who most likely voted for you to be an All-Star last year.

For the first time in my life, I have to say it…

(Pause……Deep breath……Exhale....................................)

I LOVE BOSTON!

...There.

Now I can go back to hating the Celtics, Red Sox, Patriots, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and the annoying Boston sports fans with chowder breath that make that town smell like rotten fish.

Sorry, I just can‘t help it…My Lakers loyalty skews my opinion of that wonderfully historic city.

Back to Ray-Ray and his crappy opinion…

How would you feel if, say, YOU weren’t allowed to vote in that or any other election since you’re not as knowledgeable in the world of politics as those who follow it with more intent and insight than you do? How about we split the vote between Congress, the media and the lobbyists since they follow things of that nature a little more closely than you or I?

Do you know that when this country started you would not have been allowed vote because of slavery. Women could not vote either. The only people who could vote were rich white men.

Does that sound fair to you?

Me neither.

The system isn’t perfect by a long shot, sometimes candidates like Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Al Franken, or Jesse Ventura slip through the cracks and the rest of us are left wondering just how the heck they pulled that off.

In a perfect world, Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks would be in Iverson’s starting spot but things have a funny way of setting themselves straight. Don’t be surprised if Iverson respectfully declines or suddenly has a nagging injury that prevents him from playing. That way, the finicky sports fans who consider themselves above the fray of the masses, the talking heads on ESPN, and the know-it-all sports columnists who look down on the average fan (who also happen to keep them employed…sound familiar Ray?) will be satisfied and Allen can save face in their pretentious, judgmental eyes. These are the same group that won’t put Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame and delight in making the players…(the people who have the talent and athletic prowess they WISH they had 1/100^th of), suffer through waiting year after year to gain their approval before gaining admission to the Hall of Fame. I wonder how those who get to cast votes on such things would fare if the tables were turned and the players got to decide the fate of the writers induction into the sportswriter Hall of Fame?

Would Mark McGwire be as quick to pass judgment on a dyslexic columnist that used spell-check and lied about it?

My point is that it’s easy to judge, but difficult to exact justice.

What about the 12 year old kid who voted to see his hero A.I. play in the All-Star game?

Would it be fair to him?

It is after all only a kids game we're talking about here, isn’t it?

It’s not like the balance of the entire country hinged on the outcome of the vote that was in the hands of the very same people who cheer you on each and every game you play in Celtic green.

They’re too dumb to be trusted with such matters according to you.

Scott Brown and Allen Iverson supporters would say otherwise.

Speculation about exactly what the biggest NBA free agent prize since Shaquille O’Neal will do come summer 2010 has been going on as long as the current recession….longer actually. While the rest of us schlubs worry about our next paycheck still being there next week, The Chosen One’s future is as bright as the camera flashes that have followed him since he was a grade school basketball prodigy still rocking Kobe’s signature kicks.

In watching the Lakers work over the JV squad in the Los Angeles basketball hierarchy Friday night I came to the conclusion that for the Clippers to ever break the curse of being the biggest loser franchise of all loser franchises they need to make a bold move and bring LeBron to LaLaLand. They made a play for Kobe a few years ago but failed, why not go for broke again? With the recent revelation of the Clippers losing last years overall #1 pick in the NBA draft Blake Griffin for the year, the internet has been on fire pointing out just how bad things have gone over the years in Clipperville. I'm not sure "cursed" is a strong enough word to describe the pathetic history of the woeful Clippers.

Botched draft picks, and a long history of epic failure follows the Clippers ship like rain clouds follow Schleprock.

Much like the current incarnation of our United States Congress, there is a stench of ineptness that is clear to all involved except those who hold the power to fix it.

CHANGE alone isn’t the answer.

A calculated move towards prosperity can be the only cure to what ails both America and the even longer suffering Clipper Nation.

The will is there, as is the talent to turn things around.

(Believe it or not, I was referring to the Clippers with that last sentence.)

The Clippers are actually a quality team. Baron Davis has a fire in his belly that led the Clips to victory over the Lakers a few short days ago. That same competitive fire almost went too far last night when the frustration of a twenty point deficit led him to violently throw an elbow at Pau Gasol and verbally and frankly, rather angrily lash out at Derek Fisher, who did nothing wrong other than apply stringent and completely legal defense. If Kobe Bryant hadn't quickly stepped between the two, Fish may have gotten a beatdown at the hands of Baron Von Davis.

This is a different Clippers team from seasons past...They actually think they can win...and win they can.

Add LeBron to the current roster and the Clippers instantly become of the deepest, most talented teams in the entire NBA.

I realize the Clippers are more likely to be the butt of punch lines than a symbol of recovery and success, but much like the state of the union, all that is truly needed is stronger leadership. A go to guy. The one who can create a sense of hope that nothing is out of the realm of possibility. That impossible is nothing. We want to witness greatness along the lines of George Washington, or for the purposes of this topic, some Magic.

See, Magic Johnson, like George Washington, was a winner plain and simple. His job was to lead his troops into battle and win. He won in high school. He won in college. He won in the NBA. Nicknames like "Magic" aren't applied to those that don't amaze us. In a four-year span, Magic won titles at the high school, college and professional levels. We need some Magic in these turbulent times. LeBron could provide such magic.

With a simple wave of his wand…I mean, pen, the free agent-to-be could change the course of history for a nation that may be named for a ship but has never really sailed, Clipper Nation. His game is said to be reminiscent of Magic's due to his 6'-8" frame and incredible passing ability but he also is as athletic as a young Michael Jordan and goes to the rim with the same reckless abandon and disregard for human life. The kid is a beast, pure and simple. With the right team surrounding him, he could meet the expectations bestowed upon him since before he hit puberty.

With proven L.A. native Baron Davis at the point, explosive 2^nd year guard Eric Gordon at the two, dependable Chris Kaman in the middle and power foward of the future Blake Griffin back at full speed next year this is a scary team…If you plug LeBron in at small forward you have the makings of not only a recovery but a full blown boom market.

As a loyal Lakers fan, I have always viewed the Clippers as second class citizens, to be ridiculed and insulted for entertainment sake, but also because they earned that right year in and year out.

Since moving to Los Angeles in 1984, the Clippers have had four #1 picks in the draft and seen the Lakers win seven championships with none…that’s got to be painful.

Even though it may mean my Lakers would be challenged for supremacy of Los Angeles, it has to be said...

The Clippers and LeBron James need each other.

The long rumored James to the Nets to work for buddy Jay-Z or to the Knicks to become King of New York are as ludicrous as the notion that passing another stimulus package will fix what’s wrong with our economy. The Net are a complete joke and the Knickerbockers are the same mess they were when Isiah Thomas was behind the desk acting like Bill Clinton at Monica Square Garden.

If he’s about the money, he’ll go bite the Big Apple.

But if he wants to win, I have four words for him…

COME WEST YOUNG MAN

There’s gold in them thar Clips!

Unlike the Robin Hood wannabes in D.C., Clippers owner Donald Sterling has the means to pay him without raising taxes on the middle class. It's a win-win for a beleaguered franchise and a golden opportunity for LeBron to set his own mark by lifting the worst professional sports team in the history of professional sports teams out of the doldrums to the promised land.

In one fell swoop he could knock the 800 pound gorilla of his shoulder...well...two actually if you count Shaq. History would remember him as a basketball savior. The one who broke the curse and turned the nerds into the prom kings. The serfs to royalty. The gutter water to wine.

Then again, he could potentially do the same thing right where he is in Cleveland, though I highly doubt it...Wouldn't it be so much more dramatic for it to take place in Hollywood?  Sports is the original reality tv and what better place to ply your trade than amongst your peers in the genre?

He'd become the biggest star in the world...By joining the CLIPPERS!?! 

Forget Keeping Up With The Kardashians...The world would now tune in to LeBroning Up With The Lakers.

Los Angeles would become the center of the basketball universe.

Kobe vs LeBron would be the biggest intra-city rivalry since...well........since Kobe vs Shaq.

My natural inclination is to wish LeBron would become a LeLaker but short of trading Bynum, Sasha, Artest and Luke Walton’s contracts away there is no way James dons purple and gold. Though in a perfect world…

Stranger things have happened.

Who ever thought the Lakers would get Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown? 

Kobe could order up some brass knuckle rings for his other hand.

Phil Jackson could get some bling for his toes.

The Lakers could finally pass the Celtics in titles.

I might even be open to re-naming the city LeBrongeles.

…And then I woke up.

Reality is difficult to accept sometimes, unless of course you work in Washington.

I figure if they can live their lives in a dream world, why can’t I?

I can dream of James in purple and gold all I want but the more likely move, and more importantly, the RIGHT move for LeBron would be to join the Los Angeles Clippers and potentially get some of what really matters.

Or, he can stay in Cleveland and collect t-shirts.

Message to LeBron: Finish out the 2010 season lugging that 325 lb Shaqle on your ankle as deep into the playoffs as possible, then come transform an existence-long loser into a perennial winner and even a possible NBA champion.

I one fell swoop you not only transform the destiny of Clipper Nation, but you may just transform yourself into that as-of-yet undeserved nickname in the process.

For a king is not a king without a crown.

...Or a ring.

Your loyal subjects in Hollywood await your arrival.

It's good to be king.

The list goes on and on but the accomplishments are lessened by the cloud of allegations that follow the program. Reggie Bush remains under investigation, Joe McKnight’s investigation is just getting started and OJ Mayo’s antics got the school to slap themselves with sanctions on the basketball program last week. Pete has not been immune to all these goings on…

Pau Gasol tears a hamstring and the Lakers immediately revert back to Kobeball losing to the Clippers of all teams. Then for good measure they extend their futility in Portland by getting thoroughly embarrassed in the Rose Garden yet again. Kobe may be the main cog in the Lakers machine but Gasol is the elixir that puts them in the championship category. The funny thing is, I wasn’t completely sure Pau was evolved enough even have a hamstring.

I guess Chris Brown didn’t hit hard enough…Pop singer Rihanna has upgraded to a true power hitter.

The bombshell has been spotted around L.A. getting all lovey-dovey with Dodgers centerfielder Matt Kemp who led the Blue Crew with 97 runs and a .297 average. Matt was second to Andre Ethier on the team with 26 HR’s and 101 RBI’s. If the romance lasts through the summer, the National Anthem at Chavez Ravine could get interesting.

After catching all kinds of flack for sitting their starters and botching an undefeated season, the Indianapolis Colts played Peyton Manning for all of three snaps last week and gift wrapped a win for the hapless Buffalo Bills who indulged on the Colts reserves.

I guess Bills management wasn’t all that impressed with the victory because they fired the entire coaching staff shortly after the win. The move also cemented Peyton’s record 4^th NFL MVP award. I wonder if the absence of Pau Gasol will do the exact opposite for Kobe’s MVP chances.

Seeing Wes Welker go down with the same ACL/MCL injury as I had last year and Tom Brady break his finger on top of his already broken ribs…Then LOSING to the Texans and Ravens makes the Colts decision to lay down look not so stupid after all.

...Speaking of stupid, how bout those Giants?

The “special” Manning got the rest of his squad to look like mongELIoids too.

Why is Rachel Uchtiel licking her lips?

Turns out Tiger’s favorite booty call might have a cub in the oven.

Makes you wonder if Tigers game playing days are over?

Naaahh…A Tiger can't change his stripes. He will be a little lighter in the wallet though.

Now that the Manny Pacquiao / Floyd Mayweather fight has been cancelled, the fight to watch for in the future may come courtside at a Lakers game…We can call it The Battle of the Briefs.

Vs.

The Lakers have been living fat by feeding on weak teams this season, but that’s a good thing.

Look no further than Denver losing to subpar teams like the Heat, Bucks, Clippers, Timberwolves, Bobcats, Pistons, Hornets and Grizzlies for proof that taking the night off in the NBA is a bad idea. Any team can beat another on any given night…If you allow them.

OR, you can impose your will instead.

Approach every game like it’s your last.

Like winning means everything.

This is how The Black Mamba plays the game…Like a Gladiator.

Kobe gives no one a break.

Not superstar Dwayne Wade of the Heat.

Not unknown Charlie Bell of the Bucks.

Another overtime game, another clutch buzzer beater. **yawn**

The Milwaukee game was mundane for the most part seeing the Lakers going through the motions with weary legs on the second night of a back to back, barely keeping pace with the inferior but motivated Bucks.

Two games before, the talk of Los Angeles was all about Kobe’s finger injury.

He had tanked in a loss to the Utah Jazz, but he soared in the victory over the Bulls last Tuesday night, scoring 42. Last Wednesday he dropped 39 on the Bucks, none more impressive than the two awarded for the turn-around swish as time expired in the five minute overtime period.

To kick off 2010 in style, it was more of the same from Kobe Bean Bryant.

The same young Sacramento Kings that Kobe yanked the rug of victory out from under in a double overtime win on December 26^th with two late three pointers rolled into Los Angeles with intentions of revenge on their minds Friday night. The Lakers looked like they were going to let it happen before they decided to turn up the heat late in the 4^th quarter. All looked lost for L.A. when Pau lost the ball trailing by two and the Lakers sending Eme Udoka to the line to ice the game. Almost as if scripted, he missed both free throws leaving the door cracked open for Kobe to add to his rapidly growing legacy of clutch. The ice water in his veins flowing Kobe reared up with the clock ticking down and calmly drained a three point swish and raised both arms in celebration.

Happy New Year Lakers fans!

It’s almost routine anymore.

The man is unflappable on the court. No one is surprised when he drops a dagger to end a game…It's actually more surprising when he misses.

Maybe it’s the fact that he’s been through it all.

The Trials of Kob have been of biblical proportions.

Through it all, Kobe diligently showed up for work and is now the best player in the NBA.

Kobe’s been in the limelight since high school and under a microscope the entire time. He’s been the most maligned and most harshly judged athlete of the modern era this side of Mike Tyson.

The vilification of Kobe is evident on any NBA thread…People either love him or hate him…There is no in between.

Tiger Woods hasn’t seen anything near the trials and tribulations that Kobe has endured yet he has been hiding from the public eye since the incident on Thanksgiving. For all of Kobe’s public transgressions, he has never run from them. He stayed front and center and played through each and every controversial problem that arose. And there were many that arose.

First it was his so-called “street cred” because he grew up a child of privilege with his father being an NBA player and growing up in Italy rather than an inner city in America. He heard the criticism about shot selection, having a huge ego and being standoffish with his teammates early in his career. He shot four airballs in a row vs Utah in an ugly playoff loss as a rookie. He had a very public battle with Shaq to be the face of the franchise and after losing to Boston in the 2008 Finals, Shaq asked Kobe in an impromptu rap that ended up all over the place asking, “Kobe how’s my ass taste?” He faced a lengthy rape trial while flying back and forth so as not to miss any playoff games. He bought the bling heard round the world when he dropped $4 mil on an “I’m Sorry” diamond ring for disgraced wife Vanessa. He ingested purposely poisoned cheeseburgers in Sacramento at the height of the Kings/Lakers rivalry yet played that night anyway. He starred in an amateur parking lot video scandal criticizing young Lakers center Andrew Bynum saying, “Ship his ass outta here” which validated the negative opinion of those who didn’t like him already. Luckily, Lakers management didn’t take his advice on that one.

Hitting clutch shots is the easy stuff.

The basketball court is his refuge.

Though a star since entering the league, he’s following in the footsteps of Karl Malone in that he delivers through rain, sleet and snow...Illness, broken fingers and sore toes. And just like The Mailman, he won his first MVP award in his 12th season in the NBA and looks well on his way to winning his second in his 14^th …just like Malone. Michael Jordan is the only other player to win after so many seasons in the league. He won his fifth and final MVP award in his 13th season while still with the Bulls.

Meantime through all the drama his game has only gotten better. Often in the past he was referred to as a ball hog, black hole or gunner for his propensity for shooting. But isn’t that what being a shooting guard entails, to SHOOT? That always bothered me as a fan of the game. Jordan was worshipped for his scoring and was put on a pedestal for putting up 30 or more without fail. No one ever questioned Michael for not passing. That could be that he didn’t have the roster depth surrounding him like Kobe did early in his career or it could be that much like Kobe, it took time for him to trust in his teammates as much as he did in himself. With his exploits on the court, he has surpassed Jerry West…The man who represents the logo of the NBA…Mr. Clutch….Mr. Laker. Kind of makes one wonder what the next step in the evolution of Kobe Bryant holds…

The Lakers finally did on paper what the educated basketball fan knew already…that they were the most valuable franchise in the NBA. Winning the title last June vaulted them past the New York Knicks after finishing behind them for years. The purple and gold is now valued at $607 million, up 4% from last year. The pathetic Knickerbockers value went exactly the other direction, dropping 4% to $586 million. Chicago ($511), Detroit ($479) and Cleveland ($476) round out the top five.  Milwaukee was dead last at $254 million. The Lakers also turned more profit than any other team pocketing $51.1 million on $209 million in revenues. Kobe is a huge factor in all of this. Turns out, Jerry Buss made the correct decision (as usual) in choosing to trade Shaq and keep Bryant in the summer of 2005.

The league’s best sidekick, Pau Gasol, just signed a three year contract extension that will keep him in Los Angeles through the next five years. Kobe is expected to follow suit which means the Gladiator and the Spaniard will lead the Lakeshow into battle for the next half decade.

With Lamar Odom, Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum already locked in for the next four years, the Lakers core will be rock solid barring injury. The only holes to fill will be bench players and a possible upgrade at point guard after this season when Derek Fisher’s contract is up. Jordan Farmar, Josh Powell, Adam Morrison and DJ Mbenga are the only other players who are eligible for free agency once the season wraps. Morrison and his $5+ million can be used much more efficiently where Farmar needs to prove he is worthy of re-signing before being brought back. The development of Shannon Brown should help motivate Mr. Farmar. Fisher should be brought back at a reduced cost, while Powell and Mbenga could return if their position needs aren’t met through free agent replacements.

Taking all this into consideration, Kobe Bryant has the talent surrounding him to make runs at the championship for the next 5 years with a core of players that know the offense and have extensive playoff experience. Ron Artest is the only player on the current roster without a ring. Don’t count on that being the case once his five year contract expires in 2014.

Two more titles and Kobe will tie Michael Jordan’s career total of six.  He may dismiss the notion that these types of achievements aren’t a determining factor in his motives, but in the end, winning and the amount of rings he wins is exactly what will define him. Don’t think for a minute that Kobe doesn’t want to surpass Michael’s ring count. He admitted in a post game interview with Magic Johnson last night that he wants what the Magic man has….A fifth ring.

Do you honestly believe he’ll be content with five?

To be like Mike isn’t just a goal for Kobe…It’s an obsession.

Some even speculate that he chose to switch his uniform number from #8 to #24 just so he could one up Jordan, I don’t know if there’s any truth to that, but without the six rings to back it up it’s all in vain. He needs at least two more just to tie MJ.

Kobe has always maintained that his goal as a basketball player was to finish his career as the best to ever play the game.

That goal is certainly now within reach.

Watching him try to get there will be pure joy for Lakers fans.

For those that don't love L.A........Not so much.

The Lakers have been feasting on creampuffs by way of a home heavy schedule for the better part of this season and have parlayed their cruise down easy street to the best record in the Association.

The current road trip carried with it a dose of a hardwood wake-up calls featuring a Christmas Day reality check for the Lakers gift wrapped by LeBron James, Mo Williams and Shaquille O’Neal.

The Lakers had an ugly meltdown on the Staples Center court by collecting technical fouls like Tiger collects groupies. Not satisfied with their heroes making fools of themselves on national television, the Los Angeles faithful joined in the zebra hunt by littering the floor with the complimentary foam Lakers fingers they received at the gate to protest what they perceived as bad calls. Some were even inspired enough to toss water bottles and cups in place of the Nerf mitts…Fortunately, Ron Artest wasn’t hit, didn’t storm the stands  and the only injuries sustained were to the collective respect of the Lakers and their fans for acting like idiots.

To top things off, Ron Ron took a tumble down the stairs of his home in L.A. after tripping over Christmas presents. A concussion, lacerated cranium and injured elbow later he woke up not remembering anything…I wish I could say the same after suffering through that debacle of a Christmas Day game.

Maybe he needed a drink too.

Let’s just hope it didn’t come at halftime.

Despite the absence of Artest, the Lakers bounced back with a victory the following night in Sacramento but needed a heavy dose of Kobe’s late game exploits to squeak past the inspired Queens in double overtime.

The heat of the desert proved too much for the purple and gold on Monday as they were steamrolled in Phoenix. They surrendered a season high 118 points – the most they’ve given up all year. The Suns two time MVP point guard Steve Nash was as efficient as ever in distributing 13 assists and guiding his team past the lethargic Lakers. A career night by the league’s leading three point shooter (James Dudley, 19 pts) and plenty of Amare Stoudamire in the paint saw Phoenix kicking sand in the Lakers face all night.

Their fourth game in five nights concluded in Oakland where Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors fell to the Lakers perfect blend of Bryant and Gasol.

Kobe’s 44 points and 11 assists and Pau 27 points and 12 rebounds downed the Northern California neighbors a night after they scratched the Lakers backs by beating the Celtics, keeping the Lakers in the #1 spot for overall record.

Former Warrior All-Star and current Los Angeles Clippers star Baron Davis broke Boston’s heart a day earlier with a fall away jumper at the buzzer. Playing without the services of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett proved to be too much for the free-falling C’s who have now lost three in a row thanks to the Suns showing no mercy Wednesday night. I hate to see teams lose players to injury but can’t say that I don’t enjoy a Celtics losing streak.

At least Boston has an excuse…The Lakers are relatively healthy other than Artest missing the two post-Christmas games and Kobe playing through a broken index finger on his shooting hand. The cumbersome bandage he’s wearing looks like he borrowed one of Mickey Mouse’s gloves, yet doesn’t seem to be hindering his play much.

It’s the rest of the team that seems to lack motivation.

As has happened many times through the years, they are simply going through the motions and looking for Kobe to bail them out.

Though Kobe can be mesmerizing at times, this is a TEAM game and for the Lakers to accomplish their goal of winning another championship they need to step up and ease the load off Kobe’s back a little.

The more he has in the tank come playoff time, the better the Lakers chances of repeating.

Wishing all the best to you and yours in 2010.

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the day

The anticipation was building to watch the NBA

Lakers vs Cavs, should be eye pleasing

The big game after presents...‘Tis basketball season

15 banners hung on Staples wall with great care

Knowing Jack Nicholson soon would be there

The food is so good, we’ll all gain five pounds

Then watch Shaq and Kobe go another 12 rounds

LeBron and Artest , Pau Gasol and Mo Williams

Just four of the players that get paid by the millions

On Fisher, on Farmar, on Odom, on Andrew

Beat Jamario Moon, Big Z and his bald ‘do

West versus East, The Black Mamba vs The King

He may have a throne…but he ain’t got a ring

Will Cleveland step up and put up a fight?

Or will the World Champs deliver a venomous bite

Delonte West will be packin, Phil will be Zenin

If the triangle’s working, Lakers fans will be yellin…

WE WANT TACOS!, or so the chant goes

Personally, I want TITLES but to each his own

The celebrities will sit courtside to be entertained

All of them hoping to be wowed and amazed

Slam dunks and three pointers, blocked shots and filled lanes

Magic Johnson and Lakergirls, I love this game

Incredible athleticism, court prowess unrivaled

These two gold medalists go at it unbridaled

With family and friends we watch the unfolding

Of Bryant and James, and see shades of Air Jordan

Not only as players, but as shoe selling Muppets

Two talented players, two smack talking puppets

I don’t request much because I know it gets old

But I do ask for a win for the purple and gold

Santa, I promise, I’ve been a good boy

Please grant me this wish in lieu of a toy

It’s the same every year…I know, I’m a loon

But all I want for Christmas is LAKERS IN JUNE

I’ll swear off bah humbugs and I won’t be a Scrooge

Oh, one more thing…And this one is huge

Please let it be in Boston when the Lakers do clinch

Because after all, who likes green but The Grinch?

Goodwill to mankind on this Christmas Eve night

Merry Christmas to all and let Kobe take flight!

The Mamba struck again Wednesday night when Kobe Bryant added to his legend by drilling yet another buzzer beater in Milwaukee to bury the scrappy Bucks.  After dropping 42 points in a win the night before in Chicago, #24 gave us another moment to shake our heads in awe over by playing through a broken, heavily taped index finger to lead the Lakers to a come from behind win as the shot clock expired.

Bryant missed the same shot from the same spot minutes earlier to send the game to overtime but when given a second chance, he redeemed himself with a head fake and subsequent two points as the ball splashed through the net without touching the rim.

Pau Gasol continued his assault on the boards with his third straight 20+ rebound game, finishing with 26 points and 22 rebounds but the story was Kobe as usual. The Kobe/LeBron debate is no longer with the Sporting News poll clearly declaring Bryant as the best player in the NBA recently and Kobe’s play repeatedly confirming the assertion. The real question when all is said and done will be who was better - Kobe or Mike?

Speaking of comebacks, there was a very good game on Thursday Night Football. The Indianapolis Colts run their record breaking unbeaten streak to 23 games with another come from behind victory. Peyton Manning tossed four touchdowns, none more impressive than the 65 yard game winner to Reggie Wayne. #18 never ceases to amaze me. The guy has owned this decade, putting up numbers that Dan Marino would envy. The hardest part for me to grasp is that he only has one Superbowl title. Much less talented little brother Eli has as many.

With two Superbowl winning sons to his credit, their father, Archie Manning, might want to bank his DNA and cash in on Ebay.

The annual Red Sox-Yankees pissing contest has begun with the Yanks nabbing a new center fielder, Curtis Granderson in a trade with Detroit and the Red Sox landing the best free agent arm on the market in John Lackey. Rumors are also swirling that Boston is angling to rescue Adrian Gonzalez from the baseball purgatory that is San Diego. Meantime, to offset the loss of Lackey and Chone Figgins (who signed with Seattle), the Angels have signed this year’s World Series MVP Hideki Matsui away from New York to fill their DH slot. This move signals the end of the Vladimir Guerrero era in Orange County  but is the first time I can recall a championship  MVP ever living up to his words of, “I’m going to Disneyland”…And actually staying there.

Hideki’s first endorsement deal in Los Angeles is with TMZ, he will unveil the latest mistress to emerge from Tiger Woods’ vast harem…

Tiger is losing his endorsements faster that he picks up homely waitresses but all hope is not lost for him. In every situation, there is a new opportunity if you're willing…And we all know Tigers willing.

Do you know the difference between Santa Claus and Tiger?

Santa stops at three ho’s

Our local NASCAR expert here at SRM, Gene Haddock, may not be too thrilled about Danica Patrick joining his beloved left turn club but it makes sense (and dollars) for NASCAR to welcome her into the fray. I personally don’t follow NASCAR but a good looking female who is constantly saying, “GO DADDY” is always welcome in my world.

Finally, in my last post I railed against sports figures crying on television and I stand by every word I wrote, BUT…tonight there was another professional athlete guilty of losing his composure on the tube. An attention-hound clown that I usually relish making fun of, Chad Johnson…Sorry, Chad OchoCinco…was seen getting emotional and squeezing out a few tears in what may be the first sincere moment I can ever recall from this individual. In doing this, Chad broke no manlaws because he was mourning the loss of friend so I implore you…

He had a legitimate reason.

Chad’s former teammate Chris Henry died of head injuries sustained in a strange, Tiger-like domestic dispute with his fiancé yesterday.

It’s a shame that such a talented guy who, granted, made many mistakes while with the team but was rumored to be diligently working toward rectifying them in hopes of making a return to football.

He unfortunately passed away today at only 26 years of age.

Henry leaves behind three children and an unfulfilled destiny on and off the field.

Rest in Peace Chris.

The Florida Gators have enjoyed a nice run over the last few years winning National Championships in football and basketball but the #1 team in the nation got a wake-up call this Saturday when the Alabama Crimson Tide knocked them off their perch and out of the National Championship football picture.

The hardest part for me was seeing Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow dropping tears of defeat on national television like he was Adam Morrison.  

I can appreciate passion to win and leaving it all on the field, court or diamond but something about seeing a muscle bound millionaire sobbing is unsettling. These are supposed to be Adonis-like figures of athletic prowess, manly-men going at it like gladiators. To see them break down bawling somehow lessens the experience for me.

I’m no Gator Hater, as a matter of fact I have great admiration for Tim Tebow. The guy carries himself with class, is one hell of a football player and if the internet rumors are true, has great taste in women.

However…Getting emotional on camera over losing a kids game is pretty lame…Especially in light of regular people losing their homes and jobs and soldiers losing their lives on the battlefield daily.

Even in good times, no one wants to see grown men cry.

There are very few exceptions to this rule. Being that today is December 7th - Pearl Harbor Day...Now, THAT was a good reason for a man to cry. The dispicable acts of terrorists on 9/11 were a day for a man to cry. I can forgive breaking manlaws for the passing of a family member or a horrible tradgedy but this rant is about sports and the players who are making a mockery of them by weeping openly on national television.

The immortal Lou Gehrig cried in his farewell speech at Yankee Stadium, but he had a terminal disease that was forcing his retirement to the game he gave his heart and soul to, so I can understand and forgive him crying. Lately blubbering male sports stars have no qualms about crying on camera…I don’t know if it’s the Oprah-ization of America or if it’s just in vogue in this day and age but I for one am downright sick of having to witness it. I don't want to turn on Monday Night Football or the next Lakers telecast to experience waterworks down someone's cheeks. That's what Lifetime and the Oxygen network are for. I want to see unbridaled testosterone, sheer will power and fierce competition in my sporting events, not a snot bubble and quivering bottom lip.

Has no one else seen the Tom Hanks / Geena Davis film A League of Their Own?

The most famous quote from the movie comes when one of his female players breaks into tears when he berates her on field performance. He counters with, “There’s no crying in baseball”.

And he’s talking to a female.

Shouldn’t that NO CRYING mantra hold true for ALL sports?

Especially for men??

What we need is a drill sergeant type coach that will whip these jokers into shape.

It would seem that no sport is immune from this absurd display of men in touch with their feelings :

-Allen Iverson, the toughest little man to lace up a pair of high-tops in the NBA was on tv mere days ago whimpering like a child caught lying to his father because he got to come back to play for the 76ers.

-Roger Federer dropped a couple after losing to Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open earlier this year.

-Terrell Owens’ most outrageous moment didn’t come on his reality show or on the gridiron, it came in a post-game Cowboys interview where he dropped the infamous proclamation of his love for then teammate Tony Romo with the misty eyed utterance of, “That's my teamate.....That’s my quarterback”...(sniff, whimper).

-Brett Favre has cried on tv more times than Vanna White has flipped a vowel.

-Kobe cried when he admitted his affair in Colorado and was facing rape charges and again when the Lakers lost to the Celtics in the 2008 NBA Finals.

-Mike Schmidt sniveled so bad at his Hall of Fame retirement speech that I lost all respect for him.

-Wayne Gretzky gave his tear ducts a healthy workout when he left Edmonton for Los Angeles.

-Even the man who claimed that he’d, “Eat your children”…The man who actually ATE Evander Holyfield’s ears before our eyes…BOTH of them… Ended up with tears dripping off his tattooed face on, yep, you guessed it…Oprah.

The talk lately is whether or not Tiger should go on Winfrey’s show and open up about his trail of mistresses. DON’T DO IT TIGER…You’ll only end up making yourself look worse than you already do by airing out your endless flings and looking for sympathy by squirting droplets for the cameras.

Am I the only sports fan left who finds this trend disturbing?

If players have a good reason, I can accept it, but lately it seems to be more a case of making a spectacle of themselves. A “cry” for attention if you will. If they need attention that bad, get a damn reality show.

I am of the opinion that men should not cry on camera...Even with a decent reason. 

MAN UP. 

Save it for the lockeroom, the drive home...YOUR HOUSE maybe?...Just not on tv.

Keep some dignity. You're a professional athlete not Meryl Streep.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar didn’t cry in announcing he has leukemia recently.

Phil Mickelson didn’t cry in announcing his wife had breast cancer.

Hell, Magic Johnson didn’t cry when he announced he had HIV…Which was considered a death sentence at the time. He put on a brave face and told everyone he would be okay, and thankfully, he is. If anyone had a reason to cry on tv, it was Magic back then. The fact that he didn’t makes all these other instances I’ve named, and all the instances I haven’t seem self-serving, shallow and pathetic.

I heard on the radio today that Gators coach Urban Meyer was treated for dehydration after the game.

Was this because his ducts were working overtime too?

Of course, I jest...But come to think of it, I recall Timmy T. watering the field when LSU beat him in 2007 too.

Tebow’s REAL reason to shed a few tears will come soon enough…on draft day…

When the Cleveland Browns call his name.

The answer to all this crying nonsense lies in the classic scene on the other end of this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtjspYoRZNM

After all the drama over the weekend with the worlds #1 golfer and sports first billionaire, it turns out this was all about a “transgression”.  (That’s PR speak for: I tapped another woman and my wife found out)

What Eldrick, this one wasn’t hot enough for ya?

What started out as a single car accident has turned into 24-7 Tiger on TV tournament…As if he wasn’t in more commercials than Peyton Manning already…One doesn’t get to be a  billionaire on golf tournaments alone. Now instead him pitching Nike or Gatorade, we get to see pictures of his crashed Escalade with TMZ blazed across them and hear voicemails from him asking his booty call to remove her name from her phone so wifey doesn’t catch on and open up a can of whoop ass for our entertainment.

Such are the trappings of celebrity and riches.

It seems no one is immune.

From JFK & Marilyn Monroe (Who, as it turns out, liked to spark a doobie now and again…Transgressions abound) to Wade Boggs and Margo Adams to Kobe and the Concierge from Colorado. It makes me wonder aloud why those who achieve fortune and fame bother getting married at all. I can’t blame them for wanting it all but, let’s face it, the lifestyle affords opportunities that the rest of us can only read about in the Penthouse Forum. A man is only as faithful as his opportunities.

Does anyone truly believe that Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian won’t be experiencing a very public “transgression” in the next few years? I wonder if Vegas is taking bets.

Derek Jeter is one of the few who got it right. He bounces from girl to girl without tying himself down with a ring. Sure, he may stay with them for a year or three but ultimately there will come that time where he goes to Cleveland or Milwaukee or Seattle or Miami and conveniently…inevitably,  there’s the groupies, waiting…no, lurking…for his boredom to kick in. Temptation is everywhere for the wandering Eye of the Tiger.

They will record his voicemails. They will call Star Magazine. They will spill the beans to Harvey Levin quicker than a Joba Chamberlain fastball for their fifteen minutes. Just ask Frank Gifford. Just ask Michael Jordan.

Just ask Tiger…

Or better yet, ask one of his mistresses…Rachel Uchitel.

Or one of his other mistresses Jaimee Grubb.

Or any one of the other hoochies that will certainly be crawling out of the Woodwork soon enough.

Wilt Chamberlain set the groupie bar with his 20,000 women claim and Magic Johnson provided the wake-up call when he contracted HIV but the allure of easy women is just too tempting it seems…Even for the squeaky clean Woods. His quest for seclusion from the public eye is written across the back of his yacht, which is aptly named.

Sorry Tiger but you can kiss what little privacy you had goodbye.

You are now in Britney and Paris territory for the foreseeable future. You are the flavor of the month. And even worse, sports fans aren’t nearly as forgiving as the average Oprah fan that gives sympathy to Brad Pitt for “falling” for every female he co-stars with. No, no , no…We sports fans are the type who LIVE to make fun of rich and famous athletes because whether we admit it to ourselves or not,  we’re jealous. We were athletes once too. We want to be that guy. We want to be on MTV Cribs and have groupies follow us around at the club. We are the same beer guzzling, internet trolls who still bring up Allen Iverson talking about missing practice…PRACTICE???....Yes, practice.

Hey,  that's it! You could tell Elin that you were “practicing".

If you think we will soon forget the fact that a 95 pound woman went Fatal Attraction on you so bad that you high tailed it out of our own house in the middle of the night and crashed into a fire hydrant, then a tree before she “saved” you, you’re in for a big surprise. If you think we believe that those “lacerations” on your face were caused by the accident and not your wife’s fingernails, you got another thing coming.

This is the cold world we live in.

Sympathy for billionaires is at an all time low.

Most of us are happy to even have a job right now, let alone multiple girlfriends in different cities just a phone call away. In the old days things like this could be covered up by handlers or managers but since Obama mentioned transparency, the paparazzi have taken it to a whole new level.

Should this be none of our business? Absolutely. Should you be allowed your time to heal? Yes you should…Will you?...Sorry to say, no, you won’t.

In the blink of an eye you went from the top of the world to email fodder.  Just got one today…

1. Tiger's new movie is out: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Hydrant.

 2. Apparently the police asked Tiger's wife how many times she hit him. She said "I don't know exactly, but put me down for a 5."

3. Tiger Woods drives very well on the fairway but doesn't fare very well on the driveway

4. What's the difference between a car and a golf ball? Tiger can drive a ball 400 yards....

5. What does Tiger have in common with a baby seal? They've both been clubbed by a Norwegian.

6. Elin's excuse? She had to play a bad lie.

7. Tiger's wife now has her own endorsement with her club of choice - PING!

8. Tiger Woods crashed into a fire hydrant and a tree. He couldn't decide between a wood and an iron.

9. Phil Mickelson contacted Tiger's wife to pick up some tips on how to beat Tiger!

10. Tiger has finally admitted how many women he has slept with...FOUR!

It doesn’t take long does it?

Who knows, your wife will probably give you a mulligan but you might have to call Kobe to get the name of his jeweler…but even a few mil dropped on a stone won’t make her forget. Nor will the public, so stay focused...

There is a battle for your public image looming.

Sure, you’ll go on winning PGA events and adding to your chip stacks but it will always be in the back of everyone’s mental Rol-a-dex that you dropped the ball. Your impeccable image is forever tarnished. You were the pinnacle of sports pitchman-ship and some have already publicly said they will stand by you. but the one who used to walk on water sadly answered the question himself.

WWTD?

He’d obviously put it in the hole.

It’s what he does best.