1/15 (Divisional) Quickie

Sorry for the delay -- Quickish tech issues this a.m. But all good now!

The phrase that pays today is "trash-talk." The Pats and Jets went at it all week, capped last night by Bart Scott basically threatening Wes Welker with bodily harm (um, it IS football) and Nick Mangold not-so-slyly dropping "Spy" and "Gate" in a tweet. The Jets make things much more interesting than if they were sullen and quiet and lost by 30 anyway.

Meanwhile, it's kind of ludicrous that we're all talking about Pats-Jets, when there are two games today -- great games -- that will determine half of the NFL's final four. Steelers-Ravens might be the best game of the playoffs, with all of the bitter enmity but half the yakking.

By the way, Blake Griffin nearly put down a 60-foot alley-oop last night. He is turning into a one-person commercial for NBA League Pass.

NFL Draft: Nick Fairley going pro. It really doesn't matter whether he goes No. 1 overall or not. He's not going much later than Top 3, and he's going to wreak havoc wherever he ends up.

Hot Stove: Glad to see Jim Thome re-signing with the Twins. Count him among the players I'd like to see in person before he retires. (I really need to make a more formal list about that.)

Enjoy the games today -- and please drop by Quickish if you're watching the NFL games today with a laptop or iPad or phone next to you. If the BCS title game was any indication, Quickish will have the best "live" accompanying experience of anywhere online.

-- D.S.

01/14 Quickie: NFL Divisional, More

The NFL Divisional round might stack up just behind the first two days of the NCAA Tournament as the best pair of days on the sports calendar.

Depending on how you feel about the Pats and Jets -- and most of you probably loathe them both -- they are the marquee game of the weekend.

In hype, yes. But the Pats are going to throttle them. So that's kind of the end of that story.

The Ravens should give the Steelers a game in Pittsburgh -- it's the best game of the weekend. Give the Packers a puncher's chance in Atlanta. And let's just root for the Seahawks to keep it going with what would be a shocking upset in Chicago.

Check out Quickish for links to two ends of the tabloid spectrum on this Pats-Jets rivalry: The NYPost's Star Wars-themed cover -- and Boston Metro's let's-just-get-to-the-feet mockery.

Cam Newton entering the NFL Draft: Of course he is. Two points to make here:

*Newton had the single-best (and single-most intriguing) season of any player in college football history. Part of the myth is its "one-and-done" essence. Veni, vidi, vici. Part is just the ass-kicking dominance.

*Where will Newton go in the NFL Draft? Sounds like the draftniks have learned their lesson from the shellacking they took with Tebow last year. Kiper has Cam at No. 14 overall -- which has nothing to do with where he'll ultimately be drafted (which is all that matters -- my problem with the draftniks is that I don't care how they rank the players; I care where they think the players will go. I suppose ranking is a proxy for general draft status, but it's not the same). I think he goes in the Top 15, probably the 3rd QB taken after Gabbert and Mallett. I'm long on Newton as a pro QB. Then again, I was/am long on Tebow as a pro QB.

NFL Coaching Hires: Really like John Fox in Denver (despite the 2010 season in Carolina), and am willing to give Pat Shurmur a chance in Cleveland. That's a rough situation for any coach.

Hot Stove: Yankees get Rafael Soriano, and now they have the best bullpen in baseball -- all they need to have is the best bullpen in the AL East.

Heat lose 2nd straight on the road: They were playing without LeBron -- what were you expecting? Without LeBron, the Heat are barely better than last year's Wade-only team.

The best thing ever yesterday? Shawn Kemp as a trending topic, because of the halo effect from comparisons to phenomenon Blake Griffin.

Quickish is going to be HOPPING this weekend during the NFL Playoff games. Presuming you're watching, fire up the laptop, iPad or phone and check in at Quickish during the game for the best real-time commentary from Twitter, live-blogs and everywhere else.

Thanks for an awesome launch week for Quickish. So much more to come next week and beyond.

-- D.S.

1/13 Quickie: Clips, Duke, Pats-Jets

Today's Names to Know: Duke (FSU!), Antonio Cromartie vs. Tom Brady, LeBron, Blake Griffin and the Clippers, Brady Hoke, Pat Shurmur, Brandi Favre and Don Shula. Plus so much more... all on Quickish today!

We can argue about a lot of things in sports, but here is one truth for today:

Contrary to Twitter rumor, Don Shula is NOT dead.

All clear? Great. Because there's a lot to discuss.

*Duke loses: Oh, yes, Duke loses. At Florida State -- and here it comes -- as usual. Here's the thing: Duke will be fine. They're still the team to beat in late March.

*Cromartie vs. Brady: There's a strong argument to be made that the Jets have nothing to lose by Cro's trash-talk. What, like Brady was going to play less well without the taunt?

And then there's the idea that no one seems to argue with Cromartie on the merits of his claim that Brady is an asshole. They just don't like that he said it out loud.

*LeBron vs. Blake Griffin: Clippers beat the Heat! LA scored 44 in the 1st quarter (44!) and -- of course -- let the Heat back into the game. But they held on, in the franchise's most defining regular-season win in its history.

*LeBron's "karma" tweet: As usual, there's a backtrack from LeBron. "It wasn't even a comment from me, it was someone who sent it to me and I sent it out." Right.

(Meanwhile, LeBron tweaked his ankle and is day-to-day. Smartly -- and I mean that sincerely -- LeBron said he recognizes it's only the regular season and he's best to ensure he doesn't do anything to risk further injury that might impact him for the playoffs.)

*"This is Michigan, for God's sakes": I am inclined to believe Brady Hoke is going to do a great job at Michigan, but I absolutely LOVE that quote.

*CFB 2011 Top 25 lists are trickling out: Oklahoma as No. 1? Really? Do people think that Oklahoma could beat the SEC champ (say, Alabama) in the national title game? No chance.

*CFB WRs are going to be sick next year: Justin Blackmon will be back at OK St., and Michael Floyd is going back to Notre Dame. Good times.

*Browns hiring Pat Shurmur, who is the QB guru who tutored Sam Bradford -- and Donovan McNabb before that. If only the Browns actually had a QB. (No, Colt McCoy doesn't count.)

*Mike Vick wins NFL Comeback Player of the Year (via his own Tweet) and it is arguably the most improbable award victory in NFL history. (Unless you presumed that if/when he came back, if he played well at all, he would be a lock for this award. Really, it's the fact that he will be runner-up for MVP that is the most staggering award result in NFL history.)

*Qatar plied World Cup officials with lots of money: I'm shocked, shocked.

*Brandi Favre busted in a meth raid: She shouldn't have come back.

Thanks for checking out Quickish today -- and for passing it along to all your friends.

-- D.S.

1/12 Quickie: LeBron, Hoke, More

Let's try this again, friends. I'm going to post the Quickie column here (and first), then "re-publish" it on Quickish a little later. That way, it's easy to find (including RSS) but it's still on Quickish. Cool? Legggooo...

Antonio Cromartie calls Tom Brady an "asshole": Sigh. And there's your meme for the day -- or rest of the week. Yes, he shouldn't have said it. Yes, he's kind of an idiot. Yes, the "kids" thing. But, yes, Brady IS kind of an asshole, and we all can agree on that.

LeBron's "karma" tweet: ICYMI, LeBron tweeted this out late last night, as the Lakers were absolutely trouncing the Cavs:

Crazy. Karma is a b****.. Gets you every time. Its not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!

It's what everyone will be talking about today, even if it's totally superficial, because (a) it's LeBron, (b) and he's dissing the Cavs, (c) kicking them while they were getting humiliated.

I don't mind LeBron speaking his mind -- the less filtered the better, frankly -- but it came off as classless and fuels the argument that LeBron is a sore winner.

Meanwhile, yes: The Lakers did stomp the Cavs by 100. No, really: 55. But it felt like 100. Wow.

Michigan hires Brady Hoke: Polarizing, but I... like it? Hoke has (re-)built two programs -- and Michigan is a rebuilding job, perhaps the biggest in the country. And he loves the program; he's wanted this job forever. He won't win big, but he will win more. Is that enough for UM fans?

Carmelo Watch: He obviously doesn't want to play for the Nets. Otherwise he would have publicly said (or leaked) he would sign an extension. So why would the Nets continue to pursue him? They'll have a guy who will be on a countdown clock from day 1. We have seen this before; that's how we were talking about LeBron the SECOND he signed his last deal with the Cavs. This is a mistake for the Nets.

Panthers hire Ron Rivera: Haven't read any analysis that doesn't like this hire. (Have you heard the rumor that Norv Turner might hire Dave Wannstedt to replace him? Ha!)

Browns hiring Pat Shurmur? That's the presumption. Fans will go "Who?" And his defenders will say "Mike Smith." (That's the Falcons coach that no one had heard of.)

Trevor Hoffman retiring: Future Hall of Famer. I can't begrudge him hanging on a bit past his sell-by date. At least he did it modestly. (Actually, Neyer says that the HOF is hardly a sure thing. OK: I'm inclined to trust his instincts.)

CFB: How soon before Cam Newton declares he's going pro? Has to happen in the next few days, and you KNOW it's going to happen. I predict he ends up going in the 1st round, like Tebow.

"Everyone loses games. Few changed them.": That's a Nike ad for Oregon. That's what having the best brand managers on the planet on your side can do -- make you look awesome, even when you lose the championship game.

CBB: Jimmer Fredette: 47 points, including this.

Plus: Big win for Michigan State in OT over Wisconsin. MSU -- my preseason pick to win the NCAA title (yeesh) -- really needed this one, if only to show they CAN win these kinds of games.

Media: Yahoo! Sports has a new online magazine launching today -- ThePostGame. Check it out. (Wow: Big week for sports media launches -- Quickish Monday, Onion's SportsDome yesterday, Yahoo's new thing today.)

BTW: SportsDome was not very good. I know the Onion folks are really smart, but it's really hard to pull off. I liked the anchor on the left; his mock-serious delivery was spot-on. The rest of it? Ehh...I didn't laugh once and cringed a few times.

More later. Please check out Quickish! (And please tell your friends, co-workers, etc. We need all the grassroots support we can get. It's going to be one new reader at a time, with friends telling friends.)

-- D.S.

01/11 Quickie: Tostitos for All!

Apologies: I'm still trying to work out the programming schedule on Quickish and how that relates back to here, plus updating the site, plus writing back to all the people who email, plus try to promote the site on Twitter and Facebook, plus start fixing tech bugs.

But I am not complaining. Not for a second. Yesterday was awesome. Amazing. And today is even better. So here's today's Quickie -- heavy on the Tostitos -- and I'll get everything ironed out soon... um: Soon-ish.

Thanks for your patience here and your support over there. I appreciate it more than I can express. Back to posting....

Announcing Quickish.com

I am thrilled to announce the launch of Quickish.com.

Quickish offers real-time news recommendations -- "tips" -- to help you keep up with the biggest things that are happening.

Initially, Quickish will be focused on sports (I'm sure you're shocked).

All I can ask is that you try it out.

Wait: That's not true. I can also ask you to "like" the Facebook page (facebook.com/quickish) and I can also ask you to tell everyone about it -- friends, co-workers, randoms on the street. That would really mean a lot to me. This isn't launching a column on a huge platform with millions of built-in readers; this is building something people love, one fan at a time.

I wouldn't have launched the company if I didn't think that there was a huge value in quick-hit real-time editor-vetted analysis and context about the big topics we're all talking about, updated constantly and around the clock.

As I said a few months ago, if you liked the Daily Quickie, I think you're going to love Quickish.

I also want and need your help. The site has editors, but is powered by tips from readers -- if you find a piece of awesome analysis (and it could come from anywhere from sports news sites to Twitter to Facebook to message boards to TV to talk-radio to use-your-imagination), send it to tips[at]quickish[dot]com, and if you're the first to send it to us and we use it, you get the credit, right next to the content. I know folks here can deliver on that.

If you're looking for the usual morning "Quickie" post, you can now find it at Quickish. I'll post the link as soon as it's ready, and I will have a permanent URL you can bookmark to get the latest.

One last request: Please feel encouraged to send me your feedback about the site. What you like, what you don't, what you want or need but don't see. Just shoot me a note to dan[at]quickish. The feedback is the best part, and I especially want it from readers here.

Thanks again. It's a big swing -- and going to be even more fun.

Quickish.com. Keep up.

-- D.S.

Sunday (Very Quickish) Quickie

Launching a new company tomorrow?

Launching a new company tomorrow.

This'll be quick -- how relevant! -- but typically superlative: That was the single-best day of Wild Card games in NFL history.

The first-ever sub-.500 NFL playoff team beat the defending Super Bowl champs -- favored by a ton -- in front of a frenzied crowd and featuring the beastmode-iest run in the history of the NFL Playoffs.

Then the mouthiest team in the NFL improbably knocked out the defending conference champ -- and a nemesis its coach had been trash-talking all week -- on a last-second field goal that totally (not to mention metaphorically) tied in to the coach's presumptive foot fetish.

What more can you ask for? (Well, aside from a week of lead-up to Pats-Jets 3.)

Yesterday was an incredible day of NFL football. Here's hoping today's even remotely comes close. (Honestly, I can't see how it can.)

OK, time to head back to Quickish prep. Where has the time gone? (That would qualify for today, the last week, the last six months...)

The site should be live and accessible by 6 a.m. -- but don't hold me to that if tech issues or whatever delay it.

I cannot wait for you to check it out. And I will keep saying this, so forgive me, but I really want your feedback. It matters a lot -- to the product and to me. (At the same time, I'm going to be asking you to help spread the word. Again, please give me a little leeway on that before you get too sick of me asking -- this is only the biggest swing of my professional life.)

Back to programming!

-- D.S.

01/08 Quickie: Harbaugh, Wild Card

Happy Wild Card Weekend. Saints-Seahawks in the late afternoon; Jets-Colts tonight. More than enough to keep you entertained.

49ers hire Jim Harbaugh: A coup for a franchise that needs a lot of help. Harbaugh is the rare college coach who can/will make a successful transition to the pros.

It doesn't hurt that 8 wins will put him in the hunt for a division title.

(And if he doesn't? That's the 49ers problem; Harbaugh will always be able to command a fortune in college, basically at the program of his choice.)

LSU clobbers Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl: Was that Les Miles' last game for LSU? (Doubt it.)

But who's ready for the BBVA Compass Bowl between Kentucky and Pitt today? (No one? Fair enough.)

NBA: Carmelo to the Nets with help from the Pistons? Sure doesn't seem like it. But when it comes to Carmelo rumors, it doesn't take much to get folks talking.

MLB: Cubs get Matt Garza from the Rays. It's a display of Tampa's crazy surplus of starting pitching that they can ship out Garza -- who would have priced them out anyway, eventually -- yet still have one of the best rotations in the AL. Nice upgrade for Chicago, but the consensus is that the Rays got a ton of talent in return, led by Chris Archer, the Cubs' most recent Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

More NFL Coaching: Jeff Fisher gets another year with the Titans. Bud Adams was obviously not ready to rebuild yet, despite the need for a new franchise QB -- and how that typically goes hand-in-hand with a new coach to help pick him.

CBB Today: UConn at Texas in a Sweet 16-quality match-up. Performance to be filed away for use in March.

Enjoy

1/07 Quickie: Wild Card, Luck, Harbaugh

One more time: My new company Quickish is launching Monday. DS.com readers will get a special message. To keep up, please "like" the Facebook page and/or follow the Twitter feed. Huge thanks in advance for your support. I really hope you'll like it. Wow, is it going to be a crazy weekend....

Of course, it's NFL Wild Card Weekend, intriguing at the macro level because the road teams all seem like presumptive favorites. Here's what I like about the individual match-ups:

Saturday, 4:15 ET: Saints at Seahawks. The defending Super Bowl champs versus the first sub-.500 playoff team. The Saints have no running game; the Seahawks are terrible, but will enjoy the home-field vibe. Pick: Saints, barely.

Saturday, 8 ET: Jets at Colts. Rematch of last year's AFC championship game. The Jets have skidded to the finish; the Colts didn't look good against the Titans last week (and nearly lost). Pick: Jets, with an extra dose of Peytonfreude.

Sunday, 1 ET: Ravens at Chiefs. It's really hard to buy these worst-to-first teams in their first playoff games, even if they play at home. I'm long the Ravens' experience. Pick: Ravens.

Sunday, 4 ET: Packers at Eagles. The marquee game of the weekend, featuring the preseason favorite to win the NFC against the most enthralling player of the season. I'd love to see the Eagles win the NFC. Historically, I am a sucker for the Eagles to win the NFC. I'm going the other way this year -- congrats, Eagles fans. Pick: Packers.

The NFL's new overtime rules: Rest assured, something will happen that will make everyone freak out.

Andrew Luck staying in college: I love this, if only because I think Luck is one of the best college QBs I've ever seen, and I really want to see him at the height of his ability next season -- as if he wasn't this season, too. (And, yes, I do think that Luck is better than the two previous star Stanford QBs, but if you want to be technical about it, we can wait until Luck wins the Heisman next season -- and leads Stanford to an appearance in the national-title game.)

Don't worry, Panthers fans: You'll probably have the No. 1 overall pick next year, too. You'll get Luck eventually.

(BTW: I tweeted this out yesterday, but if your team was a lock to not make the playoffs next year and was woefully inadequate at QB, would you trade an 0-16 tank season for 10 seasons of Luck? I would, in a second. You could say real fans don't ever root for their team to lose, but how about real fans want what's best for their team to position themselves for a title at some point?)

Jim Harbaugh Watch: With Luck coming back, I would go back to Stanford and ask for a big raise, with no promises beyond next year. The NFL jobs will be there next year, too -- probably even more emphatically after he takes Stanford to the national-title game. Sounds like it's down to staying or moving down the street to the 49ers. I'd stay.

More players turning pro: Mark Ingram. Despite the way he gashed Florida in the 2009 SEC championship game, I think he was overrated -- let's be honest: He wasn't even the most talented RB on his own team (as you'll see when Trent Richardson goes wild next season as the featured RB). In the NFL, he'll have a place, but does anyone see him as a 1,000-yard-a-season-for-5-seasons RB? The "shared-RB" revolution of the past few seasons actually favors him.

Great Read: ESPN.com's Amy K. Nelson on Galarraga-Joyce, six months later.

OK: Diving back into product development. More later. Blogging all weekend. Trying for a game-changer on Monday.

-- D.S.

New Home for DS.com A.M. Post

Just a heads-up on some news (or "news"): The signature morning "Quickie" column/post published here every morning will have a new home, starting Monday: On Quickish.com.

(That publisher of Quickish is a convincing -- and might I say handsome -- person. Oh, and me. Yes, there's that.)

I can think of no piece of original programming more relevant to anchor a new site built on quick-hit content than the morning column I've been filing every day since... well, since this day a few years ago.

I'm really excited about the new spot -- for obvious reasons, and I hope you will check it out over there -- staying for some of the other stuff that will be going on. (Much like the Sporting News era, I will promote it here and link to the full version over there.)

The content itself should stay mostly the same -- but if there's anything new you want to see, please let me know.

And I will still do posts here on random things that seem interesting -- I might even get back to posting even more than usual.

Really looking forward to Monday.

-- D.S.

01/06: VY, HOF, RichRod, 49ers

My new company, Quickish, launches Monday. Very exciting. Keep up through the Facebook page and Twitter feed (and here, of course). Related post coming later today.

Vince Young is out in Tennessee: It was a disappointing career with the Titans, despite the fact that VY's drafting was celebrated, he won Rookie of the Year and he had that surging second half in the 2010 season (which almost certainly benefited from being in a backfield with the best player in the NFL, Chris Johnson, keeping defenses honest).

In between was erratic play and even more erratic behavior. Both the team and the player need a fresh start -- as ever, Young needs a coach willing to take advantage of his unique skills. Jeff Fisher wanted him to be Kerry Collins or Billy Volek.

Blyleven and Alomar make Baseball Hall: Two worthy choices. It's a shame the voters didn't take more -- Raines, Bagwell, Larkin, Trammell.

The news is about the so-called "Steroid Era" players: McGwire's support went down. Palmeiro's was nearly non-existent. The consensus is that this doesn't bode well for players like Bonds and Clemens and... well, like all of them.

If I had to bet, I would say all of the clearly worthy (McGwire, Bonds, Clemens) will eventually get in, but it will take 10 years and the inclusion of many many more voters who are less comfortable with the moral (and physical) arbitration.

Michigan fires Rich Rodriguez: This was always "when," not "if" -- going back to RichRod's first week as head coach, let alone that first season of foreshadowing.

So what next? Jim Harbaugh isn't an option. They really should make a play for LSU's Les Miles, but I suspect they will end up with former assistant Brady Hoke. And fans won't be happy.

Ironically, I think RichRod will do just fine. He will end up at a program with lower expectations -- or merely a lower profile -- and build up a winner. How about Clemson in 2012?

Jim Harbaugh: To the 49ers? He met with them for 5 hours yesterday, but what if the Dolphins are ready to break the bank for him? Should he take the money, even if it isn't the gig he wants?

(Apparently, the 49ers understand that their chances of getting Harbaugh are iffy -- they interviewed Raiders OC Hue Jackson, who will likely get an offer to be HC in Oakland, and apparently they now like Josh McDaniels, coming off a rough rookie stint in Denver.)

NBA: Rajon Rondo goes nuts, with a triple-double -- 12 points, 10 rebounds and 22 assists. Feels like Rondo should be the starting PG for the East in the All-Star Game.

(BTW: I didn't talk about the Slam Dunk contest yesterday, but I kind of like the "Big Men" theme this year. They all need to go heavy on the theatrics.)

Meaningful anniversary today. Anyone remember? (I only bring it up every year....)

-- D.S.

01/05 Quickie: Ohio St, Jobs, HOF

Reminder: My new company, Quickish, launches publicly this coming Monday. Stay updated by liking the Facebook page and/or following the Twitter feed.

Ohio State gets off the SEChnied: Though they did their best to give the game away at the end, the Buckeyes beat Arkansas to win the Sugar Bowl -- but, more importantly, Ohio State finally beat an SEC team in a bowl game for the first time in a couple decades.

What next for Terrelle Pryor? I'm no OSU fan, but that was a pretty powerful scene in the game's immediate conclusion, with Terrelle Pryor limping on an injured ankle and in obvious pain. Was it his final game for Ohio State (no matter what he or Jim Tressel say)?

Even more than the suspension, the ankle injury should remind him that he is one really bad injury away from seriously undermining his contentious NFL draft potential. If his mobility is such a big part of his ability, then ankle (or knee) injuries are no joke.

But really: Despite all those wince-inducing drops, Arkansas should have won the game by running back that final Ohio State punt, rather than falling on it -- one more piece of chokey execution failure by the Hogs.

Jim Harbaugh: No decision yet. But all the scuttlebutt has him ending up with the 49ers, with a power/control set-up to his liking. The Dolphins are also rumored to be making a push. All power equal, which team would you rather coach?

I'd say San Francisco for Harbaugh, because he obviously loves the Bay Area -- and because he has a better chance of succeeding in the NFC West than in the AFC East.

(Alas, either means he won't be able to draft Luck, but there will be plenty of potential franchise QBs in the mix when SF or Miami picks.)

I buy the rationale that now matter how he does in the NFL, he can always return to college, basically at the job of his choice, and command one of the Top 5 salaries in college football.

Speaking of Andrew Luck: Apparently the Panthers would take Luck with the No. 1 overall pick if he was in the draft. (This is news? Of course they would! Almost any team in the bottom half of the NFL would, too. Even if you have a solid incumbent QB, you don't pass on the biggest QB talent since Peyton Manning.)

Rich Rod: Out! No... not out! (Yet!) Here's the thing: Rodriguez may yet have been able to save his job by begging (or whatever would convince AD David Brandon to keep him around), but the reality is that RichRod will eventually get fired.

(So is it possible that Brandon keeps RichRod around for another season for lack of a better alternative right now? Harbaugh doesn't want the job. Brady Hoke is uninspiring. Next season may allow for a new "hot" coach to emerge.)

NFL Coaching Carousel: Tom Cable out in Oakland, but the coaching staff's impact on the Raiders' improvement this season will not go unrewarded -- apparently, OC Hue Jackson will get a promotion to HC. Meanwhile, Marvin Lewis will be back in Cincinnati.

NBA: Last night's Knicks win over the Spurs might be New York's new signature win of the season.

Mark Cuban on Phil Jackson: "I love that Jeanie Buss' boy toy had something to say about us. I don't know if it was his thought or Jeanie's thought, but it's nice to know that she lets him speak in public about other teams." (Cuban on Jackson on Caron Butler's season-ending injury.)

OJ Mayo vs. Tony Allen: When you let competitive NBA players gamble for money on team planes, fights are going to happen. Haven't we seen this before, over and over? (I'm not against it; I'm just saying it is a natural outcome that everyone should expect.)

MLB: Dan Uggla gets a 5Y/$62M extension, which was presumed the minute he was traded to Atlanta.

CBB: Notre Dame over UConn? Maybe the Irish are for real this year after all.

Baseball Hall of Fame: Today is the big reveal of the 2011 class. Roberto Alomar is presumed to be a lock. Bert Blyleven will likely get in after more than a decade of being on the ballot.

There are a bunch of other players who DESERVE to get in -- Tim Raines and first-timer Jeff Bagwell among the more contentious -- but won't. Get some background on why this year creates a new era in HOF voting in this must-read piece from Jayson Stark.

-- D.S.

1/04: Stanford, Luck, Sugar, Favre

Today's Names to Know: Jim Harbaugh, Andrew Luck, Terrelle Pryor, Brett Favre, Eric Mangini, Jeff Fisher, Carlos Gonzalez, Jeff Bagwell, LeBron, St. John's, Snooki and More.

Stanford rolls in Orange Bowl: There's not much more that the program, coach Jim Harbaugh or star Andrew Luck could have done to showcase the elite level that the program reached this season. It was a clinic of Stanford-Harbaugh-Luck-ness.

At this point, if there was a national college football playoff tournament, I think Stanford would be a popular pick to win the championship -- I think it's a good bet that on a neutral field, Stanford would beat Oregon (Stanford lost at Oregon after their only bad half of the season.)

Luck is very very good. I think it goes without saying that he is the best player in Stanford history. I'm more interested to figure out where he ranks among all Pac-10 players ever. Let's just stick with QBs: I'd take Luck over either Matt Leinart or Carson Palmer -- and over Troy Aikman, if you want to go back that far.

So what next? If Harbaugh and Luck went back to Stanford next year, I think Stanford would deserve to be preseason No. 1 and Luck would be a lock for the Heisman.

But I can't see Harbaugh staying: His stock is too high and the money that he will be offered will be too much (although I don't see why Stanford can't match any dollar figure, up to and including Saban-level money).

I know most people think he's going to end up at Michigan -- and I understand why he would like to be a college coach more than an NFL coach -- but old-school loyalties aside, Michigan is not as good of a job as Stanford, now and if Harbaugh chose to stay there.

But I think he will end up in the NFL. The 49ers covet him, as does Denver -- now run by Stanford alum John Elway, whose cutaway TV shots from the Stanford sidelines were conspicuous.

Here's a hypothetical: Harbaugh tells Elway he will come to Denver, but only if the Broncos flip-flop from the No. 2 draft slot with the Panthers to get Andrew Luck.

Alternatively, Luck could "pull an Elway" and tell the Panthers he'd rather sit out the season than sign with them, effectively forcing a trade down to Denver.

It would be even more intriguing if the Panthers said: OK, we'll trade with you. But we want Tebow. If the Broncos were going to ride with Luck anyway, trading Tebow is a necessity.)

Then again, I flip-flop: Harbaugh is so good as a college coach. He might very well be one of those successful college coaches who can successfully transition to the NFL, but I think all the rah-rah intensity works much better within college programs.

So we're right back to Harbaugh going to Michigan vs. staying at Stanford.

To me, the ideal scenario is that Harbaugh and Luck both stay at Stanford for another year and take their shot at a national title. Harbaugh will be an even BIGGER draw for NFL teams and Luck won't lose his spot as the No. 1 player in the draft.

*****

Bowling Tonight: Ohio State-Arkansas in the Sugar, in the Big Ten's last chance to avoid utter humiliation (rather than just mere humiliation). All eyes on the OSU 5 -- including Terrelle Pryor -- who are playing their last game until next October... or ever for OSU.

*****

Brett Favre and Jets sued for sexual harrassment: Based on the findings of the NFL's investigation -- with or without Favre's help -- Favre and the team would seem to be in some trouble, because you can totally buy the claims, given the Sterger background.

NFL Coaching Carousel: Eric Mangini is out in Cleveland, and while Mike Holmgren might WANT to coach the team, I don't think he will. (If I was the owner, I wouldn't want him to. I'm not a fan of your head coach also running your team as its top exec.)

But Gary Kubiak is safe in Houston. And Jack Del Rio is safe in Jacksonville. The only coach still hanging out there is Tennessee's Jeff Fisher. Meanwhile, on the hiring front, all eyes are on Jim Harbaugh, with the dominoes (John Fox?) likely falling depending on what he does.

*****

MLB Hot Stove: Carlos Gonzalez getting 7Y/$80M extension from the Rockies? He certainly seems like a "foundation"-ish player that can join Troy Tulowitzki as the heart of the lineup for the next half-decade. But what if last season was the best he'll do? Always a risk, I guess.

HOF announcement coming tomorrow: Qualitative evidence suggests that Jeff Bagwell will fall short (crime), Tim Raines will gain but also fall short (crime) and Bert Blyleven will finally make it (justice). I'm ambivalent about Jack Morris, except to the extent that I buy the "You can't vote for Morris without voting for Blyleven" argument.

*****

NBA: LeBron and D-Wade were named NBA co-players of the month in December, which seems fitting -- it's only a matter of time before someone makes the case that they should be league co-MVPs in June. Then the Heat rolled over the Bobcats, for yet another W.

CBB: St. John's had enjoyed a decent start under Steve Lavin, but there were those ugly non-conference losses. Well, those are now eclipsed by Lavin's signature win: Beating Georgetown. (Still not buying the Johnnies as a March threat in '11, but it's the right direction for the program.)

*****

Media: And I'll consider it a personal failing that Snooki came out with her book (today) before I had a chance to publish my Tebow book. Oh well....

-- D.S.

1/03 Quickie: 7-9, Bowls, More

This is a big week: Quickish launches a week from today. Connect with it through Facebook and Twitter, because I'm going to have a bunch of pre-launch beta invites to give out.

7-9! As a fan of novelty and the superlative, I cannot be anything but delighted that the 7-9 Seahawks made the playoffs, becoming the first sub-.500 team to break the barrier. (And, for superlative fans, becoming arguably the worst NFL playoff team of all time.) Now watch them upend the defending champs next week.

The NFL playoff field overall is tantalizing, if only because so many folks think the road teams will dominate in next weekend's Wild Card round. Great: The more uncertainty the better.

Yikes: Sorry, Giants fans.

Black Monday: So which NFL coaches get fired today? Tom Coughlin's job is safe. Eric Mangini's won't be. Gary Kubiak could be axed in Houston and hired in Denver a few days from now. Jack Del Rio is, as always, a push.

CFB Bowling: Stanford vs. VA Tech in the Orange Bowl tonight. Stanford has awesome enough individual stories -- Jim Harbaugh, hottest football coach in the country (college or pro) and Andrew Luck, the presumptive No. 1 pick of whichever NFL Draft he chooses to enter -- to make the game a must-see.

TCU Hangover: Meanwhile, I'm trying desperately to find the hour in the next day or so to write up the moral case for AP Top 25 voters ranking TCU at No. 1, regardless of the outcome of the Auburn-Oregon game. I think the crux is: Your flimsy "ballot integrity" doesn't trump your mandate to promote the integrity of the sport.

Charlie Weis as Florida's Offensive Coordinator: Sorry, not a fan. I don't begrudge anyone putting their family first ahead of their career -- hell, that's how I want it to be -- but that doesn't mean I want the offensive coordinator of my elite college powerhouse to do it.

I want someone who is NOT interested in "work-life balance" or a "quality of life" move; I want someone who is willing to put everything aside for the job. That's how Urban Meyer did it, and it's what made him the best -- even if it ultimately burned him out.

Maryland hires UConn's Randy Edsall: Zzz....

Tim Tebow Watch: In 2 starts and 13 other assorted snaps, he accounted for 11 TDs. In the preseason, I pegged him for 7-10, and that was considered a Tebowphile's pipe dream. If he got the same 16 games started as Sam Bradford, he would have easily surpassed Bradford's 19 total TDs -- and made the choice for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year a lot more interesting. All in all, a pretty good rookie season.

NBA: L-ack!-ers? Uh, it's one thing for the Lakers to lose decisively to the Heat on Christmas Day. It's another thing for them to get blown out at home by the Grizzlies. Panic time.

MLB Hot Stove: Adrian Beltre to the Rangers? That makes a lineup with a fair amount of pop even more dangerous.

More later.

-- D.S.

Sponsored Post: Hail the Champ

Your weekly update on my travails in the Blogger Football League, sponsored by Procter & Gamble. For background, see this intro post.

Let the record show that had I made it to the league finals, I would have likely beaten the league champ Diana from National Football Post, who will now be headed to the Super Bowl to represent the league as its winner. (Then again, I surely would have triggered some other karmic justice that would have seen me lose the game.)

It was a really fun season -- if a bit too much of a roller-coaster ride for my tastes. I got the first overall pick of the league's draft, which I spent on Chris Johnson. That looked SO good at the time; it turned out to be a complete bust. My 2nd-round pick at the end of that round -- Tom Brady -- turned out to be my team MVP.

I started the season crushing the league, then went up and down with the fortunes of Johnson and the injury situation with my two Chargers, Malcom Floyd and Antonio Gates. A midseason pick-up of RB LeGarrette Blount -- Rookie of the Year! -- stabilized my running game and gave me back some momentum.

Ultimately, I simply couldn't top the combination of timing and talent that was Michael Vick in Week 15 against the Giants, a game that one half looked entirely in hand, then just an hour or so later was my league Waterloo.

What a terrific experience the league has been -- in a dozen years of playing fantasy football, I have never done as well in a league as I did in this one. It's a shame that I couldn't close the deal. Maybe in a future year.

Here is the final league recap from Jared of Midwest Sports Fans.

Check out P&G's Take It To The House page on Facebook. Be sure to look for the new contest where you predict the players who will have the top 5 rushing or receiving plays from scrimmage, and if you get them all, you win some insanely good prizes.



The P&G Blogger Fantasy League (BFL) is a group of 12 online sports folks competing on the NFL.com fantasy platform for the chance to win a donation for a local charity, furnished by P&G. The NFL Entities have not offered or sponsored the sweepstakes in anyway.

Sunday (New Year's) Quickie

It's the final week of the regular season in the NFL, and the day games look to be so drama-free that it's nice to know the night game is a virtual playoff game. Worth watching, especially if the Seahawks become the first team ever to make the playoffs with a sub-.500 record.

TCU rules: What an awesome team, with an awesome story and an awesome attitude about their situation -- willing to celebrate winning the Rose Bowl for its own sake, rather than freaking that they aren't going to get a chance to win a national title.

(That is, unless the AP voters do the right thing and give TCU their half of the national title. It is in the best interests of the sport for voters to nullify any individual feelings they have about the Auburn-Oregon winner and promote TCU as their champ. More on that later this week.)

Otherwise, the storyline was that the Big Ten got clobbered up and down: Wisconsin by TCU, Michigan State by Alabama, Michigan by Mississippi State and -- a bit less egregiously -- Penn State by Florida in Urban Meyer's last game at UF and Northwestern by Texas Tech.

Rich Rodriguez is almost certainly going to get fired from Michigan, leaving two questions: Who replaces him (Jim Harbaugh, if Harbaugh isn't swayed by the pitch to stay in the Bay Area and coach the 49ers) and where RichRod ends up (I'm rooting for Pitt, for the pathos -- wow, that coaching situation there is pretty awful, and it wouldn't surprise me if the AD was tossed out, too.)

NHL Winter Classic: As expected, so much cooler under the lights than during the day. The visuals were stunning -- and that's kind of the point of the NHL's biggest game of the regular season: A showcase for casual (and non-) fans to pique their interest. The Caps' retro jerseys took me back to my childhood of going to games at the old Cap Centre. Huge win for the Caps -- in the absence of a Stanley Cup title, arguably the biggest win the team has had in the Ovie Era.

The Heat's comeback from 20 down against the Warriors to get the win might be my favorite win of their season so far (to the extent I like ANY of their wins, which I really don't). But it shows an interest in Ws that inches them closer to actually being... well, if not likeable than at least respectable.

And that's it for Brett Favre's career. Maybe. Out not with a playoff run -- or even a final start -- but an "inactive" listing and a hazy lingering concussion. Say this: It's close to a no-bullets-left-in-the-gun situation, which is better than quitting after last year's NFC title game loss and lamenting that he had another season in him. (And, aside from the concussion, he probably could have gone these past two weeks.)

I'm quite sure he'll put out signals in July that he's interested in coming back for a team that will have him. Won't believe he's done until next season comes and goes without him playing -- and even then, it's unclear he wouldn't get into shape and try to come back in the fall of 2012. I'm totally serious. This is what Favre has done to us.

-- D.S.

Looking Ahead to 2011

Prepared a really long post talking all about 2011 and Quickish, but I think I'm going to save it for the Quickish launch in 10 days.

I'll leave it at this: It's easy to know what I'm looking ahead to in 2011 -- the launch of Quickish, then, as I just tweeted, "Go. Go. Go." Full throttle. It's a simple new year's resolution.

Can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to having you all be a part of it. It's going to be incredible. (One last pitch in 2010: Stay updated on it by liking on Facebook or following on Twitter.)

Otherwise, there are a few other things in the sports world I'm looking forward to:

*Will Muschamp at Florida.

*The Onion's new "SportsDome" TV show

*Jonah Keri's new book "Extra 2%"

*Heat not winning the NBA title.

*And one I'm dreading: The NFL and NBA labor mess.

Beyond that, the sheer unpredictability that makes every year so unique and fun.

Looking forward to another great year with you. Here's to a happy, healthy new year for you and your family.

12/31 New Year's Eve Quickie

Happy new year (in advance)! Wow, it's been a fascinating 2010 in sports (and life). Here's to a fun and safe New Year's Eve for all of you.

It's a shock but not a surprise that UConn's women lost at Stanford. If any team was going to do bust the streak, it was going to be the Cardinal at Maples. I just didn't think they'd do it.

(Question: Doesn't this kind of mitigate any chance Stanford has of beating UConn if/when they meet in the Final Four? Hard to see Stanford beating UConn twice in one season.)

*****

Yesterday's CFB Bowl Insanity: The end of that Tennessee-UNC Music City Bowl was ridiculous. I actually feel bad for Tennessee fans (rather than the schadenfreude of the LSU loss).

Then there was the end of the Syracuse-K-State game, where the K-State receiver was flagged for a penalty for saluting after the late TD that brought KSU within 2. It pushed the would-be game-tying 2-point conversion back to the 17-yard line and cost KSU any reasonable chance at tying the game.

Was the call right? By the letter of the rule, yes. But it is so inconsistently applied that it was best left as a no-call, especially given the timing. (Then again, players should know better -- and if they don't, then the coaches haven't done their job preparing them.) I personally don't find post-TD celebrations offensive in the least, and so I have a high tolerance for gestures before I'd think throwing a flag was appropriate.

(Both games eclipsed what should have been a pretty notable win by Washington over Nebraska, especially considering how badly NU pounded UW back in September.)

Four bowls today, headlined by Notre Dame-Miami in the mid-afternoon. It's not what it once was, but we'll watch, of course, because it's ND vs. Miami. Nostalgia!

(More: USF-Clemson -- dud. Georgia-UCF -- upset watch! South Carolina-Florida State in primetime -- SC, jumped by New Year's Day bowls, should roll. They were very good in '10.)

*****

New Year's Day Bowl Mania! Six bowls tomorrow, which I'll try to summarize as shallowly as possible:

*Will Northwestern get its first bowl win ever? (Remember: NU regularly ends up in some of the most exciting games of the season.)

*An hour into a Northwestern bowl game I would usually watch in its entirety, Florida kicks off against Penn State, so you know what's happening there. It's Urban Meyer's Florida finale -- frankly, it is a bigger deal that it is Steve Addazio's Florida finale. One more chance to enjoy that ineffective dive play, Gator fans.

*What a disappointing finish for the defending champs. Remember when Alabama's place in the national title game was a presumption? That's why college football is so amazing.

*Is this Rich Rodriguez's final game at Michigan? (If Michigan was smart, it would pay RichRod his reduced buyout -- but only having already backroom-secured Jim Harbaugh as its next coach.)

*The day's headliner is the Rose Bowl: Wisconsin -- which had a pretty awesome year -- against TCU, trying to win one for all the non-BCS teams out there (not to mention prove its bonafides as a team worthy of a national-champ vote or two). Wisco doesn't offer much of a strategic challenge: TCU simply has to stop the most punishing run game in the country.

*UConn-Oklahoma's Fiesta Bowl is as lame as all the UConn fans who aren't going know it will be. TCU's place as the Big East's automatic-qualifying BCS bowl champ can't happen soon enough.

*****

NFL Week 17 Preview: For all of you whose teams play their final game of the season, I'm sorry. Even watching your pathetic team stumble not into the playoffs is better than no football at all.

I love that the weekend's headliner is the "playoff play-in" game for the NFC West title between the Seahawks and Rams, which could leave us with our first-ever sub-.500 division champ, an outcome I am rooting for hard.

Otherwise, it's a handful of teams still playing for a playoff spot -- or playoff position. But most of the league is phoning it in. The good news: The NFL playoffs start next Saturday.

More NFL: Sal Alosi and the Jets fined $100K; Brett Favre fined $50K. Gotcha. (Actually, I suspect that the Jets are guilty for the same thing Favre is: "Misleading" the league. Do you think the Jets actually copped to anything more than the "lone bad actor," as far-fetched as that seems? You bet. In sports, obfuscation has always been the optimal strategy.

*****

More CFB: Quick thought about the Ohio State 5 apparently committing to return next season: If the presumptive threat was that there is no way Tressel would play them in the game if they didn't say they were returning (no matter how much pressure the Sugar Bowl CEO puts on the school), what would be their incentive to tip that hand now? What's the punishment if they say they are coming back, play in the game, then declare for the draft a week later?

As a nominal Maryland football fan, I heartily endorse Mike Leach as the next coach, if only because he would make the Terps the most entertaining/telegenic football team on the East Coast. If you're not winning a national title -- and Maryland most definitely is not -- then you might as well be fun to watch.

*****

NHL Winter Classic: My favorite NHL event of the year -- and, in my opinion, the best idea in the history of the sport. That it pits the league's two biggest stars -- and had the promotion of HBO's incredible 24/7 series -- only makes it bigger. Shame the weather might mess things up. It's scheduled for a 1 p.m. start, but it could get pushed into the evening. At worst, it gets moved to Sunday. No problem: Fans will still tune in. (Yes, even on Sunday, against the NFL.)

*****

Baseball Hall of Fame ballots are due today. Here's hoping for a good result for Bert Blyleven and Tim Raines, among others. For the record, I am part of the camp that would vote Bagwell in.

Again, best wishes for a happy, healthy and satisfying 2011 to all of you. Huge stuff ahead. Posting all weekend.

-- D.S.

12/30 Quickie: Favre, KG, K, Bowls

Per yesterday's end-of-2010 post, a bit of unexpected extra time with my kids this morning was (more than) worth the late post. Anyway, as they say: Legggooo...

Brett Favre "punished" with $50K fine: Without diminishing the underlying gravity of sexual harrassment, Favre lying to the league should have been taken by the league as worse than the original offense.

KG injured: It goes without saying that without KG and Rondo, the Celtics are not a contender. However! All that matters is that they are healthy by April and stay healthy through June. It's no sure thing, but if they are -- again: big "if" -- they will win the title.

Coach K wins No. 880, putting him alone at No. 2 on the all-time wins list -- with no question he will pass Bobby Knight early next season. You can hate Duke and still recognize that K is the best men's college hoops coach of all time.

Sugar Bowl CEO influenced Ohio State players' suspension: My favorite part is how this bowl CEO was so open -- even bragging -- about it. That is the clarity that comes with no misunderstanding about greed driving your decisions. Where Ohio State and the Big Ten and the NCAA get tripped up is in the haze of their own cynical opacity.

CFB Bowling Yesterday: Maryland sends out Fridge with a big win (really hope they get Gus Malzahn)... Illinois wins a bowl for the first time since '99 (Zooked!)... Oklahoma State showcases OC Dana Holgorsen's monster offense one last time before he leaves for WVU.

CFB Bowling Today: Quadruple-header! Noon (Army-SMU in the Bell Helicopter Bowl)... 3:20 (Kansas State-Syracuse at Yankee Stadium)... 6:40 (UNC-Tennessee in the Music City Bowl)... 10 (Nebraska-Washington in the Holiday Bowl, which annually produces high scores).

Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot Week, Cont'd: Joe Posnanski has been killing it this week, and today's post is the best yet -- about Jeff Bagwell. Baseball HOF voters coming out against Bagwell -- with some really terrible arguments -- are having their worst moment (well, worst moment since not covering the steroids story to begin with).

More NBA: Another 40-plus game for D-Wade (45) and another win for the Heat... the Lakers get off the schneid... Tyreke Evans!

Posting a look-ahead to 2011 around noon-ish, and I'll be posting tomorrow to preview the weekend -- hope you'll drop by to check it out.

-- D.S.

Looking Back on 2010

Maybe this is a function of being a parent of young kids and the founder of a start-up, but things were fairly simplified for me in 2010:

*Be the best spouse and dad I could be. (A task that where -- probably, but not always, for the best -- there always seems to be vast room for improvement.)

*Work as hard as I've ever worked to get my company founded and positioned to succeed. And it's exciting as hell to know that as hard as we've worked this year, things hit another level when it launches in two weeks.

Both those things have a million small pieces that go into them, but there is a clarity that comes with an overarching goal.

Looking back to this time last year, I wanted to start my own company, but it sure seemed like a long way from intention to execution. But things are positioned to be amazing in 2011.

I cannot overstate how much I appreciate you continuing to want to connect with me here, hear what I have to say and support the effort.

And I probably can't overstate how much I will want and need your support next year with Quickish. More on that tomorrow.

As for sports -- let's not lose sight of that, right? -- 2010 continued to affirm something I have experienced since the old Quickie days: Just when I think it can't get better, it gets better.

The Decision was perhaps the pivotal sports event of the year -- and a complete debacle -- but consider the impact. Who said sports always has to be feel-good stories like the Saints winning the Super Bowl, which I'd rank as "1A" among the top stories of the year.

Looking at it from a macro perspective, you could argue that despite the uncertainty in the economy -- and maybe partly because of it -- sports have never been more popular.

The NFL with record ratings. Same with college football. Same with the NBA. And my god: The World Cup.

I try to steer clear of meta discussions about TV ratings and sports business, but at the very least, let's use the audience numbers as a proxy for enthusiasm. If you don't like TV ratings, you can swap in online attention. Sports have never mattered more.

I already went through my favorite sports moments of the year. The real exercise is to think back and ID the ones that immediately come to mind: The Decision (obviously), the World Cup goal by Landon Donovan and -- weirdly -- that buzzer-beating miss by Gordon Hayward in the NCAA Tournament title game is seared in my mind.

This fall is kind of a blur -- Quickish work was all-consuming, but there was enough left over for me to feel epic disappointment, week-in-and-week-out, by the performance of Florida football. Believe it or not, I renewed my optimism each week that they would win, making the awful play and brutal loss all the more devastating. I would have been better off assuming the worst; I couldn't. It was the worst experience I have ever had as a fan: Sisyphean. (Sisyfan?)

Our memories of a sports year are a combination of the intensely personal and the intensely universal -- it's not just that there is room for both. There HAS to be both.

Sports fandom can't just be "my team." Too much of the experience is the communal -- you can love your team, but still appreciate Butler or the World Cup or the pain of Cavs fans or the elation of SF Giants fans.

But sports fandom can't just be "what everyone is talking about." That's the place I've made my career, obviously, but you need something that is yours, a uniqueness to your fandom -- some combination of allegiance to team, player, perspective, time commitment, media diet... it all combines to make your experience as a fan...yours.

I think it's both, and this year didn't just affirm that, but -- as you'll see -- I'm willing to stake my career on it.

Hope you enjoyed the sports year -- and the whole year -- as much as I did.

Coming tomorrow: Looking ahead to 2011.

-- D.S.