[Cayla Moran]: Italy hires cheerleaders for the Olympics
[KIRO TV]: Seahawks Fan Attacked For Wearing Team Jersey
[SF Chronicle]: Montana denies $100k fee request
[Steeler Blog]: Holmgren is Maxim.com’s “Today’s Girl”
[XM MLB Chat]: Johnny Damon has class
Everyone is in love with the Clippers and Hornets this week. The Clip show is as high as #6 on some polls while Hornets are at #8. Meanwhile, Lakers, Bucks and Sixers lose steam. Here are the NBA Power Rankings by top sites this week:
| Rank | NBA.com | ESPN | FoxSports | Sportsline | SI | Yahoo |
| 1 | Mavericks | Pistons | Mavericks | Pistons | Pistons | Pistons |
| 2 | Pistons | Mavericks | Spurs | Mavericks | Mavericks | Mavericks |
| 3 | Spurs | Spurs | Pistons | Spurs | Spurs | Spurs |
| 4 | Suns | Suns | Suns | Suns | Suns | Suns |
| 5 | Heat | Heat | Heat | Heat | Heat | Clippers |
| 6 | Clippers | Clippers | Cavaliers | Nuggets | Cavaliers | Heat |
| 7 | Cavaliers | Heat | Clippers | Grizzlies | Clippers | Cavaliers |
| 8 | Hornets | Cavaliers | Hornets | Nets | Nuggets | Nets |
| 9 | Grizzlies | Hornets | Nuggets | Clippers | Nets | Grizzlies |
| 10 | Nuggets | Grizzlies | Bucks | Lakers | Grizzlies | Hornets |
| 11-30 | more | more | more | more | more | more |
“Operation Slap Shot” busted a gambling ring that was allegedly financed by Rick Tocchet, former hockey player and current assistant coach for the Phoenix Coyotes.
Within a 40 day period of this investigation, the New Jersey State Police detectives collected evidence of over 1,000 wagers exceeding 1.7 million dollars that were accepted by Harney, Ulmer and Tocchet at both collegiate and professional sporting events.
The NHL is quick to point out that none of the bets involved hockey. So far, only two other people have been questioned, Jeremy Roenick, who’s had his gambling problems in the past, and Janet Jones, wife of Wayne Gretzky. It is reported that numerous former and current hockey players used the service. The gambling ring has ties to the Bruno and Scarfo family of La Cosa Nostra. Man, I’m sure there are a lot of hockey players out there sweating it out. Expect a lot of denials in the coming weeks as this case gets uglier.
[AZ Republic]: Betting case rocks Coyotes
[KYW-TV]: Feds: Ex-Flyer Tocchet, Trooper Ran Gambling Ring
Sportsbooks must not think the Steelers will be able to buy the refs next year because the current champs aren’t even the favorites to win next year’s Super Bowl. Here are the Top 10 odds.
Given the history of Super Bowl losers in the last few years, I wouldn’t put any money on the Seahawks. Of course unless the league decides it owes them one. Am I getting way too cynical?
Not to coach but to shoot a pilot for a TV show about an expansion basketball team, the San Diego Stingrays. (Rumor has it they’ll drop the Sting and just go by ‘Rays’ after a few year.) George Clooney is the producer and hopes to sell it to Showtime or HBO. Does anyone remember 1st and Ten on HBO? We’re hoping it’s going to be something like that.
Nellie takes a shot at Peter Vecsey in the show:
There was one scene, Nelson recounted, where the Stingrays are thinking about signing a new player. A sportswriter, Peter Vecsey , is quoted by general manager Nixon as saying two or three other teams are interested in the player. “Who cares?” Nelson said. “He’s wrong over half the time anyway.
[Ben Maller]: Former Mavs coach goes Hollywood?
The long awaited (I guess) movie from Dale Davis’ company, Playas Ball, will premier in Houston three days before the all-star game. I’m not sure if you remember but this movie caused a stir a couple of years ago because it featured a character who signs a big endorsement deal and then gets accused of date rape. Not a very controversial story line — except the movie was wrapped right before Kobe got arrested for his extracurricular activities in Colorado.
Almost 3 years later, Dale Davis finally got a distributor and you should be able to see the film this year. The only real star in the movie is Allen Payne, who I remember seeing in a bunch of movies but can’t name a single one except CB4 where he had such memorable lines as “Yeah, yeah, I’m lickin’ your balls, best balls I ever had. Uh-huh, you’ve got King-Kong balls. Your balls are so large, just big balls, I don’t care. You just got big balls.” Let’s hope this isn’t what Playas Ball is about.
Also in the movie are Treach from Naughty by Nature and MC Lyte. This doesn’t bode well for the movie. The only rapper who ever could act was Vanilla Ice in Cool as Ice… I mean Tupac in Juice.
[Detroit Free Press]: THE PISTONS’ SPIELBERG?
Here are the latest power rankings by top sites. A couple of new teams in the mix this week as the Oilers and Ducks make the list.
Here are the NHL Power Rankings by top sites this week.
| Rank | TSN.ca | ESPN | FoxSports | Sportsline | SI | Yahoo |
| 1 | Senators | Hurricanes | Hurricanes | Hurricanes | Hurricanes | Hurricanes |
| 2 | Red Wings | Red Wings | Senators | Red Wings | Red Wings | Senators |
| 3 | Hurricanes | Stars | Red Wings | Stars | Senators | Red Wings |
| 4 | Rangers | Senators | Stars | Senators | Stars | Stars |
| 5 | Stars | Flyers | Sabres | Sabres | Predators | Flyers |
| 6 | Predators | Sabres | Predators | Rangers | Sabres | Sabres |
| 7 | Sabres | Rangers | Rangers | Oilers | Rangers | Predators |
| 8 | Ducks | Flames | Flyers | Canucks | Flyers | Avalance |
| 9 | Lightning | Kings | Flames | Predators | Canucks | Devils |
| 10 | Oilers | Predators | Canucks | Flames | Flames | Flames |
| 11-30 | more | more | more | more | more | more |
I’m not even sure where to begin with this story. It seems the “bad boy” of ice skating, Johnny Weir, is trying to attract some of the media spotlight… by saying exactly what he wants, mister!
On the lodgings at the Olympic Village:
I am very princessy as far as travel is concerned and having a nice room and things like that. It’s a little dusty, very underdecorated, the beds aren’t very soft but I’m enjoying it!Bode Miller, you know, huge props to him for saying what he wants to and not being sugarcoated. [Such an attitude] makes me interesting for figure skating and makes him interesting for skiing. … I assume he and I feel very similar.
I’m not sure but I think Bode Miller just got a dinner invitation.
It’s ironic that the officials chose the highest rated Super Bowl to screw up for the entire world. And not to mention a huge swing either way in gambling winnings and losses.
[Yahoo]: Super Bowl helps Nevada sports books set wagering record
[1soapmaker]: Rolling Stones say censorship at Super Bowl was ridiculous
[SI]: Jim Plunkett’s son not very valuable
[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]: 250,000 attend Steelers victory parade
[Fox Sports]: What was the over/under on arrests in Pittsburgh?
Talk about doing your best ostrich impersonation. On Monday, Greg Aiello, NFL’s vice president of public relations, said the league is satisfied with the performance of the officials during the postseason.
It was a very well-officiated playoffs, including the Super Bowl.
Now I realize that is about all he can say given the outrage and the talk of conspiracies, but how could he even keep a straight face while telling such a lie. And if the NFL honestly believes the officials were satisfactory, then they have more problems than we imagined. This is the most egregious case of being unwilling to see or admit the truth since MLB owners denied there was a steroid problem in baseball.
Seattle fans will never get the satisfaction of an apology from the NFL for jobbing them in Super Bowl XL*. Come on Tags, just because you tell us the officials didn’t shit the bed doesn’t mean we can’t smell it.
[Washington Post]: NFL Stands Behind Its Officiating Crew
[FoxSports]: Top 10 worst calls of the postseason
