Thursday night wrap-up

Thankfully, it was a quiet night in the sports world (except, of course, in Jersey - see previous post). Surprising, considering Doc Gooden was released from jail.

Ok, enough ripping Doc. He still could K me in his sleep.

I made a Taurasi/Bird spotting tonight at an Australian women's basketball game. That's right. The two former UConn stars and current WNBA players (Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird) were at the Sydney Uni-Canberra game chatting it up with the Aussies. It was nice to see the American players paying respect to foreign competition. You don't see that too often considering how caught up in U.S. sports we are (myself included).

Or maybe they had to show up as part of a bet after the Australians won the recent World Championships. Yeah, that's a more likely scenario.

Anyway... I picked the Phoenix Suns to win the Pacific Division. And they're sitting pretty... in last place, at 1-5. Obviously it's very early - after all, if Phoenix had won tonight, then Dallas would still be winless (instead they're 1-4). But, still, what a whacky first week in the NBA.

The Hawks - the Hawks! - are 3-1 and if the playoffs started today, they'd be the No. 1 seed in the East and the Heat and Pistons wouldn't qualify. Interesting. Following that theme, here's a list of teams I didn't pick for the playoffs who started out the season hot and whether they're a pretender or contender.

Hawks (3-1) - Pretender... show me 20-5, and I'll start believing... maybe
Sixers (3-2) - Pretender... they're already sliding, having lost two straight.
New Orleans/OK City - Contender... I picked them to finish ninth, but I'm already seeing much more out of them. They're looking like a 3 or 4 seed with the consistent play of Chris Paul and David West and, yes, I said it, Tyson Chandler.
Portland (3-2) - Pretender... although I'm higher on the Blazers than I am on the other pretenders. There's potential there (as if that means anything).
Golden State (3-3) - Pretender... until they learn how to defend and actually play some players who can intimidate opponents, this team ain't going anywhere. Period.

So, as you can see, most of these team's starts are aberrations. Except them to cool down in Week 2 and for the good teams - the 1-5 Suns and 1-4 Mavericks, the 2-3 Pistons and 2-2 Heat - to pick it up.

College Football preview...
Some questions as we approach the weekend.

1. Any chance UM or Ohio State loses?
- Nope, nope, nope. These teams learned their lesson last week in terms of looking ahead. Neither will have a problem on the road this week. OSU clobbers Northwestern by 24 and UM beats Indiana by two touchdowns. Bring on the Big One.

2. Will any game be better than the Thursday Night Shocker in terms of suspense and importance to the BCS picture?
- Yes. Like has been the case all season, there will be some crazy finishes with huge national title implications. A week ago I would have said that Tennessee-Arkansas is going to be a great game, but following the suspension of a trio of key Vols, I think the Razorbacks - with more to play for - will win by 10 or 13. Florida will roll at home against S. Carolina, but I'm not so sure of Auburn at home versus Georgia. Keep an eye on that one. Also Oregon at USC should be entertaining.

3. Any big upsets?
- Don't think so. I think everyone with lots on the line will pull through, setting the stage for a huge Nov. 18 weekend.

4. Who climbs up the ladder in the race for the Heisman this weekend?
- Well, I've already said it: If the Buckeyes win out, Troy Smith easily takes the cake. But Rutgers' Ray Rice already made a huge push on Thursday with an outstanding performance. This is a big week for Colt McCoy, going on the road to a hostile environment in Manhattan to play Kansas State. If he can put together a superb performance, he could be alongside Brady Quin as the guy ready to jump into the lead if Smith falters.

Smart move of the week: How can it not be JoePa deciding to follow his doc's advice and not coach against Temple? Yes, I know the Owls are no longer winless and are dangerous with that one win and loads of confidence, but c'mon, this is Temple we're talking about here. All the Penn State coaches could leave the game for ribs, and PSU would still win by 30. Smart move by the 79-year-old.

Dumb move of the week: The Atlanta Hawks announcers "condemned" LeBron James for walking off the court a couple seconds before the final buzzer at the end of the Cavs' 104-95 overtime loss to Atlanta Wednesday night. They compared him to Randy Moss, for heaven's sakes. LeBron didn't moon anybody, OK? One thing you can bet on: The next time the Cavs take on Atlanta (not far away - Dec. 1 in Hotlanta), that's still gonna be fresh in LeBron's mind, and he'll take it to those poor Hawks until the final buzzer.

All right, I'm out. As always, enjoy the games. And post comments please!