google video comes through again...

it's a 17-year-old biggie freestyling and abusing his competition.

fredeeky's all american team: offense...

running back: reggie bush, usc
The Heisman Trophy winner and the most exciting player in college football is the favorite to be selected first in the draft. Bush led the nation in all-purpose yards and is capable of making things happen all over the football field.



quarterback: matt leinart, usc
Leinart won the Heisman Trophy last year and returned this year to lead the Trojans to another perfect record and another spot in the national title game. Expect Leinart to be the first quarterback taken in the draft and he could go right after his teammate Bush.



receivers: santonio holmes, ohio state and mike haas, oregon state
Hass is probably the top senior wide receiver, while Ohio State’s Santonio Holmes is among the top underclassmen. Hass led the nation in receiving while Homes has the speed and big play capabilities.



tight ends: vernon davis maryland
Should he declare for the draft, Davis would likely be the first tight end selected. Davis was a first-team All-American and led the A.C.C. in receiving yards per game.



offensive linemen: d'brickashaw ferguson, virginia, and eric winston, miami
Ferguson is the cream of the crop and his athleticism and footwork could make him a top three overall selection. Winston, expected to be a late first round pick, has been an anchor of Miami’s offensive line for the last three seasons.

the player/coach reg dunlop's isles/u.s. hockey report...

Because Stover can not get past his hate for the Isles and support the entire US Hockey team. He has asked me to give the Scouting report on the THREE Islanders that made the cut.

Rick DiPietro is a very good skater with excellent agility and balance. He has exceptional recovery from scrambles and uses his stick well to deflect pucks away from the net, when not whacking opposing players who get to close to the crease. DiP has a very quick glove hand and Allows very few rebounds. DiP handles the puck extremely well and is good at setting up the puck for his defensive group. DiPietro is a very aggressive and feisty goaltender with a very competitive and strong personality that should help lift the spirits on the team. Although he has looked a little less than stellar this year, I blame most of this on the weak Islander defense. He seems to face at least 35 shots a game on average. With a Team USA defensive stalwarts in front of him he should play a lot better.

Mark Parrish who has a great relationship with Rick Laviolette (one of his defenders after Laviolette's firing from the isles) is a grinder that will add some good Tournament experience for Team USA. He had an off season in 03-04 missing 23 games do to a high ankle sprain. He is back on track this year and with 12 goals and 9 assists. Parrish Represented Team USA in the 2001 World Championships. Parrish went 5-2-7 for silver medal winning Team USA at the World Junior Championships in Switzerland in 1997 leading the team in goals and finished third in points. I look for Parrish to be a true grunt and get a lot of minutes if he plays up to par on the Olympic squad.

Jason Blake- How Stover thinks this guy is queer is beyond me. He is all of 5'10 and 180lbs, but plays like a he is a 6'5" and 220lbs. He is also not afraid to go into the corners and get physical as demonstrated against the wild last week (I honestly thought he broke his neck). He is fast with great hands and can make even the best D miss with his lateral movement. Blake is currently 3rd in points for the Isles with 24 (13/11) In 03-04 led the team and tied for fourth in the NHL with four SHGs in 03-04. He Ranked fourth on the team in goals and points he registered a team-high 243 shots. Blake is one of the players that Laviolette will look to for enthusiasm and grit.

which one?

or

barry finding jems all over the place...

COLUMBUS, Neb. -- At the Columbus Family YMCA on a recent Saturday morning, the Champ punches only a time clock.

The man who dethroned Muhammad Ali on a February night in 1978 in one of the greatest upsets in boxing history puts on his gloves -- not the red Everlast boxing gloves, but the orange Rubbermaid cleaning gloves. He methodically gets the cart with the brooms and the cleaning chemicals and gets to work.

Leon Spinks, 52, has crash landed in the Great Plains. Nearly broke but far from broken, the former World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association heavyweight titleholder (and Olympic gold medalist) spends his days fighting his demons -- dementia, boredom, and hangers-on who have taken advantage of him.

He gives his glasses to Cassie Billings, a college student working the front desk, for safekeeping.

''I tell guys I don't fear anything," she said. ''I have a friend named Leon Spinks and he'll kick your butt."

There's not a trace of sadness in Spinks. There are, he figures, people worse off than him.

''It ain't what you do," said the custodian. ''It's how you do it.

corrections of the year...

The Denver Daily News would like to offer a sincere apology for a typo in Wednesday's Town Talk regarding New Jersey's proposal to ban smoking in automobiles. It was not the author's intention to call New Jersey 'Jew Jersey.'

hope this happens...

CINCINNATI - Chad Johnson is dreaming of a whitetail Christmas. The Bengals receiver suggested Tuesday that he has a special touchdown celebration planned for Cincinnati's game on Christmas Eve — one that will top his Riverdance, his end zone putt and his sideline proposal from earlier this season.

A surrogate reindeer, perhaps?

"On the highway, I hit a deer," Johnson said Tuesday, insisting he was serious and that the animal wasn't hurt. "I kept him. He's at home in the garage. I'm going to use him for the celebration this weekend. He's a prop. They might suspend me for the last game, but I think this one is worth it."

Even if Johnson is serious — and, with him, there's no telling — coach Marvin Lewis would certainly put his foot down. So Johnson's scheme may never get beyond the talking stage.

sign him up....

i guess. still sort of hate this guy. here he is hitting a grand slam in game 7 of the 2004 alcs, one of the worst sports memories i have. at least this d-bag has to get a hair cut. sox fans seem pretty bummed out about this though, which makes me happy. just wish he had a better arm.

good times...

i unknowingly walked right through this on the way to work last night. penn station was a total debacle. still, don't mind the walking - just glad i live in manhattan.

barry checks out team usa...

thanks barry. sorry it took so long to get this up.



This is a general Team USA report. Spotlights will follow in the weeks to come but I've focused on the three local teams on who they will be sending to the Games in Turin.

In what promises to be a fiercely competitive tournament and competing against teams with much more offensive pop, the US team was selected with a nice mix of youth, size and speed to complement the veteran defensive stalwarts (Chelios) and power forwards (Guerin). Going into the games, the US isn't expected to medal by most accounts however GM Waddell and Coach Laviolette seemed to have chosen a group that they hope can gel quickly and put the team before their own stats. Therefore you will not see the likes of Jeremy Ronick on this squad. Forget his prowess in '94 Sega hockey for a moment. This bum made the following comment when he didn't get the call, "I know nobody on that team has more points in the National Hockey League than me. So if they want to go that way, good luck," Roenick said. You can bet the USA was glad they didn't choose this malcontent after they got wind of his comments.

No Rangers were named to the squad this year and MSG fan favorite Brian Leetch was left off the roster which is a little bit questionable but clearly they wanted to go with a little bit younger and defensively minded squad. To Leetch's defense he has been out hurt for the better part of the year. As you know only Poti, Holleweg and Ortmeyer would be eligible.

Three Devils made the team. Scotty Gomez (who's father is a salmon farmer from Mexico and moved the family to Alaska where Scott learned to play the game) will add speed and depth to the forwards as will Boston College graduate and Devil scoring leader Brian Gionta. Gionta has shown impressive speed and hands all year. The NHL rule changes which will by and large be the same under olypmic rules have really worked to Gionta's advantage and the first time oympian should impress. Brian Rafalski hasn't had a particularly good year on the blue line for the Devils but he is a solid stay at home defender and a returning member of team usa.

In goal the team will have 3 rookie goaltenders. Islander and Boston University product Rick Dipietro will see some action between the pipes for the Americans. Ricky got absolutely shelled last night against the Leafs (see that Roby?) and pulled in the second period. Let's hope he has a better showing in the Italian Alps. A hot goaltender can carry a team all alone in this type of tournament. Just like Steely Dan, Let's hope Ricky 'doesn't loose that number.' Also from the Isles you will see speedster Jason Blake (Who may carry a gay pride flag during opening ceremonies) and Mark Parrish who plays a similar style to Brian Gionta but is more physical. J-Date should give player profiles on each of these guys in the weeks to come rather than this guy. I would have thought that York would have been a candidate. He hasn't been so hot this year though either.

Who can forget the '98 Nagano games when after their disgraceful performance and failing to make the medal round the US Players ransacked their hotel rooms. Following that disaster US Hockey retooled and hired Herb Brooks for the 2002 games in Salt Lake. Herbie took his boys to the Finals against a superior Canadian team who had not won a gold medal for generations (believe it or not). On paper the US Team looks like an underdog but with Laviollete's ability to get the most out of his teams, it is my hope that this team will play for a medal in Turin. It wouldn't quite be the Miracle on Ice Part II but it would be monumental for this team to be standing on the podium with gold medals in late February.

some favorite canes for mac fu....

nice...

Darrell Armstrong couldn't pass up the chance.

And Avery Johnson couldn't let it pass without a fine.

Armstrong was asked to give a pregame Christmas wish to fans at American Airlines Center Sunday night and he couldn't resist trumpeting his favorite NFL team.

After wishing the crowd a safe and happy holiday, Armstrong added: "And how about those Redskins?"

The point guard has been a Washington fan since he was a kid.

After the game, Johnson divulged that the backup point guard was fined $1,000 for his impromptu support of the Redskins, who beat the Cowboys 35-7 on Sunday, severely denting their playoff hopes.

Also, in the locker room before the game, Josh Howard (a true Carolina Panthers fan) added that his team was "going to finish the job next week," in regard to the Cowboys' playoff hopes.

beast time....

japanese t.v. seems so incredible to me. this one features ex-n.f.l. linemen bob sapp, who is called the "beast" and is a wrestling phenomenon in japan. can't really listen to the audio, but it seems like a few asian girls trying to grab foam balls of the back of "the beast".



sorry that link didn't work earlier

f the colts...

Riders of the Q18 bus in Astoria, Queens, were not aware that the buses were on strike.

worst sign ever...

for the ladies...

k-dog, puppies with parasols seems right up your alley.



here's one for a-game and the rest of the cat lovers. it's cats putting together a fake christmas tree:

bolivia report...

LA PAZ, Bolivia — Evo Morales, a former coca farmer who has pledged to torpedo U.S. anti-drug efforts here and be a "nightmare" for Washington, appeared set to become Bolivia's first Indian president after a surprisingly strong showing in Sunday's election.

Media tabulations of official results showed the leftist Morales with as much as 51% of the vote and his nearest rival, U.S.-educated former President Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, with 31% to 34%.

internets is creepy...

"I figured, I took off my shirt at the pool for nothing," he said recently. "So, I was kind of like, what's the difference?"

Justin removed his T-shirt. The men watching him oozed compliments.

So began the secret life of a teenager who was lured into selling images of his body on the Internet over the course of five years. From the seduction that began that day, this soccer-playing honor roll student was drawn into performing in front of the Webcam - undressing, showering, masturbating and even having sex - for an audience of more than 1,500 people who paid him, over the years, hundreds of thousands of dollars.

tiki went bananas...

although eli still looks a little suspect.

took the train home from work tonite...

so far the trains still seem to be running. love the times' photos of the 1980 transit strike. n.y. was so much more ghetto back then. also i sort of like this guy's jacket.

NEW YORK - A mother trapped in a burning third-floor apartment prayed and then dropped her 1-month-old son out a window to the crowd below. The infant was caught safely by a man who plays catcher for his employer's baseball team.

The rescuer gave the baby mouth-to-mouth resuscitation — a skill he picked up two decades ago as a teenage lifeguard — and the mother was rescued by firefighters. Both were treated at a hopsital and released.

the knicks are terrible right now...

it didn't used to be this way.

merry christmas to the ladies....

lardo is blowing up right now....

millard filmore (not a reader, but a friend) is on fire. this was the second "most viewed" story on yahoo right now. between One Dead, 450,000 in Dark After Icy Storm and Bush Accepts McCain's Ban on Torture.

for the readers...

or the horde (as i like to call you). big up all over yourselves.

cricket report: not since the west indies...

England equalled their heaviest defeat ever with a 165-run loss in the third one-day game as Pakistan's Kamran Akmal hit his second successive century.

Put in to bat, the hosts reached 353-6, the most ever conceded by England, with Akmal hitting 109 and Abdul Razzaq 50.

England's last defeat by such a margin was at the hands of West Indies in 1994.

sucks for h-life and k-dog in brooknon...

is this really going to happen? at least tomorrow will be warmer.

which one?

or





i think i'd take the caddy