The benefits of never winning

As dutifully linked below by our good friend Kevin, the AP reported today that Pirates starting pitcher Ross Ohlendorf has found an unusual way to spend his uniquely long offseasons: by getting a real job.  Ohlendorf, a Princeton graduate, managed to snag an offseason (unpaid) internship with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, even in this tough economy.  In truth, Ohlendof's gig doesn't sound all that exciting (especially compared to, you know, professional sports).  As told by the AP, it sounds pretty much like what normal people do every day:

Ohlendorf . . . shares a small office with another USDA employee.  His work is mainly focused on animal identification—the nationwide tracking system intended to pinpoint an animal's location after a disease is discovered.

But being so unusually productive has Ohlendorf the talk of the Pirates' locker room.  Fellow pitcher Zach Duke, though not inclined to Ohlendorf's "geek[y]" ways, sounds like he may just jump on board:

"I'm kind of jealous of him after talking to him because he told me he's doing all this stuff, getting to meet people" like Michelle Obama. Duke said he's spending his own offseason "just kind of hanging out."

His current internship is apparently not Ohlendorf's only distraction from the Pirates, either—he also partners with his father in running the family's longhorn business, even managing its website during the season.  So, while Ohlendorf does take time "most days" to work out, you gotta ask:  Should the Pirates start pitching themselves as a part-time baseball team for those like Ohlendorf or Duke who may want to do more with their lives?  Had Ohlendorf been in the playoffs this year he never would have been able to interview for, let alone accept, his current job, which began in October.

And what a waste that would be for who Tim Kurkjian has described as the smartest player in baseball.  It's a good thing for Ohlendorf—and for the country—that there exists a team like the Pirates, who will never  bottle up too much of his time with one pursuit.

Reggaeton Birthday Parties Don't Come Cheap

And more vital information.....

Sammy Sosa apparently owes Dominican businessman Carim Abu Nabaa lots of money, including $10,000 "for getting Reggaeton singer Don Omar to perform at Sosa's 41st birthday party."  Not to worry, Sosa's financial troubles will end soon, as he has signed on to play the lead in the upcoming sequel to the 1995 hit film Powder.

Neely Tucker profiles college football guru Phil Steele in today's Washington Post.  Apparently the country's leading college football analyst has not attended a college football game in over 30 years.  The piece includes an awesomely creepy picture of Steele jumping on a trampoline with his daughter.

The collapsed real estate market has been rough on professional athletes.  This story really makes you feel for Tony Richardson, Keyon Dooling, and friends -- that is, until you remember that they all make millions of dollars.  Yeah, that must help. 

Last Thanksgiving, Jaguars reserve wide receiver Mike Sims-Walker considered quitting football following the tragic deaths of his best friend and his father.  Sims-Walker has emerged this season as one of the league's top wideouts for Jacksonville. 

Brady Quinn and Chinedum Ndukwe, former high school, college, and Bookstore Basketball teammates, will face each other Sunday for the first time since the practice fields at Notre Dame.

I include this article solely because of its hilarious headline and subheadline:
     
    Connection Formed Bond
    Belichick, Payton hooked up in '07

I'm very mature.

Pirates righty and Princeton grad Ross Ohlendorf is not your typical mediocre starting pitcher.

Amazing story out of Seattle: 80 year-old Bob Dolphin is running in Sunday's marathon.  It will be Bobs 456th marathon.  And he didn't run his first one until age 51.  This would make me feel bad about myself, but, luckily, I did 15 minutes on my Gazelle this morning.

Finally, legendary Yankees PA announcer Bob Sheppard officially retired Wednesday at age 99.  Sheppard's career with the Yankees stretched from DiMaggio to Melky, and his unforgettable voice introduced baseball to generations of Yankees fans.....

Links O'Plenty

For your Thanksgiving reading pleasure...

Allen Iverson announced his retirement from the NBA yesterday. I'm not sure what I find more amusing: the fact that Iverson announced his retirement on Stephen A. Smith's website or that Iverson wrote, "I still have tremendous love for the game, the desire to play, and a whole lot left in my tank. I feel strongly that I can still compete at the highest level." It sounds like Allen is very excited for retirement....

The usually annoying Bill Plaschke tells the moving story of USC running back Stafon Johnson's relationship with his mother in today's LA Times.

The great Joe Posnanski predicts which under-30 MLBers will make it to Cooperstown. I'm thankful for the fact that Posnanski excludes the odious Dustin Pedroia from the list.

The Daily News tells the sad story of ex-Knick Dean Meminger's battle with drug addiction.

Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick gives a candid interview to The Quad, the New York Times' excellent college sports blog. Swarbrick offers an interesting/troubling answer to a question about Notre Dame possibly joining a conference somewhere down the road.

The Washington Post has a lengthy, but interesting obituary on former Wizards and Capitols owner Abe Pollin.

Lastly, go Aggies....

The Buck List NFL Pick Off: Week 12

Green Bay (-11) at Detroit [Green Bay 34, Detroit 12]
John: Detroit (1)
Ryan: Green Bay (5)
Kevin: Green Bay (2)

Brilliant Prediction (Ryan): The Packers, winners of two straight, take their show on the road where winning streaks don't exactly go to die. It would take a Thanksgiving miracle for the Lions to cover much less win, with rookie Matthew Stafford nursing an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. Even if the gutsy Stafford manages to start, don't look for him under center by the second half against a Packers defense playing inspired football and a Lions offensive line yielding the 5th most sacks in the league. At least we'll get our fill of Fox's loveable robotic turkey. Take the Pack and change the channel.

Oakland (+13.5) at Dallas [Oakland 7, Dallas 24]
John: Oakland (4)
Ryan: Dallas (2)
Kevin: Oakland (1)

Brilliant Prediction (Kevin): Oakland’s offense looked much better last week with new starter Bruce Gradkowski at the helm in a win over the Bengals. Can the Raiders pull off another upset this week? Probably not, but the combination of Romo’s sore back and Oakland’s stellar cornerbacks should keep the game close.

NY Giants (-6) at Denver [New York 6, Denver 26]
John: Giants (2)
Ryan: Giants (1)
Kevin: Giants (3)

Brilliant Prediction (John): Kyle Orton will be back starting for Denver, but the reeling Broncos will need far more than Orton to keep up with a Giants team that, at least for a half, once again looked like a Super Bowl contender last week.  Don't get me wrong, Orton's had a fairly good season, but I'm pretty sure that the last time his return meant much of anything to a football team was in the fourth quarter of the 2004 Ohio State game.  And let's just say I'm not encouraged when Justin Tuck is out there saying things like this: "I eat every day; I am not worried about necessarily eating on Thanksgiving Day. Hopefully I get to eat some quarterbacks."  I made my mistake picking the Broncos last week (and oh what a mistake it was), so I'll atone for my sins this time around.

Tampa Bay (+12) at Atlanta [Tampa Bay 17, Atlanta 20]
John: Tampa (1)
Ryan: Atlanta (1)
Kevin: Atlanta (1)

Brilliant Prediction (Ryan): After an emotionally draining overtime loss to the Giants last week at the Meadowlands, the Falcons are 5-5 and officially in must-win mode. 12's a big number, but too many signs point to an Atlanta cover. Tampa Bay rookie quarterback Josh Freeman has yet to start a game outside of Florida, and the Georgia Dome -- which hasn't hosted the Falcons since November 8th -- should cause him some problems. The favorite in this rivalry is 5-1 against the spread in the last six meetings. Make it 6-1 after Sunday's matchup in Atlanta.

Red Sox Targeting Wrong Superstar

The New York Daily News reported today that the Boston Red Sox are “putting on a full court press” in an attempt to acquire Toronto ace Roy Halladay. To get the deal done, the Daily News speculated that the Sox would have to give up Clay Bucholz and top pitching prospect Casey Kelly. Despite that heavy price tag, the move seems like an obvious one for the Red Sox. Halladay, the American League’s premier pitcher over the last decade, would join Josh Beckett and Jon Lester to form baseball’s most formidable trio of starting pitchers.

But is a Halladay trade the best move the Sox could make this offseason? It would seem ridiculous to claim otherwise. Over the past two seasons, Halladay has won 37 games and posted a sub 2.80 ERA. Still, if the Sox want to trade away their top prospects for the immediate upgrade of a proven veteran, Theo Epstein and co should pursue a different American League star – Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera.

Cabrera offers greater value to the Red Sox in several ways. Despite finishing third in the American League in runs scored in 2009, the Sox need to upgrade their offense. Specifically, the Red Sox lack a fearsome power hitter in the middle of their lineup. Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, and Victor Martinez are all quite good, but they are not the type of players that opposing teams must account for and pitch around consistently. Most championship teams feature one or two monster hitters in the middle of their lineup. The 2004 and 2007 Red Sox had Manny and Ortiz. The Yankees have Teixeira and ARod. The Phillies have Utley and Howard. As valuable as Youkilis is, the Red Sox do not have a superstar, middle of the lineup, power hitter.

Cabrera would fill that void. For his career, Cabrera has produced the following 162 game averages: 33 HR, 117 RBI, .311 BA, .383 OBP, .542 SLG. The addition of Cabrera would elevate Boston’s offense to an elite level that is currently only occupied by the Yankees and the Phillies. Boston needs this type of offensive upgrade more than the boost Halladay would provide to the pitching staff. With Beckett and Lester at the top, the Red Sox have one of the most formidable starting rotations in baseball without Halladay. The offense – not the pitching staff – let the Red Sox down in their divisional series loss to the Angels. The Red Sox scored just one run in the first two games in Anaheim, paving the way for an Angels sweep.

The argument for Cabrera over Halladay strengthens when looked at from a long-term perspective. Halladay’s contract expires after the 2010 season, and any deal for Halladay will have to include a contract extension. Considering his resume, Halladay will command a Johan Santana/CC Sabathia type deal. The numbers will probably end up somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 million over five years. But Halladay, who turns 33 in May and has over 2,000 career innings pitched, has significantly more miles on him than Santana and Sabathia did when they signed their mega-deals. The Sox could get stuck paying 20 million a year for a pitcher on the downslide of his career.

Meanwhile, the 26 year-old Cabrera has just entered his prime years as a hitter and has six seasons and 126 million left on his deal. Cabrera’s contract will be up before he turns 34. Thus, if the Red Sox were to acquire Cabrera, they would not be on the hook for any of his post-prime years.

Cabrera does not come without baggage, though. In the final week of last season, with Detroit embroiled in a fierce divisional race, Cabrera was detained by police as a result of a drunken domestic dispute with his wife. The slugger has struggled with weight problems in the past. The Red Sox would have to keep a close watch on Cabrera, but the chance to acquire baseball’s best hitting talent not named Pujols greatly outweighs the risks. Plus, the Red Sox have some recent experience with a talented, but troubled slugger. And that worked out pretty well for them.

For the bored/Canadian: NHL Games to keep an eye on

It’s a big night in the NHL tonight, with every team but Columbus and Vancouver in action.   So for the hockey fan, there’s plenty to digest on Thanksgiving Eve, but you may want to look out for a few games in particular:

Game of the Night (Western Conference):  Chicago at San Jose.  Marian Hossa (off-season shoulder surgery) has been at practice for the past week and is expected to make his Blackhawks debut tonight.  He’ll apparently be thrown right into the Hawks’ top line alongside Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, forcing top-scorer Kane over to the left side of the ice.  No one questions  Hossa's talent, but that seems a curious move for a team that is already the hottest in the NHL (winners of seven straight).  Plus aren’t the Hawks worried that Hossa’s, ya know, curse will rub off on such impressionistic youngsters?  In any event, Hossa’s arrival makes an already exciting contest between the West’s top two teams all the more entertaining.  Good thing Versus will be showing St. Louis at Dallas instead.  
     [Update:  Well Hossa took no time reminding everyone why his summer signing was such a big deal and why yes, thank you very much, he does get to tell Patrick Kane which side of the ice to play on.  The Slovak scored two goals (including one of  Chicago's three shorthanded goals), and the Blackhawks steamrolled the NHL's top team 7-2 on the road.  It will be interesting to see how potent Chicago's offense remains (it's relatively common for new arrivals to flourish in their first few games), but if this is any indicator, the Western Conference may be in a load of trouble.]

Game of the Night (Eastern Conference): Buffalo at Washington.  The Sabres unexpectedly sit one point out of third place in the Eastern Conference, and the Capitals are tied with rivals Pittsburgh for the conference lead.  But both Buffalo and Washington have lost three straight and are steadily sliding down the ranks of the East.  So tonight’s game should be plenty competitive with each team (moderately) desperate to right its course heading into December.  The matchup also offers an interesting clash of styles, pitting the conference’s best offense (Washington) against its second best defense (Buffalo). 
    [Update:  The Capitals were somehow outshot by the Sabres (albeit only 25-24), but budding star Semyon Varlamov's first shutout of the season propelled the Caps to a 2-0 victory.  The Sabres have now been outscored 15-6 in their four-game losing streak, and you have to wonder if their surprising start will soon be nothing but a distant memory.  Alex Ovechkin scored his 17th goal of the season but was ejected in the third period for hitting Buffalo forward Patrick Kaleta from behind.  The match penalty was the second of Ovechkin's career, and with the frequency that Ovechkin leaves his feet during hits, he's probably fortunate that referees don't target him more often.]

Most Intriguing Game:  Carolina at Anaheim.  Two of last season’s better playoff teams currently find themselves sitting last and second to last in their conferences respectively.  For their part, the Canes have been injury plagued and may be finally turning things around, with seven points in their past five games.  Joni Pitkanen returned to the lineup on Saturday, and Eric Staal should be back tonight from a ten-game absence due to an “upper-body injury.”  But goalie Cam Ward (starter of 135 games over the past two seasons) remains out for at least another week after getting cut by Rick Nash's skate earlier this month.  Anaheim, on the other hand, may just be bad.  The Ducks have been relatively healthy, but have yet to earn points in three consecutive games this season.  It looks like J.S. Giguere’s gigantic equipment luck may have finally run its course, and replacement Jonas Hiller has struggled since a relatively hot start.  But can the Canes capitalize and win their first game on the road this year?  If they even want to sniff the postseason they’d better get moving, because 10 points behind 8th place Tampa Bay is an awfully big gap after two months of hockey. 
    [Update:  Carolina continues to confuse.  Despite having having scored the fewest goals in the league, the Hurricanes charged out of the gate, grabbing a 1-0 lead less than two minutes in.  But then they remembered they were playing on the road and quickly deteriorated.  Petterri Nokelainen scored his second goal of the season to put the Ducks ahead 2-1 in the third, and Teemu Selanne sealed their win with just over a minute to play.  After a late goal by Brandon Sutter, the Hurricanes ultimately fell 3-2, and they are now winless in their first twelve road games.  Maybe the Canes simply are destined for the cellar this year after all.  For their part, the Ducks played well in an early must-win, and Giguere was strong for the second game in a row.  So credit Anaheim for getting the upper hand in tonight's battle for relevance, but I have little faith that their aging roster can maintain any consistent success.] 

Default Viewing: Montreal at Pittsburgh.   Until the Penguins fade away, basically every game they play is worth watching just to see how long they can stay afloat with half a roster.  Sergei Gonchar, Evgeni Malkin, and Max Talbot recently returned to the Penguins, but they remain without Chris Kunitz, Tyler Kennedy, and half of their starting defensemen (Kris Letang, Alex Goligoski, and Jay McKee).  But somehow the Penguins have coasted on their hot start and kept pace with the East's elite—and without the typical contribution from captain Sidney Crosby.  So, I ask, how long can the champs do it?
    [Update:  Pittsburgh keeps humming along.  The Penguins outshot the Habs 30-19, and cruised to a 3-1 victory to stay with the Capitals atop the East.   Crosby contributed a goal and an assist and posted a +2 rating.   Following a career long five-game scoring drought earlier this month, Crosby may be regaining his stride with nine points in his last seven games.]

Around the NBA (Thanksgiving Break Edition)

Each week at The Buck List we'll do our best to steer you to all the most important goings on in the NBA.  In the spirit of the holidays, our inaugural Around the NBA will feature those things that TBL is currently most thankful for in the Association:

1. Trade rumors. Is Tracy McGrady really headed to the Knicks?  Do the Hornets want to dump cash despite their insistence to the contrary? Probably not, but the rumors still make the first couple months of the season a lot more fun to discuss.

2. Ron Artest.  We don't care what happened at Auburn Hills, Ron Artest should be everybody's favorite NBA player.  From yesterday's incredible shirtless appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live to pro sports' best Twitter account, there's little this guy does wrong.  Well, except for signing with the Lakers.

3. The Spurs. First for smacking down the Bucks last night to remind all of us that rookies are rookies, and yes defense still wins the day in the NBA.  Second for giving rise to this tremendous post over at Yahoo's Spurs blog Pounding the Rock.  The guys at Pounding the Rock map the Spurs' road to success in such a fantastically complicated and technical fashion that we wish we could see them chart out every team's past.

4. Greg Oden. Who else could have made getting dunked on so charming and funny? Twice

5. Nate Robinson. The two-time Slam Dunk champ continues to be one of the league's most outrageous players. With half a second remaining in the first quarter in the Knicks win over the Nets on Saturday, Robinson attempted and made a turnaround three on his own basket.  The shot didn't count, but Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni still exploded on Nate when he returned to the bench. Honestly, though, can you stay angry at someone who once did this?

6. The Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks, led by the talented trio of Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and Al Horford, are the surprise team of the young season. With a record of 11-3 and road wins over Boston and Portland, the Hawks have joined the Magic, Celtics, and Cavs as a fourth contender in the suddenly exciting Eastern Conference.

7. Premature comparisons. Is Brandon Jennings really the next Allen Iverson or is he actually just Flip Murray? Or is it Nick Van Exel? No one has any idea. So let's argue about it.

8. Steve Nash. For the first time since the ill-fated Shaq trade, the Suns are back as the league's most enjoyable team to watch, thanks to the stellar play of the 35 year-old Nash.  In addition to averaging 11.7 assists per game, Nash has turned several teammates on to the "Nash Diet,"which really just seems like a normal, healthy diet.

9. The New Jersey Nets. The 0-14 Nets make the Knicks look like the '95-'96 Bulls. And that makes us happy.  We hope that all the fair-weather Knicks fans who switched to the Nets in recent years are enjoying themselves now.

10. Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk and the Mavs are off to a 10-4 start.  More importantly, Dirk's golden locks look more ridiculous than ever.

Ryan's Den: Tuesday's Headlines

Here at TBL, we know you put in a long day at the office and can't possibly keep up with all that's fresh in the world of sports. Luckily, my cushy job and two computer monitors allow me to keep tabs on everything for you on one side, and pretend to be busy on the other. Suck it, job. Without further ado, take a leap into Tuesday's Ryan's Den:

Hanley Ramirez got screwed today. Pujols is the first player to win back-to-back MVP awards since the esteemed Barry Bonds. I'll let you guess what they have in common.

Another senseless act of violence at the hands of Bill Belichick. His victim this week? The feelings of suddenly sensitive Rex Ryan. At least he didn't cry this time. Maybe next offseason he won't be calling out a vengeful divisional rival that boasts the best quarterback and receiver of the past decade.

The NFL playoff race is officially upon us: Mike Lombardi at the National Football Post steals my idea and breaks down the playoff picture in both conferences with six weeks left in the season. Two primetime games, Giants at Broncos (Thursday) and Steelers at Ravens (Sunday), should shed a little more light on what currently stands as a murky playoff picture.

The Steelers have allowed 2 return touchdowns since you started reading this post.

Don't want to pick up the tab? Don't call a foul. This doesn't qualify as breaking news, but it is hilarious nonetheless. Tim Donaghy, ex-NBA official and convicted felon, goes into detail on how he and fellow referees used to pass the time. While, you know, getting paid to referee professional basketball games.

Are the Knicks overcompensating?

The New York Knicks are never short on critics; they may as well get royalties for the phrase "much-maligned."  So I'm typically hesitant to pile on them with the rest of the crowd—in fact I'm probably far quicker than most to defend the Knicks.  But the latest in the Knicks' ongoing series of blunders—namely, passing on Brandon Jennings in the 2009 draft and refusing to sign Allen Iverson after his release from the Grizzlies—have left me wondering:  Are the Knicks now so afraid of being the Knicks that they've done themselves in (again)?

For New Yorkers, the pain of the Knicks' recent history is that it has been a slow, steady accumulation of mistakes.  There's no one event so misguided as to stand out as the cause of their decline.  I suppose there rarely ever is a single moment that derails a franchise (maybe Herschel Walker for the World or passing on Michael Jordan), but it's the odd franchise indeed that can point to such a constant stream of gaffes as the Knicks.  After burying the payroll under contracts to Steve Francis, Penny Hardaway, and Stephon Marbury, sending two unprotected first round picks to Chicago for Eddy Curry (which became the numbers 2 and 9 picks in the 2006 and 2007 drafts), and becoming embroiled in a sexual assault scandal to boot, one can understand if the Knicks feel that they need a change of direction. 

And a change of direction is precisely what the Knicks have had.  For the past two seasons, Knicks fans have been told to wait; 2008 and 2009 will be bad, but they will be building blocks for the future, and the summer of 2010 will make it all worth it.  Isiah Thomas, who could draft unheralded talent but sure couldn't balance a checkbook, was excised.  James Dolan brought in Donnie Walsh who realized that redemption couldn't be bought in every off season—it had to be bought in the off season of the century.   So the Knicks displayed unusual resolve and launched a two-year assault on the Knicks' payroll to clear space ultimately for Lebron James (and maybe more) in the 2010 free agent market.  Contracts were jettisoned or otherwise allowed to wither away. And for once the Knicks seemed to be doing not only the difficult thing, but the right one.  The organization that once shelled out $30 million for a 30 year-old Jerome James finally realized that it had to pinch and save, sacrificing marginal success today for the prospect of real success tomorrow.

To a large extent Dolan and Walsh have the plan right, but in an ironic twist, they may have gone too far in exorcising the Knicks of old.  To be certain, gorging on the standard offseason fare would have been a tremendous mistake with 2010's offering of James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, et al. looming on the horizon.  But in scraping and saving for King James's contract, the Knicks forgot one crucial point:  the whole point of the plan is to win.  In what will be a stiff competition for James's services, that oversight might just sink the whole operation.  Indeed, New York dutifully ensured that they'd have all the money the Chosen One could want, but they failed miserably to put together the one asset that James may value the most: a team with championship potential.  I doubt it is easy to dump a decade's worth of bad contracts, get younger, and grow more competitive all at once.  But surely the Knicks realized that they'd need to spend at least some money to put together a reasonably competitive team.  Though spending nothing put the Knicks in the unique position of being able to potentially sign two of the biggest 2010 free agents, pitching that prospect to Lebron is nothing more than wooing him on a  contingency.  It's hard to say what exactly the Knicks should have done to suit their roster to James's eye (making a stronger play for Steve Nash might have been a start), but leaving Danilo Gallinari as James's primary running mate certainly wasn't it.  Looking at the Knicks current roster, and their current chances of landing James, one can't help but wonder if the organization is more interested in building a better team, or in "changing direction" no matter the cost. 

Titans 20 Texans 17: Vince Young Impresses, Apparently no Longer Suicidal

So apparently Vince Young is back. It's been only a year since the 3rd overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft was aimlessly navigating the streets of Nashville with his handgun and pondering the meaning of life. Since then, he has taken a temporary leave from the team, lost his job to a quarterback my grandfather grew up watching, and endured endless criticism from sportswriters who, without hesitation, have arrived at the conclusion that he is the next Ryan Leaf, only not as intelligent.

And yet Monday night, on a stage that was supposed to belong to Matt Schaub and a Texans team that finally seemed destined to shed the label of perennial playoff pretender, Vince Young, now 4-0 this season as the Titans starting quarterback, responded to every challenge, answered every score, and laid to rest any doubt that he is now the leader of his football team. Down by a touchdown twice in the first half, Young immediately answered with scoring drives of 80 and 75 yards to quickly hush the crowd of more than 70,000 fans in his native Houston. And with the score tied 17-17 and less than 3 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter, Young led Tennessee from their own 6 to set up Rob Bironas' third field goal of the night, the game winner, with under a minute to play.

Young, the former Texas Longhorn, exhibited tremendous poise and seemed comfortable in the pocket all evening, despite a persistent pass rush from Houston's front 7. He amassed 73 yards on the ground, but didn't seem anxious to tuck it and run, often connecting on short passes to tight ends Bo Scaife and Alge Crumpler (combined 6 catches and 56 yards). Of Young's 11 rushes, 7 of them were for first downs, 3 of those 7 on third down, and 6 of them in the 2nd half when yards for both teams were at a premium.

While the Tennessee quarterback's statistics through the air weren't gaudy (12/22, 116 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT) Young was without question the Titans' most valuable player. Head coach Jeff Fisher will tell you that the only number his club cares about heading into Week 12 is 0, which is the number of losses they've endured after starting 0-6 and replacing journeyman quarterback Kerry Collins with a noticeably reenergized and refocused Vince Young.

Incidentally, it's the same number of games they can afford to lose if they hope to return to the AFC playoffs for the third consecutive season.

After tonight's performance in Houston, who's counting out Vince Young? We've made that mistake before.

The Buck List NFL Pick Off: Week 11

Welcome to the first installment of a series that is sure to continue for many, many moons -- The Buck List NFL Pick Off. First,we must go over a few ground rules. Listen carefully, as I don't plan on repeating myself. The three of us each have a total of 30 units to wager on the week's games, and each contestant must bet at least one unit on each game. (Note: The Carolina-Miami game will not be included this week because, well, it already happened). We will keep track of our winnings as the year progresses, and the overall season champion will be awarded a twenty dollar gift certificate to the Flea Market Montgomery. Have at it:

Indianapolis (-2) at Baltimore  [Result: Indianapolis 17, Baltimore 15 (push)]

John: Indianapolis (2 units)

Ryan: Indianapolis (1 unit)

Kevin: Baltimore (1 unit)

Brilliant Prediction (Ryan): The Ravens were my preseason pick to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, but since then they've been curiously average on defense, particularly against the pass (13th in the NFL). I don't expect them to perform much better against Peyton Manning and an offense that leads the NFL in passing, averaging more than 300 yards per game. Baltimore needs this game, but no more than they needed it this past Monday night when they managed only 270 yards of total offense against the woeful Browns.

Washington (+10.5) at Dallas  [Washington 6, Dallas 7]

John: Washington (1)

Ryan: Washington (1)

Kevin: Washington (1)

Brilliant Prediction (Ryan): Dating back to 2006, 4 of the last 5 meetings between these two teams have been decided by less than a touchdown. Question marks surround a suddenly lifeless Cowboys offense which narrowly avoided being shutout last Sunday in Lambeau while Washington is coming off a rare win at home over the Broncos. It wouldn't surprise me to see the Cowboys get back on track in their first home game in over a month, but it's hard to take them to win by more points than they scored against an ordinary Packers defense. The Redskins are bad, but their defense is playoff caliber and they won't roll over in a rivalry game at Jerry World. Cowboys win -- Skins cover.

Cleveland (+4) at Detroit [Cleveland 37, Detroit 38]

John: Detroit (3)

Ryan: Detroit (1)

Kevin: Detroit (3)

Brilliant Prediction (Ryan): The Lions and Browns are bad. The Browns' defense performed admirably on national television against the Ravens and will keep this game close early, but if the offense can't stay on the field for more than 20 minutes, Calvin Johnson and the Lions will eventually capitalize. I'll lean towards the team whose playbook consists of a play where the receiver runs more than 7 yards downfield: Lions -4.

San Francisco (+6.5) at Green Bay  [San Francisco 24, Green Bay 30]

John: San Francisco (1)

Ryan: Green Bay (2)

Kevin: San Francisco (1)

Brilliant Prediction (Ryan): No one really knows what to make of the Packers thus far this season. Two Sundays ago they yielded 38 points in what may result in Tampa Bay's only win of the season, only to follow it up with a simply dominant performance against a Cowboys team who many had pegged as the most complete team in the NFC. This week they play host to a San Francisco team who has lost 4 of 5, their only win coming last Thursday courtesy of Jay Cutler and 5 gift-wrapped interceptions. Somehow the Niners still only managed 10 points in a tight 4 point victory. Take the Packers and the points in a low scoring game at Lambeau.

Buffalo (+9) at Jacksonville  [Buffalo 15, Jacksonville 18]

John: Buffalo (4)

Ryan: Buffalo (1)

Kevin: Jacksonville (1)

Brilliant Prediction (Kevin): This game bores me. I'll go with the team that isn't starting Ryan Fitzpatrick at QB.

What now for Notre Dame football?

Everyone else is in the world is writing about it, so we might as well get this blog moving by wildly speculating about Notre Dame's search for a football coach. We of course have no inside information, but we sure do like to predict things. Because I am the smartest, I will go first:

1. Charlie Weis, whether officially or not, is done at Notre Dame. There is nothing left to save his job; even improbable wins against UConn and Stanford won't remedy his losing record over the past three seasons (he's currently 16-19), his nearly .200 lower winning percentage at Notre Dame Stadium than Bob Davie, or his back-to-back losses to Navy at home (with an even more dismal home loss to Syracuse sandwiched in between). So Jack Swarbrick can dance all he wants around when his "decision" on Weis's future will be made, but let's face it, Weis has already started packing his office.

2. If Notre Dame loses tomorrow against UConn, Weis's departure will be announced by Sunday. This is a little more controversial, and it contradicts Jack Swarbrick's earlier insistence on waiting until the close of the season to evaluate Weis's future, but I think it's true. Swarbrick recently admitted that the "evaluation process" (read: coaching search) began weeks ago, and he has hedged on when exactly the final decision on Weis will be made. Since at least the Pitt loss, that search has to have been moving moving in full gear. An announcement Sunday after a loss on Saturday just confirms the inevitable and allows the program to move on as quickly as possible. Notre Dame has never fired a coach midseason before, but Ty Willingham's midcontract firing was also a first.

3. Bob Stoops will be Weis's replacement. I confess this one is 85% wishful thinking and 15% honest belief, but as long as there's nothing definite to go on, I'm clinging to it. First, the reasonable field of candidates has to be roughly: Stoops, Brian Kelly, Jon Gruden, Urban Meyer, Kirk Ferentz, and maybe Chip Kelly. There's no real reason to doubt ESPN's and Peter King's insistence that Gruden won't be coaching next year, so he's out. I think pure rationality has to count out Urban Meyer, too (despite whatever love he has previously professed for Notre Dame or what Bodog thinks about the subject). I'd want nothing more than Meyer to replace Weis, but I just can't believe he'd leave what he's got working for him in Florida. So that leaves Brian Kelly and Bob Stoops as the next most likely targets. I think Notre Dame can get Brian Kelly if they want him -- no matter what facilities Cincinnati recently built him, he simply can't turn down the prestige of a job like Notre Dame. So I think the search ends there and there's no need to even talk about Ferentz, Chip Kelly, or anyone else really (assuming Notre Dame is interested in hiring Brian Kelly, which without concrete information otherwise, I see no reason to doubt).

That still leaves Stoops, who you have to assume Notre Dame prefers over Kelly. (Hell, they might prefer him over even Meyer.) But can Notre Dame lure him away? By all accounts Stoops has leveraged a massive contract out of OU, so unlike for someone like Kelly, I doubt that Notre Dame can do it on money alone. And the prestige is less potent here, too -- while becoming the next head coach of the Fighting Irish is no small gig, in college football today, it's really just a lateral move from Oklahoma. As long as Texas Tech or Oklahoma State don't start to disrupt the annual divide of Texas's best high school football players between OU and UT, recruiting is probably easier in Oklahoma, too (and you at least don't have to travel as widely).

But why then?