NFL Divisional Playoff Preview: Sunday Posted by Mike Farley (01/17/2010 @ 7:00 am) 
Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings 1:00 pm ET TV—FOX Of any player that needed the bye week, you have to believe 40-year-old Brett Favre did the most. He might not say so, because in many ways, the man who had an incredible “comeback” season (4202 yards, 33 TDs, 7 picks) thinks he’s still 18. Dallas, meanwhile, has been on quite a roll ever since they upset the Saints in New Orleans in Week 15. They are playing lights out on both sides of the ball, and Tony Romo (whose boyhood hero growing up in Wisconsin was Favre) along with Jason Witten and Miles Austin are going to give the Vikings’ sixth ranked D all they can handle. On defense, the Cowboys rank ninth overall, and even though they are 20th against the pass, that’s skewed a bit because they terrorized Donovan McNabb for two weeks straight, and virtually shut down Drew Brees’ Saints for three quarters in that upset game. The Vikings will likely turn to all-world RB Adrian Peterson a bit more than usual, to try and soften Dallas’ front seven for Favre to take shots down the field with big receiver Sidney Rice and speedy rookie Percy Harvin. And pass rushing specialist Jared Allen will have fun chasing Romo all day. This one has all the makings of a classic, and it’s even more intriguing because these teams have not played each other since 2007. Upset? Don’t be surprised. THE PICK: COWBOYS 27, VIKINGS 20 
New York Jets at San Diego Chargers 4:40 pm ET TV—CBS Imagine a tug of war where the other team lets go of the rope halfway through the contest. That’s basically what happened to the Jets when the Colts pulled their starters in Week 16, and a 15-10 Colts’ lead turned into a 29-15 Jets’ upset. Since then, the Jets routed the Bengals 37-0, when Cincinnati also basically rested their players most of the game. But rookie head coach Rex Ryan doesn’t think his team had any advantage or luck or whatever, and he proved it last week when his Jets went into Cincinnati and upset the Bengals at full strength, and on the road, 24-14. That #1 defense of the Jets is no mirage, so Philip Rivers and that fifth ranked passing offense will really have their hands full. They do have LaDainian Tomlinson, but based on the fact the Chargers are ranked 31st in rushing offense, either LT or his supporting cast is not the same. So the Jets will likely try to stop Rivers, along with big receivers Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates first, but they can’t make the mistake of paying no attention to Tomlinson or the speedy change-up back, Darren Sproles. The Jets will try and use their top ranked run game to speed up the game, and with the Chargers ranked 20th against the run, they just might be able to do that a bit. What’s likely here is that the team which makes the most mistakes will lose. And the Jets are due for one of those games. THE PICK: CHARGERS 23, JETS 13 Posted in: NFL Tags: Adrian Peterson, Antonio Gates, Brett Favre, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Darren Sproles, Donovan McNabb, football, Fox, Indianapolis Colts, Jared Allen, Jason Witten, LaDainian Tomlinson, LT, Miles Austin, Minnesota Vikings, National Football League, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, NFL, NFL divisional playoffs, NFL Playoffs, Percy Harvin, Philadelphia Eagles, Philip Rivers, Rex Ryan, San Diego Chargers, Sidney Rice, Tony Romo, Vincent Jackson, Wisconsin
Couch Potato Alert: 6/5 Posted by Thomas Conroy (06/05/2009 @ 12:17 pm) This could be a weekend of “firsts.” Calvin Borel could become the first jockey to record a Triple Crown on two separate horses. With “The King of Clay” Rafael Nadal out of the picture, Roger Federer could capture his first Grand Slam championship at the French Open. And Kobe Bryant could be halfway home to his first NBA title without Shaq. All times ET… NBA Finals Sun, 8 PM: Orlando Magic @ Los Angeles Lakers (ABC) Stanley Cup Finals Sat, 8 PM: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Detroit Red Wings (NBC) MLB Sat, 4:10 PM: Philadelphia Phillies @ Los Angeles Dodgers (FOX) Sun., 1:30 PM: Texas Rangers @ Boston Red Sox (TBS) Sun., 8 PM: Philadelphia Phillies @ Los Angeles Dodgers (ESPN) French Open Fri, 5 AM: Women’s Semifinals (Tennis Channel) Fri, 10 AM: Men’s Semifinals (NBC) Sat, 9 AM: Women’s Finals (NBC) Sun, 9 AM: Men’s Finals (NBC) Horse Racing Sat, 5 PM: The Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park (ABC) Posted in: Couch Potato Alert, MLB, NBA, NBA Finals, NHL, Television, Tennis Tags: ABC, Boston Red Sox, Calvin Borel, Detroit Red Wings, Fox, Grand Slam, horse racing, King of Clay, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers, MLB, NBA Finals, NBC, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Penguins, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Shaq, Stanley Cup Finals, TBS, Texas Rangers, Triple Crown
Couch Potato Alert: 5/28 Posted by Thomas Conroy (05/29/2009 @ 1:30 pm) Hockey fans rejoice! The conference finals were a big yawn, but the Stanley Cup offers an intriguing matchup. Sid the Kid looks to dethrone Hockeytown and spoil the back-to-back title party being planned in the Motor City. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings were the preseason favorites to meet once again in the Cup finals, and both encountered a rough road back to this anticipated rematch. Oh, and the Lakers and Magic look to close out their respective series this weekend. All times ET… NBA Playoffs Fri, 9 PM: Los Angeles Lakers @ Denver Nuggets (ESPN) Sat, 8:30 PM: Cleveland Cavaliers @ Orlando Magic (TNT) Sun, 8:30 PM: Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Lakers *if necessary (ABC) Stanley Cup Finals Sat, 8 PM: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Detroit Red Wings (NBC) Sun, TBD: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Detroit Red Wings (NBC) MLB Sat, 4:10 PM: Minnesota Twins @ Tampa Bay Rays (FOX) Sun., 12:40 PM: New York Yankees @ Cleveland Indians (TBS) Sun., 8 PM: Los Angeles Dodgers @ Chicago Cubs (ESPN) French Open Fri, 5 AM: Opening Round Matches (Tennis Channel) Fri, 12 PM: Opening Round Matches (ESPN2) Sat, 5 AM: Opening Round Matches (Tennis Channel) Sat, 1:30 PM: Opening Round Matches (NBC) Sun, 5 AM: Round of 16 (Tennis Channel) Sun, 3 PM: Round of 16 (NBC) Posted in: Couch Potato Alert, MLB, NBA, NHL, Television, Tennis Tags: ABC, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Red Wings, ESPN, ESPN2, Fox, French Open, Hockeytown, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Twins, MLB, Motor City, NBA Playoffs, NBC, New York Yankees, NHL, Orlando Magic, Pittsburgh Penguins, Sid the Kid, Sidney Crosby, Stanley Cup, Stanley Cup Finals, Tampa Bay Rays, TBS, TNT
Couch Potato Alert: 5/24 Posted by Thomas Conroy (05/22/2009 @ 11:55 am) “Gentlemen, start your engines.” These four words begin one of the grandest traditions in auto racing, as the 93rd Indianapolis 500 will take place this weekend. The Old Brickyard has been home to some memorable finishes and characters that make this one of the marquee events on the racing season. The NBA Conference Finals are really heating up. Arguably, the four best players (LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard) in the league are fighting tooth and nail for a title. All four have shown the determination and drive needed to win a NBA crown. All times ET… NBA Playoffs Fri, 8:30 PM: Orlando Magic @ Cleveland Cavaliers (TNT) Sat, 8:30 PM: Los Angeles Lakers @ Denver Nuggets (ABC) Sun, 8:30 PM: Cleveland Cavaliers @ Orlando Magic (TNT) NHL Playoffs Fri, 8 PM: Detroit Red Wings @ Chicago Blackhawks (Versus) Sat, 7:30 PM: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Carolina Hurricanes (Versus) Sun, 3 PM: Detroit Red Wings @ Chicago Blackhawks (NBC) MLB Sat, 4:10 PM: Philadelphia Phillies @ New York Yankees (FOX) Sun., 1:30 PM: New York Mets @ Boston Red Sox (TBS) Sun., 8 PM: Milwaukee Brewers @ Minnesota Twins (ESPN) Auto Racing Sun, 1 PM: The 93rd Indianapolis 500 @ Indianapolis Motor Speedway (ABC) Tennis Sun, 5 AM: The French Open (ESPN2) Posted in: Couch Potato Alert, MLB, NBA, NHL, Television, Tennis Tags: ABC, Auto Racing, Boston Red Sox, Carmelo Anthony, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Red Wings, Dwight Howard, ESPN, ESPN2, Fox, Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, MLB, NBA Playoffs, NBC, New York Mets, New York Yankees, NHL Playoffs, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Penguins, TBS, The Old Brickyard, TNT, Versus
NFL and Comcast close to an agreement on cable distribution deal Posted by Thomas Conroy (05/17/2009 @ 8:31 pm) Sports Illustrated’s Peter King is reporting that the NFL is close to a deal with Comcast to begin offering the NFL Network on their cable television package. League officials hope to gain momentum with this current agreement and have it carry over to their upcoming negotiations for a new labor agreement with the players association.
King also added that the NFL is on the verge of reaching a two-year contract extension with FOX and CBS to continue broadcasting their Sunday game packages. Many feel that NBC will likely follow suit and agree to a similar deal for their Sunday evening game package sometime before the start of the season. Here is the breakdown of the potential agreement between the NFL and Comcast: NFL Network had been carried on a pay sports tier for Comcast’s 24-million subscribers, and the NFL for years has been arguing its channel should be on the regular digital cable package with the ESPNs and CNNs of the cable TV world. Now that is close to happening. The deal would mean that instead of paying about $7 per month for the channel and other pay-TV sports channels, Comcast subscribers will get NFL Network with its regular digital package — and it will increase the number of TV homes the Network is seen in from about 35 million to close to 50 million. More importantly, it could well pave the way for the NFL to make deals with other cable companies similarly chapped at the league’s demand for huge rights fees for a sports channel with only 24 hours of NFL regular-season game programming per year.
Many in the league office feared that without a wider distribution of the NFL Network, the owners would have moved to cease operations of the channel. They were getting frustrated with the lack of movement in their five-year battle against Comcast on the network’s distribution rights. The NFL will return to the negotiating table later this spring, as talks between the league and the NFL players association will begin on coming to a new collection bargaining agreement. Posted in: NFL, Television Tags: Cable TV, CBS, CNN, Comcast, ESPN, Fox, NBC, NFL, NFL Network, NFL Players Association, Peter King, Sports Illustrated
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