I love this old clip of Chad Ochocinco Johnson from HBO’s “Hard Knocks” several years ago. We get a glimpse of how financially illiterate some pro athletes can be, as Marvin Lewis tries to explain to Chad how banks work.
Then at the end we learn that Johnson basically lives off of McDonald’s food. But anyone over the age of 30 knows that you can get away eating this stuff when you’re young and burn tons of calories, but as you get older you need to start eating better. As a pro athlete, Johnson clearly could handle fast food with all the calories he burns, but now he’s getting older as well. He’s fighting the perception that he’s lost a step, and I’d love to know if he still eats garbage every day.
Saturday, 3:30 PM: No. 4 Duke vs. Michigan, ESPN Saturday, 1:30 PM: No. 5 Gonzaga vs. Indiana Saturday, 4 PM: Ohio State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame, ESPNU Sunday, 6 PM: No. 21 Florida vs. Florida State, ESPN Full Court
College Football
Saturday, 12 PM: Navy vs. Army, CBS Saturday, 1 PM: No. 17 Boston College vs. No. 25 Virginia Tech-ACC Championship Game, ABC Saturday, 4 PM: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Florida-SEC Championship Game, CBS Saturday, 4:30 PM: No. 5 USC vs. UCLA, ABC Saturday, 8 PM: No. 20 Missouri vs. No. 2 Oklahoma-Big 12 Championship Game, ABC
NBA
Friday, 8 PM: Portland Trail Blazers vs. Boston Celtics, ESPN Friday, 10:30 PM: Toronto Raptors vs. Utah Jazz, ESPN Saturday, 9 PM: Utah Jazz vs. Phoenix Suns Sunday, 1 PM: Portland Trail Blazers vs. Toronto Raptors, NBA-TV
NFL
Sunday, 1 PM: Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants, Fox Sunday, 4:15 PM: Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, Fox Sunday, 8:15 PM: Washington Redskins vs. Baltimore Ravens, NBC
NHL
Friday, 8:30 PM: Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars Saturday, 2 PM: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa Senators Saturday, 10 PM: Edmonton Oilers vs. San Jose Sharks
Boxing
Saturday, 9 PM: Oscar De La Hoya vs. Manny Pacquiano, HBO PPV
U.S. Open semifinals and finals The men’s semifinals start at 12:00 PM ET on Saturday and the women’s final takes place at 8:00 PM ET that evening. The men’s final will take place on Sunday, starting at 4:00 PM. All matches will be broadcast on CBS. Here’s the TV schedule and Christopher Glotfelty’s preview of the matches.
San Diego State at Notre Dame Both programs are reeling, hanging on for dear life, and just trying to find players to line up on the field. The Irish are on a roll, sort of, coming into this year’s opener with a modest two-game winning streak from last season. SDSU is coming off an embarrassing home-opening loss to Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo, which was their second home loss to the Mustangs in three seasons. This contest will played on Saturday in front of a nationally-televised audience on NBC at 3:30 PM ET.
Miami at Florida This prime-time matchup used to be circled on the calendar of all college football fans as a must-see game with the winner gaining the advantage in the battle for the top recruits from the state of Florida. But times have changed; the Canes are coming off a 5-7 season, and just trying to get the program back on its feet. Oddly enough, Miami has a 12-8 all-time record at “The Swamp.” Tune in Saturday night at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN for another chapter in this in-state rivalry. [Official Smack Talk Thread]
Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers Less than a week ago, the Dodgers seemed to be free falling in the NL West pennant race. They lost 9-3 in the opener of a three-game series in Arizona, and things didn’t look good with the Diamondbacks starting Dan Haren and Brandon Webb that weekend. But the Dodgers turned their season around by scoring 13 runs against the Arizona’s top two pitchers and were able to win both games. The rematch is set for this weekend at Dodger Stadium, with Friday night’s game on ESPN and Saturday’s contest on Fox’s regional baseball telecast.
Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns You could call this encounter “The Battle of the Media Darlings.” With five prime-time games this season, the Browns are trying to prove that their 10-6 record last season was no fluke. They play host to the Cowboys, who seem to be everyone’s fashionable Super Bowl pick. And if you’ve been watching “Hard Knocks” on HBO, you know that the Boys’ roster depth has taken a big with several pre-season injuries. Dallas fans shouldn’t be concerned, however, as every one of their 13 Pro Bowlers will be in uniform on Sunday. Check your local Fox listings to see if they are televising this game at 4:00 PM ET. [Anthony Stalter’s preview of the game.]
