Pujols the MVP, Clausen, etc.

Greetings all... A bit scrambled in nature today...but alas, here we go...

• Albert Pujols wins the NL MVP... I haven't heard one person go a different way on this...and that went for the Writers as well as he wins unaminously... .327 batting, 47 HR, 135 RBI, 1.001 OPS...insane numbers...no argument needed
• Ben Roethlisberger to start this week... I'm a bit surprised by this one just b/c he has a large history of concussions now (one with the motorcycle crash, etc.)... I'd leave him out a week, but their only healthy QB is Dennis Dixon and that may be the issue...
• Wizards owner Abe Pollin dies at 85... tragic news out of the Nation's capital... by all accounts a good man, and a good owner... even having the distinction as the NBA's longest-tenured owner... RIP sir...
• I'm really enjoying college hoops already... is there anything better than Midnight EST tip-offs? Of relevant games? Arizona/Wisconsin was just fun last night...contrasting styles... "Styles make fights"....::laughter::
• A little NBA...we'll call it a roundup... has there ever been a worse player with better stats than Al Thornton? The much-maligned (by experts at least) Clippers forward ended up with 31 last night...He does nothing well btw....What's going on with the Bulls? Even with decent contributions from now-healthy Luol Deng and supposed increased depth, they've been pretty bad thus far (6-7) and Derrick Rose has shown little sign of improvement from last year (in fact, he's regressed)... issues abound... Stat of the Night (this one is for @imryan of twitter fame).... Andre Miller had a +30 rating last night... 12 points better than anyone in the Bulls/Blazers game... I chuckled when I saw this.. but he was 10/11 FT...
• One more NBA note... I've seen Joe Johnson in the top 6-7 of 3 different MVP "ballots" for the season so far...that's INSANE to me... he's the same guy he's been...he's been consistently good..not great... wanna know the key to the Hawks fast start? Josh Smith averaging 9+ rebounds (up from 7), 2.6 blocks (up from 1.6), and shooting 54% (up from 49%) and attempting ONE 3-point shot (at the end of the shot clock no less)...he's the key... and between him, Jamal Crawford (averaging 17 points a game in under 30 minutes), and Al Horford (14 pts, 10 boards, 2 blocks up from 12/9/1 last yr)....they're the reason
• Got nothing to do tonight? Watch OKC @ Utah (9 PM, NBA TV) or a very nice college basketball doubleheader (from Maui)... Maryland/Cincy @ 7:00 (ESPN) followed by the headliner (for me at least)... Gonzaga/Wisconsin @ 9:30... Watch some hoops son...