1/29: Tiger, etc.

Greetings! My apologies on missing Monday... let's get it going!

• I'll go ahead and apologize because I have to lead with this because I bleed maize and blue. The Michigan Wolverines are the #1 team in the country when it comes to college hoops. I'm fully aware that this is arbitrary, and a single loss to Indiana on Saturday (very possible, maybe likely) will send them spiraling down the poll, but I'm going to enjoy this while I can. Go Blue. 
• Tiger Woods won for the eighth time at Torrey Pines yesterday, winning by 4 shots over Brandt Snedeker. It's really nice to see him actually dominate something, and even though it's a course he loves, it's blindly encouraging. He. Is. Coming.
• In the midst of the Lakers explosion, Rondo's ACL, and never-ending rumors surrounding Rudy Gay and Josh Smith, the NBA trade market is heating up! The aforementioned Gay is the subject of the most "substantial" talks as Toronto is reportedly in discussions to grab him from the Grizz. Don't believe anything until it's done. 
• In actual on-court news, Golden State toppled Toronto 114-102, but it wasn't without incident. Steph Curry left the game early with an injury (to his ankle again!) and Andrew Bogut returned from his season-long absence to notch 12 points, 8 boards, and 4 blocks in just 24 minutes. They are nothing if not entertaining. Memphis went into Philly and snuck out with a 103-100 win behind 27 and 7 from Marc Gasol, 26 from Rudy Gay, and 21 points & 9 assists from Jerryd Bayless in the absence of Mike Conley. Evan Turner put up 27 for Philly, but they continue to struggle without Bynum. Denver eeked by Indiana 102-101 in the Pepsi Center in the best game of the night. Danilo Gallinari led all scorers with 27, but the Nuggets basically had to hang on for dear life in the 4th quarter to get the win. And finally, Houston went on the road and crushed Utah 125-80 in Salt Lake. No, that's not a misprint, and the Rockets ran them out of their own building. James Harden led the scoring with 25 but it was a balanced effort, and Houston killed them on the glass and in turnover margin. Shocking result. 
• In college hoops, Kansas won their 18th straight game with a 61-56 win in Morgantown over West Virginia. It was somehow the two schools' first ever meeting, and Kansas managed to win despite just 7 field goal attempts from Ben McLemore. Nice. Elsewhere, Louisville broke their losing trend with a 64-61 win over Pitt. Russ Smith had 20 for the Cardinals, and Gorgui Dieng added 14 points & 12 boards.

What to watch for on Tuesday... 

• 7:00 - NCAAB - Wisconsin @ #11 Ohio State (ESPN) - The fact that Wisconsin is unranked is the biggest travesty of the polls, and Bo Ryan is my hero. That said, going to Columbus and winning would be a feat. 
• 7:00 - NCAAB - #19 NC State @ Virginia (ESPN2) - Virginia will slow the game to a halt and they have a real chance at home. 
• 9:00 - NCAAB - Kentucky @ #16 Ole Miss (ESPN) - Remember when Kentucky would've been favored here? I do, but Ole Miss is a veteran team and they should take care of business at home in Oxford. 
• 10:30 - NBA - Hornets @ Lakers (NBATV) - Yay! More Lakers! (sarcasm font)

Enjoy!

Weekend Viewing Guide (1/26 - 1/27)

Greetings! It's Friday, and that means we're almost to the weekend. Let's take a look at what is on deck for this weekend in the sports world. As always, we're in chronological order!

SATURDAY

• 11:00 am - NCAAB - #3 Syracuse @ Villanova (ESPNU) - This is a brilliant start time by the decision makers in Philly. Could have a sluggish Syracuse team in a raucous building. 
• Noon - NCAAB - #5 Louisville @ Georgetown (ESPN) - This isn't your older brother's Georgetown, but they do have Otto Porter, and they'll be ready to go in this one. Louisville has been pretty inconsistent lately, and this is a tough spot. 
• 1:00 - NCAAB - Maryland @ #1 Duke (CBS) - Duke probably won't be #1 after this weekend thanks to a mid-week loss, but the Blue Devils and Terrapins always play big-time battles and the crowd hates Maryland. 
• 2:00 - NCAAB - #12 Minnesota @ Wisconsin (BTN) - It's a travesty that Wisconsin isn't ranked, and this should be an utter battle in Madison. What a gauntlet of a league. 
• 4:00 - NCAAB - Oklahoma @ #3 Kansas (ESPN) - Ben McLemore!!!!!
• 6:00 - NCAAB - Temple @ #9 Butler (ESPN2) - It's weird to me that this is a conference game and not a "Bracket-Buster" match-up, but it's still nice. Butler dropped a mid-week game to LaSalle so the luster is off of them a bit, but they're still a legit top-20 team. 
• 7:00 - NBA - Bulls @ Wizards (WGN) - God Bless WGN for being national and giving us extra NBA options, even if they involve the not-so-fan-friendly Chicago Bulls. Ideally, this would be a Wall vs. Rose match-up, but we'll settle for Nate Robinson and company.
• 7:00 - NCAAB - North Carolina @ #18 NC State (ESPN) - Big-time rivalry. Is there a more enigmatic team than NC State? They beat Duke soundly, but then allowed 86 points to lowly Wake Forest, and their defense is dreadful at times. UNC isn't their typical roster, but this will be competitive and high-level. 
• 8:00 - NCAAB - #8 Florida @ Mississippi State (ESPN2) - Mississippi State stinks, but it's still a conference road game. That's all I have. 
• 9:30 - NBA - Pacers @ Jazz (NBA-TV) - This is an awesome game for the NBA die-hard. Two quality teams who aren't "public teams", but this one is a battle. Roy Hibbert and David West against Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap (with Derrick Favors, too) will be fun, but I'd imagine the winner will be whoever wins the back-court match-up. 

SUNDAY

• 1:00 - NBA - Heat @ Celtics (ABC) - Now that football is (almost) over, we get treated to our first ABC Sunday slate! Boston is scuffling a bit right now, but Rondo is always better in these national TV games, Pierce hates Miami, and Garnett is Garnett. Plus, Lebron is playing. Done and done. 
• 1:00 - NCAAB - #13 Michigan State @ #7 Indiana (CBS) - If you are a college hoops fan moreso than the NBA, this is for you. A top-15 match-up between Big 10 powers on national TV. Enjoy. 
• 3:30 - NBA - Thunder @ Lakers (ABC) - Remember when this was supposed to be the Western Conference Finals preview?! This game will still draw ratings, but it'll be to watch the trainwreck that is LA right now. At least OKC will get to utilize the Dwight stopper in Kendrick Perkins. Woohoo. 
• 6:00 - NCAAB - #2 Michigan @ Illinois (BTN) - Really tough game for Michigan. Illinois is yet another Big 10 team that should be ranked, and the Wolverines are likely playing for the #1 ranking in the country here. Trey Burke vs. Brandon Paul? Nice. Go Blue. 
• 6:30 - NBA - Hawks @ Knicks (ESPN) - ESPN picked this one up really late, but I'm excited. Atlanta visits MSG and even with the weird start time, they get primary focus. My question is this, however: Who is supposed to guard Carmelo Anthony and JR Smith? Eesh.
• 7:00 - NFL - 2013 Pro Bowl (NBC) - I would never, ever watch this game, but I know football diehards might. I still hate that it's the week before the Super Bowl, but then I catch myself not caring again. 

This is a tremendous hoops weekend, so as an appetizer for the Super Bowl in a week, enjoy it!

1/25: Upton, All-Star Rosters Announced, etc.

Greetings! Let's get it going... First with big news!

• Justin Upton is an Atlanta Brave. Frank Wren and company shipped the beloved Martin Prado, along with Randall Delgado, Zeke Spruill, Nick Ahmed, and Brandon Drury to the D-Backs for Justin Upton and 3B Chris Johnson. I won't write an extensive recap of this one because it's been done everywhere else (here's an insider-only gem from Keith Law) but I love the deal. It's tough to give up Prado's versatility, but with his pending free agency, you're only giving up one year of control in exchange for three of Upton. There's an argument that Prado was as good or better than Upton last year, but it was a really, really down season from Upton coupled with the best of Prado's career. I think it's reasonable to suggest that Upton is better, and even significantly better, than Prado overall and when you add in the extra contract years, it's a steal. Wren also managed to hold on to both Julio Teheran and JR Graham in the deal (which is crazy), and while Delgado had been solid for Atlanta, he's a low-ceiling guy that probably won't haunt the Braves. Also in the deal, Atlanta acquires another option for 3B in Chris Johnson. He's a solid hitter from a statistical perspective, but his glove is awful so it's going to be ugly on defense between him and Francisco. That said, he's a valuable piece and shouldn't be forgotten in the deal. All hail Frank Wren. And oh, did I mention that the Braves have BJ Upton, Justin Upton and Jason Heyward for at least 3 more years?!?
• The NBA All-Star reserves were announced last night on TNT. For my extended thoughts you can click here (my full roster selections) or here (for my thoughts on "snubs" over at Soaring Down South), but I'll say this. They did a reasonable job. The Western selections were perfectly reasonable, and there was only one really egregious choice in the East. That was Luol Deng. I'm actually a big Deng fan in general, and I've always felt that his contributions are underrated, but he didn't deserve to be there based on any statistical measure. His 15.25 PER is basically league average (and good for a whopping 63rd in the Eastern Conference) and while he's 32nd in both EWA (estimated wins added) and VA (value added), that is basically a result of solid play over a league-leading 40 minutes per game. At 17 points and 6 boards a game with good defense, I'm not crapping on Deng at all, but I can't see an argument for him over Brook Lopez, Paul Pierce, or Al Horford. Forgive me, Chicago.
• Speaking of the NBA, there were 3 games on the agenda last night. The Knicks went into Boston and stole a 89-86 win in the TNT opener. Melo led the way with 28 points and 9 boards, but it was the Knicks D that won the game, holding Boston to 41% FG and 17% from the three on the night. Rajon Rondo had a 23/10/11 triple-double for Boston, but it wasn't enough. Later, Phoenix upset the Clippers 93-88 behind 24/8/5 from Goran Dragic. The Clips finally seemed to miss Chris Paul as they shot just 40% against a bad defensive opponent, and just couldn't generate offense outside of Jamal Crawford's gunning. No reason to panic though. In the non-TV game, Toronto went on the road and beat Orlando 97-95. Amir Johnson (21 and 10) and Demar Derozan (21 points) were the studs for the Raptors.
• On the college hardwood, #6 Arizona was upset by UCLA at home 84-73. The Bruins blitzed them early and then managed to keep their distance down the stretch. Lottery pick Shabazz Muhammed had 23 points for UCLA and David Wear added 15/8 off the bench. In the other upset of the night, VCU lost on the road at Richmond 86-74 in overtime. You don't see too many 12-point losses in OT, but VCU just couldn't execute in the extra period. Kendall Anthony scored 26 points including 5 triples off the bench for the Spiders in the upset win. 
• Name changes in the NBA! New Orleans formally announced their name change to the Pelicans effective next season, and with that... Charlotte petitioned for the possibility of acquiring back the Hornets! Everybody wins!

What to watch for on Friday...

• 7:30 - NBA - Celtics @ Hawks (SportSouth) - It's always fun when these two get together. Boston is coming off of a back-to-back and traveling in so that's an advantage for Atlanta.
• 8:00 - NBA - Spurs @ Mavs (ESPN) - The battle of Texas. It's a shame that Dallas is scuffling, but they could rise up and win here.

Enjoy!

1/24: Alive and Well

In the aftermath of the disaster that was Sunday afternoon in the Georgia Dome, I'm sure my absence wasn't surprising, but here we are again. Let's get to it, in a hurry....

• #1 Duke got blasted last night in Miami by a shocking 90-63 result. In a way of wrapping this into a small bow, Miami shot 57% from the field including 9-19 on threes, held Duke to under 30% from the field and 4 of 23 on threes, and out-rebounded the Blue Devils 44-39. Done and done. I wouldn't indict Duke based on this loss, because it's college hoops and going on the road is troublesome always. 
• The other upset in college hoops was much more surprising actually. #9 Butler fell at the hands of La Salle 54-53. The Bulldogs had been playing out of their minds, but again, going on the road in-conference is no small task, and they couldn't avoid the upset bug.
• The Lakers are an unmitigated disaster. More losses, more trouble (including "reports" that Kobe went after Dwight last night), and Howard got injured again in last night's 106-93 loss to Memphis. Just another day in LA!
• Justin Upton... Atlanta Brave? We've been here before with reports of a "close" deal, but never like this. Julio Teheran and more would be headed to Arizona, but dreams of an Upton-Upton-Heyward outfield for three years make up for that loss. Hopefully, this will be done today.

What to watch for on Thursday...

• 7:00 - NCAAB - Purdue @ #2 Michigan (ESPN) - Go Blue.
• 7:00 - NBA - Raptors @ Magic (League Pass) - I'm only putting this here to remind you that League Pass is free this week. That's the only reason.
• 8:00 - NBA - Knicks @ Celtics (TNT) - Boston is in turmoil, but these two teams always play entertaining battles. 
• 9:00 - NCAAB - UCLA @ #6 Arizona (ESPN) - Really, really nice Pac-12 game, and the fact that it's on the Worldwide Leader makes it more interesting.
• 10:30 - NBA - Clippers @ Suns (TNT) - Who's idea was it to put the Nash-less Suns on TNT?
• 11:00 - NCAAB - BYU @ #10 Gonzaga (ESPN) - One of the better games in the WCC this season. Brandon Davies is worth watching for BYU. 

Enjoy!

2013 NFC/AFC Championship Game Preview

Greetings! Sunday is a huge day for the city of Atlanta, so even though I'm on the road (I don't want to talk about it), you knew I had to break down both games with some thoughts on each. Let's go!

AFC - Ravens @ Patriots (-9)

• Where are the advantages for Baltimore? Off the top of my head, they have the better running back (Ray Rice), maybe the better secondary, and the better kick returner in Jacoby Jones. Did you notice that it isn't easy to find advantages? New England's offense is leaps-and-bounds better with three pass catchers (Welker, Lloyd, Hernandez) that I'd rather have than anyone on Baltimore and that's without Gronk in the lineup. The Pats offensive line is better than Baltimore's, and while the front sevens may be semi-comparable, Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs are certainly not RAY LEWIS AND TERRELL SUGGS (capital letters) anymore. If you look at DVOA rankings (Football Outsiders' metric to cover NFL "units"), New England has the huge advantage offensively (1st to 13th), a virtual push defensively (12th to 10th), and a virtual tie in special teams (3rd to 5th) because New England's coverage units are tremendous. Advantage, Pats.
• The coaching match-up is really interested. John Harbaugh has one of the best records and playoff records of any young coach ever... but he's facing Bill Belichick. Sorry, Ravens fans. You usually have the big edge here, but not on Sunday.
• Joe Flacco. We've now seen the "good" Flacco emerge as the Ravens put up 38 points in Denver against an elite defense. He's the unquestioned X-factor because he can either be abjectly terrible, or, if he plays like he did on Sunday, he could carry them to a win. The Ravens O-line is playing at a high level now with their new look (Oher at RT, McKinnie at LT), but this one's on Flacco offensively. Oh, and it would be a great idea to not avoid your top-3 running back.
• Tom Brady is on the New England Patriots. I'm fully aware that I'm in the tank for guy to the point where my objectivity is even in question. I grasp that. With that said, there's no scenario where I could ever pick Joe Flacco (!) on the road in a must-win against Tom Brady. That's insane, and I don't care what anyone else says. 
• The Pick - New England 34, Baltimore 23

NFC - 49ers @ Falcons (+4 or +4.5)

• Yep. We're here. For the first time in their history, the Atlanta Falcons will host the NFC Championship game. And of course, San Francisco is the biggest road favorite in the history of this round in the NFL playoffs. Seems about right.
• Falcons offense vs. 49ers defense - Matt Ryan is one of the 10 best quarterbacks in football. The list of guys I'd rather have for a game today (all things equal) than Matt Ryan is as follows: Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger (healthy), and maybe Russell Wilson. That is the entire list, and yes, I'm aware that RGIII, Luck, Cam, Romo, and Eli aren't on it. Sue me. That said, this 49ers defense is stout. They were 3rd in total yards allowed, 4th in passing yards allowed, 4th in rushing yards, and 2nd in points allowed per game. That is scary good, and while they haven't looked "dominant" in absence of a healthy Justin Smith, it's still probably an advantage for San Francisco. The big key to Atlanta's offense against Seattle was balance, and it may take another big-time effort from Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rodgers here. Keep an eye on Aldon Smith, San Fran's all-pro pass rusher, who's been bottled up for about a month now. If he gets loose, it's trouble. 
• Falcons defense vs. 49ers offense - This is the real X-factor me. Which Colin Kaepernick are we getting? The guy who went crazy against Green Bay with nearly 200 rushing yards and four touchdowns, or the guy who didn't complete 60% of his passes ONCE during the final month of the season, and hadn't ran for more than 53 yards since December 2nd. Mike Nolan will be up to the challenge, but the personnel for Atlanta simply isn't as good as SF's. The Niners O-Line may be the best in football, and Frank Gore will be rested and ready to rock. If Atlanta can keep Kaepernick's legs under wraps, this may be a "push", but that's the biggest hope.
• Special Teams - Neither unit is particularly stout. San Francisco is 18th in DVOA on special teams, and Atlanta is 20th. Neither team is particularly explosive in kick returns, but the edge for San Fran will come in the punting game. Ted Ginn is above-average in the return game, and San Francisco punter Andy Lee led the league in net punting. On the bright side for Atlanta, Matt Bryant made 33 of 38 kicks on the season to just 29 of 42 from David Akers. Akers has been around forever, but he's been a weak link this year, and Bryant gets the edge there.
• Other than Kaepernick being the obvious X-factor, I think this game is fairly even. San Francisco is the better team on paper, but you can't ignore the fact that a) Atlanta is at home where Matt Ryan and Mike Smith have an insane winning percentage, and b) Colin Kaepernick has nine career starts. NINE! If he hadn't put together an admittedly incredible 60 minutes against Green Bay, the entire world would be touting him as "unproven" and he'd receive no credit. What's different now after one game? 
• With all of that said, there's not a statistical argument to pick Atlanta, even at home, and while I think they have a legitimate chance (40-45%?) to win this game, I have to take San Francisco as an analyst. 
• The Pick - San Francisco 27, Atlanta 24

Enjoy the slate, and Go Falcons.

Viewing Guide! (1/17 - 1/20)

Greetings! Because I will be traveling this weekend with limited access, I went ahead and got two things together. First, I'm presenting a viewing guide that will cover Thursday-Sunday and what you should be on the look-out for, and of course, they are in chronological order. Then (posting Friday), I will break down the NFC/AFC Championship games and give my picks. Stay tuned! Let's do it...

THURSDAY

• 3:00 - NBA - Knicks vs. Pistons (NBATV) - You're thinking... "wait, an NBA game at 3:00 EST on a Thursday?! And the answer is... the game is London! I'll be honest and tell you that I had no idea this was coming until earlier in the week, and I'll apologize to English fans who have to watch the Pistons. Eesh.
• 7:00 - NCAAB - #5 Michigan @ #9 Minnesota (ESPN) - What an awesome game. Michigan is coming off of their first loss of the year, and they are treated to a road game against a top-10 opponent. The Big 10 is a gauntlet this year.
• 7:00 - NCAAB - #10 Florida @ Texas A&M (ESPN2) - If you're one of those Southerners who believe that sports don't matter north of the mason-dixon line, this one's for you.
• 8:00 - NBA - Clippers @ T-Wolves (TNT) - Hopefully, Chris Paul is in the lineup to salvage the absence of Kevin Love for Minnesota. 
• 9:00 - NCAAB - Georgia Tech @ #3 Duke (ESPN) - Duke is banged up, but it won't matter. Brian Gregory is building it back at Tech, but they aren't there yet. 
• 10:30 - NBA - Heat @ Lakers (TNT) - There's no denying the appeal of this game, even with LA stuck in the mud. Kobe, Dwight, and Nash against Miami's Big Three is worth it.

FRIDAY

• 7:00 - NBA - Bulls @ Celtics (ESPN) - Always fun to see these two jerseys on the court together. Boston is playing much better in recent days, but Chicago will present a test for them offensively. 
• 7:30 - NBA - Hawks @ Nets (SportSouth) - This is the second of a home-and-home in this series, and it's another shot to see Joe Johnson battle his old squad. 
• 9:30 - NBA - Thunder @ Mavs (ESPN) - These two teams always play really entertaining/competitive games, but OKC is much, much better than Dallas right now.

SATURDAY (Jam-packed, btw)

• Noon - NCAAB - Maryland @ North Carolina (ESPN) - Neither team is ranked right now, but both are tourney contenders and this is a nice warm-up. 
• Noon - NCAAB - UConn @ Pittsburgh (ESPN2) - I could literally copy and paste the blurb from the previous game about this one. Not kidding. 
• 2:00 - NCAAB - #4 Kansas @ Texas (CBS) - Texas being 8-8 really hurts this game, but at least they're at home.
• 2:30 - NCAAB - #7 Arizona @ Arizona State (FSN) - Heated, in-state rivalry and two good teams. It's never fun to play a rival, especially on the road, so keep an eye on this one.
• 4:00 - NCAAB - #6 Syracuse @ #1 Louisville (ESPN) - This is the game of the day on a day with a million good games. Two top-6 teams battling, and the first test for Louisville as the #1 team. Awesome match-up.
• 4:00 - NCAAB - #12 Creighton @ Wichita State (ESPN2) - The Valley! It's a shame that this one is going head-to-head with that Big East battle, but Creighton is legit this year.
• 4:00 - NCAAB - #21 Oregon @ #24 UCLA (CBS) - The 4:00 window is packed so no one east of the Pacific Time Zone is going to watch this, but it's still a fun game.
• 6:00 - NCAAB - #11 Ohio State @ #18 Michigan (ESPN) - Another top-20 battle featuring two really scary teams from the loaded Big 10. Ho-hum. 
• 7:00 - NBA - Spurs @ Hawks (SportSouth) - The one and only visit from San Antonio to the Highlight Factory this year. Never turn down a chance to see Tim Duncan if you can do it. 
• 8:00 - NBA - Grizzlies @ Bulls (WGN) - God Bless WGN for playing these games on a pretty much national basis.
• 9:00 - NCAAB - #8 Gonzaga @ #13 Butler (ESPN) - Did I mention that Saturday was loaded!?!?! This is the mid-major game of the year as the Zags travel to Indiana to take on Brad Stevens and company. Must-see. 
• 11:00 - NCAAB - Utah @ Washington (ESPNU) - Only if you're up late...

SUNDAY

• 1:00 - NCAAB - #2 Indiana @ Northwestern (BTN) - The Hoosiers lost earlier in the week, so the ranking is out-of-balance, but if you need a TV warm-up before football...
• 3:00 - NFL - 49ers @ Falcons - NFC Title Game (FOX) - We'll preview this later in the week as noted above.
• 6:30 - NFL - Ravens @ Patriots - AFC Title Game (CBS) - Ditto.

Enjoy!

1/16: Ramblings!

Greetings! No "lead" story on this Wednesday, so a bunch of ramblings!

• The Chicago Bears have hired the top coach in the CFL (Marc Trestman) to be their head coach. He does have NFL experience, but the concept of the top job on the market (for me, anyway) being filled by a CFL guy is startling. I won't say he'll fail, because I know nothing of the man, but it's bold.
• Elsewhere, the San Diego Chargers have hired current Broncos OC Mike McCoy as their head coach. He was one of the "hot names" in the industry after teaming up with Peyton Manning this year in Denver, and this isn't a surprise. His challenge? Resurrecting Philip Rivers' career without the benefit of a single above-average skill player (yes, that includes Ryan Mathews). Eesh.
• On the college hardwood, unranked Wisconsin went into Bloomington and stunned the #2 Indiana Hoosiers 64-59. I should've known better than to publicly denounce Bo Ryan's team and their chances to win this game, so I get what I deserve. The Big 10 is crazy deep, and the best league in America this year.
• NBA Round-up! Indiana blasted Charlotte on the road by a final score of 103-76. It was Charlotte's inconceivable 13th straight home loss, and Indy was led by an insane 60-31 rebounding advantage. That's not a misprint. Brooklyn has won 7 straight following a 113-106 win over Toronto. Brook Lopez had 22 and 9 for the Nets, who are scorching hot under PJ Carlesimo. The Clippers won again without Chris Paul, this time in impressive fashion on the road in Houston. Jamal Crawford led all scorers with 30 for LA. Portland and Denver played a crazy game in the Pepsi Center that saw Denver hold off the Blazers 115-111 in OT. It was the 6th straight for Denver, and now that the schedule is balancing out, they are playing insanely well. Finally, the Lakers may be turning things around. They beat Milwaukee behind 31 each from Kobe and Dwight (who also had 16 boards), and have looked different the past two games. It's admittedly a small sample, and they need Pau at full-strength for depth reasons, but things are looking up a touch. 
• Rafael Soriano is a Washington National. In a move that every Braves hated, the Nats inked the former Yankee/Brave/everything else to a 2-year, $28 million deal to anchor the Washington bullpen. The Nats may be the best team in the entire league on paper, and if he's as good as he's been lately, they are now set at the closer position to go along with their absurd rotation and impressive lineup. Sigh.
• I don't care about Lance Armstrong. At. All.

What to watch for on Wednesday (in chronological order)...

• 7:00 - NCAAB - #14 NC State @ Maryland (ESPN2) - Really nice game here. Maryland has a lot of talent, and NC State is coming off of the Duke upset. 
• 7:30 - NBA - Nets @ Hawks (SportSouth) - Welcome back, Joe! Former Hawks star Joe Johnson returns to Philips Arena for the first time. Standing ovation, please.
• 8:00 - NBA - Rockets @ Mavs (ESPN) - Dallas is playing better, but can they stop the gauntlet that is the Houston offense? Nice match-up between Mayo and Harden.
• 10:30 - NBA - Heat @ Warriors (ESPN) - From a purely visual standpoint, this could be one of the more entertaining match-ups in the entire league, and the Oakland crowd will be alive with Lebron in town.
• 11:00 - NCAAB - St. Mary's @ BYU (ESPNU) - Say hello to the WCC, again. Outside of Gonzaga, this is the best pairing that the conference has to offer, so if you're anti-NBA, this is for you.

Enjoy!