Weekend winners
< The Tennessee Titans. Here's TFP ace sports columnist Mark Wiedmer with another great view on the Titans who notched a monster win Sunday to stay tied with the Texans atop the AFC South.
< Army. How about those apples, right? After a 14-year losing streak in the nation's most patriotic rivalry, Army used a power running game to topple Navy on Saturday. Cool game, day and event.
< Auburn. The Tigers offense was at times downright hard to watch in 2016. (Think back to the second half in Athens when Auburn had as many first downs as the rest of us - bagel.) Well, that group got not one but two loads of good news this weekend. First, quarterback Jarrett Stidham says he's going to Auburn. Stidham is the nation's No. 1 junior college player after leaving Baylor University last year. Then news came that Kamryn Pettway, who was leading the SEC in rushing before hurting his leg against Vandy, says he'll return for his redshirt junior season.
< LeBron James went for 44, points, nine boards and 10 assists in the Cavs' win over Charlotte on Sunday. James moved into ninth all-time in points Saturday and then dropped the gem Sunday to reach another milestone. James is the only player in NBA history to have more than 27,000 points, 7,000 rebounds and 7,000 assists. The Big O - Oscar Robertson - was close but finished 290 points short. Kobe Bryant was several hundred assists shy of the milestone.
< Le'Veon Bell. Bell has established himself as the best back in football in our view. (All apologies to Mr. Ezekiel Elliott, but we think half the running backs in the league would run for 1,200 yards - in one of those motorized Wal-Mart carts no less - behind that offensive line.) Dude dropped three TDs and 200-plus yards in the snow on a Bills defense that had no answers. (Side note: Bell also rewarded fantasy owners who drafted him despite the three-game suspension he served to start the year. Dude dropped 47 fantasy points in what was the first round of the playoffs in most leagues.
< Bonus pick: The Frisky 4 NFL picks of last Thursday. Yes, we picked Denver last week and that was a loss, but we hit the other three of our four NFL Frisky 4 picks. Washington beat Philly and covered the numbers. The Giants as a home 'dog won outright over Dallas. Pittsburgh was laying two and beat Buffalo 27-20. Now that's entertaining.
Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin discusses the upcoming season during the Crimson Tide's media day on Sunday in Tuscaloosa. Alabama opens Sept. 3 against USC, the program with which Kiffin spent part of 10 seasons as either an assistant or the head coach.Weekend losers
> Miami. The Dolphins had quietly become one of the sneaky AFC darkhorse teams. They had a six-game winning streak earlier this year and with new-found offensive identity with running back Jay Ajayi, Miami was salty. Then came Sunday's expensive win over Arizona as quarterback Ryan Tannehill hurt his knee. Miami officials fear its a torn ACL for Tannehill,
> L.A. Rams. Wow, what was that? The Rams had five turnovers - two of which were returned for scores - in a 42-14 loss to Atlanta in a game that was not as close as the final score. Then afterward, star running back Todd Gurley said the Rams looked like a 'middle school offense' which may be insulting to several middle schools we know. Now factor in that the Rams have no first-round pick next year - it was part of the Jared Goff deal and shipped to the Titans - and just signed head coach Jeff Fisher to a two-year extension even though he would have to win out to get to that dreaded 7-9 mark he cussed at during Hard Knocks, and the future is far from rosy for the Rams.
> Long-term NBA labor accord. The NBA is at a high-water since arguably the apex of the Jordan run in the mid-1990s. There are great players and star-filled teams. TV revenue is through the roof, so even the stinking teams are cashing checks. A lot of that is because of the star-power of the elite. LeBron, Steph, Westbrook, the young guns from Kentucky. Good times. Well, there is a lot of noise that the collective bargaining to extend the deal between players and owners has hit a major snag, and it deals with that star power. ESPN's Marc Stein reports that the two side are battling over licensing and player likeness revenue. Both sides can opt out of the current CBA on Thursday - it will remain in place until July 1 so the league's season will not be threatened - and who knows what happens from there.
> The image of Lane Kiffin. We think dude has been aces for Alabama, taking three different quarterbacks with three different styles to the college football playoff in three years. (Yes, having the waves of Saban talent helps, too, but still.) Now, after being told "Thanks, but no thanks" at a host of jobs, it appears Kiffin is either headed to Florida Atlantic (seriously) or the ultimate fall-back plan of going to LSU as Coach O's OC. Here is a report from a Houston TV station that claims Houston officials did not believe Kiffin to be a 'safe' hire. And he may end up with Orgeron in Baton Rouge after all, but boy it sure feels like he kicked every tire on every other job out there making everyone wonder how much he wanted to go to LSU to begin with. And if you're LSU are you OK with that? (The answer is probably absolutely since there's no clear cut back-up answer for Coach O's new O.)
> And anyone arguing against the nature part of the nature-vs.-nurture debate in sports. Take all-around star wide out and jack wagon Odell Beckham Jr., who turned a quick slant into the game-winning TD last night for the Giants over the Cowboys. Beckham has unbelievable athletic skills - although he did drop several passes Sunday night - and gave props to his mom in the postgame interview. (His mom was a sprinter at LSU, and his dad was a football player for the Tigers.) Said Beckham: "I just found a way to turn it on. Shout out to my mom, thank you for the hamstrings. I think I got it from her a little bit. No disrespect, pops, but she might beat you in a race."
Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, left, runs around Iowa defensive back Jordan Lomax during the first half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game, Friday, Jan. 1, 2016, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) College football contest
OK, OK, we know. We promised the list of games for the Bowling for Bowls of Bowl Game Success (Bowler Optional) last Friday.
We failed. Hey, so it goes. So without further ado, here's the list of all 40 bowl games.
Rules are pretty self-explanatory: Player gets the points in each tier for each correct pick; Missed picks do not count for negative point; four our purposes, these lines are considered final; the Tiebreaker will be from the national championship game as necessary; Picks must be in by 11:59 p.m. Friday night.
Questions?
One-point games (8)
New Mexico Bowl - New Mexico (-7.5) vs. UTSA
Las Vegas Bowl - Houston (-3.5) vs. San Diego State
Camellia Bowl - Appalachian State vs. Toledo (pick 'em)
Cure Bowl - UCF (-6.5) vs. Arkansas State
New Orleans Bowl - Southern Miss (-3.5) vs. La.-Lafayette
Miami Beach Bowl - Central Michigan vs. Tulsa (-11.5)
Home Loans Bowl - South Alabama vs. Air Force (-12.5)
Poinsettia Bowl - BYU (-8.5) vs. Wyoming
Two-point games (8 games; 16 points possible)
Boca Raton Bowl - Memphis vs. Western Kentucky (-4.5)
Potato Bowl - Idaho vs. Colorado State (-13.5)
Bahamas Bowl - Eastern Michigan vs. Old Dominion (-3.5)
Armed Forces Bowl - Louisiana Tech (-3.5) vs. Navy
Dollar General Bowl - Ohio vs. Troy (-3.5)
Hawaii Bowl - Hawaii vs. MTSU (pick 'em)
Heart of Dallas Bowl - Army (-9.5) vs. North Texas
Military Bowl - Temple (-13.5) vs. Wake Forest
Three-point games (8 games; 24 point spossible)
National Funding Holiday Bowl - Minnesota vs. Washington State (-6.5)
Catcus Bowl - Boise State (-7.5) vs. Baylor
Pinstripe Bowl - Pittsburgh (-5.5) vs. Northwestern
Russell Athletic Bowl - West Virginia vs. Miami (-2.5)
Foster Farms Bowl - Indiana vs. Utah (-7.5)
Texas Bowl - Texas A&M (-2.5) vs. Kansas State
Birmingham Bowl - USF (-10.5) vs. South Carolina
Quick Lane Bowl - Maryland (-1.5) vs. Boston College
Four-point games (7 games; 28 points possible)
Belk Bowl -Arkansas vs. Virginia Tech (-6.5)
Alamo Bowl - Oklahoma State vs. Colorado (-3.5)
Sun Bowl - Stanford (-3.5) vs. North Carolina
TaxSlayer Bowl - Georgia Tech (-4.5) vs. Kentucky
Cotton Bowl - Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin (-7.5)
St. Petersburg Bowl - Miami (Ohio) vs. Mississippi State (-12.5)
Independence Bowl - NC State (-4.5) vs. Vandy
Five-point games (7 games; 35 points possible)
Outback Bowl - Florida (-2.5) vs. Iowa
Music City - Nebraska vs. Tennessee (-3.5)
Orange Bowl - Michigan (-6.5) vs. FSU
Citrus Bowl - LSU (-3.5) vs. Louisville
Liberty Bowl - Georgia vs. TCU (pick 'em)
Sugar Bowl - Auburn vs. Oklahoma (-4.5)
Rose Bowl - USC (-6.5) vs. Penn State
Seven-point games (2 games; 14 points possible
Peach Bowl - Washington vs. Alabama (-15.5)
Fiesta Bowl - Ohio State (-3.5) vs. Clemson
The national championship will serve as a tie-breaker as it arises.
Deal? Deal.
Go ahead and enter. Don't cost nothin' after all.
This and that
- One of Arnold Palmer's four Masters trophies was sold at auction on Sunday. It collected the second-highest sum ever for a piece of golf memorabilia, drawing $444,012.
- On Sunday in Chapel Hill, N.C., Robert Hubbs played like the five-star recruit everyone expected when he arrived in Knoxville four years ago. Hubbs was the best player on the floor throughout UNC's narrow 73-71 win, hitting nine of 11 shots and all three of his free throws for 21 points. Over the last four games, Hubbs is averaging 18.3 points per game and shooting 57.4 percent (27-for-47) from the field.
- Greg Norman is planning to 'break the cast iron wrapped around golf for so long' according to this release. There are no details in the click bait headline and Norman said he will unveil his plan mid part of 2017. So there's that.
- Russell Westbrook continues to do Russell Westbrook-type things. Dude recorded his seventh consecutive triple double on Friday - tying the longest streak in the NBA since some dude names Jordan did it in 1989 - for the surging OKC Thunder. Sunday, Westrbook's triple-double streak ended in a win against Boston. (He could only manage 37 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.) The Thunder are 15-9, and through 24 games Westbrook is averaging a Russ-diculous 31.1 points, 10.9 rebounds and 11 assists.
- Speaking of the NBA, the Warriors extended a very impressive streak Sunday. After an inexplicable loss to Memphis over the weekend, Golden State rallied to topple Minnesota to extend its regular-seas streak to 111 games without back-to-back losses. (Of course the Warriors' playoff streak without back-to-back-to-back losses sits at zero.)
- Offered with no commentary, here's the SNL skit from Saturday night that featured host John Cena in an Alabama football jersey and 'discussing' the student-athlete concept in college sports.
- Also offered without commentary, here's a Tweet from Jose Canseco. Yes that Jose Canseco.
"Hey brother @realDonaldTrump give me control of the Fed and we will make the economy great again. Dow at 40k in 4 Years. #Yeswecanseco"
Today's question
Weekend winners and losers. Go to it.
If you need a thoughtful query, then go here: Is LeBron the most complete player in NBA history?
If you a need a traditional one, then we'll offer this: On this day in 1915 Frank Sinatra was born, and on this day in 1976, Joe Namath played his final game with the Jets. If we had to do an all-time Rushmore of 'Cool' celebrities, who makes it?
And remember, the bowl contest entries are due by 11:59 p.m. Friday, and if you have questions about the contest, please offer them in the comment section as there could be others with the same wonderings.
Enjoy the day and stay dry.