The Spurs are played the Heat on national television Thursday Night, benching Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, Tony Parker, and two other regulars who aren't as notable. So David Stern said he would take "substantial sanctions." This is ridiculous. The Spurs played their fourth game in five nights and coach Pop rested his 30+ year old stars.

The Spurs won the three games leading up to this Heat matchup, so it's not like there was any concern about them having a bad year; the Spurs are one of the best teams in the West every year. Stern is just mad the Spurs narrowly lost to the Heat. My feeling is that more people would want to watch a bunch of D-league players try to beat the "almighty Heat." Although I'm a huge fan of Tiago Splitter, who I want to be a Celtic soon, and he had 10 points at the half. Oh, and Matt Bonner is a legend among gingers. 

TL;DR The Spurs are benched their starters Wednesday night on National TV and David Stern hates it.

Posted by Dominic under Sports

Rajon Rondo had 37 straight games with double-digit assists going into Wednesday night's contest versus Brooklyn at the Garden. He needed 10+ dimes to become number two on the consecutive double digit assist list. As a Celtic fan, this seems like a piece of cake from what I've seen of Rondo for the last few years; 10 is below average in Rondo's assist range. I thought he was going to easily top that list this season. But, he broke that streak tonight and the way it was broken is bull. 

Follow The Showtime Boys on Facebook to get all of your weekly questions answered prior to game time.  Enjoy.


Men:

Doug Martin - Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB: The Muscle Hamster hasn’t quite panned out this season for his fantasy owners boasting a 3.5 YPC average through five games. Fear no more my friends, the Bucs are facing a defense in KC who ranks 22nd in the league against the rush and this guy is due to blow. Muscle Hamster breaks out of his cage this week and runs wild Man style.

Dez Bryant - Dallas Cowboys WR: Dezzie hasn’t been a man once this season. Don’t get me wrong, he’s shown flashes once or twice, but he really hasn’t put it together for a whole game yet. Or it could just be Tony Romo’s fault. However, the Baltimore D they face this week gives up the majority of its points allowed to WR2s, which means Miles Austin could be a big lady this week and it could open the door for Dez to Man up and finally show what he’s made of.

Christian Ponder - Minnesota Vikings QB: Ponder screwed me over a couple weeks ago when I put him in the Man column and he shit a brick. Maybe I’m just stupid for trusting him again, but I think he has a real good shot this week to perform. Going against an atrocious Redskins secondary and the Vikings finding new ways to get it to Harvin and Rudolph, Ponder could do big things this week. Man things. Through five weeks the Redskins have allowed five 100 yard games to opposing receivers and eight touchdowns, not including four touchdowns for TEs. Now there's some stats for your ass.

Golden Tate - Seattle Seahawks WR: The Patriots secondary is looked at as a bend but don’t break pass defense. This week the Pats roll into Seattle, and the possibility of Seattle playing catch up and having to do it through the air makes this a tasty play for Tate. Tate has become a favorite of Russell Wilson in the last couple of weeks and he has three scores (one fluky Hail Mary catch) to start the season. Look for Tate to produce even if it’s in garbage time, or possibly even regular time if the game is close.

Dwayne Bowe - Kansas City Chiefs WR: The Buccaneers have the 32nd ranked pass D in the NFL, and this week Dwayne has a plan to get his. With Matt Cassel out this week, look for Brady Quinn to try and be a Man himself, trying to light these Bucs up. His go to guy has to be Bowe. Of course there’s always that chance that Jamaal Charles goes off for a buck fifty, but I think it’s Bowe’s week this week.

It's now officially win or go home for the Detroit Tigers and Oakland A's after the A's were able to rally in the ninth and shock the Tigers Wednesday night by a score of 4-3. 
 
Detroit lead heading into the ninth 3-1, however, closer Jose Valverde failed to hold the lead as Coco Crisp hit a game-winning single that scored Seth Smith to send the series to a do-or-die Game 5. Smith hit a two-run double earlier in the inning that scored Josh Reddick and Josh Donaldson to tie the game. 
 
Oakland failed to score off Detroit starter Max Scherzer who pitched five and a third innings of scoreless baseball before the bullpen took over. On the other hand, Oakland's rookie, A.J. Griffin, pitched five innings allowing two earned runs in his first career postseason start. 
 
The Tigers lead 2-0 thanks to an Austin Jackson single in the third, scoring Alex Avila. Then Prince Fielder hit his first postseason homerun with the Tigers in the fourth. Oakland wouldn't get on the board until the sixth when Stephen Drew hit a double, scoring Coco Crisp with no outs, but was thrown out at third trying to advance on the play. It was a huge base running mistake, however, luckily it didn't end up costing the A's. 
 
Game 5 is set for Thursday night as the Tigers will send ace Justin Verlander to the mound as he was the winning pitcher in Game 1. For Oakland, Jarrod Parker will try and pitch the A's into the ALCS for the first time since 2006 when they were swept by the Detroit Tigers 
 
TL;DR The Detroit Tigers and Oakland A's will be fighting for their seasons tonight in a decisive Game 5.

Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics Boxscore [ESPN]

Posted by Mowry under Sports

On the brink of elimination, down 2-0 in their best of five series, both the Oakland A's and the San Francisco Giants were able to keep their respected series alive on Tuesday. The Giants needed extra innings to escape Cincinnati with a 2-1 victory, while in Oakland the A's were able to shutout Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera and the rest of the Detroit Tigers by a score of 2-0. 
 
The Giants were struggling for offense all afternoon as Reds starter Homer Bailey had his way with the San Francisco lineup. Bailey struck out 10 Giants in seven innings while only allowing a single earned run on an Angel Pagan sacrifice fly in the third inning to tie the game. After starter Ryan Vogelsong lasted five innings for the Giants, their bullpen was able to pitch five scoreless innings, and only allowed one hit to keep the Giants in it until they came across some luck in the tenth. After Buster Posey and Hunter Pence led off the tenth with back-to-back singles, Reds reliever Jonathan Broxton was able to retire the next two batters before Joaquin Arias reached on a Scott Rolen error to give the Giants the go-ahead lead. Giants closer Sergio Romo was able to retire the Reds in the bottom half of the inning to force a Game 4in Cincinnati on Wednesday. Barry Zito will try and keep the Giants season alive, while Mike Leake will try and help get the Reds into the National League Championship Series.   
 
In Oakland, pitching was the story, as starter Brett Anderson did his part to keep the A's season alive, pitching six scoreless innings as the bullpen would finish the job to force a Game 4, also scheduled for Wednesday. Yoenis Cespedes got Oakland on the board in the first inning when Coco Crisp scored on a single. Seth Smith would add some insurance with a solo homerun in the fifth. The 1-4 hitters in the Detroit lineup were a combined 1-15, as they couldn't get anything going for starter Anibal Sanchez. Tonight, Matt Scherzer will try and advance the Tigers into the American League Championship Series, while rookie A.J. Griffin will try and force a Game 5. 
 
Along with two pivotal Game 4s set for Thursday, there will also be two just as important Game 3s for both leagues. With the series tied, the Orioles and Yankees are set to finish their series in New York as Hiroki Kuroda will make his playoff debut for the Yankees, while rookie Miguel Gonzalez will make his first career playoff start for the Birds. In the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals will finish their series in the nation's capital, as Edwin Jackson will look to give the Nats the series lead aganist Chris Carpenter for the Cardinals.
 
Not much to be excited about on a rainy Wednesday, or any Wednesday for that matter. At least the baseball gods have made it so we have four exciting games to get us through the day starting at 1:07 p.m. ET, with the Cardinals and Nationals. 
 
TL;DR Four games are on tap today, as playoff baseball is starting to heat up.

Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics Boxscore [ESPN]
San Francisco Giants vs. Cincinnati Reds Boxscore [ESPN]

Posted by Mowry under Sports

2012 has been a season to already forget for Kansas City Chiefs fans, as a 9-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday have the Chiefs sitting at 1-4 on the season. Starting quarterback Matt Cassel has struggled this season but finally gave fans something to cheer for when he was knocked out of the game by Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata in the fourth quarter, and backup Brady Quinn replaced him.
 
Cassel has been the subject to criticism all season for costly turnovers, and four more at home on Sunday didn't help his case. However, after the game, Kansas City offensive lineman Eric Winston ripped into Chiefs fans for their poor sportsmanship. 
 
The whole interview can be heard above as Winston states how he has "never been more embarrassed in my life to play football than at that moment right there."

Winston brings up several good points in his rant, including that athletes put their bodies on the line for the entertainment of the fans. We live in an age where people look to escape their own real world issues through sports. We don't see athletes as people, but superheroes who are immortal and can never do wrong; when in fact athletes are people just like us who have their own issues and faults. No one is perfect, and I applaud Winston for sticking up for what is right and saying what needed to be said. It wasn't disrespectful and he acted like a true leader. Hopefully a lesson can be made from all of this and we can maybe see that professional athletes are people first.

TL;DR Eric Winston of the Kansas City Chiefs went on a post-game rant after the home fans cheered for Matt Cassel getting knocked out of Sunday's game.  

Eric Winston rips fans' reaction [ESPN]

Posted by Mowry under Sports

Changing it up a little from the usual Fantasy Football week in review, The Showtime Boys introduce the Men and Ladies weekly segment. Here we will tell you who is going to get their roll this week (Men), and who is going to fail to deliver (Ladies).  As always, follow us on Facebook to get all of your weekly questions answered prior to game time.  Enjoy.

Men:

Malcolm Floyd - San Diego Chargers WR: The Chargers-Saints game this week has shootout written all over it. With Ryan Matthews easing back into the mix, look for him to have a pretty good day, but look for Floyd to have a better one, a Man day. New Orleans' defense has given up a ton of points every week and without Vincent Jackson around anymore look for Floyd to possibly have his breakout game of the season.

Randall Cobb - Green Bay Packers WR: With Greg Jennings out this week it’s time for James Jones and Cobb to step it up in his absence. Look for Cobb to be that “omnipresent” player he’s supposed to be. Mike McCarthy loves this kid and wants to use him everywhere. The Indianapolis defense is going to give up a ton of fantasy points to the Packers, so look for Rodgers and Cobb to connect quite a bit on Sunday.

Kyle Rudolph - Minnesota Vikings TE: Where the hell was this guy last week? Well we’re predicting a big comeback for Rudolph this week against the Titans. This guy is a beast just stewing to have a monster game. The Titans aren't very good and Rudolph is Ponder’s go-to guy (not like that’s a great thing to be), but it's time for Rudolph to step into the spotlight and this week could be his week to be a Man.

Ahmad Bradshaw - New York Giants RB:  Thought this guy was toast huh? Bradshaw is in his second week back from his injury and the Giants have been killing people mostly from the air this year. Bradshaw is about to go all “Andre Brown” over the Browns. Bradshaw’s a Man this week, book it.

Andy Dalton - Cincinnati Bengals QB: The ginger will strike, and he will strike hard this week. The Dolphins defense is going to look like fish out of water Sunday (see what I did there? [Editor's Note: Puns? Is this what we've come to?]). Dalton has weapons all around him and with this core group of young, fast receivers, Dalton is going to turn it all the way up. Redhead goes nuts, believe it.

Happy Monday to all as we've made it through another Sunday in the National Football League. Some, I'm sure, are more happy than others with blowout fantasy wins and maybe making a little extra side money. Fear not, for I come with a gambling lock that will brighten up your gloomy Monday morning.  
 
Several games went down to the final play yesterday, including a Matt Bryant game-winning field goal to help keep the Atlanta Falcons undefeated as they edged the Carolina Panthers 30-28. The Arizona Cardinals needed overtime to stay undefeated as they were able to edge the Miami Dolphins at home 24-21. The Houston Texans continue to look like the best team in football after putting a beat down on the Tennessee Titans yesterday, while the New England Patriots overcame a rocky first half to blow out the Buffalo Bills, ending their two-game losing streak.    
 
While Mondays bring the blues to most, we still have one NFL game left on the schedule for Week 4 as the Chicago Bears travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys. Both teams enter Monday with a 2-1 record after each team was able to win at home in Week 3. While it's a difficult game to predict, the real winner lies in the total Vegas has set for this game. 
 
While each team has a strong defense, there is way too much star-power in this game for the total not to go over 42 points. For Chicago you have Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall, with a deep running attack thanks to Matt Forte and Michael Bush. As for Dallas, Tony Romo is the story but you also can't forget about DeMarco Murray. I look for this game to be in the mid 20s, and should come down to the wire. I was shocked to see this total so low; I would also suggest a tease with the over (which would make the total 35.5) and taking the Bears getting 9.5 points.
 
Thank me if you win and don't blame me if you lose, but I think we have a winner on our hands tonight. 
 
TL;DR Look for the total in the Cowboys Bears game tonight to go over the Vegas total.

Posted by Mowry under Sports

Coming off of a wild 31-30 win over the New England Patriots, the Baltimore Ravens will host the Cleveland Browns tonight in an AFC North divisional showdown. The Browns are still searching for their first win of the 2012 season as they fell last week to the Buffalo Bills. Baltimore currently leads the AFC North with a 2-1 record, as they began their season with three straight playoff teams from a year ago. 
 
Vegas has the Ravens as 12-point favorites tonight with the line total currently set at 43.5 points. 

This is a difficult game to cap for gamblers for several reasons. First off, the Ravens are coming off an emotional victory just four days ago and could easily underestimate a determined Browns team.  Although the Ravens have won eight straight over their division rival, the Browns have fought hard and kept the score respectable for the most part. Cleveland's last three losses to the Ravens have been by an average of 10 points. Also, the replacement referees are gone!  Call me crazy, but I think the league wants to make a statement tonight that the NFL is back under control after Monday night's melee, which could keep the game closer than expected. 
 
While for many the over seems like a logical bet, the Ravens have the offense to score over 43 points themselves. However, Cleveland lacks any sort of firepower on offense, as rookies Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson are responsible for any sort of offense they can manage. Tonight they may have a diffucult time aganist one of the best defenses in football. Despite the loss of Terrell Suggs, the Ravens have showed the first three weeks of the season that their defense is still just as powerful, led by someday hall-of-famers Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.

Those looking for any fantasy advice on the game, I'll make it short and sweet. There is no Browns player you can convince me to start. For the Ravens, Ray Rice, Dennis Pitta, and Torrey Smith along with the Ravens defense and special teams are all must starts. I like but don't love Joe Flacco tonight, so if you have a better option for Sunday I would stick with that. 
 
Ah, prediction time. Call me biased, but the Ravens won't lose tonight. If you're rich, the Ravens money line is a lock. However, I still like the Ravens to cover the spread tonight in a 27-14 victory. Yes I know, I'm predicting the Ravens to cover the spread by a single point, but I think the Browns keep it respectable until a big play late breaks the game open.        

TL;DR The Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns are set to battle tonight in an AFC North showdown.

Posted by Mowry under Sports

After the debacle that was Monday Night Football, the NFL has reached an agreement with the regular officiating crews to come back starting Thursday night, and none too soon. With the way the Green Bay Packers were robbed of a win against the Seattle Seahawks, something had to be done. The NFL and the officials' union agreed to an eight-year agreement to end their lockout. The reason the agreement was finally reached was due to working out pension and retirement benefits for officials, who are only part-time employees. The deal must still be voted on by the unions' 121 members which will happen Friday and Saturday, but for now the regular crews are back.

This couldn't have come any sooner after the way the replacement crews have been officiating the games. At this point I was waiting for all-out brawls to take place because they couldn't control games. Not to mention the amount of illegal hits, blocks, and ridiculous calls; it's a wonder a player didn't lose his head. Listening to the announcing during Monday Night Football I could have sworn that I was watching the WWE, and I don't watch the WWE because I'm not a fan of watching grown men pretend to beat the hell out of each other instead of actually beating the hell out of each other. I'm just glad the regular referees are back and things can get back to normal.

TL;DR The regular officiating crews for the NFL will be back Thursday night, ending a lockout that began in June.

Refs due back Thursday night [ESPN]

Posted by Atkins under Sports