Oh Brother

Thanksgiving is a day for gratitude, gobbling and gridiron. In keeping with family togetherness Thursday, it just so happened that the brothers Harbaugh went face to face as head coaches of the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens. How's that for sibling rivalry? Who do Mom and Dad cheer for? Well, Rafael Nadal, for one, could have used a little support as he lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in an attempt to advance to the ATP World Tour Semifinals. After already suffering a really bad loss to Roger Federer, Nadal is questioning his heart for the game and thinks it might be beginning to look a lot like retirement. Over on a different court, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. There are clandestine talks taking place between NBA player reps and owners to salvage the season just in time for Santa. The latest proposal is a 50/50 profit split between players and owners, down from the original 57% going to the players. Meeting halfway sounds fair. Isn't that what relationships are about? Give and take---and take a wee bit more?

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

You gotta have heart for a sport that's characterized by love and breaks. Sounds like something we'd invent, but tennis, just like relationships, is any man's game. Rafael Nadal struggled to get his way and lost to Novak Djokovic for the U.S. Open Men's Championship Monday night. Serena Williams, who called Nadal her "big booty brother" via Tweet, also found herself taking second place against Samantha Stosur Sunday night, but only after a few choice words for the chair umpire following a controversial call. Girl talk? Not so much. The vitriolic move cost her $2,000 in a fine. One less pair of Loubous this week.

Novak Djokovic

Walking In Victory

If you've been losing sleep lately, it may not be over troubled waters. It could be the love matches taking place across international waters--that would be the Australian Open. Obsessions and addictions with Serena, Venus, Federer, Murray, and the like, will tug at your heart strings. Will they stay, will they go, will they fight for what they want? Oh, the trials and tribulations of tennis. In the end, Serena Williams won her second straight Australian Open, making that five total. Work it girl. Roger Federer, once again, proved to be no stranger to victory, sweeping his 16th major on Sunday in a victory over Andy Murray. Like any loser in an emotional battle, Murray was left in tears, wondering when his day would come. We feel you Andy, we really do.

Sometimes, you just gotta know when to fold and know when to hold. Earlier this week, NFL quarterback great, Kurt Warner, decided it was time to call it a day. Brett Favre, are you listening? Please don't hold.

If you happen to be in the market for more football to prime you for next weekend's Superbowl, tune in to the ProBowl (the NFL's All-Star game) Sunday evening at 7:15pm EST. Or if you can't take any more gridiron activity, there's always the old rivalry match-up NBA game between the Boston Celtics and the LA Lakers. Nothing like a clash of egos to occupy a Sunday afternoon.

Cheers.

What Not To Wear

It's a known fact that when you are on top of your sartorial game, you perform at higher level. Look good. Feel good. Do great. Maria Sharapova, Russian tennis player, should keep this adage handy. This is what she wore at the Australian Open. Needless to say, she did not play well. We've all heard that when a woman wants to get a man's attention, she should proudly spread her feathers like a peacock. This is not how it's done.

Weekends Are For Champions

In a much welcomed diversion from baseball and football, Serena Williams ended the tennis season against older sister Venus Williams in the WTA Championships in Qatar. As seemed customary this year, Serena emerged the victor over Venus. Serena played it cool, after showing out months prior at the U.S. Open, and instead celebrated her Sony Ericsson Champsionship win with a simple fist pump, a la Tiger Woods.

In November, one can only turn a blind eye to football for but so long, so along we go to football updates. Most notably in college football, Texas beat Oklahoma State, who is missing key wide receiver Dez Bryant, due to ineligibility. Texas is now ranked #2 in the AP Poll, ousting Alabama who held the spot for like forever. Oregon put a dagger in the heart of USC. Been there? In the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens did the honors and finally defeated the Denver Broncos. The Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints, on the other hand, can update their Facebook status with something obnoxious about still being unbreakable. Brett Favre's own might read: Current age: 40. Record with new team: 6-1. Getting booed upon my return to Lambeau field and beating my old team: Priceless.

Speaking of priceless, action on the diamond resumed in game 4 of the Major League Baseball World Series. The NY Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies kept it interesting with a tie game at the top of the 9th inning, but the Yankees eventually slid in a few, winning 7 to 4. The Yanks are up 3 games to 1 and need one more win to be the champs. Philly is thinking otherwise. Game 5 is Monday at 8 p.m. EST.

Federer Expressed Out

No love for Roger Federer Monday night at the U.S. Open. Juan Martin del Potro defeated him in 5 sets to win the championship and deny Federer his sixth straight. Like Serena Williams, Federer had his own little tiff with a line judge over a contested shot, but he kept it fairly clean. Fairly. Del Potro returns to Argentina a happy man, but Federer remains the cuter of the bunch, we think.

This Is Why Your Weekend Sucked

Consider yourself lucky if your weekend plans actually held up. This was a big sports weekend, so plenty of room for neglect starting with college football on Saturday. USC beat Ohio State in their 10th straight win over a Big Ten team. Houston beat Oklahoma State and Notre Dame was upset by Michigan, but probably no more upset than you were about playing second fiddle to a bunch of men running around on a field. Michigan now ranks in the top 25 with this win.

If you caught attitude with your man, chances are it wasn't nearly as bad as the 'tude that Serena Williams gave U.S. Open officials when called for a foot fault on her second serve. Net net (no pun intended) she busted a raquet and kindly uttered 4-letter explotives to the line judge, cost herself the game and $10,500 in fines. But when you own part of the Miami Dolphins, that's lunch money. Speaking of lunch, Roger Federer had his opponent, Novac Djokovic, for just that and advanced to the final with the aid of a fancy between-the-leg shot that led to his win.

On to pro football. Donovan McNabb of the Philadelphia Eagles fractured a rib late in the game. Cutie pie Mark Sanchez (see Men in Uniform) played well in the NY Jet's opener and Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints threw for 6 touchdowns Sunday--very impressive.

Also impressive was Tiger Wood's showing this weekend at the BMW Championship. Saturday he finished 9 under par and Sunday went on to finish up the remainder of the child's play. This is his sixth victory of the year and it earns him the number one seed in the final tournament of the Fex Ex Cup.

So, as you can see, there was a lot going on this weekend and more to come, but this should help you get a little closer to his heart and help you score a few touchdowns of your own.

Smells Like Teen Spirit

If you've missed much of the U.S. Open, here's what you need to know: A little 17-year old named Melanie Oudin came out of no where and has been taking out the top seeded Russians one by one. Kim Clijsters has also made her return known to all by forcefully ousting her opponents only to face Serena Williams in the semifinals. On the men's side, Andy Murray is out and of course, Roger Federer is expected to keep on winning, as only Nike would have it.
 Speaking of top seeds, college football rankings came out on Sunday with Florida on top, followed by Texas. See for yourself below. Know that Sam Bradford, Oklahoma's QB, injured his shoulder in last Saturday's game against BYU and will be out for about 2 weeks. Throw that nugget into conversation and see what kind of raised eyebrows you get.
College football rankings

1	Florida (56)	1-0
2	Texas (2)	1-0
3	USC	1-0
4	Alabama (2)	1-0
5	Oklahoma State	1-0
6	Mississippi	1-0
7	Penn State	1-0
8	Ohio State	1-0
9	Brigham Young	1-0
10	California	1-0

And finally, the NBA's Allen Iverson tweeted Wednesday that he will be playing for the Memphis Grizzlies next season. The Grizzlies need all of the help they can get, as they were the second worst team in the NBA last year.

Late Night Lessons In Love

Monday night was all U.S. Open all the time. No surprises, as all of the favorites won their matches. Venus Williams, despite suffering a knee injury early in the match, went on to take care of Russia's Vera Dushevina--even though it took nearly 3 hours. Andy Roddick beat Germany's Bjorn Phau in a late night set following Williams' win. The victory didn't stop him from carping about the late start because the opening ceremony dog and pony show ran really long, pushing all the games back. Roddick remarked that he'd like to see the ladies take the late games for once. To that we say, chivalry, Andy darling, is not dead.
Neither is Roger Federer's quest for his 6th straight championship and 3rd Grand Slam title of 2009. He easily dismissed NCAA champion Devin Britton in the first round.
Serena Williams beat Alexa Glatch and Kim Glijsters had an impressive win over Viktoriya Kutuzova after a 2 1/2-year hiatus from the game. James Blake was also among Monday's victors in Flushing Meadows, NY.

Preseason football means lots of talk about stuff that really isn't news, but football heads are so eager that it's pigskin season, so any incident becomes a story. Which is why we are talking about New England Patriots QB Tom Brady's possibly injured shoulder. Possibly. Brady (possibly) injured his shoulder in Friday night's preason game against the Washington Redskins, possibly. Defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth basically sat on it. 6'6", 350 pounds--that's bound to leave a mark, not to mention turn a "possibly" into a "heck yeah." Patriots head coach, Bill Belichick, says nothing is wrong with Brady's shoulder and that Brady only came out of the game because they were already making substitutions for backups and besides it was just a normal bump and bruise that is part of the game, and the fact that he was nursing it on the sidelines means nothing and Brady didn't return in the 3rd quarter with the rest of the starters because they were testing out another quarterback. Pinky swear.
So, you've read lately of a few NFL players and their scathing infractions. Another NFL player clearly not striving to be man of the year, Brandon Marshall of the Denver Broncos, was suspended from the team Thursday for the preason. Why? He wanted to be traded and was trying to prove that while there may not be an I in team, there certainly is a me. The Broncos call this "conduct detrimental to the team." Not showing up for practices, generally is. Next time you are unhappy with a situation at work, just don't show up for meetings and throw a few tantrums for good measure and let us know how that works out for you.
So, we move onto a sport characterized by a little bit more grace and aplomb: Tennis, specifically the U.S Open, where round one starts Monday in New York. Tennis greats such as Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Venus and Serena Williams and James Blake are all scheduled to play, provided no "detrimental conduct" is exhibited.
And finally, we bring you news that Tiger fell short in the woods to yet another underdog; this time at The Barclays to Heath Slocum. Slocum swung his way to victory, but Tiger still walked away with the headline.

In case you are wondering if there is anything else newsworthy in sports other than Tiger Woods, when he is playing, his fans will tell you a quick and resounding no, which is why yet, again, he is the lead story for the day. In the final round of the 91st PGA Championship, Tiger went in with a two stroke lead and, as usual, favored to win. Padraig Harrington was expected to give him a run for his money (of which he has lots and lots), but Y.E. Yang of South Korea snuck up and took the lead from T Dub. Tiger's chance at a championship win this year came down the final (18th) hole, but Yang snatched the heaviest trophy in sports from Woods' paws to beat him by three strokes overall. Grrrrr.
 
As quickly as the championship escaped Woods, Jamaica's 100m sprinter Usain Bolt won the world championship in Berlin with a time of 9.58 seconds beating the world record again. His previous best time was 9.69 at the Beijing Olympics. With a last name such as his, so many bad puns come to mind, but we'll refrain from striking.


In tennis news, it was the Andy and Andy show in Montreal for the Roger's Cup, but only one of the deuces would find love. Andy Murray beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, while Andy Roddick got served and lost to Juan Martin Del Potro.

Getty Images

Roger Federer won his 15th grand slam title in a 4-plus hour match over Andy Roddick at Wimbledon. Looking mighty dapper in his white and gold Nike duds, we might add. Federer's win is significant because he beat Pete Sampras' record of 14. Dejected Roddick gave Federer a run for his money, but in the end, couldn't pull out a win. Serena, however, did just that in a sibling rivalry, where she outplayed older sister, Venus, to win the singles title. Venus didn't leave England empty handed, as she and Serena kept it all in the family by going on to win the doubles title. Mom watched while Dad went home to cut the grass.

Speaking of grass and other illegal substances, Manny Ramirez made his return to the Dodgers after his 50-game suspension for steriod use. The Dodgers faired just fine without him, which really has to make one question whether the "juice" was even worth it.

Manny wasn't the only athlete back on the scene. Lance Armstrong came in 10th at this weekend's stage of the Tour de France. This is Lance's return to the sport after retiring in 2006. Perhaps Lance just wants to see if he still has it, or maybe just needs the prize money to support all his children, particularly with the June birth of his most recent.

On the subject of "cubs", Tiger Woods fittingly won his eponomous PGA charity tour, which benefits kids and Armed Forces.

And sadly, the football world mourns the loss of former NFL quarterback Steve Mcnair who was found shot along with girlfriend in his Tennessee condo. McNair, 36, leaves behind a wife and four children.

Serena Williams beat gold medalist, Elena Dementiava, in the longest semifinal in the tournament's history, while Venus Williams moved confidently and swiftly to victory in a ho-hum mismatch against Dinara Safina. The Williams sisters will meet in an All-American Wimbledon championship game on Saturday, July 4th. Fireworks, indeed.

Sunday was game two of the NBA Finals. If you don't know who is playing in this series, no worries; we don't judge. It's the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Orlando Magic. Lakers are up 2-0. Finals fans this year fall into one of two categories. Those rooting for the Magic have great disdain for Kobe Bryant and don't want to see him win, especially without former teammate Shaquille O'Neal (Shaq). Those dutifully backing the Lakers are from L.A.,blinded by the bright Hollywood lights, puffed up with Botox and don't know any better. They actually like Kobe, who happens to the be the most disliked player in the league. Orlando's Dwight Howard didn't show up in game one, but did "man up" in game two, though not enough after losing in overtime. FYI, Dwight is referred to as the Man Child for his Schwarzenegger-like 7-foot frame and third grade facial construct. The series goes back to Orlando where the Magic have to clinch a victory to realistically stay in the game.

Ooo la la, speaking of wins, Roger Federer did just that at the French Open, despite the momentary interruption of a fan who stormed the court to put a hat on Federer's head. Yeah, we don't get that either. Federer's title victory is one that has escaped him for many years.

The NHL is also having its run at a championship where the Detroit Red Wings win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday puts them in place to clinch the Stanley Cup on Tuesday with one final win. Remember this one name: Pavel Datsyuk. He's the Red Wing's leader scorer. Don't worry about how many points he racked up or what unbelievable plays he made. Knowing his name is impressive enough. Oh, and one more thing. Hockey has periods, not quarters.

And finally, Saturday at the Belmont Stakes, after a few gallops around the track, Summer Bird put a bridle on the nay-sayers by upsetting heavily favored Mine that Bird's chance at the Triple Crown.