Finding 2011

Image via WikipediaAs we look back on the past year, we found that . . .

• getting fired from a top-rated sitcom because of your wild and crazy antics involving drugs and women isn't exactly "winning!".  His replacement is finding that out, too.
• winning a few football games at the last minute doesn't mean you're the Second Coming of anything.
• covering up for someone who's been accused of child molestation can be hazardous to your career.  Even if you're an "untouchable" legendary football coach.
• with all the singing talent shows on TV, there's "American Idol", and then there's everybody else.
• daytime TV is adjusting to life without Regis Philbin, Oprah Winfrey and "All My Children".
• superstar-laden basketball teams do not win NBA titles.
• Joe Mauer is not who we thought he was.
• the Twins and Vikings could fall so far, so fast.
• the Timberwolves are already there.
• the Wild briefly righted the ship before going on a long losing streak.
• the Vikings are closer to a new stadium than ever before, and yet are so far.
• we don't hear so much from Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco any more.
• major college conferences keep adding and subtracting while chasing those TV dollars.
• the Kardashian family's view of reality is a bit skewed.
• getting knocked senseless during a game is no longer a minor issue.
• the novelty has worn off at TCF Bank Stadium and at Target Field.
• when you name a TV channel after Oprah Winfrey, viewers expect to see more Oprah.  Not some lame reality show, or an old movie.
• Amy Winehouse moved into the ultimate rehab facility.
• war is not a video game.
• Tiger Woods no longer plays golf like he used to.
• the NBA and NFL nearly locked themselves out of business.
• Adele is this year's Queen of Pop, rolling in her misery for our entertainment.
• Who is Whitney Cummings, and why does she have two network sitcoms?
• "Beavis & Butt-head" is back on TV, and they haven't changed a bit.  OK, maybe the music videos have been replaced by "Jersey Shore" clips.  But still . . .
• Hope Solo and Abby Wambach become household names to folks other than soccer nerds.
• Lance Armstrong's feats may be made of clay.

Now let's go find 2012.

NBA 2011-12: The Rich Get Richer

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeThe National Basketball Association, fresh off a lockout of its players that nearly canceled the season, returns Christmas Day with a 66-game schedule.  That means, in order to get to the playoffs in late April, teams must now play three games in a row several times during the season.  It's great for hoops junkies, but not so much for teams with aging legs who might not be able to take the grind.

One of the things the new Collective Bargaining Agreement was supposed to fix was the migration of star players from small market teams to bigger cities and warmer climates.  It hasn't happened yet.  Chris Paul is the most notable example.  He was supposed to go in a trade from the New Orleans Hornets to the Los Angeles Lakers, but NBA commissioner David Stern--whose league owns the Hornets after the previous owner turned in the keys--vetoed the deal, presumably for the good of the sport.  Eventually, Paul did go to L.A.--the Clippers, not the Lakers--leaving Kobe Bryant a bit upset.  Let's just say this was not Stern's finest moment.

The Lakers did send Lamar Odom to the defending champion Dallas Mavericks, which means wife Khloe Kardashian will have to make a few visits to Yee Haw, Texas.  Sister Kim's soon-to-be-ex Kris Humphries is still playing for the New Jersey Nets, and is apparently not well-liked by the rest of the league.  Ron Artest competed on "Dancing With The Stars", and has changed his name to Metta World Peace.  And Dwight Howard, who had been making noises about leaving Orlando, will play at least one more season for the Magic--unless he's traded by the time you see this.

The Minnesota Timberwolves, struggling to remain relevant after putting up the NBA's second-worst record last season, decided to make a few changes.  They said goodbye to coach Kurt Rambis (who landed in that ex-coaches rehab facility known as ESPN), and hello to Rick Adelman, who has had winning records with the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings.  They have added top draft pick Derrick Williams, J.J. Berea from the Mavericks (talk about going from the penthouse to the outhouse), and Ricky Rubio to support its star Kevin Love.

All eyes are on Rubio, who had been playing in Europe the past two years since being drafted by the Wolves.  The transition to the NBA is not going to be easy, but if Rubio makes the grade, this will be general manager David Kahn's crowning moment.

The Wolves will not make the playoffs again this year, but they will be less awful than they have been, winning a few more games under Adelman.  Having swept the two-game preseason series with the Milwaukee Bucks, they seem to show a lot of promise.  Now let's see if they deliver.

Here's who we think will make the playoffs:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:  Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Charlotte Bobcats.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:  Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns.

Realigning Hockey's Concussion Problem

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeThe National Hockey League's Board of Governors recently approved a plan that would reshuffle the deck as far as divisions are concerned, a move made necessary by the transfer of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg.  Going from six five-team divisions to four eight-team conferences starting next season (pending players' association approval), the intent is to develop more geographical rivalries by placing all (or most) of the teams in one region in the same group while reducing travel time.

Realigning the league is an easier task compared to making sure the men who play the games stay healthy.  Lately, there's been a surge of concern over the number of concussions athletes in all sports, no matter what the level, have been taking.  This is very true in hockey, where having a helmet on will not protect you from banging your head on the ice or another hard surface, or for putting up your dukes for no good reason.

The New York Times recently reported that Derek Boogaard, the former Minnesota Wild and New York Rangers player who died in May of an accidental drug overdose, was found during a post-death autopsy to have had chronic traumatic encephalopothy.  CTE is in direct relation to Alzheimer's disease.  Since Boogaard was primarily known during his NHL career as an enforcer, he got hit in the head a lot through punches exchanged with the other team's enforcer, not unlike a boxer.  Having CTE also meant that Boogaard would have suffered from a form of dementia had he lived.

Boogaard was not the only one.  Former NHL players Bob Probert, Reggie Fleming and Rick Martin were also found to have CTE.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has said there's no conclusive link between concussions and CTE.  The league's best and most marketable player, Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, recently returned to the ice after suffering a concussion almost a year ago.  If that's not a wake-up call, I'm not sure what is.

You can add more padding inside the rink and make better helmets, but that's not going to stop those who insist on turning hockey into demolition derby.  Or a poor man's imitation of a championship fight.  Fighting and checking into the boards has been ingrained in hockey's culture since who knows when.  Really?  The NHL claims the rough stuff sells tickets and drives TV ratings, not the pure skating found in international and Olympic hockey (which might as well be figure skating).  Since when?

I've been watching hockey for a long time, either in person or on TV.  I never cared for the brawlers or the cheap shot artists who turn an otherwise well-played game into a highlight reel that's more likely to make "Sportscenter" and the network news than the winning goal.  That's why players like Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitols and their style of hockey need to be emphasized more than the Boogaards of the world (no disrespect intended), if the NHL ever hopes to grow the sport in the U.S.  If they don't, then they're going to end up with a bigger problem down the road, as we find out more about the effects of too many head knockings.

The 2011 Owljock Bowl Guide

Image via WikipediaOnce again, as a public service, we present our list of the 35 college bowl games that will take place between December 17, 2011 and January 9, 2012.

Our emphasis will be on the names of these bowl games, which in recent years has become the province of corporations and websites who pony up millions of dollars to be its title sponsor.  Some of them might even attract the attention of the local chapter of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

The games themselves are notable only if you're a fan of the schools involved, or if you have time to kill during the holidays.  Some of these esteemed football programs are playing for the national championship.  Some of them whine about not getting a better shake from the Bowl Championship Series.  Some did just enough to be bowl-eligible, and some have been tainted by scandal.  But the NCAA allows them to play anyway.

Here's how the OBG works:  We list the name of the game, where it's played, who's in it, and what the title sponsor's business is.  Unless otherwise noted, many of the games will be seen on ESPN and its Family of Networks.  The list comes from ESPN.com.

Gilden New Mexico Bowl:  Temple/Wyoming  (Albuquerque, NM 12/17)
Clothing supplier.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl:  Ohio/Utah State (Boise, ID  12/17)

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl:  San Diego State/Louisiana-Lafayette  (New Orleans  12/17)
Shipping firm.

Beef O'Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl:  Florida International/Marshall  (St. Petersburg, FL  12/20)
Restaurant chain.

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl:  TCU/Louisiana Tech  (San Diego, 12/21)

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl:  Arizona State/Boise State  (Las Vegas, 12/22)
Chain of auto repair shops.

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl:  Nevada/Southern Mississippi  (Honolulu, 12/24)
Hotel chain.

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl:  Missouri/North Carolina  (Shreveport, LA  12/26)
Nutrition supplements.

Little Caesars Bowl:  Western Michigan/Purdue  (Detroit, 12/27)
Pizza delivery chain.

Belk Bowl:  Louisville/North Carolina State  (Charlotte, NC  12/27)
Regional department store chain.

Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman:  Toledo/Air Force  (Washington, DC  12/28)
Defense contractor.

Bridgeport Education Holiday Bowl:  California/Texas  (San Diego, 12/28)
Online college.

Champs Sports Bowl:  Florida State/Notre Dame  (Orlando, FL  12/29)
Chain of sporting goods stores.

Valero Alamo Bowl:  Washington/Baylor  (San Antonio, 12/29)
Energy company.

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl:  Brigham Young/Tulsa  (Ft. Worth, TX  12/30)
Defense contractor.

New Era Pinstripe Bowl:  Rutgers/Iowa State  (New York, 12/30)
Sports apparel.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl:  Mississippi State/Wake Forest  (Nashville, 12/30)
Financial services.

Insight Bowl:  Iowa/Oklahoma  (Tempe, AZ  12/30)
Business technology supplier.

Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl:  Texas A&M/Northwestern  (Houston, 12/31)
Auto repair shops.

Hyundai Sun Bowl:  Georgia Tech/Utah  (El Paso, TX  12/31)  CBS
Automaker.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl:  Cincinnati/Vanderbilt  (Memphis, 12/31)  ABC
Auto parts chain.

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl:  Illinois/UCLA  (San Francisco, 12/31)
Food giant teaming with anti-hunger organization.

Chick-fil-A Bowl:  Virginia/Auburn  (Atlanta, 12/31)
Restaurant chain.

Ticket City Bowl:  Houston/Penn State  (Dallas, 1/2/12)
Ticket reseller.

Outback Bowl:  Michigan State/Georgia  (Tampa, FL  1/2/12)  ABC
Steakhouse chain.

Capitol One Bowl:  Nebraska/South Carolina  (Orlando, FL  1/2/12)
Financial services.

Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl:  Ohio State/Florida  (Jacksonville, FL  1/2/12)
Tax preparation website.

Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio:  Wisconsin/Oregon  (Pasadena, CA  1/2/12)
Consumer electronics.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl:  Stanford/Oklahoma State  (Glendale, AZ  1/2/12)
Snack food brand.

Allstate Sugar Bowl:  Michigan/Virginia Tech  (New Orleans, 1/3)
Insurance.

Discover Orange Bowl:  West Virginia/Clemson  (Miami, 1/4)
Credit cards.

AT&T Cotton Bowl:  Kansas State/Arkansas  (Arlington, TX  1/6)  Fox
Communications.

BBVA Compass Bowl:  Southern Methodist/Pittsburgh  (Birmingham, AL  1/7)
Financial services.

GoDaddy.com Bowl:  Arkansas State/Northern Illinois  (Mobile, AL  1/8)
Domain name registration.

Allstate BCS National Championship Game:  Louisiana State/Alabama  (New Orleans, 1/9)
See Sugar Bowl.

Oh, one more thing.  No Kardashian sisters picture this year.  Sorry.