The gameweeks are coming thick and fast at the moment and with the FA Cup this weekend and the Champions League not resuming until next week, there’s a full set of midweek matches to gorge over. It’s like Christmas all over again.

Week 25 was reasonable enough but a score of 50 points was a point below average but relatively speaking my second worst of the season (rank: 1,244,616). Captain Rooney saved the day but I regretted not going through with my plan of bringing in Drogba for Tevez. Still ranked in the top 10,000 overall so it’s not too bad but that’s two shoddy weeks out of three. Need to up my game.

It’s a double gameweek for Bolton, Man City, Stoke and Wigan. Not the best selection of teams but more on that later.

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Gameweek 25 Top Gun (aka Tom Cruise Approves):

Maverick thinks you should at least face the camera if you win Top Gun. Not going to happen often if you're a Stoke player is it?

Stoke won handsomly at home against Blackburn and Etherington ran the show with a goal, assist, clean sheet and three bonus. 14 points for a player who’s still very cheap at just £5.5m. It was his first big game for a while, but Etherington has been steadily consistent and seven assists for the season is higher than most.

Elsewhere Fox of Burnley made his first fantasy impression with 13 against West Ham. Not bad for a first go. As predicted in last week’s captain picks, Drogba destroyed Arsenal with two goals and the man of the match for 13 points while Rooney got a phantom assist to go with his goal and bump his total to 11. Kevin Phillips scored twice for 11 points too.

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Three Captain Picks

1. Tevez or Adebayor/Man City – Easily the strongest side playing twice but due their inconsistency you can only really look at the attacking players. Tevez had a super run of form but now hasn’t scored in three while Adebayor has scored two games running since returning from Angola. Those two things may be linked but either way I think that there’s enough to go round against Bolton and Stoke.

2. Etherington/Stoke – Always go with a man in form. The nippy left winger had his most productive game of the season at the weekend and now faces Wigan and Man City, both sides being notorious for leaks at the back. I would back him for an assist and perhaps a cheaky bonus point too. Might have to wait until the City game to ge tit though – Stoke have only scored four away goals all season.

3. N’Zogbia/Wigan – I would have put Bolton’s Cahill as an option here but he’s now injured for a few months. Instead we’ll go for one of the only two Wigan players worth captaining. N’Zogbia has been at the heart of all Wigan’s best moments this season and for a struggling side they at least score some goals. Rodallega could also be an option but I’ll be bringing in the winger this week.

Gets a Captain's tick.

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Three Potential Transfers In:

1. Drogba/Chelsea – Stating the obvious but the quicker you get him back in, the more money you’ll save. The double against Arsenal should have convinced you. Watch Lampard’s preformance drop now that he’s back.

2. Bolton players – Six games in the next four gameweeks. Plenty of value to be found even if Gary Cahiill is now out. All the games bar Man City are against sides around them and Owen Coyle has already had an impact with their first two clean sheets of the season in the last three weeks.

3. Arsenal players - Just because they’ve been handed consecutive lessons by Man Utd and Chelsea doesn’t mean they aren’t still viable fantasy options. 60 goals scored and a very easy run in (just Man City (H) and Spurs (A) left of the top eight) means you should still have one or two players in your team. Bendtner, Ramsey, and Diaby are all cheap and worth keeping an eye on.

Might be worth a pick.

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Three To Avoid:

1. Arshavin/Arsenal - I’ve given him weeks and weeks but finally had to get rid. You can’t have that expensive a player not producing week in week out. One goal in nine I believe. Still has a high score overall but there are better ways to invest £10.5m. Now watch him score a hat-trick against Liverpool!

2. Aston Villa strikers/wingers - Scored in just one of their last six league games.

3. Cahill/Bolton - Out for the season if it wasn’t already obvious from the previous mentions.

Are you taking the mick?!

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T.

Clippers Grizzlies | Fedex Forum | Clippers | Lane Kiffin …
Clippers Grizzlies | Fedex Forum | Clippers | Lane Kiffin | Memphis Grizzlies | Grizzlies The game between the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies has.

Clippers-Grizzlies Delay San Luis Obispo Tribune | Memphis News …
Clippers-Grizzlies Delay – San Luis Obispo Tribune.

Clippers-Grizzlies r Real NBA Updates Daily
Clippers-Grizzlies resumes after delay for broken water line (source: NBA) : The game between the Los Angeles .. http://bit. ly/787ZIm. This entry was posted on January 13, 2010 at 4:49 am and is filed under HelloTxt. …

Real NBA Updates: Clippers-Grizzlies r
Clippers-Grizzlies r. Clippers-Grizzlies resumes after delay for broken water line (source: NBA) : The game between the Los Angeles .. http://bit. ly/787ZIm. ??? Showfom ??: ??8:50 …

FedEx Forum evacuated during Grizzlies/Clippers game | Sports …
With less than a minute left in the best news day third quarter of Tuesdays Clippers/Grizzlies “tilt,” something a water main, a fire alarm, both? managed to put enough of a scare into the FedEx Forum management that this message was displayed …

So, if you could re-do the 2009 NBA draft top 10?
East
1.Boston Celtics 62-20
2.Cleveland Cavaliers 61-21
3.Orlando Magic 58-24
4.Miami Heat 51-31
5.Atlanta Hawks 50-32
6.Toronto Raptors 46-36
7.Milwaukee Bucks 42-38 (Brandon Jennings is on fire and Michael Redd isn’t even playing)
8.Washington Wizards 40-42
9.Detroit Pistons 38-44
10.Chicago Bulls 37-45
11.Indiana Pacers 35-47
12.Philadelphia 76ers 33-49
13.Charlotte Bobcats 30-52
14.New Jersey Nets 25-52
15.New York Knicks 20-62
West
1.Los Angeles Lakers 63-19
2.Denver Nuggets 59-23
3.Phoenix Suns 57-25
4.Portland Trail Blazers 56-26
5.Dallas Mavericks 52-30
6.San Antonio Spurs 48-34
7.Utah Jazz 45-37
8.Houston Rockets 43-39
9.Oklahoma City Thunder 40-42
10.New Orleans Hornets 37-45(Bad decision firing Byron Scott)
11.Los Angeles Clippers 34-48
12.Sacramento Kings 30-52
13.Memphis Grizzlies 26-56
14.Golden State Warriors 22-60
15.Minnesota Timberwolves 19-63
MVP-Dwyane Wade
Coach of year-Erik Spoelstra
Rookie of year – Brandon Jennings
Defensive Player of year-Brendan Haywood
Most Improved Player-Trevor Ariza
Sixth Man Award-Manu Ginobili

How do you think the NBA 2009/2010 standings will look at the end of the year, and awards?
12/27/99: Lakers 108 – Mavericks 106 (game-winning FTs)
02/13/00: Lakers 113 – Nets 110 (OT game-winning layup with the and-1)
05/10/00: Lakers 97 – Phoenix 96 (playoffs, jumper over Jason Kidd)
06/14/00: Lakers 120 – Pacers 118 (NBA Finals, off reb and put back)
11/16/00: Lakers 112 – Kings 110 (OT game-tying 3 pointer for OT, & jumper for win)
02/07/01: Lakers 85 – Phoenix 83 (jumper with 2.7 sec)
01/02/02: Lakers 87 – Nuggets 86 (off reb and the jumper)
02/22/02: Lakers 96 – Hornets 94 (first career buzzer-beater jumper)
03/24/02: Lakers 97 – Kings 96 (fade-away with 36 sec)
05/12/02: Lakers 87 – Spurs 85 (playoffs, off reb for the put back)
12/06/02: Lakers 105 – Mavericks 103 (28-point game comeback, spin-around jumper)
04/04/03: Lakers 102 – Grizzlies 101 (buzzer beater jumper)
04/06/03: Lakers 115 – Suns 113 (final jumper with 28.6 sec)
02/17/04: Lakers 89 – Blazers 86 (layup and the foul)
02/19/04: Lakers 101 – Nuggets 99 (game after the trial, fade-away)
03/03/04: Lakers 95 – Rockets 93 (jumper over Yao with 22 sec)
03/21/04: Lakers 104 – Bucks 103 (OT jumper with 25 sec)
04/14/04: Lakers 105 – Blazers 104 (OT game-tying 3-pointer for OT, & g-winning 3-pt buzzer beater)
03/13/05: Lakers 117 – Bobcats 116 (pump fake for the win)
11/02/05: Lakers 99 – Nuggets 97 (OT jumper after the Kwame brick)
12/04/05: Lakers 99 – Bobcats 98 (game-winning FTs)
01/07/06: Lakers 112 – Clippers 109 (game-winning off-the-window shot)
01/12/06: Lakers 99 – Cavaliers 98 (jumper against Lebron with 8 sec, & Lebron choking)
04/30/06: Lakers 99 – Suns 98 (OT game-tying tear drop for OT, and game-winning jumper)
01/14/08: Lakers 123 – Sonics 121 (OT game-winning jumper)
01/09/09: Lakers 121 – Pacers 119 (jumper against Jarrett Jack with 3 sec)

Kobe’s list of game winning and FT shots, who you think LeBron will surpass it?
Friday night, not sure who to start:
Anthony Ranolph PF for the Warriors against the CLIPPERS
Or Marc Gasol C for the Grizzlies against the LAKERS?
Gasol is obviously better…but the clips are bad and lakers are nice…

Fantasy Basketball Anthony Randolph or Marc Gasol?
East
1.Boston Celtics
2.Cleveland Cavaliers
3.Orlando Magic
4.Chicago Bulls
5.Washington Wizards
6.Atlanta Hawks
7.Miami Heat
8.Philadelphia 76ers
_________________
9.New Jersey Nets
10.Toronto Raptors
11.Charlotte Bobcats
12.Detroit Pistons
13.New York Knicks
14.Indiana Pacers
15.Milwaukee Bucks
West
1.San Antonio Spurs
2.Los Angeles Lakers
3.Denver Nuggets
4.Dallas Mavericks
5.Portland Trailblazers
6.New Orleans Hornets
7.Phoenix Suns
8.Oklahoma City Thunder
_______________________
9.Utah Jazz
10.Golden State Warriors
11.Los Angeles Clippers
12.Houston Rockets
13.Memphis Grizzlies
14.Sacramento Kings
15.Minnesota Timberwolves
Playoffs
Conference Quarterfinals
Celtics over 76ers in 4
Bulls over Wizards in 6
Cavaliers over Heat in 5
Magic over Hawks in 6
Spurs over Thunder in 5
Mavericks over Blazers in 7
Lakers over Suns in 7
Nuggets over Hornets in 6
Conference Semifinals
Celtics over Bulls in 6
Cavaliers over Magic in 7
Spurs over Mavericks in 7
Lakers over Nuggets in 7
Conference Finals
Celtics over Cavaliers in7
Spurs over Lakers in 6
NBA Finals
Celtics over Spurs in 7
Finals MVP-Paul Pierce
What do you think?

My Personal Preseason Predictions(continuing my Preseason Preview), your thoughts?
MVP-Lebron James, Cavaliers
Defensive Player of the Year-Dwight Howard, Magic
Rookie Of the Year-Tyreke Evans, Kings
Coach of the Year-Flip Saunders, Wizards
Most Improved Player-Michael Beasley, Heat
All NBA 1st Team
G Dwayne Wade, Heat
G Kobe Bryant, Lakers
F Lebron James, Cavaliers,
F Tim Duncan, Spurs
C Dwight Howard, Magic
All NBA 2nd Team
G Chris Paul, Hornets
G Brandon Roy, Blazers
F Kevin Durant, Thunder
F Dirk Nowtizki, Mavericks
C Shaquille O’Neal, Cavaliers
All NBA 3rd Team
G Chauncey Billups, Nuggets
G Joe Johnson, Hawks
F Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets
F Kevin Garnett, Celtics
C Amare Stoudemire, Suns
All NBA Defense Team
G Chauncey Billups, Nuggets
G Dwyane Wade, Heat
F Shane Battier, Rockets
F Kevin Garnett, Celtics
C Dwight Howard, Magic
All NBA Rookie Team
G Johnny Flynn, Timberwolves
G Tyreke Evans, Kings
F Terrence Williams, Nets
F Blake Griffin, Clippers
C Hasheem Thabeet, Grizzlies
What do you think?

What do you think of my preseason NBA Awards predictions?
Heres my predictions
WEST
1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Denver Nuggets
3. Portland Trail Blazers
4. San Antonio Spurs
5. Utah Jazz
6. Dallas Mavericks
7. New Orleans Hornets
8. Houston Rockets
9. Golden State Warriors
10. Phoenix Suns
11. Los Angeles Clippers
12. Oklahoma City Thunder
13. Minnesota T-Wolves
14. Memphis Grizzlies
15. Sacramento Kings
EAST
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Boston Celtics
3. Orlando Magic
4. Toronto Raptors
5. Atlanta Hawks
6. Chicago Bulls
7. Miami Heat
8. Charlotte Bobcats
9.. Washington Wizards
10. Philadelphia 76ers
11. Indiana Pacers
12. Detroit Pistons
13. New York Knicks
14. New Jersey Nets
15. Milwaukee Buckseveryone give me your opinions… no matter what happens, it will be a great season..
GO WARRIORS!

NBA conference predictions?
REAL NBA PLAYER DRAFT ROUND 1
1-Blazers-LEBRON JAMES(AGE OVER KOBE)
2-Bobcats-DWAYNE WADE(AGE OVER KOBE)
3-Bucks-KOBE BRYANT
4-Bulls – Dwight Howard
5-Cavaliers-CHRIS PAUL
6-Celtics-KEVIN DURRANT
7-Clippers-AL JEFFERSON
8-Grizzlies-KG
9-Hawks-TIM DUNCAN
10-Heat-MELO
11-Hornets-D WILL
12-Jazz-AMARE
13-Kings-CHRIS BOSH
14-Knicks-TIM DUNCAN
15-Lakers-JOE JOHNSON
16-Magic-B ROY
17-Mavericks-DERRICK ROSE
18-Nets-GRANGER
19-Nuggets-TONY PARKER
20-Pacers-VINCE CARTER
21-Pistons-RONDO
22-Raptors-NASH
23-Rockets-ODOM
24-76ers-PIERCE
25-Spurs-RAY ALLEN
26-Suns-ALLEN IVERSON
27-Thunder-SHAQ
28-Timberwolves-MONTE ELLIS
29-Warriors-BYNUM
30-Wizards-DIRK
ROUND 2 COMING SOON
WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE 1 ROUND I KNOW I MISS SOME PLAYERS

ROUND 1 NBA PLAYERS DRAFT WHO WILL BE NUMBER 1?
What are your predictions . mine are
EAST
1.Cavaliers
2.Magics
3.Celtics
4.Hawks
5.Bulls
6.Raptors
7.Heats
8.Pistons
WEST
1.Lakers
2.Spurs
3.Clippers
4.Suns
5.Warriors
6.Blaziers
7.Grizzlies
8.Nuggets
Cavaliers Vs. Pistons – Cavaliers
Magics Vs. Heats – Magics
Celtics Vs. Raptors – Raptors
Hawks Vs. Bulls – Bulls
Lakers Vs. Nuggets – Lakers
Spurs Vs. Grizzlies – Spurs
Clippers Vs. Blaziers – Clippers
Suns Vs. Warriors – Suns
Cavaliers Vs. Bulls – Bulls
Magics Vs. Raptors – Magics
Lakers Vs. Suns – Lakers
Spurs Vs. Clippers – Spurs
Magics Vs. Bulls – Bulls
Lakers Vs. Spurs – Lakers
Bulls Vs. Lakers – Bulls
BULLS WIN 7th TITLE

NBA Playoff Predictions 2009 – 2010 Season?
Blake Griffin, Clippers
Hasheem Thabbet, Grizzlies
James Harden, Thunder
Tyreke Evans, Kings
Jhonny Flyn, Timberwolves
Stephen Curry, Warriors
Jordan Hill, Knicks
DeMar DeRozan, Raptors
Brandon Jennings, Bucks

Out of these rookies which will start for their for their NBA teams?
You only have 400 to buy a team so you cant buy knicks, lakers, bulls, pistons, cavs, rockets, mavs, suns, celtics or spurs.
Teams you can buy:

11 Toronto Raptors 400 7 40 138 27.7
12 Miami Heat393 -6 43 131 -1.1
13 Philadelphia 76ers360 -5 18 116 0.3
14 Utah Jazz358 5 3 119 8.8
15 Washington Wizards353 2 47 118 14.9
16 Sacramento Kings350 -9 24 117 7.0
17 Orlando Magic349 8 29 100 6.2
18 Golden State Warriors335 8 22 112 14.2
19 Denver Nuggets329 3 14 112 -26.3
20 Portland Trail Blazers307 21 34 114 -0.9
21 Atlanta Hawks306 7 23 102 6.7
22 Indiana Pacers303 -9 16 101 -6.5
23 Minnesota Timberwolves301 -2 17 100 -5.7
24 Oklahoma City Thunder300 12 47 82 -9.4
25 Los Angeles Clippers297 1 0 99 10.7
26 New Jersey Nets295 -13 71 98 -0.9
27 Memphis Grizzlies294 -3 51 95 -3.2
28 New Orleans Hornets285 5 35 95 3.2
29 Charlotte Bobcats284 -1 53 95 -4.9
30 Milwaukee Bucks278 5 20 94 5.4

January 12, 2010

Finally, the day to get my floor installed arrived. The installers came about 9:15 am. We went over to Barbara’s house to wait until we could check in at the hotel. Audrey didn’t feel well and stayed home from school. I don’t know what Maddie’s excuse was, but both were home and non-contagious, so I could comfortably go over there.

I have very limited experience in granddaughters as the boys are so prevalent in my life. Getting granddaughters at this stage of my life is a real plus. They were happy to spend time with us, and of course, Maddie talked a mile a minute. I gave her a porcelain doll that I had for years. Although it is very old fashion, she seemed pleased with it. I let her paint my finger nails. We picked a very light color because she said she messes up on dark colors. She paints the same regardless of the color, but I am not telling her. At seven-years-old, Maddie is a happy and very outgoing child. She spontaneously said, “I love you.” on the phone last week. I thought my heart would swell over when she did. Audrey seemed happy to just hang out with us. They are both very sweet girls and I had a big dose of grand mothering.

We checked in at the Posada Ana Best Western about 12:30 pm. This is a small hotel, so we had to enter through the lobby. I picked this one as it is a pet friendly property and I wanted to keep my boys with me for the long haul. Plus, I didn’t have to pay to board two dogs for three nights. Every time we took them out, someone would stop us and “make over” them. One woman actually got down on the floor and kissed the top of their heads. They think they are special and happily accept all compliments.

We went to W.D. Deli for lunch where I had a great pimento cheese with walnuts on homemade whole grain bread. It was really good. Back at the hotel Bear took two naps, and I played on the computer. Between naps, he read the newspaper and told me that I needed to look at the Express News H.S. Plus stats in the sports section. Cam (C.J.) was #15 in the city for scoring, # 5 in rebounds and #1 in assists. Come on scholarship! He was the only one ranked in all three areas of stats. Needless to say, I am a really proud grandmother.

Late afternoon we went home to check the mail and floor progress. They had the living room and office pretty much done. We decided to grab dinner to go on the way back to the hotel because the Spurs vs Laker game started at 7:30 pm. Since I am looking for a new Mexican restaurant, I thought I knew of a place which had a good review in the paper. It is between Nacodoches and Broadway on Loop 410. They had a drive thru window, so I tried the enchilada plate as the sauce is the most important ingredient. I was not impressed.

The Spurs showed up in full force to meet the Lakers. Pau Gasol was out with an hamstring injury. Kobe Bryant left the court late in the third quarter with back spasms and didn’t finish the game. The Boys played like both Kobe and Pau were on the court. Duncan had 25 points and Parker finished with 22 points. The whole bench “suited up and showed up”. The game was 105 – Spurs to 85 – Lakers. Great game.

Today’s cars can do everything from parallel-park to alert you if someone’s in your blind spot.

Consider adaptive cruise control and collision detection as two examples. Technology assists have not only improved vehicle operation, but could even improve the way we drive.

Source:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9142758/Car_tech_Taking_drivers_helpers_for_a_spin

The Guelph Hurricanes (11-19-4 26 pts.) have a tough weekend ahead as they first travel to Waterloo to take on the 2nd Place (27-5-0 54 pts.) Siskins Friday night.

Siskins Wil Sibley has beaten Guelph 3 times

The Siskins have been winning with top notch goaltending and tough checking. They have a balanced  attack. In the previous 4 tilts, Waterloo has come out on top, 5-4, 5-3, 8-0 and 4-2. Three key factors that Guelph needs to do to win are:

1. Shoot !(early and often) The Canes have averaged 27.75 shots per game vs. Waterloo.  Waterloo’s goaltenders have a save % of .923. This translates into 2 goals against. So if they want to increase their goals, they need to increase the number of shots.

2. Stay out of the penalty box! Waterloo has converted 18.09% of their Powerplays (6th in GOJHL).

3. Get Solid goaltending! Attention Chris McDougall… pretend we are playing Stratford.

After battling with the Siskins, Guelph travels to the Bell City to take on the take on the 1st Place Brantford Golden Eagles (28-4-3 59 pts.) on Saturday night.

McQuade leads the GOJHL scoring with 103 pts.

 Two Brantford players that have killed the Canes this season are goaltender Daryl Borden (26-4 2.51 GAA) and Josh McQuade, who leads the league in scoring with 103 pts. (40 goals and 63 assists)

The Golden Eagles sport the GOJHL’s leading Penalty Kill with 89.95% , including 20 shorthanded goals.

Two keys to victory in this game are:

1. Hit them, hit them and then hit them again. This is a run-and-gun finese team that the Hurricanes can upset if they keep laying the body on them.

2. Neutralize Josh McQuade. McQuade has scored 7 goals and 2 assists in 3 games vs. Guelph, including 2 hat tricks. How do they do that….read point #1. Oh and when they hit them, do it cleanly, because Brantford also has the #4 PowerPlay in the GOJHL converting on 23.66% of  them.

One more key factor in both these games.

If Guelph remains in 7th or 8th in the standings at the end of the regular season, it is likely that they will either face Brantford or Waterloo in the first round of the playoffs.

Today’s suggestion is about replacing cooking methods that damage the environment and harm the health of people doing the cooking with a much healthier and environmentally friendly method of cooking. This method is solar cooking, which assists in limiting deforestation and desertification, as well as reducing the problems associated with inhalation of smoke on a continuous basis.

More information at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_E._Jones

A response to reading ‘365 Ways to Change the World,’ by Michael Norton

Playing well for part of the game and coming up short in the end seems to be the trend following the Guelph Hurricanes these days.

Thursday night they faced a very good Waterloo Siskins ( 19-5-0 38 pts.) team at home and found themselves down 3-0 after the first period. Then they clawed their way back to outscore the Siskins 2-1 in the 2nd and 3rd period, eventually losing the game 4-2.

Saturday night they travelled to Cambridge (14-7-2 30 pts.) to take on the Winter Hawks in a game where they faced 52 shots, including 31 in the 2nd period. Cambridge scored 5 goals in that period and would go on to win the game 6-4.

Then the Canes visited Elmira (11-11-3 25 pts.) Sunday night and they finally avoided the one period let down and came away with a single point in a 3-2 shootout loss.

That point will be critical as teams jockey for playoff position. Currently Guelph sits 8th in the MidWestern Division and would face the top seeded Brantford Golden Eagles in the first round of the playoffs.

*Other GOJHL Notes:

The Stratford Cullitons snapped their 11 game losing streak Sunday afternoon with a 6-5 win over the Listowel Cyclones.

GOJHL’s leading scorer is Josh McQuade (Brantford Golden Eagles) is averaging 3 points per game (81 pts. in 27 games) and is on a pace to score 153 pts. this season.

Next home game for the Canes is Thursday December 3 when they face Josh McQuade and the 1st place Brantford Golden Eagles. Game time at the Sleeman Center is 7:45 p.m.

Lately, it has been all smiles for the Utah Jazz.  After a slow start this season, Utah (9-7) is really starting to gel. They have won 5 of their last 6 games and  are showing signs of becoming a dominant presence in the Western Conference this year. Confidence is peaking and spirits are high! The Jazz are playing extremely well despite missing Kyle Korver, CJ Miles, Ronnie Price, and Matt Harpring to injuries. Boozer, who had another big game with 26 points, 12 rebounds,7 assists, 1 block and 1 steal, warned everyone after the game, “…when we get our full team back, watch out!”

The last two games, the Jazz have shot just over 60% from the floor.  Jazz announcer Ron Boone mentioned, ”It’s all because of great execution, making that extra pass, and finding the open teammates.” It’s exactly what the Jazz are doing out there. They are sharing the ball, finding the open man, and getting good high-percentage shots.

Assists have been key for the Jazz. Tonight’s blowout of the Blazers came with a season high 36 assists. Their previous season high (32) was during the annihilation of the Sixers back on November 13th.  The Jazz dominated in both of these games. In fact, the Jazz have not lost this season when they have dished out 26 assists or more in a game. During their nine wins this season, Utah has averaged just under 28 assists per game. On the contrary, when the Jazz lose, they average just under 22 assists.

After the game, Deron Williams said, “Hopefully, we can just realize that this is what we have to do to win, and keep doing it.”

When the Jazz play like they did last night against Portland, they can certainly contend with the top teams in the league. They will definitely have the chance to prove themselves as 5 of their next 12 games are against some of the NBA’s top teams: the Lakers, the Magic, and the Hawks.

How will the Jazz fair during the next 12 games? What is your prediction?

Next game: Monday, Nov. 30 vs. Memphis @ 7:00 PM MT. TV: FSN or NBA League Pass.  Radio: 1320 AM KFAN or 98.7 FM.

2010 All-Star Game Voting: Vote daily at NBA.com for Williams, Boozer, and your favorite Jazz players!

Click here to join the Boozer Mob! (Carlos Boozer fan club)

THE LEAGUE LEADERS AS OF WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 25/09

Points: Anze Kopitar (33)

Goals: Marian Gaborik (18)

Assists: Joe Thornton (25)

Plus/minus: Matt Carle (+18)

Save %: Antero Niittymaki (0.936%)

GAA: Ryan Miller (1.97)

Shutouts: Tomas Vokoun (3)

Wins: Evgeni Nabokov (14)

Toronto bench triumphs as Raptors easily defeat Indiana

Jarrett Jack smiled over at his former Pacer teammates when he came in off the bench, foreshadowing what became his best effort of the season. Jack was 7 for 7 from the field, scoring 18 points and handing out 6 assists as the Raptors defeated Indiana 123 – 112.

“I felt extra energized,” Jack said. “That might have something to do with me playing against my old team, but I felt like I was in a good rhythm from the moment I was warming up with Coach Alvin Williams,” he continued. “I just came out firing, man. I just have to thank my teammates they found me on a lot of my open shots and I was able to knock them down.”

Jose Calderon also had a big game, scoring 21 points and dishing out 7 assists. The two guards played on the same line for key portions of the game, a combination that impressed Raptors Head Coach Jay Triano.

“I really liked when they were out there together,” Coach Jay Triano said. “At one point they were probably thinking they were competing for a position and now they realize they can play together on the floor as well as give each other relief.”

Last season, the Toronto Raptors had a choice between Calderon and T.J. Ford at the point. Ford was a selfish player, unable to come off the bench without feeling slighted while putting up lesser numbers than his teammate. Ford had 16 points last night but was ineffective against both Calderon and Jack when it counted, putting more pressure on Danny Granger to step up. Granger did his part, scoring a game high 36 points while fetching 9 boards, but it just wasn’t enough.

“They shot 55 percent tonight,” Granger said, also holding a copy of the box score. “I don’t even know what to say. We emphasized what we wanted to do. Sometimes we do it and sometimes we don’t and we didn’t do it tonight.”

Raptors rookie DeMar DeRozan continued to see his playing time diminish, scoring 8 points in just 10 minutes as a starter. Rasho Nesterovich finally got some quality playing time and used it productively, scoring 12 points to go along with 7 rebounds in 16 minutes. Chris Bosh struggled with his game but still had his twelfth double double of the year, scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 boards in the victory for the Raps.

Toronto continues its heavy schedule today as they face off against the Charlotte Bobcats.

Dany Heatley #15 and Evengi Nabokov #20 of the San Jose Sharks look to defend a shot during an NHL game against the Philadelphia Flyers on November 20, 2009 at HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. (Photo by Don Smith/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Sharks and Flyers are two of the best offensive teams in the NHL and every player from both sides expected their meeting on Friday night to be a high scoring, competitive game.  The result was both with the high scoring coming from Dany Heatley’s second hat trick of the season and Joe Thornton’s four assist that helped pave the way for the Sharks 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at HP Pavilion. 

The atmosphere was high energy as the Sharks played their first home game since coming back from their second road trip of the season.  The Flyers came out swinging, with Danny Brice scoring the first goal at 9:16 in the first period.  Manny Maholtra would follow for the Sharks, scoring a goal at 15:11 on a power play after his shot deflected off of two Flyers and found its way past goalie Matt Carle. 

Danny Heatley would start the second period with the first of his three goal, scoring   in the opening 50 second of the second period.  The goal was created after he picked up a loose puck along the boards, passed it to Thornton and was reefed the puck to give the Sharks a 2-1 lead.  Malholtra, who had earlier gotten the Sharks back in the game with a tieing goal in the first gave the Flyers the lead after he accidently pushed the puck into his team net after trying to clear the puck from the crease.  The Sharks were able to get back track late in the second, as Patrick Marleau scored with only five seconds left on  the second assisted goal by Thornton. 

 Dany Heatley would continue the scoring threat as he added a shorthanded goal at 8:421 in the third period.  A little while later Claude Gilroux would score his second goal of the night and in the process record his first multigoal game of his career.  The Sharks would not give up another goal for the rest of the game with outstanding goaltending thanks to Evgeni Nabokov, who had a 27 saves and improved to 6-0-2 against the Flyers.  Dany Heatley would answer the Flyers with his third goal which proppeled him to a second season hat trick and ninth of his career at 12:44 in the third.  The goal was also Joe Thornton’s team high fourth assist of the game that gave big Joe the 600 assist of his NHL career.  Captain Ryan Clowe would end things on a bang with his own goal at 15:22, to cement the Sharks big win against the Flyers.

Till next time, SharkGirl

Mike McFarlane congratulates Chris McDougall

Chris McDougall and the Hurricanes like playing in Allman Arena. (Home of the Stratford Cullitons)

Why?

Because for the second time in a row, they went into Stratford, Chris McDougall stood on his head and they stole the victory.

Friday night, despite being outshot 39-17, Chris McDougall and the Hurricanes defeated the hometown Cullitons 4-1.

Guelph opened up the scoring in the first on an unassisted goal by Brandon Anselmini.  Hurricanes leading scorer Dan Mohle made it 2-0 Guelph. Luca Penzo got the assist.

After a scoreless second period, Craig Dalrymple scored 15 seconds into the 3rd to pull the Cullitons with in one. (assist went to Cohen Adair). The game was close until Martin Kudla made it 3-1 Guelph when he scored a powerplay goal at 16:05 (assist went to Captain Mike McFarlane).

In the late stages of the game (1:34 left) with Stratford looking to pull it within one, the Hurricanes received a penalty.

Then with 59 seconds left Stratford pulled their goalie to create a 6-4, Mike Iacocca sealed the victory with an empty netter to make it 4-1 (Mike McFarlane and Tyson Theaker received assists).

The win put the moved the Hurricanes back into 7th place with 16 pts. (7-13-2). One point over the 8th place Kitchener Dutchmen.

Remember, tomorrow night is Guaranteed Win Night against the Dutchmen.

Which means that anyone who purchase a ticket on game night will receive a free ticket to another Hurricanes home game if they don’t defeat the Dutchmen.

Game time is 7:30 sharp.

My main criteria for Random Raptors Moments: Obscurity. I wanna find stuff that I didn’t even know happened. For example, did you know Mark Jackson moved into fifth in all-time assists in his half season in Toronto and even grabbed a standing ovation from the ACC crowd? Could’ve fooled me…

From http://www.guelphhurricanes.com

OUR BOYS DESERVED TO WIN

That was the quote General Manager Matt Mullin used after watching his Canes go down 3-2 to the never say quit Listowel Cyclones.

The fast paced game was a thriller with many excellent hits but few penalties. Guelph controlled the game and had many excellent chances to score but bad bounces, goal posts and the fantastic play of Cyclones goalie Drew Pegrum held the Canes off the scoresheet for most of the game.

The Canes went into the 3rd up 2-1 on goals by Cam Jude(3rd) and Ken Rolph(9th) Both goals were set up by Dan Mohle. Other assists went to Connor Ste. Marie and Tyson Theaker. When a team goes into Listowel they know that the Cyclones don’t quit and they seem to be most dangerous in the 3rd. For the second game in a row the Canes watched a couple of bounces go against them in the third and the Cycs as they usually do capitalized and stole a 3-2 win.

Coach MacEachern was obviously upset that his club lost another 3rd period lead but he was able to take away some positives as well. He noted he all 4 lines were solid throughout the game. The line of Mohle, Theaker and Rolph dominated every time they were on the ice.

Due to illness of defensmen Zach Dion and Peter Soligo, Conner Ste Marie played a regular shift on defense and had a stellar performance. Chris MacDougall had another solid goal and could not be faulted for any of the goals.

He was also pleased with the play of newly signed forward Taylor Lakasik. Lakasik is a draft pick of the Owen Sound Attack and recently was playing with the Orangeville Crushers of the OPJHL.

Next game for the Canes is next Thursday when they travel to Barntford to face the formidable Golden Eagles and scoring wizard Josh McQuade.

Next home game is Saturday, November 7th when the Waterloo Siskins are the visitors. Game time at the Sleeman Center is 7:30 p.m.

The great Leafs captain retired this summer.  He was a great player and captain for the Leafs.  He played for 12 years, scoring 420 goals and 567 assists, and that goes with 748 penalty minutes.  He was a great captain and I hope he finishes the rest of his life well.

Winston Churchill would be proud of the Guelph Hurricanes.  At least how they played in the 3rd period.

Martin Kudla drives to the net

The Guelph Hurricanes played their 3rd game in 3 nights tonight against the Listowel Cyclones and for 2 periods it showed.

The edge in the first period would have to go to the Cyclones, who outshot the Hurricanes 12-7 in the period and went into the intermission with a 2-1 lead.

Although Guelph outshot the Cyclones in the second period 12-9, Listowel won most of the battles and extended their lead to 5-1.

But as Winston Churchill said in his famous speech to the Oxford University graduation class, “Never, Never, Never Give Up” and the Hurricanes didn’t.

I’m not sure what Coach Jim McEachern said during the 2nd intermission, but the Hurricanes came out flying in the 3rd, and scored a Powerplay goal 31 seconds into the period.

They poured it on, dominating the 3rd period scoring twice more and pulled to within one.

With time winding down, Coach McEachern pulled his goalie Trevor McGee, in order to get another attacker. Shortly afterward with the Hurricanes pressing, Eric Deckers collected his 2nd goal and 5th point by scoring into the empty net with 20.9 seconds remaining.

Offensive stars for the Hurricanes were: #7 Dan Mohle with 4 points (2 goals – 2 assists) (Dan now sits 2nd in Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League scoring with 23 points),  #24 Tyson Theaker with 3 points (1 goal – 2 assists) , and #6 Luca Penzo with 3 points (3 assists).

The Hurricanes schedule takes them on the road for the next 2 games: Oct. 10 @ St. Catharines, Oct. 11 @ Elmira, before they return to the Sleeman Centre on Oct. 17th where they continue their rivalry with the Kitchener Dutchmen. Game time is 7:30 pm.

Gameweek 8 and some interesting fixtures this weekend. A big four clash, plenty of tired teams who were involved in midweek European competition and some good opportunities for the cellar dwellers to pick up some victories. There were 37 goals last weekend and some high scores fantasy wise. Here’s to more of the same.

Gameweek 7 Top Gun (aka Tom Cruise Approves):

Maverick approves. Sort of.

It was a battle of the strikers this time round as three players fought to win the award but ultimately if you score four goals there’s a 95% chance you’ll be top scorer for the week. Keane’s quadruple against Burnley coupled with three bonus points made for a grand score of 21 and with it the Top Gun award.

In a way this feels quite a low score for so many goals but I guess that will always be the case for strikers. Looking back at Arshavin’s four goal haul against Liverpool last season, it also brought him 21 points. It would have been 25 in his new midfielder classification.

As I was saying, two other strikers ran Keane close this week. Torres scored the easiest hat-trick of his career against Hull and also got three bonus for 17 while on Sunday Darren Bent saved many a fantasy team’s weekend by grabbing 18 points via three assists, a goal and three bonus against Wolves. I don’t think anyone was expecting that good a haul from him!

Elsewhere John O’Shea got the classic defender’s combination of winning goal, clean sheet and three bonus for 15, while Tevez, Jones, Petrov and Babel all got 12+. A mention too for Thomas Vermaelen who was the first Top Gun winner to get more than two points the following week. He kept a clean sheet for six.

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Three Captain choices:

A big four matchup between Chelsea and Liverpool on Sunday means we should probably avoid Torres, Lampard, Gerrard et al. After both teams unimpressed during midweek Champions League and with Chelsea also on the back of a league defeat at Wigan, there may well be an avoid defeat at all costs strategy. A low scoring encounter is certainly on the cards meaning we have to look elsewhere.

1. Rooney/Man Utd – The hairy, screaming one faces Sunderland at Old Trafford this weekend and is a good shout to score I’d say. Sunderland have been very average at the back despite the arrival of Michael Turner and have the sixth worse defensive record with 11 goals conceded so far. It’s their attack which has got them up to 8th. Rooney has six goals in his first seven league games and is now centrepoint of United’s attacking play. Do you really see John Mensah stopping him? Nope me neither.

2. Arshavin or Van Persie/Arsenal - The Gunners have won both home games so far and Blackburn have lost both away games. For all Sam Allardyce’s success against Arsenal over the years, I genuinely don’t see his side getting anything on Sunday. Van Persie has been Arsenal’s best attacker this season without actually getting that many goals but he did score against Fulham last weekend and Olympiacos in midweek. Arshavin too has quietly got himself three goals recently so perhaps is finally hitting some of the form of last season. I’ll be going to this match so am hoping for a few Arsenal goals.

3. Saha/Everton - The oft-injured striker has had a great start to 2009/10 and has scored five in five (he missed Fulham). Stoke are terrible away from home - for some reason they just can’t replicate the form they show at the Britannia and I expect an Everton victory here. Always back a striker when in form. Baines, Cahill or Fellaini are also good shouts in this game.

Gets a Captain's tick

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Three Potential Transfers In:

1. Fabregas/Arsenal – Yes he’s a very expensive transfer in, but my thinking is to replace Gerrard or Lampard with him. Arsenal’s next five are Blackburn, Birmingham, West Ham (A), Spurs and Wolves (A) all of which are winnable, most of which are easy. Lampard (see transfer out) hasn’t been scoring at all (goals wise not points wise), while Gerrard has to play deep for the duration of Mascherano’s absence. Fabregas has scored or assisted in his last three and should continue his good form. Just a thought.

2. Reid/Sunderland – Steve Bruce commented the other day about how Andy Reid has been Sunderland’s best player for the past month. Who am I to argue. The man who used to be really fat but is now just big-boned has three straight assists, plus a goal and three bonus in the last few weeks. He’s a bargain too at £5.3m.

3. Benayoun/Liverpool – Ok, so my attempted reverse jinx clearly failed last week as Benayoun got himself two assists for eight points. I will now attempt the opposite and start recommending him and hope he suddenly stops producing for Sportboy P’s side. I’m still not entirely sure he has the consistency over the course of a season but he is a good player capable of big games (see the 24 points against Burnley) and Rafa has at least realised that he’s a better option than Ryan Babel.

Might be worth a pick

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Three to avoid:

1. Lampard/Chelsea - As I mentioned above, I’m not convinced Lampard is a player to have right now. Let’s look at what he’s done this season. He only has one goal (a penalty) but he does have four assists which is second after Giggs. His eight bonus leads midfielders but five strikers have more than that and he lies eighth overall with 42 points.

Watching a fair amount of Chelsea this season, he doesn’t seem to be getting into as many scoring positions as last year and I mentioned in Monday’s Six Pointer that part of this may be Chelsea playing two strikers again. I’m not saying get rid of him and don’t replace him, I’m just saying that don’t think you can’t just because he’s Frank Lampard.

In his defence his overall score is good and perhaps I’m being hasty but I think in terms of value if nothing else, there are currently better players out there. Just remember Ronaldo last season where people were hamstrung by the fear of not having him when you’d actually have been better off investing in someone a fraction cheaper and spending the rest elsewhere. Looking at the transfers out, it appears 24,000 people think so, the most for a midfielder this week. One to monitor.

2. Defoe/Spurs – Another player who you might think I’m crazy for suggesting to get rid of but it might be a good time. He’s just broken his hand, his value has gone up to £9m and as the Football Guy and I were discussing, Defoe has always been a very streaky player. Six goals in six games or something similar but then nothing for ages. You realise he hasn’t scored for two weeks right? Maybe it’s already begun. Cash in.

3. Sunderland players - Man Utd and Liverpool up next.

Are you taking the mick?

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T.

Aquí os dejo las mejores asistencias de esta temporada en la NBA, que es una de las facetas del juego que más me gustan…

Meet Alex. He was an NBA scorekeeper. And he’s got some skeletons in his closet.

Excerpt:

“…a little more than a year later, with Nick Van Exel and the Lakers in town, Alex decided to act out. “I was sort of disgruntled,” he says. “I loved the game. I don’t want the numbers to be meaningless, and I felt they were becoming meaningless because of how stats were kept. So I decided, I’m gonna do this totally immature thing and see what happens. It was childish. The Lakers are in town. We’re gonna lose. Fuck it. He’s getting a shitload of assists.” If you were to watch the game today, you’d see some “comically bad assists.” Alex’s fingerprints are all over the box score. He gave Van Exel everything. “Van Exel would pass from the top of the three-point line to someone on the wing who’d hold the ball for five seconds, dribble, then make a move to the basket. Assist, Van Exel.”

No one noticed. From his chair, Alex could hear the legendary broadcaster Chick Hearn calling the game. Van Exel’s having a great game! He’s moving the ball exceptionally well! And in the next day’s writeups, Van Exel was of course the hero. Alex thought, What the fuck?

“This is a bad analogy, but it’s like a husband cheating on a wife in such a way as to guarantee he’s going to be caught,” Alex says. “There’s nothing to justify it. It was stupid. And there were no consequences.” He figured he’d at least get scolded. He wasn’t. In fact, a management guy congratulated him. The game was sure to get on SportsCenter now.