NBA is truly the sport of King (James)

What, NBA superstars get preferential calls in the league office, too?




"Answer this question honestly," wrote Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel. "If LeBron (James), like Gilbert Arenas, had been caught with a gun in the locker room, would he have been suspended perhaps for the season by commissioner David Stern?



"Are you kidding me? If LeBron had been caught with a gun, Stern would have modified all NBA uniforms to include a shoulder holster."



Pressed for answers



So will Tiger Woods return, or won't he?



"I promise you, if he had (already won) 19 majors, you might never see him again," golfer Pat Perez told The Associated Press. "Now he's got to ask himself if the juice is worth the squeeze."



Don't pass the Mayo



O.J. Mayo, the one-and-done USC basketball star, refused to cooperate with the university's investigation into allegations he accepted improper gifts and benefits in 2007-08, said USC athletic director Mike Garrett.



So much for O.J. leading the Trojans in assists that season.



Colt, hard facts



Texas rose to No. 1 in the basketball polls last week, but Longhorns center Dexter Pittman isn't feeling like a big man on campus — not as long as king football is still around.



"This is Colt McCoy's school," Pittman told The Dallas Morning News. "He's just letting us borrow it."

Is that all there is?




Ever see what's left of a fluffy house cat after it gets caught in torrential downpour?



That's about all there is to a three-hour NFL telecast, according to The Wall Street Journal: 75 minutes of commercials, 17 minutes of replays — and 11 minutes of actual game action.



Snappy comeback



"South Florida's Jim Leavitt became the third major-college football coach in recent weeks to be fired for reportedly physically abusing a player," wrote Greg Cote of the Miami Herald. "You want a simple solution?



"New rule: Players get to hit back."



A bunch of BCS



• Janice Hough of LeftCoastSportsBabe.com, after ESPN analysts said Boise State has a good shot at winning the 2010 football title — as long as it gets a high preseason ranking: "Congratulations to the BCS. They have just turned college football into Olympic figure skating."



• Drew Curtis of Fark.com, on a poll showing that 73 percent of Division I-A football head coaches prefer the BCS to a playoff system: "After all, when you have a Weedeater Bowl trophy in your office, you're already a champion."



• Jeff Wolf of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, on a Republican (Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch) and a Democrat (President Obama) agreeing on something — a disdain for the BCS setup: "Lace 'em up, Satan, it's time to go skating."



The kicking game



We can't remember the last time we've seen so many cheap shots, hits below the waist and unsportsmanlike conduct.



No, not the NFL playoffs — the late-night TV hosts.

Source:seattletimes.nwsource.com/

NHL Extra Around the ice

• Player to watch: Left winger Niklas Hagman spent parts of four seasons with the Panthers before being shipped out by Mike Keenan and Jacques Martin in 2005. He has burned them ever since, averaging a goal per game. Hagman had two goals against the Cats earlier this season.

• Analysis: The Panthers swept the four-game series against the Maple Leafs for the first time last season, but that success didn't spill over into this season. The Leafs won 6-4 in Sunrise on Nov. 27.

• Series: Toronto leads 26-16-7.

PANTHERS @ CANADIENS, 7:30 P.M. THURSDAY (FSNF)

• Player to watch: Defenseman Andrei Markov went into the New Year with eight assists this season; three of them came against the Panthers on Dec. 31.

• Analysis: The Canadiens have had the Panthers' number of late, winning four of the past five games -- including a 5-4 decision in Sunrise on New Year's Eve. These teams tied for the eighth spot in the East last season, but the Panthers have some ground to make up this season after the Habs won 6 of 7 on their most recent trip.

• Series: Tied 28-28-6.

PANTHERS @ SENATORS, 7 P.M. SATURDAY (FSNF)

• Player to watch: Center Mike Fisher made headlines on the gossip pages for his proposal to Carrie Underwood last month, but his play has garnered just as much attention in sports circles.Fisher's 15 goals this season already have surpassed last year's total, and his 31 points were tied for the team lead going into the New Year.

• Analysis: Ottawa bounced back from an 8-2 loss to Pittsburgh on Dec. 23 to finish 2009 strong, winning 3 of 4. The Senators won 4-3 in Sunrise on Oct. 28.

• Series: Ottawa leads 33-25-3.

CAT CONFIDENTIAL | WAS IT TOUGH TO PLAY A HOME GAME THAT SOUNDS LIKE A ROAD GAME, AS WAS THE CASE THURSDAY AGAINST MONTREAL?

Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov: It's always good to have your own crowd, people rooting for us. But we don't have a lot of people who come, so on one side, it's good to have a full barn. But they're not our fans and that's a sad thing. I asked [Gregory Campbell] if we were going to wear our road whites.

Defenseman Keith Ballard: Montreal has a great following, is a great franchise and the tradition they have is awesome. We love going to Montreal and playing and this is what it's like. Only a lot shorter trip.

Center Dominic Moore: It's always fun to have passionate fans in the building. The Panthers have great fans and you could hear the rivalry going with the out-of-town fans. It made for a good atmosphere.

ASK A FLORIDA PANTHER | DENNIS SEIDBERG


DESCRIBE YOUR FAVORITE OLYMPIC MOMENT AND THE EXCITEMENT THAT SURROUNDS THE GAMES


In 2002, I got to go into the stadium in Salt Lake for Opening Ceremonies, and that was an unreal feeling knowing you were there representing your country and everyone at home was watching. This year, we are going up just to play the games and you don't get the full Olympic feeling, but it's still very special. My first Olympics was great because I was still playing in Germany and I was so nervous being around all the NHL guys.

Source: