Tonight is the National Championship Game between Alabama and LSU.  A year ago, Auburn defeated Oregon to continue the SEC's winning streak in the title game.  But we don't remember that, of course not!  We remember Brent Musburger memorably saying before the game winning field goal attempt, "This is for all the Tostitos."  It was a polarizing moment, but one that has only grown in stature and fame (or infamy as the case may be) over time.  It's actually taken on a bit of a life of its own.  Brent actually talked about the quote (which he had actually used before) in this Q&A with Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated.  

So with tonight's National Championship Game likely to be another field goal contest, and likely to come down to the wire, we thought it may be helpful to have some friendly suggestions for Brent for lines he can use late in tonight's BCS National Championship Game sponsored by Allstate.  With Allstate as the sponsor, Brent would definitely have to get a little more creative with the call and maybe think it out beforehand (ala Jim Nantz).  If tonight's game came down to a last second play with everything on the line, what could Brent say to top the Tostitos...

This is for all the insurance quotes! (via AA)

This is for all the SECs! (via TheMrinella)

This is for all the car insurance! (via KSJ49)

This one's for my 14 game parlay! (via Lee_Zy)

This is for all the MAYHEM! (via GB330033)

This is for all the premiums! (via fangsbites)

This is for all the states! (via roneface)

This one's for all the good hands! (via DerekIAm)

This is for all the asset protection! (via AA)

This one is to cover the spread! (via YourOldPalWes)

This is for all the credit default swaps! (via danieljshort)

This one is for all the indemnity clauses! (via boilerbill96)

This one's for all the sugar cubes! (via Chin_4_Ever)

The BCS Championship is in good hands! (via MikeShemesh)

Dennis Haysbert would be so proud! (via JeffDLowe)

The crystal ball is in good hands! (via barmstrong2185)

In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women. (via RYbbc34)

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The NBA League Pass preview has expired, so unless they sucked you in, you're stuck with your local and these nationally televised games this week.

Wednesday night's game between the Heat and Clippers with Shulman on the call should be a real doozie, if you can keep your eyelids from blocking the action.

Monday, January 9

Charlotte Bobcats @ New York Knicks (NBA TV 7:30PM) Mike Breen and Walt "Clyde" Frazier, assuming they show MSG broadcast

Tuesday, January 10

Phoenix Suns @ Los Angeles Lakers (NBA TV 10:30) Ernie Johnson, Greg Anthony, Chris Webber

Dallas Mavericks @ Boston Celtics (ESPN 8PM) Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy

Miami Heat @ Los Angeles Clippers (ESPN 10:30PM) Dan Shulman, Hubie Brown

Thursday, January 12

New York Knicks @ Memphis Grizzlies (TNT 8PM) Marv Albert, Mike Fratello, Reggie Miller

Orlando Magic @ Golden State Warriors (TNT 10:30PM) Kevin Harlan, Steve Kerr

Friday, January 13

Chicago Bulls @ Boston Celtics (ESPN 8PM) Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy

Miami Heat @ Denver Nuggets (ESPN 10:30PM) Mike Tirico, Chris Mullin

Saturday, January 14

New Jersey Nets @ Utah Jazz (NBA TV 9PM) Local Broadcast

Sunday, January 15

Phoenix Suns @ San Antonio Spurs (ESPN 9PM) TBA

H/T Sammy

Bill Walton is one of my absolute favorite color commentators.  I know not everyone will share that opinion, but the big redhead's presence in the booth is something to behold.  I always enjoyed his pairing way back in the day with Steve "Snapper" Jones and even watched him broadcast Clipper games with Ralph Lawler (and that was well before Blake Griffin).  Walton has had some very serious back and health problems the last couple years that have taken him away from national television, but thankfully he appears to be back in relatively good health.  

Walton's way with words are unique as they still have that tinge of the seventies, tie-dye t-shirts, and the Grateful Dead.  It's always a Long, Strange Trip when you watch a Bill Walton broadcast.  There are things Bill says that make you shake your head, scratch your head, nod your head, and burst out laughing.  My favorite is the DRAMATICALLY EPIC OVERSTATEMENT said with just enough of a dry sarcasm that Bill knows he's in on the joke.  All in all, it's just fun to listen to Bill Walton do a basketball game.  

So, when I heard Bill Walton was making an appearance in the Sacramento Kings TV booth alongside play by play man Grant Napear, I knew I had to tune in to enlighten the nation and the world with the wisdom of one Bill Walton...

via jeskeets "Creativity. Imagination. Determination. Flexibility. Adaptability."

One of my favorite Walton traits.  Throw random word combinations together like Jackson Pollack splashing paint on the canvas.  You know Bill Walton would crush you in Words With Friends.

via sharapovasthigh "NBA basketball is the ultimate celebration of health."

This is coming from a man who has undergone at least 36 orthopedic surgeries and attended at least 650 Grateful Dead concerts.  Think about that.

"The best part about basketball competition is the mental and emotional aspects.  The physical levels are relatively equal... to be a champion, you've got to be the smartest guys on the floor."

What other analyst in sports would talk about the mental and emotional aspects of the game?  The scariest part about this quote though is Bill was referencing mental virtuoso DeMarcus Cousins.

"If you just came back from the Mars Hotel and looked at Big Baby you'd say there's no way this guy can be a successful player, but with his balance, ingenuity, his tenacity and his willingness to mix it up physically... he reminded me when he first joined the league of Charles Barkley, but he doesn't have that lift that Barkley had.  Barkley was such a remarkable physical specimen, power, finesse and touch and anger and explosiveness."

1) Rise up fellow Deadheads for the Mars Hotel reference!  2) I've never once thought of Big Baby and ingenuity in the same sentence, unless we're talking about his arts and crafts collection.  3) Walton refers to Charles Barkley as a remarkable physical specimen, hard for anyone to fathom if you've seen this.

"The previous possession was a thing of beauty.  Picasso.  Monet."

This was describing a Jason Thompson layup.  Really.

"Players make plays, plays dont make players."

Bill just lost Tim McCarver with that one.

"Tebow's a player like Jimmer Fredette's a player."

This quote came after Bill was informed of the Broncos defeating the Steelers in overtime.  Jimmer scored 2 points in 14 minutes, so I suppose if we're talking about Week 17 Tebow this is an apt comparison.  And in fairness to Bill, they are indeed both players.

"You might want to tell Hedo Turkoglu that Tyreke Evans is righthanded and will continue to be so throughout the rest of this game at least."

I stood and applauded at this quote.

"DeMarcus Cousins head to head here with Dwight Howard in the closing moments where legends are maintained or the course of history is changed!"

This is the greatest analysis in the history of western civilization!!  These Bill Walton quotes will change your life forever for the better!!  Throw it down big man, throw it down!!

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Saturday, January 14 --  NFL Divisional Playoffs

New Orleans Saints @ San Francisco 49ers FOX 4:30PM - Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa

Denver Broncos @ New England Patriots CBS 8PM - Jim Nantz, Phil Simms

Sunday, January 15

Houston Texans  @ Baltimore Ravens CBS 1PM - Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf

New York Giants @ Green Bay Packers FOX 4:30PM - Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver, Chris Myers

Sunday, January 22 -- NFL Conference Finals

AFC Championship Game CBS 3PM - Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Steve Tasker

NFC Championship Game FOX 6:30PM - Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver, Chris Myers

Sunday, February 5 -- Super Bowl XLVI - Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN

NBC 6:30PM - Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya

H/T Sammy

Everyone had Tim Tebow throwing an 80 yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime for a Broncos victory over the Steelers, right?  In spite of all the Broncos' heroics this season, that kind of finish was miraculous even by Tim Tebow's standards.  And this touchdown from Tebow to Thomas came in the first ever game of the new overtime rules in the NFL.  Thank goodness Phil Simms didn't have to explain that at length to us.  Here's the video of TEBOW TIME...

After his season and all the media scrutiny and everything revolving around TebowMania, I'm legitimately happy for Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos.  That was a cool moment and an amazing play made by Demaryius Thomas that shouldn't go unrecognized.  I'm not going to let Skip Bayless' trolling ruin what is a great sports story and neither should you.  Enjoy it (unless you're a Steelers fan that is).

Next Saturday night, Tebow and the Broncos travel to New England to face the Patriots in what may be the highest rated non Super Bowl in league history.  

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Football can be a hard game to follow because of all the tricky rules, but thank goodness we have announcers like Phil Simms who know so much and can enlighten us, the ignorant viewers, on many of the difficult concepts.  

Like forward passes. 

Phil Simms was kind enough to clear that up for us today during the Steelers-Broncos Wild Card game:

"Remember, for it to be a forward pass, it's gotta go FORWARD!"

Quick, someone let Ron Winter in on this little football secret, because that Ben Roethlisberger pass was not one of these so-called forward passes and should have been ruled a fumble.

Simms might not be the best color analyst (like, when he said there's no denying that Ben Roethlisberger has the mobility of John Elway, or when he said last week that Eric Decker is the best), but he sure does know the rules of the game.  For that, we thank you, Phil Simms. 

video via

Last night, Charles Barkley hosted Saturday Night Live, which you probably knew if you watched either of the two NFL playoff games on NBC and saw him in studio with the crew. The show was a mixed bag, but the highlight was this parody commercial for the "Charles Barkley Post-Game Translator App."

The gist of the app was to cut through all of the BS in post-game interviews, and for Barkley to tell you what the athlete or coach was actually thinking. In reality, an app like this would be awesome, but is it really necessary? When a coach says, "we just didn't execute properly" we all know that's code for "we were sloppy and got whipped."

Regardless, it was a pretty funny premise for a skit for a show that's a shadow of its former self. I personally don't watch the show all that much anymore, but this made me chuckle a couple of times.

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At pretty much the exact moment I started saying to myself that Tom Hammond is actually a pretty damn good play by play guy, this awkward moment happened...

Matt Schoob? Matt Schoop? no comments

The Broncos play the Steelers today in the NFL Playoffs and I just wonder who's going to get all the attention in the buildup. Hmm...

In this USA Today article from earlier this week, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger says what we've all been thinking: that ESPN is overhyping Tim Tebow. Roethlisberger notes that it's "got to be tough" for Tebow, and that the rest of the Broncos team (which actually has a pretty solid defense led by rookie Von Miller) seemingly gets ignored when talking about the team:

"I don't think Tim calls up ESPN and says, 'Hey, put me on every day, and make it the Steelers vs. Tebow.' It's probably tough for him to deal with that stuff."

"Every time you turn it on, you see something about Tebow. I can only imagine what it's like for his teammates. Just watching today, it's the Steelers versus Tim Tebow. No, it's the Steelers versus the Broncos, so I can only imagine what it's like for him with all the eyes and the attention on him and the pressure. It can't be fun. I feel for him a little bit."

I'm not going to send Big Ben to the gallows for speaking the truth about ESPN's overhyping of Tebow, but I am wondering in the back of my head if there isn't something else at play with these comments from the Steelers QB. I mean, it *was* ESPN that seemingly ignored Roethlisberger's sexual assault allegations from three summers ago, and when they finally did mention the story on ESPN.com, it happened close to midnight. I've noticed a seemingly hero-worship attitude towards Roethlisberger in the past from the mothership about his on-field exploits and toughness, but then again, maybe that's because I'm a Ravens fan and get angry when he's talked about as an all-time great.

In any regard, Roethlisberger did tell it like it is regarding ESPN's massive crush on Tim Tebow. And hell, even Roethlisberger and divisional rival Terrell Suggs (who spends his time on the field with Roethlisberger trying to kill him) agree on the situation. When a Raven and a Steeler are agreeing on a point, you know there's something strange in the air.

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The Big Lead is reporting that Jim Rome will be leaving ESPN for CBS this month, and that his show "Jim Rome is Burning" will be heading with him. ESPN later confirmed the report of Rome's departure. Rome has been on ESPN for the past eight years and his new home will be the CBS Sports Network, formerly known as CBS College Sports and CSTV. CBS Sports is available on most cable systems across the country, including DIRECTV, Dish Network, Comcast, Cox, Time Warner, and so on.

CBS is likely to make Rome one of the cornerstones of the network, considering that the current "highlights" on it include deals with PBR (rodeo), MLL (lacrosse), Army & Navy football, and a lot of college hockey. Also in March, the network features a lot of March Madness coverage as a good companion to the main coverage on CBS's main channel. But then again, with Turner Sports getting in on the act this past year, there's less of a need for CBS Sports Network to be prominently involved. In his new role at CBS, Rome will be making some appearances on Showtime, also owned by CBS.

At any rate, Rome's departure was likely caused by his show getting jerked around over the last couple of months. He went from being on at 4:30 on ESPN as a lead-in to Around the Horn and PTI, to being on at 4:30 on ESPN2, with the then untested (and now, generally reviled) Dan Le Batard show as a lead-in. Deadspin also surmises that comments from ESPN executives in the ESPN book released in the spring have something to do with Rome's departure.

Here's a classic Rome clip to pay tribute to his most recent run at ESPN...

Is it a big loss for ESPN or a big catch for CBS?  What do you think?

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