9th Annual Target World Challenge

While most of the Country is right in the midst of winter, those of us lucky enough to live out here in California are thinking about golf this week. Tournament host Tiger Woods leads an elite 16 man field in the ninth annual Target World Challenge presented by Countrywide.

World #3 ranked player Jim Furyk, 2007 Masters Champion Zach Johnson, Vijay Singh and fan favorite and 1992 Masters Champion Fred Couples are amongst those who will attempt to take the crown from Tiger. The Pro-Am event which preceeds the tournament begins at 9:30am today. The actual tournament starts tomorrow and runs all four days from 9:30am through 3:00 pm PST. Live, televised coverage of the tournament runs from 12 noon until 3pm on the Golf Channel Thursday and Friday and on your local NBC affiliate on the weekend. I'm planning on being there on Saturday and perhaps also on Sunday... no cameras are allowed though, so no pics! Oh well!

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Week 14 NFL Rankings

There were certainly a number of very exciting and surprisingly entertaining games this weekend. The Dallas Cowboys had to pull a rabbit out of their hats to get a late 28-27 victory over the Detroit Lions at the Silverdome. Tony Romo drove the Cowboys for the winning score, hitting Jason Witten on a 20 yard scoring pass with just 19 seconds to play. It was sweet redemption for Witten who had fumbled at the Detroit 1-yard line on the Cowboys' previous possession. Witten tied an NFL record for receptions by a Tight End with 15 in the game. The great Kellen Winslow established the mark for the San Diego Chargers in 1982.

Speaking of the Chargers, they also stole a game last weekend by turning a 17-3 fourth quarter deficit into a 23-17 overtime win against the Tennessee Titans. Philip Rivers hit all-pro Tight End Antonio Gates on a 2 yard scoring pass with just 9 seconds to play in regulation. In overtime, LaDainian Tomlinson finished off the comeback, scoring on a 16 yard run to the left corner of the end-zone.

Was that the Seattle Seahawks finally coming up with an impressive win? Indeed it was. They beat up on the Arizona Cardinals by a 42-21 score on Sunday as they intercepted Cardinals QB Kurt Warner five times while Matt Hasselback led the offense, tossing four touchdown passes and no interceptions. Good for a move almost into my top 10. Maybe next week they will finally land there.

Here are this week’s rankings with last weeks rank in (). Record is only one consideration. I also take into account strength of schedule, strength of victory (or loss) and other intangibles…

1.(1) New England Patriots (13-0)
2.(2) Indianapolis Colts (11-2)
3.(3) Dallas Cowboys (12-1)
4.(4) Green Bay Packers (11-2)
5.(5) Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4)
6.(6) Pittsburgh Steelers (9-4)
7.(7) San Diego Chargers (8-5)
8.(10) New York Giants (9-4)
9.(8) Cleveland Browns (8-5)
10.(12) Buffalo Bills (7-6)
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11.(11) Tennessee Titans (7-6)
12.(14) Seattle Seahawks (9-4)
13.(13) Minnesota Vikings (7-6)
14.(9) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-5)
15.(15) Washington Redskins (6-7)
16.(17) New Orleans Saints (6-7)
17.(19) Houston Texans (6-7)
18.(16) Arizona Cardinals (6-7)
19.(18) Philadelphia Eagles (5-8)
20.(20) Chicago Bears (5-8)
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21.(24) Cincinnati Bengals (5-8)
22.(25) Denver Broncos (6-7)
23.(26) Detroit Lions (6-7)
24.(22) Carolina Panthers (5-8)
25.(21) Baltimore Ravens (4-9)
26.(27) St. Louis Rams (3-10)
27.(23) Oakland Raiders (4-9)
28.(28) Kansas City Chiefs (4-9)
29.(29) Atlanta Falcons (3-10)
30.(30) San Francisco 49ers (3-10)
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31.(31) New York Jets (3-10)
32.(32) Miami Dolphins (0-13)
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Patriots & Dolphins Still Perfect!

Not to really anyone's surprise, the Miami Dolphins lost again early Sunday afternoon to the Buffalo Bills by a 38-17 score to continue their winless season. In the evening, the Pittsburgh Steelers tried to put the first blemish on the New England Patriots season. Early on, the game was close, and the Patriots only led 17-13 at halftime. But Tom Brady and the defense took control of the game in the second half and carried the Patriots to a 34-13 win.

The Dolphins are still the only team to go through a season undefeated. It's pretty ironic that they are in the midst of their worst season ever at 0-13 while the Patriots take a run at their 1972 record-setting season.

Next week, the Dolphins take on Baltimore Ravens at home. If they lose, they will equal the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccanneers at 0-14. The Patriots get arguably the second worst team in the NFL at the moment in the New York Jets next week. A win against the Jets will make them only the second team ever to go 14-0 in a season, equalling those 1972 Dolphins.

And guess what? In week 16, the Patriots take on the Dolphins. I wonder what the point spread for that one will be?? 30+ points? It could be a record for sure!

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Got Garth???

I just got my Saturday mail and look what I found in it... This is gonna be FUN!

42nd Channel Islands Harbor Parade of Lights

It's Decemeber, and chances are you're probably pretty busy right about now worrying about who you still need to buy Christmas gifts for. Saturday night was a good chance to rest and relax as my friends Teresa & Heidi had a get-together last night at their home in Oxnard. It's a home which actually faces the Channel Islands Harbor with a balcony that has a perfect view of the harbor and of course, the annual Channel Islands Harbor Parade of Lights! Over 25 boats were out in the harbor and decorated with all kinds of different themes - some seasonal ones and some sea themes, while others were just kind of plain "random" so to speak. The big hit amongst many of those of us there was the "Rock Lobster" boat (below right) which loudly played the B-52's Anthem of the same name.






The parade was only part of the fun as about tifteen or so of us socialized, ate appetizers and even played a game called the "T-Shirt Game." The game actually was pretty interesting, and of course being the competitive person I am, I wanted to win, but alas I only came in 3rd out of the seven of us that played...

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Rick Ankiel Exonerated!

As many of you know, the "feel good" story of the 2007 baseball season was the amazing comeback of St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Rick Ankiel. The pitcher who became a hitter due to "wildness" issues on the mound hit 11 home runs and drove in 39 runs while hitting .285 in 47 games last year after his August call-up from the minor leagues.

Late in the season, several media outlets reported that Ankiel had received Human Growth Hormone (not a steroid) in 2003 and 2004 to help him recover from an injury. HGH was legal at the time, and it was used for a valid medical reason. Many respected media outlets such as ESPN tried to convict him and bring him down on the spot. It was a sad commentary on the state of our sports media today and how it's become almost tabloid-like in many instances. From what I could tell, Ankiel had done nothing wrong and I vehemently argued this point on several other websites.

Yesterday, and not at all to my surprise, Ankiel was exonerated of ANY wrongdoing by Major League Baseball. For more on this story, go to this link.

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Dodgers Sign Andruw Jones

After what can only be described as a horrible "contract year" season for the Atlanta Braves in 2007, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed outfielder Andruw Jones to a two year, $36.2 million contract last night. Jones hit 26 home runs with a league-low .222 batting average last year, while scoring only 83 runs. These were all career lows (in 1999 he also hit 26 home runs). Two years ago, Jones hit 51 home runs for the Braves. He followed that up with a 41 home run effort in 2006. Last year, I saw many Braves games on the Atlanta Superstation, and it appeared to me that he was pressing an awful lot, chasing balls that he normally wouldn't go after. Jones also battled a variety of nagging injuries last year.

In Andruw Jones, the Dodgers did also happen to get one of the league's best defensive outfielders. The weak-armed Juan Pierre will presumably move to left field. If Jones is fully healthy next year and he stays patient at the plate, expect Dodger fans to be very happy with this signing... he's a proven run producer and a great talent!

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